Chapter Text
How long does it take to erase the consequence of purgatory on an already tired, weary mind? How much can one take before breaking, and how much after that?
007n7 wishes he had the answer to both questions- that would mean he knew what he was doing, that he wasn't just… going in blind.
Sadly, he hadn't had answers for a long time now, and more than going in blind, he felt like he was being pushed forward insistently by an unseen force. Probably his stubbornness, the crest of pride he never was quite able to dull or quell, even with age and - ugh - responsibilities.
He had been through hell. Multiple times, actually- he thought his punishment for his misdeeds was working three minimum wage jobs at customer service, having to smile and take head-on whatever the client threw at him, sometimes literally, while his head was filled with worry and scheduling and plans for a specific red child at home. Pickup, cooking, cleaning… yeah.
Then that same child went missing, and he'd thought that was it. That had to be hell on Earth. He was a dick and a jerk who relished in others’ suffering, especially if said suffering was by his hands, and clearly his attempts at redemption hadn't been enough, so fate had to punish him by taking the only life he valued more than his own: c00lkidd's, his child's.
He was, yet again, proved wrong.
Hell was that realm. The place where he and a dozen other souls were thrown in to face their sins head-on, in the shape of ruthless killing and maiming.
In the shape of the child he loved, yet failed to raise properly.
For years, he had been killed every day, multiple times a day.
Two years, a month, and five days, as Dusekkar had oh-so-kindly informed them after their escape.
And oh, don't get him started on the escape.
Everyone had noticed. The thing was weakening. The rounds were shorter, far in-between. The killers’ memories and minds started to become their own again - he shudders just recalling Jane's tears when her husband managed to call out her name in a round.
And even for the most ruthless killers - Noli and 1x1x1x1, who had gone there willingly - killing the same people over and over again for years started to become… boring.
Oh, and as they'd imagined, The Spectre - that was its name - had left no one's mind untampered. The Creation of Hatred wasn't happy with this information… at all.
And so they worked together. With it weakening, they could cross the bounds of the camps and reunite in secret. A truce was ensued, if only to strike down the entity and escape that death trap, before it found their minds were free and unwilling to its plans.
And so it went.
Never he'd thought he'd see Shedletsky and 1x1x1x1 working together, let alone fighting side-by-side for the same goal, but he saw it with his own two eyes. Then again, you'd never think of catching the 007n7 working with the admin Dusekkar and a few others to ensure an escape route.
007n7 winces as he thinks about the consequences of their escape. A lifetime of hacking, and everything was fine- yet the final hours in that dumpster settled the score for his poor body. Hacking-induced peripheral neuropathy, the doctor had stated. Or, as he simply told Shedletsky when asked after the visit: the nerves in his hands are fucked.
He'd never admit how much he cried that night. The occasional sharp pain and near-constant tingling and numbness were starting to weigh on him.
But he's stubborn, isn't he? So he pushed forward, again and again.
And now it's been another year and a half since their escape from that realm. Things are finally looking up: Builderman changed his status in official files from “active” to “former hacker”, clearing his name. He was ready to start job-hunting again with the news, but the admin had shared another thing in that same visit.
“I've been thinking, n7, and… oh, to Hell with it: we were killed again and again in that place. You had already proved the fact you changed before all this- Hell, I was reviewing your case before I was…”
Builderman let the words hang unsaid, before shaking his head and starting to speak again.
“Either way, I don't think you'll be hacking anytime soon. Or the kid, for that matter. Which is why I want to offer you a place at HQ.”
007n7 blinks. He almost scoffs, as if this were all some sick joke, but swallows the urge.
“...Are you sure you got the right house, Builderman? Me? 007n7, former hacker, working with the admins? Now that's unheard of.”
“I know, I know. But I already told you- we all know you're not gonna hack anytime soon, n7, not in your… state.”
A silence stretches around the two men, uncomfortable and awkward. Builderman clears his throat, wiping a hand down his sleeve, as if dusting his uniform.
