Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“007n7” knew he wasn’t real, not in the way the others were. He knew that he was merely a clone. The original had died long ago, and in his desperation, created him. Maybe as a futile attempt to cope, maybe he was just an accident, something that was never meant to happen. 77 doesn’t know and perhaps he never will.

He was supposed to simply die after a bit, Clones couldn’t usually sustain themselves for very long. Maybe he had died and that this world was a figment of his fractured mind.

The survivors never noticed, there wasn’t anyone who even an inkling of suspicion that 007n7 wasn’t really 007n7. Not even Elliot, who knew him before all this. Granted, they weren’t on the best terms.

77 kept this to himself. Knowing that the others was already uneasy with him, they didn't need more fuel for the fire.

This body was his own, but also it felt as if he were wearing a strangers skin. In a way he was. It was a horribly confusing mix of emotions and feelings. Sure he had the memories but he didn't live them, knew how to use the C00lGUI like the back of his hand but didn't have the skills compared to way he was before. Everyone chalked it up to his supposed "retirement" (People didn't seem to belive that, but he'd take it if it meant that people didn't find out.) He was playing the part of a man who was dead.

But is he really dead if 77 was still here, imperfect but still enough to convince others?

Being a clone didn't come without it's drawbacks. Along with the existential dread that natrually came with knowing that you aren't your own individual person (atleast in the traditonal sense, mental issues could arrise. Think of it like generation loss. Like analog media that degrades when you copy the copy; clones made from GUIs aren't perfect. 

007n7's mental state was already so damaged, so a imperfect copy of that was bound to get worse. Becuase of this, 77 mind was almost always somewhere else, constatly focused on keeping appearences and his own fears. Memory was another thing that escaped him. More and more of his memories slip the longer he is alive, just another remider that he is an anomaly.


It was scary, he could wake up one day and not have any memories of the things that mean the most to him. 


He's already lost his son once, his baby boy, what if one day he just doesn't remember him; effectively loosing him again.

It's been easing up now lately, but 77 can't help but think it might come back worse.

....

What if they get out of this place and he had to explain to C00lkidd that his father had died and that he was just a copy. 77 hopes that it never comes to that, he has to keep up this facade, he has to.

The worse part? C00lkidd may be catching on. 77 sees the look in his eyes, the thoughts whirring in his brain. There's something wrong with dad. There were few who knew 007n7 as someone other than an exploiter, and even less that knew him closer than that. C00lkidd may not know every personal and private detail, but he knows how his father acts, how he talks, how he holds himself.

It's getting harder and harder every day to keep up, to hide the truth. The isolation helps, if people weren't close to him, they would have a harder time figuring him out.

77 doesn't know what to do.  

Chapter Text

The first memory that 77 had was not a pleasant one. It was real lucky that he could barely remember it.

The very first thing he laid eyes on was 007n7’s body. 77 can’t see his face, it was a blurry mess; his brain trying to further protect him from the trauma.

”No- No no no! This can’t be happening! 007n7!” 77 gripped the man’s shoulders in a futile attempt to get a reaction. He’s just kidding himself, he knows he’s dead.

Sobs wracked his body as all he could do was hold his corpse close.  Blood stains his palms and clothes.  77 held his chin and the back of his head, desperate to stop the bleeding.

The bleeding stops, but not before the warmth is drained from 007n7’s body. It’s all sticky and dried, a sensation he wanted to forget but never could.

77 doesn’t know how long they stayed like that. Doesn’t know how cold he’s gotten. The offending gun had probably been dropped somewhere on the floor but 77 doesn’t move an inch to get it.

Why did you do it? 

A question he knew the answer to but still thought about. C00lkidd was gone, and with it, 007n7’s will to live.

He’d tried so hard to find his boy.

C00lkidd had been found alright, just not in the way that 007n7 hoped. He drank himself stupid that night, unable to cope with it all. 

The next week he had made up his mind to join his son, leading up to the events now.

77 woke with a start, tears rolling his cheeks. He just had a dream of a memory. But as per usual, it fades before he could commit it to memory.

”####!” He tugged at his hair, cursing himself for his inability to remember. Strands of his hair being pulled out in the process. His hair had been thinning because of this. It was hard to stop pulling at his hair when frustrated but he swears his trying. 

His hat conceals most of the damage done. But 77 can’t help but feel as if people are noticing. Their looks linger a bit too long at his head and he can’t figure out if they noticed or not.

Judging by the clock in his room, it’s far too early to get ready, but 77 does so regardless.

Filing down the tips of his horns is the first thing he does. There isn’t really anything substantial about it, just a habit he picked up. Next was a thorough check of his body. A necessary procedure as keeping up appearances is important.

Clones tended to loose their appearance with time, the color of their hair, skin, eyes and any other features that weren’t attributed to clothing tended to revert back to the colour of whatever GUI they came from. That and lines of binary tended to mark any appendages such as arms and legs. All of this could be quickly remedied with a few typed in commands, surprisingly. 77 does't question this, thankful for anything he could get.

There doesn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with him, a relief.

The others were waking up now, 77 could hear Two Time shuffling in their room, also now getting ready for the day.

The day wasn’t too bad, more people were alive on average during rounds now.

Everyone retreated into their cabins. After a quick routine 77 is ready for bed and the Cycle continues.

Chapter Text

It started with 007n7 not eating with the rest of the group. Guest knows that he wasn’t on good terms with the others, but it seems like 007n7 wasn’t eating.

There was always enough food for everyone, but there’d be days where there’d be one portion that went untouched. This, of course, concerned Guest. He was scared that 007n7 wasn’t eating enough. He’s seen him loose weight, all of them did; but that just wasn’t a him problem.

Everybody else lost weight, there was no wonder why. They were burning calories like it was nothing during rounds. Guest was just concerned at the rate 007n7 lost his  weight. Though it seemed as if he was staying at the same weight now. But he couldn’t help but be concerned.

After once again seeing 007n7’s portion go untouched for the third time that week, Guest decided to confront him.

He went up to Two Time and 007n7's cabin. Guest knew that Two Time was out in the main lobby doing their own thing, so he could get 007n7 alone without anyone trying to disrupt them. This was something probably personal to 007n7.

"007n7? You in there?" He asked as he knocked on the door. Shuffling could be heard from inside, as well as a few bumps against the wall.

”Guest?” Came 7n7’s voice from inside.

”Yeah, it’s me, can I come in?” A moment of silence before the door cracked open a little.

007n7 looked exhausted, no surprise there; the rounds just ended a little while ago. Guest stepped inside, removing his shoes by the door. It was a habit, a sign of respect if you will.

”Are you doing ok?” He had asked. 7n7 nodded.

”I’m fine.” Came the reply.

