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The sharpie crosses smoothly across the wall as 007 dashes another mark on it. Day 78.. he thinks. The air in his kitchen is cold and the lights are cut out.
He wonders why his landlord hasn’t come by to tell him to pay his bills yet, they’ve been due for almost a month now. But he doesn’t care, his body drowns as he sits. Surrounded by missing posters, days marked off on his cabinet, and a nearby knife dripping with cold blood.
His wrists ache as he stares into the eyes of his missing son through the last picture they have together. Seven grasps his phone with sweaty palms as his fingers shake over an unsent message.
He relaxes and closes his tired eyes. It’s been days without sleep, he’s barely even living at this point. He knows he needs some kind of support now, but who would help someone like him..?
No, the admins don’t care after the havoc he caused, along with Elliot. The only person he really has left now is Noli, and even he probably moved on. Still he lifts up his phone again and sends one short message.
****
Noli sits in his bed, practically sinking into it as he stares blankly at his walls. His mind isn’t filled with thoughts of 007n7 anymore, everything he ever cared for just vanished. So what was there to think about anyways..?
He rots as his old purple hoodie, still covered with sevens scent, drapes over his body. Never had he thought he would lose someone like that, never had he thought he would react this way too.
A soft ding fills the empty room as his phone screen turns bright again. He only ever slept with sev, in his room. So being all alone in his own house was different.
He slowly grabs onto his phone and a selfie of them pops onto the screen. Below them, a message appears.
Seven: Noli, please help me find him.
Noli didn’t know what he was feeling. Remorse? Or maybe even a burning hatred for the man. His heart still ached at the thought of 007, but this time it was different.
How could someone just expect forgiveness after doing something so wrong..? Noli thought. He read the message through again, then shut off his phone. Noli stares back at his walls, wondering if ignoring him was really what he should have done.
I mean, he has been noticing his house light. It's been off for weeks by now, he has wondered why many times, but then just kept walking. He's constantly trying to forget about him but it just feels like everything is a reminder of them. Anytime he walks by the sad little pizzeria he's reminded of the good days of torturing poor little Elliot.
But it's all over now. He's not gonna go back.
****
007n7’s health keeps decreeting as the days move on. He has never been in a worse situation, even worse than when Noli seemingly disappeared for days during college. But this time, seven felt like he was dying from the inside out. Never had he thought he would end up in a situation like this.
Maybe he did miss the way Noli’s soft breath loomed over him, but his son was more important right…? His message still stands read, and like his message, he was also ignoring his crippling mental health. The gun he used to protect himself with was becoming a constant threat to him now.
The cracked open window lets cold night air in, that snaps 007 back to reality every time the wind blows. He’s shivering, but all he can think about is his lost son. What happened to him??? He's been looking for months now..isn’t it time to just give up?
Of course, he tried to forget. But he couldn't just give up on his own child..right? He started doubting himself. Nobody came for him, and everyone thought he had gone crazy.
He sits back against his wooden kitchen cabinet, the cold tiled floors freezing his hands. Wouldn’t it be nice to just let go..? I mean, maybe if he was dead, he could see his son again…Just maybe..
Even that little bit of hope for freedom was enough for him to shakingly grab the gun. Was he really gonna do it? Was he really that fucking pathetic…? Killing himself over a dumb kid that isn't even his?
007 texted one last message to Noli. Everything he did now was just hoping for a sign that he shouldn't do it. His mind raced over every little detail. Who would find him? Would he actually see his son again? Would this hurt?
He didn’t want it to hurt..maybe there was another way?? Maybe his son was still out there. His hand on the black gun grew tighter.
No. If he was gonna do it, he was gonna do it now. There was no point to living anymore. He had lost everything he’d ever cared about and loved. So who would even care if he died? It's not like anyone would notice..right?
He held the gun tight and lifted it up slowly. The gun kissed his head and his body shattered in pain. But he didn’t scream, he barely even felt it. Fireworks of red spute from his head and splattered his home. The very home he brought Noli into and found C00LKID that one cold night.
All the memories flashed in front of his eyes as his body seemingly drifted off into a forever slumber. His head was reeling and blood spilled out of his head rapidly, but soon, the shaking stopped. And he just sat there, in a pool of his own koolaid. Silent. Like he never existed at all.
****
Was he really forgetting..moving on?? Well no. Noli still thought about him constantly, but maybe he was getting better..right? He was trying to get outside more, but the disgusting corruption from the void star made everyone stare. Sometimes it was just better to stay in his sad house and listen to his thoughts. He's been trying harder to find hobbies, but everything he used to do was with 007n7.
Noli scrolls through old pictures tirelessly. He catches himself starting to smile at the old memories, when they used to make out without a care in the world. But all of that changed after..well…him. His face almost lights up when a message pops up at the top of his screen.
“Seven?” He whispers to himself. Something flashes before his eyes when opening the message. Just forget.. He thinks. Why won’t he just forget about the man. I mean, he's miserable without him..but he abandoned him..for a child! He's totally in the right for not wanting anything to do with him..right?
The moon looms bright in the sky, a soft light from it peaking through the window. Noli puts down the phone to take a breath, just to think what to do now. Should he respond? Seven did sound desperate..
20 minutes pass, and he just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. And he just can’t take it anymore…he won't admit it, but he still loves seven. Even if Sev doesn’t love him anymore, he can still care for him…
At 3:35 am he turns his car on and drives slowly towards his house. Wow.. he really gave up. I mean, how are you supposed to just forget about your best friend that easily..well they might've been something more than that but thats…for another time.
As Noli pulls into the driveway of seven's old and worn out house. He walks along the cracked pavement with his head down and his hands stuffed into his pockets. As he arrives at the front door, all the memories rush back to his brain, making his legs shake.
He knocks once..
Then again…
Huh? Was he not home? Or maybe sleeping??
No, that message was only a few minutes ago…he couldn’t have just went to bed.
He walks around the house, peering through the windows. He walks past a small kitchen window and catches a horrid sight. For a second, he just stares in shock.
His eyes widened as he watched 007. His shirt, which was usually a bright blue, was now covered in a spreading red liquid. He could smell gunpowder and a soft metallic scent through the open window.
Noli stares at his palms that quickly turned sweaty as he processes what he just saw. His breathing gets heavier, causing his body to glitch.
The once cold blooded hacker..just- did that? Over.. no.. if couldn’t have been, because of the kid right?? He rushes back to the front door and shoves it open, breaking the rusty hinges.
He feels his way around the dark house, and seeks closer to the kitchen. He watches his friend's bloody body lay lifeless against the kitchen counters. Noli approaches him, practically dragging his feet on the tile.
He holds 007 tight in his shaking arms. He looks at his tired face with crooked glasses. Noli brings their faces closer and gives a small kiss before setting him back down.
As he stands up he gazes upon the scattered missing posters of a kid he was never going to find. As even if he hadn’t given up, the kid was probably long gone by now.
His thoughts drifted but a loud bang from outside shook him back to reality. Noli thinks for a moment, starting to smile. He was gone now, but was it for the better? Noli could stop thinking about 007n7 if he was dead..right? Maybe this was what was best.
“Goodnight, old partner.”