disrupts | NOCTIUM IC INBOX

[The silence grows prominent enough to wander straight into awkward town, and Robert starts to think that a) he’s really revved V’s proverbial engine to the point where they’re just gonna fuck on the side of the road or b) this is all turning into a simple ‘no’. And being young but not totally stupid, he has a proper idea of which one’s about to happen.

Which is… fine, really. No hearts broken over it, he barely knows the guy if that’s the case. But making a display of it borders on the territory of weird, but he figures there’s no point in getting ahead of himself. Might as well see what plays out.

Robert obediently (that’s new, too) hops off the bike in one smooth motion, turning to face V, cocking his brow and splaying both hands as if to say, “Okay, what now?”]

[ It's weird, no doubt, but the instant Robert slides off the bike without a single word of discontent is downright bizarre. V doubletakes, like he has no idea what to do with that information either and his hands are already full of that. Kicking the stand down, he stays straddled over the bike, though at least he can see Robert now rather than having him out of sight. Mostly, V just doesn't want to be an asshole, even if the choom standing in front of him grows up to be the biggest asshole he knows.

Just so happens Johnny's an asshole V's more than just fond of.

So, he's going to extend Robert the same kind of care that he would to a man who'd outright deny needing it. It won't make any sense at all to the younger man but, to V, it's important. ]

This is gonna sound weird, but uh... just let me say my shit 'n you can decide what we do after.

[ Just to preface this before the weirdness gets so under his skin that it's barely silent anymore. Might as well just name it. ]

'm real fuckin' glad we didn't meet last month. 'cause I think-- I know I woulda stopped this bike to fuck you 'n not thought anythin' 'bout that.

[ Yeah, now he probably sounds a little like he's verging on the almost-cyberpyscho he was not all too long ago. ]

Thing is I want to. I really do. You're uh... [ He gestures here, a hand lifting as if to say 'look at ya'. ] But I can't. 'cause if I did, I'd be takin' advantage of the situation. And I'd be breakin' the trust of an asshole you don't know, but I can't think of anythin' worse. I just...

[ Yeah, this is awkward. Real awkward. ]

...love his gonk ass 'zactly how he is.

[ Not much better. Shaking his head, V looks away and scrubs a hand through his beard. Fuck, this would've been ten times better at speed because at least then there'd be some kind of distraction. ]

What I meant to say's that uh... there's somebody else. And if we fucked? Don't think I could look 'im in the eye again 'cause I know this ain't how he'd want it. Even if he is a fuckin' stubborn asshole.

[ Was that so hard? Apparently. ]

If you're still down 'n didn't die just from my awkward explanation, you can ride us back into the city. Show ya a few places that don't got tumbleweed as the main attraction.

[Robert shifts his weight to his other leg, listening to what V has to say. And in the end, it’s a lot. More than what he was really expecting, more than what he probably needed to know. It’s… strange, in a way he can’t explain, but V’s loyalty tugs at his empathy, and makes him feel a little bad for even bringing it up. V and this other guy — well, it sounds complicated, but he can tell by the look in his eyes, the sincerity in his tone, that it’s something that Robert has no chance to even match. Not that it was ever in the cards.

When V’s done, offering the bike a second time, Robert shakes his head and huffs out breath.]

Listen, V… I’m not here to stir the pot, or to wedge my way into someone’s love life. Not my intention, and didn’t mean to put you on the spot. You really don’t owe me an explanation, don’t need to do—

[A gesture at the landscape.]

—all this. If things get too complicated, all you gotta do is tell someone they ain’t your type.

[His look’s gone quizzical, stepping forward. It’s a shame—he’d really like to feel this man’s hands all over him—but Robert isn’t willing to pick up any baggage he can’t handle. He’s already got enough to worry about.]

So I’ll drop it, and I’ll take you up on the offer to take your bike for a spin. But you just gotta let me do one thing first.

[ Halfway to offering a 'don't worry 'bout it', the moment Robert's giving him advice on how to deal with things when they get too complicated, V's voice dies in his throat. In the short amount of time since actually talking to Robert, somehow he's gotten more answers to questions that he's been asking Johnny about for a while now. For a moment he just sits on the back of that bike, frowning into the middle-distance. ]

Uh, thanks. For the pro tip.

[ Sounds familiar. Achingly familiar. Least there's an additional request which pulls his spiraling thoughts aside for long enough to answer: ]

Okay. Name it.

