Good Days

by salmonsmoke

Summary:

007n7 hasn’t had a truly good day since his son disappeared from his arms. The closest he’s come is with small, bittersweet moments. Helping out his fellow survivors, admiring the beauty in the world, talking to somebody, remembering better times. He tries to find comfort in these bits of time, even if others would think nothing of them. These are his good days now.

Or, a fanfic where 007n7 has good days. A collection of moments of happiness he has, that keep him going, and stop him from giving up. Written because canon 007n7 has literally nothing going for him at the moment, and I felt like he deserved something, at least(and to keep me going too).

Requests are currently open.

Chapter 1: Requests

Hello, fellow Forsaken fans!! I haven't been feeling great lately, so I'm starting this fanfic up in an effort to feel better. This is essentially a collection of moments where 007n7 finds some sort of good thing in his lonely existence. I'll prolly try to go for a sort of bittersweet nostalgic vibe, but we'll see how that goes. Some of these chapters are my own ideas, and some will be requests. Chapter length will probably fluctuate quite a bit, but I'll try to shoot for at least 1,000 words per chapter, if possible!! I'm open to writing any characters, but they might be OOC, as I've never written a majority of them before(and those I have written I haven't written very much). I can write romantic relationships, but I'm not very good at them, so bear with me please lol,,, Any required trigger warnings will be added in the chapter notes at the beginning!!

 

I've also never written a fanfic like this before(several different loosely connected oneshots, especially ones that are requested by others), so please be patient with me!! Always feel free to comment any questions you have, and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

I figured since most of the Forsaken characters aren't mentioned all that much throughout this fanfic(at least right now lol), I'd include what pronouns I use for them here. I switch pronouns for characters that use multiple during each instance they're used(for example, "He saw the man's sorry state, and they went over to comfort him."), so keep that in mind!! All of these are aligning with the Forsaken wiki and stuff the devs have actually said: Two Time uses they/them, Noob uses they/them, Chance uses he/they, Azure uses he/they, 1x1x1x1 uses any pronouns(I'll be using she/they/he for her), Guest 666 uses any pronouns(I'll be using they/he/she for them), John "Gasharpoon"/"Ahab" Doe uses any pronouns(I'll be using he/she/they on him), and Taph uses any pronouns(I'll be using he/she/they on him)!! Everyone else uses he/him or she/her- If any of these goobers get a main role in a chapter I'll include their pronouns in a tag lol

 

The playlist I listen to while I write these(most of the time, anyways), can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ssl4O358Bzzr89FFH6hQF?si=21e48c52718047d3

 

Currently pending requests(temporary titles):

 

-New parent struggles(requested by HotNFresh_Meatbuns)

 

-College days(requested by Locally58)

 

-Savior for a day(requested by Cheeto4Pres)

 

-Cooking for another(requested by Cheeto4Pres)

 

-Old guitar(requested by Cheeto4Pres)

 

-Love, hidden(requested by RabiesHaver)

Chapter 2: Watching the Ocean

Summary:

007n7 has a particularly rough round, and heads to the pier to stare out at the water.

Notes:

trigger warnings for: mentions of light blood and gore, mentions and brief(single paragraph long) descriptions of healed self-harm scars, implied suicidal ideation, and isolation- please be careful when reading this chapter!!

requested by: me,,, this idea was actually what kicked off this whole thing, so i figured i'd write it first!!

while i have(unfortunately) suffered from self-harm myself, i haven't experienced the type that is implied within this chapter- please let me know if i should change anything, n i'll do my best to <3 /p

Shoes crash rapidly against the ground and his heart pounds, beating erratically in his ears as 007n7 dashes away from the killer. Thunderous crashes echo closely behind him, and the neon greens and reds emanate from 1x1x1x1 as she draws ever closer, bathing the white path in harsh hues. They raise one of his swords, swinging it around erratically in an attempt to finally put the hacker down. 007n7 narrowly dodges the blades, just barely managing to save himself from the chilling grasp of death. Through it all, he finds himself growing more and more exhausted, steady breaths transforming into quick, panicked ones. He knows his time is running out, and fast.

 

After another furious swing, 007n7 circles around 1x1x1x1, sidestepping the dark, flaming metal. He turns the corner around a barrier, sending out one of his clones. Thankfully, 1x1x1x1 takes the bait, a sharp rattle sounding out as he slashes her swords and directs a shockwave at the clone. 007n7 doesn’t bother to watch it crumple to the ground. With the last of his stamina, he dashes to one of the white fortresses, tucking himself into a corner. He pulls up his c00lgui interface as soon as he thinks he’s far enough away from the killer, almost letting out a sigh of relief. He catches himself before he can let himself relax, waiting for the teleportation command to finish loading.

 

His watch begins to tick quietly, a sign that the round is almost over. Less than thirty seconds left until he’s away from this place. He glances down at the c00lgui, searching for how much time is left before he’s teleported, when he spots a flash of green spilling over the ground. He tries to run, but it’s too late. 007n7 feels the bite of a blade cutting into his arm, blood seeping out of it as he’s frozen in place, paralyzed. 1x1x1x1 strides towards him at a slow pace, clearly quite tired themselves, but confident in his ability to strike down 007n7- just another weak survivor. She closes the gap between the two of them, raising their sword high above his head, emitting a garbled, mainiacal laugh. She always did like the drama of it all, wanting to savor the moment they ended a life.

 

007n7 closes his eyes, accepting his fate once again, nothing more than a waste of resources, the failure of the team, just a dead man. Adrenaline still courses through his veins, and he feels everything around him. A hollow, frigid wind, ragged breaths from his sore lungs, blood draining out from his wound. They welcome him. An endless black void envelops his vision as he waits for it: the moment he’s stabbed, shot, beaten. The instant the thread of his life is snipped prematurely, as if the Fates themselves reached down to end it personally. It’s almost peaceful, and even though terror lies just under his skin, 007n7 can’t bring himself to feel it. He waits for the second he leaves everything behind him, only his feeble body left in his wake.

