[Keep Fighting] The Reaper - Sorrow_Singer (2024)

V was tired, tired beyond repair, he was done for today. He was done for the rest of the week… maybe he was just done. Completely done. The Relic malfunctions have become worse, he laid in bed in his apartment after a particularly rough gig, did not end well but he got it done. His vision was blurring, those familiar blue bits of the world stretching in his vision as if the code was being stripped away, he closed his eyes slowly and opened them half way. V ran his hand over his face before coughing into his palm, he felt the blood touch the cybernetics, he looked at it and he groaned as he felt that stabbing in his brain.

“Agh! sh*t!”

V held his head as he felt his brain be pulled apart, he cursed with a pain in his voice as he watched his world glitch and freak out, he rolled over onto his side with the aches and pains. He was tempted to pop a pill and say f*ck it and let Johnny take over for now, speaking of that impressive co*ck having bastard, he materializes beside the bed as he leaned over V while he struggled to breath.

“Fuuuck… V, hang in there, maybe you can sleep this off.”

Johnny spoke a bit quietly considering he knew just how much V’s head was throbbing as he could feel it somewhat himself. These pains weren’t like the Blackwall piercing the Relic though, no that was something worse and even had Johnny feeling like he’d rather put some iron in his mouth and pull it.

V couldn’t breathe, his body was tensing and shaking as he gripped his chest as the pain traveled from head to chest, it was suffocating. His eyes were wide looking up at Johnny as Johnny soon felt the similarities to the attack in Pacifica, V tried to reach for Johnny but Johnny stopped him by quickly grabbing him by the wrist. He held it tight as if that would give him some connection to reality so he wouldn’t crash out but of course that’s not how this worked, the shades vanish from his face so V could see his eyes for reassurance.

“You’re alright V… You RE ALRI IGHT- V? V- FU- u- u CK”

Darkness, reds in the corners of his Kiroshi’s his eyes blurred and struggled to settle as the words [Relic Malfunction] filled his vision briefly. V slowly came too but something wasn’t right, the bed wasn’t under him anymore, he was in the bathroom now. The blue strain from the relic pulled at objects around him as he slowly tried to sit up, his body was too weak and aches so he just collapsed back down.

“f*ck… tried to flatline me again… Joh-… Johnny?”

“Right here. f*cking hell V, I had to get you to move to the bathroom. You’re losing blood.”

“Blood? Wha-… augh.”

V lifted his hand to his face and felt blood near his nose as it ran down his face, he slowly looked down at the floor to see a small pool of his blood where his face was a moment ago. He was grateful Johnny got him to the bathroom to get cleaned up but he just couldn’t do it, moving was too much of an ask right now.

“V..? V get the f*ck up, come on-“

“No… no.. Johnny I-“

“What? Giving up for tonight? Gonna just pass out on the f*cking bathroom floor? Jesus Christ I’ll pick your ass up myself if I have to.”

V remained silent for a moment as he slowly laid back down on the floor and in that pool of his blood, he felt a wetness sting his eyes, he forgets he still has tear ducts sometimes. He closed his eyes before slowly reopening them as his vision finally clears but now he felt the tears slowly slide down his face, he said nothing and the silence got Johnny concerned enough to get close.

“V, the f*ck, come on. You gotta get up. You can’t give up yet, we’re so close to Mikoshi and getting me the f*ck out of your head.”

“I’m tired, Johnny-“

“When aren’t you tired? Get the f*ck-“

“Johnny! Just— stop.”

“V…”

“You remember what you said to me? First waking up in my head? ‘Put some iron in your mouth and pull the trigger’. f*ckin’ thinking about it right now.”

Johnny realized just how much V was pushing himself, survival meant everything to Johnny, he wanted to make it right with V. He was gonna save him no matter what but how can you save someone who can’t go on anymore? Johnny doesn’t say anything for a moment as the silence fills the air and makes things uncomfortable he decides to do the only thing he really can do.

Johnny lays beside V on the floor, he got close to him and slowly lifted one of his arms up, opening himself to V. This confused V for a moment before he realized what Johnny was doing and he slowly moved over to him and moved into Johnny’s embrace. They just laid there on the floor as he is held by the engram in his head, it’s weird and yet it made him really see just how much Johnny has changed.

V couldn’t take it as he slowly starts to break down into crying sobs of pain, misery and defeat as Johnny Silverhand just held him and rubbed his back letting him cry into him like this. Johnny slowly pressed his face into the top of V’s head, taking in the sensation and weird virtual warmth he felt. It was strange holding V because technically, he shouldn’t be able to touch him and yet he has, several times and he’s only seemed to be able to hold him more and feel more the longer this has gone on, the more they’ve become connected.

“You can’t fade away here, V… not in this God forsaken bathroom on this God damned floor. There’s still time to save you, I have to save you, Vincent…”

Johnny mutters as V continued to sob and those sobs slowly die down as he listened to Johnny speak, he wasn’t convinced to get up yet however.

“You know Panam would kill you if she found out you did something stupid, ending your own life. Kerry would beat your ass too, both of them would drag you out of hell to throw you back in it. Judy, it’d break her heart after Evelyn… to lose another dear friend that way after everything you two have been through? And River… you’re like family to him, he already nearly lost his nephew, I don’t think he could handle losing you. You got a lot to live for V, Viktor, Misty, you gotta do this sh*t for Jackie too. Don’t fear the Reaper, V, don’t let Death win and be your end…”

V was to say the least, stunned by Johnny’s determination to get him to keep pushing, sure the guy was all about his speeches and what not but he couldn’t believe he was saying all this. Johnny’s body blips out away from V as he’s standing again, shades back on as he offers V a hand to get him standing off of the ground.

“You think you can keep going? For them? For me?”

“… Yeah. Yeah I think I can.”

“f*cking preem.”

V grabbed Johnny’s forearm as he pulls himself up with his help, his legs are a little wobbly from the Relic freak out but he manages to keep himself up, he looked at himself in the mirror and sighed as he blinks and turned to thank Johnny but he was gone and when he looked over he saw him in the living room, smoking a cigarette on the couch seemingly to give V privacy. V smiled faintly before he got himself a shower and dressed for bed tonight.

“Goodnight, V. Sleep well.”

Johnny quietly spoke out as V laid in bed and would fall asleep not long after with Johnny following in the void of unconsciousness.