Chapter Text
One of the things that made sense, but was often overlooked, was just how heavy extensive cybernetics could make someone. Even the leanest of bodies if well equipped with tech could weigh in at a couple hundred pounds.
V did know the above fact, which is why when he noticed Johnny jogging toward him as he walked into Kerry’s place, he braced for impact.
Still, the force of Johnny, half-drunk and excited to see him, almost took him to the ground. Best chooms or not, Johnny Silverhand was a weapon.
“Easy,” V chucked as he caught Johnny by the waist and returned the messy hug, “fuck bud, it’s only midnight and you’re already this drunk?”
“I’m not drunk,” Johnny argued, and V rolled his eyes, “I’m relaxed. I didn’t think you’d be coming.”
V waved at Kerry as he walked into the front entrance to see what had pulled Johnny away from rehearsal, “Hey, Ker.”
“V,” Kerry grinned, and V was taken by how welcoming it was, “good to see you.”
“God you guys are sappy tonight,” V encouraged Johnny to stand on his own two feet, “when was the last time I missed one of your practices? I’ve come to every one since we got the rockstar earthside.”
“Not true,” Johnny argued, “you missed one.”
“Yeah, well, I got shot,” V followed Johnny and Kerry through the house, “doesn’t count.”
“Sure it does,” Johnny led the way back through Kerry’s house, the small make-shift rehearsal space they had made by his big screen, “siddown, grab a drink, stay awhile.”
“You don’t need to tell me that, Silverhand,” V dropped on the couch, nodding in greeting to Nancy who walked over and kissed his cheek as a hello.
“Right, pick it up where we were?”
“Let’s do it,” Kerry picked up his guitar, “maybe you won’t suck this time.”
“Fuck you,” Johnny spat, but it lacked any real venom.
V zoned out as they started to play the now-familiar tunes from the new Samurai album.
Sometimes, though not as often now, V was struck by just how exhausting the past few years had been. Losing Jackie, fighting with Arasaka until they had not only agreed to save him but give Johnny back the body they had kept in cryo for all those years.
Then there had been the months and months of therapy and doctor's appointment to try and fix the defective slot in his skull, followed by learning how to walk again, talk, fight, shoot. Depending heavily on Vik, Misty, Mama Welles and surprisingly Johnny as he re-learned the things that he had known how to do his entire life.
He had been back on his feet now for the better part of a year, able to work and self-sufficient. It was a relief, honestly. His friends were kind to him, but it had always been important to remember that first and foremost, in Night City everyone is alone.
If V was honest with himself, it made him nostalgic for his nomad days. During his worst days as Vik pumped vial after vial of medication down his throat to try and keep the worst of the side effects at bay, V would close his eyes and dream of being back with the clan.
It was still on his mind and the fact that Saul and Panam had called him yesterday, circling Night City and asking if he had finally decided if he wanted to join with them or not.
In his heart of hearts, he had. V knew that his heart was in the Badlands, quiet and peaceful with nothing but a couple dozen friends nearby. The only thing that was keeping him back was Johnny, and wanting to make sure that he was around as he adjusted to 2077 and the new Night City.
“V?”
V shook his head, running his hand through his short blue hair and shaking his head, “sorry, Johnny. What’s up?”
“Were you even listening?”
“Sure I was, I’ve heard it like half a dozen times since you guys wrote it. It’s preem.”
“Where’s your head today, Vito?” Kerry asked one of the few friends that V allowed to use his real name.
“Nowhere,” V waved him off, “don’t worry about it.”
“I’m worried about it,” Johnny lit a cigarette, “you’re bein’ fuckin’ weird.”
“Aldecaldos called me today,” V started cautiously, “invited me to join again.”
“So?” Johnny shrugged, “they do that a couple of times a year.”
“They do,” V agreed, “and, uh…I think I want to go.”
“What the fuck do you mean you want to go?”
“Well, I know when it’s my time to leave,” Nancy grabbed her jacket from the back of Kerry’s couch, “night boys. See you, V.”
“Yeah, see you.”
***
“No.”
V chuckled as Johnny paced, “I wasn’t askin’, Johnny.”
“You live in Night City.”
“I’ve only been here three years. I grew up in the Badlands. Why does this bug you so much? You used to be an Aldecaldo.”