 

But that time never comes.

 

The cold grasp of death washes away, pulled from his heart in an instant. 007n7 wants to reach out for it, to ask it to take him once again. It’s gone before he can. A sense of warmth envelopes his body, and the worn stone of the fortress is replaced by smooth wooden planks. He feels his arm stitch itself back together, flesh manipulating itself into its original form, as if the wound was never there in the first place. He opens his eyes. The familiar sight of the lobby cabin greets him, accompanied by the other survivors. Most of them didn’t make it this time- the only ones at the “winner’s table” with him are Noob and Chance.

 

Chance is flipping his coin over in their hands, collected, as usual. 007n7 rarely sees any emotion grace his face, save for exhilaration when they get a good roll, and slight disappointment when he doesn’t. The acrid smell of gunpowder hangs around them still. Noob is… in a much worse state. No matter how long they’ve been doing this for, they still shake whenever they’re in a round, cry when they die, and when the others eventually do as well. Their face is buried in their hands, hiding themselves away from the world. 007n7 doesn’t blame them, honestly. It’s not like he doesn’t do the same when he’s alone in his cabin, far too late into the night for anyone to hear. This place takes a toll on even the kindest of them- especially the kindest.

 

007n7 wants to reach out to comfort them, to say anything to try and help ease their pain. He would offer anyone here everything he could give if it could comfort them, even for a moment. But he doesn’t make the move. He knows that he would just make things worse. Nothing he could do would truly help the people that hated him. He imagines he doesn’t appear to be in a much better state than Noob is, considering how both of the survivors are averting their gazes from him more than usual. He stands up from the table, the adrenaline finally starting to dissipate from his blood, an aching sensation hastily replacing it. 007n7 knows he isn’t needed here.

 

He glances at the chalkboard on his way out of the building, seeing that the round he was previously in was the last one of the day. 007n7 finally allows himself to let out a sigh of relief. Everyone would be spared from their relentless torture for a bit. It was something, at least- a small reprieve from their pain. The survivors who had died during the round have already dispersed out into the lobby: some huddled around the fire, and some sitting at the tables scattered around. Each of them were in their own groups, conversing over the round, strategies for strengthening their odds of survival, and plans for escape, even. All of them… except 007n7 himself, of course. He already knew nobody wanted him around, and that all he was good for was some extra support in the rounds, easily replaceable by anyone else. Outside of them… well, he was better off leaving the survivors alone.

 

He swiftly passes by them, taking extra care to tread quietly, even as his muscles scream at him to relax, begging for some semblance of rest. He leaves the lobby, softly closing the door behind himself. 007n7’s eyes drift up to the sun as it slowly begins to fall to the horizon. The sky is painted in shades of blue, pink, and orange, all intermingling and mixing together into a painting of nature. One of the few constants in this place was the sun and moon, always rising and falling, same as it did on the outside. It serves as a reminder that life will go on, even if it is without him. It already had, for some time. He holds his gaze to the sky for a moment longer, taking everything in. Once he’s finished, he heads over to the pier overlooking the endless ocean that meets the small camp he now calls his home. Better to rest while admiring a nice view, right?

 

The rickety, aged boards of the pier creak under the weight of 007n7 as he approaches the end. Water laps at the sandy shore, occasionally splashing a drizzle of ocean spray at his feet, but he doesn’t mind. A little water won’t hurt him. He sits down, taking the time to be careful about it so his aches wouldn’t flare up again. He dangles his legs over the edge and lets his shoulders drop, allowing himself to rest at last. Being around the others made him tense, if he was being honest. The pressure he put on himself to do anything possible to help everyone, usually endangering himself in the process, made him more stressed than he would admit to them. The only time he could really feel some semblance of peace now was when he was alone. At least when 007n7 was alone, he wouldn’t have to worry that he’d be hurt, or worse, that he would hurt someone again.

 

His gaze is drawn to the place where he had been sliced by 1x1x1x1 earlier. Adjusting his sleeve, he sees that the cut is gone, no more than a thin line left in its wake. Even the fabric of his jacket and shirt sleeves has been mended. He finds it strange how the entity who threw them into a death game healed their wounds with such care, going far enough to repair their clothing as well. Why bother helping the people you were trying to get killed over and over again? 007n7 couldn’t fathom a reason, besides some sick desire to make them healthy enough to be entertaining. Before he could wonder any further about why their gamemaster would do such a thing, a bout of numbness crawls into his arms, pulling his attention to them.

 

His arms aren’t a pretty sight. None of 007n7’s body is, but they’re definitely the worst. A bleak patchwork of scars, reminders of the worst days in his life. The cut he’d received from the killer was only one of a dozen, only sticking out from how different it appears. In a sea of red, pink, and peach, it would hide from anyone else. But not him- he knows this ocean well. It’s been apart of him for decades now, and he isn’t afraid of it, as much as it used to scare him. It's simply a sign that he’s still alive. That he continued to fight, for as long as he could.

 

He doesn’t bother to cover them up. It’s not that he feels like he needs to in the first place, but that the other survivors already know what he’s done. They know he’s gone through a lot. They know what these wounds mean, and some of them know the pain, too. 007n7 isn’t the only one who carries these scars. He isn’t alone, in that regard, and they aren’t, either. The spell of numbness subsides. He allows his arms to rest.

 

He raises his gaze to meet the vast ocean spread out in front of him, stretching as far as the eye can see. None of them have any idea how big it actually is, or if it’s even an ocean in the first place, but it certainly moves like one. The waters churn in the distance, their size eroding as they approach the shore, until they can barely splash against it. Shades of azure, turquoise, and cerulean swish in the deep ocean, the clearest body of water 007n7’s seen in all his years. The sight is calming, hypnotizing his mind into a trance of tranquility. It makes it easier for his brain to think, helps to clear it of his many worries, just for a little while.

