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The first thing V noticed was how quiet N had become.
Not silent never that but quieter.
N was never supposed to be quiet.
Did she distance herself too much?
He was laughter echoing down metal corridors. He was rambling thoughts that didn’t always make sense but somehow made everything feel lighter. He was the kind of presence that filled space without trying.
So when that started fading…
V noticed…she definitely noticed.
It began small whether it was
A missed joke or a delayed response or a moment where she said something sarcastic, something that would’ve earned a bright, confused grin and instead, N just… blinked.
Like it took him a second too long to process.
“…Moron bot you good?” she asked once, leaning against a rusted beam, trying to sound like she didn’t care.
“I’m good!” he said quickly.
Too quickly.
He smiled.
But it didn’t reach his eyes. Not soon longer he spread his wings soaring up into the night sky.
“…N?”
V didn’t ask again.
She told herself it wasn’t her problem.
It couldn’t be her problem.
Because caring really caring only ended one way. A certain devil had made that quite clear.
So instead…
She distanced herself.
At first, it was subtle.
She stopped sitting next to him during downtime.
Stopped walking beside him on patrol.
Started answering his questions with somehow shorter responses.
Where she used to linger, she now left early.
She disappeared.
And N noticed.
He always noticed.
“Hey, V?”
She didn’t look at him.
“What.”
There was a pause.
“…Did I do something?”
There it was.
That soft, uncertain tone.
The one that made something twist painfully in her chest.
But she forced her voice flat.
“No.”
Another pause.
“Then… why are you”
“I’m not anything,” she cut in sharply. “You’re imagining things.”
Silence.
Then, quietly
“Oh sorry”
V walked away before he could say anything else.
Before she could hear the disappointment settle into his voice.
Before she could change her mind.
Because she couldn’t get close.
Not again.
Something was clearly off with N. She could see the flickers in his movements.
The way his hand trembled slightly when he thought no one was looking.
The way his visor glitched for half a second longer than it should.
And yet…she did nothing to help.
Something was happening to him.
Something bad.
And if she got close…
If she let herself feel it-
Then when he was gone…
No.
NO.
She wouldn’t do that again.
So she pulled away harder convincing herself this was less painful. Past trauma mixed with present fear clouded V’s thought processors.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
And N got worse.
It wasn’t obvious to everyone.
J didn’t notice.
Or maybe she just didn’t care.
The company sure as hell didn’t care. They just labeled him as clumsy, distracted, weird.
But V saw it.
She saw everything.
She saw the way he sometimes paused mid-step, like his systems were catching up.
The way his smile faltered more often now.
The way his energy-his endless, impossible energy was draining.
And the worst part?
He was still trying.
Still trying to be the same N.
Still trying to smile.
Still trying to talk to her.
Even when she ignored him.
Even when she walked away.
Even when she made it painfully clear she didn’t want him around.
Robo-god what was wrong with her.
Yet this sweet robot still came back.
Until one day…
He didn’t.
V noticed immediately.
She didn’t mean to.
She told herself she didn’t care.
But when she stepped into the main chamber and didn’t hear his voice, didn’t see him, didn’t feel that presence.
Something felt… wrong.
“…Where’s N?” she asked, before she could stop herself.
J barely glanced up.
“Out scouting.”
V frowned.
“Alone?”
“He insisted.”
That didn’t sound like him.
V turned away.
Told herself it didn’t matter.
But something in her chest wouldn’t settle.
Hours passed.
Then more.
Night fell.
And still…
No N.
That’s when she went looking.
She found him just beyond the perimeter.
Collapsed.
And for a second, just one second V froze.
“N?”
It looked familiar…too familiar.
…
The stillness.
The silence.
The way his body lay unnaturally against the cold ground.
Her chest tightened violently.
“No-”
She moved before the thought finished.
Dropping beside him, hands shaking as she grabbed his shoulder.
“N-! Please”
His visor flickered.
Weak.
Unsteady.
Then-
“…V…?”
Relief hit her so hard it almost hurt.
“You idiot,” she snapped, her voice cracking despite herself. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
He tried to sit up.
Failed.
“…I think… I messed something up…”
Her grip tightened.