”Are you fine? I saw that you didn’t eat your food like the rest of us.” 7n7 froze a little before regaining his composure.

”I wasn’t hungry. I usually eat here by myself late at night.” He said, hoping Guest would take the excuse.

Guest noticed that he hid his forearms behind his back. His brows furrowed a little. He could tell that 7n7 noticed him glancing at his hidden arms.

Is he…? Guest hoped that he was just over thinking it, but he couldn’t help but be concerned.

”You can talk to me, I promise not to judge.” He hoped 7n7 would open up to him, it hurt to see his fellow survivor struggling.

“I-… I’ll think about it…. Is that all you wanted to talk about? You don’t have to worry about me, worry about the others. I’m alright, promise.” Guest could sense the tension in his voice, seemingly wanting him to leave.

Guest knew he couldn’t push it as much as he wanted to. He didn’t know how 007n7 would take it.

”If you say so. But I want you to know I care, the others do too. Even if they don’t show it.” He knew that there was a small amount of people who did care for 007n7, but it wasn’t a lot.

007n7 nodded before he left the cabin. Shutting the door behind him.

That had been too close. 

77 was on edge the whole conversation. His forearms had lost their texture and Guest came before he could code it away.

This was a problem. It was happening faster than before and way more frequently. Instead of having to check once every morning, he’d been needing to do it quite a few times a day. 

He’d need to be extra care from now on.

Chapter Text

Ever since the incident with Guest, 77 had started wearing outfits with longer sleeves. He was particularly fond of wearing this black jacket with red lining and zipper. It was really comfy alright! Besides, it was strangely comforting and covered him up pretty well.

Maybe he had this jacket before all this, but his mind struggled to dig up that memory.

But he’s seen how Guest looks at him, he’s always concerned. 77 feels guilty for making him feel that way, but he couldn’t tell him the truth. That would shatter any trust he had with him.

There had also been a TV installed on the bottom floor of the lobby for some reason. It always turned on during Last Man Standing, but people didn’t usually watch, having their spectator panels were enough for them.

It was Last Man Standing, against C00lKidd….

77 had to play this carefully, he was low enough that one attack would need to land and he would die.

But when he was finally in C00lkidd’s sight, he didn’t go to tag him, instead he just stared at him. It was unnerving, but that was nothing to the words he spoke next.

”You aren’t my papa.”

77 felt like the air in his lungs gor knocked out of his chest. Realistically he should be booking it in the opposite direction, but it felt as if he was stuck in place.

“Kidd, what are you talking about?” Worry and panic bubbled in his chest. He didn’t know what C00lkidd meant when he said that.

“You aren’t him, you just look like him. Your just one of his clones!” He shouted. Tears were brimming in C00lkidd’s eyes, looking like the child he was rather than the monster he appeared to be.

His gaze went to his hands and neck, seeing the texture fade already, something he’d seen before with his dad’s clones.

77’s heart ached, he knew, his son knew.

Of course C00lkidd figured it out first. 

77 was at a loss for words. The two of them didn’t move an inch.

”… Did he not love me…? Why isn’t the real him here? ” He sniffled, thick tears streaming down his face. He had assumed that the reason why 77 was here was because his dad was too busy.

“Oh Kidd, of course he loved you, I love you. He loved you so much, it broke him when you left.” 77 brought him into an embrace, though it was akward due to C00lkidd’s tall stature (77 never got used to it). C00lkidd, didn’t fight it, just cried some more.

”I don’t know why he’s not here, or why I took his place. It wasn’t your fault.” He admitted, rubbing his back.

He held him close, he could relax in this small, fleeting moment. It didn’t look like C00lkidd was going to make a move to attack him. He’d let his guard down.

It felt like hours but realistically it couldn’t have been.

The timer in the sky finally hit zero and 77 braced himself to book it out of the lobby the moment he got his bearings.

He was sat at the table, like usual when the survivors won. 

77 took no time to stay stagnant, he was already up and moving. He didn’t notice the lack of noise in the lobby until he was infront of the door.

”007n7. We need to talk.”

It felt like a bucket of ice was dumped on him when he heard those words. 77 could help but turn around. He saw Guest in front of him, everyone else was huddled around the TV. His breath hitched as he realised what exactly Guest wanted to talk about, what the rest of them learned.

No.

No no no no! They know. They know!

77 felt so stupid, he should’ve been more careful. The one time he let his guard down he goes and ruins it.

His breathing picks up as Guest walks closer, the survivors behind him turning around to look at him. 

The walls seem to close in on him, his clothes feel too tight, it feels like there’s needles stabbing into his heart. \

Everythings too loud, too quiet. Too overwhelming and not enough at the same time.

A hand goes to his shoulder.

His voice isn’t his own, it’s distorted and almost robotic or static like. 77’s fingers dig into the offending hand.

He snapped back to reality when Guest tried to tug his hand back. 77 lets go when he finally realised what happened.

He turns on his heel and books it out if the Lobby, not daring to look back.

Chapter Text

77 slammed the door to his cabin behind him. Practically ripping off his jacket, he beelined straight to the bathroom.

His own ugly reflection stared back at him, the black textured flesh taunted him every second he looked at it. Lines of binary were littered across his skin like a brand.

It spread just about everywhere except for his face, though it got dangerously close to his chin.

His own body repulsed him. 77 felt as if his own body was betraying him. Tears blurred his vision as he started to let them fall.

Sobs tore from his throat as he thought about how nobody would think about him in the same way. He was stupid, so very stupid for ever thinking that people would ever see him as anything other than something to be despised.

Thoughts ran rampant in his mind, mostly about his own failures, about what the others were going to do him.

Then he saw it, a silhouette behind him in the mirror.

77 whipped his head around, breath hitching as he saw who it was.

007n7.

Not himself.

The real one.  

…?

He looked just how 77 remembered. His outfit were the same clothes he had worn for weeks after C00lkidd went missing. But his face was obsured by a black box.

Dried blood stained the collar of his sweater. 007n7 just stood before him, making no attempt to move.

77 broke into a smile, then loud, manical laughter. He was so very close to loosing it completely.

“This can’t be ####### real!” His hands made their way to his hair, tugging at the strands there. He felt as if he was going insane. It was like 007n7 was just taunting him. He cackled some more till his cheeks hurt.  

The laughter stopped and made way for deafening silence. It was then replaced with anger, his fingers curled into fists.

”Why? Why did you create me? Were you too cowardly and made me your scapegoat?” 77 asked. 007n7’s gaze bore into him, his very soul, even without any facial features to do so. 

"Was the burden of your mistakes too much to bare? Did you have to dump it all on me? What did I do?" The questions kept coming, each word spilling out of him uncontrollably. He was letting out all his pent up emotions and thoughts.

