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elvenbeard · 1 year ago

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Exit Strategy

Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfic

Summary: V finally meets again with Dr. Fuentes, who during their first meeting already seemed very intrigued in his case. With not much left to lose, he takes her offer for an informal appointment - but even so, in Night City everything comes at a price. (Post-Sun-Ending, mostly canon-compliant, Chapter 13/?, 8258 words, Kerry Eurodyne/V - notes at the end) >> Previous Chapter >> Read from the Beginning

Kerry leaned over from the driver’s seat of his car and gently turned V’s head to give him a brief goodbye kiss. V didn’t want it to end, didn’t want to unglue his ass from the passenger seat, or go to that appointment with Fuentes. His hand lingered on Kerry’s thigh too long and gripped too tightly for Kerry to not notice. He had been right. V truly hated hospitals and doctors and anything to do with either.

“Ya sure you don’t want me to come?” Kerry asked with the utmost genuine worry in his eyes.

“Not that I don’t wanna,” V whispered, “But I’ll manage. And you’ll manage.”

He tried to convince himself more than Kerry really, and Kerry’s little grin told him that he knew that just as well. So, he just kissed him once more for good measure.

“I’ll give ya a call as soon as I’m out and I’ll be all yours for the rest of the day. Promise.”

“Okay,” Kerry nodded, beard brushing against V’s lips briefly. Then he withdrew, and V slowly lifted his hand to the doorhandle.

He wasn’t sure how, but somehow, he made it out of the car eventually. Exited the steel and gold colored Guinevre, waved Kerry goodbye briefly as he slowly drove off towards Charter Hill. Then he entered the MedCenter with his heart beating in his throat.

Finding the right name plate on the right room turned into a downright scavenger hunt in the hospital’s endless white hallways that all looked the same. A kind med-tech pointed V into the right direction eventually and opened the door for him. Now he was sitting in a too comfortable armchair in Dr. Fuente’s office. He had been a little early, but she was close to running late. V wasn’t sure if he liked it better that way or not.

His neck was stiff and hurt, partially from the accident still, but also from sleeping on the couch last night, huddled up to Kerry closely. After their pizza had arrived, they’d watched old movies until they both eventually dozed off. Falling asleep to the bad audio of an old action film and Kerry’s soft snoring had been another of those moments he wouldn’t have minded lasting a lifetime.

He pulled up the files on Fuentes again, gave them another quick read. Nix had sent them late last night and V had studied them over breakfast this morning. He had come to the same conclusion as the Afterlife’s resident netrunner: nothing too out of the ordinary with this doctor. At least on the surface.

Isabella Fuentes was born January 19th, 2024, in Puerto Rico. When she was two, the family moved to Tucson, Arizona. She was divorced, had two daughters, both adults around V’s age. One moved to Los Angeles two years ago, the other still studied at NCU. Fuentes herself had come to Night City with a medicine scholarship for the same university back in the middle of the century.

So much to the pretty ordinary basics. But V perked up when he learned that soon after finishing her studies, Fuentes worked for BioDyne for a considerable number of years. During their first meeting she had been quite adamant about not having any loyalties to that particular corporation. Nix was unable to turn up details on why – or how – she left, but that she got out of the corporate world alive after such a long time spoke for itself. BioDyne may not have been as militaristic as Arasaka, but V doubted they just let go of long-term employees without repercussions for either side.

After the end of her corporate career, Fuentes worked for Trauma Team briefly, in the field. She was injured during the time of the Unification war, although not related to war activities. She continued on the administrative side as she recovered and eventually took on her current role at the MedCenter’s neurology department. Ever since the end of the war she’d been exactly there, predominantly helping veterans and contributing to studies in her field. A long and remarkable career so far, even if not nearly as prestigious as it could have been with her prerequisites. V was certain there were parts of her past she would like to avoid talking about, and Nix had offered to dig deeper into some aspects… But for now, V was content with what he had. The rest would be determined by how this meeting went.

It was almost 10:15 at this point, no sign of the doctor still. V took a deep breath and looked around the room. The office was on one of the higher floors of the building. Not overly large or impressive, but it had a decently sized window. The shutters were closed, sadly, otherwise the view across Little China may have been quite beautiful this morning. All light came from some simple embedded ceiling lights, a warm white glow, a barely audible hum. The furnishings were sparse, a large grey desk front and center, two armchairs, an office chair, all upholstered with white synleather. V had uncomfortable flashbacks to Blue-Eyes’ office, but this room was thankfully too narrow for secret floor compartments containing synthetic bodies. The wall to his right was lined with shelves displaying mostly books, documents, and data shards, as well as a few personal items. Some quaint figurines that could’ve been Mexican, but V wasn’t sure. Souvenirs from a trip long in the past. There also were some tiny, colorful flowerpots that looked like they were hand-painted by children, containing even tinier succulents that may have been just plastic. To his left, on the wall opposite to the bookshelves, was a door, but not the one he had entered through. Just when he finished the thought, V suppressed a wince as the door right behind him slid open and a slightly out of breath Dr. Fuentes finally entered her office.

“Please excuse the delay, I had an emergency this morning and my whole schedule is shifted now,” she said, then stopped by V’s side briefly, extending a hand. V got up to shake it.

“Good morning, first of all,” she said, nodding and smiling politely, “I’m happy you’re back. You look better already than last week.”

“Thanks,” V said briefly and sank back into his chair while Fuentes went to open the window shutters, letting in some natural light. She hung her white coat over the backrest of her chair then sat down across from V behind her desk and folded her hands on her lap. Intelligent dark eyes were fixated on him, and V tried not to let his thoughts run too wild just yet with assumptions and theories about potential ulterior motives on her side.

“Alright,” Fuentes said as she had finally caught her breath again, “I suggest we cut straight to the chase.”

“Yes,” V nodded, “Thank you again for taking the time.”

“Of course,” Fuentes nodded, “I have to admit, I have been thinking about you and your case a lot these past days. Even with the limited knowledge I have so far, I still believe I may be able to help. If you are willing to tell me more about your condition now.”

‘Willing’ wasn’t the word V would’ve used. It was more a necessity at this point that he got help.

“I will,” he said, “But only if you can provide me with a certain level of security.”

Fuentes shifted in her chair slightly and frowned, then she opened one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a tablet. She turned it on and began to search for something on it while maintaining eye contact with V as best as she managed.

“You’ve come here today as my patient. As far as I’m concerned, everything, anything that we discuss, falls under the doctor-patient confidentiality. My contract with the Little China MedCenter binds me to treat your data and information with utmost care and discretion. All data we store is locked away securely, all in accordance with your Trauma Team policy. I can resend you the patient information papers and contracts, although I think most of them you should already have…”

“I care less about the MedCenter than about what you personally do with the information I’m going to give you,” V said, and Fuentes stopped her search, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“I’m not sure what you’re alluding to,” she said, still polite, but shoulders visibly more tense than before.

“Nothing,” V shook his head carefully, “This is just not something I tell every random stranger on the street… no offense, of course.”

He paused.

“If I have to play with open cards, I need you to as well.”

A short, knowing smile flashed across Fuentes’ lips, and again, it was for just a split-second. V had known he was onto something from the first moment they ever looked at each other face to face. The question was not whether or not Fuentes could help him, but if he even wanted her to help him.

Fuentes put the tablet down and leaned back in her chair, brushing a black and grey curl out of her face. The late morning light coming in through the window right behind her framed her in a hazy golden glow, almost as if she wasn’t real, just wishful thinking in a hopeless situation.

“Alright,” she said calmly and nodded, “It is only fair.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then rested her chin on her interlocking fingers.

“I know very well who you are, V. They call you ‘King of the Afterlife’ on the streets. A mercenary with a background at Arasaka’s department for Counterintelligence, and that’s only where the rumors and hearsay begin... Admittedly, I wonder how much of it all is true.”

V wasn’t surprised. He was certain his old Trauma Team records from his time at Arasaka were still stored somewhere. They must’ve come up when the hospital checked his insurance status after the accident. And the hearsay and rumors, well… Didn’t have to pay a fixer much for that kind of superficial intel.

This was not what he had hoped she would open their conversation up with, but it was a start.

“From my experience, telling the truth is the easiest way to make people believe you’re lying,” he decided to say. Fuentes chuckled briefly, then nodded, serious as ever. She looked him directly in the eyes, piercing, trying to read his thoughts. He wondered if she had cyberoptics – probably, as a neurosurgeon, and with her age. Doubtful though whether she had the means to covertly scan his system and biometrics. She wouldn’t be very successful either way, and the little information of him that was on public record he didn’t care about people knowing.

“Is it true you’re one of the best that money can buy?” she then asked with sincerity. Regardless, this time V was at least a little taken aback by how sudden and straightforward the question came.

“And I thought you wanted to help me, not the other way around…”

He leaned back in his chair too now and crossed his legs loosely. Undoubtedly, he was intrigued by this turn of the conversation, but at the same time his guts twisted into a knot.

“I think we can help each other,” Fuentes said, “And we both have a lot to lose.”

“Is that so?”

She smiled sadly, then shook her head.

“No, actually, I lost a lot already. And not even Night City’s best mercenary could bring it back,” she said, voice calm and composed, “But I would be satisfied just with plain revenge as well.”

The fire in her eyes was reignited, the same fire from their first meeting, the same anger Takemura had always spoken with about “restoring his honor” while to V it had always sounded more like a thirst for revenge at the core. Restoring an order that couldn’t be restored when he could’ve, should’ve just turned his back to the Arasakas the moment he had the chance.

Something like that was easy to say for V, of course, who hadn’t dedicated his whole life to a corporation.

And now, Fuentes, mysteriously non-associated with her former employer BioDyne, spoke of revenge. That could only mean trouble, and V hoped not to a similar degree as with Goro and the Arasakas.

