Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was Saturday morning when 007n7 was jolted awake by his alarm, which sounded worse than Noli’s snoring. But instead of waking up grumpy like usual, he jumped out of bed with a big smile on his face.

Today was a special day — not just because he didn’t have to listen to his university professors for hours, but because he was going to his favorite pizza place and seeing his favorite person in the world.

He hopped over the stacks of pizza boxes scattered on the floor. Noli was already playing one of his many video games, completely zoned out, not even glancing up as 007n7 walked into the room.

“Morning, Noli!” he sang cheerfully while pouring coffee into his favorite mug — the one that read I hate Mondays.

“There are no good mornings. Just mornings,” Noli replied flatly, in complete contrast to 007n7’s radiant energy.

“I’ve got a feeling today’s gonna be amazing! By the way, wanna go to Builder Brothers Pizza?”

A loud beep came from the TV. Noli turned his head around dramatically to glare at him.

“Dude… we just had pizza yesterday. I’m gonna get sick if we keep this up,” he said, holding his stomach with a concerned look.

“And? I don’t care. You’re coming with me, like it or not,” 007n7 replied, completely ignoring his friend’s dramatic groan as he searched for something to wear.

In the end, he just went with his usual outfit.

He stood in front of Noli, showing off his look.

“Well? What do you think? Do I look like a single hot man?” he asked with a smug grin.

Noli made a face.

“You look like an anime nerd with five restraining orders.”

“You’re just jealous.”

“Define jealous.”

.

After catching the campus bus, they arrived at the pizzeria. Since it was still early, the place wasn’t crowded — just a few cars parked outside.

They walked up to the door, pushed it open, and the little bell rang, revealing a totally different world inside.

Smooth jazz music filled the air, people were chatting peacefully, kids ran around between tables, and the smell of freshly baked pizza hit them instantly. 007n7 took a deep breath, clearly delighted, while Noli looked like a poisoned rat.

“I missed this place" 007n7 said, grinning

“We were literally here yesterday" Noli replied, glaring at him.

007n7 nudged his shoulder playfully. “Well, as the others say: you always return to the place where you were hap—”

His voice cut off. He was frozen, staring straight ahead like he’d seen a ghost.

“What now?” Noli asked, following his gaze to the front of the line. Behind the register was..

Elliot Builder.

With a smile as bright as the sun, blonde hair tied up neatly to meet health code, and golden skin that looked perfect against the red of his uniform — that was the vision that had 007n7 completely hypnotized.

“Dude… stop staring like that. You look like a creep.”

Noli’s voice snapped him out of his trance. 007n7 blinked and glanced away, flustered.

“I’m not a creep,” he muttered under his breath, glancing around to make sure no one heard.

Noli smirked. “With that look? I have my doubts.” He folded his arms, now staring at Elliot himself.

“I don’t get it. He’s just some rich kid,” Noli said.

007n7 frowned. “Say what you want… but that pizzaboy is mine.”

Ignoring Noli’s dramatic sigh, he marched toward the now shorter line.

When the last customer left, he was face to face with Elliot.

“Hi! Welcome to Builder Brothers Pizza. What can i get for you?” Elliot smiled as brightly as ever, cheerful and kind no matter who was in front of him.

“Oh hey, 007n7! I was wondering when you’d show up again,” he said with a small laugh.

But there was no response.

007n7 just stood there, frozen, staring. The buzz of conversations around them faded to background noise.

“Uh... Seven?” Elliot called him by his nickname. His nickname. In that moment, 007n7 was convinced he had died and gone to heaven — a pizza-scented, Elliot-filled heaven.

Just then, Noli appeared beside him.

“Sorry about my friend, Elli. He’s, uh… a bit sick today? I’ll order for him,” he said, flashing the cashier a polite smile, hoping his friend would snap out of it.

“Oh, I hope he gets better,” Elliot replied sweetly before taking the order.

Once it was done, Noli dragged 007n7 to a nearby table.

“Dude, what the hell was that?! You were standing there like a statue!” 007n7 buried his face in his hands.

“I don’t know! I just got nervous. I looked at his cute face and— I don’t know!” he stammered, face flushed.

“We collect ankle trackers like friendship bracelets and you freeze up over a cute guy? Unbelievable!” Noli yelled, loud enough to make people nearby shoot annoyed glances their way.

He shrugged off the attention and slumped in his seat.

“Listen, I have a plan to win him over, just like I took over those Robloxian bases,” 007n7 said with a sly smile.

“Then it’s doomed to fail.”

“Noli—”

“Order for Seven,” Elliot’s voice rang out over the speakers.

Noli nodded toward the counter. “Go fix your mistake and get my pizza.”

007n7 stood up nervously and made his way back to the register.

“Uh, that’s my order… well, Noli’s order,” he said, scratching his head.

Elliot smiled again, was that the third one today?

“Enjoy! Hope to see you again tomorrow.”

007n7 clutched the box tight. It was now or never.

“You know… I’d like to order something else. Your phone number.”

Elliot blinked, surprised.

“Seven…”

For a second, 007n7 thought he’d blown it. Maybe Elliot would ask him to leave. Maybe he’d get banned forever. But then—

“That’s not on the menu,” Elliot said, his voice a little shy. He was… blushing?