More silence. 77 grit his teeth.

He snapped before whipping around and punching the mirror. Even angry, he couldn’t bare to hurt him, to hurt himself. So he punched the mirror, the glass shattering into peices.

He still hurt himself in the process….

The glass shattered, but even then he could see 007n7 behind him in the reflection. Within a blink of an eye he was gone.

77 really thought he was actually there, but it was just a stupid hallucination. Add that to the pile of things that was wrong with him.

He sat on his bed, panicking as he entered lines of code to restore his appearance only for it to fail. His tail curled up even further as more and more of his attempts failed...

It was as if the universe itself was against him doing so. (Spoiler: it’s The Specter’s bitchass tampering with his commands.)

Eventually he managed to find one that worked. 

77 could barely sleep that night, he was wide awake as he was kept up by the thought of everyone’s reaction. They looked at him with such disgust and loathing. Like he was the scum of the earth, like he was something not deserving to be a person; not like they were.

Chapter Text

It was a normal round, just Last Man Standing with C00lkidd and 007n7. Nobody thought much of it, some felt sympathy for the father and son duo, but the rest didn't really pay attention. There had been a TV recently installed just to show what happens during LMS. People weren't watching, that was until they heard something unexpected.

"You aren't my Papa." 

The survivors paused, turning there attention to the TV. This was something out of character for C00lkidd to say, usually he'd be carefree and having fun. Not now. What changed? A few people gathered round, watching, their attentions caught by the statment.

“Kidd, what are you talking about?” 

007n7 replied, seemingl stuck in place. The two of them didn't move, C00lkidd not moving to attack his father like he usually would under the pretense of playing tag.

“You aren’t him, you just look like him. Your just one of his clones.”   

It felt as if everything had just stopped in the cabin, no breathing, no noise. Surely C00lkidd was wrong, there could be no way that 007n7 was a clone....

Right? 

 The survivors observed C00lkidd almost burst into tears, his gaze at his 'dad's' hands. They were completely black with strings of red binary going up beneath the sleeves of his jacket.

"What the hell is wrong with his hands!?" Someone piped up, perhaps Chance or someone else. The admins watched, dread filling their guts. They had seen what happened to clones if they were out for too long, whatever was happening to 007n7 was similar, too similar. 

”… Did he not love me…? Why isn’t the real him here? ”   

C00lkidd was crying now, thick blobby tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked less threatening than usual, but still had that unnearving vibe to him. Guest hoped, no, all of them hoped that whatever came out of 007n7's mouth would be to disprove the claims.

Instead, 007n7 brought C00lkid into an embrace, having to go on his tiptoes to reach. His voice cracked as he spoke.

“Oh Kidd, of course he loved you, I love you. He loved you so much, it broke him when you left.”

It wasn't a denial. "007n7" didn't deny the claim that he (it?) was a clone, not one bit. But his next words were damning. 

”I don’t know why he’s not here, or why I took his place. It wasn’t your fault.” 

"007n7" had practically confirmed what was on everyone's minds. He really was a clone.

Everyone was rendered silent until they weren't. Thoughts swirled in their mind, the most dominant ones were: Where did 007n7 go? The real one. How long had this clone taken his place? People were talking, the admins looking the most worried. Some of them (Shedletsky and Guest) felt as if they should've picked up on it sooner, they'd sensed something wrong with him but didn't do anything.

Elliot felt conflicted, he'd thought that 007n7 had changed or was trying to, but if it were just a clone they were all really interacting with, how much of that was really 007n7 and how much of it was the clone? His guilt might not even be genuine. All the progress he had trying to forgive 007n7, atleast a little, had been practically reset.

The time hit zero, and "007n7" had practically bolted out the moment he- it could, everyone went silent. Guest stopped him

”007n7. We need to talk.”

"007n7" froze. Turning around, it's(?) breathing hitched before picking up as Guest approached, seemingly panicking. 


"007n7," He says, though he doesn't know if he should call the clone that. "You need to calm down-" Guest reaches out to grab it's shoulder, but it's hand grips his, it being almost painful.

Instead of 007n7's voice, it was a robotic, almost static like one. It caught Guest off guard. But it released it's grip when Guest tried to get his hand back. Regret and realisation flashed across it's(?) face before the clone booked it out of the lobby. No other words were said.

The survivors looked at eachother. 

What do we do? 

Were all thought by everyone but went unsaid.

Chapter Text

77 doesn’t know how he’s gotten himself in this situation. His arms are currently tied behind the backrest of a chair while his legs were tied to the chair’s front two legs. The had restrained him in the lobby room with the blackboard.

The others were in the storey above. 77 could hear snippets of their conversation.

"...what are we going to do about it?"  "I don't know but can we really trust the clone? It  fooled us for so long, what else could it be hiding."

It.

It

IT

They didn't even see him as a person anymore. He should've expected this, but he didn't and it hurt. 77 let his head fall forward, as if all his energy had been sapped from him. 

Time seemed to drag on, conversations died down and he could hear a few pairs of footsteps aproaching. It took all of his strength to look up at them. It was Builderman, Shedletsky and Guest. 77 wondered why Dusekkar wasn't with them but he supposed fewer people talking to him was better.

Guilt filled his chest as he looked at Guest. He wanted to apologise to him; to say sorry for deceving them all, for making him worry about him for nothing. The words never came. Any sentence his brain came up didn't feel right.

Nobody caught the way Shedletsky looked at him. His expression a mix of something akin to guilt and... understanding? But it was gone as quickly it came.

"How long have you been impersonating 007n7?" Builderman had asked; arms crossed, his expression betraying none of his thoughts. He wanted answers and he wasn't going to beat around the bush, not when "007n7" could be a threat.

"The whole time." There was no lying now, so 77 would come clean even if his heart clenched at the thought of being scorned at, being truthful would atleast get something off his chest.

"What."  Builderman looked stunned, his hands dropping to his sides. Shedletsky and Guest had similar expressions.


"It was me, always had been. 007n7 was never here, he's dead." 77 felt his heart rate race as he spoke, unable to stop himself from talking. 

"I was scared, you guys already hated him, hated me, when I got here. I couldn't let you know. Do you know how hard it is? To lie to everyone constantly?  To be too afraid to act becuase it would be too out of character? To feel as if you are wearing someone else's skin and staining their reputation even further? Do you? DO YOU!?" 

77 shouted, almost lunging at them. The chair swung forward dangerously before swinging back to be on the floor properly. He seemed to go boneless after his outburst, sobs tore though his throat as he sat there.

"I am a person. Why can't you see that? I think, I feel, I live, I survive; Just like you!  What makes me so different?" 77 got out between sobs, his entire being laid out for all to judge.