“Not a fan of revenge,” he said truthfully, “It rarely solves anything and only creates more problems, usually.”

Fuentes laughed dryly.

“So what, live and let live?”

“Focusing on just living so far has at least brought me further than trying to get back at everyone who ever wronged me.”

“Maybe you haven’t been wronged badly enough yet then. You’re still young,” Fuentes smiled, but her eyes didn’t. V considered her words for a moment. Somewhere in the distance a barely audible announcement droned over loudspeakers, calling doctor so-and-so to room this-and-that. Otherwise, it was eerily quiet in this part of the hospital. No beeping machines, no hectically running people in the hallways. V began to understand why she’d wanted to meet him in her private office instead of an examination room downstairs now.

“Back in April I was shot in the head by my fixer and dumped in a landfill,” V then said, “I think I’ve been wronged a fair amount in my life so far. Although that surely takes the cake.”

He paused for a moment.

“Admittedly, had I had the chance, I’d returned him the favor. Although, I wouldn’t have called it revenge. Justice suits me better.”

Fuentes said nothing for a couple of moments, just studied his face. V could see her thoughts racing, although he wasn’t quite sure about her next move just yet.

“That’s your old injury?” she then simply asked and picked up her tablet again. She pulled up his brain scans and sat it down in the center of the desk so they both had a good view of the screen.

“A degeneration like this is nothing I’ve ever seen caused by a mere gunshot wound,” she said, “Although, I don’t recall someone still standing in front of me and talking normally with an injury as deep and massive in that general area of the brain…”

V’s pulse sped up just slightly when she looked back up at him again, inquisitive and head tilted slightly.

“You were very lucky…”

“’Luck’ doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface,” he said, peeling away at his cast again. The little plastic barrier between his left thumb and index finger was smooth as glass already from his consistent fidgeting with it.

“Was… or rather, is it an infection?” she continued to inquire, “I can imagine, ending up in a landfill barely alive with a wound like that…”

“I guess you could call it that, although not from the cause you assume,” V smirked, suppressed a chuckle. He almost heard Johnny’s disapproving scoff, saw him in the corner of the room leaned against the shelf, flipping him off with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. Almost, not really. Not like he used to be able to.

“You remember the murder of Saburo Arasaka?” he tried to bring himself back into the conversation, out of his head. He wanted to bait the doctor some more, get her intrigued.

Fuentes seemed confused but nodded.

“His son killed him, or so was the conclusion in the end. Although, I remember assassins were blamed for it at first, hired killers. It was all over the news for weeks, until the parade. Then that was all over the news…”

Slowly, it began to dawn on her.

“You were involved in that?”

“Unwillingly, not directly,” V quickly clarified, “But before I explain how this is all connected and important… What do you want from me?”

Fuentes slumped back into her chair slightly and cleared her throat, disappointed almost.

“Would you be open to a job even if it boils down to a simple act of revenge?” she asked, then huffed amusedly, “I never would have guessed to ever ask a self-proclaimed mercenary that question.”

“Yeah, we’re generally pretty amoral people, all the way through to our cold, money-filled hearts,” V said bluntly, and Fuentes cheeks turned a slightly darker shade. She cleared her throat.

“Don’t worry, I’m joking,” V added after keeping her in suspense for at least a little bit, “Whether or not I take a job usually depends on what I can gain from it, so… Tell me the details. I’m listening.”

“You are very different from how I imagined you,” she then sighed, avoiding answering again, “I was surprised the other day already, but I chalked it up to the shock, your medication...”

V shifted in his seat slightly but tried to keep his posture relaxed and open.

“What did you imagine?” he asked.

“I’m not even sure anymore,” she said, “Less strings attached… or rather, different strings altogether.”

“You thought, ‘I’ll just hire someone to solve my problem for me, how complicated can it be’?”

V couldn’t hold himself back, because very often it boiled down to that. Not that he minded it particularly. Fuentes shrugged.

“Maybe,” she said, “In the end, it doesn’t matter. We’re here now and… And if you can help me with my problem, I’m more than willing to help you with yours free of charge in exchange.”

“Money’s not an issue,” V said, as Kerry had reassured him many times before as well. Truthfully, he still hoped he could somehow get out of having to assist her revenge plans, whatever they were.

“Well… regardless, you may not have a choice but help me.”

And here it was, the catch V had been waiting for, as if she’d read his mind.

“Why don’t we finally stop with the games, and you tell me what you want,” he said, no longer hiding his growing impatience.

Fuentes slowly turned to open a drawer on the other side of her desk. She pulled out a small black shard case, somewhat old-fashioned looking. Carefully, almost as if she feared it could shatter, she placed it on the desk and then slowly slid it closer to V without letting go.

“Have a look,” she said, “Far from a professional dossier, I fear, but I hope it helps as a start.”

V reached out to take the case and ejected the contained shard. He knew the model, knew that even if Fuentes had put a daemon or virus on it and this whole meeting was an elaborate trap, his system had enough countermeasures built in to catch it before it could cause any real damage. Not letting his hesitation shine through he inserted the shard into his free neck slot. A handful of files popped up on his interface, indeed not in the quality or as organized as he was used to from his fixers. But it was a more than decent start for the work of an amateur like Fuentes.

He opened a video clip front and center among the files. It was only a few seconds long and looped, showing a man around Fuentes’ age, maybe a bit older. The quality of the footage wasn’t the best, as if illegally captured from a public camera feed. The man wore a dark suit but was otherwise rather non-descript. Light hair, glasses… ironically, the same way Fuentes kept reminding him of Takemura, this man reminded V of Hellman. He had to do a double take, but no, the more often he saw him get out of a Delamain cab and hurriedly walk towards the entrance of what appeared to be a hotel, the more certain he was that this wasn’t Hellman. V skimmed through the other documents attached.

“Nathaniel Sutter,” he said, as he began to read through the files, “The name rings a bell… Not sure why though…”

Fuentes shrugged slightly and shook her head.

“It would surprise me if you knew him,” she said, “He is good at keeping a low profile, always has been. Finding a way to get to him, wherever he is at the moment, would be part of your job.”

“Last known place of residence Palm Street 78, Apartment 3, Charter Hill. Back in March still. Worked at BioDyne as a high-ranking researcher, manager… stopped active work for the corporation five years ago but remains on the executive board until today,” V summarized what he could gather from the files, some of them internal BioDyne documents he was certain were not meant for outsider’s eyes. Others were reports from business magazines, newsfeed articles, and so on, also not his go-to reading material. But he was certain he’d seen the name before somewhere.

“Let me guess…” he said after copying the data over and ejecting the shard again to return it to its case, “He ruined your career and you wanna get back at him as a late revenge, forever leave him in the unknown about what he did wrong?”

Fuentes smiled and shook her head as she took the shard back from V.

“No,” she said, holding the case gently between her fingertips before slowly looking back up at him, “I want his last thoughts to be regret. I want him to know that it was me who had him killed, and that it was for stealing my life’s work for nothing but the furtherment of his pathetic career.”

She spat her words out like venom, her eyes burning with disdain. V was quick to put two and two together. Also, he liked her bravado. He preferred clients that wanted their targets to know exactly why they met their demise over those who wanted him to do all the dirty work to keep their own conscience and hands clean.

“So, I think what you want is justice as well, not revenge,” he said after a short pause.

“What’s the difference, in your opinion?” Fuentes asked, leaning back in her chair again, eyebrows raised and shrugging slightly.

“Revenge is all about emotion,” V said, “You wronged me, so I’ll wrong you back, because I’m pissed or upset or otherwise hurt. Emotions always make things complicated. Justice, on the other hand, is logical. You analyze what went wrong, how you’ve been wronged… and then find an adequate punishment.”

Fuentes chuckled.

“A mercenary or a philosopher?”

“Neither,” V said, “Not really.”

Fuentes had no response to that, only smiled as if something had just clicked into place. V took the opportunity to change the subject away from him again.

“So, you did work on what they’re now marketing as the cure for MS?” he asked and finally Fuentes nodded. She let out a heavy sigh, her eyes drifting across her bookshelves briefly before finding V’s again.

“Of course, in the end, it was all in the name of BioDyne,” she explained, “It had always been a project intended to create great profits for people already a hundred times richer than what six generations of my family ever called their own. But somewhere deep down I was convinced, young and naïve, that regardless it was an innovation that could save the lives of thousands one day.”

“Was he your supervisor?” V asked, once more pulling up the video of Sutter and sending a handful of somewhat decent still frames to Nix for a quick background check. He would’ve loved to dig up some dirt on him himself, but if Fuentes kept her word he’d still be occupied for a while here for further testing and examination of his symptoms.

“We both started at BioDyne almost at the same time, both fresh out of university,” she explained, “He came here from a different city, and we bonded over both being outsiders in NC. Originally, we also shared similar goals, but somewhere down the line something changed.”

“Heard that story a million times before,” V said, exaggerating, but Fuentes just nodded again, knowingly.

“It’s as old as time,” she said, “But it still hurts, looking back… Anyway yes, you guessed right, he ruined my career – but not even in the sense that I was focused on advancing it. My primary goal was furthering my research, helping people. Long story short, something somewhere was going on in another department of the company, and because of it, even though we were ready, we weren’t allowed to publish our work.”

“Marketing schemes?” V wondered aloud, remembering similar ploys from Arasaka. Two departments that didn’t even know of each other’s existence influenced each other’s operations, which caused many frustrations on both sides. A handful of times it had been down to V and his subordinates even to play two departments against each other to test morale and company loyalty. He was sure all big corporations worked similarly on the inside.

“I have no clue,” Fuentes only shrugged, “I just know one night I went home none the wiser, and the next morning all my data and findings were gone because I had complained about the management’s practices.”