“What do you mean ‘messed something up’?”
He gave a weak, sheepish smile.
“…I don’t think I’m… working right.”
The words hit harder than anything else.
V swallowed.
Hard.
“…Yeah,” she muttered. “I noticed.”
He laughed softly.
Even now.
Even like this.
“…Sorry.”
That-
That broke something.
______________________
V looked away.
Because if she didn’t-
She might not be able to hold it together.
“Don’t…apologize,” she said roughly. “Just get up. We’re going back.”
He tried again.
Couldn’t.
“…V…”
She didn’t like how quiet he sounded.
Didn’t like how tired he sounded.
“…Can you-”
He didn’t finish, he didn’t have to.
V hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then-
She slipped an arm under his, pulling him up.
He leaned into her.
More weight than usual.
And for the first time…
V realized how much he was fading.
“…You’re heavier than you look,” she muttered.
He gave a soft, breathy laugh.
“…You’re just weak.”
“Shut up.”
But her grip tightened.
And she didn’t dare to let go.
That night…
She didn’t leave.
She stayed.
Sitting across from him as he rested against the wall, systems flickering faintly.
For a long time…
Neither of them spoke.
Until-
“…You stopped talking to me.”
V stiffened at his rasp voice.
She didn’t look at him.
“…Yeah,” she said flatly.
“…Why?”
There it was again.
That question.
The one she didn’t want to answer.
“…Because,” she started, then stopped.
Because what?
Because she was scared?
Because she couldn’t handle losing him again?
Because she already knew how this would end?
“…Because I wanted to,” she finished instead.
Silence.
Then-
“…Oh.”
That hurt more than anything else.
V clenched her fists.
“…You’re lying.”
Her head snapped toward him.
“…What?”
N looked at her, really looked at her.
“…You don’t sound like that when you mean it.”
Her chest tightened.
“…You don’t know what I sound like.”
“I do.”
Quiet.
Certain.
“…You always act like you don’t care when you do.”
V froze.
Because he was right.
“…So what,” she snapped, defensive now. “You think this is some big misunderstanding?”
“…No.”
That surprised her.
“I think… something’s wrong,” he said softly. “And you’re trying to protect yourself.”
Her breath caught.
“…You don’t know anything.”
“…Then please just tell me V.”
Silence.
V looked away.
“…You’re dying,” she said finally.
The words felt sharp.
Ugly.
Real.
N didn’t respond right away.
“…Yeah,” he admitted quietly.
That made it worse.
“…And I’m not doing that again.”
“…Doing what?”
She laughed.
Bitter.
“Getting attached. Watching it fall apart. I know you remember the past N all of us do to some degree even if she won’t admit it I know J does too. you might not remember a lot but you have to have some memories,” her voice cracking at the end almost in a pleading tone.
“You have to remember me.”
…
…
She stopped.
“…Watching someone die,” she finished, barely audible.
Silence filled the space between them.
“It changes oneself N.”
“…I’m not dead yet.”
V’s eyes snapped back to him.
“…Yeah,” she whispered.
“That’s the problem…yet.”
Because it meant it was coming.
And she could already feel it.
That slow, inevitable countdown.
“…V…”
His voice was softer now.
Weaker.
“…Come here.”
She hesitated.
Every instinct told her not to.
“Please.”
She moved slowly.
Sitting beside him.
Close.
Closer than she had been in a while.
For a moment…
Neither of them spoke.
Then-
N gently leaned his head against her shoulder.
V froze a memory filling her visor.
…
…
…
The memory came quietly.
Soft.
Warm.
The manor had always been too big, too empty, and worst of all too loud when it stormed.
Rain slammed against the tall windows, sharp and relentless, while thunder rolled through the halls like something alive. The lights flickered faintly above rows of towering bookshelves, shadows stretching and shrinking with every flash of lightning.
V sat stiffly at the long wooden table.
A book open in front of her.
Unread.
Another crack of thunder split the sky and her shoulders tensed just slightly.
Barely noticeable.
“…V?”
She didn’t look up.
“I’m f-fine.”
A pause.
Then softer-
“…You flinched.”
“I didn’t.”
Lightning flashed again.
