#schneep and marv are the best bros

[septic-dr-schneep]

JSE Fanfiction - In Time of Need (Part 19: Remission)

Summary: Now that he knows Jackieboy is down for the count and the responsibility to protect the other Egos has fallen to him, there are things that Marvin needs to address -- specifically, what happened between him and Schneep.

Marvin had tried every possible form of examination. Prying off his mask with a frustrated hiss, he tossed it onto his cluttered desk, eyes narrowed at the doll before him. Every time he doused it with magic, it flailed about, sizzling and burning; it should have been nothing but ashes by now.

Eventually, however, the fire shrank and died away without leaving a single scorch mark on his desk or the doll. In fact, it looked as if it’d been completely untouched all this time. Nothing he had done over the past few hours made any conceivable dent in it; there wasn’t a single string out of place.

“What is this even supposed to be? What does it mean?” he growled to no one in particular, picking up the perturbing plaything and glaring more deeply into its wide, unnerving stitched eyes.

It was entirely identical to him in every way: the long-sleeve blue shirt rolled up to his elbows, the black jeans, the cape, the mask…Even the shade of thread used for its eyes was unique, quite unlike than that of the Jameson doll that had been tossed nearby after an hour or so of examining it with no success—not that he’d found any better success with his own. He leaned over, snatching the little Jameson up a second time and weighing the pair for a side-by-side comparison.

Entirely identical. Marvin’s eyes were darker, glaucous blue. When Jameson made a point of letting his sepia aura recede and color bled into his skin, hair and clothing, it could be seen that the younger Ego’s eyes were quite light, more powder-gray than blue, and the dolls had been stitched accordingly.

If Marvin had to give Anti credit for anything, it was his attention to detail, but the thought that the Defect had ever managed to get close enough to memorize their eye colors made his stomach turn. Distinctly uncomfortable, he promptly set the Jameson doll back in its former place and made a mental reminder not to pick it up again unless absolutely necessary.

His own doll’s thin, loosely tied black cape flapped haphazardly about as he waved it back and forth, unable to think of anything else to do with it. It was unnaturally heavy in his hand, the weave of each piece of yarn dense and tight. It was made to be sturdy, but no natural yarn would be able to stand up to his magic.

Perhaps this was no natural yarn. He couldn’t expect it to be, honestly. Who knew what Anti could have done to it? It was just as cursed as its weaver.

As soon as he and Signe had walked into his room and found the doll waiting for him, resting in the dead center of his pillow, Marvin had been paralyzed, simultaneously dread and fury rooting him to the spot.

Signe had moved ahead of him toward the bed, picking up the doll and asking him uncertainly where it had come from, and Marvin hadn’t been able to respond, stumbling back to lean against the wall as he strained his magic just that much more to perform a locator spell.

It wasn’t a spell he used often, given how much it required of him, but he had needed to see if there were still any traces of Anti’s essence in his room. To his frustration, he couldn’t muster enough energy or magic to tell after the strength he’d spent opening the portal for Jameson. He hadn’t fully recharged and draining himself for that last push had been the final straw for his body. His vision had become a stomach-churning tilt-a-whirl and he knew he was about to make a repeat performance of the spectacular faint he’d performed in Schneep’s lab. He couldn’t—He had to—

He’d very nearly crashed into Signe as he slumped forward, but somehow he managed to keep his feet underneath him long enough to stagger past her and fall toward the bed. He was out cold before he connected and the sleep that enveloped him was dreamless.

When he’d awoken, he was groggy and sore, cursing himself for sleeping on his stomach and creating a throbbing crick in his neck, but he’d felt a little more like himself. While he shook off sleep, he’d shifted limp fingers to get the blood flow back to them, satisfied to see that sparks danced around their tips without too much of a delay. Now that he’d gotten some decent rest, his magic was recovering.

His next bleary glance, aimed at the clock nearby, had told him he’d just slept for twelve hours undisturbed. That was less of a surprise than it should have been, given the household he lived in; more often than not he would have one of the others knocking on his door to wake him for morning cartoons before the workday and for a moment or two, he’d forgotten the events of the day before. When memory sank in, he’d stilled, breathing deeply and taking in the faded scent of cleanser lingering in his sheets as he ran through a mental checklist.

Chase was still at the hospital, recovering from the surgery.

Jameson was still in the ABOP. He had a cot there; hopefully he had slept alright.

Signe had probably opted to stay out of his room because she thought he needed the rest.

It wasn’t any wonder that no one had come to wake him. In fact, he’d genuinely considered closing his eyes and sleeping for a while longer, but it was then that he’d also remembered the doll. He’d forced himself to rise so he could do some research.

Since then, after cramming down two pieces of toast to satisfy Signe’s warnings against working on an empty stomach, he’d been seated here in his workroom, poring over his books for some spell that could unravel this hideous little doll. From the looks of it, there was nothing special keeping it together. It didn’t even seem to serve any magical purpose. Why was it here? Why had Anti put it here and why had he chosen now to do so?

As the doll’s cape clumsily started tangling around his fingers, he broke out of his thoughts, dropping it with a small noise of disgust and then sighing deeply, leaning his elbows on the desk and massaging his temples.

He really shouldn’t be working at all, given that the stitches in his chest were protesting every movement. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken pain medication either, but there were so many other things he needed to do. He needed to check on the Jack and Schneeplestein dolls that had been discovered, he needed to fetch Jameson from the ABOP and check on Sam in the process, he needed to eat something more than that toast, call Chase at the hospital to get an update on how he was feeling…

How on earth did Jackieboy cope with all of this responsibility? Why had Jack made him the next one in line to have that power put on his shoulders when Jackieboy wasn’t there to handle it? Would that it were someone else…

No. It would be an utter disaster. Marvin was molded for this purpose and he was meant to be exactly where he was. If any of the others were to be in his place, they would never be able to stand up under the weight. It would always be his responsibility, even if he didn’t like it. Jackieboy never said a bad word about them when they leaned on him for support, so what right did Marvin have to do so?

Marvin missed Jackieboy more than he could possibly say. He had never been allowed to see him since he’d learned that he was in the coma; police were stationed at both his old room and the room he’d been transferred to, pending the investigation of the nurse’s death. They didn’t know whether or not he was still a target and the family was always the first group of suspects. Worse, Marvin couldn’t even tell them that it was already too late, that the attacker had gotten exactly what he wanted long before they’d arrived.

Come to think of it, he had never even seen Jackieboy since he’d left home. Jackieboy had barely bothered to say goodbye. Now he wasn’t even sure he wanted to, given what he knew would be waiting for him. His next breath was shakier than it should have been, but he needed to keep it together. He was leader. A leader maintained his composure for the sake of the others, no matter the toll it took on him emotionally. A leader—

“Marvin…? If…If I say you’re right, will you stop hating me?”

His train of thought ground to a stop at that voice. Dejectedly Marvin lifted his head, glancing over his shoulder at the doctor who stood in the doorway. He was already crying, he noted, guilt curling up tightly in his stomach. That wasn’t a good sign.

A leader dealt with issues on the inside before trying to address anything else.

“I don’t hate you,” he muttered.

“You do, I know you do!” Schneep protested miserably, ducking his head as the tears raced to escape his wiping fingers. “I want to say whatever will make you stop being angry with me but I don’t know what it is! I want to take responsibility, like you say I should!” Slumping against the wall by the door, he blurted out, “It’s my fault. Is always my fault! I did this to us! I should never have left Jackie. I s-should have stopped him from leaving in first place! I failed him, I fail us, I fail you all the time and—”

“Stop, Schneep, don’t say that,” Marvin cut him off quietly, pushing away from his desk and spinning his chair around to face him. “You’re just gonna keep working yourself up and we both know it’s not true.”

“It is! I mean it! I do—!”

“But I didn’t. I shouldn’t have put that on you. I just…” Frustration and sadness winding into a tight knot in his chest, Marvin shook his head, throwing up his hands. “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t come to us, why you didn’t tell us what had happened with Jackieboy! One of us could have gone to him while you were treating Jack and maybe we could’ve done something to save him!”

Another surge of anger roughened his tone as he tore his gaze away. “I’m just—I am sick of seeing them get hurt. Seeing both of them sacrifice so much for us and suffer for it—I hate it so much! I hate Anti so much for it that it scares me and when there’s any kind of chance that any of us can prevent it…We could’ve helped you, Schneep. Why did you try to take it all on yourself again?”

“Because that’s my job!”

The magician’s mouth opened at that, nothing less than astonished at how Schneep said that without any hesitation, as if it was something that had been established and understood since he was born. Marvin knew he valued independence over a lot of other things, but did he honestly believe that doing it without any help had been his job since he’d first walked through the front door, barely coherent in his English and greener than Jack’s hair?

Did he honestly think he was meant for that? Had they made him feel that way?

“Are you—are you kidding?” the magician sputtered when he remembered how to find words. “We’re supposed to be a family, aren’t we?! None of us can do it ourselves; that’s the whole point of us living together like this! That’s why Jack brought all of us together! We’re supposed to rely on each other! You weren’t made to handle anything like this yourself!”

“I know, I know! Is why I wanted to prove that I could! Nine months ago I fail with Jack and with Jackie I wanted to try again! I—I want to do something right for once on my own without needing help for the f-first time since Anti took me and instead I just make everything worse!” Unable to stand looking at Marvin anymore, Schneep hid his face in his hands, shoulders heaving, words muffled and broken between the sobs and his fingers. “I j-just wanted t-to be a good doctor!”

The pit of Marvin’s stomach sank at that and he levered himself to his feet, drifting across the room to put a tentative hand on his arm. “C’mon,” he murmured. “C’mon, doc, you’ve gotta breathe—” The rest of his words were forced back into his throat as the younger Ego flung himself at him, burying his face in his chest and drawing a startled grunt from him.

His shirt going damp within seconds, Marvin swallowed hard, gingerly looping his arms around him. The two of them weren’t in the habit of hugging; he’d forgotten what it felt like. It was strange, a little uncomfortable, but Schneep was too overcome to care like Marvin did. Usually Jackie was here whenever either of them needed comfort or reassurance…

Who knew how long it would be before they got a hug from him again? At that unwelcome thought, Marvin automatically tightened his grip and Schneep heaved a shuddering breath, apparently reading his mind.

“I k-killed them,” he whispered hoarsely, clutching at the older Ego’s shirt and lifting his head to stare at him with damp, bloodshot eyes. “I killed them, I killed them and they—”

“No,” Marvin stopped him immediately, shaking his head violently. “No, you didn’t. If they’re still breathing, they’re still alive, okay? Jack did even more than that, remember? He spoke and he opened his eyes! It’s like Chase said; we can still get through to him!”

“But Jackie…Jackie…”

“Whatever happens with him, we’ll take care of it. We’re going to protect him, okay?”

“I c-can’t protect anyone! Any time I t-try, I just make it worse. We can’t lose both of them, Marvin! I can’t do this anymore, I cannot lose them both, not like this! I just can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t—”

“Shh, shh-shh-shh…C’mon, you’ve gotta get ahold of yourself…” Marvin protested weakly as Schneep’s head fell against his chest again, his anguished mantra dissolving into incoherent whimpers. “Schneep, please, you’ve gotta…you…”

His own pleas were failing now as his throat tightened and Marvin was suddenly all too aware of the fact that he was buckling, losing the composure a proper leader was meant to keep. Stop it, stop, you’re just being ridiculous. This is stupid…Why are you even doing this right now? This isn’t about you; you’re meant to be comforting him, so just suck it up and…and…No, stop, please stop, don’t—

Too late. The tears were spilling like leaks from a sturdy pipe, the cracks growing too fast for him to patch them and allowing more and more to escape. He couldn’t keep up. One minute he was the comforter, the next he had dragged Schneep as close as he could possibly get him, shivering around him as if they were being frozen solid.

“M—Mm—?!” Schneep hiccupped frantically, unable to catch his breath as it was stifled in Marvin’s shirt, and the magician just shook more desperately, tightening his grip enough that he heard a small squeak of pain from the other against the curve of his throat. He wanted to be sorry for it, but he was too caught up in the tide of emotion that had been set loose.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out in grief-stricken stops and starts. “I—I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how we’re ever gonna get through this, Schneep, I just don’t know! Jackieboy’s the only one who stands a chance against Anti! He’s s-smarter and faster and stronger and kinder and if he was here, he c-could figure out what to do! I have nothing! An’ I snapped at you, I blamed you, an’ he never would’ve! He never would’ve turned on any of us! I don’t know how to be what I need to be to protect any of you until he wakes up!”

Schneep’s hyperventilating only worsened the longer his confession went on and something in Marvin sensed it, his next words failing to surface no matter how hard he tried to get them past the lump in his throat. Wordless cries came more easily.

After several rounds of tears that made their whole bodies ache, how long did they stand there, leaning on each other like two playing cards about to topple from the top of their house? Crying for so long had taken something out of him that he didn’t realize he could give. How many months had it taken for that to build up in him?

They were utterly spent, not to mention raw, pained, and soaked. Frankly it was disgusting, Marvin mused faintly, but he couldn’t muster any care. He just had to catch his breath, which seemed perfectly reasonable to Schneep. It didn’t look like he had any intention of pulling away from where he had tucked his face into Marvin’s shoulder.

That…That was okay. Right now, Marvin didn’t have any intention of letting him go.

[obsidiancreates]

Can you do a part 2 to the Henrik and Jameson neglect story? Maybe with him finding the guy who threatened him or telling one of his brothers whats going on?

(You know what? I don’t write the Septics od watch Jack anymore but fuck it, I’m feelin’ funky tonight and may as well give the boys another try. Plus, I just re-read it and the story made me sad, so let’s fix that.)

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three weeks.

It’s been... three weeks.

Not a word spoken to JJ, not a glance thrown his way.

Schneep had received more photos. Pictures taken through windows. Whoever this stalker is, they must be taking tips from Anti. It seems like they’re always watching.

“What did I do?” JJ signs, day after day.

Schneep doesn’t reply.

“What did I do?” JJ says with his slides.

Schneep pretends he doesn’t see it.

Marvin has taken over any and all of JJ’s medical care. Schneep didn’t ask him to. After that first incident... Marvin took it into his own hands.

... Schneep’s never felt so low in his life.

And the pictures are gleeful. Shots of him crying in his room (he’s since left the curtains shut at all times), shots of him ignoring a bleeding and sometimes sobbing JJ, shots of him just... just...

...

Jackie knocks on his door.

“Henrik?”

Schneep quickly wipes his eyes. If Jackie is using his first name, that means a very serious talk is about to take place. He needs to pretend as best he can.

“Yes?”

Jackie enters the room.

“Henrik, what the hell is going on with you and JJ?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You’ve been ignoring him for weeks. You’re acting like he doesn’t fuckin’ exist.”

Schneep shrugs.

“Don’t srug it off, what’s wrong with you?! He’s a wreck! He thinks he did something wrong, and he’s blaming himself!”

