Awkward Conversations you might have around Dispensers

by basement_hobo

Summary:

HEY HEY HEY TRIGGER WARNINGS:
- PTSD Flashback, it's not a long one but its enough for me to bring up.
- General Descriptions of injury. They aren't GRAPHIC but I mention blood a decent amount
ok thats all the trigger warnings, viewer discretion is advised

After a narrow escape from a terrible corruption filled death, Builderman and Chance encounter the most (un)loved survivor in the entire realm. Awkward Conversation and shenanigans ensue.

aka builderman and 007n7 have like Weird Tension for an extended period of time and chance is there too for non-nefarious doylist reasons.

Notes:

hihihihihihi

this is my first fic so don't expect a magnum opus or anything /3 i'm just here to make people chuckle and poke the burger man around a bit so um. enjoy!

also yet again, trigger reminders. This fic contains a PTSD flashback and although I don't think it's exactly triggering I don't have PTSD myself and am NOTT chancing it. Other trigger isn't as big a deal this is a forsaken fic there's gonna be blood and injury it came free with your freaking xbox

The clanging of metal and the rapid soldering of wires filled the small fake ball pit nook that 2 decently beat up survivors had decided to use as a hiding spot from a fairly vicious Johnathan Female Deer. A narrow escape and a solid save from Guest had ensured that the Builder and Gambler had left the situation with only a few nasty scars between them and their lives.

 

The racket of construction was suddenly broken by a small ding and replaced by the gentle hum of a dispenser.

 

“Sure ain't my best work…” Builderman wiped his brow as he rose up from his knees, “But she'll get the job done… you hang there, I'm gonna go fortify this place while we still have some darn peace…”

 

He began to walk out of the hiding spot, stopping to poke his head out to scope out any potential murderous maniacs

 

“Yer an absolute angel, pal, really. Dunno what I'd do without ya!” Exclaimed Chance, immediately going to lean on the shoddily constructed healing device and start aggressively flipping his singular coin. (It landed on tails. 7 times in a row. It was almost impressive…)

 

Builderman shrugged off the shower of praise as if it were equal to someone telling him the office water cooler was broken and not someone thanking him for literal lifesaving medical assistance.

“Just doin’ what anyone who's decent would. Nothin’ more, nothin’ less.”

 

He decided it was safe and began to make his way out, hammer in hand and slung over his shoulder. Chance chased after him to continue their praise 

 

“You serious bud?? You have no idea how good ya lil heal machines feel after what lady luck hits me with the ol gun explosion!! She's a real cruel mistress she is.. but you n yer lil nephew are here helpin’ me feel all good and nice after she raises her heel and stamps down on my-”

 

“GET ON BACK TO THAT DISPENSER RIGHT NOW, CHANCE.”

 

“...heart.”

 

Chance scuttled back to their little healing corner as the Builder started to walk on over to his desired sentry spot, kneeling down in the bright overly saturated “fun room” that had a strong iron smell to it. To anyone not already incredibly desensitised to this gorefest of a realm, it certainly was a jarring thing to look at a funny cutout of what Builderman believed to be 007n7’s 9 year old son and notice its covered in the blood of his own father. His work helped him to stay distracted from all the implications of these horrors though, unlike everything else in this unpredictable place, he knew what to do. He knows where to thread the wires and where to put the screws in, a routine that aids in refreshing his mind.

 

It wasn’t long before he was done. The simplicity of the sentry’s mechanics and the fact he made them constantly aided in his ability to assemble them quickly. They were by no means made to last but they did their job well and that’s what counted. He began to walk back to the dispenser, still feeling a bit off from taking a hit for Elliot after the poor kid ended up as the main priority of Doe’s target list… As he walked back though, he heard voices. Chance was expected but they seemed to be talking to someone? Maybe Elliot had caught up with them? Or his best pal Shed dropping by to check up on him? No… The other voice was too timid to be either party. Elliot would be laughing at Chance’s strange ramblings, Shed would likely be bragging about getting a really good ‘pwn’ on Doe and his most solid lead, Noob, was basically presumed dead at this point so it probably wasn’t them either - leaving Builderman with no real solid theories… but it likely wasn’t anyone dangerous so it’s probably not too risky to check back up on his reckless teammate.