007n7 gulped hard. Time to pull out his non-existent flirting skills.

“Then i'll pay extra for it” he said with a wink.

There was a pause. Then Elliot reached for a slip of paper and a pen. He scribbled something down and handed it over.

“On the house,” he said, giving him a wink back.

007n7 stared at the paper, frozen. He slowly reached out to take it, and for a moment, their fingers touched.

And right then, Careless Whisper started playing over the pizzeria speakers, resounded throughout every corner of the place

The touch lingered, just a second too long, until—

“Elliot. No flirting on the job,” a deep voice cut through the air.

They quickly let go. 007n7 peeked past the counter and saw him — Mr. Builder. And he did not look happy.

“I was just leaving!” 007n7 said quickly, practically running back and grabbing Noli by the arm to drag him out of the restaurant.

“What the hell?! let me go! don't grab me like that!” Noli protested, rubbing his arm with a wince.

“By the way, what happened up there at the counter? You looked like you were about to eat him alive.”

007n7 didn’t respond. He was staring at the crumpled piece of paper in his hands.

“He gave me his number…” he whispered.

“What?”

“He gave me his number,” he said again, louder.

“Congrats. Now give me my damn pizza.”

Chapter Text

The first time 007n7 visited the pizzeria, it wasn’t because he actually wanted to be there.

He was 18 when he stepped into that place for the first time. Noli had been begging for pizza, while all he wanted was to watch some weird anime he’d found on the dark web. But after relentless nagging from his roommate, he gave in.

It was a Friday afternoon, and the place was packed — makes sense for the weekend. As 007n7 entered alongside Noli, he saw tons of customers: adults fresh off work picking up dinner for their kids, teens looking to relax after a rough week of school.

They got in line with the rest of the crowd, waiting for it to crawl forward so they could finally place their order and get the hell out of that stupid place.

007n7 was desperate — more than desperate — all he wanted was to get back to the comfort of his university dorm and dive back into the deep web. But Noli, of course, made that impossible.

“So I was thinking... should I get a cheese pizza or pepperoni?” Noli asked, eyes glued to the menu on the wall.

“I don’t care what you order, I just want this damn line to move,” 007n7 snapped, arms crossed. He noticed a woman in front of them cover her kid’s ears after hearing him. Exactly why he’d never have children.

Noli sighed.
“I brought you here to give you a break from your computer. Seriously, dude, you spend more time sitting down than breathing.”

007n7 rolled his eyes. Just then, he noticed the line had disappeared — it was their turn.

They stepped up to the counter. There was a cash register and an employee, but 007n7 didn’t even bother to look at the guy. He was too busy scanning the menu.

“Welcome to Builder Brothers Pizza! Can I take your order?” said the employee in a surprisingly cheerful tone.

007n7 finally looked away from the menu.

“Yeah, I think I’ll have a blox-"
He cut himself off abruptly when he actually saw the person in front of him.

Bright yellow skin with freckles like little suns on his cheeks. Blonde hair that looked like it shimmered under the light. A red uniform that somehow matched every color in the universe. Had Noli accidentally brought him to heaven?

Jet-black eyes, eyelashes that any girl would kill for, and lips as red as a rose. Wait... what was he doing here again?

He shook his head quickly and adjusted his glasses — which had fogged up completely. The boy in front of him was still smiling sweetly.

“Uh... one Bloxy Cola. And you, Noli?” he said, nervously glancing at his friend.

Noli, completely unaware of what had just happened, replied:

“Meat pizza! That sounds good.”

“Name for the order?”

“Nol—”

“007n7!” he blurted, cutting off Noli, who looked at him like, what the hell?

The employee wrote it down and replied in a voice soft as cotton candy:

“It’ll be ready in a few minutes. Feel free to grab a seat.”

The two friends sat at a table near the counter and waited patiently for their order to be called.

“Order for 007n7,” a voice rang out through the speakers. Seven jumped up so fast he nearly tripped over the chair.

He made his way to the counter, where the sweet employee stood waiting.

“Here you go! Enjoy your pizza.”
That smile… it was almost contagious. 007n7 found himself smiling back, shyly.

“Thanks, uh…”
He glanced down at the silver name tag on the boy’s shirt.

“Elliot,” the boy said, as if testing out the sound of his own name. It was cute. And it fit him perfectly.

007n7 turned to leave the pizzeria and head back to Noli — who looked like he might die of hunger.

“You know, Noli… we should come here more often.”

.

That’s when 007n7 realized there was a loose variable in his perfect plan to win over Elliot — Mr. Builder.

Famous for his pizza chain spread across all of Robloxia. A businessman. A family man. And the one person 007n7 hadn’t accounted for in his grand equation.

Elliot was his eldest son. Probably the heir to the entire Builder fortune. Of course his father would be overprotective… Maybe he didn’t even allow his son to date. Especially not someone three years older, studying programming in college, who spent his free time destroying servers and hacking famous games — aka bullying small kids — with his roommate.

007n7 sighed, clutching at his hair in frustration. He was now back in his room, sitting at the table surrounded by papers and red pens, while his annoying roommate was there too.

