Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Noli stood in front of his apartment door. Inserting his key through the keyhole in his door’s door knob, he twisted the key left and right, a click indicating that he opened his door.

“Ugh… finally, I’m home.” Backtracking a bit to lock his door, Noli took a bit to look around his home and see if anything was different.

Surprisingly, things had stayed the same for the most part. And considering the fact that he didn’t really have any family (were they even still alive) or friends anymore, he found it odd how everything was almost… untouched.

Like someone still believed he’d be back.

Enough of those thoughts.

He glanced around his apartment. On the left of the doorway was the couch he had bought. It was a deep purple, which was fitting considering his favorite color was purple. Even though it was a bit old, it still looked like it was in pretty good condition.

Wait… is my phone still here?

It was, admittedly, a bit of a silly thought. It probably had been a while since he ended up in… that place, given that there were a ton of new things he had noticed while heading to his apartment complex, that he was sure weren’t there before. And it was probably long enough that some of the things in his house, including his phone, had been moved to somewhere else.

Where? He probably wouldn’t know anytime soon. Plus, even if his phone theoretically was still in his house, it probably was super outdated.

Well, only one way to find out.

Walking forward, he slowly opened the door to his bedroom.

…Huh, Noli thought. Everything’s basically the same.

Everything was still in his bedroom table. Just the way he had last left it.

Okay… so, I’m basically about to find out how long I’ve been gone after being stuck in what was supposed to be the equivalent of an eternal hell because I kind of wanna know. Fun!

Grabbing his phone, Noli opened his phone by impulse…

“August 5th, 2036… Huh. Checks out,” he mutters as he puts his phone in his pocket.

Taking a moment to process everything, Noli sat down on his bed, which was on the right of his table. After deciding to lay on his bed for a bit, he stared at the celling, wondering what he should do next.

Well… I need to see if I still have a job, I guess. I need to see if anything changed.

He begrudgingly sat back up again, before grabbing his laptop (which was also on his desk), opening it up, and getting to work.

…Wait. Who arranged to keep everything the same? Noli wasn’t too sure on what the authorities and stuff did with well- “dead” people’s houses, but he assumed there would be a lot more changes and was half assuming he’d come back to a half-empty home, with most of his things packed up.

Well, guess I’m gonna have to find out.

Trying to look for any sort of information, Noli decides to search up his name on Google. Partially for the laughs, and partially because he was curious.

Instead of opening up the Google Chrome Home Page, the screen said that “The last time this application was updated was 12 years ago. It is highly recommended to update any applications that are still up and running in order to not cause issues for the user.”

An update? Now? …That sure is lame.

As Noli reluctantly clicked the “Update” button on the bottom of the screen, he found himself opening up his phone, surprised to see that there were over 200 notifications.

That sure is new.

Curious, he decided to look through his notifications. Most were from his old group chat, which surprised him. He had forgotten about the group chat (mostly because he wanted to hang out with 7n7), and had assumed the others did as well.

Another thing that surprised him was the fact that most of the notifications consisted of his old friends asking if any of them had seen Noli.

But what surprised him the most was when he saw a couple texts from 007n7.

…huh. I thought we weren’t on speaking terms.

The time Seven had last texted him read “7/15/2024 at 1:43 PM.”

Seven! (007n7): Sorry about… everything.

Replied to a message (Seven! (007n7)): …I hope you have a good life.

Message deleted by Seven! (007n7)

Seven! (007n7): goodbye

Seven! (007n7): 143

Those sure are strange things to text me.

Noli felt an odd amount of unease from how… sudden these texts were. And what he was trying to say, Noli didn’t know. And he sure wouldn’t wanna find out.

Needing to distract himself, Noli glanced over at his laptop, and noticed that there was a mini tab at the top saying that all the updates had been installed.

“…Perfect.” Noli immediately clicked on the search bar, typing out “Noli ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️”.

The first thing that popped up was, surprisingly, an article titled: Adult found dead under suspicious circumstances.

“Noli ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ was found dead in his apartment on June 17th, 2024 at 3:36 PM.

Suspected to have possession of the Void Star, an extremely dangerous item with destructive properties, police ordered a search of the man’s apartment.

With nothing significant pertaining to these suspicions, police were forced to clean up the apartment and bring it back to its former state.

