Work Text:
One day after being harassed by this hacker, Elliot had had enough. To relieve the stress, he came up with an idea: what if he just treated the hacker like his boyfriend?
Before heading to work, Elliot mentally hypnotized himself.
007n7 is my boyfriend... my boyfriend.
His boyfriend is just a bit mischievous and loves teasing him... Elliot tried to convince himself of this idea.
Around noon, the hacker showed up again. His brown hair was a mess, and his clothes were wrinkled—had he just woken up? Elliot often wondered where this hacker even found time to sleep.
Today, for once, he seemed less energetic—less lively in his mischief, that is.
"Elliooooot—"
The hacker dragged out his name playfully. Elliot could humorously imagine they were in the "talking stage," and his boyfriend was whining for attention.
His boyfriend leaned over the counter, completely ignoring the stares from other customers. "Hey, pizza guy, I need pizza! I'm super... hungry!" The hacker even put on a pitiful expression, gazing at Elliot.
If this were really his boyfriend, he should give him a pizza, right?
"What do you want to eat, Bo—"
Elliot cut himself off just in time. He almost blurted out the word "boyfriend."
007n7, however, was clearly intrigued by his sudden pause. "Whatever pizza's fine," the hacker said, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm? What were you about to say?"
Elliot's ears flushed—whether from embarrassment or something else—as his fingers quickly tapped the screen. "I've already put your order in. Go find a seat."
007n7 wasn't about to let it go.
He leaned in closer. "You didn't even try to kick me out today." He pressed further, probing, and to Elliot, it felt like he was taking advantage of the situation.
Elliot reached out and pushed him back to a proper distance, looking down at him. "You want me to kick you out that badly?"
007n7 stayed where he was, leaning on the counter, looking up at Elliot's smile. For a moment, he froze. Then quickly retorted, "No way."
"Is that so?" Elliot smiled.
"Now, go find a seat. I'll bring you your pizza." Elliot didn't want to argue anymore and looked down at 007n7. To his surprise, the hacker had already walked away. Even more unexpected, he actually sat down quietly in a seat—no mischief at all.
The hacker sat there, sulking silently. His right hand covered his reddening ear. What was he even thinking about? His mind kept replaying Elliot's smile—those clean, green eyes focused entirely on him.
He pressed his other hand to his chest. His heart was pounding. Did pizza really take this long? He glanced back toward Elliot, who was standing at the counter chatting with customers, laughing brightly.
Jealousy.
The hacker's good mood evaporated instantly, replaced by a heavy, suffocating irritation. Why was he sitting here quietly like this? He should be tearing this place apart.
His left hand moved to summon c00lgui. A red light flickered.
Right then, a familiar voice interrupted.
"n7, your pizza's ready." Elliot placed the pizza box on the table. "Sorry, I forgot to ask—did you want it here or to go?" The interruption only made his mood worse.
Then Elliot set a small dessert beside him. The dark mood lifted slightly.
Watching the hacker's reaction, Elliot couldn't help but smile. "Consider it an apology."
007n7 looked at the dessert and calmed down a little.
Still, he was confused. "...Why are you doing all this?" He kept his head down. "Well, isn't it normal to do this for your boyfrie—ahhh wait!!!" Elliot clapped a hand over his mouth, trying to take it back.
"WHAT???" 007n7 shot up, staring at him in shock. "Since when?! I mean... you didn't even confess?!" His voice drew stares from the surrounding customers. Flustered, Elliot tried to calm him down and himself at the same time.
"Okay, I can explain... n7." Elliot lowered his voice, hoping to avoid more attention. "Can we talk about this after my shift? Please?" His voice was soft.
007n7 agreed.
Quietly, he sat there, face heating up belatedly. His gaze stayed fixed out the window, even as he absently ate his pizza. His thoughts were a mess. Today was Valentine's Day, not April Fools', right? Was Elliot about to confess? When did he become his boyfriend? Did this count as "marriage first, love later"? Did he even agree to it? Should he agree?
...Did he like him?
After the last customer left, Elliot's mind was stuck on one thought: How the hell do I explain this? He glanced to the side. Sure enough, 007n7 was still sitting there.
Gathering his courage, Elliot walked over. "...007n7."
He sat down across from him. The hacker seemed to have just mustered his own courage too. "Explain."
Elliot let out a sigh. "Alright... So lately, whenever you cause trouble at the pizzeria, the manager blames us. It's been stressful. I wanted to relieve some of that pressure—change my mindset, at least."
"So I thought... I'd treat you like my boyfriend." His voice trailed off toward the end.
"And that's your solution?" Elliot could hear the barely contained anger in 007n7's voice. He stayed silent. "Elliot... do you know what day it is today?"
Elliot shook his head. 007n7 got even angrier.
"So you—" He stopped, refusing to say more. Elliot found himself facing a furious hacker. He looked helplessly at 007n7. "Seven?"
"...So you... don't actually like me?" 007n7 asked, head still down.
Like him? Elliot froze. His mind went blank. He didn't know how to answer. But one thing was certain: he didn't want 007n7 to leave.
"I do like you." It was the truth. After all, wasn't the very idea of treating him like a boyfriend already proof of his selfish desire? Why else would he know the hacker liked sweets? Why else would he notice that his jealousy was because of him?
"I admit it. That idea came from selfishness. I like you." Elliot said it again, clearly.
"Now... I want your answer."
"I like you." 007n7 lifted his head and met Elliot's gaze. Those green eyes still held only him. I've found my answer.