“No, no… how did I not see this X in the equation?” he muttered in panic. The last time he felt this anxious was during a high school math exam.

“You’re overthinking it,” Noli said, chomping down on a slice of pizza.

“It’s like… the X doesn’t matter if you already have the Y,” he mumbled with a full mouth, then choked and started coughing violently.

“Both are important for my result! I can’t just ignore one!” 007n7 replied, completely ignoring the fact that Noli was practically dying beside him.

“I need to isolate X, then Y… but how?!” He summoned his c00lgui and began browsing the deepest corners of Roblox.

He typed: “How to win over the father of the love of your life.”

No results. No similar searches.
Meanwhile, Noli collapsed off the couch, crawling across the floor as if pleading for help.

007n7 let out a defeated sigh. This is what happens when you don’t deal with the tiny loose nails in your perfect house.

“This is the end, Noli. I can’t earn his love without Mr. Builder’s approval.” Noli groaned, clinging to his leg.

007n7 took the groan as a sign from the universe. He stood up suddenly, causing Noli to fall off his leg with a thud.

“You’re right! I can use other variables to get Y — and if I get Y, I can solve for X!” he grinned like a mad genius.

He opened his c00lgui again. He had an idea, a real plan to win over both Elliot and Mr. Builder.

“It’s time to text Elliot,” he said dramatically, rushing out of the room and leaving Noli sprawled out — possibly dead — on the floor.

Once inside his room, he summoned his phone with his c00lgui and grabbed the small paper with Elliot’s number. He took a deep breath and started typing in the digits.

He saved the contact as “Elli” — a nickname Elliot had earned every time he served him at the pizzeria. May Telamom give him the strength to send even just one message.

He typed a short text — just something simple so Elliot would know who it was and could save his number.

He hesitated. Deleted it. Wrote it again.
Deleted it. Rewrote it.
And finally… sent it.

He waited. Minutes felt like years. His leg bounced restlessly.

Then...

Ping!

The sound of a notification.

A small smile crept across his face.

Noli was right... If he could get Y, he could figure out X.

Chapter Text

Elliot knew something was off the day he started feeling a tingling sensation every time he saw 007n7 walk into the pizzeria.

At first, he thought it was just a silly feeling — maybe the result of seeing the same guy every damn day like he had nowhere else to go. But he couldn't blame him; the pizzas were really good.

Days passed, weeks flew by, and suddenly Elliot was 18. A responsible adult who needed to start thinking about his future and the pizzeria's. Over those three years, he had developed a sort of "friendship" with 007n7 — something beyond just employee and customer —.

They used to talk about random things whenever 007n7 stood at the counter. Elliot knew quite a bit about him, since the guy opened up quickly. He didn’t mind. In fact, he listened attentively until the people in line started complaining.

It was fun that first year: talking to a customer who genuinely seemed to care about his thoughts and opinions broke the monotony of just smiling and serving people. Even the second year was fun — until he started noticing things about 007n7.

When he listened to him ramble about his university life, Elliot often found himself staring. He liked the way his slightly long brown hair looked, how he adjusted his pink glasses, or the funny faces he made.

"So there I was, with Noli, battling math functions," 007n7 said with a laugh. Elliot enjoyed listening to his stories.

He leaned on the counter, fully engaged. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like if he had the chance to go to college.

"I don't think college is that bad, you know?" he replied, earning a laugh from the other.

"Yeah, well, depends on what you study. I'm suffering 'cause I wanna be a programmer." Elliot chuckled, about to reply when someone cut in.

"Hey! You know there are other people in this line, right?" a frustrated voice behind 007n7 barked, followed by more complaints.

"Yeah! I've been waiting forever!"

"Move, idiot!" 007n7 winced at the remarks but ignored them.

He turned to Elliot with a small smile. "See you later, Elli!" he waved and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Elliot shouted, but it was too late. He slumped over the counter, defeated.

"I forgot to ask for his number again..." The lady in line chuckled, only adding to his misery.

After many more orders, his shift was finally over. He clocked out and said goodbye to his coworker Lulu, who still had tables to clean.

He exited through the back door, put on his red helmet decorated with star stickers, and pulled the keys from his backpack. He got on his bike — it sputtered for a bit before finally starting — and rode off the pizzeria property.

The cool night air brushed against his face. It was part of his daily routine heading home. Finally, he arrived at the familiar house at the end of the block. Time for some well-earned rest.

He parked the bike in the yard, stashed his helmet, and went inside.

It smelled like lavender, his little sister's favorite air freshener. He loved being welcomed home by that scent.

"Elliot! You're back!" came a high-pitched voice from the stairs. Mía rushed down.

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied with a small smile. It felt nice having someone waiting for him at home.

"Did you bring me anything?" she asked with innocent eyes.

"Only misery and sweat."

"You always bring that home."

They both laughed. It was their sibling routine.

"Where’s Dad? I thought he’d come home with you," Mía asked, wiping the smile from Elliot’s face.

"He's busy you know, with bills and stuff." He scratched his neck. It was normal not to hear from their dad for hours.