 

Getting closer helped him hear the other person better. It was a voice that seemed familiar but not one he could put a face to… it was honestly quite a forgettable one. Nothing stuck out about it outside the trembling and general sense that whoever it belonged to seemed almost reluctant to use it. Fearful, pretty much. Though it wasn’t the same as Noob’s fear… No, that kid was just terrified of getting mauled. This one seemed more guilty. As if they were scared of some kind of punishment for merely existing… It was quite odd, honestly.

Though upon seeing the face behind the voice, it made a tiny bit more sense.

 

Standing beside Chance was a very bloody and beaten 007n7. He looked like a deer who’d just been hit by a car, and the stare he was giving Builderman looked like he was caught in the headlights of a second, much larger one. He clung to the dispenser, the red substance leaking from his body starting to stain its metal exterior with gore. 

 

“Hey.” It was all the Builder could really think to say. The phrase always was an easy tool to break any silence.

 

007 immediately stood up straight, struggling to remain completely on his legs and weakly sputtering out his words, every pause filled with heaving breaths as his body hung on for dear life. It wasn’t clear whether or not it was blood loss or nerves that were causing it

“I’m sorry I kn- I know you set this up for Chance but… I- I really need it right now. I promise I won’t do anything bad… I swear on it-”

He’d started moving away from the device out of instinct, as if his body was anticipating the rejection.

 

“You’re fine.”

 

Yet again, the Builder could only conjure up so few words. As much as he would have liked to tell this hacker to turn away and find a medkit somewhere, he knew it wouldn’t be right. He’d made a promise, after all and said promise applied to everyone. No exceptions.

 

“See? I told ya he wouldn’t care!!” Chance seemed happy for some reason, said reason quickly revealing itself, “You owe me the next cola ya find, kay? Deal’s a deal.”

 

Of course he figured out a way to gamble with a man’s self loathing…

 

007n7 seemed bewildered by the statement, not even acknowledging Chance’s bet. He hadn’t expected such a chill reaction from an admin of all people… Elliot often met him with pure disgust yet the guy who had to go in and clean up him and his son’s messes just… brushed it off? Like it was nothing?

He had to be faking it. He had to be.

 

He sort of was. Not enough for it to invalidate his prior statement but he certainly was biting his tongue.

“I make 'em for people t’ use. Gets me more mad when people ignore ‘em if anything.”

 

“R-right.. yeah… that makes sense.”

The former hacker sheepishly walked back to the spot he was previously occupying, taking a second before allowing himself to properly rest on the floor as a sense of doubt was beginning to fester in his mind.

 

Among all the pity, something in Builderman’s gut was telling him to keep his guard up around this guy. He had his sympathy, but not his forgiveness. He wasn’t quite sure of what to say to this guy. As much as he would enjoy the catharsis of expressing it, hostility definitely wasn’t the answer - that’d just make things worse. Yet pretending to be friendly also wouldn’t do any good, bringing him to the most natural conclusion possible.

 

Uncomfortable silence and uncomfortable staring.

 

“Say, never asked but how’d ya even get like that bud? Knew those guys were brutal but you look like ya got mauled! Surprised ya even lived ta tell the tale…”

That Chance broke within seconds. 007n7 hesitates for a second before starting to explain himself.

 

“It was my teleport… I’d miscalculated where I’d land and ended up almost directly in range of the killer.”

 

Both of the other survivors grimaced in solidarity, both having experienced similar types of misfortune.

 

“I tried to run and got caught in a trap… which got me into this state. The only reason I really survived was because of your friend…”

 

He turned to look toward Builderman

 

“He stopped the guy with his sword and then made him even angrier by insulting him to his face… definitely got his attention off of me… heh…”

 

Yet again. The Builder held it in. He wasn’t going to make things worse 

 

“That’s John for ya… hope he’s doing ok.”

 

No reaction. Again. It confused him… frustrated him, even. Shouldn’t he be upset? His best friend put his neck out for a man who’d have stomped on theirs in a heartbeat if it’d garner him enough attention. There was a nagging voice in his head just begging him to ask the simple question of

 

“Why?” 

 

Builderman’s brow furrowed for a second before one eyebrow was raised. His arms were crossed as he leaned against a wall

“What do you mean why? John’s a pal o’ mine. Shouldn’t be that hard to grasp.”