Schneep feels tears spring into his eyes. “I have nothing to say.”

Jackie is incredulous. “Nothing to say? Fucking nothing to say?! What’s going on with you?!”

“I need to get back to work.”

“No, you need to-”

“I! Need! To! Work!”

Jackie stares.

“... Is it Anti?” he asks quietly.

Schneep scoffs. “I am not doing the glitching, am I?”

Jackie doesn’t look convinced. “Something’s not right with you.”

“Yes, it is you interrupting me. Shoo! Shoo!”

Schneep stands up, pushing, pushing!, Jackie out of the room.

He slams the door shut.

Jackie takes a moment to process what just happened.

... Because what the fuck just happened?

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JJ cradles his photo album as he sits on his bed.

What happened? He and Schneep were close. Why did it all just... vanish?

He wipes his eyes, and shakes his head. He needs fresh air. Maybe that will help. Right? Maybe a nice breath of fresh air will give him some clarity, some clue as to what he did wrong...

He goes over to his window, opens it wide as possible, and leans out.

The bushes below rustle frantically.

“Jumping junipers!”

JJ startles away from the window, and then looks out again.

The bushes are still.

... Perhaps it was some kind of wild animal?

He leans out further, trying to get a better look-

...

Is that...

His eyes widen.

He rushes out of his room, bumping into an angry and perplexed Jackie. 

“I think there was someone watching me from the bushes!”

“Was it Anti?” Jackie immediately jumps to.

“I don’t think so! But I think their clothes ripped, I swear I’ve seen a piece of fabric in the bushes just after receiving a terrible fright!”

“Show me!”

JJ leads Jackie outside, and points out the bush.

Jackie crawls under, and...

Yes, there it is. A bit of bright-red fabric. Sock material, it looks like.

He scowls. “JJ, you’re sleeping in Marvin’s room tonight.”

JJ nods, and quickly head back into the house, no longer feeling safe.

Jackie gets out from under the bush.

He hates when he has to do lookouts over their house. It’s been months, no sign of Anti, and he’d started to hope those days of fear and vigilance could truly be put behind him.

Apparently not.

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Jackie crouches at the top of a tree, eyes on the house. 

He’s been like this for hours. He’ll be like this for hours more. It’s well into the night, and though his eyes ache, he’s trained himself to be able to keep watch for a full twenty-four hours if need be.

Every little shape, every shadow, ever sound, it’s all potential danger to his family. It keeps the blood pumping, keeps his heart racing. 

And then he sees it.

It’s dark out, so it’s little more than a shadow. But it’s not an animal, he can tell that much. Animals don’t wear baseball caps.

He quietly slips through the trees, getting closer.

The shadow moves quickly. Practiced. Jackie’s blood runs cold, and his temper flares.

How long has this person been stalking them? And why?

He keeps following, ready to drop-

... They’re... going right past JJ’s room, now.

He thought they’d take more pictures than that. That was, what, two? They’d set up a dummy JJ in there, it looks like JJ is asleep in his bed, so why...

...

They’ve got an envelope...

...

Schneep’s room?

He watches them take out some kind of flat... something, and slowly, carefully, wedge Schneep’s window open just enough that they can slip the envelope through.

Jackie’s heart drops.

He climbs out of the tree, and grabs the person by the back of their shirt, yanking them away from the window as harshly as he can.

They yelp.

Schneep’s light comes on.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Jackie barks.

Schneep opens his window, and his eyes go wide.

“Answer me!” Jackie demands.

Marvin’s light goes on as well, and JJ’s head pops out of the window. His hands fly up to his mouth, and he rushes to Schneep’s room. Marvin and Chase follwo right behind.

“Let go of me!” the person says. “I’m fucking armed!”

“With what? This?” Marvin holds up a gun. 

The person’s face falls with fear.

“Thought so.”

“Chase, what’s in the envelope?” Jackie says, not taking his eyes off of the stalker.

Chase rips it open, and his eyes widen in horror. JJ takes a step back. Schneep is near tears.

Photos. Photos of Schneep sobbing, of JJ sobbing, JJ begging Schneep to speak to him...

“Is this why?” JJ signs, hands trembling.

Jackie is livid. “Why?” he growls.

The person looks at him, and realizes there’s no way out of this.

“Your hack of a brother killed mine,” the person says, spitting as they speak. “My brother trusted this idiot to save his life, and he died! So-”

“So if you couldn’t talk to your brother, Schneep couldn’t talk to his?” Chase  interrupts, digging through Schneep’s desk. He waves a little piece of paper, angry words scribbled in it’s lines. “Good evidence collecting, bro.”

“What kind of sick, twisted logic is that?” Marvin says, snarling. 

“It’s justice!” the person snaps.

“No, it isn’t,” Jackie says coldly. “But you’re sure as fuck going to find that out soon.”

“What does that-”

“Marv, knock him out.”

Blue and green magic shoots into the person’s skull, and they’re out like a light.

“You-” Jackie says, pointing at Schneep, “-should have fuckin’ told us what was going on.”

“I could not risk,” Schneep says, wiping his eyes. “Not JJ. He is out so often, and I could not warn him what to watch out for without knowing who this was...”

JJ cuts Schneep off by wrapping him in a hug.

“You thought you were protecting me, and I can hold no ill will against you for that. I’m just glad to know it wasn’t animosity, or something I-”

“You are my brother,” Schneep says, hugging JJ back tightly, “I would never wish to hurt you or let you be hurt! I am sorry, for all of these last weeks.”

“I accept.”

 The hug lasts a long time. 

They’re both just glad to have each other back.

[immabethehero]

And JJ Makes Three

Eyy!!! I’ve been writing this since the start of August to celebrate our dear magician’s birthday! It’s like my last birthday story, so maybe(?) read that before reading this.

This also serves as a birthday present for @its-ethan-bro so go wish them a happy birthday!

TWs: Almost car accident,  panic attacks, beating (mentioned), electrocution (mentioned), family death (mentioned), murder (mentioned)

Marvin the Magnificent Magician sips coffee and looks outside his window. Ballycumber in County Offaly, Ireland, is quite small and peaceful. The WiFi is fairly poor, which is exactly what Jackie needs. The weak power lines make it harder for Anti to power up and stay put in one place for very long, hence why Jackie chose this town for himself and Marvin to live in.

Jack McLoughlin may not have had the best WiFi or connections in his little cabins, but it always held a special place in his heart as the starting place for his career. As of now, it’s the perfect hiding spot for a superhero hoping to test his new technology without a glitch’s interference and a magician whose magic powers grow stronger each day.

Marvin empties his glass and throws a large mattress onto the floor. He begins to loosen his hands from the mug, staring intently at it. Focus, Marv, focus.

The mug is a cheap one from the gas station selling souvenir items, but for Marvin, it's good practice. The mug slips from his fingers and his other hand reaches out, suspending the fall. Marvin raises his right hand, and the mug follows. Marvin grins and twirls his finger around. The mug circles in the air. He turns to the cupboard and snaps his fingers. More mugs fly out and join the first in the circle.

Marvin begins to juggle them in the air, dropping a mug and breaking its fall before sending it flying back in the air. The mugs perform a little dance, clinking softly against each other and twirling around before continuing their path.

Marvin holds his hands out, and the mugs dance their way back into the cupboard, while the last one lowers itself into his hands. The magician smiles. He has so much to show everyone back in Brighton. Schneep especially would have a heart attack over the mugs. Marvin’s stomach twists at the thought of his friend.

When Dr. Schneeplestein first disappeared, the house was in disarray. In the day, Marvin, Jackie, and Chase Brody would print recent photos of their beloved doctor, and hang them up around Brighton, desperately hoping for someone to recognize him. At home, they would take turns attempting to eat or sleep. Chase’s wails echoed throughout the long nights. Jackie barely slept at all, rushing from one place to the next, brutally attacking thugs and puppets in an attempt to find Schneeplestein. Marvin was left to pick up everyone’s broken pieces, from fixing Jackie up after particularly rough nights full of bad decisions and grief, or getting up to comfort Chase, hugging him as he held back tears of his own.

Even the house seemed to mourn the loss of its owner, as strange events kept occurring. Faucets around the house would pressure-spray water at random times, drenching the members of the household. At night, storm clouds gathered around the house, lightning striking and thunder roaring. Jackie started to grow concerned. No one else was having plumbing problems and the storm clouds only ever touched down at their house. He began to investigate, and the answer became very clear.

Alone in his room, Marvin was having a bad panic attack. He couldn’t breathe and ugly shadows danced around his vision, whispering about how weak and useless he was. He’s gone. He’s gone and you can’t get him back. Cry all you want, weakling, because he’ll never return.

Curled up in his sheets, Marvin beat his pillow and screamed into them as objects around him began to lift and spin around his room. He barely noticed, too caught up in his grief.

Outside, Jackie noticed the tap in the upstairs sink beginning to drip and clouds begin to form. He heard a sob outside Marvin’s door and began putting two and two together.

When Jackie opened the door, Marvin’s possessions were scattered in piles, bottles of perfume broken, clothes ripped and torn, and books pulled off of the shelves and thrown onto the ground. Jackie sat by Marvin’s bed and rubbed his back. When Marvin had considerably calmed down, he sat up and noticed the mess for the first time. He screamed.

“What’s the matter?” Jackie had asked.

“What happened?! Was this Sirius? Did she try and chase something again?” Marvin cried.

“She’s in Chase’s room, sleeping. I thought this was you,” Jackie explained.

“It can’t be, I was in bed crying!” Marvin yelped. His breathing began to speed up again. Jackie rubbed his friend’s back.

“Marvin, look at me. Breathe, please!”

Marvin’s vision blurred as he hyperventilated once more, Jackie’s words lost in the wind. His books began to tremble and rise once more. Jackie stopped talking as he watched the books hover in the air. Marvin shrieked in shock and fainted.

Jackie began to monitor Marvin’s behaviour after that. If Marvin started sobbing, the taps around the house would turn on by themselves. If Marvin had a nightmare, storm clouds gathered around the house and roared until Jackie was able to wake the petrified magician. Jackie realized that Marvin’s behaviour could potentially attract Anti’s attention and made the decision to move him and Marvin to a safer spot, a place where Anti wouldn’t be able to find them.

After a tearful goodbye to Chase, who stayed behind to look after the comatose Jack, Jackie and Marvin made the trip to County Offaly, Ireland. Ballycumber was small and old-fashioned. The superhero and the magician made good use of the McLoughlins’ small and unused cabins, each moving into one, and Jackie built an underground lair for him and Marvin to train and perfect their skills.

✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨

Marvin puts the mugs in the sink and stands the mats back up with his magic. He closes the curtains and walks into the little corner with the washing machine. He scans his finger on a little doorbell, opens the trap door and walks down.

Jackie is at his desk again, tinkering away on his phone. His current invention is to make anti-Anti phones for him and his siblings, so they can communicate without fear of Anti hacking in and eavesdropping. Marvin hasn’t seen his phone in weeks. At least Jackie hasn’t taken the upstairs computer yet. Even so, lots of sites on it are blocked and the connection is terrible.

Jackie’s little workshop has pale blue walls and a white padded floor. One half is home to Jackie’s “office”, where he tinkers away on technology and tracks Anti’s moves. Two big bulletin boards are covered corner to corner with maps, newspaper clippings and photos of appearances from any one of the egos. Most photos show Anti, but occasionally Jackie will get a finding of Jameson Jackson, the missing ego. No sign of Chase yet. Pictures of Schneep have since been taken down, and have been replaced with either pictures of Jameson or Anti.

Nine months after the move to Ballycumber, Schneep reappeared, at the cost of a new ego Marvin never got to meet. He remembers seeing Chase in hysterical tears, both from relief of Schneep’s return and grief for Jameson. The “dapper gentleman” had apparently given himself up for Schneep to make Chase happy again. His sacrifice was all for nothing, in the end. Chase disappeared not long after. And despite their best attempts, none of the older egos could seem to find either of them.

The other half of the basement is a training room, complete with a barrier to keep both egos from crashing into Jackie’s workspace. Mats are placed on the floor for wrestling, and two punching bags dangle from the ceiling. A shelf holds various kettlebells and weights. A treadmill with a tiny TV is set up in the corner. On rainy days, Marvin can find Jackie training, pretending to fight Anti using punching bags or projectors programmed to show holographs of the glitch, or simply working out. When he’s not working out, Marvin can hear him banging on his drums in his own cabin.

Life is simple and sometimes, kind of boring. Marvin needs his phone back soon, before he crushes Jackie during training. Or worse.

Jackie has airpods in, humming away to some song by a strange band he likes. Ninja Sex Party? Please. His glasses, round as Harry Potter’s, only bigger and bluer, are scrunched under even bigger and rounder goggles. He’s put on his favourite hoodie again, the one with the obnoxiously bright red of a firetruck and worn at the seams.

Marvin coughs lightly. Jackie pays no attention to the visitor, humming away to his tunes. Marvin sighs and tickles Jackie’s back. The superhero responds by swinging his arm out, squealing like a pig. Marvin dodges the blow and giggles.

Jackie growls and takes his airpods out. “What the fuck, Marv? Can’t a guy listen to his tunes without being jumpscared?”

“I did say hello, but you didn’t hear me,” Marvin retorts. Jackie rolls his eyes and turns back to his work.

“Are you done with the ‘anti-Anti’ update yet? I miss my phone. The newspapers here are so old and they smell weird. I need some entertainment!” Marvin gripes.

“You bought at least ten books at the bookstore yesterday!” Jackie exclaims.

“I’ve read them all!”

“Have you though? Or have you just skimmed through them?”

“I wouldn’t be here complaining if I hadn’t.”

“Fair.”

“Can we go into town again? I need to stretch my legs.”

“Maybe in a bit, I’m actually getting somewhere and I don’t want to break my focus.”

Marvin scowls and turns away. “I’ve been locked up all day! I need to GO SOMEWHERE.”

“Then go! No one’s stopping you!” Jackie snaps, turning back to his work. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“I don’t want to head on another hiking trip. The mosquitoes are out for my blood, I swear. I wanna go to the town again, maybe even hit a cafe this time.”

“You know Anti could attack at any moment, right? You can’t go into the city alone! Especially not without your phone!”

“Then give it to me!”

“I’m not finished with it yet!”

Marvin groans in frustration and storms back upstairs. “Fine. I’ll stick to the hiking trails. See ya, Jackie.”

“Have fun!” Jackie calls out. Marvin rolls his eyes. “Thanks!”

When someone is told they can’t go somewhere, that usually encourages them to go to that forbidden location. Sure enough, as soon as Marvin emerges from the basement, he opens the old computer and orders a taxi to pick him up by the mailbox five minutes away from the cabins. He grabs his bag and throws in a big knife in its sheath, a spellbook on how to defend yourself from demons and a cross, just for good measure, and heads out. A few blocks away from the cabins, a taxi arrives to take him into the village.

