Chapter Text
It was an early morning in the house, light rays beaming through the curtains. 1x was in bed, blinking slowly as they woke up.
...creator? Why is he standing .. there.
They has been taught as a child to refer to their father as “creator”, partially due to the fact that he,wasn’t technically their father and partially due to it being more “formal”
for the most bit, they did follow this.But still, that didn’t stop them from every now and then, calling him father.
1x got up from the bed , squinting from the bright ray of sunlight directly on their face,turning to his father Telamon. "Good morning creator."
"Good morning son!" He said,smiling and lifting up 1x from his bed
Why do I even bother correct him, he'll never listen.. "please let go of me." They said, trying to keep the nicest smile they could. Telamon look at them with mild disappointment before dropping 1x back onto the ground. "What, too old for that?"
"I'm 20. Yesterday was my birthday.”
"You're 20!". He stared in shock at 1x. "I thought you were like what, 17? You even still have that baby face-Look how much you've grown!" He touched 1xs shoulder. “Absolutely perfect for 19.”
1x forced a small smile. It was always slightly off putting the way his father was. Going days on end, ignoring him, treating them like the scum of the earth, and the very next gushing about how ‘perfect’ they were, pulling him into hugs that lingered far too long..
. "Thanks dad." They got wrapped into a hug with Telamon, squeezing them tightly. "I'm gonna go shower , give me a second." 1x walked into his bathroom, the one good thing of still living with their dad is that they got nearly everything they wanted, Telamon always gifting them all the time. It was somewhat odd that he missed their birthday. Alright, I'l head downstairs and work on breakfast, get into something nice, alright kid?"
"Hm, sure." 1x closed the bathroom door and began taking off their clothes and running the shower . Telamon walked to the now closed door to the bath, with a slight grin on his face, cracking open the door…
When 1x had walked downstairs, they were at first confused by the lack of breakfast
"Dad? Thought you were making food-whatever." They slightly groaned, walking over to the fridge looking around for something to eat.
I mean, Jane did teach me how to make pancakes..they began looking for eggs in the fridge.
Telamon walked downstairs, face slightly flushed and in his usual cloaks.1x knew eventually that he would get one like that,they had to,,there's no other possible heirs the role could be passed to..
But he wouldn't let me touch a sword,even if it killed him..no im surely a good fit,he always says that I'm perfect and junk like that. Yes, I must be the perfect role for that.
Being a moderator. A god...1x smiled at the thought.
"Well, I have something very special for you to do son!" Telamon went behind 1x, tying his hair into a small ponytail,kissing 1x on the head. "Ok it's literally just a job. It's at that one pizza shop and Builderman suggested that for a growing boy, he should have activitys to do like..employment." He slightly groaned saying builderman name, partially out of exaggeration annoyance and mostly genuine frustration.
Why does he always call me his son no matter how many times I tell him.
1x finished making pancakes,one for them, two for their father. While eating breakfast, they felt a set of keys be tossed to them. They looked at the keys, slightly puzzled before deciding they were probably for the workplace.they found the idea of making pizza for a bunch of random people in some grease trap mildly disgusting but ignored the idea. It couldn't be that bad, could it?
The first thing 1x noticed was that the place was packed, not one booth empty and a small crowd forming. The mostly red decor being an eyesore ,as the employees there also had to wear a match red work uniform. Only one table wasn't filled with people where someone with a casual white suit shirt with a black tie, matching sunglasses and headphones with a black fedora lay there,feet kicked against table.1x decided that they looked enough like a manager that there was no risk in asking..
"Uh, hello?"
The man clicked at the headphones and looked at 1x, green sweater and all. "Nice piecings, are you one of Elliot's people-nah you're not in uniform. HEY- I remember you, from the casino! How's your husband?" He lightly snicked at his own joke.
"Elliot..? Is he like,the manager or something?"
Chance smiled widely, talking with a hint of pride. "Elliot-if you mean the coolest person ever, yes he is the manager! He's in the back and I can't believe it, my bestest friend a manager and such.."
1x walked away to the back, ignoring Chances ranting about Elliot. It was surprisingly easy to get to the back,no one questioning who they were. No one was also questioning the customer trying to have a 1v1 with someone else over being questioned on their personal hygine(or lack thereof) but 1x grinned, telling themself that the lack of questioning was because of how amazing they were.
"Nepotism also works wonders" they said under their breath, opening the back door.
When the door opened,they assumed that they were in the wrong place, the room dusty with only a few orange lights and boxes all over. That was until they heard What at first sounded like two people,almost echoing on itself,one sounding like a normal child, and the other something 1x couldn’t figure.
The voice of a child.
"Hello new babysitter guy! You look weird!"
1x looked around, searching for the source of the voice until he felt something crash on them.
The boy was extremely heavy but also oddly lanky,the only tell take sign they were a child being their child face and voice.