 

007n7 was already regretting this, but it was too late to back down now...

 

“Why do you not care? You should hate my guts. I’ve done so much to you, your friends and your family. It’s my terrible parenting that’s gotten your little nephew in more danger than he should’ve ever been,” His frustration had overtaken his confusion and his time by the dispenser had given him the strength to stand. He stumbled to his legs and walked to Builderman, before desperately grabbing the collar of his hoodie and pulling the guy towards him - his voice had even begun to crack

 

“So WHY DO YOU INSIST ON HELPING A GUY LIKE ME?”

 

The hacker’s expression drops as soon as he registers his aggression, releasing the admin from his grasp and dropping to his knees once again in guilt and shame over his outburst

 

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry for that…”

 

Builderman quietly exhaled, any outbursts would make the situation worse and stop him from getting anywhere. He may as well just bite the bullet and be honest.

 

“I do. I do hate ya. I resent every single thing you’ve done. Exploits ain’t got any place in this good honest world and anyone who uses em spits in the face of the years of my life my pal’s n’ I’ve put into makin’ it that way. If it were up to me you’d’ve been sent t’ rot away in th’ Banlands with that numbers and crosses feller within yer first month of exploitin’.”

 

His tone was cold. Harsh. Blunt. Each sentence slammed into the heart of 007n7 like a stake unto the heart of a vampire, each confession a harder stab than the last. Yet, it didn’t fully hurt. Among the pain was the twisted reassurance of knowing he was right, knowing that his instincts hadn’t failed him and that he’d be a fool to have believed the shoddy facade that was put up before him and that was tha-

 

“But you ain’t. Yer stuck here n’ I am too, some big ol’ feller forcin’ us t’ be equals so we don’t get gutted like fish,” his face remained harsh, but his words had begun to soften, “It ain’t right t’ treat ya any different. Besides, yer already here, ain’t no point in kickin ya out.”

 

007n7 didn’t quite know what to say to that. He stared up, blindsided by the concept. He didn’t give anything to the team, his entire existence was a selfish one. By all means he should be acceptable collateral damage to the oh so logical engineer but… then again it did actually make sense when he thought on it a bit more. Of course he’d have that be his reason. It’s the most logical way to deal with this situation, draws the least attention to the group and saves them from having to last another 30 seconds…

He… really over-thunk it. His blank face started to flush with embarrassment slightly as it really started to click, with the cause of said embarrassment appearing to be somewhat amused by his silent realisation

 

“Fer a guy who’s built things that can rip entire buildings t’ shreds, y’ don’t seem t’ be too wise.”

 

He took a moment to process the fact he was being spoken to, before sputtering out a response

“I-It’s ironic, I know…” More silence came after that, he needed to change the subject, NOW , “...say uh… where’d Chance go?”

It was something 007 had noticed in his shamefilled pursuit to not make eye contact with the handyman in front of him. The guy had been absent for most of their conversation, seemingly having wandered off once things had started feeling a bit too tense.

 

“Mmm… couldn’t tell ya,” He clicked his tongue, pausing in consideration of where the highroller could’ve ran off to, “My best guess is they probably went off scoutin’.”

 

“I… suppose. That does make sense, yea.” He gets back to his feet once again, intending to actually stay on them this time. “… Should I get going? I feel like I’ve overstayed my welcome a bit…”

 

“If you think it's the right move. Maybe hold off teleportin’ though. Just as a rule o’ thumb.”

“Shut up.” 007n7 began to pull up his c00lgui, deciding to do just that out of pure spite for Builderman’s joke

 

“Don’t think I will. Pretty sure I’ve earned the right to make fun of ya.”

 

He was yet again speaking with a laugh, just moments ago he was digging into 007 with no mercy but now? He’s chuckling again. Weirdo. Though who was 007 to judge?

“Well get it out of your system while you still have it at least.”

He WILL find out something embarrassing about this guy, he swears on it! Though until then, there were bigger priorities - such as Chance running in and waving their arms around like a madman, yelling for the two of them to

“SCRAM. GO. GET OUTTA HERE, NOW!!” 