“To Sutter?” V asked and Fuentes nodded.

“He was also the only one who had access to my data, knew where I stored some more obscure findings that weren’t even relevant to our research. It was all gone, and I was told to pack my stuff and leave. And to better keep my mouth shut or else I’d never find work in my field again.”

“How long ago was that?” V asked, just to be sure the information Nix had given him matched up with her story.

“Fifteen years this year,” Fuentes said.

“A long time,” V nodded, “Why now the sudden lust for revenge?”

Fuentes smiled sadly.

“Because the cure is out now and people are being helped,” she said, “I saw some first results and findings, read the recent studies they conducted, and everything is working as intended. I don’t care anymore what happens now, as long as I can be sure my work wasn’t in vain.”

V frowned.

“Your work for BioDyne wasn’t in vain then, no,” he said, “What about you helping me though, what timeline of events are you picturing here?”

If she would only help him after he took care of Sutter and then instantly got assassinated by BioDyne agents, V would’ve been used as nothing but a tool once more. That he refused.

“I guess that depends on how urgently you need my help,” she said, “And how invasive my help is going to have to be.”

She finally returned the shard case to her desk, and V noticed now that there were some additional little clicking noises – a secret compartment probably, as she should keep something like that in one.

“Shall we begin with the classic ‘how are we feeling today, Mr. Ezaki?’, or would you like to continue where we left off, with the infection and the gunshot wound?”

The pit in V’s stomach grew as there really was no way to evade the topic anymore now. Fuentes had played with open cards, given him a decent bunch of incriminating information that he may as well use against her this instant if he wanted to. She’d put her trust in him, now he had to do the same.

“I will omit some details here and there, as they’re not relevant to my current situation anymore,” he began slowly, “And I want to protect the identities of some people – and you from knowing too much, too.”

“Of course,” Fuentes said calmly. V took a deep breath and steeled himself to tell his story once more, and once more as well to a person he barely knew.

“How familiar are you with Arasaka’s ‘Secure your Soul’ program?”

“Somewhat, but only on a superficial level,” Fuentes said, “It didn’t work as intended, as far as I know, but I can do some more reading on it.”

“If you need anything, I can also send you some more substantial data on it. It technically isn’t even classified anymore, was all part of the data leaks.”

More or less, at least.

“Sure…” Fuentes said, “Although I’m not sure I can follow why this is important. Wasn’t ‘Secure your Soul’ marketed as a means to speak to the dead, basically? What the engrams were actually used for in the end we’ll not delve into just now, but… You’re alive, most certainly.”

“Yeah… somewhat.”

V sat up straight again, cleared his throat, and began to recount the events that were set in motion at No-Tell-Motel in the early morning hours of April 17th 2077. He left out most details, especially about the hunt for Hellman, Evelyn’s involvement and what became of her. He didn’t mention Alt or Johnny by name and omitted all that happened in Dogtown entirely.

What he told Fuentes about was the Relic kickstarting him back into life, somehow, Johnny’s presence and his engram creeping into his brain. He explained how the Relic 2.0 was supposed to work and that his didn’t as intended and yet even better than imagined by its creator. He tried to explain what happened at Mikoshi, and how he felt like afterwards, ever since… Blue-Eyes he decided not to mention yet, but he touched upon trying varying “therapies”, of which the most recent one had many undesirable side-effects.

Fuentes listened with great attention, rarely interrupted him, and when she did, only to clarify the more medical aspects V touched upon. She noted down his symptoms during his attacks back then and now, and requested access to any of the scans Vik had done during all this time to get an idea of the overall development of his physical and mental state in the last months.

“So, if I’m understanding you correctly,” she eventually said after V had concluded his story, “The V I’m talking to right now, your personality, memories, and so on… is all stored on the biochip as an engram?”

Hearing it spelled out like that by a stranger somehow made sound even more surreal than it was. Or a slap in the face, a reality check V didn’t want or need.

“Can you understand now why this is not something I want to be public knowledge?” he asked, and Fuentes nodded pensively. She leaned back in her chair for a moment, looked up at the ceiling, then returned her attention back to her tablet.

“Your brain scans seemed so normal though,” she said, pulling the images up again as if she needed to be sure, “Well, a mild concussion, but other than that…”

“That’s beyond what I’m able to explain,” V said, “Some of my previous doctors said brain scans could seem normal on the surface, because my body has to be kept up and running somehow. There is some brain activity, but all higher functions are carried out on the Relic. The chip itself undid some of the damage from the gunshot because it tried to mimic, recreate the engram’s brain. I’m not even sure how far completed the process was, but given how easy it was for him to take over in the end, pretty far I guess.”

V's stomach turned at the thought, the memories, the feeling of sheer helplessness as he could only watch as Johnny piloted his body. Wondering still what happened during the times when he was fully blacked out, as Johnny had never been a fan of telling the whole truth.

Fuentes folded her hands on the table again, brow furrowed and studying V’s face.

“Your own engram can’t settle back in the same way… why exactly?”

“The Arasaka-AI I spoke to said the process I underwent couldn’t be reversed. My theory is that, since this specific Relic is a faulty prototype, it simply is incapable of kickstarting another process of rewiring my brain again. Or even if it could, my body has been through too much already to be able to take such radical adjustments.”

“Some radical measures may be needed indeed,” Fuentes said quietly, and V shivered, “But I am taking into account that you’re currently not in good health and we have to be careful. If you’re willing to accept my help still, of course.”

“I would like to hear out your plan at the very least,” V said, not trying to let his desperation show, “And, for my friends’ sake... maybe you can give me your opinion how bad it is. How much time I got left if things go on like they do currently.”

Fuentes nodded, then they both went quiet for a couple of seconds.

“This Arasaka-AI…” she broke the heavy silence, “Did it ever occur to you that it may have been lying about your condition?”

V thought about it for a moment.

“To gain what exactly?” he wondered.

“Not sure, just a thought,” Fuentes shrugged, “An AI created by Arasaka surely would act in Arasaka’s best interests. In this case, discourage you from leaving and carrying all their secrets out into the world.”

V shuddered, hoped that Fuentes didn’t notice it.

“The engram might’ve done it instead of me, had I given up my body,” he said, he hoped, “Besides, it’s a little bit more complicated than that with this particular AI. But that’s none of your concern.”

“Alright,” Fuentes nodded, “As I said, it was just a thought.”

She picked up her tablet again, read through her notes. Then she motioned to get up from her chair, setting the tablet back down, but hesitated.

“May I have a look at the chip?” she asked, still in her chair waiting for V’s okay. He froze.

“Just the slot, examine it externally,” she clarified, made tapping gestures.

V shifted in his seat slightly.

“I’d just… ask you to be careful.”

“Of course,” she nodded, then got up and slowly walked around her desk, past the bookshelves, coming to a halt to V’s right.

“May I?” she asked, smiling, and moving gently, as if she could sense his tension and fear. She probably could, to be fair. She motioned wanting to touch his head and neck, and after another couple of seconds of hesitation V nodded and turned his head away to bare his neck ports. Fuentes put one hand on the back of his neck, the other on his head, gently and slowly turning it to get a good look.

“Is this alright?” she made sure, “If at any point it hurts, let me know.”

“It’s fine,” V said, his voice much quieter and timid than he wanted. His whole body was tingling from tension and anxiety.

Fuentes’ hand wandered from the back of his neck to the ports behind his ear, embedded directly into his nervous system and connecting what was left of him on that chip with what was left of his body.

“This one?” she said, tapping beside the port that contained the Relic, and V shivered, his entire skin covered in goosebumps in an instant. He couldn’t reply.

“Does it hurt?” Fuentes asked gently, “It doesn’t look infected but…”

“Been having issues with these ports since I was a teen,” V explained briefly, “Didn’t take an upgrade well one time and ever since they’ve been prone to act up.”

“I see…” Fuentes nodded, “I bet slotting an experimental biochip in there didn’t improve the situation.”

“No...”

She let go of his head again and moved away slightly to give him space. V took a deep breath and almost reflexively his hand shot up to his neck, brushing over the slots as if to make sure they were still there.

Fuentes leaned against the edge of her desk, her arms crossed.

“You ever take the metro?” she asked after a pause, “Hang out in shady bars and dark alleys?”

“What?” V squinted up at her, hand still covering the Relic.

“I’m just wondering what you’re doing against picksockets,” she explained calmly, but her brow deeply furrowed with worry, “Or in general, any other protective measures you utilize to not have someone come up at you and yank this from your neck.”

V dropped his hand and began to fumble with his cast again.

“Doing everything in my power,” he said quietly at first, but at the same time, anger welled up in him. At his situation, not at the doctor necessarily.

“I’m well aware how risky it is to just step out the front door like a normal person, when my life is far from that. But… what’s the alternative? Lock myself up until I die?”

Fuentes nodded pensively, understandingly.

“You mentioned this therapy you tried… You think the medication has increased this feeling of apathy, of not being able to voice your thoughts clearly? How long since you’re not taking the pills anymore?”

“Just a day,” V said, not exactly happy about the topic change either.

“Do you feel clearer now than you did a few days ago?”

He paused to really think it through. His emotions were all over the place, the last few days had been an intense firework of horrible impressions and new, uncomfortable discoveries. He’d had troubles being honest with Kerry, although, their argument yesterday morning, even if it hurt, had been very straightforward. Much more so than many of the other conversations they’d had lately.

“I… can’t say for sure,” he said, “Maybe. But I’ve had clearer days in-between occasionally, too.”

“Alright,” Fuentes said, then she walked back to her chair to sit down. She looked at V intensely again for what seemed like an eternity. He didn’t recall the last time he felt as naked while being fully clothed.