“Doesn’t do well with change,” Kerry explained. He had been kind enough to stick around as a mediator while V tried and failed to explain himself to Johnny, “I remember when I told him that I wanted to move out of our first place, he flipped his shit. No word of a lie, V, we had cockroaches big enough to carry me away.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Johnny snapped, and for the first time since Johnny had become aware in the chip, there was a flash of his famous temper.
“Hey,” V stood, standing in front of Johnny to stop his pacing, “would you calm down? It’s not going to change anything but where I sleep at night. I’m still going to work in the city, I’ll still come to practice and your gigs. I’ll just have a tent or a trailer instead of an apartment.”
“Why?” Johnny was still livid, his voice a hard edge.
“Because I’m not happy in the city, Johnny.”
“You’ve got a place, a bike, a car, friends,” Johnny argued, “what’s not to like?”
“The noise, the lights,” V answered softly, “I miss bein’ a nomad. I miss the chill of the Badlands at night, the bonfires, the family. Past few years have been a lot, and honestly, I could use the comfort. I only stuck around to make sure you were going to be okay, but you settled in like you never left. Not all of us are cut out for the city life, Johnny. Seriously, why does it bug you so much?”
Johnny shrugged, not answering the question.
“You worried I won’t be around? That I’ll ditch you or something?”
“I was a nomad,” Johnny reminded him, “I know they leave. I know winter comes and they pack up and disappear. Sort of thought we were a team.”
“We are,” V promised, “that won’t change. I’ll always just be a call or a message away, okay?”
“You’re sure about this? You’ve made up your mind?”
“I’m just talking about it,” V shrugged, “I just know it would make me happy.”
“Johnny, he’s not your pet to keep,” Kerry cut in, “he’s your choom. If he says that bein’ a nomad would make him happy, encourage him to be a nomad. That’s what friends do.”
“Maybe I’m not a good friend,” Johnny stormed out of the room, and V heard the crash of broken glass from the bar.
“Shit,” V sighed, “sorry, Ker.”
“Not your fault, V. Don’t sweat it. Johnny’s like that sometimes. Once he decides you’re one of his, he wants you to go along with what he wants. You’re probably the only person that has told him no on anything.”
“I’m not tellin’ him no now, I’m just moving.”
“I know,” Kerry stood from the couch and pulled V into a half-hug, “move. Don’t let his teenage bullshit stop you. He might be 80-somethin’, but he didn’t do all that much growing up while he was in cyber-jail.”
There was another crash of glass, and V groaned, “let me stop him from ruining your shit, at least.”
“Just stuff, I can always replace it.”
V narrowly managed to duck when he walked into Kerry’s main room and Johnny hurled another glass, “watch it.”
Johnny glared and tossed another one.
“Don’t make me tackle you, Johnny. You watched me fight for months, you know I could do it.”
“Fuckin’ try it.”
Johnny wound up, glass in his hand as V darted toward him.
Johnny was tough without a doubt, but V’s cybernetics had him moving faster than Johnny could see. V crashed into him, and the glass was still a casualty as V took him to the ground in a tight grip. Johnny grunted at the impact, and V used the momentum to turn them, hitting the ground first.
It would have been a good idea, too, had he remembered all the broken glass.
Johnny froze at V’s pained gasp, and for a second, the room was still.
“V?” Kerry called cautiously, “you okay?”
“Turns out,” V wheezed, the sharp pain of the glass in his back making it difficult to talk, “he just dropped the first few.”
“Shit,” Kerry walked around the bar, hauling Johnny out of V’s grip, “you’re a fuckin’ idiot Johnny. Don’t move, V. Let me grab the broom and move the glass from around you first.”
“Not going anywhere,” V closed his eyes, it was like having a hundred little blades in his back. He tried not to breathe, not to speak, as Kerry rushed off.
“Shit,” Johnny muttered under his breath, “I’m sorry.”
“You’re fuckin’ stupid, you know that?” Kerry wacked Johnny in the back with the broom, “get out of my way. I swear to god, you’d think after fifty years to do nothin’ but think you might have learned a thing or two about controlling your temper. Tossin’ shit around like you’re ten because you’re not gettin’ your way. I don’t know why V spent so much time tryin’ to save your gonk ass.”
“Easy, Ker.”
“Stop defending him,” Kerry swept up the glass quickly, and V took his hand when he offered it so he could get back to standing, “turn around, let’s see the damage.”