"Oh... okay." Her eyes dimmed a little, and Elliot felt a tight knot in his chest.

"But hey! I’m here. How about we watch one of your shows?" He tried to stay upbeat. He always was at work — home was supposed to be the only place he could be grumpy. But even here, he had to stay cheerful, for Mía.

Her eyes lit up. "Didn’t you say they sucked?"

"They definitely suck, but I’ll give it a shot."

He made some popcorn — something decent to eat. He hated the pizza at work. Seeing and making it all day made him sick of it.

He sat next to Mía while a show he didn’t recognize started. Maybe it was a new one.

"How was work? Did anyone treat you badly? Just tell me who, and they won’t bother you again," Mía said, munching popcorn.

"Same old. Like every other day." Sometimes he hated that his sister cared more about him than their dad did.

Elliot looked down at the bowl in his lap. Maybe he could talk to her about 007n7.

"Although..." That got Mía’s attention.

"There’s this customer who’s kind of a friend. His name’s 007n7."

"Poor guy, must be hard living with that name."

"Mía!" He nudged her shoulder, but she just grinned.

"It’s true. I only speak facts."

Elliot rolled his eyes. Hard to argue.

"So, we’ve been talking a lot... and lately, I catch myself just staring at him. It’s like-"

"You like looking at him?" Mía finished for him.

Elliot blinked, then nodded. "Yes! I like his hair, how he looks with those pink glasses... and I think black really suits him." He began rambling about 007n7 — how he looked, how he acted.

He was venting to his 13 years old sister.

"And I forgot to ask for his number again today," he finished, staring at her like she was his therapist.

"Brother... you’re in love!"

Those words hit him like a bucket of cold water. In love?

"I’m not in love! He’s just a customer," he replied quickly, his cheeks burning.

"Your face says otherwise," she teased.

Elliot wanted to disappear. There was no way he was in love with 007n7. He barely knew him. He was just the guy who showed up every day to talk without even ordering anything.

But Elliot liked talking to him. It broke the monotony. Sometimes he even found himself waiting to see him walk through the door. Heck, he once even asked if Noli was his boyfriend.

Elliot could NOT be in love.

"I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up too late," he muttered, then ran up the stairs.

He shut his bedroom door and collapsed onto the bed, clutching his star-shaped plushie tightly.

He couldn’t let himself fall for someone. Not with his future tied to the family pizzeria. What would his dad think if he found out he liked a customer?

He hugged the plush even tighter. Images of 007n7 smiling at him flashed in his mind like a slideshow. His heart was pounding, and he swore his face was as red as a tomato.

He started questioning everything. Maybe he didn’t want to inherit the family business. Maybe he never really thought about what he wanted or whether he wanted to be with someone.

And if he had the chance... how would his dad react? Not that he was ever around to begin with, so who even knew?

Then he remembered something. His mom always told him to listen to his heart. And right now? His heart was saying he wanted to hear more of 007n7’s stories.

He had the right to fall in love, didn’t he? After all, he was human too.

Chapter Text

They started texting each other every single day.

Things escalated after one long night of chatting whenever they were free — which for 007n7 was pretty much always, but for Elliot was only during his rare breaks.

At first, it was slow. Simple messages: good morning, questions about how their day was going, ending with good night texts. Nothing out of the ordinary — until the messages started turning into the kind of things like, “What are you doing right now?” and “Are you still awake?”

Neither of them seemed willing to put their phones down. Even when they weren’t talking to each other, they’d just wait for the other to start the conversation — which, honestly, took way too long to happen.

Noli had to practically beg 007n7 to step away from his phone and help him with his things. Lulu had to call Elliot out every time he got caught scrolling on his phone during work hours. Definitely, these two together were trouble.

After listening to his heart beat about ten times throughout the day, Elliot finally decided that maybe starting a relationship with 007n7 wouldn’t be so bad. It could even be fun — experiencing love for the first time.

Meanwhile, 007n7 was busy making elaborate plans on how to win over the pizza guy. But Noli kept telling him it was better to just let things happen naturally, to let them develop on their own.

That was when 007n7 finally listened to his heart and decided to get closer to Elliot in person.

It was Monday night. The restaurant was closed. The "Closed" sign hung on the door, and the only light in the area came from inside the pizzeria. Elliot and Lulu were staying behind to finish cleaning up and organizing the inventory. Both were completely focused on their tasks.

“Just the tables left to clean, and then we’re free,” Elliot said, sweeping up crumbs and bits of trash from the floor — a usual mess for the start of the week.

Lulu was already wiping down the tables with a damp cloth.

“I wish I didn’t have to stay late. I’m so sleepy,” she complained, stretching her arms and yawning, it was exactly 12:30 a.m.

“You could swap shifts with someone if you want,” Elliot suggested, already thinking like a future manager who cared about his team.

“As if anyone would want to stay late,” Lulu replied, about to get back to work when her gaze shifted to the door.

Lulu frowned. “Is that a person?”

Elliot looked toward the door and saw what Lulu was staring at: a dark figure standing outside, taller than either of them, facing away — like they were waiting for someone or something.

They exchanged a look.

“Should we call the cops?” Lulu whispered, eyes fixed on the figure, ready to react.