“...My apologies. But you got what I mean. I just- I mean to ask if you could help us. Check security, tell us what to patch up, Hell, update us on things we don't know about hacking. You were the greatest out there, n7. I hope you know it wasn't your hands that carried you, but your mind, and we could really use that on the team."
He had taken his time before accepting. Sure, it'd be the definitive step to truly show how much he'd changed - him, working along with the admins? He almost said no.
But he found himself showing up at Robloxia HQ either way. It's a high-paying job, which he’s absolutely joyous about. It means he can spend more time with his c00lkidd.
He hates that he can hardly access his GUI anymore, or that his hands strain and twitch so often. He also hates the stares that burn his back at HQ. A hacker, that's all he'll ever be to those people.
But to those who truly matter? Those who have seen him dead, alive, numb, smiling? To them, he is and will always be-
“007n7! Admins, it's been so long!”
Guest's strong arms wrap around him, almost lifting him off the ground, as laughter rumbles deep in his chest.
“Guest! You made it!”
Just a few years ago, he never would have thought he'd be hosting a get-together at his house. But hey, it has been pretty long since their little crew reunited, and he was just aching for a proper yard barbecue. Plus, now he made enough money to actually take good care of himself, c00lkidd, and the house.
Speaking of the kid, he'd been overjoyed when they finally managed to actually fix up the yard for him to play in, sometimes even invite his friends in - much to his poor hands’ suffering…
Guest whistles, closing the door behind himself.
“Geez, you didn't lie when you said you were making some changes! Looks so much better than last time…”
He watches the taller man stroll forward to the backyard. Guest is one of the only ones that have been to his house before he renovated it. It was… yeah.
Rotting food, stains and mold, empty bottles and cigarette buds. He can barely recall it from the haze that were the weeks of c00lkidd's disappearance. To think that someone - his friends, no less - went and cleaned it up while he and some others were at the hospital, after the whole ordeal…
He shudders. No use thinking about it now.
A small smile worms its way on his face as he sees Guest tapping away at a glass enclosure. His pride and joy after his son: the critters and creepy-crawlies he keeps around. Guest and Elliot were quite scared at the start - he still chuckles at the memory of the big, brave soldier paling some shades at the sight of his tarantula.
Now? The soldier is absolutely enamored with it.
“I see you've taken a liking to Artemis, huh, Guest?” he smirks, inching forward. He'll have to close the door to his “creature room” - as c00lkidd and his friends so loved to call it - soon. He didn't want Noob passing out when they got here.
“She's… really not as bad as I imagined her to be the first time I saw her.”
“Is it because of the victory dance?”
“...Yeah, it's because of the victory dance.”
007n7 stifles another burst of laughter as he watches Guest smile up at Artemis. Go figure what goes in a soldier's mind when faced with his friend's big-ass tarantula.
“I'm happy you like her so much. People always think the worst of spiders- or, well, any ‘scary’ creature. They never really bother to see what's under all the legs.”
Guest's smile softens, now turning to him.
“...Huh.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just… reminds me of someone.”
Before any of them can elaborate further, the doorbell rings.
007n7 rushes over, almost immediately getting tackled by a much-too-enthusiastic gambler, followed by Elliot's fond scolding.
“Seven! We finally get to see you, man! You've been cooped in here for weeks!”
Chance's whining rips a laugh out of him, patting the other's back to get him to loosen up the death grip they've got on him.
“Oh, please, buddy, I haven't been cooped up. I just haven't gotten a chance to visit.”
“Huh-uh, yeah, pun on my name, har har. Still! I haven't seen you in forever, you know seven is my lucky number!”
“Please, Chance, won't you leave the poor guy alone?”
Elliot quips, running a hand down his face, before offering an apologetic smile at 007n7.
“Hey, 007n7. Thanks for the invite. I brought some-”
“-pizza? Yeah, figured. I'll help you carry it.”
His and Elliot's relationship is much better now than it ever was. Sure, there's always a lingering tension - always some nagging anxiety at the back of his mind that he'll say the wrong thing, make the wrong move, remind Elliot that he's not worth his kindness, his forgiveness.
It never happens.
