Chapter Text
Another day. Another round. Another game of tag.
C00lkidd loved playing tag. He loved playing with his dad and all of his dads friends. He didn’t love it when they hurt him though. Didn’t anyone ever teach them how to play properly? His dad knew how to play properly! He knew how to run away when C00lkidd ran towards him. He also loved it when his dad would use his gui to teleport away. It was like playing hide and seek and tag at the same time!
The others clearly didn’t know how to play like dad though. The others hurt him or just hide the whole time. The pizza man was fun though. He remembered playing with him too, before ending up in this realm where he could play tag with his dad and friends forever.
Though, sometimes the games got boring. He didn’t like doing the same thing again and again. Sometimes he got sad when his dad didn’t talk to him. Sometimes it was worse when he did.
He couldn’t understand why all the others looked so scared. Why they all begged him not to kill them. Not to what again? He couldn’t remember. But he hated hearing his dad sound so scared when they played. Sometimes, when his dad fell asleep after playing, he’d hold his dad and rock him to sleep. Just like his dad used to when he was younger.
But it was at the end of the rounds that C00lkidd finally understood why everyone acted the way they did.
It was at the end that he realized the monster he was. He realized why they ran and hid. He realized why they begged. He realized why his dad never looked at him with the love he used to.
It was at the end when he’d open his eyes and see the carnage around him. When he’d look down at his hands and see the blood dripping off them. When he’d see his dad and the way his eyes looked at nothing with empty glassy eyes.
It was at the end when he'd clutch his dads ruined body and cry into his unmoving body that he’d realize just how broken everything and everyone was.
Then he’d wake up again with no memories of the past rounds and do it all over again.
___
C00lkidd woke back up in the house where all him and the others were staying. C00lkidd remembered going through another round of tag and he’d won! He loved it when he won. It meant he was better than the others he played with. It meant dad could be proud of him.
C00lkidd stood up and ran across the house, until he spotted 1x and John Doe talking to each other. He ran up to the two older men and grabbed 1x’s sleeve with a bright smile.
“1x! 1x! I won again! I tagged everyone! Isn’t that great?!”
1x gave John a knowing look and then ruffled C00lkidd’s hair.
“Yeah, kidd. Good job. Now, how about you go bother Bluudud? I’m busy right now.”
C00lkidd nodded and let go of 1x’s sleeve. He turned to go find Bluudud, but then paused for a second and looked back at 1x.
“Can I play with your minions again later?”
1x nodded without looking at him.
“Only if you’re good, kidd. Now, please leave.”
C00lkidd smiled again and agreed, before bolting down the hallways to go find Bluudud.
___
Another day. Another round. Another cycle of death.
When the round started, 007n7 could already feel Elliot's glare against the back of his head. That was probably because C00lkidd was the killer this round and probably just because Elliot hated him. There wasn’t anything he could do to fix it though. All he could do was keep surviving. Keep hoping there was a way out of this hellhole.
He just had to keep looking for a way through to his son.
Everything was going pretty well at first. The others were all doing a good job at keeping his son at bay. He hated the fact that they had to hurt his son to do it though. He didn’t like seeing his son clutch his side when Two Time would stab him or when he’d look like crying when Chance shot at him.
It wasn’t C00lkidd’s fault. He didn’t know what he was doing. He was just having fun. It was his fault for C00lkidd’s behavior. He wasn’t a good father. He didn’t try hard enough and now people are getting hurt because of it. People were getting hurt long before they were forsakened. All because of him.
While he worked on a generator, 007n7 thought about every mistake he made and every chance he was given to be better. When he finished he heard footsteps behind him and was about to use his gui to summon a clone, before someone grabbed his sleeve and pulled him behind a wall. It was Elliot and he was signalling for Seven to be quiet. He didn’t question it, because he knew C00lkidd was nearby and that was confirmed when the young boy who was now way taller than any of them. Seven thought he heard the boy calling out for him, but C00lkidd passed before he could fully catch it.
When they were sure C00lkidd had moved on, they both relaxed.
007n7 looked over at Elliot and frowned. It was nice of Elliot to help him hide before his son could find him. It was something he liked about Elliot. Despite all the trouble and pain he’d caused him in the past, Elliot still was kind enough to help him survive in these death games.
He knew that didn’t mean Elliot liked or forgave him for the past, but it meant that they were still a team despite their rocky past.
“Thanks for the save.” Seven said quietly beside Elliot.
He could see the way Elliot frowned and then stood up.
“Yeah, just being a good samaritan.” He said with a pointed glare at Seven, before speaking again. “Just be careful.”
With that final comment, Elliot walked off again. Most likely to go see if he could help the others too.
Elliot was a good guy. It wasn’t fair that he got stuck here. Most of the people here were good guys. It wasn’t fair they all got stuck here.
It wasn’t fair!
___
They were doing so well. It didn’t make sense.
How could they all have died already? He thought they were gonna be ok this time.
But they weren’t.
They were dead again and he was about to be too.
He couldn’t breathe.
C00lkidd looked at him with that too innocent and happy expression, while he squeezed the air out of his fathers body.
He didn’t want this!
He didn’t want this for his son.
He knew what was coming next.
He knew he couldn’t stop it.
C00lkidd’s eyes narrowed in confusion, before finally snapping 007n7’s neck.
Then he set him down and began to cry.
He grabbed his fathers unmoving body and clung to it, like he could somehow undo the pain he caused his father. Like he could somehow will him back to life if he just held on tight enough and cried hard enough.
But he couldn’t.
The last sound that filled the blood covered realm was the sound of a child screaming and crying out for his father.
***
Then C00lkidd opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.