“No. I’ll go talk to them. Maybe it’s just a customer. Call the police if they do anything weird,” Elliot said, ignoring her protests as he headed toward the door.

He opened it slowly, and the bell above jingled, alerting the mysterious figure.

“Sir, sorry, we’re closed,” Elliot said, trying to sound confident even though he felt a bit nervous.

The dark figure turned around, revealing a very familiar face for Elliot.

“007n7?”

“Surprise!” 007n7 answered, a nervous smile on his face, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket.

Elliot didn’t look too thrilled with the surprise.

“Surprise?! I almost called the cops thinking you were a robber,” Elliot said, glaring inside the pizzeria to signal that no one should call anyone.

“Hey, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to just show up like this.”

“At almost one in the morning? Yeah, sure.”

007n7 sighed, defeated. He knew he had to fix this, no matter what.

He stepped closer to Elliot. “Listen... I came for you.”

Those words made Elliot’s irritation melt away. He blinked in confusion.

“For me?” he asked again, as if he hadn’t heard right.

007n7 stammered, looking down, ashamed of what he’d just said.

“W-well, not exactly to pick you up... I mean, yes, but... but...” He got tangled in his words, turning his back for a moment to gather himself.

Elliot smiled slightly, amused by the sight of 007n7 flustered.

When 007n7 turned back, he faced Elliot squarely.

“I thought... maybe we could hang out after your shift,” he finally admitted, adjusting his glasses with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Elliot hesitated, unsure how to respond. First, how did 007n7 even know when his shift ended? And second, how long had he been waiting outside without anyone noticing?

His heart beat a little faster, but maybe none of that mattered now. 007n7 was there, just for him.

“My shift’s over... I’m just finishing up inventory,” Elliot said, his voice a bit shaky. He felt his cheeks warm. Was it embarrassment or nervousness knowing 007n7 wanted to be with him not just over the phone but in person? He wasn’t sure.

“I can wait for you to finish,” 007n7 said softly, a pleading sparkle in his eyes, like a dog waiting loyally for its owner outside a shop.

Elliot was silent for a moment before answering.

“Alright, I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long.” Then he went back inside the restaurant.

Lulu raised an eyebrow at Elliot, silently asking for an explanation about the guy outside. Instead, she just analyzed Elliot’s flushed face.

It was like she already knew everything just by looking at him, and she smirked, “Ooh, I see. Love interest?”

That made Elliot blush even more.

Lulu took that as confirmation.

007n7 waited outside for about ten minutes. The cold night air made him shiver a little — it was early morning after all. He still wasn’t sure how he had ended up standing outside the pizza place at this hour.

He’d gone to bed at 10 p.m., though he barely slept. Noli was snoring beside him, but that was the only reason he couldn’t sleep. His mind kept racing about Elliot, going over all his plans to get closer — none of which made sense or worked. He felt stuck in a huge puddle with no way out. It felt like Elliot was slipping right through his fingers.

He closed his eyes, trying to rest, but his thoughts drifted instead — specifically to a scenario: Elliot with someone else, both happy and successful. Elliot in a manager’s suit, two kids, a golden retriever, and an orange cat. Maybe living in the nicest neighborhood in all of Robloxia while he still shared a cramped room with Noli.

Suddenly, he sat up straight in bed, fists clenched. He wasn’t going to let that be his cruel fate.

Without making a sound, he got out of bed, grabbed his black jacket and sneakers. He grabbed his keys, and after a quick check on his c00lgui, he saw Elliot was still working. This was his chance — his only chance, according to some article he’d read online.

A noise broke his thoughts. He saw a girl with her hair tied back leave the pizzeria, glancing briefly at him before walking away. Then Elliot came out carrying a bag.

He swallowed hard. According to some Roblox forum, it would be chivalrous to offer to walk a woman home but Elliot wasn’t a woman. Still, maybe it would work.

“Want me to walk you home? That way we can talk better,” 007n7 offered gently.

Elliot looked at him, considering the offer.

“Okay, just keep up,” Elliot said as he started walking. 007n7 blinked, surprised, oh, it worked!

He quickly matched Elliot’s pace, walking beside him, trying to think of how to start a conversation. The streets were empty, street lamps casting soft pools of light on the houses. The only sounds were the crickets chirping in the warm night.

“How was your day?” 007n7 finally asked. It was the only thing he could think of.

“Nothing special... the usual, dealing with customers and stuff,” Elliot replied, not wanting to say too much. He doubted 007n7 cared much about his life.

“And you?” Elliot asked curiously. “How’s university going?”

007n7 let out a small sigh. “Nothing special either. I submitted a project but they gave me another chance.”

His terrible project idea was to create a clone of himself with his c00lgui, which resulted in a not-so-friendly 007n7 glaring at his professor and even saying something about his professor’s wife.

Elliot looked a bit surprised, like he didn’t think it was a big deal.

“Good luck with your project.”

007n7 was silent for a moment, analyzing Elliot’s response before finally replying:

“I think if you were my project, I’d pass.”

Wow... that was probably the worst compliment he’d ever given.