 

In the time he spends alone, 007n7 often finds his mind drifting back in time, shifting from moment to moment, often pausing to think about the things he’s lost- the people he’s lost. Family, friends, a lover… a son. They were people 007n7 would never see again, not as they once were, the only remaining good left between them hidden away in his memories, buried beneath decades of self-loathing, bitterness, and regret. Occasionally, he can pluck a nice memory out of his collection, a time to take solace in. He finds himself lucky today, and one comes to mind.

 

The first memory that comes to the forefront of 007n7’s mind is from a couple years back, quite similar to this one, seaside and all. School had ended for summer break a few days prior, and c00lkidd had graduated from kindergarten. It had been tough for him to acclimate to the school environment and work with the other kids, but he’d gotten better at making friends since then. To celebrate, 007n7 had taken the two of them to a town a couple hours away the next weekend, a quaint little city that met the ocean. Him and his son spent all day exploring the boardwalk, playing in the sand, and swimming in the water. Well… c00lkidd spent most of his time near the water, rather than in it, since he’d been afraid of it at first. 007n7 had taken things slowly with his son, gradually introducing him to the shallows, before carrying him on his back into the slightly deeper waters.

 

Soon enough, c00lkidd had crawled off of his dad’s back, and was swimming on his own(with his drakobloxxer arm floaties on, of course), but he still clung to one of 007n7’s arms, not wanting to be swept away by the waves. He knew that his dad wouldn’t let that happen, but it helped keep him calm. By the end of the day, c00lkidd had learned the basics of swimming, and was a little less scared of the ocean. That was good enough progress for both of them. By the time the sun had started to set, the father and son had clambered back into the car, and c00lkidd had fallen asleep within minutes, lulled to sleep by the car’s gentle rocking. 007n7 was tired too, but the pride in his heart over his son’s achievements carried them safely home.

 

A small wave splashes against his shoes, shaking him out of the memory. The sun had started to dip below the horizon, and the sky was slowly being taken over by the deep blues of the night. The water grew dark while he’d been distracted, matching the sky above. He hadn’t felt it at first, but 007n7’s face was damp with tears. Not ones born from grief, regret, or depression, but from happiness. He was reminded that he had to continue living on, searching for anything that could get everyone out of this place. He would do everything to make more happy memories with his son, to give a brighter future to c00lkidd than his own, to be there for him.

 

Wiping the tears from his face, he lets out a sigh. Exhaustion was already in the process of claiming his body, seeping into every pore he had. He pulls himself to his feet, standing a little taller than before. Allowing himself one last moment to appreciate the view, he turns to head back to his cabin, a little better than he’d left it that morning. 

 

007n7 would rest tonight, knowing that he would fight for c00lkidd tomorrow. Anything to make him happy.

Notes:

omg hi guys,,, so this uh. took me a couple days for sure!! i was stumbling around like an idiot writing-wise for half of this n i have NO IDEA if i characterized 007n7 well, but i hope i did him justice!!! the beach memory at the end is lowkey based off of how i used to swim with my dad when i was little(except 007n7 is a lot easier on his kid n didn't rush them, unlike my dad, thanks dad /sarc)

actually a lot of this is based off of me,,, yeah. that's a pretty common occurrence throughout a lot of the stuff i'll be writing here(n that i write in general) lol!! that's abt all i have to say really, more chapters will be coming soon!! also sorry this one's kinda all over the place, i wrote this one pretty much exclusively late at night n it kinda shows lol

oh yeah n i haven't told my mom n grandma that i'm moving n not going to continue college yet,,, moved that back to june 1st- wish me luck y'all i think i'm cooked as fuck

Chapter 3: Baking with Taph

Summary:

One late night, 007n7 finds Taph in the kitchen. The two of them strike up a conversation, and form the beginnings of a bond over a missing ingredient, past mistakes, and ways to try and make up for them.

Notes:

sorry this isn't a request rip,,,,,,,,,, i've been working on this for like two weeks n couldn't move on from it until i finished it lol, actually requested things coming soon

also omfg i'm so sorry the requests have been taking so long, they def won't be over 3,000 words long(wtf was i on while writing this), but they WILL be out soon, mark my words!!

007n7 stares up at the cabin’s worn wooden ceiling. His brain races with thoughts, worries, fears, and emotions he can’t even name all jumbling together and buzzing around in his head. His body, as exhausted as it is, cannot convince his mind to settle down, failing at luring it into drifting off to sleep. He’s no stranger to this sort of failure, having spent many nights lying awake questioning himself, writing essays, fixing bugs in his codes, and watching over his son as he sleeps, worrying that he might stop breathing if 007n7 looked away for too long. A night of little to no sleep is familiar to him, and it shouldn’t be so threatening. But now that he was in this hellish realm, quick thinking was a lifeline. Every extra second of reaction time had the chance to save not only himself, but his teammates. A night without sleep could be deadly.

 

A sigh escapes him, weary and dry. Even though his body feels leaden, weighed down by some unseen force begging him to try to sleep again, 007n7 sits up. He slips out from under the thin sheet and worn blanket draped over him, leaving the empty comfort of his bed. If he can’t fall asleep, at least he can try to do something productive- a walk might do him some good. He reaches for his glasses, their faded pink metal difficult to spot in the darkness. He pushes them onto his face, his movements slowed and a tad awkward from the sudden movement, after he’s been still for Telamon knows how long. Glancing out the ancient cabin’s window, he sees a light, swirling storm of snow blow by outside, a warning sign that winter is swiftly approaching.