The taxi driver plays nothing but Bollywood music in his car, and gabs non-stop about his daughter studying at Julliard. Marvin nods along, and watches the rolling fields pass by. Nothing but fields of green grass and blue sky. The green reminds Marvin of Jack’s signature green hair. His eyes continually dart up to the wires on top, watching for crackling electricity.

As they reach the main drag and pass by the church, Marvin notices a figure clinging to a lamppost. Marvin’s stomach flips when he sees the green hair and black clothing. Anti?

Marvin slouches into his seat, hoping not to get noticed. What’s the demon doing here? And more importantly, why does he look like he’s desperately humping the lamppost?

Marvin cautiously peeks over the car door. He can see Anti’s face, and is surprised to see a look of confusion and frustration written all over it. He seems to be struggling against something. His arms stay wrapped around the post. Odd.

Marvin sits up and taps on the glass. The taxi driver finally shuts up and turns around.

“Yes?”

“I’ll get out here, thank you,” Marvin says.

“No problem. Just remember, if you ever need a driver that will get you anywhere, just call on Sai!” He winks.

Marvin offers up a smile and slowly gets out of the car, digging into his bag for the knife, or the cross. Anti does not take notice of Marvin, continuing to struggle around the lamppost. It seems as though someone tied his arms around it. Yet there’s nothing around his wrists. As he gets closer, Marvin makes sense of the mumbling.

“He’s stronger than I imagined. I swear, one day that puppet’s going to kill me while I sleep. Why can’t I move?!”

Marvin finally fishes out the knife and holds it up. “Time’s up, Anti. You hold no power here.”

Anti shrieks upon hearing the Irish voice. His head darts back and forth before landing on Marvin. He lets out a low, exasperated groan.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that! I’m already on the verge of a panic attack!” the demon hisses.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” Marvin questions. “There’s nothing here for you to do, and no fast service to keep you charged up!”

“I should be asking you that! I haven’t seen you in, well, a while!” Anti snaps. “Is this where you and the hero have been hiding? Why here, out of all places? Why not Canada?”

Marvin shoves the knife under Anti’s nose. “I ask the questions. Now, tell me again: what the hell are you doing?”

Anti grumbles something incomprehensible. “There’s a little beast on the loose here. I hope he hasn’t lost his phone, otherwise it’s going to be harder to bring him back.”

Marvin’s heart skips a beat. “Beast? What beast?! Do you have one of my brothers?!” he demands. He steps closer to the demon, who recoils and hides behind the lamppost, fingernails turning white from gripping it too hard.

“Keep that knife away from me if you know what’s good for you. The little puppet with the moustache has escaped.” Anti looks around nervously, as if “the puppet” will appear at any second.

Marvin doesn’t dare follow Anti’s gaze. He tightens his grip on the knife. “Jameson? Jameson Jackson? Like the man who sacrificed himself for Henrik?”

Anti nods furiously. “He’s escaped me. He transported us here, stuck me here and took off like a bullet. He’s probably still around.” Anti shudders. “Fucking kid’s more dangerous than I thought. I can’t get off!”

“Can I ask what you did?” Marvin queries.

“I made the mistake of telling the pup what happened to his family and now he’s gone feral. If he gets near me, I’m screwed.”

“You’re a demon and he’s just a sweet harmless fellow!” Marvin exclaims. “Why would you need to fear him?”

“I’ve only ever touched him once, and that brought him here. To your time. I managed to kidnap him and keep him in line, but then I told him about the curse and why his siblings had to die and he just-” Anti motioned being strangled, arms still wrapped around the pole.

Marvin cocks his head. “What the fuck does that have to do with him and you showing up in Ballycumber, Ireland?! And why are you clinging to the pole like that-”

“He must have used a sticking spell or something! I can’t get off!” Anti growls, trying to yank his arms off the pole. Now the action makes more sense. Wait, not really-

“Sticking spell?” Marvin repeats incredulously. “Like magic? Are you saying Jameson has magic? Like me?!”

“YES! Shut up and listen!” Anti snaps. “I cursed his ancestors to slowly lose their magic over the centuries. His generation was the last to have it, and I killed them all, one by one. I didn’t expect his powers to be so strong, despite having never been used… When I grabbed his shoulder, he unconsciously transported himself to your time… I was careful not to touch him again, but then I told him how I killed his family and he threw himself on me. In a blind panic, I electrocuted him until he got off, but I didn’t realize we had come here until after he had disappeared. And now he’s running feral and I’m so fu-hu-hu-ucked...” Anti mewls pathetically.

Marvin shakes his head, trying to process everything that had been said. It sounds like Jameson was like him; a man with good fashion sense and more powerful than first thought. Hell, he apparently has magic as well! Marvin can’t help the grin that breaks out. Another magician in the family! He and Jameson are going to get along so well...

People screaming and car tires screeching breaks Marvin from his thoughts. He looks up ahead to see the taxi that he had ridden in suddenly flip over, then freeze in the air. Marvin cries out in shock.

The car tips forward in the air, threatening to land on its back, before oddly reversing and landing upright back on the ground.

Marvin gasps. “What the hell-”

Anti exhales shakily. “Well, there’s the wizard. Tell him that his ancestors were especially known for their time magic. That’s what he just used.”

Marvin splutters in disbelief, flipping from the cars to the lamppost. This is way too much to process.

“Well?” Anti demands.

“Well what?”

“You’re the magician. You go get him!” Anti sneers. Marvin rolls his eyes. Even stuck to the lamppost, Anti’s still a pile of shit. Nevermind that! There’s a wizard on the loose! That’s WAY different from a simple magician. Marvin flicks his wrists, silver magic beginning to show.

“Stay here,” he orders, and runs off towards the cars. Time to investigate.

“Not like I can go anywhere!” Anti retorts. He grunts in frustration and leans his head against the pole. He might be here a while...

✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨

Jameson Jackson is having a bad day...a terrible, horrible, no good, very fucking bad day. After spending so long cooped up in a basement with little to no light, the sun is blinding him. His beautiful blue vest is gone, along with his bowler hat and cute bowtie. His moustache has lost its gleam and his beard is unkempt and tangled. He limps barefoot across the street, hunger and dizziness slowing him down. He’s pretty sure his foot is broken. His right arm isn’t much better. He’s lost so much weight, so even if he got his vest back, it wouldn’t fit him properly. His white dress shirt and black pants are torn and bloody, and dangle loosely off his body. His oily hair continually falls in his face. He pitches forward and collapses onto the road. Whimpering, he tries weakly to stand up, body still shaky from Anti’s electrocution. His body hurts like hell.

Today has gone by in a flash. Wake up to Anti standing over him with ropes and a whip, scream as best as he can as Anti beats him within an inch of his life, slouch in strings that threaten to strangle him if he keeps moving, hear the worst news ever (not that it surprised him much, he’s just fucking furious out of his mind), muster as much strength as possible to throttle Anti until the crook sees Satan himself, get electrocuted by Anti until the dapper man sees black dots everywhere, wake up in a sunny town in the middle of nowhere, shove Anti away and run like hell.

And it’s apparently only noon. At least, that’s what it looks like on the big clock on the church. Jameson can barely think, his head buzzes in pain. He needs a nap. And a bath. And something good to eat. And something to fix his moustache-

He hears loud honking and looks up to see a yellow car screeching as it tries to avoid the poor man. Jameson lifts his hands up in a weak attempt to shield himself from the collision.

Everything goes silent. Jameson opens his eyes and sees a large shadow looming over him. He looks up and gasps. The car is suspended over him, flipped over. He can see the terrified driver, screaming in slow motion. Jameson furrows his eyebrows. The car’s going so slowly… Is this a movie?

He looks at his hands. They’re pale and covered in scars. He can feel them tingling, but he knows it’s not from the shock of being electrocuted. He knows enough about that to know it’s not from that. This tingling is different. What’s also different is the strange clock that just appeared in front of his right hand. It’s a silver hologram of an analog clock, with a big hand pointed to the seven.

Curiously, Jameson slowly moves the hand to the eight, and the shadow above him begins to pitch forward. Jameson gasps. Is this his doing?! Is he controlling the car?!

He moves the hand counter-clockwise, this time, going straight to the twelve. The car slowly reverses its fall and lands upright on its wheels. Right in front of Jameson.

Jameson looks down at his hands. The clock has disappeared, but the tingling remains. His breathing speeds up, heart skipping five beats a second. What the HELL was that?! What did he just do?! What did Anti do to him?!

He hyperventilates, flipping his scarred hands back and forth. Around him, wires are beginning to crackle with energy. A loud popping noise startles him from his thoughts, causing him to scream again.

The scars on his hand begin to blur. He sways on his knees, feels his head go cold. Someone lands in front of him and grabs his shoulders, yelling. Jameson’s eyes roll back and he topples into the stranger.

✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨

Marvin cries out as the man slouches into his grip, head lolling. He repositions his body and lifts him into his arms. Jameson, his missing brother. He’s back!

Jameson wheezes through a broken nose. His ghost-white face is covered with ugly purple bruises and dry red blood. He’s grown an unkempt beard and his dark hair is oily and matted. He wears only black pants and a white button up, both stained with blood and torn beyond repair. Marvin will have to buy him some new clothes and fix up his hair. He might appreciate that.

Marvin stands up, holding his newfound brother close. He’s shocked by how weightless he is. He feels a pang in his heart. This is what Schneep went through. And Jameson has been with Anti for even longer. He’s been tortured just as much as Schneep, maybe even more.

He looks over at the lamppost. Anti has disappeared during the action. The wires are still crackling from Jameson’s attack. Anti must have glitched off to avoid another injury. The sudden burst of power must not have been good for him.

Sai and his yellow taxi are still here. Marvin opens the door and carefully lays Jameson down, before climbing in himself. Sai smiles nervously in the rear view mirror.

“Is there-”

“I’m sorry about my brother, he’s just been through a lot,” Marvin says. He slips out a hundred pound note. “Can you take me home?”

Sai nods, anxiety washing away. “Keep your money. You seem more relaxed now, and so does he. Just make sure he doesn’t flip the car again.”

“He won’t,” Marvin assures, slipping the pound note into the front seat of the car.

Marvin’s heart won’t stop thumping loudly the whole ride home. He rests Jameson’s head on his lap, letting the man sleep. Jameson mumbles something softly and his hands twitch. Marvin takes Jameson’s hands into his own, taking caution to his brother’s newfound power.

Wizard, huh? That’s certainly more powerful than a magician. Marvin should find some books on wizard history, perhaps they have information on Jameson’s ancestors. Time magic was apparently their forte. That explains how he ended up in their time. So the theories the fan presented were right all along!

Sai stops a few feet away from the cabins. “Do you want to get out here? I know you didn’t want to be seen entering the cab. Are you hiding from someone?”

“Yes, my brother,” Marvin says. He gets out and carefully hoists Jameson into his arms. He’s surprised he’s slept for this long. “He doesn’t want me going into town on account of a certain... somebody.”

“You mean that green man who was humping the lamppost?” Marvin splutters and almost drops Jameson. Sai laughs.

“I saw you slouching when you noticed him,” Sai admits. “After five kids, nothing slips past you. I wish you luck with that man, and your brother.”

“Thanks. It’ll be nice to finally meet him,” Marvin says, smiling down at his sleeping brother.

“Oh, I meant the other one,” Sai says. He points up ahead, where, sure enough, Jackie can be seen storming down the road. Marvin swears. It was too good to be true.

“Good luck explaining everything,” Sai says. “Word of advice, be honest and sound sincere. Have a good evening.” He drives off.

Marvin takes a deep breath and slowly begins walking towards Jackie. He is faintly reminded of Moana’s walk towards Te Fiti, the volcanic monster. Except this monster probably doesn’t want Jameson for a heart.

“Marvin Oliver McLoughlin!” Fuck, that’s really bad. Jackie is just like a parent: if you hear your full name, brace for it.

“Do you know how worried I’ve been?” Jackie demands. “I come upstairs to give you back your phone and find your bag, your spellbook and your cross missing! You went into the city, didn’t you?!”

“How did-”

“The computer was still on the taxi driver website.”

Marvin winces. He forgot to close that.

“You’re lucky nothing bad happened and you came home unscratched!” Jackie continues, stopping in front of him. “Tell me Marvin, what exactly was your plan if Anti attacked? What if you had gotten hurt and couldn’t defend yourself? And you didn’t have your phone so you couldn’t have reached me!” Jackie’s voice breaks and he blinks back tears. Marvin’s stomach sinks. He didn’t realize how scary the situation could have gotten.

“I’m sorry, Jackie,” Marvin mumbles. “I just needed to get out and stretch my legs. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Jackie inhales shakily. “It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re safe…” He trails off when he sees the sleeping man in Marvin’s arms.

“Who is that? Where the hell did you find him?!” Jackie asks.

“Right. Jackie, this is Jameson Jackson, the puppet, the entertainer, the last ego,” Marvin introduces. “Well, he’s no longer a puppet.”

“Holy shit…” Jackie mumbles. The gentleman’s hands twitch again.

“Is this why you went into town? Did you predict this would happen?” Jackie whispers.

“No, I was just being a selfish dick and wanted to explore the town again. He just happened to show up!” Marvin explains. “Let’s go inside, I’ll explain more there.”

Jackie and Marvin set up a bed in Marvin’s cabin and tuck Jameson in. Jackie makes hot chocolate for them both, and Marvin explains in detail what happened. Jackie is a wonderful audience, gasping and laughing at all the right places, and when Anti is mentioned, he gets up so fast his chair is knocked over.

“Humping? He was humping the lamppost? Damn, I wish I could have been there!”

“He wasn’t humping it.  He was stuck to it!  Jackie, Jameson is like me! He has magic!”

“Magic?! Like actual Harry Potter-like magic?”

“Yeah. Anti said his ancestors were known for their time magic,” Marvin says. He stands up. “I’m going back into town. I need to know more about these wizards.”

Jackie grabs Marvin’s shirtsleeve. “So soon? What if Jameson wakes up while you’re gone? I’m not the best with… well, magic!”

Marvin smiles. “Jackie. You held me through my wildest outbursts and took care of me when I was at my worst. You’ll be fine. And this time, I’m using magic to get around. I have a feeling I’ll have to use it to find what I need.”

Reluctantly, Jackie lets go and Marvin backs up. He closes his eyes and envisions the bookstore he had gone into so many times. A small, brick cottage with moss and vines on its roof and a bushy haired cat glaring from the window.

He feels a cold breeze on his face and opens his eyes. In front of him stands the bookstore. A square-faced cat perks its head up upon seeing the magician. Above it is a sign that reads “The Witch’s Cauldron: a bookstore for all your magical needs”.

OK, Marvin. Let’s see what you can find. He opens the door and walks in.

The bookstore is a two-storey building with green carpeted floors and walls painted with murals of wizards, fairies and magicians from all around the world, using their magic while animals dance around them. The shelves are organized by types of magic in fiction. A whole shelf of the store is dedicated to Terry Pratchett. Marvin heads to the front desk.

