#Vaughn at 19 gonna pinch those cheeks

[breezypunk]

2069-2082: Diary of a merc

2069: You were confused. You felt more alone than ever before. At only 19 you thought you had the world at your fingertips, but everything changed. You met a guy and you thought you were in love, but he turned out to be a prick. You relied on him for everything, you even told him your deepest secrets. He used it against you, and most of the clan ultimately turned hostile when seeing you around. You were hurting, emotionally more than anything. Is this what it felt like to be a burden?

Time to join snake nation! Except for you it was time to escape. You thought you could handle being on your own, it was better than being with people who wanted to see you at your worst. No, this was your time for freedom, to find people who accepted you for who you were, not what others wanted you to be to fit the mold, not what people thought a "proper" Bakker should be. You are a nomad, you are a fighter, you spent 4 years on the run searching for a place to call home. But you were alone, and it felt like a roller coaster. You ran into people who helped you briefly, you stayed in tents and abandoned trailers until you finally made your way to a place where you were destined to change your life. You found Night City, and maybe it was finally time to retire your nomad roots. You just wanted to rest for once in your life.

2074: Night City has been an interesting experience for you. You'd only been there for less than a year, and already found yourself with many enemies. You didn't know there were so many gangs walking around, but you found a home with The Mox. They took you in as one of their own when you had nothing to your name, some nights you barely remembered your name. Getting drunk and forgetting the bad shit was your calling. You frequented around Lizzie's bar for two months before being found by Susanna Quinn, who just became the new owner of the bar. You were grateful, but you were scared and understandably so. You were offered a job as a bartender to try and get back on your feet, and even started a small fling with Susanna herself when late nights after the bar was closed, you two found yourselves in her office talking about your pasts, and eventually one thing led to another. It wasn't based on true feelings, touch was always your love language, and you didn't know what real love felt like, you just wanted to feel like someone cared, you let anyone who could give you that in, even when you knew it was pretend.

You are a street kid, or rather.. you inherited the traits of one. In the back of your mind you wondered what it would be like to be a nomad again, where your true freedom really lies, but than remembered freedom was taken from you during that time. You just wanted to find yourself, and you are on the right track. You are accepted by your new friends, you knew The Mox would take care of you. For years after, you'd never forget who was there for you when you were at your lowest point.

2077: Things went ass up for you, and not in a good way. You found yourself in a lot of danger, but most importantly, you're quite literally going insane. Moving to Night City was suppose to be a positive change for you, but somehow, someway, Vaughn Leblanc always manages to find himself lying face down in a pile of cow shit. Question is, how do you find your way out? You meet someone. He begs you for help, and maybe you can hardly hear him because you're too busy staring, but he knows you need him as much as he needs you, and right now you're pretty much digging yourself a grave, with Johnny Silverhand on your left with a second shovel. You thought you were gonna make it in this world, you managed to get a job doing merc work, you found yourself an apartment, you were making the big bucks, kiddo. But nothing ever goes as planned in your life, and when did it ever? You had a choice, die or live. You wanted to live, and your talking emotional support brain tumor wanted to help you.

Times are officially tougher than they've ever been, but you're tougher than you've ever been, you had no choice. You lost everything, and it was up to you to find it, to start over and have this last chance to make something of your life before it was too late. You are a lone-wolf. You walked a lonely road, and lonely it was. It was a lesson well learned, you needed that taste of loneliness to get you were you are today. You were always a lone wolf, it just took you a long time to admit you liked it.

2082: After everything you've been through over the last few years, you've finally managed to find some peace in your life. You have obstacles, a lot in fact, but it's nothing you've never been able to get through. You've built an empire with your found family, to be there for each other and lean on each other through tough times, something that you've never experienced before moving to the big city. Running away from a group of people who couldn't have cared less was the best thing to ever happen to you.

You fell in love for real, you spent five years with someone who helped you understand what love truly felt like. You settled down and even got yourself an apartment and became a cat dad. You could finally rest if you wanted. Of course there's never any rest for the wicked, and you still have a lot of unfinished business. But your life was starting to finally have some meaning, and you were happier than you'd ever been. You are a nomad forever, you spend a lot of time out in the badlands and you spend time protecting your clan, The Aldecaldos. You're comfortable there, you're comfortable leading with your best friend Panam, and it took time to feel comfortable, and sometimes you and your family don't see eye to eye, but you will protect them until your last breath, there's not a thing you wouldn't do for them.

Jackie would be proud.