“Knowing your case a bit better now, I see two main problems. The first: the decline of your physical and mental health. Your deteriorating nervous system, seizures, depression, depersonalization, and so on. That is something I need to examine more closely, put you through some tests. And we have to run a whole bunch of scans, unfortunately. Some we can do today, but others take some time and require planning in advance.”

“Yay, tests and scans,” V said as unenthusiastically as possible, and he didn’t even have to try hard.

Fuentes chuckled.

“I know, you’ve probably been through that a lot with your previous doctors. If you still have their findings available, I’d love to see them, too.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” V said, raising his hand to slow Fuentes down, “But can you tell me like… in general if you have any plan, any idea of how to tackle this already? Just so I know where I’m at.”

In fact, he solely wanted, needed something concrete beyond “we need to do tests” that he could tell Kerry. A sliver of hope, a promise, maybe, that V didn’t need to keep but the doctor. He needed someone else who could take the blame if things went down south if he was being completely honest.

“That would bring me to your second main problem: the biochip continuously taking up a slot in an already strained system while being extremely exposed to external influences,” Fuentes said, “There’s a reason why these slots are not intended for long-term usage, and we rely on built-in cyberware solutions for permanent modification purposes. In your case, you currently have no other choice, of course. But it is still something that should be tackled in the short rather than the long term.”

Fuentes turned the tablet back on and opened V’s brain scans in a program that allowed her to draw onto the 3D-model, visualizing her ideas.

“I should preface this by saying that yes, your case is unique. I’ve never done anything like this before. I have an idea, but I need to do a lot of research and preparations first, still… and you can use that time to prepare everything else you feel you need to prepare… Just in case, if you catch my meaning.”

V swallowed.

“That invasive, then, huh?” he tried to joke to ease the tension. Fuentes smiled sadly. She drew some lines along the backside of the scan of V’s head.

“My current idea is to create a safer container and environment for the chip inside your skull,” she explained, “We can make use of the existing connections… it will have to stay in its port, obviously, but we can pull it inside as a whole and place it roughly here maybe.”

She drew a vertical line along the back of his skull, right at the base.

“The exact spot I’ll have to determine once I have a full scan of your system configuration, nervous system, and so on,” she added, “And yes, the procedure how I’m picturing it right now will be invasive, painful, probably leave scars… but it will contribute to stabilizing the Relic’s overall state, having it in a container actually designed to hold it long-term.”

“I see,” V said, but he struggled to take in the information, even though Fuentes seemed extremely confident and competent in the way she explained and sketched out her thoughts.

“In regard to your deteriorating health, well,” she said after a moment of contemplation, “As I said, I need to run tests first. We need to take as much strain from your body as possible, you need to rest, relax.”

“Easier said than done. There’s an BioDyne executive board member I’ve been asked to kill.”

Fuentes’ face twitched briefly, and she just nodded.

“I know,” she said, voice heavy, “But as I said, there may be no way around it.”

V frowned.

“I think the best way to tackle your health concerns, would be a modified version of the nanobots we used in our studies at BioDyne back then,” she explained, “They’re not the same anymore as the ones utilized in the current treatments, BioDyne heavily controls their usage too. Obviously. But I know for a fact that Sutter kept some of our prototypes to himself, secretly of course. Gloating, and so sure of himself he’d never be discovered.”

V was tempted to ask for a moment what Sutter would keep them for, but with the information he had on him currently, the answer was obvious: to sell them at a huge profit should things ever go awry with BioDyne. Every single person rising high enough in the ranks of a corporation had exit plans like this. Had V not spent his last 6 months at Arasaka high out of his mind most of the time, had he not invested his spare time and money into drugs and random hookups but an exit strategy, he probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Admittedly though, he wasn’t sure where he would be sitting instead, and if he’d be any happier or maybe even more miserable.

“And you could reprogram these prototypes to… reprogram my nervous system, fix all the damages, basically?” V concluded.

“That would be my approach, yes.”

He leaned back in his chair again, rubbed his forehead, his temples throbbing slightly.

“This therapy I tried,” he said, “The one with the bad side effects. I think that one utilized nanobots as well.”

Fuentes tilted her head.

“You think it utilized nanobots?” she asked, “Your doctor didn’t discuss their use with you?”

“It’s… complicated.”

He lowered his hand and looked back at her again.

“Believe me, the less you know about this, the better. But I think I was given something as part of a treatment that I shouldn’t have been given. And I’m not sure how much damage it did. So, I’m a little wary about nanobots reorganizing my brain.”

“Understandable…” Fuentes said tensely, “Well… I can assure you at least that I will not administer anything to you that I did not thoroughly discuss with you before. And have your consent on.”

V nodded weakly, shrugged. Words meant nothing, deeds meant everything.

Fuentes eyes wandered back to her tablet, the 3d model, her notes.

“I wish I had something a little more substantial to offer at this point,” she then said, “I think I could already make a clearer assessment once we’ve run some initial tests.”

V let their whole conversation play in his mind again, trying to think if there was anything left he needed clarification on, anything he forgot to mention that would be important.

“You said that Sutter likely still has the nanobots,” he said, “What makes you so sure that he didn’t sell them years ago?”

Fuentes shuffled slightly, as V seemed to have hit the mark once more.

“Alright, there is one thing I wasn’t entirely honest about,” she said, and V steeled himself for whatever was to come.

“Well, now’s the time to spill it,” he said calmly, “Or I’m out the door.”

Fuentes’ eyes told him that she knew he was bluffing, but she also had to know that this would sooner or later backfire if she didn’t tell the whole truth.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on Sutter with the help of private investigators for years,” she explained, “As I said, he’s a slippery one, always extra sure to cover his tracks... But not impossible to find information on. Right before he disappeared off the face of the earth my P.I. at the time captured the video footage I already showed you, but… that’s just part of the clip. It goes on a bit further.”

“Where’s the rest of it?” V asked, but he knew the answer already.

“Not with me, not here, no,” she said, confirming his suspicion, “I can send it your way via some detours, just in case. But basically, he met with a businessman, and from what my P.I. told me and documented, I’m fairly certain he sold him the bots.”

V sighed.

“Then killing him will only be for your revenge purposes after all and not actually help me…”

Fuentes shook her head.

“No, no. He would still have the blueprints, I’m certain. He has to. He has a special memory chip, almost impossible to trace, that he kept all important data on that no one else should get their hands on.”

“In a ‘sell his nanobots but keep them too’ kinda way?” V asked, and Fuentes nodded.

“He prided himself with being so smart and playing everyone all the time. The chip is, according to him, pretty much unhackable, unretrievable. Killing him would instantly delete the chip’s contents, too, so, no point in doing that.”

“How to get your hands on it then?” V asked, “Cut it out of his body while he’s still alive?”

Fuentes said nothing, only looked down to her lap.

“Fantastic…” V sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Fuentes said, “There’s a reason I didn’t want to start off with this.”

“And you’re still not even sure if there is anything useful on the chip, mind you,” V said, trying to remain calm, “And you’ll still have to construct, reprogram, and get the nanobots working if I can get my hands on the blueprints at all. If I even manage to find Sutter. That is a lot of ifs in return for even more uncertainty.”

“Of course,” Fuentes said quietly, “I can promise you that constructing and adjusting the nanobots to work for your particular condition actually is not as complicated as it sounds. I would need a DNA sample from you from prior to the gunshot wound, but I’m relatively certain your profile is stored in your old Trauma Team records from your time at Arasaka.”

“Probably, yeah,” V said.

“There are means and ways, always,” Fuentes nodded.

“What if there are no blueprints, if he sold them together with the bots?”

“I could look into alternatives… constructing new bots from scratch would certainly take longer. A month or two but given your condition we might not have as long.”

“If I could get my hands on the bots from my therapy,” V suggested, “Could that help?”

Fuentes hummed.

“I would certainly like to take a look at them, yes. If only to tell you what exactly they’re doing and if they could be causing your symptoms.”

V shifted to reach into his jacket’s inner pocket, pulling out a ziplock bag with the pills coming from Mr. Blue Eyes. Fuentes’ expression was almost hilariously confused when he dropped the bag on the table.

“Don’t ask,” he said, “My Ripper thinks there’s nanobots embedded in these pills.”

“Not quite how you’d administer them, necessarily…” Fuentes mused as she picked up the bag and held it up against the light, “They’d have to dissolve over time or otherwise leave the body eventually, as you’d keep adding new ones by taking new pills. Not impossible, but the standard procedure is introducing them via the spine and extracting them again once their task is completed.”

“Everything about this whole situation is a special case,” V said, “I would say ‘I’d love to hear anything you figure out’… but actually, I’m not sure if I really do.”

Fuentes nodded sternly and put the pills away safely in the same secret compartment her shard on Sutter was stored in.

“I will have a look at them later,” she promised.

“Alright,” V said, holding on to the armrest with his healthy hand, “Anything else you can tell me that I need to know?”

“There is… one more thing,” Fuentes nodded, “I know where Sutter is.”

She paused, but V didn’t know what to respond.

“But you’ll still have to figure out how to get to him, I’m… drawing a blank on that.”

V squinted.

“You’re making it sound like he’s on the moon.”

Fuentes laughed weakly and tapped something into the search bar on her tablet.

“Almost.” she said. Then a familiar advertisement started playing on the screen.

*****************

>> Next Chapter

*****************

Notes:

This one has been in the works since January, and chapter 14 is almost done actually, as I let this one here sit and stew a bit in between, dreading the editing xD Ngl, when it comes to the medical stuff I always struggle a bit, because I want it to be realistic, but I also have no clue about much xD I hope this isn't all too long-winded and was still an enjoyable read with some twists and turns as V and Dr. Fuentes try to always keep the upper hand against the other, subtly!