V did as he asked, turning slowly to avoid stepping on any little pieces that Kerry might have missed. V faintly heard the tiny robotic vacuum whirr to life at the same time Kerry swore under his breath.
“You’re bleeding.”
“I fuckin’ bet, got most of a set of glasses in my back. Do me a favour, pull my shirt a bit, let’s see how much we can get out doin’ that.”
“It’s goin’ to hurt.”
“Already hurts, Ker. Just do it.”
V heard Johnny walk off, then his voice faintly in the other room. Kerry grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it away from his back. There was a sharp sting as some of the glass was pulled from his skin, the sound of the glass hitting the floor as the little robot rushed to pick it up.
“We should take this off,” Kerry helped him peel the t-shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground, “shit, V.”
“On a scale of one to ten, how bad?”
“A solid seven. Come and sit down.”
“Vik’s on his way,” Johnny’s voice was low, sheepish, and he avoided looking at both of them as V sat at the bar.
Kerry poured V a drink, setting some whiskey in front of him in a ceramic mug, “you drink. Johnny, you sit down and don’t break anything else. No more excitement until Vik get’s here.”
Johnny sat beside V silently, and together they settled in to wait.
***
“Vik, come on in,” Kerry opened the door, “sorry to call you so late.”
“Johnny said somethin’ about glass?” Vik asked as he followed Kerry inside, “who fell in glass?”
“Me,” V gestured to his back, “hey, Vik.”
“Hey, kid,” Vik set his bag on the bar, “what happened here?”
“My fault,” Johnny grumbled.
“Doesn’t matter,” V shrugged off the question, “think you can help?’
“Sure I can. It’s going to suck though.”
“I know,” V knocked on the bar and Kerry refilled his glass, “ready when you are.”
Vik pulled on his glove, spraying his back with a minty-smelling medicine, “so, no glasses to be seen, little vacuum running. Been to enough fights during my time with Trauma Team to paint a picture. What was the fight about?”
“Aldecaldos called,” V answered him softly, “I’m thinking of joining up with them.”
“Well shit, kid. That’s great. You were talking about how you wanted to link back up with a clan. When do you leave?”
“I don’t know,” V chanced a glance at Johnny and found him deep into a mug of his own, “they said I could come whenever I want but I have to figure out what to do with the apartment, pack, move.”
“I’ll help,” Vik offered immediately, “but first, let’s get the rest of this glass out of your back.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
***
“All set,” Vik pat V’s shoulder, “need a lift back to Watson?”
“If you don’t mind. It’ll be a bit cold riding back without a shirt.”
“Can I talk to you?” Johnny interrupted, “only a second.”
“Go,” Vik waved him off, “I need to clean up anyway.”
V followed Johnny back into the practice room, crossing his arm over his chest as he waited for Johnny to start. Johnny paced, ran his hand through his hair, stopped and started again.
By the time Johnny turned to face him, V was ready to leave.
“I don’t want you to go.”
“I got that impression,” V rolled his eyes, “when you broke all of Kerry’s shit.”
“Is there anything I can do to make you stay?”
“Johnny,” V sighed, “can we talk about this later? I’m tired, my back hurts. I want to go home.”
“I thought the Aldecaldos were your home? If you consider our place in Watson home, maybe you should stay there.”
“Good night, Johnny,” V turned to leave, caught by Johnny’s grip on his wrist.
“I want to talk about this. Can I come by tomorrow?”
“Sure,” V pulled his arm free, “tomorrow. Call me first.”
V found Vik waiting for him, Kerry next to him with a shirt in his hands.
“Doubt it’ll fit you,” Kerry offered him the button-up shirt “I just don’t have anything bigger.”
“Appreciate it,” V carefully pulled it over his shoulders with the help of Vik, “you still have a gig Friday?”
“Yeah, you’re on the VIP list. See you then?”
“See you then.”
***
“What was that all about?” Vik asked as they made their way back toward Watson.
“I told you, I’m thinking about joining up with the Aldecaldos again.”
“I know that part, but why is Johnny so mad?”
“No fucking clue. Lost his shit, though. Started tossing stuff, pacing. No idea why it bugs him so much, it’s not like he’s losing a roommate or anything, he’s been living with Kerry.”
“Seemed real upset.”