The square-headed cat from before has joined her owner at the desk. A small woman, seemingly in her late thirties, reads a book, her round, golden spectacles sliding off her face and untamed, curly red hair tops her head. The cat hops onto the counter and rubs her head against the woman. When she does not respond, the cat angrily paws at the book and whines.

“Not now, Andromeda, it’s getting good- Oh!” the woman says, looking up. She stands up and brushes her shirt off.  “Hello, my name is Olivia.  How may I help you today?”

“Something wicked this way comes,” Marvin recites. Immediately, Olivia nods and gets up. She runs over to the cleaning closet and turns the door knob. A golden glow emits faintly from the doorway and fades. Then Olivia opens the door.

Inside is the same store, but this time magic is alive and swinging. Books fly around, arranging and rearranging themselves on the shelves. There are sections dedicated to various kinds of spells and potions, and a wall of the types of historical magic around the world.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Olivia asks.

“I have a friend who apparently is descended from wizards,” Marvin explains. “I was hoping to learn more about his family, maybe buy a few books on the family history.”

“Really? I’ve never met anyone who just found out they were a wizard. What’s their name?”

“Jameson Jackson. If it helps, his ancestors were known for their time magic. I actually witnessed it in action today.”

Olivia’s eyes widen. “Really?! Can you demonstrate?”

“I didn’t see him perform the spell in particular but I did see its effects,” Marvin admits. “He flipped a car over, then reversed the crash. The car was flung into the air, then it paused mid-flip and righted itself.”

“What makes you say it was time magic? How do you even know it was him?” Olivia questions.

“He was being held captive by a demon who wanted to keep him from coming into his powers,” Marvin explains.

“Who was the demon?”

“Anti.”

Olivia snaps her fingers. “Ah. I know which family you’re looking for.” She runs up the stairs to the History of Magic corner, and climbs up the ladder. She rolls herself across the shelves, thumbing through book titles. Finally, she pulls a book out and slides down.

Olivia flips through the pages and lands on a family portrait. The family wears medieval clothing, the girls with long dresses and scarves in their hair while the men wear white tunics and brown hose and, of course, bear curly moustaches of different styles and sizes. Marvin takes note of their dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. Yep, these are Jameson’s ancestors!

“The Jackson clan. As boring as the name is, they were respected wizards originating from as early as the Viking Era and lasted until the Age of Enlightenment. As you found out, they were known for their time magic. They reversed injuries, or quickened the healing process, made prophecies, predicted people’s futures and froze time itself to prevent catastrophes. At least one Jackson was always one of the main council members in the Great Wizarding Circle.”

Olivia snaps her fingers, and words jump off the page and begin to form shapes in the air. Marvin gasps as images come to life, showcasing the family clan, performing magic. A girl freezes a bridge mid-collapse, then reverses the damage by turning a little silver clock in front of her. Once the damage is healed, she turns the clock back until the bridge looks brand new.

“They were loved and respected by all. Everything was fine until the Renaissance, when a wizard made the mistake of answering a demon’s call.”

The image changes and a young man bends down next to an old hag, only to fall back in alarm when the hag lifts its cloak up to reveal an angry man with green hair and black orbs for eyes. Marvin gasps. Anti.

“The demon, called Anti by humans, demanded to know his future. The wizard looked into his crystal ball, and foretold the worst thing you could tell a demon: when and how they will die.”

On the floating screen, the shaking man shows Anti his crystal ball. Anti’s eyes widen when he looks into the ball, then snarls and smacks it out of the wizard’s hands, yelling and shaking his fists.

“Furious, Anti cursed the Jackson clan to lose their magic through their generations. The Jackson family sadly left the Wizarding Circle and disappeared to where they could start a new life, one without magic. As of today, no one has seen or met a Jackson ancestor.”

The movie ends with a man giving a medal to an old bearded wizard, then taking his family into London, England. The image fades and the words fly back onto the page. Marvin gapes as Olivia closes the book.

“Yeah, it’s pretty dark. But hey! Now we know the descendants will be alright!” Olivia shoves the book into Marvin’s arms. “You’re going to need some more books. If this is a new wizard we’re talking about, he might need to learn more about what kind of magic he can do!” Olivia bounces off to another shelf and gestures a few books to come her way.

“Basic magic spells, a list of current businesses if you need any wand or staff-fixing or potion ingredients, emergency hotlines in case of injuries, and of course, business cards for the best shellfish around.” She directs the books onto the front counter.

“Shellfish?” Marvin echoes curiously.

“Anti is allergic to them, evidently,” Olivia says. “And if the last of the Jackson clan is with you, you’re going to need it.”

“Oh, we already put up a lot security measures-”

“The Fishing Irishman has the TASTIEST seafood, if you want my honest opinion.”

Marvin nods and sets the final book down. Olivia conjures up a bag for the books and throws them in. Marvin fishes out a few silver coins and places them on the counter.

As Olivia hands him the bag, she studies Marvin closely, taking in his thick black locks and heterochromic eyes, one blue and one grey. Marvin awkwardly begins to head for the exit.

“I don’t know if you get this a lot, but you look a lot like Theodora the Terrific,” Olivia finally says.

That gets Marvin’s attention. He turns around. “Who?”

“She was a wizard a generation before ours,” Olivia says. “My mom was good friends with her. She was thought to be the most powerful wizard of her age, and was known for fighting loads of demons, sending them back underground.” She searches her pockets and holds up a photo. “She’s on the right.”

In the photograph are two young female wizards smiling for the camera. On the left is a woman with thick spectacles and fiery red hair that seems to defy gravity. On the right is a woman with dancing blue eyes and black hair that shines blue in certain types of lighting. Marvin blinked in surprise. The resemblance is almost uncanny, except for a few differences. For she has no burn scars on her face and her skin has a darker complexion then Marvin’s pale skin could ever hope for.

“Interesting,” Marvin mumbles. Maybe he can research more on her later. He readjusts the bag in his arms. “It was nice to meet you, Olivia. Thank you again.”

“Anytime!” Olivia says, waving. Marvin nods and runs out.

✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨

When Marvin transports home, he realizes how quiet it is. Nothing but birds and crickets chirping. Has Jameson still not woken up?

He heads into his own cabin and unlocks the door telepathically. The door swings open, smacking into something with a loud THUNK, followed by swearing.

Marvin shuffles in and tosses the bag of books onto the couch, then runs over to the moaning Jackie clutching his face.

“Jackie, this is the twenty-fifth time this has happened. How do you keep forgetting that I can open doors on my own? This was one of the earliest tricks I learned!” Marvin scolds.

“Just trying to be chivalrous,” Jackie mumbles into his hands.

“I didn’t break anything, did I?” Marvin asks, bending down next to Jackie. The superhero looks up and plants a little kiss on Marvin’s nose. Marvin squeaks in surprise and shoves him over.

“This is also the twenty-fifth time I’ve managed to trick you,” Jackie says, laughing. “Marvin, you know a little whack on the head isn’t going to affect me in any way.”

“You make it look so realistic,” Marvin snaps. “If you weren’t a superhero, I bet you could make a living as an actor.”

“I have been contemplating trying street acting as a part-time job,” Jackie admits. “I think Jameson could help with that.” He sombers up. “Speaking of our little gentleman, he still hasn’t woken up.”

Marvin’s smile fades and he quickly rushes over to Jameson’s room and opens the door. Jameson’s chest rises slowly up and down, looking more serene than when Marvin saw him last.

Marvin sighs and conjures up two chairs for him and Jackie to sit in. He takes a seat next to Jameson’s head.

“Are you sure it was him who flipped the car then reversed it? How do we know Anti didn’t curse him?”

“Jackie, you should have seen the look on Anti’s face. This has to be the first time I’ve ever seen the demon scared,” Marvin says.

“Damn, that bad? Even if Jameson has magic, why would he be scared?” Jackie asks. “Anti’s done a number on him, and Jameson’s magic isn’t even that strong.”

“It’s not Jameson in particular that Anti fears, it’s his ancestors,” Marvin explains. “I went to a magic bookstore to find out more information. The woman there told me that one of Jameson’s ancestors predicted Anti’s future.”

Jackie’s eyes grow wide. “Really?! What did they say?”

“I’m not sure, but whatever it was, it made Anti furious and he cursed the clan to lose their magic through the generations. I guess when he electrocuted Jameson, he broke their curse and awakened his magic.”

“Holy shit…” Jackie whispers, gawking at JJ in awe.

Marvin nods and leans over to stroke Jameson’s hair. Jameson smiles in his sleep and leans towards the touch, making the magician smile.

“Hello, Jameson. I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time,” he whispers.

Jameson groans softly and shifts around in the bed. Slowly, his eyes flutter open.

Marvin sits up and pulls his hand back. Jackie leans forward.

Jameson drowsily looks around. He sees a wooden roof above him and feels soft blankets warming his aching body. He turns to his right and almost jumps out of bed in fright upon seeing the two strange gentlemen, one with long hair down to his shoulders, and the other with large glasses. He weakly attempts to sit up.

“No, no, no! Just lie down.  You’ve been through a lot!” the first man says.

Jameson gasps when he sees the long-haired man’s scarred face, but quickly snaps his mouth shut and lowers his head, aware of how rude it is to stare.

“Jameson?” a gentle voice inquires. He looks up to see the man smiling kindly. “Hello. My name is Marvin and beside me is Jackie. We’re friends with Chase Brody. You remember him, right?”

Jameson wiggles his moustache as he wracks through his memory. He flashes back to a man wearing a snapback laughing as Jameson balances an apple on his nose. Chase. The good doctor. Anti!

Jameson begins signing frantically. “The doctor. Is he alright?! Did Chase see him? Are they happy?”

Marvin turns to Jackie, frowning. They turn away from Jameson and whisper to each other.

“Shit, I forgot he can’t speak,” Marvin whispers.

“So you bring home all those magic books and forget to buy a BSL guide?” Jackie snaps.

Jameson huffs. How rude of them to exclude a fellow man from the conversation, especially if it concerns him! He snaps his fingers, and when that doesn’t grab their attention, he whistles. The two turn around.

“I can hear perfectly well what you’re saying! No need to exclude me from the conversation just because of a communication barrier! Just simply fetch me some paper and a pencil!” He checks himself. “Please.”

Both men continue to stare at him quizzically. Jameson sighs and mimics writing.

“Oh!” Jackie gets up and leaves. He soon returns with a notebook and four coloured pens. “Choose a colour.”

Jameson chooses the purple pen and begins scribbling away. Are Chase and the doctor OK?

Marvin hesitates. “Uhh…”

“Chase… is missing. He disappeared a month after Schneep reappeared,” Jackie gloomily reveals. Jameson’s face falls and he quickly writes something down.

What? How? What happened?!

“We’re not sure. Schneep says Chase apparently got drunk and wandered around the house for a bit after 11 pm. Schneep woke up to screaming and he was gone,” Marvin explains.

Jameson nods solemnly, hanging his head. Marvin reaches out and puts a hand on the gentleman’s shoulder.

“If Chase were here, he’d give you the biggest hug and probably a slap in the face,” Marvin begins. Jameson looks up, perplexed.

“The slap for doing something that stupid, and a hug for being so brave and kind,” the magician finishes.

“Dr. Schneeplestein will be elated to meet you at last,” Jackie says. “He’s eternally grateful for you. You’re going to get a warm welcome from him.”

When will we see him? Jameson asks eagerly.

“I guess soon. But first, you need to learn how to control your magic,” Marvin says.

Jameson’s eyes widen. So I wasn’t dreaming?! I really do have magic?! Like Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo and Expelliarmus and all that?

“You know of Cinderella and Harry Potter?” Jackie asks.

Chase was intent on getting me up to date with everything that happened in 90 years. Jameson explains. Jackie nods.

“He really does love his pop culture,” the superhero mumbles.

Marvin takes Jameson’s hands into his own, beaming wildly. “I’ve always wanted to say this out loud. You’re a wizard, Jameson!”

Jameson  grabs his pen and paper. I suppose I should say “I’m a what?”

Marvin laughs. “A man of culture, I see. Watch this.” He holds his hands out and a bag of books floats into the room and onto the bed.

Jameson gasps and applauds. He thrusts a hand out to pick up a book. The book flies straight at him and hits him in the eye. Marvin cries out.

“Woah, woah, woah! Slow down there! This is what the books are for. So we don’t have these kinds of mistakes.”

Jameson rubs his swollen eye and peers at the titles.

Basic Magic Tricks for the Young Wizard

The Perplexing Magic of Time

Wizarding Families from the Days of Olde to Now, Vol. 3

The History of Magic, Vol. 8

Self-Care for Wizards: How to Keep Yourself Healthy for the Strongest Magic

Jameson curiously flips through the first book, a joyous smile on his face, the first in a long time. Marvin and Jackie both feel their hearts grow three times larger. Chase was right. Jameson’s smile really is contagious.

The gentleman stops to write. Oh my! I’ve taken on many professions to pay the bills, but never this! When can we begin classes?

Marvin sits down beside Jameson and Jackie crosses over to the other side. The magician magically ties his hair back into a ponytail.

“We can start right now if you wish,” Marvin says. “I know a lot about this kind of stuff.”

Jameson claps his hands in delight and nods excitedly. Marvin laughs and kisses his forehead.

“Welcome to the Jacksepticeye family, Jameson.”

Jameson pauses in his reading and turns to Marvin, puzzled. A screen pops up beside him and reads, {The what?}

READING LIST (If you want to be on it or get off it, let me know!)

@graysun, @florenceisfalling, @miishae, @lonelyseiren, @goldenoceanaart, @egopocalypse, @oasisofgalaxies, @fleecal, @kofi-kiing, @myspatialspace, @jo-ann-ahh-2, @huffletrax, @gemstone6, @dumbasticart, @lunaarmada,@meteorshowersfillthesky, @uhhbeans,  @the-pastel-kitsune, @bupine,  @climbing-starrs, @the-spawn-of-loki, @jadehowlettthewolf, @obsidiancreates, @rammypaige, @hollenka99, @cest-mellow, @randowaffle, @green-protects, @dezi-popp, @badlypostedeverything, @crystalninjaphoenix, @milo-kno, @pixelpixie-pix

[reverseblackholeofwords]

Means to an End (pt. 4)

Part 3

Chase rubs his hands up and down the doctor’s arms. “Breathe with me okay? In... hold it... and out. Okay, okay, you did good. Again.” He coaches him through a few more breaths, but Henrik just shakes his head and loses control all over again.

He’s been holding it together for so long. It was always only a matter of time, but even now he’s cursing himself for falling apart so completely. And in front of his brothers, too. He’s supposed to be the one that fixes the problems, not the one that starts them, and here he is crying like a baby and clinging to his youngest brother like he’s a lifeline.

“Jackie, turn the lights off okay? And brew some coffee.” Chase looks up at the hero who seems all but panicked himself. He’s strong, but he never handles these sorts of things well. So Chase knows it’s best to give him a job to do, something he can contribute, and the smell of coffee always puts Henrik in a better mood. “How about I tell you a story, Hen? Will that help?”