The room lit up white.
Thunder followed instantly.
Closer this time.
V’s fingers tightened against the edge of the table.
N watched her for a moment.
Quiet.
Thinking.
Then without saying anything he walked around the table.
V didn’t stop him.
Didn’t tell him to go away.
Didn’t even acknowledge him.
He sat beside her.
Close.
Close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
“…What are you reading?” he asked gently.
She glanced down at the page.
Didn’t answer.
“…Cool,” he nodded anyway, like she had.
Another rumble of thunder echoed through the manor.
Long.
Low.
Unsettling.
V’s posture tightened again.
N noticed so he reached over.
Carefully.
Slowly.
Like she might pull away if he moved too fast.
He gently tilted the book slightly toward himself.
“…Mind if I read?”
She looked down nervously.
“…S-sure.”
N smiled softly.
And then-
He leaned just a little closer resting his head gently against hers.
V heated up instantly, her fans kicking on and a small blush formed in the corner of her visor.
For a second
Just one
She considered pulling away.
Saying something dismissive.
But then, another crack of thunder rolled through the walls
And she didn’t instead she stayed finding comfort in the drone beside her.
“…Okay,” N murmured softly, eyes scanning the page.
“…Once upon a time…”
His voice was quiet.
Steady.
Warm.
The kind of voice that didn’t fight the storm instead it softened it.
“…in a place far away from here…”
Rain battered the windows.
Lightning flashed.
Thunder followed.
But somehow…
It didn’t feel as loud anymore.
V’s shoulders slowly lowered.
Just a little.
“…there was someone who thought they had to face everything alone…”
She didn’t realize when her grip on the table loosened.
Didn’t realize when her posture softened.
Didn’t realize when almost unconsciously…she leaned into him.
N didn’t react.
Didn’t point it out.
Didn’t make it a big deal.
He just kept reading.
“…but they didn’t.”
Another rumble of thunder passed.
Distant now.
Muted.
V’s eyes drifted closed.
Not asleep.
Just…
Listening.
Feeling the steady presence beside her.
The warmth.
The quiet.
“…because someone stayed.”
N’s voice softened even more.
“…even when things got loud.”
The storm continued outside.
Wild.
Unforgiving.
But inside it was calm.
V didn’t say anything.
Didn’t thank him.
Didn’t acknowledge it.
But she didn’t move away.
And N-
He stayed.
Reading softly into the storm until it didn’t feel so scary anymore.
…
…
Because it was so… normal.
So simple.
So him.
“…You’re warm,” he murmured.
“…Shut up.”
But she didn’t push him away.
V didn’t want to ruin this moment it was closest she’s felt to the manor since being on Copper-9.
After that…
Things changed and V made sure of it.
Not all at once.
Not perfectly.
But slowly they found their way back.
V started staying near him again.
Not always.
Not obviously.
But enough.
She helped him when he stumbled.
Pretended it was out of annoyance.
She listened when he talked.
Pretended she wasn’t.
She stayed beside him longer.
Pretended she didn’t notice.
And N…he smiled again.
Not as bright as before.
Not as constant.
But real.
The next day N laughed…actually laughed.
V froze mid-step, turning slightly as the sound echoed off the metal walls.
It had been… a while.
Not forced.
Not quiet.
Real.
“…What?” she muttered, trying to hide it.
N wiped at his visor like he was embarrassed.
“Nothing it was just-uh-” he gestured vaguely, smiling, “you tripped.”
“I didn’t trip.”
“You absolutely did.”
“I slipped.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“It’s not.”
He grinned.
Bright.
Easy.
Familiar.
And for a second, just one it felt like nothing had ever been wrong.
V huffed, turning away.
“…Moron.”
But she didn’t walk off this time.
Behind her, N’s smile lingered.
Then it faltered.
Just for a fraction of a second.
He pressed a hand lightly to his chest.
Waited.
Then dropped it and followed her.
They didn’t talk about it.
They didn’t talk about anything that mattered.
Instead they fell into something quieter, something easier.
Small conversations.
Half-jokes.
Shared silence.
At one point, V sat beside him without thinking.
And didn’t move.