The trio rushes back in, carrying the pizza boxes outside, where a large wooden table waits for them and the rest of their strange group, who's yet to arrive.
“In the meantime, does anyone wanna say hi to the little ones? I'm tending to a praying mantis right now-”
“No, thank you, n7. I think I'll pass.”
Elliot smiles, strained, and gulps. 007n7 can't help but remember the man's reaction to his critters last time - a rather high-pitched yell - and that was only to his poor, little Artemis! Sure, she was out of her enclosure (“she likes sitting on my hand”, he had explained), but she's a good girl! The best, even!
“Holy shit, yes!”
Well, Chance seems to have already settled. He shoots an apologetic glance at Elliot for leaving him alone in the yard, before leading the other inside.
Chance gapes at the “creature room”, eyes wide behind the signature sunglasses he stubbornly keeps on, despite the dimness of the room.
“Holy shit. Is that a tarantula?”
They point at Artemis. He nods, starting to go on and on about how he got her, the struggles of finding a proper enclosure, then starting another rant on unfitting cages, wrong temperatures, not enough dirt.
Meanwhile, Guest had been walking around the room, looking at all the strange different crawlies 007n7 keeps. Other than Artemis, he saw some frankly beautiful scorpions, a millipede, and isopods.
007n7's rambling is interrupted by the soldier's warm voice, greeting Chance.
“Oh, hey, Chance! I see you had the honor to meet Artemis and… all the others. How's it going!”
“Pretty well! Elliot's also here, too, he-”
As they chat and walk out and in the yard, where Elliot is sitting, the doorbell rings again. This time, it's the admin crew: Builderman, Shedletsky, and Dusekkar.
“Heeeeeyyy, 7n7! Hope we're not too late! Big guy over here insisted we ‘finish our duties as admins’, ugh!”
Shedletsky points at Builderman with his thumb, trying his best to put on the most accurate voice to mock him, before bursting into laughter.
“You're actually not late at all. It's just me, Guest, Chance and Elliot for now. We're all outside.”
007n7 scoots over, letting them walk in. Builderman sighs, clearly tired. He doesn't really know if it's from his job as an admin, or Shedletsky's shenanigans.
“See? Told you we'd be fine. Plus, I should be the one angry with you. You had one job-”
“Yeah, yeah, so I forgot the gifts, it's fiiineee, he works with us!”
007n7 blinks, confused.
“Uh… gifts?”
The two interrupt their bickering to turn to him, Builderman crossing his arms, Shedletsky looking a bit sheepish.
“Well, you see, n7, I wanted to bring you and your son something- you know, since you invited all of us over-”
“Yeah, yeah, ‘we can't just go empty-handed, Shedletsky! It's basic manners!’” Shedletsky mocks, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, hush, you! But as you can see, we have nothing, since a certain someone forgot the gift bag back at HQ, too busy goofing around to-”
“Oh, I'm goofing around?! 11th June, it was 20-”
“My friends, cease your yells- our host here surely all your noise repels.”
007n7 sighs in relief when Dusekkar intervenes, sparing everyone's ears. Though he knew those two would squabble all day long.
“Thank you, Dusekkar. And yeah, guys, keep it down- really, it's fine. I'm working tomorrow, remember? I can grab it at HQ, it's no big deal. But thank you three for the thought.”
With it settled, he leads them all to the yard, where they exchange greetings with the others.
Soon, everyone starts to pour in: Veeronica came by skateboard, which he finally got the chance to thoroughly inspect, closely followed by Noob, who greets him with a smile and a small hug. They come out of their shell a bit when he asks them about their new haircut and dye. Back in purgatory, they started bonding over their shared love for alternative looks, though 007n7 was more into it in his youth. He thought the poor kid was going to pass out when he asked if they wanted some old belts, fabric and patches he still has somewhere, but they eagerly accepted.
He does his best to block the view to the critter room when he leads the two outside, though he does see Noob freeze up a bit - however, they keep walking, swallowing their fear. He's almost proud.
Huh. Must be the dad in him.