[Blessedly oblivious to the avenues of new information he's opening for V, much less how much more difficult he's making life for his older self, Robert barely waits for V to respond before he's closing that space between them. A hand reaches out to fist into the merc's shirt, pulling him inches forward, and the almost-eighteen-year-old leans in to steal a kiss.

It's a heated, selfish one. But it also doesn't linger, cheeky in its promptitude. He's pulling away as quickly as he's initiated it, a smirk on his lips and an explanation following on its heels.]

Just wanted to get a taste if I couldn't have the whole thing.

[He laughs a little -- still such a strange sound coming from him -- revealing no hurt pride, no sarcastic barbs between them. Robert simply moves away to take his seat at the front of the bike, gunning the ignition. It roars to life and he raises his voice to speak over it.]

Shame, though. Could've been like that song from the White Album. You know it?

[ Unprepared, V's actually taken by surprise, like he'd been expecting the younger man to take a swing at him instead of kissing him. Tracking Robert back to the bike with his gaze, he at least doesn't stand around like a gonk for too long after. Now that their roles are reserved, he's the choom who's got to hold on, and it's not a position he's been in for a while. In fact, last time was probably with Jackie, back in NC.

But what Robert gets for his trouble - for that laughter - is a grin, one that's acknowledging V's cool with what just happened. Least their collective attention seems to be on the same page as far as anything else goes.

Hitching up his heels until his boots are rested snugly on the boot plates, he squeezes his thighs at Robert's hips and loops an arm around his waist. The synchrony is as immediate as before, and though there's a little more heat in it this time, V's already distracted by all the shit he hadn't expected to learn today. ]

Let's see what ya made of.

[ And that's all he says for a moment, gives the younger man the figurative reins to do with as he wants, to point them in any direction he pleases.

Maybe he'd know what the White Album is given a couple more hints, but since he's not from Robert's time-- ]

The fuck's the White Album?

[He waits until V's snug up against him before he deltas them out of there. The sync is kicking back in again, and Robert feels something different about it, but he doesn't have the experience to pin down just why that might be -- might've been the convo they had, might've been the kiss. He can flatter himself into thinking the latter.

For now, the road's wide open, and he turns into it, heading back the way they came. The pavement's smooth, and though he's no nomad, he seems to have a good handle on how to ride, especially since it's just a straight shot back into the city. Robert thinks to boost the acceleration when V hits him with that question.]

What do you mean, the fuck's a White Album? 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road?' [The song he was referring to.] 'Helter Skelter'? 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'? Come on.

[ Maybe he's heard one of those, definitely not the one Robert meant. How to explain he was born almost a hundred years after that particular band formed? He laughs either way, a low rumble not far behind Robert's ear. Yeah, getting passionate about music? Seems right. ]

Nope. What kinda song names are they anyway?

[ He's happy to let Robert wax lyrical about all the music he wants. He's listening, sure, but he can't get that piece of advice out of his head. Not my type. The fuck does that even mean now, knowing what he knows. ]

Dumbass ones. [He says bluntly, but with some amusement.] One was written after seeing some animals screw on the side of the road. The other was picked out of a dictionary. And Helter Skelter—

[Robert glances back, profile stark against the growing contours of the city beyond.]

—that one’s my favorite. Could play it for you if I had a guitar.

[Eyes back on the road, he couldn’t help but notice a shade of distraction cast across his companion’s face.]

Hey, am I borin’ you?

[ Feigning surprise seems too disingenuous, so V nods instead. It comes a moment too late, Robert's follow up question slipping in before V can clarify. ]

Nah. Enjoyin' the ride. Been a while since I was a passenger.

[ It's as good an excuse as any. It might not be the real reason, but V's banking on Robert not being able to tell when he's lying like people who know him better can. ]

Few places in the city with guitars. Least... a few 'm not banned from yet.

[He's right, Robert can't tell that he's lying. It's as good of a reason as any, and even if it wasn't, he hasn't quite enough investment to pry. Their sync feels fine, so everything must be nova, right?]

Banned? [lol what] 'Cause you told them you didn't know who the Beatles were?

Long story. Didn't like me kleppin' a guitar from 'em.

[ Which isn't exactly the whole story; not even close. The guitar in question never made it out the store, but he and Johnny did, fast lane to the local jail.