I really wanted to develop the doctor a little bit more, give her an interesting background and shady goals and have those all make sense in the grand scheme of things... Maybe you can already guess where her enemy Sutter's exit strategy led him to, where V has to follow soon? 👀

Next chapter out hopefully soon! :D

Requested Fic Update Tags:

@humberg @r3d-f0xs-blog @thatinternetwanderer @localtranspigeon @taiyo-yokai @kharonion @genocidalfetus @seeker-of-truth @readalotbook @losttr3asur3 @chromeaholic💜

#cyberpunk 2077 #cp2077 #cyberpunk fanfiction #cyberpunk fanfic #cp2077 fanfiction #cp2077 fanfic #cyberpunk v #cyberpunk 2077 oc #my writing #love is stored in the olive jar

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darknessawaits28 · 29 days ago

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Ghost in the Firelight 〔Johnny Silverhand x Female Reader〕 Pt. 3 Finale

Hello my beautiful chooms! Hope you are having a beautiful week! I wanted to give you a long story that will be split up into three parts! (Sorry yes, I know I wrote two parts before, but I just realized that it was going to be longer than I thought. I sowwy!) The first part will contain some action, some passion, etc. The second part will have a bit of more action, maybe even something crazy happening. The third part will end in a beautiful romance moment between you and Johnny Silverhand! It will have some suggestive images and possibly content that might be offensive/triggering to some, so please be advised of the warnings. But I hope you enjoy the love, the passion, the rescue, and the sexy rocker boy Johnny Silverhand! Sorry that it had to be split up into three parts, but I promise you the second and third part will have more goodie parts! :3 Enjoy my lovies! Thank you all for your love and support! Stay awesome! :3

Here is the link to the poll. Feel free to message me if you would like me to make another story with a different character: Cyberpunk 2077 POLL Cyberpunk 2077 SECOND POLL Here is the link to the first part of the story: Ghost in the Firelight Pt. 1 Here is the link to the second part of the story: Ghost in the Firelight Pt. 2

Storyline: I don't want to spoil too much, but the story is based around Johnny Silverhand being pronounced dead for over a decade, and he only comes out to the city to do simple raids on Arasaka; and potentially doing side missions for familiar fixers in the area. Yet, he meets someone that instantly turns his arrogant, asshole self, to a more kind and gentle one. There will be passion, kidnapping, damsel in distress, hero saving, etc.

『20 pages』『7,145 words』

Warnings: regular smut, suggestive elements/images, sexual pleasure, vaginal penetration, gun violence, mention of blood, and much more. Viewer Discretion Somewhat Advised!

The Rebel and the Rose Pt. 3 Finale

“Fuck off” Johnny spoke with sobs in his voice as he continued to rock you in his arms.

“Nix….hey….yeah…I need a favor….stat” Rogue spoke through the holo to a netrunning contact she had. “Sending you the coords…thanks” she hung up the call and then sat down in the corner.

“Oh shit, guess those ‘saka fuckers left us something good” Kerry sighed happily as he grabbed a bottle of whiskey from another corner of the room and walked towards the middle.

“I’ll take some” V sighed as he sat down on the ground, waiting for Kerry to hand him the bottle.

“When I’m done with it” Kerry said as he opened the bottle and took a long swig of it. When he finished, he handed the bottle over to V, using his arm to wipe his mouth. Yet, his eyes strayed away from Johnny, not wanting to look at the sight of him in such pain.

Samuel, who stood awkwardly by the door, slowly exited, wanting to give them all some space while they figure out what to do next.

“Poor kid man….all she wanted was to love Johnny…but she got the long end of the stick” Kerry shook his head, sitting down next to V and put his back against the wall.

“Yeah…fucking ‘saka scum” V grumbled underneath his breathe, taking a swig of the whiskey bottle.

Johnny wiped the tears from his face with his jacket, slowly using his right hand to softly caress your blank face. “I love you y/n….I fucking love you.”

Within a few minutes, Nix came sprinting in the room, panting heavily as he looked around at the sight before him. “Jesus, what the fuck happened here?”

“Nix, thanks for coming” Rogue spoke from the corner, slowly standing from the ground and approached him.

“Wait…is that…Johnny Silverhand?” Nix couldn’t believe his eyes, just realizing that the legendy rocker boy of the 21st century was still alive and kicking.

“Nix, now’s not the time for questions. We need your help. The girl in Johnny’s arms was infected by some sort of daemon. We need to see if you can crack it or work your netrunner magic to bring her back to us.”

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do” Nix walked past Rogue and looked down at you in Johnny’s arms, noticing your white lifeless eyes. “Hmm, I’ve seen this daemon before, ‘saka bastards always use them as a form of torture.”

Johnny’s eyes quickly lit up to Nix who spoke of knowing this piece of tech, “C-Can you save her?”

“I’ll try my best, Arasaka tech is a pain in the ass to crack” Nix shrugged, walking over to the computer and began to type away. “Alright, I’m gonna jack in, but you need to put her on that netrunning chair.”

“Johnny?” Rogue kneeled down in front of him, hoping that he would allow them to move you.

Johnny, hesitant at first, nodded, slowly cradling you close into his arms and lifted you up onto the netrunning chair.

“There we go” Nix said as he helped you onto the chair as well and then grabbed the same cable that was attached to you before and slipped it into your neurosocket.

“Fuck…fuck…fuck..” Johnny murmured underneath his breath as he paced back and forth worriedly.

“Johnny, you need to fucking relax or you’ll give yourself a fucking heart attack” Rogue spoke with gruffness in her voice.

“Give me that for a sec” Kerry spoke to V as he grabbed the whiskey bottle from him, stood from the cold concrete floor and approached Johnny. “Hey, why don’t you drink some of this, it’ll help ya.”

“Thanks Kerry” Johnny sighed as he grabbed the bottle and finished the last bits of the whiskey.

Meanwhile, Nix grabbed another plug and slipped it into his neurosocket as well, slowly sitting down on the chair beside the computer and began to work his magic. As the program began to whirr in the background, Nix’s eyes turned slightly red, an indication that he was using his netrunning skills to purge the daemon from your neural system.

“Nix, you good?” Rogue crossed her arms in curiosity.

“Yeah….fuck me…these ‘saka bastards really did a number on her.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Johnny handed Kerry back the empty bottle and approached you, making sure to caress your head to comfort you in some way.

“It means that it’s gonna take me a few hours….maybe days…maybe even weeks…to purge this fucking daemon from her system.” “But she’s alive, just….like imagine your consciousness split in two….one is in a dark room where you can’t escape, and the other is out here in the light, but unable to move.” “So, right now, she’s in a dark room where she can’t escape.”

“But she’s alive though…heh…”Johnny sighed in relief, feeling the whole weight shift off his shoulders.

“Yeah, she is.”

“You want me to get you some take-out Nix while you’re here?”

“Yeah, that would be great Rogue. I’m gonna need a full stomach to finish this shit up” Nix closed out his interface and sat up from the chair.

“Gotchu” Rogue nodded as she pulled up her holo interface to call someone she trusted from the city to drive some food over here.

“Johnny, why don’t you come with me to my place, shower and get changed?” Kerry offered, throwing the bottle in the trash bin that was near him.

“No, I want to be here, with her.”

“Silverhand, listen to him, you need to get out of those clothes and we need to fix that shoulder up, the one that has a bullet in it…remember?” Samuel stepped back into the room when he overheard their conversation.

“Shit…forgot about that…” Johnny sighed softly as glanced over at his shoulder, seeing the dried up blood.

“Yeah, go get cleaned up, I’ll stay here with her” V slowly sat up from the floor and stood on his two feet.

“Come on Johnny, I’ll take ya back to my place, get ya some new threads” Kerry smiled, draping his arm over Johnny’s shoulders and leading him out of the abandoned place.

V slowly approached Rogue who still continued to talk on the holo call, “Hmm, hope Nix will be able to get her out of this shit.”

“He will” Rogue glanced over at V as she ended the call.

Samuel slowly walked out with Johnny and Kerry. “Don’t worry, Johnny. If there’s any progress, I’ll call you.”

“Thanks,” Johnny said, smiling wholeheartedly at Samuel before getting into Kerry’s luxurious car.

Back at Kerry’s mansion, Johnny stood in the shower, the palms of his hands pressed against the wall in front of him, allowing the warm water to drip down his aching, bruised body.

“Argh… fuck,” he groaned, adjusting his shoulder, trying not to open the fresh stitches. “Dammit, y/n… I hope you’re okay.”

After a few minutes, Johnny stepped out of the shower, using a towel to dry his luscious black hair.

“Johnny!” Kerry shouted from the front entrance. “Come quick!”

Without thinking, Johnny moved quickly towards the front, throwing the towel onto the floor as he rushed out.

“Kerry?” he called, wondering where the hell he went.

With slow, cautious movements, he grabbed the door handle and opened it. His eyes widened at the sight of the same man he’d seen hurting you before—Nozai.

“You should’ve stayed away from Night City.”

BAM.

Johnny jolted awake, breathing heavily as he looked around. “Fuck,” he groaned, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes, trying to regain his composure.

“Johnny, you a’right?” Kerry’s voice spoke from behind the door.

“Yeah….yeah….I’m good Kerry thanks.” “Remind me tomorrow to pay you back,” he joked.

“Johnny it is tomorrow you fucking gonk” Kerry laughed as he opened the door and entered.

“What?”

“Yeah, it’s fucking eleven in the morning right now. Speaking of morning, do you want some breakfast or something?”

“Jesus” Johnny stretched his arms out and then winced, forgetting he still had a wound in his shoulder.

“Hey, easy, you can’t just start pulling shit, old man,” Kerry laughed, sitting down beside him and pushing aside his shirt, making sure that the stitches were still in place and not ripped.