N noticed but he didn’t say anything.
He just leaned back slightly close enough that their shoulders brushed.
V didn’t pull away.
“…You’re doing that thing again,” she muttered.
“What thing?”
“Hovering.”
“I’m not hovering.”
“You are.”
“I’m sitting.”
“…Barely.”
A small pause.
“…You don’t hate it though.”
V went still.
“…Don’t push it.”
But her voice was quieter than before.
And she stayed.
Later they found themselves back in the main chamber.
No mission.
No orders.
Just… time.
N sat on the floor, back against the wall.
V dropped down beside him a moment later.
Close.
Closer than she’d let herself be in a long time.
“…Hey, V?”
“…What.”
A pause.
“…Can I ask you something?”
She rolled her eyes.
“…You just did.”
“…Okay, but like another thing.”
“…Make it quick.”
He hesitated.
That alone made her glance at him.
“…Do you remember the manor?”
V stilled.
“…Why.”
N frowned slightly.
“…I don’t know. I just-”
He tapped lightly at the side of his head.
“…I think I’m starting to.”
Her breath caught.
“…Starting to what.”
“…Remember things.”
V turned fully now.
“…What things.”
N’s expression softened.
“…You.”
The word hit harder than anything else.
V didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
Didn’t speak.
“…There was a storm,” he said slowly. “And you were pretending you weren’t scared.”
Her entire system locked.
“…And I was reading to you.”
Her hands trembled.
“…You leaned into me.”
That- that broke something open inside her.
“…N…”
He smiled.
Soft.
Certain.
“…I remember.”
For a moment final for one damn moment everything felt right.
Like the universe had finally given something back. Finally given them a break.
V let out a shaky breath.
“…Took you long enough.”
But her voice wasn’t sharp.
Not even close. It was fragile. Digital tears threatened V was relieved
And without thinking…she leaned into him. Fully this time.
No hesitation.
No pretending.
N stilled slightly.
Then slowly he leaned back.
Resting his head gently against hers. Just like before.
V closed her eyes.
“…Idiot,” she whispered.
“…Yeah.”
A small pause.
“…Hey, V?”
“…What.”
“…I’m glad it was you.”
Her eyes opened slightly.
“…What’s that supposed to mean.”
“…That I remembered you first.”
Her chest tightened.
“…You better remember the rest,” she said slightly brushing his hand.
“…Working on it.”
A faint smile.
Silence settled between them again.
Calm.
Warm.
Safe.
For the first time in a long time V didn’t feel like she was waiting for something to go wrong.
She let herself stay.
Let herself exist in it.
She finally let herself believe. Maybe they weren’t out of time.
“…V?”
“…Yeah?”
“…Can you promise me something?”
He stopped.
She frowned slightly, opening her eyes.
“…What is it?”
No answer.
“…N?”
Still nothing.
The weight against her shoulder shifted.
Too much.
Her body tensed.
“…N?”
____________________
She turned and everything stopped.
“N!”
His visor dimmed significantly, his nanites kicking into overdrive, his eyes barely open.
“N…No.”
…
…
N still conscious looked deeply into her eyes “Please…live for me V we’ll see eachother again in Robo-Heaven.”
He took one last breath keeping his blurry gaze on V.
“In a mansion of our own.”
Even on the brink of death, as he took his final breath, N was still smiling.
She grabbed him.
Hard.
“N.”
His body didn’t respond.
Didn’t react.
Didn’t move.
Her hands shook violently as she grabbed his face.
“N-hey-stop messing around.”
Nothing.
No smile.
No stupid apology.
No delayed response.
Nothing.
Her voice broke.
“…N.”
She shook him harder.
“N!”
His head lolled slightly with the motion.
Lifeless.
Too heavy.
Too still.
V froze.
Because she knew. She knew instantly. No slow realization. No denial phase.
Just…truth.
He hadn’t faded.
He hadn’t slipped.
He hadn’t warned her.
He was just…Gone.
Right there.
Mid-sentence.
Mid-moment.
While she was leaning into him.
While she was finally-
finally not holding back. Her grip tightened around him.
“…No.”
Quieter this time.
Smaller.
Like if she said it softer it might not be real.