Seems like a long time ago now, but that's the thing about this place. Time itself feels skezzed some weeks. ]

The Beatles? Yeah, I heard of 'em. Can't say they were big when I was growin' up 'cept an old choom in my clan who had this antique fuckin'... uh, they called cassettes?

[He scoffs disbelievingly, the sound lost to the air whipping past.]

Little before my time, too. But yeah, they're called cassettes, and those aren't even all that old.

[Maybe if he thought about it longer, something wouldn't quite add up. V being older than he is, the math would dictate that band shouldn't be far departed from his time at all, but thankfully the notion is derailed by that "long story". How's he not going to ask about that?]

You kleppin' a guitar... Was that a merc thing?

A favor thing. Could say it was my half of a deal.

[ It was supposed to be simple, and really it should've been. Klepping that guitar should've been one of the easiest jobs he's ever done. Woulda been if him and Johnny hadn't started an argument, kept it going until the Diamond Guard had more than enough time to tackle them to the ground. ]

Got distracted. Gigs don't usually go down like that. Let my anger get the better of me. So - landed in jail, me and this uh... friend of mine.

[Must've been a hell of a distraction, he thinks to himself. A regular klep job shouldn't be so hard for a merc who claims to have made a name for himself in Night City; anger must've bubbled up pretty hard to have spilled over and fubar'd the whole thing.]

Then how 'bout you direct me to a music shop that isn't gonna immediately kick you out, and you tell me why you got so angry in the meanwhile?

[ Keeping Robert on the artery road running back into the city, V thinks back to that gig. Thinks about how he'd been fit for bursting at the seams for too long before they even dropped down into that low lit store. Thinks about how his timing never runs to anybody's convenience, not even his own.

Definitely not to Johnny's. And honestly, that'd been true the entire time they'd been stuck together inside his head.

That gig had been a disaster, but the optimist in him isn't discounting the shit that got straightened out because of it. Still, if he had a do over, he'd try save it for after. ]

'cause I got the emotional filter of a five-year old. Somethin' bothers me 'n I find it hard to just... pretend like it's not there. Add to that people who're my family, anytime I got problems with 'em, it just makes it worse.

I'm a nomad an' some shit won't ever change. Family means everythin' to me. But it also cuts down deeper than anythin' else.

Got angry 'cause I had somethin' in my head I couldn't work my way past myself. Turned into an argument right in the middle of this store we were hittin' for this axe.

[ Exhaling a laugh, he adjusts his grip at Robert's side and takes a second to look out at the buildings that slowly get bigger as they head back into the city. ]

Sounds gonk but sometimes shit like that just gotta happen 'cause otherwise it just... it eats away at ya.

Right, nomads are all about family. Heard nothin’s more important.

[Besides, all Robert’s hearing sounds like normal human emotion. Keep something built up and the pressure will eventually make it all go bursting at the seams, unfurling in an ugly wave. Of course, not everyone’s the same — young as he is, unspoiled by jadedness, Robert still knows it’s not so easy.]

Probably why things like that don’t settle well with you. You’re used to havin’ a whole clan that’ll support you when something’s eating at your insides, right? Maybe what you don’t got is practice hoarding it all away when you’re livin’ someplace that isn’t home.

[But what does Robert know? Sometimes he wears his heart on his sleeve at this age, but sometimes he doesn’t. V seems like the kind of guy to remain honest and open about everything. He has been so far, and he’s known the man for less than a day.]

Everybody handles shit differently. No news there.

Edited 2021-07-12 23:03 (UTC)

Somethin' like that. Usually don't have arguments in the middle of the place I'm kleppin' from, though.

[ So, really, it's an unusual thing for him to get that worked up on a job. But some things - some people - have that kind of effect on him. Nobody digs deeper than Johnny does. Nobody's got the amount of knowledge the rockerboy holds about V. It's nothing new in terms of knowing that; Johnny's got full access to use as he pleases. Knows exactly what to say to make things hurt, if he wants. ]

So, we'll to someplace different. Checked out couple of the other music stores in the city after.

[ Not to klep from, but he had to get Johnny an axe one way or another. Might as well head for the one he's a legitimate paying customer at. Murmuring the directions, it won't be long before they're pulling up outside that music store. ]

[He’s curious about the details, but if it’s something V got that worked up over and he’s not offering them himself, he’s got a feeling he’s not going to get them, either. So Robert just nods, and follows through with the directions that eventually deposit them in front of the music shop.