“He sure did. He’s going to come over tomorrow and we’re going to talk about it.”
“Hm,” Vik hummed under his breath like he often did when he knew more than he was letting on, “good luck, kid.”
***
Johnny didn’t call, he started pounding on the apartment door just after lunch. V groaned, still half asleep and groggy as he pulled himself from the bed to open the door.
“What?” V growled as the door slid open, blocking Johnny’s entrance with his arm on the doorframe, “I love you like family, Johnny, but you’re starting to piss me off with your shit.”
“I brought breakfast?” Johnny held up a grease-stained bag, “peace offering?”
“I told you to call,” V grumbled as he snatched the bag from Johnny’s hand and turned back into the apartment.
“Got distracted.”
“You wanted to talk, talk,” V pointed to the couch and sat heavily as he started to pull food from the bag, “if you break my shit, I’ll shoot you.”
Johnny sat close, but not exactly next to him, “so, pretty sure you’re going to go?”
V shrugged as he took a bite of the sandwich Johnny had brought, using the time he took to chew to decide how to answer without provoking him again.
“I’d be happier there,” it wasn’t a yes, but it was still an honest answer.
“I thought you were pretty happy here, with Ker and I.”
“I didn’t say I don’t have good friends here, just that I don’t like living here. I sleep like shit, I hate the traffic. I miss havin’ a family.”
“You have a family,” Johnny argued, “Mama Welles, Vik, me.”
“It’s different, and you know it is.”
Johnny sighed, leaning back against the couch hard enough it creaked under the force, “sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”
“The only thing keeping me in Night City was you,” V said it again now that Johnny was sober, “I never planned on staying here once Jack died. I knew more and more as we fought the chip that I wanted out of here. Considerin’ you were in my thoughts I’m surprised this is coming as such a shock to you.”
Johnny shrugged, “I thought, after…”
“After?”
“What I said in the oil fields,” Johnny said softly, like he didn’t want V to hear him, “you’d stay.”
“What part?”
“All of it.”
“Johnny,” V reached for him, squeezing his shoulder, “we fought death together, Arasaka, all the shit that came after. I’ll always be your best friend, me livin’ in the Badlands wouldn’t change that. Hell, me living across the world wouldn’t change that. We’ll be half an hour apart, that’s all.”
“Yeah, for now, until the Aldecaldos pick up and move.”
“I’ll always come back,” V promised, “always.”
“I’m going to miss this place,” Johnny looked around the apartment, “I liked it here.”
“Tell you what,” V stood, walking over to his desk to find his spare key, “I haven’t put my notice in yet, I still have six months on my lease. I don’t have to pay rent with the clan, so I can afford to keep this place running, too. Here.”
Johnny took the key and arched his eyebrow, “you asking me to move in?”
“No, I’m giving you a key so you can crash here if you want to if you miss it, or me, whatever. It also gives me a place to sleep when I come down for the concerts and rehearsals. It’ll give you some time to adjust, and it’ll give me a place to chill.”
“I know you think I’m bein’ stupid.”
“I don’t,” V disagreed, “I just want to be happy, and I want you to understand that.”
“I do,” Johnny lit a cigarette, “just wish you were happy here.”
***
“V, tell me you’ve made up your mind.”
“Hi, Saul, nice to hear from you, too. I’m doin’ good, thanks for asking,” V rolled his eyes as Saul and Panam appeared through his holo.
“Come on, V. Don’t leave us in suspense.”
“Yeah, I’ll join. I’m going to keep workin’ in Night City while we’re around, and I’ll be out of camp a few nights a week while I’m with Johnny.”
“No problem,” Panam agreed immediately, “that will be fine. When did you want to move?”
“When will you have a tent ready for me?”
“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Saul stage-whispered, “Mitch has set one up for you every time we’ve moved.”
“Seriously?”
“Fuck, Saul, you weren’t meant to tell him,” Mitch’s voice came from somewhere behind Saul, “now we sound desperate.”
V laughed, “Johnny has a gig on Friday, how about I move up Saturday?”
“We’ll be waiting,” Saul grinned, “see you soon.”
***
Think I could get some more tickets to the gig on Friday? It’ll be my last night in Night City, might bring Vik, Mama, and Misty – V
Bring as many people as you want, anyone on VIP can – Kerry
Preem, thanks – V
How did Johnny take it? He’s been pretty quiet – Kerry
I think he’s okay, but I guess we’ll see Friday – V
This whole thing is weird as fuck – Kerry
Tell me about it – V
***
“V!”