 

It’ll be chillier outside than normal, enough for him to need something more than his sleepwear if he wants to venture outdoors. He carefully pads over to the chair across from his bed, doing his best to not trip in the dark. The floorboards creak underneath him, the aged wood threatening to collapse at any moment. A thin black and red coat hangs from the chair, and 007n7 tugs it on as he heads for the door. The cold wind piercing the late night spills in through the door as it’s cracked open, sending shivers running up his arms. Maybe he’ll just take a short walk tonight, lest he catch a cold. That certainly wouldn’t help him survive the already difficult rounds.

 

He steps out into the small town that the survivors had been residing in for the better part of a year now, as specks of snow begin to coat his surroundings. There’s a strange, empty feeling in the village now, the signs that other people lived here disappearing with the storm. The lights that normally shone dimly within each survivor’s cabin were extinguished, swallowed by the darkness. No one, other than 007n7 himself, could be spotted wandering around, talking to one another, fixing up the dilapidated cabins, or searching for a way out. Everything is still, save for the gently falling snow, and the body of a man who spends his days craving something he will never let himself have. He trudges along, the chills beginning to seep into his old, weathered bones. Warm air escapes his lips, forming a faintly visible cloud, reminiscent of a dragon’s breath.

 

As he approaches the lobby cabin, something catches his eye. Standing out against the dull, cool tones of the night, dim light shines through the tall windows, a stark contrast to the dark. While he isn’t around the lobby much, really only after rounds and whenever he restocks the kitchen, 007n7 knows that the last person inside is supposed to shut off the lights. Maybe somebody had simply forgotten, or they were in a rush to leave. Either way, it’s worth investigating, if partially as an excuse to warm up a bit. The lobby had always been warmer than his own cabin, and certainly more than the bitter, freezing world outside. His shoes meet the ragged welcome mat, and his hands sting at the touch of the frosty metal as he turns the doorknob, quickly hurrying inside to escape the snowy world around him.

 

007n7 quietly closes the door behind him and dusts off his jacket, more out of habit than anything, turning to gaze at the interior of the lobby. The fireplace, normally full with a healthy blaze, has died down now, only a small bundle of flames left behind. Shadows envelop the building, casting the walls in deep shades of brown and black. Only one light is switched on, further into the cabin. He treads softly through the wooden hall, drawing ever closer to the room.

 

He turns the corner and walks through the open entrance to the kitchen. To 007n7’s surprise, his eyes meet a dark figure, clad in loose, flowing robes, who is silently flipping through a large book. It was none other than Taph- who else still wore those ancient-looking robes? The amber glow of the kitchen lights bathes him in a soft, muted orange, the harsh irradiation of her subspace mines absent. A selection of dry ingredients are lined up on the counter next to where they linger: bags of flour and sugar, a carton of eggs, and a lone stick of butter. The air around Taph, always alert and tense, has shifted, giving way to something more open and relaxed. Perhaps a tad lost in thought too, considering his focus on the book. 007n7’s never seen her at ease before, but… it’s a nice sight.

 

He takes cautious steps closer, intending to ask if Taph needs anything. Before he can get very far, Taph’s soft yellow ear wings, singed at the ends, twitch. They whip around at the sound of the quiet footfalls, brandishing the book he was studying as a makeshift weapon. Her feathers fluff up out of fright. Startled by the sudden movement, 007n7 raises his arms as a sign of surrender, nervously responding, “It- It’s just me! S- Sorry, I didn’t mean to spook you…”

 

Upon seeing that the man standing in front of them, anxiously fidgeting with his sleeve and trying his best to avert his gaze, is in fact not a killer out to get him, Taph lowers the book. She doesn’t quite relax, still tense from both the sudden scare and the knowledge that an exploiter- former or not- is now sharing the kitchen with them, but he lets her guard down, if only a little. Their body slouches forward, mimicking an exasperated sigh. He sets the book down on the faded countertop, freeing up her thinly gloved hands to ask 007n7 why he decided to come over this late at night, let alone why he’s even awake, before stopping himself. Right, 007n7 doesn’t know much sign language- not enough for Taph to easily communicate with him, anyways. His puzzled expressions and stiff apologies for not understanding whenever they sign anything more complex than “killer,” “generator,” or “bomb,” were proof enough of that.

 

Instead, Taph scans the kitchen, spotting a sheet of paper, half-covered with some battle strategies scribbled in nearly illegible handwriting(it was Shedletsky’s- his had always been the worst out of the admins, which was saying a lot, enough to be instantly recognizeable), abandoned alongside a stray mechanical pencil. He holds up a single finger in the general direction of 007n7, motioning for him to wait. Retrieving the discarded materials, he flips the page over and begins to write out her first question. 007n7 patiently, if awkwardly, waits as he was instructed to do, shifting his weight from foot to foot in an effort to focus on something less embarrassing than accidentally scaring his teammate. Taph finishes their message, and lifts the page to show to 007n7. “Why are you here so late?”

 

Right, it wasn’t normal for people to be wandering around so late- at two-thirty in the morning, if the dim numbers on the oven’s clock were to be believed. It takes him a moment to piece together an answer for Taph, his drowsiness making his usually uncomfortable conversations with the other survivors even worse now. “I… I couldn’t sleep. Figured a walk would make me tired enough to sleep, and I spotted a light left on in here through the window. I thought somebody had just forgotten to turn it off, so I came over here to shut it off, and… here I am now, I guess.” 007n7 pauses for a moment, working up the courage to ask a question of his own. “I could ask you the same thing. Are you… okay?”

 

Taph reaches to begin writing again, before stopping, pulling back. He looks away, dejected. It’s like she hasn’t been asked that in a long time- too long. 007n7 knows the feeling. Taph writes once more, showing 007n7 another message. “It’s the same for me. I tried to sleep, but there was too much in my head. I hope Santa won’t be mad at me.”