Elliot stared at him, and 007n7 quickly looked away, totally embarrassed. He shouldn’t have said it in the first place! Elliot was probably going to think he was weird and start avoiding him.

But then, Elliot laughed.

He looked at 007n7 with amusement.

“You’re terrible at compliments, you know that?”

“That hurt!” 007n7 said, clutching his chest dramatically.

They both laughed, their laughter echoing in the quiet night streets.

Suddenly, Elliot’s laughter faded.

“But... I think that’s the nicest compliment I’ve ever received,” he said quietly.

Those words made 007n7’s heart beat even faster. Did he like it? Even if it was a lousy compliment?

He tried to hide his nervousness. “I have more where that came from,” he said playfully.

“I said it was the nicest because it’s the only one I’ve ever gotten.”

“That hurts.”

They kept talking, the earlier awkwardness completely gone. They talked like never before, time flying by as if they could walk forever together.

Eventually, they reached Elliot’s house. Elliot didn’t even notice how much time had passed.

They stopped in front of the porch.

“So... see you tomorrow?” 007n7 offered nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

Elliot nodded. “Yeah... sounds good.”

They stared at each other, neither daring to say more.

007n7 broke the silence, clearing his throat. “Okay, see you. Rest well, Elli.”

He was about to turn and leave, even though it wasn’t the moment he had dreamed of with Elliot but it was something. He appreciated the moment.

“Wait!” Elliot’s voice stopped him.

Before he could even ask what was wrong, he felt soft lips on his cheek...

Oh...

Oh!

Mr. Builder had been lucky to leave the board meeting about financing the pizzeria early. Nothing major came up.

He arrived home, unsure of the time. He assumed Mía was probably asleep, and Elliot was likely still at work. He walked to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee.

Once ready, he inhaled the strong scent of caffeine — a well-deserved reward after a long day. He took a large sip and moved to the window to gaze out into the night — typical businessman behavior —.

He pulled up the curtain but was met with a surprising sight.

His son was standing on the porch, talking to a man he didn’t recognize.

He frowned. What the hell was going on?

The man with glasses said goodbye to his son, but Mr. Builder planned to have a serious talk with Elliot about this.

He took another sip of coffee. When he looked back out the window, he saw a scene he never could have imagined.

His son was kissing that man on the cheek.

He spat out his coffee.

Chapter Text

Mr. Builder considered himself a calm man focused on his business and committed, at least in principle, to being a family man. Though truthfully, he was hardly present in his children’s lives. Too busy to be a good father, really.

He always tried bare minimum at this point to provide a good life for his kids. He had always wanted children with his beloved wife… It was just unfortunate that, over time, the desire to be a present father had gradually faded away.

If he wasn’t working as a diligent manager, he was buried under bills or checks that needed to be handled with the banks. That’s how he began drifting away from Elliot and Mía. He didn’t even sleep most nights —it had become routine for them —.

Not that he cared much about that anymore. As long as his kids were safe and under his roof, that was enough. He didn’t need to spend time with them like before the divorce. Knowing they were where they were supposed to be was good enough.

Or at least, that’s what he thought… until he saw his son kissing — a kiss on the cheek— a man who looked far too old for him (even though it was only a three-year difference).

He gripped his favorite mug so tightly that a small crack split down the side.

Elliot didn’t even glance at him when he entered the house. He just rushed up the stairs in silence.

But Mr. Builder wasn’t focused on that now. His eyes returned to the man standing on his front porch. He wore pink glasses and a ridiculous hamburger-shaped hat, black and red clothes, and shoulder length brown hair. His son was dating a homeless man?!

He stared through the window with a growing, unexplainable anger. The man stood outside for a few more minutes, then finally turned and left, face flushed.

Mr. Builder yanked the curtain shut with force. “Anger” didn’t even come close to what he was feeling. He had so many questions and not a single answer.

If Elliot wanted to date someone —man or woman — he could’ve at least introduced them properly. Sure, he knew his son was an adult now, already eighteen, and very responsible. That’s why he was planning to make him manager one day. But he would not allow his son to date some cheap-looking emo who probably didn’t even have a job yet.

Absolutely not. In fact, he hoped to never see that man again. And he expected Elliot to have enough sense never to bring him home again.

But that was precisely when the man began appearing in Mr. Builder’s life like magic.

One day, while heading to a business meeting, he spotted him. He immediately recognized the man by his ridiculous hamburger hat and pink-tinted glasses. Time seemed to slow as they passed each other, Mr. Builder exiting and the stranger entering. He shot him a glance, watching as the cheap emo disappeared inside the pizzeria, swallowed by the crowd.

Two days later, Mr. Builder stepped out of his office to check in on his employees. He passed by the counter, smiling as he saw Elliot working only for his smile to vanish when he noticed who was standing there.

It was him again! With that foolish grin on his face, looking at Elliot like he was some kind of oasis in the middle of the desert.

Then Lulu appeared beside him, heading to her station.

Mr. Builder called out to her, “Lulu.”

She turned around. “Something wrong, sir?”

He cleared his throat, trying to sound casual. “Do you know who that customer is?”

He nodded toward the man — till chatting with Elliot, completely oblivious to the massive line forming behind him. Mr. Builder didn’t want to point directly; it would’ve been rude.