 

Their body was twitching as Doe’s corruption nipped and bit away at their very skin. He could be heard in the distance, his roar echoing down the “hotel’s” halls, the thuds of his footsteps rapidly getting closer as he closed the distance.

 

“Sentry’ll slow ‘im down. Use it if ya have to” ordered Builderman, giving Chance a firm nod before darting away to try to gain whatever headstart he could. 007n7 frantically boots up the gui’s teleport function, hoping he can pull it off in the nick of time

 

Thud. Thud. Thud.

 

2%. It used to be instant. He misses that being the case... but not anymore! No. Of course not. In the name of a good show he has to suffer.

 

THUD. THUD. THUD.

 

19%. Doe was getting closer, yet he couldn’t move an inch. Not while he’s using the panel… no of course not. Though out of the corner of his eye he noticed Chance hovering around him

 

THUD. THUD. THUD

 

27%. Doe was in view. He wasn’t making it. He wasn’t making it at all. The stress was getting to him. Chance’s hovering seemed to be more along the lines of directly approaching him now

 

Before he could curl up and brace for the worst, Chance grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him out the little hiding nook before giving him a polite boost (accidentally throwing him down the staircase) and cancelling his teleport

 

“Use yer legs! They’re better for a reason!!”

 

007n7 stared up at Chance, trying to process what had just happened, before stumbling to his feet and attempting to make his escape to ANYWHERE BUT HERE. He pulls out his panel once again and summons a clone of himself, it mindlessly runs towards Doe, pulling his attention away from Chance and closer to the sentry. That’s probably what Builderman wanted to happen, right? It’ll help Chance at least. He did something useful for once.

 

The killer moves as expected, following the clone like a moth would to a flame. The sentry made a loud mechanical noise before opening fire onto him, the sound of the shots bugging him ever so slightly… he’ll manage though. He has to manage. He’s close to the door… his invisibility is almost gone but its fine, he’ll survive, the ruse worke-

 

“EY DOEBOY!!”

Chance.

 

A loud explosion erupts from that flintlock. That damn flintlock. They scream out a prideful

“JACKPOT!!!”

 

As it halts the round’s designated murderous maniac in his tracks. 007 however, couldn’t have been more unlucky. That sort of noise in THIS sort of situation wasn’t good for him. He could handle it usually, he could deal with hearing it echo in the distance but not now. Not right now. He’d practically frozen in place, his head starting to ache and his chest practically caving in on itself as the world grew into nothing more than a vague blur. His legs felt weak and… he wasn’t making it this round. It was over. As soon as Doe catches even a glimpse of him he’ll be a goner… 

 

The hacker closed his eyes and braced for the worst, semi grateful that his flashback would be cut short. It's not like anyone would come back and aid him, afterall…

 

Or so he thought. As he felt himself regress into nothing, the feeling of weightlessness hit him. He wasn’t on his feet anymore but he hadn’t fallen. He would've known if he had - this was something else. He was being held by someone, carried by them. n7 hesitantly opened his eyes to see who had been the one to quite literally sweep him off his feet and start rushing him to safety, only to see the grey hood of a well worn zipper jacket, its red lining being an extra indicator to who its owner was. 007n7 clung onto the fabric with the tightest grip he could, realising he was being held in the same way a potato sack would be and feeling as if he could just slide off at any moment. He found himself bewildered by the situation, sure Builderman had explained the situation earlier but this was just RIDICULOUS even for him!! This wasn’t logical! This wasn’t smart! He was risking himself for a guy he KNOWS doesn’t deserve it, the absolute fool!

 

…Who had also carried the whole way from the “fun room” to the courtyard, placing him right by those strange little zombie hands. His breathing had grown heavy from all the running, turns out it's kind of hard to go fast when you’re less than 5 feet tall.

 

“Y… you are shockingly… light,” Huffed Builderman, yet again not acknowledging what he had just done, “You not been eatin’ much?”

 

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

007n7 stared at Builderman as if he’d lost his mind, which at this point he probably has. That was nothing like the dispenser, it wasn’t him incidentally just stumbling across the publicly available tool. No, this was direct; Thought out, Intentional, Deranged.
“THAT. You risked yourself to save me!! On purpose!!!”