Several possessions found revealed that this individual had some connection to 007n7, an individual known for the disasters he had caused while exploiting…”

Wait. Why is there a link embedded when the article mentioned Seven? …Interesting.

Clicking on the embedded link, Noli was surprised to see it led to another article on a different website, instead of it perhaps leading to another article on this current website.

…Noli couldn’t look past the title. His stomach dropped lower than the Mariana Trench, as his mind slowly read the article title.

Because the title read out: “Infamous exploiter found dead inside his house on July 20th: Police suspect he offed himself.”

Chapter Text

…What the fuck!? This- what the hell. This is a joke. Right? He would never do that… right? It’s just some sick joke!

…Despite the article title and despite his growing unease, he forces himself to continue reading the article.

This is a joke. Right? It has to be. He wouldn’t do that… right…?

But… wasn’t there evidence? It certainly explained the strange texts 7n7 had last sent to him. At the very least, it gave some much needed context.

Wait. An idea suddenly struck Noli.

Can’t I just call him?

…Was he joking? They hadn’t really talked to each other in years. Plus, even if things were a little better between them, he still wasn’t sure if 7n7 would be okay with him randomly calling him.

And even if he was fine with all that, it would be pretty to strange for your friend to call you up after you guys had talked to each other (albeit under stressful circumstances, like say, escaping a hell that was clearly meant for them to stay in forever).

Not to mention why he was calling him. He didn’t exactly know how to ask, “Hey, so uhm… I found an article basically saying you killed yourself. Did you? And if so, why?” without it becoming an awkward mess.

…Let’s think about this from a different angle, before this gets wayyyy too depressing to even think about anymore.

Past Seven would probably say laugh and say something like, “No, I’d never leave you” or something along those lines.

But present him? He didn’t know. At this point, his reaction to ANYTHING was a wildcard. There wasn’t really a way of knowing.

…sigh. Being the “smart” person sure took a lot of effort.

…Just call him. The worst thing he can do is block you… right?

Noli decided to grab his phone and pressed the “Phone” app. Scrolling through his contacts, he tapped on the contact titled “Seven! (007n7)”.

But instead of pressing the call button immediately like past him would have, he stared at Seven’s contact page.

Is this a good idea?

He wasn’t sure. But he had to take a chance, didn’t he? After all, that could happen again, and even after everything that happened, he refused to leave 7n7 entirely to his own devices when that was a possibility. He refused to let him fend for himself. Not when there was something he could potentially do to help.

And how would he live with himself if that did happen, knowing it was a possibility? Knowing he could have stopped it and did nothing instead?

Those thoughts haunted him. Would haunt him. Unless he did this.

…Noli pressed the call button before he could change his mind.

***

007n7 glanced at c00lkidd. He smiled, happy that even after everything, that c00lkidd was alive and well.

…Well, as “well” as he could be. Given everything that had happened to them recently, he wouldn’t be surprised if c00lkidd was actually struggling and was just trying to hide it.

007n7 glanced around his cousin’s apartment, surprised at how big it was, considering 007e7 was the only one who really lived here.

It had been… an interesting couple of days. He remembered when he had to walk with c00lkidd to his cousin’s apartment complex because they wouldn’t let him in. Luckily, his apartment complex wasn’t too far from his cousin’s (which was a smart move on his part).

”Okay, kiddo, so we’re just gonna wait a bit, alright?”

”But dad… what if something bad happens…?”

007n7 glanced around, looking at his surroundings, before tightly hugging c00lkidd.

”Nothing’s going to happen to us, buddy. We’re safe here.”

007n7 looked at the door he was standing in front of, then looked at his son, before knocking twice on the door. Not sure what to expect, he decided to move back a bit, with c00lkidd following suit.

”…Hello…? I swear, if-“

007e7 stared at 007n7 and c00lkidd, looking them up and down. His jaw dropped after a bit. Then, he turned back around and looked at them with a serious look in his eyes. He motioned for them to follow in.

And as they walked inside his apartment, 007e7 looked at 007n7 and said, “Tell me everything.”

***

After a while of talking (so long that c00lkidd, despite previously being full of energy, had fallen asleep), 007e7 looked at 007n7 bearing a serious expression once again.