 

A look of slight surprise rises to 007n7’s face, but he quickly recovers. He’s used to dealing with things like this, c00lkidd still believing in Santa and all. He hadn’t been quite ready to let him down before… well, everything. Maybe nobody ever broke the news to Taph, or their guardians didn’t have the heart to tell him? “I, uh… I don’t think he’ll be too mad at you. You tried to sleep, right? That’s what really matters to him. My son used to worry about the same thing when he couldn’t sleep, and he wasn’t ever on the naughty list.”

 

Taph visibly relaxes at that, making a motion mimicking wiping sweat from his brow. 007n7’s noticed during his limited interactions with Taph that her body language is quite animated, being expressive even with somebody they don't particularly like. He jots down a note reading, “That’s a relief. At least I can bake with some peace of mind.” Once she sees that 007n7’s finished reading it, they write another. “Baking helps, it’s familiar. I want to make brownies, but I can’t find the cocoa powder. Do you know where it is?”

 

007n7 perks up at that. “Cocoa powder? I don’t think we’ve ever had any. I’ve never had to stock any, at least…”

 

Taph leans his head to the side, her hood creasing in the now occupied space. They write a shorter message this time. “Stock?”

 

007n7 nods, smiling sheepishly. “Yeah… I noticed that whoever’s been keeping us here only provided some junk food and pizza ingredients, so…” He draws closer, standing next to Taph, while still keeping more space than usual between the two of them. He doesn’t want to scare him off now. Taph doesn’t move away. Whispering, he continues, “I may have used the c00lgui’s item teleportation ability to give the kitchen a little more variety.” He’s a little nervous at his admittance of the action, as if it’s something he could be caught and imprisoned for in a place without any laws.

 

Taph pauses at 007n7’s response. He can’t see it under Taph’s hood, but she gives 007n7 a skeptical look, their eyes narrowing slightly. He thinks over what to answer the ex-hacker with, before deciding on another question. “Nobody asked you to?”

 

007n7 is caught off-guard again. Taph really seems to know just the right questions to surprise him. “Ah, no… I would’ve, if somebody had asked me to, of course! I just- I guess I just thought it’d be a nice thing to do, especially if nobody knew it was from, well…” 007n7 gestures to himself, “Me.”

 

Taph’s gaze softens. The guilt and shame hanging from his voice is obvious, worry that he would’ve been rejected again lacing it. Did 007n7 really believe that the other survivors thought lowly enough of him to turn down something like that? She hesitates, unsure what to say next. It’s difficult to imagine the man next to them- a near middle-aged father in his pjs, about as pathetic as a cat soaked by the rain after escaping its home- being an infamous exploiter, the 007n7.

 

Taph only heard about him prior to being brought to this hellish realm through quick, hushed whispers from the more gossip-prone demolitionists. Legends of dozens of burnt-down buildings and thousands of stolen robux, all in a few years. The same signature left behind at every crime scene, a poorly-drawn figure with demon horns and a tail. A mysterious partner aided him from the shadows, ensuring he was never caught. Then, as soon as he arrived, he disappeared, dropping off the face of the earth overnight, the aftermath of a wave of destruction left in his wake. Has 007n7 really changed in the decade since then?

 

During his time in this realm, Taph hasn’t spoken to 007n7 much. She’s mainly just tried to avoid him, the same as most of the survivors do. They've only managed to catch brief glimpses of who he is now: the shock on his face when he first saw his son in the rounds, the sad smile he holds when he talks about the time he spent with him, and the exhausted look in his eyes that never quite goes away. It’s clear that he’s been through a lot, more than he’ll let on, regardless of what he’s done. Thinking on the matter no longer, Taph writes once more, before showing the page to 007n7.

 

“Thank you. What you do is appreciated, you know. At least by me.”

 

007n7 reads the message, and then reads it over again, not quite taking in the words the first time. His eyes widen, and he tries to speak, but his voice falters, dying in his throat. He’s a bit embarassed to be caught off-guard again, but that doesn’t even begin to overtake the gratefulness he feels now. He can’t remember the last time someone thanked him, let alone someone who’s been so avoidant of him up until now. It’s been years- 007n7 knows that, at least. Long enough that it comes as a shock to him. He takes his time to try and form an answer, not wanting to mess up what he wishes to say next.

 

But… he just can’t seem to find the words to describe how he feels to Taph. Anything his brain could conjure up wouldn’t even start to scratch the surface of his gratitude for the simple, but boundlessly impactful gesture. It’s pathetic that he can’t even come up with a fitting answer to Taph, and 007n7 knows it. Relunctantly, he sticks with something plain, an understatement by all accounts, but something he hopes he won’t get wrong. He takes a breath in, and lets it out, before finally responding.

 

“...Thank you, actually. I, uh… I haven’t heard that in a long time. I can’t even remember when someone last said that to me,” he admits, an embarrassing truth laid bare. “It means a lot, genuinely.”

 

The second 007n7 lets out the words, he’s already regretting them. He looks away from Taph, the eye contact becoming all too much for him. There was so much left unsaid, so little that he let on- what he said didn’t really encapsulate all that he felt. Even then, his words simultaneously let on too much. Taph didn’t deserve to be burdened with all of his baggage, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if the words were used against him later. He deserved it. He deserved all of it.

 

007n7’s so lost in his self-loathing that he doesn’t realize that Taph has drawn closer to him until he feels two hands cupping around one of his own. The smooth, dark silk of Taph’s gloves is soft against his calloused, scarred hands. He almost jumps, but he’s stunned by the touch. None of the survivors have done this for 007n7- the closest they’ve gotten to him is to help him with generators, or to bandage up a would-be fatal wound. Otherwise, they avoid being near him like he’s contracted some highly contagious malady. He’s come to accept that, the lack of contact with another person. Being left to comfort himself. But now… he has that, and it’s been so long that it feels strange, almost alien to him.

