4

Just like the night before, V awoke to the sound of an incoming message from Kerry.

AV will be here in an hour. Join me for breakfast?

He shot back an answer saying he would be up after he got cleaned up and rolled out of bed.

A shower without me? :( Jokes aside, nova! See you soon.

V chuckled and rolled his eyes. But the heat he felt in the pit of his stomach was no joke. Showers with Kerry were never boring.

After his shower, he got dressed and slipped on his Aldecaldo jacket before gathering his stuff. During the elevator ride he called the lobby to check out.

The door slid open to reveal Kerry in his familiar robe, back to the door, filling a cup with coffee. V couldn't help but give a little whistle as he stepped into the room.

Kerry straightened and turned to him, holding out the steaming cup. Thankfully, he was wearing shorts under the robe.

"Morning to you too, V." He said with a glimmering smile.

V took the cup and carefully took a drink. It was made just how he liked it. A bit of sugar and a dash of milk.

The rockerboy picked up his own mug and walked out onto the balcony, V followed.

"Beautiful view, isn't it?" Kerry asked airily.

"Ker," V leaned on the railing next to him. "I know that look. You had the same look that night at Dark Matter. What's on your mind?"

"I'm really glad you're here, V. But why'd you come, really?"

He was silent for a long moment, confused by the question. "What'd you mean? I came to see you, Kerry."

"How many days were you on the road to get here?"

"Uh, three? What's that got to do with anything?"

Kerry frowned. "It's just… eh, nevermind. Let's eat. The AV will be here soon."

V opened his mouth to say something, but the rockerboy was already back inside. He followed suit, deciding to let the conversation go.

Kerry nibbled on a piece of toast, his appetite gone. What was the real reason? Had news of Kerry's resurging depression made the screamsheets? Did V know about Kerry trying to put a bullet in his mouth a few weeks ago?

"Kerry, talk to me." V's voice was soft and he jumped, the swirl of questions fading into the background.

"Huh? Sorry, I spaced out." Kerry took a bigger bite of toast.

V stood from his chair and crossed over to the sofa, sitting next to the rockerboy. "What's on your mind, Ker?"

He shook his head, "it's nothing, V. Still trying to believe that you came all this way to see me."

"I know. It's just that… I've been worried about you. Ever since I left with Panam, not a day went by when I wasn't thinking about you."

Kerry felt his cheeks getting warm and he stood up. "Speaking on Panam, figure it would be easiest to drop you off right at camp. Maybe call her and have her send the coordinates? I'm… gonna go get dressed."

He rushed into the bedroom and closed the door. For a moment, he leaned against it, eyes closed. V wasn't the only one that had doubted if the other still cared. His eyes burned with unshed tears, glad that V did still care.

Finally he got dressed, lacing up his signature boots, sliding on his vest. He was about to open the door when he heard V's voice floating across the living room.

"I don't know, Pan." He said. "Wait, what do you mean? Fuck. That's the whole reason I ended up meeting him in the first place. Johnny saw that in the screamsheets and wanted to check on him."

Kerry cracked the door and peeked out. V was sitting on the couch, rubbing his cheek with his hand.

"Still. Even still, I don't know. Things have been really awkward. Neither of us seem to be able to say what's going on in our heads." He frowned. "I know. But, I can't just say, 'Kerry, I know it's been almost a year and I ghosted you for most of it, but I came all this way to tell you I'm still madly in love with you.' Especially after… ya know." He gave a heavy sigh and leaned back.

The conversation continued but Kerry's mind was buzzing. Was that really why he'd come all this way? Was V really still in love with him? A million more questions popped into his head but one came to the forefront, something he had avoided for months. How did he feel about V?

Kerry finished packing his bags and took several deep breaths before opening the door. There was no way he was going to fuck this up by asking about something he shouldn't have heard.

V was off the phone and sipping on his coffee when Kerry came out.

"Forgot to ask, V. Which ride did you bring?"

"The Arch." He seemed distracted but Kerry just nodded and called up the front desk to have them send the motorcycle to the landing pad.

The two men sat in silence for a few minutes before V spoke.

"I got the coordinates for the Aldecaldo camp. Should I send them to you or just load them into the AV?"

"Send them over, I'll load everything up when we get on. Which, we should probably head up to the pad. It should be here any time."

The AV doors opened and Kerry motioned for V to get in. He turned to the pilot and told him that they would be flying to Phoenix first and sent him the coordinates. The pilot nodded and continued to load luggage. Kerry climbed in and sat opposite V.

Unlike other manual AVs, this one had a separate cockpit, affording privacy to the passengers.

After takeoff, it was quiet for a while, Kerry watched Chicago fade into the distance.

"Um, Ker. Did- did you, uh." V was struggling to form his question but Kerry knew what he was going to ask.

"Yeah, V. I did. Can't say I'm surprised that it made it to the sheets." He shifted in his seat, suddenly aware of V's stern gaze.

"Why?"

The rockerboy was quiet for a long time. "I was detoxing after a pretty bad relapse. Between that and wondering about you… I wasn't sure what else to do."

V didn't immediately respond and the silence made Kerry shiver.

"Ker, I want to make something clear. I didn't know about that when I decided to come to Chicago. I came because I wanted to tell you some stuff face-to-face. But it never seemed to be the right time."

Kerry's heart fluttered, waiting for him to say what he'd heard him tell Panam.

"Fuck," V put his face in his hands. "I know it's been a long time. And that I kinda just disappeared. But, Kerry, I- I think I'm still in love with you."

"V, I-" He wanted to say that he felt the same way but V cut him off.

"And I'm sorry. I know I said that I wanted you to move on, but I don't think that's really true."

Now it was Kerry's turn to interrupt. But instead of words, he stood and crossed the distance between them. He pulled V out of his seat and into a tight hug.

He rested his head on V's shoulder, relishing the smell of leather and motorcycle exhaust.

"Kerry," V whispered.

He took a deep breath and gave V a light squeeze, whispering back, "I think I'm still in love with you too, V."

They stood there, wrapped in each other's embrace for what seemed like ages. Then V got a call.

"This had better be important, Pan." Kerry could tell by the look on V's face that he hadn't meant for it to come out as sharp as it did. But his look of frustration was quickly replaced by concern. "I'm not sure. Let me check. Open the flight track," he turned his focus to the screen in the center of the AV. "About 20 minutes outside Phoenix airspace."

Both men were surprised, the AV was moving a lot faster than either had thought.

"Mhm. Ok, got it. Let me open a connection so you can ping me in case things go tits up. Yeah. I'll keep you posted."

He hung up and looked at Kerry, a serious look on his face. "Tell the pilot to cut East of Phoenix. Before heading South. Raffen are up to no good."

Kerry nodded and relayed the information. "So now what?"

V took a step towards him, planting one hand on Kerry's hip and the other on the back of his neck. "That hug was so nice, I could go for a bit more." Kerry's lips were an inch from V's, he could feel his ex-inputs breath hot against his skin.

Just as he was about to lean in to seal the deal, the first rocket hit.