“Look who’s talking” Johnny laughed.

“So, breakfast?”

“Yeah, could go for some pancakes.”

“Well come on, get dressed” Kerry patted his leg and stood from the bed.

“Kerry-”

“Yeah?” Kerry turned around quickly, hoping that everything was fine.

“Any word on y/n?”

“No, not yet, but I’m sure they’re still working on it.”

Johnny nodded slowly, understanding that it would take Nix some time, but he had hoped that you were at least alright in some way.

“Man these fucking pancakes are good” Johnny groaned as he leaned back against the cushion of the booth he was sitting at.

“Told ya it was,” Kerry grinned, taking another bite of his pancakes.

“Kerry, listen, I know I haven’t been the best of friends. But….I really want to thank you….for helping me with this ‘saka shit.”

“Hmm, no need to thank me Johnny. You needed help, and….seeing you like that….fucking broke me.” “I just…I couldn’t let you do it on your own.”

“I am sure Rogue is fucking deleting and blocking me as we speak” Johnny sighed softly, cutting up another piece of his pancakes and taking a bite.

“Well of course Johnny, you left us for fifty fucking years, nearly a goddamn decade, and suddenly you come back, asking us for help” Kerry snapped slightly.

“You know why I had to leave, so don’t fucking start with me…” Johnny’s eyes glared through his shades, not wanting to fuck around today.

Kerry sat in silence afterwards, continuing to munch on his pancakes, a bit annoyed at Johnny but deep down, he cared for him.

Johnny shook his head and pushed the half-eaten plate of pancakes away before rising from the booth.

"Here. I’m sending you some eddies for the pancakes."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I’m taking a walk. Don’t wait up."

His eyes flashed a brief, eerie blue before fading back to normal as he stepped away.

Kerry glanced at his interface, watching the eddies land in his account. He sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Come on, Johnny..." he muttered under his breath.

Out on the streets of Night City, Johnny walked calmly along the sidewalk, his mind a storm of thoughts. The life he had lived—and was still living—felt like a spiral of regrets. Everyone he cared about was fucked up, and he blamed himself for leaving. But staying would’ve gotten them all killed.

Either way, the real blame rested squarely on Arasaka. They were the reason you got hurt, the reason his friends suffered, and the reason he carried this endless rage.

A flicker of vengeance lit up in his eyes. His fists clenched as he summoned his bike. He wasn’t just angry—he was ready for war. For chaos. For blood.

Swinging his leg over the seat, he slipped on his helmet and tore off into the night, his destination clear.

Arasaka Tower.

There Johnny stood at the foot of the stairs, his long black hair falling loose around his face—no longer tied back in that signature rocker bun he always wore for you.

He took a deep breath, his body tensing with fury. It wasn't just anger—it was years of rage, simmering, waiting to boil over. This was it. He was going to do it. Bury Arasaka Tower. Wipe out Mikoshi.

His iron was hot and ready. Locked, loaded, and itching for war.

No one in that tower was walking out alive. Every last one of them would die with his face burned into their final memory.

“J-Johnny…” A familiar voice echoed through the static in his ears.

He shut his eyes tight, trying to block it out—then opened them again, stepping forward, gaze locked on the stairs ahead.

“Johnny!” The voice cried louder now, breaking through.

“Huh?” Johnny turned around, his heart dropping at the sight of you limping towards him. “Y-Y/n?” He gasped.

“Johnny please…don’t do this” You spoke with worry laced in your voice, hugging the jacket close to your naked body.

“No…no you’re not real……I have to do this. I have to destroy Arasaka before he hurts more of the people I love!” He turned around, shutting his eyes tightly, not wanting to believe the hallucination he was having.

“Johnny~” your voice came closer to him.

When he reopened his eyes, he couldn’t believe what was standing in front of him. It was you. Alive. Full of life. Full of love.

“Y/n…?” he breathed.

“Heh… are you okay?” you asked softly, tilting your head with that same sweet look. Your hand trembled slightly as you reached up to cup his cheek.

“Y/n, shit… I told you, you shouldn’t be walking yet,” V panted as he finally caught up, doubling over with his hands on his knees, breath ragged from the sprint. “You’re fast for someone who just got out of a coma, you know that?”

Johnny blinked, still stunned. “H-How are you… what…?” The words fumbled from his lips.

“I woke up a few minutes ago,” you explained gently. “I was still groggy and out of it, but I overheard V talking to Kerry. He said something was wrong—that you had a look in your eyes, like you were out for blood. So… I convinced him to bring me here.”

“You didn’t need to, Angel…” Johnny’s voice cracked. He quickly holstered his iron and swept you into his arms, cradling you carefully. With one arm, he adjusted the jacket wrapped around your body, making sure it stayed secure and covered you from any wandering eyes.

“You needed me,” you whispered with a weak smile. “Who else was gonna save your gonk ass?”

You rested your head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It was warm. Safe.

Johnny turned to V, his expression softening. “Thanks, V.” Then his tone shifted, laced with blame. “How the hell did you let her out of your sight?”

“Fuck me, Johnny, I was trying to park the damn car. She jumped out before I could stop her!”

“Just park on the curb next time,” Johnny laughed, then cast one last glance back at Arasaka Tower.

“Forget them, Johnny… you don’t need to prove anything anymore… I need you. Please.” You looked up at him with soft, innocent eyes, your voice trembling with desperation.

A deep sigh escaped his lips. The weight of revenge—so heavy just moments ago—began to melt away. Without another word, he pulled you gently with him toward V’s car, focused only on getting you home.

“Catch ya later, then,” V said, giving Johnny a quick fist bump before turning to leave.

Later, Johnny smiled faintly as he closed your apartment door and locked it behind him. When he turned around, you were slowly unwrapping the jacket from your body.

“Ah-” you winced, grabbing the banister for support, your knees buckling as you nearly lost balance.

“Hey, hey, easy—” Johnny rushed to you, reaching down to lift you into his arms.

“I got it!” you snapped, your voice sharp and shaky as your body trembled. You tried to plant your right foot on the first stair, wincing with effort.

Johnny froze, taken aback. He slowly stepped back, raising his hands in surrender to give you space.

“Fuck…” you whimpered, tears spilling down your cheeks as the pain hit full force. “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to snap at you, Johnny…”

“You don’t need to apologize for anything. But, you seem to be in a lot of pain right now. So, can I at least help you?”

“Please” you managed to breathe out, feeling embarrassed that you couldn’t even walk up the stairs, but after all that you’ve been through, it was likely to happen.

“Come on Angel, I got ya~” He smiled genuinely as he picked you up carefully and began to walk up the stairs and down the hall. “Shower?”

“Yeah” you nodded.

As he entered your bathroom, he set you gently on the little stool by the door. “One sec, gotta turn on the shower.”

“Johnny, wait.”

“Huh?” Johnny turned to face you, hoping that everything was okay.

“Can you take a shower with me, please?”

“Oh, ‘course” He nodded, entering your shower and turned on the warm water. Within a second, he stripped himself of his clothing, tossed it aside, and then helped you off the stool.

“Can ya walk or does it hurt too much?”

“I can walk, just get me in there to wash all this…gross off of me” you joked, holding onto his chest as he helped you towards the shower.

Once inside, you exhaled deeply, feeling the warm water drip down your bruised and cut up body. “That feels so good,” you hummed.

“I know this isn’t the best of times to be talking about this right now, but, where did they hurt you?”

A soft whimper caught in your throat as flashes of what that Nozai did to you tore through your mind. Your voice was barely a whisper.

“Forget it, Johnny… please…”

Johnny’s frown deepened. Even the smallest words could trigger you—it was clear now. It reminded him of when he came back from the war. Some days felt normal… until the memories came crashing back, leaving him curled in a corner, shaking, trembling.

He couldn’t let that happen to you.

“That’s okay,” he said gently. “I won’t bring it up again.”

There was a beat of silence before he asked, softer now, “Do you want me to wash your body… with some soap?”

You gave a slow, small nod. “Mhm.”

Obliging, Johnny grabbed a bar of soap and the loofah sponge. He worked the soap into the sponge, gently building up a thick lather before setting the bar aside.

With care, he began to run the soft sponge across your skin, tracing slow, deliberate paths over your body. He paid extra attention to the dirtied and bruised areas, moving with a tenderness that said more than words ever could.

As the loofah passed over certain spots, you whimpered softly—sharp pinpricks of pain flaring where your body still hadn’t healed.

“Sorry, do you want me to stop?”

“Do you want us to stop?!”

“Huh?” you gasped, looking up at him, having the slight feeling you heard another voice.

“Angel?”

“You’re sweet little rocker boy won’t save you!”

“No!” You screamed, shoving Johnny back, nearly causing him to fall.

“Y/n, hey, hey, it’s me!” Johnny gasped as he approached you again, his gentle hands pulling you in close.

“I’m sorry Johnny” you cried up at him.

“It’s okay, I’m here, I will always be here for you.”

Hearing his voice… feeling his delicate touch against your body… somehow, it always brought you a strange sense of peace.

You had only met this man a few weeks ago—And yet, somehow…You couldn’t imagine living without him.

“Johnny,” you whispered, your voice fragile but full of need.

Then, without hesitation, your walls crumbled. You reached for him, arms wrapping tightly around his neck as you pulled him down, crashing your lips against his in a desperate, soul-deep kiss.

Johnny gasped mid kiss, but deepened it when you got close to him. “Y/n~” he moaned, his hands tracing circles on your back.

“Mm, mm, make me yours Johnny” you pulled away from the kiss.

“Are you sure? You must still be in pain an-”

“Please” you breathed out in desperation.

With quick movements, Johnny kneeled down in front of you, spread your legs a bit and began to lick your soft folds.