Also, they were red, their skin looking a bright primary red with splotches a dark maroon around one eye and their left arm. Their eyes were a pitch black with glowing white irises and stubby,almost not there yellow horns with black tips and very sharp hands, almost like claws, 1x spent a moment questioning if this was the devil itself or if the kid was really what it sounded like..
"Why are you staring at me funny Miss babysitter! Or Mr.. I dunno, it's hard to tell!"
"It's uh, neither…”1x questioned if they should comment on the kids unsightly appearance or act like he was like any other kid.. The boy was running around 1x,smiling with sharp yellow teeth. 1x decide to pick the latter, questioning why they were being called a babysitter. "I'm sorry..kid im not your babysitter-"
"Yes you are! My old babysitter ran away and called me a hellspawn and so I bit him! and my dad then called for a new one and said they would be here soon and-" The boy spoke far too fast,running out of breath with every sentence.
"Calm down! Your dad said I'm your babysitter. Where is he?"
"He's out at work! He hates it when I'm left alone and I don't like being alone too,which is why Jamie used to babysit me and before that, ‘pparantley when I was super duper little, my uncle Noli…
1x groaned, realizing the kid would continue to go on random side tangents. On one hand, They thought,why would anyone's dad leave some red kid in a backroom. But on the other hand, the kid seemed nice and clearly didn't have a babysitter.. they never were given a uniform...
"Sure. I'm your uh.. babysitter."
"Yay!" The kid jumped up and down. "You look super cool! So what can we do! We're not allowed to use the faucet in the back as sprinklers, Mr Elliot got real mad the last time I did that and yelled at my dad a lot.." The boys voice went from high pitched rambling to genuine sadness as he looked down at his sneakers. “I don’t think he likes me or my dad very much…”
"Well, don't worry, I won't be like that, I promise red guy” they said, smiling, stull somewhat dumbfounded by the situation they were in.
"My name is C00lkid-grey guy!" He stuck his tounge out, closing his eyes tight in defiance.1x sighted and thought of what to do with he child in front of him, they didn't even know how long they would be there. They slightly put their hand on their chin, thinking...
They heard a small slap, a very light But hearable nonetheles. They looked besides them to see C00lkid copying their movements, albeit more aggressively. 1x pinched their cheek in curiousity to see if it was a coincidence or on purpose..
1x heard a small yeoch as C00lkid punched his cheek as well. 1x questioned what they boy was doing. "Your copying me-why?"
"Well I've decided your probably a cool guy.. WELL, I've decided your definitely Cool, your nails are painted and your a really big kid! So will you play with me...?"
1x laughed to themself, slightly confused. They weren’t sure if this was normal for kids, their only reference for kids being the times they saw John and occasionally Jane as kids. They weren’t sure if kids were supposed to act like this, and even less sure why this kid was red.
They smiled, deciding they could figure that out later. “Sure."
It was the end of a long work day made longer due to a busted ac.
007n7 wiped the sweat off his face, tired from a hard days work. He stood over the counter and for the first time that day, exhaled. The only customer still there was Chance, but sometimes he would stay for the whole day, partially to hang out with their "business partner" which 007n7 at this point decided was code word for best friend. He had decided that they weren't so bad, always ready to help around in little ways, getting sodas and food for the employees, going around town to try and look for a ac repairman.
It was nice.
If only Elliot could be as nice.
Elliot was strange, his Bizarre behavior somehow worse than simply disliking him.
Jumping from having actually nice interactions, mostly 007n7 listening to Elliot talk about mildly interesting things,well simultaneously screaming at the top of his lungs about some burnt food, or the way that 007n7 drove the delivery car…
That he didn’t understand.
007 quickly un locked the storage room door, his son should be there and a babysitter should be there too.
Hopefully.
His brown hair slick with sweat and glasses mildly foggy, he opened the door.
There he saw 1x,sitting on the floor as a spare apron was scribbled with the words "TEAM COOLKID, JOIN TODAY." By his son. When he had finished, he threw the apron to 1x, who had multiple accessories such as a pair of cardboard sunglasses that C00lkid wore too with pride.
007n7 smiled at the sight of his son having fun, as his son had been gloomy for a while as his "Babysitters" have continued leaving and leaving" and he had determined that not having friends as a kid could not be helping at all.
"Uh..C00l, it's time to head home!"
C00lkid got up and ran over to his dad, jumping in his arms as 007n7 slightly struggled to hold him. 1x got up in slight embarrassment for being caught looking so silly.
Still, he smiled as for a 10 year old boy, 1x decided,C00lkid had a lot of mildly interesting to genuinely interesting things to say.
For short, "babysitting" had been nice.
007n7 looked over to 1x. "I'm so sorry I didn't make it clear you would be babysitting, it's just-"
"Nah it's ok. Just maybe tell me next time..."
007n7 smiled before having a small sigh of relief “have a nice day.”