The others were silent as he spoke. They left soon after, no doubt to discuss what to do with him.

It felt like hours till they came back, or rather just Builderman. There was a lapse in his memory, he either passed out or he simply forgot again. 77 can feel his binds loosening, but his wrists were still bound together.


"We can't trust you fully just yet, but you deserve a chance. You haven't done anything to harm any of us when you could've. The others deserve the truth and you are going to tell them."

Builderman said, leading him up the stairs. 77 went to thank him but he was cut off.


"I'm just giving you a fair chance. Don't think I'm not going to keep my eye on you."

77 could only nod. His legs felt like jelly as he made his way up the stairs.


Convosations halted, all eyes on him.

Chapter Text

C00lkidd reluctantly walked up the steps too his house. He wasn't looking forward to coming home. Usually he'd be excited to come home to his dad after playing all day, but now everything felt wrong.

Well, things felt wrong ever since he accepted Mister Tophat's deal. He never saw his neighbors anymore, and his house was now far away from everyone else's.

If his dad wasn’t his real dad during tag, then the one back home might not be either. Opening the door, his 'dad's' voice came from the kitchen.

"Come and eat C00lkidd, I just finished with dinner."

Dinner wasn't anything too fancy, just spagetti. C00lkidd couldn't bring himself to eat and pushed his plate away. His 'dad' frowned, clearly concerned.

"Not hungry?" He asked softly, his own plate untouched.


"You aren't really my dad... aren't you?" C00lkidd asked. Straight to the point like last time.

"No, I'm not."

"He's not here, is he?"

"No, he isn't."


"Where is he?"

"You don't need to know that."


C00lkidd was frowning. His head hurt too much to think, ʞuᴉɥʇ oʇ ʇɹnɥ ɹǝʌǝu ʇI. He kept giving him vauge answers and it frustrated him to no end. His 'dad' was already cleaning up the table, putting the uneaten spagetti in their fridge.

"Why?" He asked, standing up from the table.


"You just don't, now get ready for bed. Growing boys need their sleep after all."


He huffed but complied anyways. Brushing his teeth, he felt his eyes go heavy and his mind foggy. Putting on his pyjamas, he felt sleepy.

C00lkidd always felt this way, it usually felt nice, but he didn’t want to go to bed. It was almost like he was being forced to go to sleep by his own body.

(¡ƃuoɹʍ llɐ sᴉ sᴉɥ┴ ¡ƃuoɹʍ sᴉ sᴉɥ┴ ¡ʇᴉ ɟo ʇno dɐuS)

Snuggling in his sheets, his fake dad didn’t tuck him in like usual time….

(¡ǝɹǝɥ ɟo ʇno ʇǝפ ¡pɐp ɹnoʎ ʇou s’ǝH)

Actually he didn’t hear him in the house at all.

Usually there’d be shuffling in the house before he went to bed, not tonight though.

C00lkidd hopped out of bed, curiosity winning over exaustion.

Opening the door, he was taken aback.

Instead of the hallway that had his dad’s room and the staircase that led downstairs, it was just an inky, starstrewn void.

C00lkidd closed the door then opened it again. It was still the same. Childishly, he thought it was his own imagination.

This time though, a pair of eyes peered back at him. Then those eyes had a face, or what looked like one. It was hard to tell and it hurt to look at it.

A figure stepped out of the shadows. A comically tall tophat adorned its head. That’s the reason why C00lkidd called him Mister Tophat.

”Go to bed child. You can’t be tired while playing tag tommorow, you’ll lose that way.”

It was hard to make out words, as It’s voice was like static poring into his ears.

”No.”

“No?”

”I don’t want to play anymore! You lied! You said my dad would play with me forever! That wasn’t my dad!” C00lkidd stomped his feet childishly. He genuinely thought he was only playing tag.

”You don’t get that choice, you play whether you like it or not.”

”I SAID NO! I WANT MY DAD!”

The Spectre only tsked, as if it were dealing with a misbehaving kid. It esentially was.

”Insolent child! I gave you an opportunity of a lifetime and now you reject it? You want your father? Fine. You shall suffer for your disobedience.”

And with that, the roof of his room was ripped off, above was that star speckled void. It was actively sucking up everything inside his room.

(¡ppIʞ ƎɹƎH┴ ℲO ┴∩O ┴Ǝפ)

C00lkidd took no time bolting out of the door, the hallway and staircase restored. He ran like hell, dodging falling objects and things floating up into the void.

He was terrified, with his father gone and someone he thought was good being so mean, C00lkidd had been thrown into a loop.

As he sprinted down the stairs, he missed a step and fell all the way down.

A scream was ripped from his throat as he landed on his tail. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he looked at his tail. It was bent wrong and was really painful.

But before he could start crying properly, the staircase too has started to float up into the void.

(פNINN∩ɹ ԀƎƎʞ 'Ԁ∩ ┴Ǝפ)

And that’s what he did. He ran to the front door. But it was locked.

“NO NO NO! LET ME OUT!” C00lkidd cried, banging on the door with his fists. The living room was in disarray, floorboards tearing themselves from the ground. Furniture lifting off the ground.

He was going to die here, wasn’t he?

C00lkidd’s eyes darted around. Time was running out and he wasn’t even sure if there was an exit for him.

That was until he saw an open window. Sprinting over, he climbed out and ran though the Forrest.

There was no particular direction that he would head in, C00lkidd just ran. Ran far and fast, ignoring the pain, ignoring his exasustion. He had to get far away from home as possible.

He ran for what felt like hours, his vision fogged by his tears. Scratches and bruises littered his body, thick tears poured down his cheeks.

Everything felt bigger again. C00lkidd slowed to a walk.

Up ahead were voices, and warm light.

Help.

Chapter Text

77 could feel the weight of everyone's gazes apon him. Elliot couldn't, or wouldn't, look him in the eyes anymore....


It wasn't out of anger, Elliot was too kind for that, but he certainly was uncomfortable. He wasn't the type to be mean without warrant. Even then he never liked doing it. The only time 77 could recall Elliot being rude or even something remotely like that was when he and C00lkidd were blacklisted. Elliot was just done that day and snapped at both of them.

77 can feel the amount of distrust suffocating the room. No hatred, surprisingly, but the tension in the room was thick.

With a look from Builderman, 77 started talking. He came clean to almost everything, even his memory issues and lack of infomation reguarding the original 007n7. But even with his confession, they were still unseasy. It was expected.

"Can you not use 'it' when adressing me?"

"What?"

"You can use it for the other clones, they don't really care, but it makes me uncomfortable." 77 admitted.