”Okay… so basically, you died but got revived by some malicious entity who wanted you to play in their game of cat and mouse, along with c00lkidd and a bunch of other people including the admins, and then somehow managed to escape.”

”…Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened.”

”…can I ask you something?”

”Sure. What’s your question?”

”…are you… okay? After everything you’ve told me about?”

He wanted to lie, say that he was okay and there wasn’t any need to worry about him, but for some reason, he said “…not really, no.”

”…if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

”…Thanks.”

”I’m being serious, by the way. You don’t have to deal with everything by yourself when you already have all these problems to deal with.”

A sudden buzz makes 007e7 jump as he turns to stand up.

”Wha… oh! Right. I gotta run a couple errands right now, and I completely forgot about them!”

007n7 frowned. “At this time? It’s like, 10 PM right now.”

”It’s for my job.”

Grabbing everything he needed, 007e7 glanced at 007n7 before he was gonna head out.

”We will figure this out. Don’t lose hope.”

***

…Even now, 007n7 still thought of that conversation.

“Yawn… Dad, I’m tired. Should I go to sleep?” c00lkidd asked, as he rapidly blinked in an attempt to keep himself awake.

“Sure, kiddo. Just don’t forget to brush your teeth,” 007n7 responded.

“…okay.” c00lkidd walked slowly to the bathroom, closing the door behind him after.

…007n7 looked around. It helped to distract him whenever he was alone. And it helped ground him, too, maybe a bit more than he’d like to admit.

Eventually deciding to open and look at his phone, 007n7 was surprised to see that Noli had read the last messages he had sent to him.

What surprised him even more was that it said, “Read 7:26 PM” instead of a date like say, 7/15/2024.

It’s not like he cared anyway-

He shoved that thought out of his mind. Noli cared. Or at the very least, he did care.

He didn’t know what to think of their current relationship. Sure, he helped Noli get rid of the Void Star. But considering he was the whole reason why Noli had gotten it in the first place (and probably was the reason why he ended up in there, too), it was the least he could do.

…stupid me. Stupid, fucking dumbass, stupid useless me.

…Needing to distract himself, he decided he needed to start job and house hunting- and fast, before things probably became an even bigger mess.

He knew that 007e7 would probably be okay with 007n7 and c00lkidd staying with him forever, but he didn’t want to overstay his welcome (especially considering the fact that he was known for being a former exploiter), and he wanted some semblance of stability (since things could change in an instant without him knowing).

But before he could start, he got a phone call.

And not just any phone call.

A phone call… from Noli.

Chapter Text

He stared at his phone. He even looked more closely at his name, half expecting that it was just someone who had a similar contact name.

But no. It was really him.

His phone continued to buzz as he pondered his options.

Why would he call?

He glanced at his buzzing phone again.

Should I even answer?

The phone continued to buzz on, almost as if it was encouraging him to answer.

…Well, considering he hasn’t called me in a couple years… I guess I might as well find out.

007n7 pressed the answer button.

…silence. Static, even, on the other line.

007n7 was starting to wonder if this was a prank call, simply done to waste his time.

…But almost as if right on cue, Noli finally spoke.

“Oh! Uh… hey, Sev.” Noli’s voice sounded… clearer than it did in a couple… weeks? Months? Time worked strangely in there.

Goosebumps started popping up as soon as he even thought of that place. 007n7 shivered. He never wanted to go back there again. The looming fear and dread… the constant death…

“Ahem. Uhh… Earth to Seven?” Noli’s voice broke through his quickly derailing train of thoughts.

Realizing Noli was expecting a response, 007n7 responded with, “…Hey, Nols.” It was instinctive at this point for him to use that nickname for Noli.

“Okay… Gosh, how do I say this… Wait. Is c00lkidd there?” Noli asked.

“Oh, he’s, um…” 007n7 repositioned his glasses a bit as he thought of what to say. “Hold on, lemme check.”

007n7 walked over quietly to c00lkidd’s bedroom. Peeking inside, he saw that c00lkidd was well asleep.

He glanced around before hesitantly heading back to the couch that his phone was on. He knew that there wasn’t anything to be scared about, but years of people sometimes, well… looking for payback had made it a habit.

“Hey Sev? You still there?” Noli’s voice had a different undertone than usual. It sounded like… concern? Worry? Fear?