Lulu followed his gaze. When she realized who he meant, she smiled politely.

“Oh! That’s 007n7. He’s a regular. I think he’s a friend of Elliot’s or something.”

With that, she walked off to a free register, leaving the manager alone with his thoughts.

“007n7...” he repeated the name aloud, letting it linger bitterly on his tongue.

He continued watching the smiling man. If looks could kill, 007n7 would’ve dropped dead on the floor of the pizzeria. Elliot was smiling too, genuinely happy to talk to him...

Mr. Builder clenched his fists. Of course, he wanted his son to be happy — he truly did. But happiness was supposed to look right. Not like some cheap excuse for a rockstar with daddy issues.

007n7 started noticing something was off whenever he came to the pizzeria. At first, he assumed it was just other people staring at him. But eventually, he realized there was a figure in the distance who always watched him closely.

He recognized it quickly: Mr. Builder.

At first, he thought maybe Mr. Builder had seen one of his online reports about exploit attacks. There were rumors that some ordinary Robloxians had connections to Roblox HQ, and if that was the case… his relationship with Elliot was doomed.

But that wasn’t the reality at all.

One day, just like any other, he was waiting for Elliot to finish his shift. Leaning against the wall beside the main entrance, he scrolled through his phone. It had become a routine —waiting there for Elliot after work ever since the incident — as Noli jokingly called the infamous kiss. That moment hadn’t repeated, but there had been hand holding, small hugs... nothing too bold.

Suddenly, the door beside him opened. He looked up and there stood Mr. Builder.

007n7 tensed immediately. He was standing face to face with his future father-in-law! He had to act normal.

“G-Good afternoon, Mr. Builder!” he stammered, straightening up awkwardly.

“Good afternoon, 007n7,” Mr. Builder replied, his voice completely devoid of emotion.

That alone startled 007n7, he hadn’t expected him to know his name.

Silence fell between them, broken only by the muffled sounds coming from inside the pizzeria.

Then, Mr. Builder let out a sigh. “Are you waiting for someone?” he asked, feigning casual curiosity.

007n7 felt a chill go down his spine. Of course he was waiting for someone — for his son —Noli always told him to be brave, but he was terrified.

“Uh… yes, actually,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He wasn’t going to say it was Elliot, but he had a feeling Mr. Builder already knew.

Mr. Builder turned to glance inside the restaurant. Elliot was working the counter, radiant as always, smiling brightly while helping customers.

He looked back at 007n7.

“You know… it’s not every day you see someone circling my son like a shark around its prey.”

The words dripped with venom, aimed directly at him.

007n7 blinked. He was the shark? So his theory had been right, Mr. Builder did know about his... “friendship” with Elliot.

He stayed silent, unsure how to respond.

Mr. Builder stepped closer, now standing beside his shoulder.

“I hope I won’t regret meeting you,” he murmured near his ear, his tone low, deliberate.

It wasn’t a greeting. It was a warning.

With that, Mr. Builder turned and walked away.

007n7 stood frozen, staring at the ground. He took a few steps toward the glass door and peeked inside. Elliot was still helping customers, but when he noticed him, he smiled and gave a small wave.

Despite everything, 007n7 couldn’t help but smile back.

Noli was definitely going to tease him about this when he found out.

Chapter Text

Hey guys!! Well, lately I've seen that quite a few people have asked me to continue this.

I've really thought about it a lot, and if I see in the comments that I want to continue, then I will ^^

Anyway... I thought about writing other stories, but I'm definitely going to finish this one!

Chapter Text

That was when 007n7 finally realized there was a major flaw in his plan to win over Elliot:
Mr. Builder.

He admitted to himself — silently, regretfully — that he’d been foolish to think his potential father-in-law would just accept him, maybe even pat him on the back and say, “Welcome to the family, son.”

Yeah… that wasn’t happening.

First of all, there was nothing wrong with dreaming! But second — and far more important — he needed to be realistic. No one just welcomed people into their lives without hesitation, especially when their son’s boyfriend happened to be a hacker who’d flunked a year of university and was currently repeating it.

Still, there was one comforting thought: there was no actual proof he’d hacked that pizzeria when he was nineteen. Noli had taken care of that… or so his friend claimed.

Either way, nothing — absolutely nothing — was going to stand in the way of his plan succeeding in the coming months.

…Right?

Two months later, that plan had been thrown straight into the void.

Now, 007n7 was in his dorm room, staring at his phone. A notification glowed on the screen. It was a message from Elliot:

“Can we talk?”

He was doomed. Completely doomed. Panic set in instantly.

“WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!” he yelled, pacing in circles like a man awaiting a death sentence, convinced that message had some hidden, terrible meaning.
(It didn’t.)

Noli was, as usual, sprawled across the couch, munching popcorn while watching a movie of highly questionable quality.

“Dude, stop pacing like that, you’re making me dizzy,” Noli groaned, rolling his eyes at his friend’s theatrics. “Besides, it’s not a big deal. Maybe he just wants to talk about, I dunno… having kids or something.” He paused mid-bite, then shrugged and tossed another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

“No! That makes no sense! We’re not even official yet!” 007n7 snapped, trying to reason his way through sheer chaos.