“Ah!” you gasped, arching your head back gently, pushing your fingers through his wet hair.

Johnny closed his eyes as his tongue flicked along your clit, giving it a teasing nibble. “Ah, y/n” he moaned, opening up his eyes again to suck his middle finger and then slip it inside you.

“Johnny!” you moaned, your legs trembling at the feeling. “P-Please be….be gentle..” you begged, feeling slight pain.

“I promise I’ll be gentle Angel, just relax” he cooed, gently fingering you, making sure to press all your soft spots.

“I-I….Johnny I…I can’t stand ah!” you fell onto the shower floor.

“Y/n!” Johnny gasped, pulling his finger out of you and then caught you so that you wouldn’t have fallen too hard. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine” you giggled cutely, looking into his eyes with such love and innocence. “You’re the best thing that has happened to me Johnny.” “I’m sorry that I…I let myself be taken like that…I just….was so trusting and-”

Johnny quickly covered your mouth, looking deep into your eyes, “It wasn’t your fault y/n. It was the Director, he was a fucking dickhead. He sold you out for money and because he was doing something illegal.” “So don’t blame yourself Angel.” “Outta all the shit I've been through... you're the one thing that feels real. Best thing that ever happened to me too.”

“Johnny,” you laughed against his hand, pulling it away from your mouth to wrap your arms around him and kiss him again.

“Mmm,” he hummed into your lips, his voice softened by the warm spray of water cascading over both of you. His fingers brushed gently over your waist, up your back, as if afraid you might shatter beneath his touch.

“I want all of you, Johnny…” you whispered, voice trembling, raw. “I want you to claim me. I’m yours.”

The words hung in the steam like fragile glass.

Johnny stilled.

He didn’t pull away—just looked at you, eyes wide, mouth parted slightly like he’d just been punched in the gut. But not in pain—in awe. He’d lost Alt decades ago. He’d told himself he wouldn’t feel like this again. Couldn’t.

But then there was you. Beaten but not broken. Brave enough to come back to him. Soft, sweet, and somehow still full of light despite everything.

“You sure about this, sweetheart?” he asked, voice low and hoarse. His hand came up to cup your cheek, gentle even in the strength of his calloused fingers. “After what they did to you… I don’t wanna hurt you. Don’t wanna take nothin’ you ain’t ready to give.”

Your lips trembled, but you nodded. “I trust you. I want you, Johnny. All of you. You’re the only person I feel safe with.”

His expression cracked, just a bit. A raw tenderness bled through, one he rarely showed. “Fuck,” he breathed. “You’re killin’ me here, Angel…”

He pressed his forehead to yours, water running down both your faces, mixing with the tears you didn’t realize were still falling. “I ain’t who I used to be,” he whispered. “Used to think love was just noise between the fucking. But you—” his breath caught, and he swallowed hard—“you make me wanna be better.”

Then his lips met yours again. Slower this time. Gentle. Patient. Like you were something sacred.

“I’ll be yours,” he said softly. “But tonight… let me show you what it means to be mine. No rush. No pain. Just you. Just me.”

And when he lowered his hands, guiding you with reverence, there was no fire in his touch—only warmth.

A slight tremble filled your body as you felt his length penetrate deep within you, stretching your insides and curving to the size of him. “Ah~”

“Easy Angel, easy, just breathe” Johnny pulled you in close, softly pressing kisses against your ear.

“A thing of beauty…..” you began to sing with tearful eyes. “I know…”.

“Will Never Fade Away…” you both began to sing, voices quiet and full of meaning. He pulled back just slightly, eyes locked with yours, the two of you gazing at each other—deeply, lovingly—as if the rest of the world had disappeared.

“Fuck y/n” Johnny let out a soft chuckle, pressing his forehead against yours and grabbed onto your hips.

“I love you Johnny Silverhand~”

“As do I~” he smiled, leaning in close as he began to move you gently, guiding your hips. He never wanted to let you go. Right now, the world could burn for all he cared.

All that mattered was you—keeping you safe, holding you close, making sure no one ever hurt you again.

Something he couldn’t do for Alt. But you… he still had a chance with you.

“Ah, ah” you breathed out in soft moans, feeling his length hit deep within you. “J-Johnny it feels so good” you whimpered, falling forward and wrapping your arms around him tightly.

“Y/n” He moaned against your ear, picking up speed with your hips. “Feels so fuckin’ good bein’ inside you…”.

“I’m gonna….Johnny…mmm!” you arched your head back, feeling yourself have the most pleasurable orgasm ever.

“Fuck, Angel” he spoke out of breathe, moving his head slightly to bite the middle of your neck gently. “That’s it, that’s it, ride it out~”

“Mm, mm” you bite down on your lips, your hips trembling after.

“Come here” he spoke with hunger in his voice, standing from the floor and pulling you out of the shower.

With slick movements, he rested you gently on your sink counter, beginning to thrust a bit faster within you.

“Oh my gosh…Johnny!” You cried out in pleasure, allowing him to thrust faster within you. “K-Kiss me….”.

Obliging, he leaned in, devouring your lips whole, using his metal arm to hold your back, while the other cupped your face.

“Angel…fuck…..” he pulled away from the kiss, his forehead pressing against yours as his hips quickly swayed back and forth.

“Johnny!” you tightly gripped his back when your walls tightened again, another orgasm happening.

“Argh!” Johnny tightly gripped your hips, moving one last time within you, before releasing, his cum softly dripping inside you.

Soft pants escaped your lips as he pulled out of you, standing there, flustered and tired from what he had just done to you.

“Do you want to get washed up again?” Johnny cracked a joke with his typical smirk plastered onto his face.

“Yeah, that would be great” You giggled, opening up your arms and waiting for him to help you off the sink counter.

A little while later, you both were in your living room and sprawled on the couch together. It was a rare and tender moment that you did not want to end.

“Johnny?”

“Hmm?” Johnny took another sip of whiskey you had generously offered him and then set it down onto the coffee table in front of him. “You alright?”

“Yeah I just….I was wondering….would you leave Night City?”

Silence.

It was a strange question, something that Johnny didn’t know how to answer at the moment. Leaving Night City, the city where dreams came true? It wasn’t necessarily the greatest city to live in, especially after what Arasaka did to you and what it did to his friends and loved ones. But it was…home.

“Heh, Angel, I….I really don’t know how to answer that. I mean, yes, this city is fucked up in its ways, but its home, you know?”

“Even after what Arasaka did to you?” You softly caressed his bare chest, your index finger casually tracing circles on it.

“I-”

"What I’m trying to say, Johnny, is… come with me. I think I want to move back to New York City, to be closer to my family. This city has fucked me in so many ways that… I just don’t want to live here anymore. Maybe visit, sure, but not live."

"I… I also didn’t want to say anything, but… the main reason I need to go to New York is because I got offered a spot on the best Trauma Team there. Even some of my current team members are transferring after the Director got arrested."

"Wow, really? Congrats," Johnny said breathlessly, still trying to process the fact that you’d been offered a top-tier, high-paying job in New York City, honestly, the best Trauma Team out there.

Yet, the weight of having to leave the city that….that made him who is was weighed heavy on his heart, even after all that happened to him, the good and bad.

“Thanks. But you don’t have to answer me now. I’ve told the moving company to stop by on Thursday, so you have plenty of time to think it over” You smiled, softly shifting yourself to lean in close to him and press a soft kiss against his cheek.

“Hmm, yeah, give me time to think it over” He smiled when you kissed him on the cheek, his arms instinctively wrapping themselves around you and pulling you in close.

“I love you Johnny~”

“I love you too…y/n” he whispered, tilting his head to lean against your own, hugging you tightly and protectively as his thoughts ran wild.

"Thanks for meeting me, Kerry."

"'Course, Johnny. What're friends for, hmm?" Kerry snickered cockily, crossing his arms as he waited for Johnny to spill why he wanted him there.

"Johnny, what the hell are you calling me for?" Rogue groaned as she hiked up the hill—then paused when she noticed Kerry standing next to him.

"Oh, so you brought the old bag," Kerry joked.

"Fuck off," Rogue muttered, shaking her head, almost cracking a smile.

"So, what did you call us here for?"

"Remember y/n?" Johnny started.

"The plushie girl? How could we not?" Kerry chuckled.

"Well… she got offered a job in New York. And she wants me to go with her."

Silence.

"Wait, you called us for that?" Rogue asked, crossing her arms just like Kerry.

"Yeah, I mean… I just wanted your fucking opinions!" Johnny growled, already regretting dragging these two along.

"Rogue, come on—don’t be such a bitch," Kerry intervened, trying to deescalate the tension.

"You should go, Johnny. You got nothing left here," a familiar voice called from behind them.

"Samuel?" Johnny gasped, spotting him hiking up the hill to join the group.

"Hey, Johnny," Samuel smiled. For the first time ever, he called him by his first name—like it actually meant something.

“How the fuck did you find us? I never called you?” Johnny smirked.

“Ah, just call it a gut feeling, so, continue what you were saying.”

“So yeah, I just needed y'all's opinion if I should leave or stay. I’m just conflicted ya know?”

Kerry stood there, arms still crossed, but visibly annoyed and hurt. “You vanish for almost a fucking decade, dead, gone, ghosted, whatever, and now you show up just to tell us you’re running off to New York with some girl?” He laughed bitterly.

“Who even are you anymore, Johnny?” “Some lovestruck corpo househusband?”

Rogue stood stone faced, but voice still cold. “You’ve got some nerve” she stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “You didn’t come back for us. Not when I needed backup. Not when Kerry was spiraling. Not even when Arasaka crawled back into the city like cockroaches.” “But you only came back for her.”

“She’s not just some girl. Y/n saved me. She brought me back when no one else even thought I was still in there.”