He kills the engine, toes the kickstand, and takes in the sight of the storefront. It’s big, with yawning glass windows that allow a peek of the neon signage strung up inside. Looks like any ol’ music shop off of Earth, which is kinda weird if he thinks about it — also is kinda preem in its own way.]

Well, we’re not stealin’ anything today, but we probably aren’t payin’ customers, either. [lol Robert has nooo moneyyyy] So let’s just pretend we are so we still don’t get kicked out, huh? Nothin’ a shop like this hates more than kids manhandling their merch with no intent to buy.

[He might have inadvertently called himself a kid but that’s not the point.]

[ Sliding off the back of the bike with the kind of grace that'd betray his experience if that wasn't already clear, V glances up at the store front, too. It's been a little while since he swung by here to legitimately buy Johnny a guitar. Maybe they'll half remember him, who knows.

At Robert's reference to being a kid, V snorts. ]

Speak for yourself. Been a decade since I was your age.

[ Eighteen was fun though, he remembers that much. ]

Not bad at actin' like a payin' customer.

[ Which is when he extends his hand towards the door; after you, kid. ]

[At that, he has to roll his eyes. Hopping off the bike—]

Uh-huh.

[That’s probably a bit like the Johnny that V knows, a little dismissive gesture to boot. But he still sounds amused.]

Sure, whatever. You actually know how to play anything in there?

[He doesn’t wait for an answer before he moves to the shop, opening up the door to enter. It looks bigger on the inside than the outside, all manner of guitars lined up along the walls, amplifiers neighboring them. Racks of sheet music in the back, where it looks like the keyboards live. A smaller, darker-lit room farther down with the glow of screens emanating from where Robert can see. Probably some karaoke or some shit, he figures.]

Ah, preem. [Predictably… straight to the wall of guitars he goes.] Look at this collection, they sell that many here?

[ Following Robert inside feels just as weird, even with that familiar tone, the gesture. It's like sometimes he can see the origin of some of Johnny's mannerisms now, but then Robert opens his mouth and laughs, or says something that doesn't come close to the heavy dose of cynicism V's used to. It's a trip. ]

Learned a bit recently. Can play a few chords.

How 'bout you? You any good?

[ Of course, V knows how good Johnny is. He just doesn't know how young that talent started. ]

‘A few chords’ and you can probably play fifty percent of the most popular tunes out there. Not a bad place to start.

[It’s muttered half-distractedly as he plucks a shiny black and sleek-looking electric guitar off of the rack. It absolutely glistens.]

I’d say I know what I’m doin’. A place like this? [He gestures to their surroundings. At the distant counter, the shopkeep can’t even be bothered to look at them — looks like they aren’t really all that concerned with these two coming in to take a look.] I lived in a place like this, literally. First floor was the shop, second floor was the livin’ space. You pick up a few musical skills in a situation like that, you know.

[ He's heard that before; from the same mouth, technically. There's a slight hesitation in his step as he turns that over, and then all the information that Johnny's never told him. It's like opening up a book and finding a bunch of pages were stuck together. There's a whole part of the story he's missed. ]

Yeah? You spent a lot of time there learnin' to play?

[ Shoulder to shoulder with Robert as they look up at the rows of guitars, V's trying hard not to ask too many prying questions. Thing is, he's pretty sure Johnny wouldn't supply shit like this even if he asked. Doesn't mean he's not curious as hell. ]

Learnin’ to play in order to sell shit.

[Maybe this puts a new spin in the fact that Johnny and V had broken into a music shop to nab a guitar — an ironic one. But for now, Robert has no qualms about sharing. Why would he? It’s no grand secret, no big bombastic origin story.]

My gramps owned the shop. Even when I was little, I was expected to pull my weight if I was gonna live there. So that meant learnin’ music so I knew what I was talkin’ about when all the dumb college kids showed up.

[He’s bringing the guitar over to an amp, where a bunch of wires already lay ready to be plugged in.]

Know a bunch of records by heart, too, whether or not I liked it. [He sounds a little exasperated by that.] 60s, 70s, 80s. If it was popular from back then, then I probably can at least sing it back to you.

That doesn’t mean I’m gonna, though, so don’t get any ideas.

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