However, Veeronica was more than happy to visit the bugs and crawlies, scanning all of them with her screen and asking questions he barely had the time to answer before another came up. It put on a smile on his face he couldn't quite shake off.
When the doorbell rings again, he's met with Two Time's pale face, though a bit red at the cheeks.
“Did… did you walk here all the way over from your place, Two Time?”
007n7 inquires, seeing how they're just a little sweaty. It is a warm day out…
“Indeed I have, dearest expl- 007n7.”
Two Time corrects themselves quickly, their smile smaller than how it used to be in that hellish realm, yet way more.. sane? Lucid. Like they finally understood what they were smiling about.
“Oh. It's pretty far from here, is it not?”
“An hour and fifty-four minutes.”
“An hour and- Admins, Two Time, that's on the other side of the city! It's starting to get warm, at this hour, too… you could have called me, or- or any of us! We would have picked you up!”
Two Time's smile strains, yet doesn't falter.
“How you trust those wretched contraptions on wheels, I will never understand, 007n7. Walking is good for the body and the mind. Trust me when I say it is not a chore, especially if the reward is the presence of my dearest companions.”
The father yields, opening the door wide for them to enter.
“I mean, if you're happy… just know that if you need it, we're all here.”
Two Time nods and strolls inside, steps silent as ever. He shakes his head fondly at the other's antics. They're working on the whole “anything outside of the Spawn is evil,” though some things will still take time to change. Maybe he can convince them to use a bike? He's pretty sure Two Time has never even seen a bike. They live on the outskirts of Robloxia, do they not?
Jane and Taph are the last to arrive.
“Sorry for the holdup. Had to pick up this one, she took a while getting ready.”
He smiles, seeing Taph dragging their feet and fidgeting with his hands, feigning innocence.
“Huh-uh. It's no bother, really. Plus, it's lunch-time, so it's perfect timing. Come on, everyone else is already outside.”
Passing by, Taph freezes up, then frantically points to their side, looking excited.
“Creature room?” Questions Jane, who had heard the tales of 007n7's creepy-crawlies from the other survivors.
“Yup. That's it. Wanna take a look?”
Taph throws his arms up in the air, immediately getting a headstart. The two behind her stifle a laugh, walking in as well.
007n7 takes his time introducing Taph and Jane to all the little ones, even letting Artemis sit on his palm to show her off. Needless to say, Taph is a step away from bouncing up and down in joy seeing the isopods, and Jane is fascinated with the tarantula.
Finally, they all walk out to the yard, where everyone is already sitting at the long, wooden table.
“Ugh, finally! I'm starving here!” Shedletsky huffs, crossing his arms like a petulant child.
“You're always starving-”
“Was that a fat joke? That was a fat joke. I heard that, Builderman. I'm hurt. I'm so hurt.”
Everyone bursts into laughter, except builderman, who, for the umpteenth time that day, sighs.
“Yeah, yeah, alright, I'm sorry.”
Shedletsky turns his head away, feigning offense.
“Oh, for- fine. What do I need to do to earn your forgiveness, O Great Shedletsky?”
At that, the other puffs his chest, a satisfied smile on his lips.
“Preen my wings.”
“Not a chance-”
“Ough! I'm so sad! So sad and offended and rightfully angered and-”
“Ugh! Fine! I'll preen your stupid wings. Happy?”
“Yes. Very.”
The table once again laughs, cackles and giggles mixing in the air.
This. This is what he's living for. It's not the stubbornness or pride pushing him forward, or spite. It's this. These people, the love he holds for them.
And yet, someone's missing. He opens the door to the yard, peeking his head in and yelling his son's name.
“c00lkidd! Come out to say hi and eat!”
And soon, a small, red body tumbles out.
He's almost twelve now. The Spectre's modifications to his body didn't hold, if not for a vertiginous growth spurt that left 007n7 blinking in disbelief at the clothes he had been wearing just a while ago. He's pretty sure he'll reach his poor old self by fifteen.
The child almost trips over in his run for Chance. What? He's cool! And they always have a fun story to tell.
Yeah, 007n7 thinks, I can get used to this.