Henrik hardly responds, a jerk of his head that might be a sharp intake of breath and might be a nod of affirmation, but Chase takes it as the latter and pulls Henrik to his chest to begin. He does this with his kids when they wake from a nightmare, so maybe it’ll work now. “I didn’t join the channel at a very good time, I know that, but when I did, when I saw that all the fans loved and supported me, it felt... wild to instantly be part of something so big.”

He runs his fingers through Henrik’s hair and leans back against the wall behind him. “But it was scary, too. I was worried that I’d mess up or that people would realize Jack hadn’t come back from the Halloween attack yet, and I knew I was supposed to be some kind of distraction... But you never made me feel that way.” Chase laughs a little. “You were so relieved to finally have a ‘normal’ brother. Do you remember telling me that? You said you’d had it with heroes and magicians, and I was such a nice surprise. That made me feel incredible.”

He can hear the bubbling and hissing of the coffee brewing in the kitchen, and Henrik visibly relaxes as the shaking finally leaves his body. “Even when things are at their worst, you’ve been strong for us, and I appreciate that. But maybe you should take a load off, bro. Maybe let us be strong for a bit?”

Schneep bites his lip, tears still streaming down his face, pooling at the point of his chin and dripping onto Chase’s shirt. “I’m supposed to fix zings. But I-I can’t fix anyzing anymore. Anti... he broke our family. Vhat do-vhat do ve do now?”

Chase feels a pang of sadness in his chest and has to take a deep breath to get around it as he says, “We get up every day. We do the things, and we come home and hold onto each other. We fall apart, but we pull ourselves back together. And one day, maybe we won’t fall quite as hard.”

“But Jack...”

“Will wake up. He’s strong, too.” Chase doesn’t know if he believes what he’s saying, but he wants to. And maybe, just maybe if he says them enough, they’ll be true. “He’ll come back to us, just watch and see.”

Marvin and Jackie edge their way into the room, and after a smile and a nod from Chase, they kneel down around Henrik, Jackie with a cup of coffee and Marvin with a few of his fresh baked cookies. Both have an apology. “Sorry I snapped at you this morning. It’s not your fault I’m a grouchy jerk.” Marv holds out the little tin of cookies, and Henrik takes them shakily.

“And I’m sorry that I haven’t been honest with you.” Jackie pushes the mug across the floor to Schneep. “I guess I haven’t been doing as well as I’d hoped either. Maybe we’re all falling to pieces, like Chase said.”

Henrik brushes the tears from his face and sighs, sitting up. “Vhen I lost ze clinic back in November, I... I zought I vould be useless to you all, so I’ve been taking jobs from people, under ze table stuff.” He cleans the tears from his glasses on his shirt. “I had to, for Jack, you know? But I hated how bad it made me feel to hide zis from you all.” He puts his glasses back on and takes a deep breath. “But now you know.”

They all rather awkwardly reach for each other at once, a group hug of hurt feelings and tired eyes and finally mending hearts. Something sparks then, a weird sort of electrical charge that has the air tasting like burnt wires. “Vhat vas...” Henrik asks slowly, knowing instinctively that somehow whatever that was came from him, before he hears something moving in the other room.

“Jackie? Marv? Henrik?” A pause. “Guys? What happened?”

The Egos look at one another in shock before they all simultaneously bolt for Jack’s room.

[youvereachedthebadend]

And Then There Were Three

((A small amount of scenes I’ve been collecting in my head for a while. They’re too involved to be put into dialogue posts, so here we are with a compilation. Also the first fic in this world to actually use the characters’ names. Hope you guys like it!))

The second day in the new house. It was a rental. They’d paid the rent for the week in advance, and would’ve paid for longer if they knew they’d be there longer. But as it was, they didn’t know the nest time they’d need to move.

Chase ducked inside the room serving as the study. Schneep was sitting at the desk with a small screwdriver, bent over something he couldn’t see. “Hey doc, have you seen Marvin?”

Schneep didn’t look up. “He went to get groceries.”

“Alone?” The note of fear was unmistakable.

“Chase, if any of us can handle being on our own, it is him.”

“I guess...” Chase swallowed the lump in his throat. “What’re you doing?”

Schneep leaned back, letting Chase see what he was working on. Chase took a few steps closer. There was a pocket watch on the desk, its glass shattered and its minute hand snapped off. The silver back was open, revealing the grinding gears. “Oh...you’re trying to fix that?”

“Yes,” Schneep said softly. “Though...I am starting to think that I can’t.”

“What? Of course you can! It--it just needs some hard work, some tender loving care.”

“Chase, really. Look at this.” He tilted the watch. A few loose gears inside tumbled to the bottom. “It is only being kept together by the outside container, and even that has cracks and screws missing.”

“Well...being stomped on will do that. But people’ve fixed worse, you know?”

“Maybe...” Schneep pushed it aside, setting the screwdriver on the desk. “But I am done for today.”

“Okay, bro...” Chase backed out of the room. “Do you know when we should start getting worried about Marv?”

“He said he would be back at five o’clock. You remember the rule, yes?”

“Yeah.” Ten minutes late was cause for worry with nearby locations, thirty for locations across the city, and anywhere in between depending on the distance. The time was 4:37, they had a while before it got concerning. “I’m gonna go back to my room now.”

“Okay.”

Chase looked back one more time before leaving. Despite pushing the watch aside, Schneep was still staring at it, unmoving.

— — — 

The car had been stopped for a while, but neither of them had gotten out yet. It was snowing outside, and they weren’t keen to step out of the warm sanctuary of the car’s interior.

“Do you ever wonder if we should give up?”

Marvin turned in his seat to look at Chase. “What?”

“I dunno.” Chase shrugged. “Just...ever wonder?”

“No.”

“Well, of course you don’t.” He stared out the window. “You and Henrik both. It’s just me, then. Like it always is.”

“Chase, don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“This!” Marvin leaned over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look at him. “I know that tone of voice. It’s the ‘I’m the weak one and I’m dragging the others down’ voice. And it’s wrong.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Of course I do! Remember last week? I would’ve been fucking dead if you hadn’t come in with the gun at the last minute.”

“Yay, I shot one of my friends. Whop-de-do.” Chase made a circling gesture to accompany the second part.

“I don’t think he’s our friend anymore.” Marvin leaned back against the seat. He blinked furiously. This wasn’t the time to break down, not when his friend needed him. “Chase...you did what you needed to. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to do that. Even after hearing that voice come out of him, I don’t know.” He took a deep breath. “We need you. Henrik needs you. You’re his best friend, I think he’d be in shambles if he lost you on top of everything else.”

Chase was silent for a moment, watching the snow fall. “It’s hard sometimes.” The words were a whisper.

“I know it is.”

“Do you? Your brain doesn’t try to sabotage itself.”

“No, it doesn’t. But the world is against us, you know. Sometimes it feels like...like there’s not a point. But there is. As long as we’re alive, as long as they’re still alive, there’s a chance. A small one, maybe, but that’s enough.” Marvin paused. “We’d miss you.” The words were soft, barely audible.

Chase closed his eyes. He nodded, and looked at Marvin. “I’m not going to let you down.”

Marvin smiled. “That’s the spirit. Now c’mon, Schneep’s gonna worry if we stay in the car for much longer.”

— — —

“Hold still!” Schneep scolded, pinching the side of Marvin’s arm.

“Ow! Great, add insult to injury, why don’t you?” Marvin grumbled, but stopped fidgeting all the same.

Schneep huffed, and continued wrapping Marvin’s side in bandages. They were in a hotel this  time, something they tried to avoid, what with the numbers of people staying there who could end up as casualties. But after what happened earlier that night, they’d panicked, and made a break for the closest place. It wasn’t the nicest, but the staff didn’t ask questions when they walked in with one of them bleeding severely.

“He stabbed me,” Marvin half-gasped.

“Yes, yes, I know.” Schneep didn’t look away from his work. “Why is this still surprising to you? How many times has this happened, again?”

“Ha. Are you done yet?” Marvin shifted in his position on the bathroom counter.

“No, and you are not helping with your twitchy wiggles.”

Schneep finished the bandaging in silence, putting the roll of white linen back inside the first aid kit he carried with him at all times. Marvin hopped off the counter. The wound still ached with pain, but it hurt less now that it was treated. He pulled his shirt on over it.

“Marvin...” Schneep hesitated for a moment. “Is...is it strange to say I am scared?”

“Well, no. I’d be surprised if you weren’t.”

“No, not of this...this everything, afraid of dying and worse.” Schneep paused. “I mean that I am scared of him now.”

Marvin stared at him. The pupils of his eyes narrowed to slits for just a moment as he remembered. The black eyes. The constant jumping pixels of colorful static as distortion danced above his skin. The torn jumpsuit that, if it hadn’t already been mostly red, would’ve been dyed crimson from the steady, constant stream of blood from cuts that ripped through flesh. “No...” he whispered. “It’s not strange at all, Henrik.”

Schneep looked down, fussing with the first aid bag. “It feels like a-a-a--a traitor.”

“Like a betrayal?” Marvin asked.

Schneep nodded. “Of my friend. I know you were not as close with him, so I understand if you do not feel the same. It is like I am abandoning him to that monster.”

“You’re not,” Marvin growled. “It’s his fault. He took him, and at a moment when we weren’t there to stop him.”

After a moment, Schneep nodded again. He looked at Marvin with a fire in his eyes. “We are going to bring him back.”

“Damn right we are.” Marvin grinned. “We’re gonna make that bitch pay.”

— — —

“We need to get rid of the phones.”

Chase and Schneep started at the sudden break in silence. They’d just barely arrived at the new rental house, hadn’t even set their suitcases--one each--in the bedroom yet. They never unpacked anymore. They’d had enough sudden exits to know better.

“What do mean?” Chase asked.

Marvin turned around to face the other two. “Our phones. They’re electric. They have computer chips. I can’t believe we’ve been so stupid keeping them on us! I bet they’re the reason they’ve been able to keep finding us.”

Chase dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone, staring at its dark screen. “But...how do we contact each other? If we get separated.”

“Then we’ll have to go find each other in person.” Marvin took out his own phone. “Look, I know it’s gonna be inconvenient. But it’s better than him tracking us down.”

Chase turned on his phone, staring at the picture on his lock screen. Two children. He exhaled shakily. “Alright,” he said, and passed it over to Marvin.

“Henrik?” Marvin asked gently.

Schneep took a step backwards, hands in his pockets. “I...do you think we can make do with losing just two?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Marvin said bluntly. His hand was outstretched, waiting.

Another step back. “Is just...I need it.”

“You need it?” Chase raised an eyebrow. “For what? It’s not like you have to call in to work anymore. Or need to wait for a friend to text you.”

Schneep looked down. “Did you know there is an app where you can check in on a camera you place somewhere?” he mumbled. “I...I put one in his room.”

Marvin and Chase fell silent. They exchanged sad looks. Marvin took a small step backwards, as if yielding the floor to Chase. “Schneep...Henrik...” Chase said. “We can’t...I miss him too, you know? But right now, we can’t do anything for him. We’re in deep shit, we need to think about how to stay safe.”

“What if something happens to him?” Schneep whispered. “What if he decides that asleep is not good enough?”

Chase didn’t blink. “Well, we won’t be much good to him if we get taken, will we?” When Schneep didn’t move or say anything, Chase continued. “Look, we know where he is, we can go check on him every so often. Right now, we have to keep away from him, or something much worse could happen.”

Schneep didn’t answer, just stayed, frozen. Until he silently withdrew his hand from his pocket and handed his phone over to Marvin. Then without another word, he picked up his suitcase and vanished deeper into the house.

Chase looked at Marvin. “Is...is he gonna be okay?”

“I think...eventually,” Marvin sighed. “We gotta make sure, you know?”

Chase nodded. The two of them didn’t move for a while, staying in the living room quietly, thinking.

— — —

There was a photograph. An actual, physical photograph printed out on a sturdy piece of paper. It was the only one they had now. Left over from late 2016, back when they thought their clash with the monster had ended in October.

The photograph was of six people. Chase had been trying out photography, so he’d set up an actual camera on a tripod and set it on a timer. He’d wanted something nice, but once they were all in frame things had quickly fallen apart, and the photo turned into a still life capturing goofiness.

They were in a park, three standing on the ground and the other three standing on a bench behind them. Jack was in the front center, arm half-raised in an attempt to block Chase’s attack hug from the left. Schneep was front right, glasses crooked as he laughed at the other two’s antics. Jackie was standing top right, leaning forward onto folded arms that rested on Schneep’s head and his mouth open in a wide smile. Marvin was leaning on JJ, grinning ridiculously at the pair of bunny ears he’d put behind his head. JJ looked mock-surprised at the discovered look Marvin was giving him, his expression purposefully exaggerated.

Now, the photo had been folded time and time again, permanent creases worn into the paper. Marvin had seen it so often that he didn’t even need to turn the light on to stare at it.

“You guys remember this?” he whispered. The others didn’t answer, of course. They were asleep, taking the two twin-sized beds in the bedroom of this new house. He’d volunteered to curl up on the floor between the beds with the spare blankets and pillows.

“It seems like a while ago, huh? What, two or three years ago now? Ah, I dunno. I haven’t been keeping track of things ever since we lost JJ.” He sighed, folding the paper back up before unfolding it again. Have to be careful, it might wear through the folds.

“Remember October?” He stared up at the ceiling. “I kinda miss that. Even if we were freaking out, even if Jack was scared out of his mind, at least we were all together. Maybe that’s kinda messed up. But I think we’d all rather take a scared Jack to a sleeping one.”

No answer, of course. Just the sound of deep breathing, and the slight whistling of Chase’s snores.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you guys.” The words were quiet even to him. “I promise.”

And he folded the photograph once again, put it underneath his pillow, and closed his eyes.

[poppyknitt]

The Doctor’s Choice, an Evil Schneep AU

chapter 2 (part 2/3)

————————

TWS: Strangulation, brutal violence, smoking mention, self-harm allusion

————————

Six years. It’d been Six years. Six years, waiting hopelessly for their hero to return. Marvin was sick of this. He had to figure out what happened, especially now that Seán was in the hospital, recovering from that damn demon’s attempt to kill him. Or, so Henrik had told him. So far, Henrik had refused to let anyone visit him, claiming it would be too scarring to their mental health at the moment. He believed him, since he knew it wouldn’t be a pretty sight.

… He’d have to start a journal to keep track of his findings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

14-02-XX

(31-10-16 our time)

Entry no. 1

Jack’s in the hospital. Jackie’s still missing. Henrik refuses to talk about either, unless he’s saying I’m not allowed to visit Jack. I don’t trust this. But I have to play my cards as though I’m oblivious until I’m sure that my current theory is correct.