“Actually, I bet he found out I’m a hacker and now he’s gonna sue me…” Now that he was saying it out loud, it sounded… paranoid. Even for him.

Noli sighed, setting the popcorn aside.

“First of all, stop acting like it’s the end of the freaking world. Second, there’s no proof it was us. I made sure of that.” He grinned smugly, proud of himself. (In reality, all he’d done was turn off the security cameras, something either of them could’ve done.)

That, at least, calmed 007n7 down a little. He ran a hand down his face, frustration simmering in his chest.

“Yeah, yeah, I know… but I can’t think of any other reason he’d want to talk to me.” His poor brain was overheating, maybe because he refused to consider any happy possibility.

Noli leaned forward, hand on his chin, thinking. Then he snapped his fingers.

“You said it yourself, you’re not official yet. What if Eli wants to change that?” He pointed dramatically at his friend, who immediately looked like he was about to have another panic attack.

.

.

.

And that was how 007n7’s mind — and Noli’s table — both broke in the same moment.

Which brings us to the day, the day Elliot might, or might not, break 007n7’s heart.

To be fair, it had been an awful day already. He’d fallen out of bed that morning — normally not a big deal, except he slept on the top bunk—. Then Noli had burned the cereal, he’d forgotten his computer science homework, and the idiots from the fraternity had mocked him again for his hamburger hat, which absolutely had feelings, thank you very much.

What a wonderful day indeed.

And as if things couldn’t get worse, he still had his (not-a-date) meeting with Elliot that afternoon. The only thing left for fate to do was sue him through Elliot — the boy of his dreams — and complete his personal apocalypse.

His heart was about to be shattered right there, in front of the pizzeria, precisely at five o’clock. Elliot was getting off work early today.

His leg wouldn’t stop twitching, tapping against the pavement as he chewed on his lip and checked his phone every two seconds.
This was it. The end of his world.

He’d already gone through all the possible scenarios in his head:

1. Elliot wanted to distance himself after discovering 007n7 was a hacker.

2. Someone smarter had stolen Elliot’s heart and was about to be introduced as his new boyfriend.

3. He was just Elliot’s favorite pizza guy, and this was simply a friendly chat.

All of these options led to one outcome: the death of his heart.

He could already see his future: living alone in some dark apartment, turning into a hermit, while Noli eventually got himself a girlfriend or boyfriend and moved on with life. A miserable, lonely future for sure.

He let out a small, defeated groan. Maybe he deserved this. Maybe he should’ve never thought he stood even a chance with Elliot. Elliot had a bright future — a happy one. Something a hacker like him could never touch.

Then the doorbell above the pizzeria rang, pulling him out of his spiral.

He looked up slightly… and there he was.

Elliot.

Wearing his perfectly clean red shirt — not a single stain in sight, as always. The orange glow of the evening sky made his features even softer, brighter. He looked like sunlight in human form. Looking at him hurt, because 007n7 knew he could never reach something that beautiful.

The blond noticed him immediately as he stepped outside, waving goodbye to his coworkers with that radiant smile before walking toward him.

007n7 flinched slightly at the sudden proximity and quickly looked down, unable to hold Elliot’s gaze. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve kindness. He deserved punishment. He deserved to be hated. He deserved-

“Hey, I didn’t think you’d actually come,” Elliot’s gentle voice broke through the storm of thoughts.

“I, uh… cleared my schedule,” 007n7 stammered, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “Your message made it sound… important.”

Elliot’s smile faltered a little. That couldn’t be good.

“Yeah… the message,” Elliot said, voice softer now, nervous. Which made sense — it was always hard to talk to someone when you were about to cut them out of your life.

Right. Of course. 007n7 could never be happy.

Elliot inhaled and exhaled slowly, his hands gripping his black pants as he gathered his courage. It was now or never. He’d rehearsed this too many times to chicken out.

“Well,” he began, “I know our relationship is still kind of new… three months of friendship! That’s actually longer than most of my other friendships have lasted.”

He let out a small, nervous laugh at his own joke. But to 007n7, it sounded heartbreakingly sad.

Seeing his serious expression, Elliot quickly dropped the humor and continued.

“So… I’ve been thinking about how I feel about you.”

That sentence alone made the chemistry in 007n7’s brain explode.
Oh no. Oh no. Elliot was going to say it. He hated him.

“I feel… different when I’m around you.”

Different? Like disgusted? Or maybe uncomfortable? Definitely one of those.

“I kept thinking I was confused,” Elliot continued softly.

Of course he was confused. Who wouldn’t be? 007n7 was a mess, a walking cautionary tale. Anyone who befriended him should’ve thought twice.

“But then I realized that I really…”

Here it comes. The death blow. He hates me. He’s about to say it. God, I should’ve never listened to Noli. I’m such an idiot. I’ll never-

“I really love you.”

Silence.

Total, absolute silence inside 007n7’s head.

He blinked once. Twice. Maybe three times. Then he looked at Elliot’s face flushed bright red, like his shirt, eyes lowered in shy embarrassment.

Oh.

Oh.

OH.