A brief silence falls upon them as the other survivors collectively realise that 77 doesn't want to be referred to as an 'it'. Even since they've found out that 007n7 was a clone, they've all been reffering to him as an 'it' in their minds. Not that it was necessarily wrong to do so, it just so happens that 77 just doesn't feel comfortable with being called that.

"Oh."


"We'll stop doing that, sorry man."


"Do you have any pronouns you prefer?"


77 just blinks for a moment before remembering that a chunk of them are nonbinary or genderfluid.


"I don't really mind, but I prefer he/him."

It was agreed apon that 77 would need to be accompanied by another survivor outside his cabin till they could trust him again. 77 went along with it, wanting to regain the trust he had broken.

By the time 77 got back to his cabin, he was exausted emotionally. Now that he doesn't really have to hide the fact that he was a clone, it felt like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. But now he just felt lost. While he has no need to act like 007n7, he’s spent essentially his entire existence being a clone of him.

Of course there’s things he wants to persue, to do without being 007n7, but he just doesn’t have that opportunity and he’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to.

Should he keep pretending to atleast somewhat be like 7n7 or try and find his own personality in the midst of his coded one?

His head hurts, he needed to take a walk.



Heading out, 77 had Two Time accompany him, the latter coming along as they were his cabinmate.


The walk was quiet, eerily so. There were no wildlife; no life beyond them, the killers and the NPCs. The amber hued light could still be seen though the trees, though it was starting to fade from sight the longer the pair walked, along with the voices of the survivors and NPCs talking.


Two Time was quiet too, their steps even and mesured.

Then.

A rustle and a quiet sob.

77 immedietly tensed, Two Time's hand went to their dagger.


The pair was on edge, that was until they saw a child walk out from the forrest. Red skin, red horns, oversized t-shirt and shorts.


"C00lkidd?" 77 couldn't belive his eyes. He was so used to seeing C00kidd as a twisted monster that seeing him as an actual child again was absolute whiplash. 


C00lkidd practically bolted into 77's arms, sobbing. "I-It hurts! Please make it stop!" He cried.


"What hurts kid, tell me- oh-" He could clearly see what was hurting, the kid's tail was bent in a way that just screamed wrong. Please don't be broken, please don't be broken.

77 pleaded mentally as he scouped up C00lkidd into his arms, careful not to jostle his tail.

"We gotta get him help." He said as he turned around and headed to the cabins. 

Everything hurt. C00lkidd burried his face into the shirt of the man holding him. 


It was a disorienting mix of voices, light and sound. He could barely understand the talking around him. His dad's voice cut through it all.


"Kidd, focus on me ok? We gotta fix your tail but it's going to hurt. You can hold my hand and squease as tight as you need to." C00lkidd could only nod, tears bluring his vision. He could feel a pair of hands on his tail, gentle but firm.


"It's gonna hurt in, 3,2,1." The moment his dad said 1, a sharp pain shot through him, his fingers in a deathgrip around his dad's hand. A scream rang out. He crumpled in on himself. The pain was blinding, he could barely concentrate on anything. It felt as if it were worse than before. His tail felt stiff, and when he looked, his tail was now in a splint.


"I wanna go home." C00lkidd said as he rested his head against the couch he was lain on, tear tracks drying on his red cheeks. Shortly after, he passed out.

"C00lkidd has now joined the survivors."

The announcement rang out though the cabin.


Well shit.

Chapter Text

The announcement left just about everyone stunned. The lobby was still and quiet for just about 5 seconds before people started talking.

Disbelief was evident in everyone's tone. 

The commotion was giving 77 a headache. Carefully scouping up C00lkidd, he slipped away into his cabin. That would be future 77's problem to deal with;

It felt like hours till C00lkidd woke up. A plate of food and water was waiting for him (It was 77's own portion but he didn't need to know that).


"Are you ok Kidd?" He asked as C00lkidd tucked into his meal, which was just baked mac and cheese. Worry stirred in his chest as he looked at the injuries that covered his son.


C00lkidd nodded, still a little weary but ultimately feeling safe. He didn't really have a reason to distrust 77, especially with how honest he was unlike the other clone version of his dad. That one still creeped him out.

"Is your tail hurting anymore?"

C00lkidd finished up his meal before answering. (77 doesn't comment on how fast he finished his food).


"Nope!" 



"That's good." 77 was relived that he was fine. Sure they healed up abnormally fast here, but he couldn't help but be concerned for his health and safety. Then his eyes caught the whistle and pouch C00lkidd had.


"Where did you get those?" 77 pointed to the afformentioned items, he was sure he hadn't seen C00lkidd carry any of the sort before. C00lkidd looked down and shrugged.


"I dunno but they seem c00l!" C00lkidd opened up the bag, intrigued as to what was inside.


"Woah Marbles!" Pulling one out, the two of them could see that it was a nice deep ruby colour with the ocasional black swirl. He seemed happy simply twirling the marble between his claws.

77 frowned a little, C00lkidd wouldn't have been given anything with no reason so the marbles clearly had a purpose. Now that he thought about it, neither of them knew exactly what C00lkidd's abilities would be. He certianly wouldn't have the same abilities as before, the abilities weren't geared to be a survivour's.

"Uh... which one of you is the real C00lkidd...?" 77 just turned his back for 5 seconds and C00lkidd managed to somehow clone himself 3 times. There were currently 4 C00lkidds before him.

"You have to guess!" They all replied in a sing song voice. It was a little funny, the C00lkidds were being tricky on purpose. The situation reminded him of a time before all this.

After a bit of observation, 77 could already see the flaws. One was a shade too dark, another had the words on their shirt spelt very wrong, and a third had their horns swapped so the right was shorter when it was supposed to be the left.

"Hmm." He pretended to think for a second before pointing at the real C00lkidd. "You're the real one!" 

The Kidds looked at eachother before proclaiming:

"Nuh uh! You got it wrong!"

"No I know i'm right, you might look similar but you have glaring diffrences." 


They all pouted a little before dissapearing in a small 'poof', leaving behind the real C00lkidd.

The rest of the evening was spent experimenting. It was a good way to get their minds off everything. The pair found out how exactly C00lkidd 'cloned' himself, it was with the whistle around his neck. It acted as a sort of command. Another thing they found out was that C00lkidd could turn invisble, but it had it's own drawbacks. 


What the pair didn't find out was what the marbles were for. Eh, a mystery for another day.

"Goodnight Kidd." 77 said as he tucked C00lkidd in his bed. His room only had one bed, but he'll make do for the sake of his son.

"G'night." C00lkidd yawned, his words sluring a little. 77 didn't acknowlage the little pain in his heart when 'dad' went unsaid.

Chapter Text

It was late, but 77 couldn't bring himself to go to bed, the day was hectic and he just wanted to stay awake for a little while longer. 