God, I hope it isn’t… I don’t want to have to get into an argument with Henrik. That could ruin our friendship… And it’s already lonely enough, with he and I being the only egos in the house…

I think I’m more terrified of what might happen to me if I have to encounter Anti than anything else. I’m not prepared for that. I barely even know anything about him.

… this would all be so much easier if Jackie was still here… but he’s not. He probably doesn’t even know who Anti is.

Damn it, I’m rambling, aren’t I? I’m gonna have to sign off here, before I waste ten pages on random, panicked gibberish.

~Sincerely, Marvin Reed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

…

....

(~03-11-16 our time)

Marvin stood before Henrik, his expression full of fury and hatred.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Oh? Whatever do you mean by that, kleiner spatz? Have I done something wrong?”

“No! Don’t you fucking dare play stupid, you sick fucking bastard! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU FUCKING DID TO JACKIE AND SEÁN!” He yelled, already feeling his voice starting to die from how loud he screamed. That fucking bastard-! He fucking- He knew what he did! He fucking kidnapped Seán and Jackie! He knew he did! He never even tried to fucking hide it! If only Marvin figured it out sooner, maybe… Maybe he could’ve saved Seán… He didn’t even know what he’d done to either of them. He just knew he took them from him. He took his friends. He took them. It was all his fault! Marvin finally had something worth living for in life, and Henrik fucking took them from him! He was going to kill him! He didn’t care what it took. He had to kill Henrik. He- He had to make him regret ever being born! His crimes couldn’t go unpunished! He had to avenge his friends!

“... I see.” Something changed in the doctor’s expression and tone. Something seemed to click. He didn’t know. There was just… an unsettlingly dark undertone to the doctor’s act now.

Before he could process what was happening, a fist slammed into his mask, almost breaking it. He could feel its edges rip into his face, breaking a few bones in the process. He stumbled back, hand flying to his face, as he stared down for a moment or two with a horrified look on his face. As soon as blood began to leak down from the places where it tore into his flesh, he looked up at Henrik, not even flinching or blinking as a few trickles of blood began to run over his eyes.

He gritted his teeth in anger, and summoned his magic. “You stupid piece of shit-! I’ll fucking kill you for what you’ve done!” He spat, and went to tackle Henrik in a fit of pure rage as all the evidence he’d gathered flooded back into his mind at once.

… And yet… nothing happened. At least, not until he registered the immense pain erupting through his gut, as he felt the doctor literally force his fucking hand through the magician’s abdomen. He made a strangled, desperate gasp for air, eyes wider than the full moon during the time of year where the moon is closest to the earth. There was no weapon needed. No knife. No dagger. Nothing. He just ripped through Marvin’s liver with his bare hands.

Schneep removed his hand from his abdomen, and Marvin stumbled back once more, only to be caught by the throat. The doctor held him up, his hands wrapped tight enough around the magician’s throat to cut off his air flow. He felt his energy draining, as the doctor’s cold, emotionless glare bore into him, and as he effortlessly strangled him.

His vision slowly went black, his mind numb and body screaming at him to breathe until the very last split second before he fell unconscious.

…

….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(~17-11-16 our time)

Red. So much red. Everything hurts. I don’t know where I am. I can hear Jackie sobbing in one of the cells on the other side of the hall, but he’s too far away to see him. I tried calling out to him one time, once I was sure he would be able to respond, but all i heard was a really quiet and weak “no”... I don’t think he knew Schneep got me, too… I… should’ve stayed quiet… He probably blames himself for this now. It’s all my fault, isn’t it?

Jackie… Jackie called out to me. I don’t even know how to respond…. I yelled back to him. He started sobbing again. He… He asked if it’s really me. Of course, I had to answer…

He broke down, I can’t see him, but I know if I could, I would break, too. I don’t think I could stand to see my best friend so broken… He’s been here for years… Who knows what Schneep’s done to him… God I hate this… He’s just sobbing and saying I shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t have to suffer like him, he should’ve been there to stop him from taking me… I kept trying to tell him he isn’t responsible to protect me from my mistakes. He won’t listen. I don’t know what to do…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

…

….

…..

Marvin woke up, and immediately froze. He was… home. In his bed. He… how..? He could have sworn he was chained up in a cell just last night…

… No, wait… last night… was another experiment… Probably the worst yet… He could swear he felt himself begin dying towards the end… Sure, he wasn’t totally unfamiliar with that feeling anymore, but… Before, it was put to an end. This time the doc decided to let him die…

He sighed heavily, and cleared his head, so he could actually process the world around him. He pushed himself up, but froze, as searing pain ripped through his body. Right. Perpetuated pain. He forgot about that, especially after the self-inflicted cigarette burns that littered his left wrist had stopped hurting a while ago. God, he hadn’t had a smoke in who knows how long… How the hell did he survive that? Eh, whatever. It didn’t matter.

Not wanting to make it any worse for any longer, he let himself fall back onto his mattress.

“Alright, Marv, yeh old fuckin’ sack’a potatoes, how th’ fuckin’ hell d’ya plan teh get ye’self outta ‘is one?” He asked himself out loud, not really caring to mask his accent like he normally did, since he was entirely alone right now, “Ay, no, that won’t work, yeh fuckin’ idiot, yeh’ll still be in pain if yeh use crutches or a wheelchair. Yeh can’ even sit up without havin’ yer nerves screamin’ at’cheh.”

He sighed shakily, and raised his hands to cup around his face in annoyance. Then, something occurred to him.

He remembered the fans all getting excited back before Hen got to him. Something about this new channel, some guy calling himself “Bro Average”, who happened to look a hell of a lot like the egos, and more specifically, Sean himself. He looked over to the nightstand, where he’d left his phone, and shakily lifted his arm, picking it up and unlocking it.

Chase.

Chase Brody was the guy’s name, and. as he thought, he was definitely an ego.

He knew what he had to do. As soon as he was healed enough to move, he would find the perfect opportunity to introduce himself to the new guy.

He was so relieved.

So happy.

He wasn’t alone anymore.

He wouldn’t have to do this all on his own anymore.

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AH HECK, i forgot to update yesterday, sorry guys!

@antis-loyal-puppet @tiny-septic-puppet @phoenix-wint3r @chaoticcrimsonrose @septic-dr-schneep @startschantingpma @insaneangel18-blog @ihaveanunhealthyteaaddiction

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@happygamingbubbleswithmemes @sqxxddygremlin @the-editor-is-bored @epicfangirl01 @risingroseakira @alphaqwerty7

[smallgayblanket]

So who knows who? Are they all scattered around with only a few of them with companions?

Well, I imagine part of the end goal would be that most if not all the septics get together (or whoever’s left >_>) and some of the Mark egos do too. 

The end game would kinda be they manage to get off the shithole of a planet to a better place and then go through reintegrating and PTSD. (There is however also the high possibly some of them will be stuck on the ship that saves them, such as Shawn or Bim who are too corrupted and the scientists wish to run some..not so nice tests..) 

Obviously, I imagine Dark finds Wilford, he’s out of control but he seems to be a good talker, knows how to at least get people interested, as long as the gun he’s waving about isn’t actually loaded.

Hosty boy, or Author, depending on which occurs first, would also end up in that trio.

Google and Ed would find each other first, and eventually, Google would suggest joining a gang, Darks, would be the best option for likely survival (Possibly because Edward loses his arm and Google is worried he cannot fend for the both of them alone.) With both their knowledge Dark would be a fool not to accept them. 

Bim and Yan obviously team up, weather Yan stalked Bim for a bit or they had already been together before the bombs had dropped. Whether they make it to the group however..debateable. Bims hunger for flesh would be worrisome, but Dark also doesn’t much care as long as Bim is willing to put towards the group. I think Bim would end up trying to make his own group with Yan- partnered with Dark but not living in the same area, probably on a cute lil farm nearby.

The Jim or Jims, would no doubt end up stumbling into Darks territory too, they're eager to help in exchange for food and a place safe to sleep.  King remains on the outskirts, he doesn’t ignore Dark, and he rarely ever makes exchanges, he doesn’t trust Dark, or rather, the squirrels make him wary. 

As for the Septics, I imagine they find each other rather quickly.

Jackie and Marvin quickly found each other and become close. (Possibly ship.)  

Jameson was probably hanging with Shawn already I imagine, and the pair of them buddy up for quite some time till they find Jackie, whos possibly already lost Marvin, but has found Schneep who was holed up in his office and scared to leave. Jackie (and Marv if alive) stayed with him, barricaded the place, decided it’d make the best safe place seeing as it had a lot of medicine and some food. They later invited the old-timey pair to join them when they run into them when out scouting the area.  

Chase was out vlogging or, something of the sort. He has no idea if his family lives and is trying his best to protect himself.  Now, I am a sucker for soft Anti so I imagine he finds him, and they duo up until they find the hospital and meet the others. Again whether Anti stays good..I’m not sure, I love a mean glitch, but I’m a sucker for the bro/relationship between he and Chase and they may end up rather close, so for Anti to get all fucked up could harm Chase’s mental state for sure.

Angus, hes out in the forest, trying his best to survive. Whether he eventually finds the other septics and joins them, uncertain, I imagine he would be the one to find or look after Robbie though- unless Robbie is found by Schneep??  (I’ve got loads of ideas for Robbie just being a soft harmless bby, or that he dies, or that maybe Marvin gives up his life to save him but it means Robbie can’t quite age much or die and thats p dang sad.) Either way, Jackie or at least one of the Septics, is aware of Angus’s cabin and they keep an eye out for each other, Angus is just quite the lone wolf.  

[aether-mae]

Overload - part 7

Part 6 here

Chase was awoken by a sharp pain on the side of his head and a small warm figure curled up against his back. Hardly an unfamiliar experience. He brushed a thick layer of fog from the surface of his mind and twisted the comforting blankets of his bed in his hand. Searching his memory, Chase chuckled darkly at the fact that it wasn’t his drinking that brought him here. He winced slightly when he turned his head to look over at his apparent company.

A soft smile crept over Chase’s face when he caught sight of the shock of teal hair and he lifted his hand to run gentle fingers through it. When the older ego felt his brother trembling beneath his hand, however, his smile dropped and he quickly moved the hair out of Jamie’s face, revealing tear soaked cheeks.

“What’s wrong, bud?” Chase mumbled.

After a few moments, Jameson let out a silent shuddering breath and moved his hands from his chest to sign. It’s true. I am a puppet.

Chase’s eyes widened, “No! No, of course your not! Jem, your probably the strongest out of all of us, because even after having that asshole show up on the day you were made you still had it in your heart to trust us.”

Jameson gives a half smile and looks down at his hands. Marvin doesn’t trust me.

“He does trust you. He’s just been having a hard time.”

Chase. Jamie signs, miming tipping a hat for his name. Marvin told me to shut up-

Chase flinches and looks out the door like he might throw hands with Marvin that second but Jameson waves a hand at him to get his attention. That’s not the problem. When he said that, I did shut up. I couldn’t move. It was like I still had strings on me and he pulled them. Chase, I’m not in control. Not really.

“Jem, Marvin isn’t the glitch. He can be...direct, and snap sometimes, and that can be scary. You’ve seen us at out best and your gonna see us at our worst. People get angry when they get scared and confused, but that doesn’t make them evil. You don’t need to be afraid of him.”

Jamie just shook his head. No, Chase.

He wasn’t scared of Marvin. Comparing them was like calling a house cat a lion. There was something else going on, if only Jameson could recover that memory between the time loop. His thoughts were interrupted when Chase pulled him into a hug. His conflicted thoughts instantly melted away and he relaxed into his big brothers arms.

x-x

Meanwhile in Marvin’s room, Chase leaned against the door frame, fiddling with Marvin’s mask in his hands. “Why’d ya throw that, bro?”

Marvin leaned back against the bed frame and ran a finger through his overgrown bangs. “I didn’t mean to upset him, I don’t know what happened.”

“Hey, it’s alright. The kids just a little scared because you put me in a trinket and almost froze me to death. Anyone would be.” Chase grinned, the rim of his hat blocking his eyes.

Marvin ducked his head in shame. “Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. You..think J’s afraid of me?”

Chase shrugged. “You’ve just been really reckless recently. I think it’d be safer if you don’t use any magic around him.”

Marvin paled. “Chase...I can’t do that. There’s got to-“

“Your hurting us Marv.” Chase’s bright green eyes snapped up to meet his brothers. “You are not to use magic around us anymore.”

Fog spilled over Marvin’s mind as Chases form seemed to shatter into vibrant silhouettes. Colours pulsed between the gaze they held and every other thought in Marvin’s mind was blanketed by a thick static. He barely noticed when his brother suddenly appeared sitting in front of him. “Do ͞ýo̢u̵͝ ͜͞u͜n̷d͘͟e͏̡͘r͘s̴͝t͏a͟n͜͟d́̀, ̛҉p̡͜u̡p̨͟͡p͡e͞͏t҉?̴̧”

The magician found himself nodding.

Without warning, the glitches head was snapped to the side as a large leather bound book cracked him from behind. When he fell, the shaking figure of Jameson was seen standing behind him, holding onto the tome for dear life. He puts the book between his knees to quickly sign, I’m here for that apology.

From the floor, Anti let out a chuckle which built to a high pitched giggle as he slowly stood up. His head snapped wildly from side to side and pixels radiated from him in a technicolor flurry. He stared Jameson down with pitch black eyes. Taking the brim of Chases cap from his head, in one swift flick he dropped the illusion, transforming it into a sharpened, gleaming knife.

As Anti lunged towards him, Jameson’s hand flew to his pocket watch and he pressed the gold dial at the top. Anti froze mid air, form still glitching but other than that, unmoving. Jameson took that moment to take another swing to Anti’s face with the tome and sprint over to Marvin. Talking his brothers hand in his, he unfroze time and bolted, not looking back to see Anti stagger back with a widening grin. He relished a good hunt.

Marvin stumbled behind Jamie, still shaking off the effects of the static from his mind. He could hear the fury of the glitch behind them and knew he was the only one who could call out for his brothers. He screamed as they tore through the hall.

The heads of Jackie and Schneep poked out the doors of the hallway. Then, just Jackie’s.

When Jameson landed in the living room with Marvin in tow he was panting heavily and reeling for another attack. Suddenly a hand was at his throat and he was lifted from the ground. A voice layered in static hissed in his ear, “I thi̛nk à ͞cȩrtai̷n̢ ͞p͜u̸p̡pe͏t̀ f͞o̷r̢go̢t́ t̕h̸e҉i̶r p҉lac̢e̕.” Jamie kicked and scratched at the hand on his neck.

“Do something Marvin!” Jackie called, racing down the hallway, mask already strung.

Marvin was rooted in place. He knew he had to summon his mask and wand, or use a verbal spell. Something! But he couldn’t. Anti’s command echoed back in his mind and sent a flash of fear through his chest, seizing his hands. He couldn’t reach his magic.

