Work Text:
After school today, 007n7 would kill himself.
That's the first thought that came to his head when 007n7 woke up. That and how much he hated his house.
His mom was always bickering with god knows who, his sister was emo as shit and would stay in her room smoking up a joint with her ugly boyfriend, he was the only “normal” one in this damned house, even with the holes in the walls and clothes everywhere in his room.
Which is why he wanted to end it. This hell hole or the next, whichever one is worse would be what he saw if he went to hell, and this was already worse than a lot of things.
“GET YOUR ASS UP #######. YOU’RE GONNA BE LATE AND ITS COLD AS SHIT. I'M NOT DRIVING YOUR ASS TO SCHOOL.”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP I’M GOING ALREADY.”
He got out of his bed and walked on clothes that were somewhat packed down with filth and debris that covered any and all carpet of his room.
He didn't care what he wore or what he looked like, he knew he probably smelled like shit, but he's not concerned with hygiene when he wants to overdose or slit his wrists daily. What mattered anymore anyway.
It was the day before winter break. His mom probably would go on vacation for the winter and his sister would either smoke here or at her boyfriend's house. It didn't matter, she rarely left her room.
Which is why today after school was perfect. Nothing would get in his way.
Which is what he would have done if there wasn't a new student.
The new guy looked weird first period. He wore some purple looking mask and kept his hood up and kept scouting around, as if sizing everyone up. Maybe it was because he couldn't focus on the social studies teacher and her fat ass crammed into a two-sizes-too-small knee length skirt and a cardigan up front writing some stupid winter break packet extra credit question that the nerds would write down and study as closely as biblical law.
He used to be smart. He used to be smart as hell. He just… stopped caring. He could get better anytime he wanted. He just didn't want to today.
The new guy looked the same way. Tired, panicked, ready to unload a round or two in a moment's notice, all of the above. Maybe it was just the normal quiet kid behavior, maybe not, but that made 007n7 pause in his B-line to hatred.
He hated school. He hated home. He hated every subject and he only ever felt somewhat happy when intentionally ruining other people's day. It somehow was an outlet to code and hack his way into some form of motherboard and make it red and black, ‘Y0u ju5 g0t h@kd XDD’ was his usual catch phrase.
He was in 11th grade, a Junior. He didn't care about school, he was smart, he just didn't try in any subjects other than barely tech class. He had failed classes before, and had to sit in a white room with stupid posters that were somehow worse than the “hang in there” cat posters in a 90’s sitcom to retake classes online with the slow dialup internet and boxy computers.
The room looked thrown together most of the time, as if it were an inconvenience that he and the other two people in the class failed a course or two.
007n7 sat down in the boys restroom during lunch, a milk carton passed from his hand to the floor next to his hip and his stack of one binder that was never used and a shit ton of papers were to the right. He stared down at his hands, the skin around his nails were coated with dried blood and stung if they were touched due to him picking at them constantly. It was an absent-minded thing to do, just something to distract himself from his thoughts.
A teacher had given him a paper that his mom needed to sign that said he would have to retake the class- which he thought was stupid because he had been forging her signature for years now- that was now half-hazardly shoved into the other papers mounting on top of the binder.
Oddly enough, it felt like he was finally at some form of peace with the fact that he wouldn't graduate. Not like he would ever take his life anywhere, he had no friends and everyone thinks he looks and smells like shit, so they never start a conversation.
“... Is that seat taken?”
007n7 glanced up to see- new kid?- gesturing to the spot next to him, the eye of the mask squinting slightly after he asked.
“...It's the bathroom floor, do you see anyone else sitting?”
“I didn’t know if you had a friend waiting for you or something.” ‘New kid’ took his seat, one knee up while his other leg stretched out in front of him.
“Hah! Hilarious.”
“Hm?”
“Nothing.”
007n7 shifted to be a bit closer to his stuff, not giving the idea of ‘I wanna be best buddys!’.
“...What’s your name?”