“Jesus fuckin’ christ, Johnny,” V rolled his eyes as Johnny pulled him into a painful hug when as he walked into the back room of the venue, “why do you keep actin’ surprised?”
“I just know you’ve been busy with packin’ and stuff,” Johnny pulled away, “glad you could make it. You brought the family.”
“Seemed right. What’s better for a send-off than a Samurai gig?”
“Nothin’,” Johnny agreed, winking at Mama Welles who blushed at the attention, “we saved you a booth, go enjoy the show, I’ll catch up with you later.”
***
“He’s going to struggle, you know,” Vik leaned in to talk over the music, “he relies on you.”
“He’s got Kerry.”
“Maybe,” Vik watched Johnny on stage with mild interest, “just sayin’, when I was working on fixing you up he was very invested in seeing you get better.”
“We’re chooms.”
“I know you are, but he cared about you more than I’ve ever heard of him caring about anyone.”
“You should see him with Kerry.”
“Leave him, Vik,” Mama Welles pat Vik’s shoulder, “he’ll figure it out eventually. We will watch both in meantime, hm?”
“Don’t we always?” Vik leaned back in his chair, his arm around Mama Welles’ shoulder, “they going to play any classics?”
“No,” V shook his head, “they never do. Johnny and Kerry wanted to do somethin’ different. All new music, a new sound. They wanted to see if Samurai could make it in 2077 and beyond.”
“Well it’s a full house, they’re not hurting.”
“They’ve done good,” V looked over the crowd, “I’m proud of them.”
***
“Hey,” V greeted Johnny as he joined him outside for a cigarette, “good show.”
“Thanks,” Johnny leaned against the wall beside him, “when are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow whenever I wake up. I was just going to find you to let you know I’m headed out for the night. Moving sucks at the best of times.”
“Where’s the family?”
“Vik’s driving them home.”
“Hey, I’ve got a weird question for you.”
“Shoot,” V flicked his cigarette away and called his car.
“Can I spend the night at yours?”
“Sure.”
“You’re not even going to ask why?” Johnny studied him.
“You’ve been acting weird for the past week, at this stage I’ll do whatever you want if it cheers you up. You’ve got two minutes before my car is here, go grab your guitar and I’ll wait for you.”
Johnny opened his mouth like he was going to say something more, paused, then nodded, “be back in a second.”
***
“Your entire life in two boxes,” Johnny commented as V brushed his teeth, “pretty sad.”
“Your entire life fit on a chip I could slot into my head,” V reminded around a mouth of toothpaste, “life is more than just things.”
“True.”
Johnny was sitting on the bed when V walked from the bathroom, stripped down to his boxers and smoking as he looked out the window. He looked tired and drawn as V undressed to sit beside him.
“There was a time when I thought both of our lives were going to end right in this shitty apartment. Wasn’t so long ago.”
“I thought the same when you smashed my face against that window,” V took the cigarette from Johnny’s lips and took a drag, “now you’re back with Samurai, I’m headed back to the Badlands.”
“And it all started here.”
“Sure did.”
“End of a legacy,” Johnny took the cigarette back, “sad to see the end of it.”
“You’re being morbid lately,” V wrapped his arm around Johnny’s back, “we have the apartment for six more months. Nothin’ is ending, just changing.”
“Seems like everything changes, doesn’t matter if I like it or not.”
“That’s the way things go sometimes,” V squeezed him in a sideways hug, “tell you what. You ever have a night where you just want me back, just to chill, gig, practice, or whatever. You call and I’ll come back. I know we’ve practically lived in each other’s pockets for a bit, it’ll make the change easier for the both of us.”
Johnny nodded, putting the cigarette out on the floor before he pushed V further into the bed. V pushed back the blankets and waited for Johnny to settle before he covered them both. This wasn’t common for them, exactly, but there had been more than one night during V’s recovery when he needed the warmth and reassurance of a body beside him.
V turned onto his stomach and winced as Johnny’s cool cybernetic arm wrapped around his lower back.
“Cold,” it was a weak protest and one that Johnny ignored.
“Night, V.”
“Night, Johnny.”