Jackie ducked to kick Anti’s feet from under him, sending the glitch and Jameson tumbling to the ground. The glitch was suddenly behind Jackie, reeling to embed his knife in the hero’s shoulder, but somehow instantly Jameson was off the floor and beside Jackie with the knife in his hand. This actually proceeded several more times until Jamie had about five knives in his hands and he stopped a second long enough to be slashed in the face with a clawed hand.

Marvin called out in rage as his brother staggered back, blood weeping from his open wound. Magic flickered wildly in Marvin’s chest, lighting his eyes ablaze with sparks of violet. An internal battle ensued as the static raged against his powers, setting the magician to the floor, hands pressed into his eyes.

Anti looked down at Jameson and smirked. “Oh, my puppet. You always were so li͞v͘e̡ly̕.” Bright blue strings trailed from his hand onto Jamie’s wrist and he pulled, causing the youngest ego to squirm in panic.

“Let go of him!” Jackie screamed, lunging. But with a flick of his free hand, Anti sent him hurtling into the wall, knocking out his breath and pinning him. With that same hand, Anti drew another set of strings from Marvin’s wrists and looped them around his fingers with manic glee.

Anti tilted his head and taunted, “and now I have t̶͝ẁ͡o̢͞!”

x-x

Anti stalked over to the crumbled magician and tugged fiercely on his strings to forcibly remove his hands from his eyes so he could meet them with his pitch black ones.

“I ͠s̢e̡e̷ ̕͟͡y͟o͘ù̢͏ ̕l̢͝i͏͠k̷̕e ͜͠͡m̶y͜͡ ̛͜͢pres̢ȩǹ̴t̛͜?”

Marvin bit back a cry as the building energy sent branching veins of electric violet across his arms and over his eyes. He shamefully lifted his head to meet Jamie’s fearful gaze, knowing he was right and that he’d probably broken all trust the youngest had with him. However, when Jamie lifted a shaking, puppet-strung hand to his lips and slowly reached for his pocket watch, he knew it wasn’t over yet.

In an attempt at a distraction, Marvin gritted through the pain and spat, “That all you got, turtle?”

That earned a screech from the glitch and he seized Marvin by the throat, throwing his head against the wall, over and over again. Spots began to crawl at the edge of his vision.

Jameson curved his fingers around the crown of the watch and he channeled his powers. His aura extended, dipping the room into a deep sepia. He pressed the crown and time stopped. Marvins head froze mid air, guided by Anti’s hand towards the wall. Jamie desperately pulled against his own strings to rescue his brothers but they would not budge. Being tethered to the glitch made escape futile.

His thoughts spun like the cogs in his pocket watch as he calculated escape. With the present, even frozen, was not use to him while he was tethered. The future was out of the question because it was paved in blood. His only hope was the past.

The fight had exhausted him almost completely so this journey would take everything he’s got. He turned the hands on the watch only 15 minutes backwards. It was enough.

The frozen air kicked up around him and the swirling sepia portal opened, but Jameson did not go through. This would send him back to his own body, and he needed to change the course of time, not recreate it.

Resisting the pull of the time gate, he forced a step back, shattering his form into two. The time gate dissipated, and he watched as time rewound without him. The remnant retraced his steps in the fight, pulling on the strings he left behind. The egos moved around him in reverse, open wounds resealing against backwards blows. He kept his hands on the watch, turning the dial slowly. Sepia flickered and crackled around him like a broken film as he rewound. The floor felt like it was giving out from under him, movements flickering past him, over him, layering. His vision tunneled.

He pressed the crown of the watch and the world resumed.

Next

[huffle-dork]

Curiosity Killed the Cat (Part 3)

Amnesia and Whispers

Part 2: [x] CKTC tag:[x]

The sound of thundering footsteps rouses Marvin from his sleep. His whole body feels like a ton of bricks. His throat feels raw and his fingertips feel blistered. The only thing Marvin can register is pain as his body wakes up.

A gentle hand weighs down on Marvin’s shoulder, startling the magician and causing him to spring up, curling in on himself. Marvin blinks as he sees a familiar concerned face.

“J-Jackie…?”

Tears are already springing into the hero’s eyes as his lip quivers. He pulls Marvin into a tight hug, burying his face into the other’s shoulder.

“M-Marvin!” Jackie cries, “Thank god we finally found you! W-We found your apartment just in ruin weeks ago and no one knew where you were. We figured Anti took you but we didn’t know where- a-and then Jack was gone too!” Jackie sniffles and wipes at his nose with his sleeve, shakily taking a breath. “I’m just so glad you’re okay…”

Marvin’s whole body feels numb as he sits limply in Jackie’s hug.

“J..Jackie… weeks…? what are you talking about…?”

Jackieboy tenses before he draws away, studying Marvin’s face with a frown.

“Marv… do you not remember how you got here? Why you were here?”

Marvin slowly looks around, realizing the room looks foreign to him. He looks down at his clothes, confused on why they’re ruined, ripped and filthy. Blood dots various areas and Marvin balks at the multitude of bruises and scrapes all over his body. He doesn’t recall getting any of these.

He looks beyond Jackie to a small seemingly medical set up. He sees Schneep bending over a body asleep on a cot, with Chase and Jamie hovering around him in worry. Marvin’s heart stops when he realizes its Jack asleep on the bed. Jack’s skin is pale and lines of blood run down his cheeks like tears. He barely looks like he’s breathing.

The magician begins to shake, drawing his hands up to his chest and rubbing his wrists on instinct. He feels slight abrasions and tears in his skin as if strings were wrapped around them. Marvin’s breath hitches, and he hiccups slightly in panic, eyes wide and scared.

“Marvin?!” Jackie quickly sets a comforting hand on Marvin’s leg as he watches his best friend. Marvin swallows and curls up smaller.

“I-i-i don’t r-remember… i-i don’t remember a-anything!,” Marvin whimpers. He can’t stop his shaking as he huddles his legs closer to himself. Had he actually been taken by Anti for weeks? What had he done to him? What had he done to Jack?!

Marvin’s thoughts are cut off as rough hands grab his shoulders and pull him. Marvin’s face meets Jackie’s chest, the bright red of his uniform bringing the panicked magician slight comfort.

“Just breathe for me, buddy,” Jackie gently encourages, “Everything is going to be okay… We’ll get you home and we’ll figure this out okay?” Marvin’s tense muscles slowly unwind as he tries to calm his breathing. He slowly wraps his shaking arms around the hero’s middle and buries his face into Jackie’s chest. He immediately starts sobbing.

Jackie softly brushes back Marvin’s hair. After a while, Jackie sighs, “I’m sorry… I'm sorry i left you alone for so long Marv… i won’t let that happen ever again.”

Marvin sniffles and nods slightly against his chest. But something uneasy still stirs in Marvin’s gut. He sees just past where the two are sitting a small shape of something. A doll.

Marvin’s fingers reach for the object, discreetly trying to grab it before Jackie notices. Something tells him Jackie isn't supposed to see whatever this thing is. Marvin feels a spark of energy as he cups the object, his eyes flashing purple for a fraction of second. The magic feels familiar yet foreign.

“Jackie!” Schneep calls from the corner, “Ve need your ‘elp to move Jack to zhe hospital!” Jackie nods and gets up, heading over. Marvin quickly shoves the doll in his pocket before the others notice, the action sending chills down his spine for some reason. He can feel a heat of power from the doll surging in his pocket. Marvin was so concerned with hiding the doll he jumps when a hand reaches down to him.

JJ smiles gently at the magician, offering his hand to help him up. Marvin hesitates for a second before he grabs the hand and Jamie hauls him to his feet. Marvin’s legs waver and he nearly falls back over but Jameson quickly catches him.

“S-sorry..” Marvin mumbles self consciously, a small blush rising on his cheeks. JJ shakes his head and smiles more, helping to lead him to the others.

Schneep helps lower Jack into Jackie’s arms, making sure that he holds the Irishman properly. Then he notices Marvin and rushes over, slapping his hands on the magician’s shoulders.

“Marvin!” He pleads, “Can you teleport us to zhe hospital? I dont zhink Jack vill make it long in an ambulance.”

Marvin shudders away, the violent touch making his anxiety spike. He stares down Schneep with wide eyes, trying to control his shaking. Jamie wraps him in a gentle, barely touching hug, his face painted with concern.

“Henrik, bro… don’t push him,” Chase offers quietly. “We don’t know what he’s been through.”

Marvin shakily swallows before shaking his head and pushing out of Jamie’s grasp to stand up fully. His knees shake but he manages to stand his ground.

“No,” Marvin rasps, “I.. I can do it.” He reaches out his hands and screws his face up in concentration. His hands shake as they begin to glow blue-green. The others look at each other warily as they begin to glow green in tandem with the magic. Marvin grits his teeth as sweat drips down his face. His magic wasn’t responding like he wanted it to.

“Marv, it’s okay if you can’t,” Chase cautioned, “We’ll figure something else out-”

“Shut up!” Marvin snaps, his eyes flashing with power. One of the monitors next to Jack’s bed explodes in a flurry of sparks.

“Jesus!” Jackie startles back, “Watch it dude!”

Marvin growls, trying to concentrate harder. Then suddenly his eyes flash purple and the six of them disappear in clouds of blue green smoke.

They appear in an empty room in the hospital across town. Marvin wheezes and slumps down to his knees, his whole face covered in sweat. Henrik wastes no time, quickly grabbing Jackie’s sleeve and dragging him and Jack down the hall, quickly calling for the other staff.

Jamie and Chase kneel down by Marvin as the magician tries to catch his breath. Marvin’s vision swims in front of him and he feels like throwing up. Chase rubs comforting circles into his back.

“Great job, buddy,” He smiles and Jameson gives him a big thumbs up. Marvin shakily returns the smile then suddenly he lurches forward and spills out the contents of his stomach onto the slick tile floor. He then nearly faints into the sick but Jamie manages to catch him yet again.

Chase and Jameson help Marvin up and lays his arms over their shoulders.

“Let’s get you somewhere you can rest,” Chase assures calmly and Marvin nods trying to focus on walking so they won’t have to carry his dead weight. The second they find where Schneep had gone with Jackie and find a cot for Marvin, he passes out almost immediately.

Hours pass. The others head off to rest themselves, leaving just Jack and Marvin in the room. Marvin wakes up after a while in find the room empty. He shivers from the deja vu of being alone with Jack. The doll in his pocket seems to pulse with power again and Marvin slowly takes it out to study it. Its chest glows purple when he touches it and Marvin's head is filled with images he doesn’t understand. He hears laughter and glitching and Jack’s screams and he flings the doll across the room in terror. Flashes of what he can only assume are memories Anti erased swirl in his brain, setting his nerves on fire.

Jackie comes back later to find Marvin having a panic attack. He rushes over to his best friend’s side and grabs onto his arm to try to anchor him. Marvin cries out and tries to slap him away, his eyes filled with anxious tears. He’s hyperventilating so badly his breathing sounds like damaged squeaks. Jackie feels like panicking with him, seeing him like this. But Instead, he just takes Marvin’s hand and calming tries to take Marvin through some breathing exercises. At first, it seems like Marvin can hardly even see Jackie but soon he seems to catch onto the pattern and starts to breathe along with the hero.

It takes a while but eventually Marvin’s breathing slows down to normal. Jackie slowly wraps the magician up into a hug and Marvin sinks into it, weakly laying his head on the hero’s shoulder.

“You okay?” Jackie eventually asks. Marvin just barely nods, taking shaking hands to wrap around the hero’s middle. Jackie swallows, unsure on what else to do.

“You.. you wanna sleep at my house again?” Jackie offers, “So you don’t have to be alone.”

Marvin shudders again at the feeling of deja vu but he nods and curls up closer to Jackie, not wanting to let go. Jackie sighs and rubs Marvin’s back as comfortingly as he can. Eventually, Marvin calms down enough that Jackie can take him home.

The apartment is exactly as Marvin remembers it and he hates how things just keep repeating. But there is a certain comfort in knowing Jackie still kept the guest room ready for Marvin. Jackie leads him to the bedroom and helps him sit down on the bed. He opens his mouth to ask Marvin something but he’s cut off by his phone ringing. He takes it out and Marvin can see the image is the one he uses to signal an emergency call. Jackie looks back at Marvin in conflicted concern.

Marvin offers a weak smile, “Go on Jackie. People need you more than i do right now. I’ll be alright.”

Jackie’s face lights up slightly as he pockets his phone. “I promise i’ll be back really soon.” Marvin just nods and smiles, but it doesn’t reach up to his eyes. Jackie sprints out the door, and Marvin sees him race up and down the hall to gather his suit and gadgets. Marvin chuckles slightly to himself at the sight. But then he hears something.

Jackie seems to be talking to someone else on the phone.

“JJ, how quick can you get here?I think i’ll need you again.” Jackie chuckles slightly, “Alright speedy, i see you. Let’s rock and roll.”

JJ.. helping Jackie? That couldn’t be… why would Jackie?

Marvin hears Jackie open the window and he quickly springs off the bed and after the hero. He manages to reach the window just as Jackie lands on the next building over. Marvin looks down to see Jamie in a weird old-timey outfit and wearing a mask, eagerly following after Jackie. Jamie brings out his pocket watch and snaps and appears next to Jackie on the roof. Jackie laughs and slaps Jamie on the back before motioning for him to follow him. JJ jumps after him and the two disappear from view.

Marvin is stunned speechless. Jackie...Jackie had replaced him. Threw him out like he was nothing while Anti was doing god knows what to him. Marvin felt his blood begin to boil.

“Jackie replaced me,” He heard himself growl low in his throat, “ with that no good, immature, hardly magic wannabe?! With JAMIE?!”

Something behind him sounds off with a loud band. He whips around, flame in hand, to see Jackie’s TV broken and fizzling with purple sparks. He lowers his flames and stares at the tv with wide eyes. He realizes he never canceled the flame and sees now that it has turned a tinted purple. He cries out and shakes the flame off his hand.

“What… what the hell?” Marvin whispers, staring at the lingering magic at his fingertips. “What is happening to my magic? Did..did Anti do this?”

Marvin backs against the window, his anger swirling together with his fear at what was happening. His emotions were a whirlwind right now, he couldn’t understand which way was up and which way was down.

An unstable bitter laugh bursts from Marvin’s mouth as he shakily balls his hand into a fist.

“This is all just one big joke…” He scoffs, “T-the universe just loves to mess with me. Loves to fuck with me.” He bares his teeth and grips his fist harder before he slams it against the window behind him. He feels pain and feels the glass shatter underneath his skin but he doesn’t care.

“Well i’m sick of it!” Marvin screams to no one, “I’m sick of being the one to fuck with, you hear me?! His vision tints purple as weird emotions stir faster and faster in his stomach. “I refuse to be the plaything anymore!”

He feels tears rise up in his eyes and he shakes them away as he continues to shout at the sky, “Give me some goddamn answers! A fucking chance to fight back! I don’t want to pushed around anymore! Let me be the one with power for ONCE!”