“...007n7.”
“You’re named after numbers?”
“Not really, that's what I go by though, got a problem with it?”
“No, just a little… confusing. I’m Noli.”
“Didn’t ask.”
“...Got a problem with that?
“Guess not.”
Silence filled the area for a moment before 007n7 piped back up.
“Not like I give a shit, but don’t you got any other person to sit next to?”
“Didn’t really want to sit next to anyone else.”
007n7 tilted his head at the answer to Noli.
“You willingly came to the bathroom to sit and eat?”
“You do.”
“Yeah because people don’t fucking like me. You're new, basically fresh meat in a lion's den.”
“Sure, but I’ve had like 3 classes with you so far and I’ve caught you staring at me a good 8 times.”
“Can you blame me? You’re wearing a mask and keep looking around like you’re suffering from heroin withdrawal "
Nolis’ mask-mouth opened for a moment almost to contradict before pausing and looking in front of himself again.
“... So where'd you come from?”
“... The lunch room?”
“No, dipshit, what school did you come from.”
“Oh, uhm-... … Vvvvoid high.” Noli sounded oddly nervous saying that, which might have struck 007n7 as weird.
“Where the hell even is that?”
“Uh… another server… “
“Whatevs.”
007n7 grabbed the milk carton from the floor and opened it and took a sip before reveling back.
“Jesus Christ, can they not let milk sit out for hours??”
“Hm?”
“Do you not taste it??”
“... Not really, I just figured that's what milk tasted like.”
God, how pathetic is this guy??
“Have you never had fresh milk?”
“Guess not… “
Silence circles the two now, aside from the commotion from the lunch room. After a few moments, Noli decided to strike up another conversation.
“Is there a reason why you didn't get an actual lunch?”
“As if I'd trust the school food, if they can't put milk away properly then they can't put anything away properly.”
“... I didn't think it tasted bad… “
“To each their own.”
007n7 reached his arm up to dump the rest of the milk into the sink next to him, muttering under his breath about how gross it was.
Shortly after, the bell rang and the sound of chairs being scooted out almost masked the sound of people walking.
“You might want to get a move on.”
“Dont you mean ‘we’? “
“No, I'm skipping this period.”
“Why?”
“I'm not gonna do the shit they assign anyway, I just camp out in the bathrooms. “
“... Then I'm staying too.”
“... Why?”
“I'm not gonna do the shit they assign anyway. “
“Real smart alec aren't you.”
“Just giving what I'm getting, Sev!”
That tiny nickname was enough to make 007n7 pause.
“... What did you say?”
“Uh… ‘just giving what I'm getting, Sev’? “
“There, what do you mean ‘Sev’??”
“Oh, I figured friends made nicknames for each other… do they not?”
“No, they do, just,” What does this guy mean friends?! We've spoken for 5 minutes! “ I guess I just didn't expect it? I'm not gonna do that crummy shit tho.”
“Aw… :c”Nolis’ mouth on the mask turned into a significant frown, it was almost humorous.
“Is that mask just your face or?”
“Uhh… it moves like a face, does that count? “
“... Are you like some robot in disguise? If so then your programming sucks.”
“Dont think so, but I CAN do… “ As Noli spoke he moved his tray off his lap and hooked his thumb under his mask and took it off, his hood falling down and revealing… nothing? Not even a head, “THIS! aint that cool?”
His mask was the thing speaking, it was almost freakishly cool if it weren't so freakish.
“... I feel like you're meant to have a head… could just be me but you don't look like you can afford Korblox. “
“... Hate to say it but… I just like my mask.”
“... So you DO have a head, just not on ya?”
“Yyyup!”
“... That's like saying ‘you wouldn't know my girlfriend, she goes to another school”
“Then it's a good thing I don't have one?”
“... I guess bro.”
Something was up with this new kid, honestly. The mask was enough to freak 007n7 out, but somehow he wasn't repalled? He was more intrigued than anything, but who cares.