 

Even so, it’s… really nice. 007n7’s always felt better being around other people, and it’s comforting to him to be embraced by somebody, regardless of how, exactly. His isolation has made that more clear than ever to him. He cherishes this moment while it lasts, knowing he likely won’t feel something like this again for awhile. As Taph releases his hand, 007n7’s tempted to ask him to stay, to reach for Taph’s own hands, but he refrains. Taph’s already given him something he doesn’t deserve, and it’d be selfish to ask for more. In an effort to distract himself from all of his conflicting emotions, he changes the subject. “Oh yeah, you said you needed… what was it, cocoa powder? I could grab you some, if you want.”

 

Sensing that 007n7 doesn’t want to dwell on the truths he’s admitted anymore, Taph lets the topic go. Maybe they could revisit it some other time, if the ex-hacker was comfortable enough to. They stretch over the counter, retrieving the pencil and paper he’d been using to communicate with 007n7. She flips it over, the formerly unmarked side now full, and writes out what they wish to say. Displaying the page for 007n7 to read, it says, “Yeah, that was it. It would be much appreciated, if you could.” He pauses for a second, adding an extra note. “How do you find the items you need? How does it work exactly?”

 

007n7 lets a small smile slip by when he sees that, a small burst of excitement filling him at the chance to talk about his passion project. He reaches up to the side of his glasses, clicking a small button on them, one that would be almost invisible to anyone not intimately familiar with the spectacles. A black and red panel is summoned in front of him, and he shifts to show Taph a clearer view of it. “It’s not too complicated, all things considered. You just have to find the ID number of a specific type of item- in this case, it’s cocoa powder- and get it teleported to your location.”

 

Taph angles his head to the side, intrigued by the way 007n7 accesses the hacking interface. She’s not usually around when 007n7 uses it in a round, so they've never seen him actually summon it before. He motions to the side of her head, pointing right where 007n7’s glasses would’ve sat if they were their own.

 

007n7 seems to catch on to what Taph means. “Oh! Yeah, there’s, um… there’s more than one reason why I haven’t gotten my glasses replaced in so long. I built a little device into my glasses that can pull the c00lgui up at any time back in college. Figured it’d be useful if I needed to… use it really quickly.” He says the last part a bit faster, not wanting to linger on why he would’ve needed to use it swiftly.

 

Taph gives 007n7 a thumbs-up, leaning in a little closer, watching 007n7 navigate through the various menus of the c00lgui, before letting him continue on with his explanation. It all looks a bit too complicated for him to fully grasp without first learning code for a godforsaken amount of time, longer than she has time for. Even so, they generally get what 007n7 means as he talks about the interface and the different actions it can carry out. Taph notices how he neglects to speak on a few parts of it, but decides to leave the matter alone. He imagines those are functions 007n7 would rather not talk about anymore.

 

Finishing out his walkthrough of the c00lgui, he demonstrates how to teleport an item into their kitchen. “Now that we have the ID number of the cocoa powder, we can just copy it over here, have it be teleported to my location, and…” 007n7 turns to face the counter, entering the long string of code. It takes a moment for the code to properly process, but it’s less than a minute later when a dark brown bag appears out of thin air, small black and red glitches scattered around it for a few seconds before they fizzle out. It lands on the counter with a soft thud, and he gestures to it. He turns back to Taph and continues, adding on, “There it is. Is this what you were looking for?”

 

Taph claps enthusiastically, the meeting of his hands muffled by her gloves. They nod, picking up his pencil to jot down another note for 007n7. She shows it to him, and it reads, “Yes, that’s it! Thank you. I think it’s from the same brand I used to use back home, actually. How funny.”

 

With the missing ingredient found, 007n7 realizes that… he doesn’t really want to leave. Sleep certainly isn’t in the cards for him tonight, and it’s nice, being in the company of someone who at least tolerates his presence. More than the other survivors do, by quite a lot. But he doesn’t want to overstep either, or risk losing what he has with Taph. He works up the courage to ask Taph a question. “Could… could I bake with you? Please? If that’s… alright with you?” He’s hesitant again, worried that he’ll suddenly be shunned now that he’s served his purpose.

 

Taph doesn’t even need to write down an answer for 007n7. They simply nod as soon as he hears 007n7’s words, as if by instinct. Taph hands him the cookbook, already flipped to the page outlining the instructions for baking brownies, as if to say, “Ready when you are.”

 

007n7 smiles once more. Maybe it’s a good thing he can’t sleep tonight.

Notes:

hey guys!!! so um. it's been a hot minute. good news: i moved out from my mom's house, cut off everyone in my family, n am now actually safe!!! i moved in with my queerplatonic partner(qpp) n i've been absolutely SWAMPED with schoolwork for awhile now, which is why updates have been non-existent lmaoooo

this stupid chapter bro,,, it's the longest thing i've ever written BY FAR n it's not even a request < / 3 again i'm so sorry abt that genuinely my bad,,,

i meant for 007n7 n taph to like. actually bake in this chapter. yeah that didn't happen lmao!!! lowkey if anyone wants to write them actually baking be my guest i'd love to see it

also lmk if this is like. an okay amount of stuttering n trailing off for 007n7. i was looking through his dialogue n realized that he tends to stutter a bit when interacting with elliot, so i kinda took that n applied it to generally any uncomfortable/really awkward situation, idk lmk ig!!!

i like how this turned out overall!! wish i could've written them actually baking but lowkey that would've pushed this over into like 4,500-5,000 words n prolly would've made me never want to write again so i'm happy with what i did make, yippee!!!!!

thanks for sticking with me if u read through all of this lol, it is VERY much appreciated <3 /p

p.s.: during the time i wrote this i maxed out taph n 1x1x1x1!!!! i'm only 8 levels away from maxing out two time as well, let's fucking goooooooooo

update: changed taph's pronouns to he/she/they for their identity update as being agender!!

Chapter 4: Picnic in a Dream

Summary:

007n7 has died during every round today, and he’s beyond exhausted. As soon as he reaches his cabin, he immediately falls asleep, only to be met with something unexpected. Not another devastating nightmare, but a lovely dream of a simpler time.