"Do you want a different name?" Chance had said as he sat on the couch. Everyone else was doing their own thing and Chance had opted to hang out with 77 for some odd reason. (He wouldn't be surpised if someone put him up to keep an eye on him.)

"What?" 77 was confused at the fact that Chance was so casual with him. Like nothing had changed at all between them, sure they werent the closest but they were civil with eachother.

"Do you want a different name?" Chance repeated. 

"Or do you want to go by 007n7?"

77 was silent for a bit, mulling over their words. Does he want a new name?

"I think I want to go by a new name." He finally decided.

The two of them went on for hours, struggling to pick a name. It was nice, interacting with someone 'normally' again. 'Coda' was the decided name, due to it sounding like code. It was a little silly, but it was his now, his own name. A warm, fuzzy feeling bubbled in Coda's chest as Chance used the name on him for the first time.

Honestly, after all that happened in the past few days, it would've been nice to get a break. Aparently not to the fucked up entity which kept them all here decided to lump them in with a new killer, not only that, the round didn't include any healers! Isn't that just great?

Already, the new killer, who seemingly went by Noli, was completly overwhelming. They didn't know how to counter the killer and very quickly their numbers dwindled.

"WHY ARE THERE TWO OF THEM!?"  Chance shouted, looking like trying to dodge two figures while only one could be seen. Not even 2 seconds later, whips out his flintlock nad aims it in the wrong direction and (of course) dies because it blew up in his face.

"TH-THEY'RE HALLUCINATIONS! DON'T D-DO GENERATORS WITH A F-FACE ON THEM!" Noob shreiked as they bolted in a random direction, seemingly fleeing from a hallucination.

One by one, they all started dropping like flies up until it was just Coda and Shedletsky. Coda was on Cooldown with his abilities and so was Shed, not an ideal situation.

With 3 minutes on the clock, they really had to play it safe.

Oddly enough, Noli didn't go for Shedletsky, who clearly had the lower health out of the two. Instead he was fixated on Coda. Dodging and weaving theough the map, Coda was not lucky and Noli got a few hits in, he couldn't understand it, the fixation on him. That was until Noli spoke.

"Y0u'r3 runn1n6, l1k3 7h3 c0w4rd y0u 4r3! 4nd 1 7h0u6h7 y0u w0uld m155 m3, 53v. (You're running, like the coward you are and I thought you would miss me, Sev.)"  He taunted from behind Coda, who narrowly dodged an attack. Stupidly, he let his stamina drain to absolute zero. 

"Wh47? c47 907 y0ur 70un93? or w3r3 y0u 3xp3c73d 70 533 my f4c3 494in 4f73r y0u 464nd0n3d m3? (What? Cat got your tounge? Or were you expected to see my face again after you abandoned me?)"

Before he had time to react, a burning sensation hit him from behind as he was pulled back abruptly. He felt his heart drop as his feet briefly left the ground.

Knocked to the floor, Noli put a foot on his chest, pressing down as he taunted Coda further.

"Y0ur p47h371c. Pl4y1n6 h0u53 n0w, 4r3 w3? 1 c4n'7 b3l1v3 y0u l3f7 m3 l1k3 7h15, f0r 4 5n077y br47. (Your pathetic. Playing house now, are we? I can't belive you left me like this, for a snotty brat.)" 

Well shit.

Coda feels like he, or rather 007n7, knows this guy. But he can't remember who this guy was, especially with how much his body aches.

"Who- who are you?" Coda couldn't help but ask, but he quickly regretted it 

"Wh47 d0 y0u m34n, wh0 4r3 y0u? w3 kn3w 34ch07h3r f0r n34rly 4 d3c4d3 4nd y0u d0n'7 3v3n r3m3mb3r m3!? (What do you mean, who are you? We knew eachother for nearly a decade and you don't even remember me!?)

Noli was livid, the two of them were practically inseperable; always at eachothers sides. Now he was pretending that he never existed. Then he caught Coda's eyes. The dull, glazed over look was familiar. They were the same ones on the clones 007n7 used to prank him with. That wasn't right, he had just taken care of a clone not even 5 seconds ago.

"Y0u'r3 4 cl0n3. (You're a clone)" He said, gritting his teath. Of course it was a clone. 007n7 always had to weedle his way out of unsavory situations

"0f c0ur53 y0u 4r3! 4ll 7h053 y34r5 0f fr13nd5h1p 60n3, l1k3 1 m34n7 n07h1n6 70 h1m. 1 r353n73d h1m f0r l34v1n6 m3, w3 w3r3 5upp053d 70 b3 1n53p3r4bl3. N0w h3 l34v35 y0u 70 cl34n h15 d4mn m35535, 700 c0w4rdly 70 f4c3 h15 0wn pr0bl3m5. 63771n6 07h3r5 70 d0 7h1n65 h3 c0uldn'7. (Of course you are! All those years of friendship gone, like I meant nothing to him. I resented him for leaving me, we were supposed to be inseperable. Now he leaves you to clean his damn messes, too cowardly to face his own problems. Getting others to do what he couldn't.)

It seemed like Noli was talking less to him, and more like 007n7 himself, as if he would be able to hear him. Looks like the dude has issues. Issues with 007n7 that Coda has absolutely no memory of.

"1 h0p3 17 w45 w0r7h 17. (I hope it was worth it.)"

He sneered, crushing Coda's chest swiftly, initiating Last Man Standing with Shedletsky. He barely lasted 20 seconds with how low he was.

Chapter Text

Just popping in to say:

Updates will be slower now because of my personal life and becuase I'm running out of Ideas rn D:

I WILL NOT be abandoning this fic, I've already dedicated a ton of time and I don't want to leave yall on a cliffhanger

I will be taking a small break. Just a week or two at most! I'll return with either a double update or a REALLY long chapter (compared to the other so about 1500 - 2000 words)

- HotlineNebula

Chapter Text

5/7

Guest should've spoken up, said something to the others instead of keeping it to himself. He should've told someone, anyone his concerns, but now his inaction may have put them in danger. 

He thought that 007n7 was hiding an unhealthy coping mechanism, but he was so wrong. In actuality it was hiding the fact that it was a clone. Guest regretted keeping the thoughts between the two of them, even if 007n7 wasn't a clone and was harming himself, he shouldn't have stopped without pushing even a little, shouldn't have given him the opportunity to do something worse. 

Maybe if he pushed, he would've found out and this wouldn't have happened.

He didn't know what to feel, yes he felt betrayed, who wouldn't? But the clone made no move to harm them, hell it felt guilty for being a burden. But maybe it was just a front to deceive them all. 

Guest couldn't focus, too caught up in his guilt that he could barely register the conversation around him, the conversation about what they needed to do about the clone.