“…You don’t get to do that.”
Her voice cracked.
“You don’t get to…”
“FUCK!”
It broke completely.
Because there was no argument, no one to fight, no one to blame.
Just silence.
V pulled him closer.
Tighter.
Like she could force something back into him.
Restart him.
Fix him.
Undo it.
“…I came back,” she whispered, voice shaking violently.
“I stayed.”
Her forehead pressed hard against his.
“You were supposed to stay too.”
“I can’t lose my best friend twice.
Nothing.
“…You said you remembered.”
Her grip tightened.
“…You said-”
Her voice collapsed.
Because that was the worst part.
Not the death.
Not the timing.
Not even the loss.
It was when it happened.
Right after he remembered her.
Right after things finally felt right.
Right after she stopped being afraid.
That was the moment…it ended.
V let out a broken, shaking breath.
“…I thought I had more time.”
There was no countdown.
No warning.
No chance to prepare.
Just one quiet moment between the two and then…nothing.
V felt nothing at all.
And she was alone.
Holding him.
Again.
The silence didn’t leave especially not in her head. It stayed. It grew louder and louder as each minute passed with V still holding a now dead N in her arms.
V sat there long after his systems went cold.
Long after the moment had already ended.
Long after it should’ve.
Her hands were still wrapped around him begging this was still some nightmare.
“…You said we’d see each other again,” she whispered.
Her voice barely existed.
“…So I’ll just…”
She swallowed hard.
Her grip loosened from him.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
V stood.
Unsteady.
For the first time she looked around.
Empty.
No laughter.
No voice.
No him.
Her chest tightened violently.
“…Fine.”
The word came out hollow.
Broken.
Her wings unfolded behind her.
Sharp.
Mechanical.
One step forward.
Another.
She didn’t think.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t feel.
Because feeling was the problem.
“…I’ll just go to you.”
She launched.
Fast.
Too fast.
Straight up into the dark sky
Then…she cut her wings.
…
…
…
…
The sudden drop tore the air around her as gravity took over.
For a moment there was nothing.
No pain.
No thoughts.
No memories.
Just falling.
Peaceful. V’s lips slightly curved upward knowing the pain would end soon.
Then suddenly something slammed into her hard.
The impact knocked the air out of her systems as she was yanked sideways, metal scraping against metal as both bodies crashed into the ground.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”
V barely registered the voice.
J.
Her grip was tight.
Too tight.
Clamped around V’s arm like she wasn’t letting go no matter what.
“…Let go,” V muttered.
Weak.
Empty.
“NO.”
J dragged her upright roughly, forcing her to stand.
“You think this is what he would’ve wanted?!”
That hit.
V froze.
“…Don’t,” she whispered.
“You don’t get to do this,” J snapped, voice shaking more than she’d ever let it. “Not after everything. Not after him.”
“I just walked in on one teammate dead I’m not letting that happen to you.
V’s hands trembled.
“…There’s nothing left.”
J’s grip tightened.
“Yeah,” she said, quieter now.
“…there is.”
V didn’t respond.
“…You.”
Silence
J’s voice dropped, raw in a way V had never heard before.
“He didn’t die so you could throw yourself away five seconds later.”
That broke through.
Not clean.
Not all at once.
But enough.
V’s legs gave slightly.
J caught her again.
“…He was smiling,” V whispered, voice cracking beyond repair.
J didn’t answer right away.
Then-
“…Yeah.”
A pause.
“…So don’t make that the last thing he ever did for you.”
V’s head lowered.
And for the first time since it happened she didn’t feel as empty.
She felt it.
All of it.
And it hurt.
But she stayed.
Before she knew it she crashed into J in a death grip hug now letting every emotion out while looking up into the stars.
…
…
…
Up above a male drone passed through a large gate and immediately locked eyes on a certain bright eyed human.
“Tessa-?”
Before he could even finish he crushed in hug the human crying tears of joy.
Both looked at eachother not in their best state.
Both have been through hell and back and both have lost the closest people in their life.
…
…
…
And those two people were still outside looking up at them. V still holding onto J.
…
…
…
“I’ll leave a little note that says see you in the stars my friend.”