Hey V. I’ll just get right to the point.
I have a little concert this evening and
would like to spend some time afterwards
with you. You have time? :)

Sure thing, Ker.
I'll be there!

Just for the record ... is this a date or just
an ordinary meeting as friends?

Guess you know the answer already :*

V couldn't help but just stare at his phone. Unable to even think straight.

"V.exe stopped working."
"This isn't funny Johnny..."

V knew it was dumb to feel this nervous. He had met Kerry a couple of times now. They were even together now, and he still felt like a teenager. He really wanted this relationship to work out. He knew it was a stupid thought cause his time was running low and he still had no real solution to fix it. Only pieces that still don't fit together.
He loved Kerry and maybe... things would work out. If not... well…

"V, calm down. It's only-"
"Yeah it's only Kerry-fucking-Eurodyne. Sorry that I'm nervous, Johnny." V couldn't hold back his sarcastic undertone.
"Maybe stuff like this isn't a big deal for you... but this is serious to me. I screwed up one relationship and I don't want this to happen to Kerry and me. I don't want to fuck things up again." V sighed. "Sorry, didn't mean to be mean."
Johnny just nodded. "You got this, kid."

V opened his closet and prayed that he had something good to wear. But all his closet had to offer were his everyday clothes.

"I have nothing decent to wear... I'll look like a jerk next to him."
"You always look like a jerk, V."
"Love you too, Johnny." V rolled his eyes and looked desperately into his wardrobe and hoped that some fancy clothes would just magically appear out of nowhere.

"No, really. You'll be fine."
V wanted to believe Johnny. He really wanted to. After all, Johnny knew Kerry better than he did. At least he should. But he could literally hear his wardrobe shouting at him: "Get yourself some decent clothes!"

V knew he would have to take his normal clothes and he also knew that Kerry would be absolutely fine with it. V was only disappointed that he could not make this evening special by wearing some fancy clothes.
"As far as I know, personality counts more than clothes."
"And this advice comes from Johnny Silverhand, the asshole himself." Being sarcastic helped with not being so fucking nervous. "No... Thank you, Johnny."

-

V spent the day as one nervous wreck. He tried to watch some series on the TV, even tried to read a book. Nothing caught his attention long enough to distract him. Somehow he managed to survive until the evening. And it had been absolutely worth it.

The concert was awesome and V really wondered how it was possible that someone like Kerry Eurodyne could be his boyfriend. This all had to be a dream. Kerry wasn't his boyfriend, there was no biochip in his head, he wasn't dying and Jackie was still alive. Only question was, when would he wake up?

"Hey V." Kerry joined him at the bar counter.
Well hopefully not now...
"Hey Kerry." He replied and couldn't help but blush. "This was awesome! Please do it again! I could listen to you all day!"
The words came out without even thinking about them and V knew he looked like a little fanboy. There was one brief moment, where Kerry looked a little surprised by V's outburst, but then smiled.

"Are you done, fanboying?."
"Shut up, Johnny."

"I totally forgot, that you didn't see me playing last time, when we were together on stage 'cause it was Johnny and not you ...", Kerry leaned forward and gave him a short kiss. "And I really could play all day for you, V, but today I have something different in mind."

V could not help but blush again. "Hmm can't wait for that ... but how does it feel to be on stage again? I didn't get to ask you last time."
"It's great to be back on stage! Wouldn't have thought I would miss it this much." Kerry placed a hand on V's shoulder. "But thanks to you I'm back in full swing and can't wait to work on the next album and get some new music out there!"

V smiled. Not that he wasn't smiling the whole time. It was impossible not to smile when Kerry Eurodyne sat right in front of you.

"Ugh, I'll have to go and vomit …"
"The door is right there, Johnny."

"You can't give me the whole credit for this, Ker. Johnny wanted to go and see you."
"I know, I know. Without the two of you I would be dead now and it would be all over the news with some bullshit headlines. But the time I spent with you is what really got my Muse working again."
V took a sip from his drink. "And I hope I'm the first person you will show your new music to!"
"Of course. I'll play a whole show just for you, V. And V ...", Kerry leaned forward and whispered into his ear: "I love you."
V's heart skipped a beat and before he could respond, Kerry stood up from his chair, grabbed his hand and pulled V out of the club.

Kerry only stopped when they reached his car.
"Why did we leave all of sudden?", V tried to catch his breath again.
"You remember that I have something different planned for tonight? And I didn't want to get caught by the press and spend the whole night answering their pointless questions."
Kerry opened the door of his car and V made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.