He was supposed to help protect the group, but how could he if he had given the opportunity for harm to be done without him realising so easily?

Stop that. There’s nothing you can do for that now. Pull yourself together and focus on the present.

It was agreed on that he, Builderman and Shedletsky would interrogate the clone. The latter insisted he come along. 

9

"C00lkidd has now joined the survivors."

Immediately, the survivors started to talk.

“T-That can just happen!?” Noob’s voice was filled with genuine shock.

 A killer becoming a survivor was unheard of. It was hard for them to recognize the red child with the monstrosity they would have to run from on a near daily basis. 

“That’s C00lkidd?!” Chance exclaimed, clearly taken aback. Now that he looked like an actual child, he was adorable with his chubby cheeks and small stature. Chance had to stop himself from cooing, children were one of their soft spots after all.

The others were a little more weary. Yes, C00lkidd made no move to attack any of them, but he was currently small and injured. Who knows if he would strike or not given the opportunity.

Nobody noticed ‘7n7’ leaving with C00lkidd till they were suddenly gone.

11

But ‘7n7’ came back an hour or two later. Chance thought it’d be a good opportunity to talk to the guy since nobody else would. The others had dispersed to do their own things.

After a few hours, Chance and ‘7n7’ finally came up with a name for him. It was a bunch of trial and error. Initially they went down the route of the 007s, but Coda didn’t feel like it fit (nor did he feel like he deserved it), then came the more technology based names but most of them didn’t really feel like names, y’know?

Then Chance randomly blurted out ‘Coda’ and something just clicked.

“Why?” Coda asked, after a beat of silence.

“Why what?” Chance tilted his head.

“Why act like nothing changed? Aren’t you weary, suspicious?” Coda was looking Chance directly in the eyes. The latter made no move to look away.

“Yes I am. But you don’t really seem dangerous, no offence.”

“None taken.”

“You also had opportunities to strike, to lie, but you came clean and hadn’t made any sort of attempt to put us in danger. At least intentionally.”

“You’re really just trusting me that easily?”

“Yup, besides, the odds seem to be in the favor of you being harmless rather than harmful and that’s a gamble I’m willing to take.”

Chapter Text

Breakfast was tense, nobody was talking, even C00lkidd. He would usually be a chatterbox, talking about everything and anything to his dad . Usually. Now that his tail was healed up, he was eligible to be picked for rounds.

From snippets of information the kid had betrayed in conversations, he really did think he was only playing games, not murdering them. It was honestly fucked up in so many ways, having a child kill others then suddenly having the same child subject to the tourture he had unknowingly done to others.

The survivors doubted that any of the killers would spare C00lkidd any mercy, so they had decided to keep him protected to the best of their abilities. It wasn’t his fault. Coda had tried to explain what the rounds truly were the night before as gently as he could, but C00lkidd went eerily quiet afterwards.

It was much easier to avoid reality than confront it.

The beginning of the round was already hectic. Elliot was already out about 40 seconds in and most of the team was already injured, a handful of them barely over 50% in health. It was no wonder why, they were up against 1x1x1x1.

Coda told C00lkidd to avoid 1x, no matter what. That meant no talking to him as much as he really wanted to. From the sparse interactions C00lkidd had with 1x, they weren’t bad. In fact they leaned towards positive more often than not. One time 1x had let him play with some of her minions. That was before the killers were divided up as it was deemed as ‘unproductive’ for some reason.

One by one, the survivor's numbers ticked down. 7, then 6, then 5. 

C00lkidd was working on a generator, it being quite simplistic much to his surprise. He was quite good at the easier puzzles, but had to take a bit to figure out the harder ones. 

He already knew what his abilities did, as he was practicing them with Coda a few days prior. That was fun. The problem was actually putting them into play. His marbles were easy enough. C00lkidd just copied Taph with his placements. It was his passive he should be worrying about. Yes, he outstripped the others, but he couldn’t run as long as them. He was used to being able to run longer, even if just a fraction more.

Then, 1x’s chase theme could be heard. Instantly, C00lkidd got off the generator and hid. Peaking his head out, Noob was being chased. By the way they were clutching their arm, they were incredibly low. But they were too busy looking behind them to keep 1x in their sight, that they slammed into a wall as 1x used Mass Infection. 

A strangled gasp escaped their lips as they slumped against the wall, their body going limp. C00lkidd froze, horrified and frozen. Then 1x’s attention went to him.

He stalked closer, his steps slow and even up until he was right infront of him. Wordlessly, 1x used his sword to push C00lkidd aside.

“Run. I will not give you this mercy again. You hear me?” 1x gave him the window of opportunity to run and C00lkidd took it. As he did, he quickly looked back to see 1x rip out their eye, using one of her abilities.

1x did keep his word as after that, they had killed the other two remaining survivors, leaving C00lkidd to be in a Last Man Standing with her. Fear and adrenaline coursed through his body as he saw 1x1x1x1 approaching. Ducking into a hidden area with multiple exits, C00lkidd blew his whistle when he heard 1x approaching. Using the clones he had spawned as a distraction, he ran in a random direction, the clones doing the same. He didn’t get far before he was hit with Entanglement. Panic overwhelmed him as his body locked up, the feeling different to being stunned during a game of tag. But it was no game, and the realisation that it never was, sank deep into his gut.

It didn’t take long for him to die. A dumb use of his ability led him to get caught. A flicker of something was behind 1x’s eyes as they delivered the killing blow, but it was gone as soon as it had arrived.

Tears choked him up as he sobbed, he wouldn’t, couldn’t, look anyone in the eye. Not unless he wanted to be reminded. Reminded of the frozen look of horror on Noob’s face, of Taph’s limp body stained with their own blood, of Chance’s body without his head, gun only a little ways away from his body.

People crowded, but he didn’t want them to. He didn’t want the comfort, he didn’t deserve it.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He sobbed, trying to apologise but he couldn’t find the words. C00lkidd cried and cried, disgusted with himself for what he had done. He wanted to push Coda away when he was brought into an embrace, but he couldn't. So he cried into his chest.

How many times has he killed everyone in this room?

He couldn’t even answer that.

Chapter Text

Ever since that very first round, C00lkidd had isolated himself from the others. He didn’t interact with people outside of rounds and tried his very best to help. But other than that, he was quite the solitary kid. This wasn’t like him, his son was such a chatterbox, always prattling along with whatever had popped into his head.

C00lkidd was eating atleast. That was really the only positive thing that happened with him. But that positive was far outweighed by the negatives that came with it. What if he never became a survivor? What if he found out the truth of his “games” as a killer? Would he still be as childish? A shiver went down Coda’s spine as he thought about it.