Notes:

requested by the_moon_ischeese!!

007n7 is no stranger to difficult days- he’s had them almost every day for the past decade and a half. Now that he’s been brought into some sort of twisted purgatory, his days have only gotten worse. Gone are the mundane struggles of his life from before: getting his bills paid on-time, keeping his lackluster job, and- most importantly- raising his son to be a better person than he ever will be. It’s all been replaced with dying over and over again, and the hope that, one day, 007n7 will be able to escape back to that normal life with his son. But today… has been especially strenuous.

 

Four deaths in a day, one for each round. One death every day was a normal occurrence, even two, but four was practically unheard of. Not even Chance, with all of the risky gambles he took, had ever died that much in a single day. But here 007n7 was, regardless: four deaths in and ungodly tired. Maybe something was off with him today, something was wrong and he just couldn’t pinpoint it. At this point, he couldn’t care less- he just wanted to sleep.

 

He spawns back into the cabin, everything around him still, except for his shaking body. 007n7’s neck aches from where he’d been beheaded by Jason only mere moments ago. He’s tempted to collapse right there on the cabin floor, to get some much needed rest by any means necessary, but the presence of another person stops him. Shedletsky is sitting on the ottoman next to the fireplace, a blanket tossed carelessly over his legs. He runs the blade of his sword against a small slab of stone- sharpening it, if 007n7 had to guess. He looks up upon hearing the ex-hacker shuffling for the door, calling out to him. “Hey man, you alright over there? It’s been a pretty rough day, and you seem a lil’... out of it.”

 

“Out of it,” is a criminal understatement. He’s having one of the worst days he can remember from the last months of living in this hellscape. 007n7’s barely functioning enough to form an answer to the other survivor’s concerns. He turns to him for a brief moment, long enough for Shedletsky to see the dark circles under 007n7’s eyes, the trembling in his arms, and his hand clasped tightly to the side of his neck. There’s a noticeable pause before he responds to Shedletsky, feeling like his brain is stuck buffering. “It’s… it’s been a rough day, yeah. You could say that. I’m going to go get some rest…” He gestures to the door with the hand he isn’t holding up to his neck.

 

Shedletsky shoots the ex-hacker a concerned look, but lets him go, wagering that the best thing for him at the moment would be to sleep off his aches. He hesitates to say anything more, but he figures the guy at least deserves some sort of well-wishes. He’d made a pact to protect everyone, after all, and that included 007n7. Maybe the reassurance that somebody cares would help him out, even just a bit. “Good idea, sleep well, dude. Holler if you need anything, ‘kay?”

 

007n7 gives him a small nod, wanting to show that he appreciates the sentiment, but it comes off more as a dismissal. He hopes Shedletsky will understand. Moving to leave the warm cabin, his body is greeted with a chilly breeze, skittering across his clothes and exposed skin. Autumn has arrived in full swing. The cold eases his aches a little- not enough to make him feel any better, though. He starts off to his cabin, a decent couple minute’s walk. It feels like his mind is stuck in a haze, the exhaustion running through his veins muting any thoughts he could have. The walk passes by mercifully quickly.

 

Stepping up to his cabin’s porch, the dark wood creaks under 007n7’s shoes. He’s almost entirely sure that his weariness is weighing him down more than usual. He enters the cabin, watching the setting sun casting orange rays through its windows, bathing the house in a pleasant glow. It only serves to make him even sleepier. 007n7 barely kicks his shoes off before he throws himself onto his bed. He doesn’t even bother to change into something comfier or crawl under the old, thin blankets. 007n7’s eyes close. He feels himself drifting off in moments, grateful that sleep is coming easily to him tonight- he has too much to think about to want to be awake. Before long, his consciousness is enveloped in a sea of void.

 

The next thing 007n7 sees is the comforting, calm light of a beautiful spring day. Branches of trees sway slightly in the cool breeze, and the hilly landscape around him dances with the wind. A red blanket is laid out underneath him, covering the grass just far enough to fit him and his backpack, while still having space for another person. His hands are digging around in the backpack, the same one he brings his lunch in whenever he goes into work, searching for a container. It seems like it’s buried at the very bottom. Suddenly, his ears perk up, and 007n7 hears somebody calling for him. He turns to see-

 

“Dad, look at what I found! Isn’t it cool?”

 

c00lkidd, his only son, barrels over to 007n7’s spot on the blanket, holding something he can’t quite identify from so far away. c00lkidd’s being as cautious as he can be when he’s bounding towards his dad, trying not to jostle his hands too much. It seems like he’s worried about disturbing whatever is in his hands. He’s clearly been exploring the surrounding park- his shoes are caked in dirt, his crimson hair is tousled from all of his running around, and several leaves have weaved their way into it. In short, he’s been having fun, and that’s all 007n7 could ask for. Clean-up could wait until later.

 

007n7 waves c00lkidd over, turning his attention to his son and asking to bring his discovery to him. “Your dad’s getting old, kiddo- I can’t see as far as you do. Bring it a little closer, and I’ll take a look at it, okay?”

 

c00lkidd excitedly nods and quickly peeks in-between his hands, checking to see if what he’s keeping in them is still there. He’s smiling from ear to ear, practically bouncing with excitement. Stepping onto the bright blanket, he loudly whispers, saying, “I made sure to be gentle with it- just like how you said I should be with that butterfly that landed on me!” He slowly opens his hands for 007n7 to see. In his palms lies a small caterpillar, covered in black fuzz with a brown stripe wrapping around its center. As the tiny bug crawls around his hands, c00lkidd giggles. “It kinda tickles! What’s this one called, Dad? I’ve never found a bug this soft before, is it special?” His eyes light up at the possibility of having discovered a unique bug- maybe even being the first one to ever see it.

