Chapter Text
Feet dragged through the wet grass, uneven and desperate. Each shuffle sent a tremor of pain through 007n7’s side, forcing him to stumble before catching himself against a brick wall slick with rain and moss. His trembling hand pressed against the rough surface, leaving a faint smear of blood behind. He leaned heavily, chest heaving, lungs clawing for air he couldn’t quite catch.For the first time since the round had started, he allowed himself to stop. To breathe. The pain bloomed hot across his ribs as his other hand brushed over the soaked patch of his shirt. His fingertips pressed down, testing the wound, and the sharp, biting sting ripped a hiss of breath between his teeth. Poison. He could feel it, sluggish and burning under the skin. The cut wasn’t deep enough to kill him outright, but if he didn’t treat it soon, it would make sure he wished it had.The memory replayed in his mind, jagged and relentless.
The beginning of the round, only minutes ago. Turning the corner too fast, too careless. 1x4 eyes gleaming like they knew exactly where 007n7 would appear. A flash of steel, faster than thought. One poisoned blade sliding across his side, leaving heat, pain and the echo of laughter in its wake. Pressing hard against the wound, 007n7 gritted his teeth and forced himself to move. He pushed forward, searching for help. At the far end of the outdoor area, nestled in the shadows, a medkit caught his eye. His pulse leapt, but instinct caught up before relief could settle in. Survival instincts urged him to use it immediately, but he hesitated. It might serve better as leverage later. Bargaining power. The others didn’t trust him, didn’t like him, hell, some of them wanted him gone outright. He imagined Elliot’s face. Yeah, Elliot would toss him a piece of pizza for a medkit, wouldn’t he? That felt like the kind of gamble worth taking. And then there was the other presence. The one he couldn’t shake. The Spectre. Always there, always watching. A shadow that wasn’t quite in the shadows. He hated it. He feared it. But right now, he didn’t dare test again. The last time he’d tried to slip past its grip, to claw his way out of this hellhole, the consequences had been burned into him too deep to forget.Minutes bled together as he staggered along the perimeter, each step slower than the last. The wound throbbed. His vision blurred. The ground seemed to tilt beneath him until finally, with a defeated groan, he collapsed against another wall. His back slid down the cold bricks .His chest heaved, breath shallow. Blood seeped steadily through his shirt, warm against the chill night air.
That’s when he heard it.
Footsteps. Fast. Heavy. Coming straight toward him.
Panic flared, but his body betrayed him. Too weak to stand. Too slow to run. His fingers scrambled instead for the c00lgui. Black-and-red fingertips danced clumsily across the keys, typing out a teleport command. It was sloppy. Rushed. He wasn’t sure if it would trigger in time, if it would trigger at all but it was something. Something was better than nothing.
He raised his eyes.
Through the dim light of the yard, a figure appeared. Elliot.
standing just off to the side, half-hidden behind a cracked wall. His posture was rigid, eyes fixed forward, sharp and unblinking . His eyes were locked forward, cold and unblinking, as if fear had rooted him in place. Strands of golden hair framed his face in loose curls, catching the faint light and softening the hard line of his jaw. For three long seconds, time seemed to drag, every flicker of tension visible in his face, his jaw tight with something unspoken. Right in front of him slumped 007n7, chest rising and falling too fast, shirt drenched in spreading blood, the metallic scent heavy in the air. Elliot’s jaw tightened, the sharp movement snapping him out of whatever trance had held him. The fragile silence shattered with it. On the screen, the teleport command flickered, incomplete, before trembling fingers reached out and canceled it. His breath hitched, shallow and uneven, as his lips pulled into the faintest, weakest smile. Elliot’s stomach turned the moment the faint smile broke across 007n7’s face. His throat tightened, words pressing against it. “What the hell happened to you seven?”