longer.blue

ok so, its a loaded question. I haven't like, totally determined when exactly she starts sleeping with Vik, I'd say its probably about 6-7 years prior to the game. And during that period of time, if you asked her, or if you were outright stupid enough to refer to her as Vik's girlfriend, or dating Vik, she would immediately start doing gymnastics to deny such a heinous accusation. even though, for all intents and purposes - they absolutely were, and they were (because of her stupid ass.) epitome of on/off again. If she started to feel like things were getting Too Serious, she would quickly start picking fights to put distance as well as push Vik away (and frankly she's lucky he's as patient as he is, and that he cares for her as much as he does, and is well aware of why she's doing it.) Jackie would often get on her about it, pointing out "mija, you're fucking dating him stop being a jackass about it." and she'd get pissy about it One of these fights between her & Vik, the rare moment where Vik actually said that they needed to cool off and take a break because he couldn't keep watching Valerie push him away because she was too scared of losing him, is set during the street kid prologue. She gets into a fight with Vik - and it culminates in her shouting at him that basically anyone could die at any moment, and she won't ever feel that pain again - and he's an idiot for getting attached to her because there could come a day where she shows up at his clinic with a bullet in her skull - and what then? (FORESHADOWING EAT THEM WORDS, V!!!) Jackie - with his Valerie Spidey Sense - calls her while she's riding on her bike to cool off. She keeps hitting ignore but he won't give up, and eventually when she answers, he immediately is just like "El Coyote. 20 minutes. You better fuckin' be there." she shows up, and like the street kid intro starts off- she does get jumped and very easily dispatches the gonks but still winds up with the broken nose (pissing her off even further.) however the prologue differs in that, she & Jackie both agree to help out Pepe, and talk to Kurt together to klep the rayfield. anyway - all of that plays out because she and Vik broke it off again and she got pissed, and Jackie chewed her out for putting Vik through the ringer. 6mos later, they're still sorta-kinda off which makes the meeting at his clinic a bit awkward. but they talk it out a bit, and Vik says they'll talk more after the job with Dex but that he misses her and she (begrudgingly) admits she MAYBE sort of misses him too. Part of the reason he gives her the kiroshis and other cyberware is that he is genuinely worried about the job & her. Obviously warranted - and her words come back to bite them both in the ass because lo and behold - she shows up at the clinic with a fucking bullet in her head. It's really really rough on Vik, especially the "you'll fix me up right?" because he wants too, SO badly. and its killing him inside that he can't. they don't speak again until the POST-OFRENDA MENTY-B (which I plan on writing up about... Soon. Maybe after this.) when they sleep together. and the next morning V just kinda... she still can't really admit to anything, but she does apologize for her freakout. AND THEN ofc, there is JOHNNY. Who sees her acting like a crazy ass bitch and goes "Wow I fucking Need Her." and for her, it's easier to... initiate a relationship with him because well. They're. kind of. linked together. But Johnny's a bro - and he chews out Valerie about Vik, and tells her to get her shit together, to not have regrets like he does with Alt. And on his end, he speaks to Vik post-MEETING HANAKO AT EMBERS, and explains to Vik like hey we're on the same side. You love her. I love her. She's fucking crazy, but she's OUR crazy. I'll bring her back, alive. and I will make her actually Talk To You because I know this behavior, and I know how to counter it. He just refuses to let Valerie self destruct the same way he did. (He and V really act as calming forces to each others chaos LMFAO.) and true to his word, Johnny does just that. Post-game, Vik comes out to the badlands to their trailer she & Johnny are staying at, and Valerie spills her guts and finally admits she does in fact love Viktor, but she was terrified of letting anyone in again, and losing them. anyway there's a lot more but tl;dr the answer is really "Yes but she spends years denying it and then suddenly ends up with not one, but two boyfriends + a girlfriend in the au with Antinea."