 

“Not really a risk, Chance had the guy under control n’ you really weren’t that far awa-”

 

“QUIT IT WITH THE ANALYTICS WILL YOU? THIS ISN’T A SALES MEETING!” 007n7 finds himself yet again growing frustrated with this conflicting tongue biter of a man, “That was stupid and you know it.”

Builderman shrugs, both parties seemingly to mutually think the other is absolutely off their rocker.
“Not really stupid t’ not want an extra 30 seconds on that round timer.”

 

The hacker went silent. At this point just really accepting defeat. He’s not gonna be able to get Builderman to open up about the genuine act of heroism he’d just committed anytime today so he may as well just throw the towel in and try and survive the round without anymore… hiccups.

 

“What was with you freezin’ up anyway?”

This ############.

 

“It was nothing. Nothing happened,” 007n7 deflects like the raging hypocrite he is

 

“Didn’t look like nothin’ t’ me…” The Builder’s tone grows a bit more tense, causing 007n7 to grow uneasy before suddenly easing right back up, “But I suppose it ain’t fer me t’ know. Whatever you say burgerhead”

 

Before Burgerhead could question his new title, a younger voice called out to Builderman in cautious excitement.

 

“Uncle Builder!!!” Elliot poked out from behind a wall, frantically gesturing  “Get over here before he sees you…”

 

Builderman smiled at the sight of his nephew, glad to see him alive and well
“He won’t. He’s with Chance, we’ll be fine.”

 

“Well still, we need you here. Guest is uh…” A loud blood filled dad cough could be heard from behind the wall, “In a state.”

 

“‘M fine, don’t worry…” Mumbled Guest, in denial.

 

“Guest you had your head bashed against a wall I’m surprised you aren’t dead, in all honesty.”

 

“Let him save his dispenser for someone else… The pizza’s enough for me.”

 

“YOUR HEAD IS SPLIT OPEN YOUR HAIR IS STARTING TO LOOK PURPLE - ”

 

Builderman observed the back and forth, glancing to n7 for a moment before politely interrupting

 

“I’ll get ‘im sorted Ellie, don’t you worry. Probably goin’ t’ have company though, fair warnin’.”

 

“Oh yea that’s fine don’t worry, the more the merrier!”

 

He hadn’t actually noticed who said company was, being too caught up in the initial joy of seeing Builderman safe and okay. Elliot smiled, curious to who it could be

 

“I wouldn't say I would add any merryment…” 007n7 joked, hesitant about making his presence known to Elliot.

 

Elliot's smile immediately dropped, a cold glare replacing it instead.

“Oh.”

 

Builderman tried to argue in favour of the man, not wanting his efforts to go to waste

“C'mon kid, it's better in the long run.”

 

The pizza boy looked to Builderman, letting out a reluctant sigh of agreement 

 

“I'll tolerate him. Nothing more though. ”

 

“Yer pa raised ya good, kid,” Builderman walked on over towards Guest to begin his work once again, leaving 007n7 to his own devices, “it'll pay off in the long run, swear on it.”

 

“Whatever you say…” Elliot sat down by Guest, making sure that the soldier hadn’t bled out and died while he wasn’t looking. 

 

007n7 in the meantime, simply stood there, having given up on spiralling over rationalising Builderman's behaviour. He'd just been stood up for… his existence was defended for the first time in a long while. Among all the clanging of metal and sizzles of soldered wires was a sense of relief in the hacker, the parasitic sense of guilt was definitely creeping up but in the meantime he felt acknowledged. Builderman definitely wasn’t doing this out of love and he was only allowed to hang around due to borrowed tolerance but the thought definitely counted, whether the Builder had meant it or not 007 actually felt kind of wanted for once.

 

He'll definitely have to pay back the favour on that save someday but that's a problem for future n7, not him.

He took a breath, allowing himself to relax and walked over to join the others in their conversation. He definitely didn't belong but he might as well enjoy some social time while he can get it.

 

Hopefully it won't be as awkward as the last one…

Notes:

chance is fine btw he chokeslammed doe and went to like forsaken greggs and got himself a sausage roll or something dw (thats right a british person wrote this thang i should draw the survivors in greggs that'd be funny as hell i will not lie)

anyway bai bai!!! have a nice day and thank you for reading!!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of MUUUUMMMMMM THE ADMIN IS SNOGGING THE HACKER AGAINNNN