“Yeah, well….some of us did think you were in there. We just got tired of screaming into the void” Kerry shook his head, voice quieter now.

After the long silent pause, Rogue interjected, “You wanna leave? Fine. No one’s holding you back.” “But don’t pretend this isn’t you running. Again” she spoke softer.

“I’m not running. Not this time” Johnny spoke steadily, but rough with emotion.

“I know I was gone too long. I missed too many chances. And I didn’t come back for glory or to drag you both into more of my bullshit. I came back because….I needed to feel like I wasn’t alone anymore” He stepped closer, eyes flicking between Kerry and Rogue.

“I will come back. I’ll call you every damn day if that’s what it takes. Hell, I’ll send letters if you make me go analog” he smirked faintly, then grew serious again. “I care about you both. You’re not just people from my past, you’re part of what made me who I am. And I don’t want to lose that again.”

Kerry glanced away, jaw tight, but his voice cracks just slightly, “You better fucking mean that, Johnny…because if you ghost again, I swear I’ll fly to New York myself and beat your ass in the middle of Times Square.”

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Rogue’s lips when she heard what Kerry said, “You’ve always been a pain in the ass. But if you’re really gonna try….that counts for something.”

As the whole conversation played out, Samuel leaned against another pillar close to him, arms folded and smiling quietly. He doesn’t say a word, just watches the moment unfold. He knows what this is. Knows how rare it is to have friends who still give a damn, even after everything. Johnny hit the lottery with these two.

“So…New York, huh? You gonna trade your guitar for a business suit?”

Johnny grinned, “Only if it comes in leather.”

“Still the smartass. Guess there’s some comfort in that” Rogue shook her head playfully.

“Why don’t we get a drink, salute my last in this fucking cesspool of a city?” Johnny offered, glancing over at Samuel who gave him a thumbs up.

“I would love to have a drink with you all” Samuel smirked, approaching the trio and waited for their responses.

“Let’s go to my club, the Afterlife” Rogue offered, turning at her heels to head down the hill.

Late at night, at the Afterlife, the bar was quieter than usual. Neon lights glowed soft against the dark walls. A rare lull in the chaos. However, a booth in the back held the weight of old legends, Johnny, Rogue, and Kerry; and Samuel for good measure. They all had drinks in hand, no armor, no pain, just people.

Kerry raised a glass with a smile, “To surviving Night City. And somehow still being stupid enough to miss it!”

“To good music, bad choices, and the friends who stuck around anyway” Johnny laughed, clinking glasses with Kerry.

“You say that like you didn’t ghost us for ten years” Rogue sipped on her drink slowly, rolling her eyes a bit.

“Yeah, but I bought this round. That’s gotta earn me at least a partial pardon” Johnny smirked, not giving his usual defensive demeanor this time.

They all laughed, real, tired, genuine. A kind of laugh that only comes from shared scars.

“I gotta say…this? This is the kind of shit you remember when you’re old. When the bullets stop flying and all that’s left are names you still give a damn about” Samuel sighed happily, leaning against the booth cushion.

“You? Sentimental? Shit, miracles really do happen” Kerry grinned.

“I’ve been a fixer for a long time. Seen people come and go. But watching you three throw punches with your words like it’s 2020 again? That’s the good stuff.”

For a bit, they sat in long silence. Comfortable. The kind that feels like an old jacket you forgot you missed.

“You remember that time we snuck into that corpo gala just to steal cigars and blackmail data?” Rogue spoke with casualness in her voice.

“You mean the night Kerry ended up on stage, drunk off his ass, singing Sinatra to a bunch of stuffed suits?”

“It was jazz fusion! And I was inspired!” Kerry spoke in an almost mocking offense.

“I remember Rogue made off with a half-million in creds and no one even noticed” Samuel laughed, remembered hearing it on the news.

“Best damn heist I ever pulled. And no gunfire, for once.”

“I missed this. Missed you. All of you” Johnny smiled softly, looking at all of them, trying to engrave their smiling faces into his head so that he would never forget.

“You were always hard to love, Johnny. But even harder to forget” Rogue smiled softly.

“Don’t screw this up, man. If she makes you happy, hold on to it. Not many of us get that in this city” Kerry nodded, his tone gentler than usual.

“I’m not letting her go. But I’m not letting you go either. I meant what I said, I’ll be calling, checking in, probably annoying the shit out of you” Johnny chuckled.

“Then let’s drink to that. Not to endings, but to a new start. For all of you” Samuel raised his glass.

In a second, their glasses clinked again. The moment was golden, soaked in old ghosts and fragile hope.

In the background, the music hummed, an old track from Kerry’s first solo album. None of them say anything. They just listen, their head flooding with memories of their past life.

And for that one night, in the belly of the Afterlife, nothing hurts. Not the past. Not the silence. Not even the future.

Just friends. Just time. Just peace.

“You got everything y/n?” Johnny breathed out softly, wiping the sweat on his brow as he packed the last thing of yours into the cardboard box on the kitchen counter.

“Yeah, I did. I just wanted to bring the fragile stuff with us on the car ride while everything else is in the moving truck” You smiled, grabbing your Trauma Team clothes and then turned around to look at your empty apartment.

“You gonna miss it?” Johnny spoke from behind you, wrapping your arms around you and pressing a gentle kiss against the back of your head.

“A little bit, but….I’m just glad that you’re coming with me” You smiled, moving your head back carefully to look up at him. “What about you?”

“Eh, it’ll be an adjustment, but…I can handle it” Johnny shrugged, pulling away from you and then grabbed the box. “Alright let's head out.”

Within the second, you were outside of your apartment complex, putting your clothes into Johnny’s trunk and making sure to make room for the last cardboard box Johnny had brought.

“Woah, woah, woah, you thought you were gonna leave without saying another goodbye?” Kerry strolled up with a cocky swagger, that familiar Kerry Eurodyne smirk stretched across his face, but his eyes were a little red, like he hasn’t slept…or maybe like he’s been holding back more than just a hangover.

“Come on, Johnny. That’s not how rockstars go out.” Before Johnny could respond, Kerry pulled him into a hug, tight, firm, and real.

“You stupid bastard. You better call. Text. Send smoke signals. I don’t care. You just…don’t vanish again, man. We screamed into the void for too damn long” Kerry murmured, barely above a whisper.

“I’ll call. Hell, I’ll annoy you daily if I have to” Johnny spoke gruffly, touched by the sentiment that Kerry was giving him.

They share a nod, one of those old-brother, been-through-too-much-nods, and Johnny grips Kerry’s shoulder before pulling back.

Rogue arrived not long after, arms crossed, her leather coat catching the breeze. “You’ve seriously got some nerve, Johnny. Skipping town without saying another goodbye to me, too?”

Johnny smirked, stepping towards her, but before he could, she wrapped her arms around him in a strong hug, surprising both of them.

“You still owe me, asshole. But…I’m glad you found something worth chasing. Just don’t lose yourself in it” Rogue whispered quietly in his ear.

She then pulled back, her hand resting briefly on his cheek. Then she turned to you, eyes sharp but softer now.

“Take care of him. He’s better than he thinks….but he’s also worse than he pretends.”

You nodded with a small, respectful smile, loving how both of his friends still cared about him after all that time of thinking he was gone. “I will, I promise.”

Kerry chuckled and turned to you as well, less guarded now. “Hey…if you can keep that dumbass from driving headfirst into every explosion, you’ve already done more than most of us ever could.”

“And if he ever tries to push you away when he gets scared? Just push back harder” Kerry stepped closer, speaking in an almost whisper.

You gave a small little laugh, emotional but steady as you softly approached Johnny, rubbing his back gently. “Let’s go handsome, we have a long road ahead of us” you smiled, turning around and getting into his Porsche.

“Yeah, give me one sec, Angel,” Johnny said as he looked up at his friends. “I’ll be back. I’ll call. Every day, if that’s what it takes. I care about you. Both of you.”

Rogue just nods, while Kerry gave a mock salute with two fingers.

With that, Johnny rushed over to the driver’s side of his Porsche and got inside, turning the key and then drove off, leaving Night City in the dust.

As Kerry and Rogue watched Johnny leave, Kerry slipped an arm over Rogue’s shoulder, feeling tears swell up in his eyes.

“Think he’ll be alright?” Rogue asked softly.

“If he isn’t, she’ll make sure he gets there” Kerry smiled.

“You nervous?” You giggled, softly playing with Johnny’s hair as he drove.

“I would be lying if I said no” Johnny breathed softly, glancing over to you then back at the road.

“Don’t worry, you’ll love New York.”

“I’ll love anywhere we go, as long as you there with me Angel~” Johnny smiled, making sure to maneuver himself a bit to lean in close to you and give you lips a soft kiss.

“Mm, I love you so much Johnny” You hummed at the kiss.

“My Angel~” Johnny hummed back, turning his focus back on the road and felt a sense of weightlessness as he left Night City….for good.

_HOLO CALL_

_+Kerry Eurodyne+_

“Hey Kerry, it’s Johnny! I know, it’s been a few days, but I told you I was gonna call you. Y/n and I got settled in to this fucking nice ass apartment. We got a fucking view of Times Square here, look-” Johnny paused as he turned the phone around to show Kerry. “Hey man, when you get the chance, please, fly your ass over here and visit us!” Johnny smiled, turning the camera back around to flip the bird at the camera. “Love ya man!”

_+Rogue Amendiares+_

“Hey Rogue, I know I haven’t called in a few days too. But I called! I wanted to tell you that y/n and I settled in fine. We got this fucking nice ass apartment with a view of Times Square. Gosh, this place is amazing. I already told Kerry that he has to come visit us, you should too! Well, don’t want to take too much of your time, but….stop on by, I am sure y/n wouldn’t mind.”

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