SR1 and a super short one, but takes place around the same time as the beginning of Ch. 6.

This was bad. 'Halfway through a pack and it not helping' bad.

Then again, he was only speaking for his own nerves. He had no idea how V was faring, since she'd made herself nothing but scarce since the night before. Would he have done the same if she'd approached him already? He didn't have a damn clue, but the last thing he'd wanted to do after leaving was sleep with that at the forefront of his mind.

And her. Everything about her.

He stopped his mind when it tried to recall those lips of hers, but even the hint was enough to make him want to pour a bucket of ice water over his head. One hint always led to another, and her voice was in his ear again, making him want to do a variety of things to get it out.

The next day wasn't much better, and as he put out the stub that was his old cigarette and lit a new one, he kept an eye out for any flashes of red.

He didn't see any, and by then it was clear she was avoiding him.

That weighed on him more and more as the hours ticked by, and when Johnny found him later he wasn't anywhere near pleasant. They stayed there for a good five minutes, leaning against the outside of the church, and Troy tried to get his mood in line enough to have a decent conversation.

"What's going on?"

"So, she finally get to you?"

That opener didn't do anything to help. "What?"

"V. She's been bugging the shit out of you since day one. Doing this, doing that. Now she's clinging to Dex like velcro gone wrong. You say something stupid?"

Troy let that go for a minute, keeping his response neutral. "No."

"Sure, I'm real convinced."

"I'm serious. Shit's also come up. Can't drop everything to help if I'm being pulled in three directions at once."

"Heh, well you shouldn't have held her hand so fucking tightly if you're getting sick of it now."

The barb stuck, and Troy frowned. "It's called not being a colossal asshole. Might want to try it yourself, sometime."

"Fuck you," Johnny replied, annoyed. "I'm just saying. Anyway, I was going to talk to her about the Vice Kings. Got some extra work to do and she's one of those go-getter types. Perky. Be a shame to waste it if you've got it, you know?"

"That's a far cry from how you used to see her."

"Eh, things change. She doesn't need fucking training wheels any more, so I'm respecting that. ...Unless you're up for something."

"Depends."

"On what?"

Troy flicked at his cigarette and looked at him carefully. "On what you're asking about." He waited a beat. "And the potential body count."

Johnny shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. Just some good old fashioned larceny."

"Need a little more info than that, man."

"The cops that have been working with the VKs like to go to this bar two to three times a week. I thought it might be worth seeing how long it'd take for them to notice their rides have been jacked. From there, we can take them and make a cozy little bonfire. Perform a little community service, keep the neighborhood warm. All that nice shit."

"Let me get this straight. You want me to steal cop cars and wreck them?" Troy asked.

"Yeah."

"And not shoot up the bar, or plant a fucking bomb?"

"The option's open, but it's up to you if you want to take it. Earn some brownie points even," Johnny said, grinning. "Anyway, it was something I'd set up for V since she wanted something to do. Fucking with cops is a national pastime. Thought she might have fun with it."

Troy looked away. "Yeah, that might be up her alley."

"But not yours. I don't get it."

"Hey, if you see a hornet's nest your first instinct shouldn't be to poke it with a sharp stick or throw a rock at it. We've already got enough heat from the cops, especially after what went down with Lin and Sharp. You really think we need more?"

"Big fucking deal. They'll come after us if we so much as breathe wrong, and they're hunting down purple anyway. Might as well make them work for it. What do you say?"

"I'll pass."

"You're becoming a fucking killjoy," Johnny said, pushing himself off of the wall.

"I get my kicks from other things. Sorry to disappoint." He watched Johnny out of the corner of his eye as he walked off to the side, looking out towards the tombstones. "Want me to let her know?"

"Nah, I'll pass it on to her when I find her. She wasn't looking too hot earlier, and I'd hate to see your spin on this. Trying to cheer her up here, not scare her off." Johnny didn't see his scowl, but still chuckled darkly as if he had. "Right?"

"Right," Troy said, his mouth a thin line. "Sure thing."

When Gat turned back he wasn't smiling either. He stood like that for a few seconds, waiting, before stalking out towards the road. Troy didn't relax until he was out of sight.

He left not too long after that and did something he hadn't done in a while. Poured a couple shots out in his apartment and let those do the thinking for him.

Maybe tomorrow things would be clearer then.