"You must be really miserable if you'd rather spend time with me than work on your career", V couldn't help but tease his boyfriend.
"Hey, I really missed you, you jerk!" pouted Kerry while focusing on the road.
V laughed. "I missed you too."

And this wasn't even a lie. Ever since they set the yacht of his former manager Kovachek on fire they didn't have the time to meet again until today. And Johnny had to suffer having V's thoughts spinning around Kerry 24/7. He had become a totally love sick idiot.
V looked out of the window and tried to guess where Kerry would take him, but his mind was blank.
"So... can I get a sneak peak of what you have planned for -"
V's vision got blurry all of sudden. "Ugh ... not now ..."
The world around him began to spin. His head hurt and he felt like he was going to throw up.

"Johnny …?"
Silence.
"Ah shit …"

Kerry's voice faded more and more into the background until everything around him was black and he lost his consciousness.

-

When V opened his eyes again he found himself lying in a bed. To be specific it was Kerry's bed at his Villa in North Oak. To his surprise, the apartment was no longer drowning in pure chaos.

Slowly his body responded to the actions V wanted it to do. He sat up and let his view wander through the room. There were no empty bottles on the floor, no food that had been left to collect dust on the tables. No clothes that had been carelessly thrown onto the couch. V was slowly on the verge of doubting whether this was really the Villa where he first met Kerry.

"You're awake", Kerry's voice pulled V out of his thoughts.
"You cleaned up", was the first thing that left V's mouth, not even thinking about how worried Kerry must have been.
"Yeah ... but that's not important now", Kerry sat down next to him on the bed.
"Oh ...", slowly V remembered what had happened before he passed out. "Sorry, my mind is not catching up that fast yet. And I'm sorry I ruined our date."
Kerry shook his head. "That doesn't matter now, V. I didn't know that your condition was already this bad ... I was really worried about you the last two days."
V swallowed hard. "Last ... two days?"
Kerry nodded and took V's hand in his own and comfortingly he stroked the back of V's hand with his thumb.

"You remember the joke you once made? If found passed out, please return to Viktor Vektor? I actually took you there because I didn't know what to do with you. And I really didn't want you to die … Well Viktor was really worried and angry. He stressed again, that your time is running thin and you should really decide what you want to do about it, before it's too late."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" V bursted out. "Fuck. I'm sorry, Kerry. I knew I only had weeks left before my psyche would disappear into thin air ... and still I let myself fall in love with you."
"You know, it's also kinda my fault too? At first I just wanted to see what you are capable of, but then I let you get closer. Let you get a glimpse of who I am behind those walls I've put up."

"Johnny? I really miss your sarcastic comments …"

But Johnny still didn't respond. Probably Vik gave him some of those vitamins.

V wanted to pull the blanket over his head and wait for his problems to be solved on their own. "I just don't want to pull you down the drain with me. I'm a sinking ship, Ker."
Kerry wrapped his arms around V.
"Yeah, you're my sinking ship, V. I'm not leaving you."
V pulled Kerry even closer. "You really won't leave me, huh?"
"I'm with you until the end of the line, V."

After some minutes of silence V said: "Can I be honest with you?"
He put some distance between him and Kerry so he could look him into the
eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes.
"Sure thing, V."
"You probably know that this City is also called "The City of Dreams"? Well ... everyone knows it, Night City is famous for this slogan. And call me naive, I really believed that my dreams could become true here. Honestly ... I was on a really good track reaching the Major Leagues. And then everything went downhill ... I had to slot that biochip into my head ... I really was close to just giving up, you know? But meeting you changed a lot for me. Gave me hope. I had new energy searching for a solution that would help me. But ...the thing is, I don't have enough time. I don't want to say that I regret meeting you, because I really am not regretting this. I'm only sorry that I will hurt you in the end."

Kerry pulled V into a hug and V couldn't help but find comfort in Kerry's arms. Tears began to fill his eyes.
"I also don't regret that I met you, V. You are the little sarcastic sunshine that I needed in my life and whatever you will figure out, please let me be there for you."
V nodded. "I love you, Ker."
"I love you too, V."

They both started kissing and exchanging gentle touches. Just feeling the other one's body. "How about only cuddling on the couch while watching a movie?" V said after he managed to find his voice again.
"Preem idea. I already have a movie in mind I want to show you!"

And for the rest of the day the two would cuddle on the couch, eat pizza and laugh together. Just having a good time watching movies and not thinking about their future.