 

While 007n7 is a bit surprised at first to see a small creature slinking around in his son’s palms, handled gently enough to be unharmed, if a little shaken up. 007n7 always had a soft spot for animals, so he’d tried to teach his c00lkidd how to be kind to them. He really had listened to 007n7’s advice, and cared for the tiny bug, as much as he was capable of with his limited knowledge about them. A proud feeling swells in the father’s chest. He takes a closer look at the caterpillar, thinking back to a book he’d read on them as a child in an effort to pinpoint its species, and lowers his own voice to match c00lkidd’s. “Hey, good find, ‘kidd! That’s a… wooly bear caterpillar, I think? They’re one of the softer kinds, for sure. Where did you find it?”

 

“On that big log over there!” c00lkidd points at a fallen tree in the distance with his right hand, the one the caterpillar isn’t crawling around in. “I was climbing in this weird tree that was all twisty and had these red and… kind of purple leaves? Like a mix of them? It looked really cool! I knew I had to climb it when I saw it!” Well, that certainly explained where the leaves in his hair had come from. He laughs excitedly, before continuing. “When I got down from the top, I saw that log and tried to see what the moss on it felt like, but I saw the, um… What’d you call it?”

 

“A woolly bear caterpillar,” 007n7 answers softly. He reaches out to brush off the leaves from c00lkidd’s hair, ruffling it more in the process.

 

“Yeah, a woolly bear caterpillar! I saw it hanging out on the log, so I held my hand out near it, and it crawled right onto it! It felt kinda weird and a bit prickly at first, but it was so cool, I didn’t mind. And then I brought it right back over to show you!” c00lkidd looks down at the caterpillar in his small hands, rocking back and forth to show his excitement.

 

007n7 smiles. “I appreciate it. It always makes me happy when you show me the things you love. You know that, right?”

 

His son nods in response, before adding on, “I do, I promise! You said to never be afraid to show people my favorite things, even if they might think they’re weird or something dumb, because everyone deserves to share what they like!”

 

“Spot on, kiddo,” 007n7 responds, offering c00lkidd a fistbump. c00lkidd’s red fist knocks into 007n7’s own. “Now that I’ve seen this little guy and we’ve figured out what it is, we should let it go.”

 

c00lkidd looks down at his hand, the small creature within it still inching around. His grin falls. “Aww… are you sure, Dad? Do we really have to?”

 

“Its got to get back home to its caterpillar family, buddy. I know it’s hard, but I promise we’ll see more of them soon, okay?” 007n7 places a hand on his son’s shoulder, careful as to not spook him.

 

The small child stands in silence for awhile, before relunctantly saying, “...Okay. But we have to say bye to it first, c’mon!”

 

“Of course, kiddo-” 007n7 is cut off by c00lkidd taking his hand, pulling him along to the fallen tree, while still carefully holding the caterpillar in his other hand. The father doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter, tugged from his place on the blanket. He holds onto his burger hat with one hand, hoping it won’t fall off. “Lead the way!”

 

c00lkidd walks at a swift pace to the tree, 007n7 trailing shortly behind him. He expertly avoids the muddy patches hidden in the grass from the rain their town had gotten yesterday, breathing new life into the park. Unfortunately, it had also made slipping a much more likely possibility as well. 007n7 was grateful his son had better eyesight than he did- his own eyes would have failed to spot the puddles until he had already fallen down. He really needed to get new glasses when he could… if he ever found a way to get the controller for the c00lgui out of the old ones.

 

The duo arrives at the fallen log. The old structure has mostly been reclaimed by moss, the wood’s surface a patchwork of green, yellow, and gray. c00lkidd settles his hand on a small, springy patch of moss, letting the bug slowly crawl off. Once it has safely made its way onto the growth, c00lkidd waves at the caterpillar, a dejected look on his face. He tugs at the small bracelet encircling his wirst, unsure what to do with his hands now that the bug is no longer lying in them. Noticing c00lkidd’s sadness, 007n7 reassures him, saying, “You did a good job today, c00lkidd. I’m proud of you for taking care of that caterpillar. I’m sure it enjoyed the adventure you took it on! You’ve got a good heart, buddy.”

 

“...Thanks, dad.” He pauses for a moment, taking it all in. He watches the caterpillar slowly inch away, into one of the many holes in the log. When he’s ready, c00lkidd asks, “Can we have lunch now?”

 

“Sure. Do you want me to carry you back?”

 

c00lkidd rubs one of his eyes sleepily, the energy he had used up earlier finally hitting him. “Yeah… I’m tired.”

 

“You got it, kiddo.” He lifts up his son, settling him on his back as c00lkidd limply hangs on. “Are you ready?” 007n7 asks, waiting for a response before they set off. c00lkidd makes a thumbs up, and the two of them head back to the blanket. Once they arrive, 007n7 sets c00lkidd down on the blanket, before sitting down himself. He reaches for the backpack to return to searching for the container with their food in it, but stops when he hears his son’s voice call out for him.

 

“Hey, Dad?”

 

007n7 looks up. “Yeah, bud?”

 

“I love you.” c00lkidd slumps over, leaning on his dad, before hugging him drowsily.

 

007n7 returns the hug, smoothing out c00lkidd’s hair. “I love you too, son.”

 

The last thing 007n7 sees is c00lkidd, his short arms trying their best to wrap themselves around 007n7’s larger figure. A small, tired smile graces his son’s face. He’s happy. That’s all he needs to know.

 

007n7’s eyes open.

Notes:

fun fact!! the caterpillar that c00lkidd finds is the same one i found when i was a kid at a playground, they're cool lil bugs n i finally found out what they actually were for this fanfic lol

another fun fact, the tree that c00lkidd said he was climbing is meant to be a japanese maple!! they're pretty common within my home state so i thought that'd be cool to include ^^ i also figured c00lkidd would like em because they're red lol

also i gave up at the end mb gang