“Oh yeah, I was just checking if c00lkidd was asleep or not. Good thing he is, probably. So uh… what’s up?” 007n7 sat down on the couch his phone was on, picking up his phone in the process.

“Well… uh… I… found this article, and… uh… did you kill yourself?” he blurted out.

Fuck. You weren’t supposed to ask that yet!

…007n7, in the meanwhile, had gone very pale.

How does he know that??? I mean, he didn’t-

…Right. He read the texts. He probably had a hunch, at the very least.

“…How do you know?” 007n7 responded with. He probably shouldn’t have implied that he did in fact, kill himself, but… he probably already figured it out and just wanted confirmation. That did seem like something Noli would do, after all.

“So, uh, funny story… I was trying to look up a couple of things, and then I found that article, so…” Noli trailed off.

Fidgeting with his hoodie’s drawstrings, Noli continued on to say, “…and I saw your messages, too.”

“…oh.” 007n7 didn’t really know what to say to all that. Sure, he knew Noli had seen the messages (albeit rather recently), but he didn’t expect him to put it out there like this.

Realizing he might have overstepped 7n7’s boundaries a bit, Noli quickly said in a panic, “Sorry, was that too… blunt? I just wanted to know if that was something to you know, be concerned about. Yeah. Uhh… so, how’s life?”

“…it’s okay, I guess.” 007n7 gratefully followed the change of subject, even if it was nice to know that Noli still cared.

“…sigh. You suck at lying, you know. So tell me honestly. How’s… everything?”

007n7 raised his eyebrows, surprised by the fact that Noli could still tell that he was lying.

He wanted to say that everything was great, that there was nothing to worry about and that everything was fine. But… his mind flashed back to when c00lkidd went missing. Where instead of sleeping, knowing that his son, his kid, the person that caused him to change his life for the better was alive and happy, he would stare at the celling, hating himself for not doing more, and wishing to see him just one more time.

And that wasn’t even including what happened after he died. Just thinking about it made him want to teleport him and c00lkidd somewhere isolated where no one else could go so nothing like that would ever happen again.

…But that wouldn’t solve anything. Not to mention that 007n7 had literally admitted to killing himself, and despite Noli letting him off the hook, he knew there would be more questions coming at him.

So, he decided to be honest. Might as well come clean about it.

“…not… great.”

Silence. Still, absolute, deafening silence. Noli coughed in the background.

He would have asked if Noli was okay, but considering he didn’t break out in a coughing fit soon after, it probably was just to fill the silence.

“Well… that was… more than I expected. Again, uh, sorry about… bringing all this up so suddenly. I just had to know if that was a possibility, just in case, ya know?” Noli stated, before he started fidgeting again, this time with his hands.

“Mmm. It’s all good.” In all honesty, 007n7 had been expecting the conversation to be way worse. Sure, it did turn out awkward… but Noli didn’t seem to be asking with any ill intent of the sort.

“…yea. Also… you good? After everything? I know this was a bit of a surprise, but… I had to know.” Noli scratched the back of his hoodie, trying to distract himself. “And, it seemed like something to at least watch out for, so…”

“I mean, it could be better, but it’s alright for now,” 007n7 mumbled. “But… I think things are alright for now.”

“Well, thats good. Uhh… yea. Again, sorry about calling so suddenly. It’s uh… oh! Guess I gotta do a couple things now. See ya, Sev!”

Noli hung up on the call before 007n7 could respond.

…007n7 stared at his phone for a while after.

That was one… interesting conversation.

It did answer many questions that 007n7 had, answers that he honestly didn’t expect. But… he had more questions still, and he was almost certain they would be answered soon, for some reason.

Honk! Honk! 007n7 looked outside to see the glaring lights of 7e7’s truck just outside, near the window of his apartment.

When 007n7 checked the time, he was stunned to see it was about 10 PM.

He had a feeling that there would definitely be more conversations. More awkwardness. Definitely more explaining and anxiety.

But… he stared at the night sky through the apartment window, observing the stars. He looked a bit closely and even squinted a bit, to find the North Star.

Some things were better off left in the dark. But when he thought more about the call that they had, he realized it felt… healing. Clearly, neither of them were willing to let go. Even after everything.

The guiding North Star twinkled in the distance. Almost as if to signify… that sometimes things will come back.

For now, he just had to keep on going. No matter what.