Coda hovered a little bit away from the door, hand poised to knock. His and Two Time’s cabin had grown an extra room for C00lkidd instead of placing him in a new one. 

“C00lkidd? Can I come in?” He asked and gently knocked, waiting for an answer.

A minute passed before he got one.

“...Yeah….” 

Stepping inside, C00lkidd’s room is unremarkable. It’s red, well as red as it could be with the little possessions everyone either had or were given. It was pretty bare, save for the collection of papers, pens, crayons and pencils on the desk in the far corner.

C00lkidd had changed too. Instead of his “Team C00lkidd” shirt, it was a plain maroon tanktop with kaki shorts. His green bandana had been wrapped around his wrist instead of around his neck. Overall, he looked older, and worn. Concerning.

“Are you ok?” 

“No.” He says bluntly. Coda can’t help but be taken aback. Before he could speak, C00lkidd continued on.

“I am not ‘ok’!” C00lkidd snapped at him, standing up from his position on his bed.

‘Why? Why did nobody tell me what I was doing was wrong?! I- why didn’t I realise what I was doing? Why couldn’t I realise I was KILLING people…?”

C00lkidd took a step forward as Coda tried to think of something to say.

“Kidd, it wasn’t your fault-”

“But what if it was? Everyone looks so disappointed when they look at me, but they’re not disappointed at me. Why don’t they hate me? Why? Can’t they see what I've done wrong?”

“C00lkidd, what happened isn’t on you. You didn’t know any better, and you weren’t able to know any better. Just please, isolating yourself isn’t the way to-”

“That’s not the point!” Anger started to bubble up within him, along with other very conflicting emotions, shame, fear, and a hint of denial. C00lkidd was in a very volatile state.

“I’ve hurt people, killed them! WHO ELSE WILL I HURT?!” 

A harsh SMACK rung out and the two of them fell silent. Coda brings a hand up to his reddened cheek. Pulling his fingers back, he sees hints of blood. He wasn’t bleeding out severely, but C00lkidd definitely cut skin.

C00lkidd was clutching his clawed hands to his chest, as if he were afraid to hurt Coda again. His belief that he was dangerous was proven right in that very moment.

“I- I didn’t mean- I’m s-sorry.” He stumbled over his words.

“Can- can you leave… please…” C00lkidd wasn’t asking. He wouldn't cry in front of Coda, he couldn't.

Coda didn't push, he was still in shock. After he left and closed the door behind him, He slumped against the door. Coda didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t built for this. He didn’t have a single clue on how to deal with a traumatized child like C00lkidd. Help was clearly needed, but he had no clue where to get it....

Chapter Text

After the incident, C00lkidd seemed to get a little better. It wasn’t anything major, but he was recovering bits and pieces of himself. Coda would let C00lkidd vent about his problems and he’d just listen. He wouldn’t say much and Kidd liked it that way, oddly enough. Comforting people was never his or 007n7’s strong suit. 

Gods, it was weird to refer to 007n7 as a separate person to himself. He’d spent his entire life being 007n7, that splitting his identity apart from his creator was foreign to him. (Even calling 007n7 his creator was weird….)

There would be days where C00lkidd would be on edge and would have the shortest fuse ever. It’s been thankfully sporadic, but Coda can’t help but think those days are getting closer and closer together. Initially, C00lkidd tried bottling it up, not wanting to be a nuisance, but that just led him to have more outburst. His room had unfortunately become a victim to his destructive tendencies. 

To combat this, Coda had made a punching bag for him. With Guest’s help of course. It took a whole lot of courage to go up to him. They really haven’t spoken to each other ever since everyone found out he was a clone. It wasn’t like Guest truly distrusted him, but there was clearly a little tension between them.

Guest, like the saint he was (seriously, what did the man do to deserve this?) helped out and even taught C00lkidd how to punch properly. Though there was a little hitch with that.

“Cmon, you can hit harder than that!” Guest encouraged C00lkidd, who seemed almost hesitant. They weren’t using the punching bag, and in hindsight they really should’ve. 

After building up the courage (and some goading from Chance), C00lkidd out all his might into the punch.

Guest has seriously underestimated just how hard C00lkidd could punch. With all the debuffs applied to the survivors and C00lkidd being, y’know, a kid, he really thought he would be able to tank it.

Now he was currently holding an ice pack to his arm, with Coda and C00lkidd fretting over him.

Coda could hear the telltale thumps of the punching bag being thrashed around in C00lkidd’s room. The kid wasn’t mad, at least not now. Seems like he was burning energy, considering he wasn’t in a foul mood when he went to his room.

In all honesty, Coda felt lost. Now there wasn’t much for him to do, no need to hide his identity, no need to cover up anything, no real motivation. He just didn’t have much purpose besides being C00lkidd’s caretaker, but even then he’s struggling with that too…. There’s been good days and bad days, but he can’t help but feel the bad days are getting more frequent.

Not to mention C00lkidd’s polarising behavior. Some days it felt like he wasn’t affected by anything at all, other it felt like he was hyper aware of everything he did and that everyone was judging him. He was switching between cheery behavior and lashing out at everyone.

Guilt fills him when a thought popped into his head. 

“This is your fault. You could’ve put up a front for him, could’ve pretended for longer. But noooo, you just had to be selfish, didn’t you, CR_07? Honestly, why couldn’t you have lied longer? That’s all you’re good for anyways.” 

This thought startled him, not because it existed, but because he never used his ‘actual name’. Well it wasn’t his actual name, just what the C00lGUI called him and all the other clones.

Gods, he’s going mad, isn’t he?

The “nighttime” noises did little to soothe his stormy mind, plans on getting the others trust back, ideas on how to help C00lkidd, stuff like that ran rampant in his thoughts. It had been a bit since that odd thought. Currently, he lay awake in bed. He should be resting up, but he couldn't sleep.

Then:

“What do you want for yourself?” 

Guest had asked him that question, way before he lost most of the trust he had. Coda couldn’t remember his answer, knowing him, it was something along the lines of getting better or gaining the others favor.

Not that he currently doesn’t want that, but it wasn’t what he wanted, it was what 007n7 wanted. Now?

He….

He wanted to live. Cheesy, yes, but it was true. Coda wanted to raise C00lkidd in a safe environment, he wanted to escape this place. Being trapped here for what would be essentially his entire life is genuinely depressing. Coda wanted a taste of the outside world, to live his life to the fullest. 

That way when he eventually dies, permanently this time, he could tell 007n7 all about it, about how much C00lkidd has grown. Coda wanted to tell him  every little thing he missed in vivid detail, that way, it was like he was always there with them. It doesn’t matter that he has some horrendous memory, he’d carry a notebook around if he had to.

Yeah, that sounded nice.