#deadlock au

can this be considered au if it's just post-canon? anyway

the patron denied seven his wish— it was to be expected, who would want to cultivate competition for themselves? seven hasn't really considered his life in case he fails the ritual, he had to win, there was no other choice and no more second chances.

now it was all for nothing. he's forced to go back to hiding, and he's expecting the osic to show up on his doorstep any day. who knows how long until he'd be captured again? surely his captors were using the sweet time he has been on the run to learn on their mistakes and improve the program. if seven's caught again, there's no chance he gets away.

he still fears death, though not in a way most people do. if he dies, he dies so horribly that there would be no trace of him left— everything he's done, the memory of him ever existing would disappear. seven would never ask for help or go look for a hero, but this time he has to choose between death and swallowing his pride. so he goes to abrams out of desperation. they were never what you'd call 'close', but abrams' help is seven's last hope.

why would abrams help him? in the detective's eyes, he's a lucky criminal bastard on the run from justice. but there's also his own sense of justice which tells him that he should try helping out someone who kept their team coordinated during the ritual, gave it his all and gained nothing for his trouble in the end. also, abrams can't help but adore, maybe even respect, seven's sudden willingness to turn himself in.

i think seven was wrongly accused (or not entirely, but death sentence was too much for a crime he committed), but he sure couldn't afford a lawyer or any kind of legal support, so he just went with it in hopes he could somehow turn things his way. maybe he just was an unfortunate soul who was chosen by the government to test their new soul annihilation machine. he wouldn't share this with anyone post-electrocution simply to maintain his reputation of the all-powerful mastermind who only let himself be caught to further his plans. abrams would be the first man alive to learn the truth. i also like to think he'd be interested in investigating seven's case, given he asks him about what he's done to land himself in lost whisper in one of their dialogues.

something something slowburn romance. their relationship is extremely casual, toxic and doomed, but it's interesting for me to try looking at it from another angle. abrams realizes seven can be surprisingly pleasant to talk with— the one thing the man rightfully gives himself credit for is that he's very intelligent and is able to hold a conversation about anything, which you don't usually expect from someone who hides in the tunnels and has no way to keep up with the world. seven grows to respect abrams as he realizes he's more than some naive soul playing the hero— holy shit, this man actually has principles, and he's willing to help even someone of seven's reputation if he's convinced it's the right thing to do. don't think they won't fight and abrams wouldn't think several times about dropping the case just so that he has a reason to kick seven out, though.