Marvin’s shouting gets interrupted as he feels heal crawl up his body. He then realizes he’s being consumed by purple flames that continue to scale up his legs and towards his torso. He cries out and tries to run but he trips and soon everything turns purple. He screams.

But when he opens his eyes the heat and fire is gone. But he’s not in Jackie’s apartment anymore. He’s on the street somewhere. Somewhere he doesn’t recognize. He rises to his feet, feeling self-conscious of the looks some people are giving him. He huddles in on himself, realizing he never got a chance to change after being saved.

“Where… the hell am i?” He whispers to himself as he studies his surroundings. He turns around to see he’s in front of some strange looking shop. A fortune teller’s shop.

“Something is really wrong with my magic…” Marvin mumbles as he rubs the bridge of his nose with a sigh. He pushes back his hair and tries to concentrate on a spell to bring him back home.

Then suddenly he feels a pull in his gut and he’s being thrust through the doors of the shop like he was pushed from behind. He stumbles onto the cold floor, his bare feet slapping loudly against the tiles. It’s cold in here, Marvin swears he can see his breath. He hugs his arms and tries to control his shivering as he feels dark tendrils of dangerous magic curl around him. The room around him is littered with hundreds of decorative mirrors. The paths that led to different rooms are covered with heavy red curtains. The space is illuminated by small candles collected on top of trunks and drawers that line the wall. The fire in the candles seem to shift in hue, like it’s shifting from black and white back to colored. Marvin shakily swallows.

“H-Hello?” He calls out into the darkness, “D-did you call me here? What do you want with me?”

A dark feminine chuckle echoes around Marvin as his breath hitches. He notices a mirror in front of him, like a centerpiece. It’s brown and wooden, very different from the silver and gold and ornate mirrors that surrounds it. The glass is shattered and as Marvin gazes into it, he sees the reflection isn’t his. It reflects a brightly colored room with two frosted glass windows, a door and a couch. Then the image seems to glitch and Marvin jumps back in terror. The image shifts from blue and red tinted before settling back on red and a figure stares back at Marvin through the mirror. A woman with short clipped hair, wearing a veil staring at him with a slightly sinister grin.

Marvin takes a step back.

“I.. I know you…” He whispers, recognizing the woman from somewhere. A sense of deja vu.

“Marvin the Magnificent,” She speaks, her voice echoing hollow and tinny throughout the shop. “I see forces have brought you here for answers…

“My name is Celine, though i suppose that doesn’t matter as much to you as what you seek.”

‘What do you mean?” Marvin bites back. “I-i’m not seeking anything!”

“You seek answers, child. Power.” Celine counters, “A way to right the wrongs that have been done to you.”

“That’s not-”

Celine silences him with an outstretched hand. That starts to come out of the mirror, followed by Celine’s whole body. She steps out of the mirror like a ghost passing through a wall and approaches Marvin slowly. Marvin gasps as the temperature drops even more. Celine’s form flickers and shifts like she’s caught in a small wind. Occasionally her image flickers as if tinted by red, or she turns red altogether before snapping back. Marvin tries to back away but his body won’t respond. Finally, Celine’s hand meets Marvin’s chest and she steps close enough so their faces just barely touch. Marvin can’t feel any hint of air coming out of her mouth.

Her eyes unsettle Marvin the most. She looks blind, the whole of her eye is a glossy white. Almost as if they’ve been replaced by pearls. They shine unnaturally in the light, reflecting and changing colors in the flickering of the candles. Marvin feels his stomach drop as he stares at them like he’s not sure where to look.

“Let’s see what the dark needs to tell me about you,” She whispers, as she plunges her fingers inside Marvin’s chest. He screams and scrambles backward, only for Celine to pin him against one of the walls. The mirrors behind him rattle and shake as Marvin feels his chest flood with a cold icy energy. He gasps as images appear before his eyes. Flashes of him and Jackie, him and Jack, him and Anti. They all swirl together, a mess of past and present. Past and future. Things Marvin can’t even begin to piece together with how rapidly they fly past him.

Just as soon as it starts, the visions end and Marvin crumbles to the floor, gasping for breath. Celine stares forward, her long fingers tinted blue to green then to purple. The essence goops and splats on the floor as Celine seems to contemplate it when a blank expression.

Her form whisps away like a gust of wind before Marvin. He struggles upwards to his feet, looking around rapidly to where she could have gone.

“You’ve been forgotten.” Celine’s voice whispers around the room, echoing and mixing over her own voice as she continues, “You’ve been replaced. Slighted. Pushed aside. Used. Taken advantage of.”

Her voice grows louder. “You seek revenge.”

Marvin cries out, “No i don’t! I wouldn’t-”

“Don’t lie to me, Magician!” Celine suddenly snaps, her images displayed on the mirrors illuminated red, her eyes reflecting the chilling color.

“You want power,” She continues in a cooler tone, “You want the power to right what has been done to you. You wish you ruin. You wish to hurt.”

“I-i…” Marvin stares down at his hands as they shake. He.. he had been thinking that. He had been thinking that he needed some way to fight back. Against Anti. Against Jamie. Against this whole damn world. But he knew he never could. Not with his magic. His magic was meant to dazzle, to help-

“There are forces in this world that can aid you, Magician. Forces you peeked into but were forbidden from following. There’s a spark of darkness in you now.” Marvin shivers and sees his hands alight with that purple fire again. “ Don’t run from the darkness. Grab it. Use it. Then no one will ever stand against you again.”

A twisted sense of satisfaction at the thought prods in Marvin’s head. He feels his lip curl slightly into a smirk. Then his face drops.

“M-my friends… i-i don’t want to hurt them. I already can’t control my corrupted magic from An..from him. I should talk to them… I shouldn't-”

“Your friends?” Celine spits. Images of Jackie, Schneep, Chase, and Jamie flash across the surfaces of the mirrors.

“They left you, Marvin. They’ve left you over and over. Overlooked you, time and time again. Belittled you. Questioned your magic. Blamed you for everything you tried to do to help them.”

The image all shift to red-tinted images of Jackie on the mirrors and one by one they crack.

“Your hero friend is the worst offender. He replaced you. You, his best friend. He never believed in you, in your potential.”

Celine’s face pops up in Marvin’s face and he hardly reacts, captivated by her words.

“You must show him how wrong he was. Shove that useless parlor trickster aside and show the hero how mighty Marvin the Magnificent can be!” Celine sings sweetly, caressing Marvin’s face slightly.

“Then you can find the power to down that little glitch problem of yours.” She grins. She steps back, letting her fingers trail off Marvin’s conflicted face.

“I believe a place from your past will aid you in the power you seek, young Magician.” Celine steps back into her mirror and gives Marvin a semi-kind smile.

“Don’t hide from the darkness, Marvin. Embrace it. Use it. The world will never slight you again.”

Celine then disappears, her mirror’s face fading to black, leaving Marvin alone in an empty room. Surrounded by reflections of himself.

They all seemed to be staring at him.

Marvin hugged himself as he huddled on the floor. Celine’s words echoed in his ears over and over. Twisting his thoughts. He knew... he knew revenge and payback was wrong. But most of him didn’t care anymore. He was just sick of it all. Sick of getting the short end of the stick.

It was time for him to be up on top. No matter what it took.

[flyingfishflopsthings]

Hide Your Face

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15415194

Summary: When Jameson suggests a trip to the theater, the egos jump at the opportunity. however, when the show turns out to be The Phantom of the Opera, Marvin isn't quite sure what to think.The villain seems very familiar.

Warnings: Self-Hatred, Self-Loathing, Panic Attacks

Words: 4004

It had been Jameson’s idea, of course. A way for them all to have a nice evening and relax for once. The others had agreed immediately; a trip to the theater was exactly, as he’d put it while winking at Schneeplestien, ‘Just what the doctor ordered.’ The German doctor had rolled his eyes at that and left, muttering something about booking tickets. The exact show was the joint idea of Jackie and Jameson, and so the tickets were booked.

That was how Marvin had found himself up high in the theater, feeling more and more uneasy as the show went on. It wasn’t the theater itself- he always felt most alive in buildings such as this, though normally he would be on stage himself- nor was it the height. It was the show itself. They were watching a musical, just as Jameson had wanted, which wasn’t the problem itself. It was just Marvin wished he’d had the foresight to look up a synopsis first. As it turned out, The Phantom of The Opera was not a show he liked.

He’d gone in almost blind, excited for the evening ahead. The music had been thrilling, and Marvin could certainly appreciate the dramatics of it, particularly in the overture. Jameson in particular was enthralled by the whole thing, it clearly being completely unlike anything he’d ever heard before. Even Schneeplestien was enjoying himself, looking the happiest he had since his return, the story helping him forget his worries for just one night.

But still, as the story progressed, an odd, uncomfortable feeling began in Marvin’s stomach as the masked villain was introduced. As the act dragged on, the feeling grew worse until the first half came to a head as he watched the heroine, Cristine, stand center stage, singing her desire to see under the mask before ripping it off the villain to reveal a horrifically deformed face. Around him, his friends gasped in shock at the stage make up, captivated by the story. Marvin felt sick and violated. Unconsciously, his hand flew to his own mask, ensuring it was still there. For the last few minutes of the act, he felt too dizzy to even pay the slightest bit of attention to the show.

Once the interval finally rolled around, Marvin excused himself, making a beeline for the bathroom to take a moment to collect himself. He stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes, focusing on his breathing. When he finally felt calm enough, he returned to the others, finding them enthusiastically discussing the musical over drinks.

“My goodness!” Jameson was signing. “We certainly didn’t have musicals like this when I’m from!” Chase laughed, smiling wider than he had for months.

“You know, Jay? I wouldn’t have pegged you for a musicals dude. How long were you planning on keeping this a secret?” he teased, nudging the gentleman slightly. A broad smile spread across Jameson’s face as he winked at his friend.

“I am rather partial to the moving pictures, yes, but nothing beats the spectacle of watching something in person!” He leant in slightly, hand movement’s becoming more discreet, grin becoming more shit-eating. “I’d appreciate you not spreading that around though. I do have a reputation to uphold!” Despite himself, Marvin found himself chuckling at their antics, feeling a small bit better as he settled back into his seat.

The second act passed slowly, though the magician tried to enjoy the songs rather than focusing on the story, to little avail. By the time it was finally over he was very much ready to head home and forget all about the damn show. He stayed behind the others as they walked back, staring down at the fancy shoes he’d chosen to wear out for the night, trying to ignore the others.

“I will admit, that was much more fun than I had expected. It was very good show.” “You know it! James and I picked a good one huh?”

“Dude, it was awesome! I’m not even into all this musical shit, and I thought it was pretty sick! I fucking loved that bit when-” Somehow, he managed to force himself to stop listening, counting the steps they took away from the theater instead.

Until they eventually reached home, this worked fine. Feeling ready to hide in his room and attempt to sleep, Marvin sighed in relief as soon as he stepped through the front door. In front of him, Jackie stopped suddenly, and Marvin walked head on into him.

“Jackie, the fuck-”

“Oh my god, guys, guys!” the hero laughed “Us, in Phantom of the Opera!” Marvin felt his heart sink, but did his best to sound nonchalant, as he barged past.

“Sounds dumb” he grumbled. Jackie caught his arm, still grinning at his stupid idea.

“Like think about it! It’d be like, the Phantom of the Magic show or something; Marv, you’d be the Phantom, JJ would be Christine and I’d be Raoul! It works so well!” he winked at Jameson. “Isn’t that right babe?”

“Well I am rather well known for my prowess in singing.” he quipped back, grinning mischievously. The hero dissolved into laughter, loud and obnoxious to Marvin’s ears. Soon, Chase joined him, and even Schneeps cracked a smile. Marvin’s face, however, stayed blank under his mask. It felt like it was tightening around his head, pressing so hard against his cheeks and nose it felt like something would crack. Maybe it would tighten so much that his skull would be crushed, or maybe the mask would break first, falling off and revealing his face to the world.

He didn’t really know which would be worse.

Yanking his arm back, he stumbled away from the others.

“Hey!” Jackie called out, as he broke into a sprint towards the bathroom. “Hey Erik! Where ya going?!” feet beating on the floor almost as hard as his heart in his chest, he burst into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind him.

Now he was staring into the mirror, eyes wide and shadowed by the constricting shield of a mask that squeezed his face so tight. He hated that mask; he hated it with a burning passion. He hated the sharpied on features, the cat nose and whiskers, and the card suites on the forehead, the designs he’d added to make it seem less blank, less empty. He hated it so, so much. Though for all he despised the mask, he didn’t hate it nearly as much as what was benief it. After all, his white mask wasn’t his only similarity to the Phantom. A twisted urge surged through his body. Letting out a wail of disgust and anger, Marin ripped off his mask, clawing it off of his face like some sort of parasite. He ignored the short stabs of pain as the elastic snapped, and hurled it across the room. It smacked against the wall with a thud and skidded across the tiled floor. Breathing heavily like a rabid animal, he turned back to the mirror, and raised a hand to his naked face.

It was hideous. Far worse than anything stage makeup could ever convey. A mess of scars and ridges from ill-healed wounds and curses tangled across it- many, relics of tricks gone wrong that had nearly killed him. Or maybe his face had always been like this. He couldn’t remember sometimes. His stomach turned as he retraced the carnage with his eyes, the horror that he knew so well, that made him so similar to the monster in that show. What was it the Phantom had called his own face? His carcass? He recalled bitterly. Oh yes, that fit well. A mangled, dead mockery of a person.

Hideous, hideous, hideous.

He growled angrily at the mirror, and began chanting desperately- a spell he’d tried time and time again until he could recite it in his sleep. He finished abruptly, staring wildly at his reflection which stubbornly stayed the same. Just as grotesque as ever. Clutching his face in his hands, Marvin shook. He screamed, frustration and self-loathing exploding out of his aura with such force that the mirror shattered with a forceful crack.

Instinctively he threw up a shield, stopping the worst of the glass and letting it fall harmlessly to the floor. He stood for a moment, breathing heavily and staring at the mess he’d made in shock. He blinked up at himself from a thousand tiny shards on the floor. He’d never lost his cool like that before. Not like that. He became aware of a furious pounding at the door.

“Marvin!” Chase yelled through the wood. “What the fuck’s going on? Are you okay in there dude?!”

“Piss off!” “Dude! Seriously, what’s up? Let us in, we want to help!” Marvin growled, the pins and needles of magic pricking across his skin.

“Just fuck off already Chase! Leave me alone,‘cause you can’t fucking help!” the sparks stung like a swarm of agitated bees, buzzing around his head until he could hardly hear anything else above the din. “Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone!” he screamed, unsure who or what he even meant. Tears crossed the ugly tangle of scars, slicing through them like a knife. He gasped for breath, but suddenly there didn’t seem to be enough air in the room. “Go away go away!”

There was hushed discussion outside the door, until Chase’s voice came again.

“Okay Magic-Man, take some deep breaths for me. Let’s try calm down now dude. Now, are you gonna open the door or is Jackie gonna have to break it down or something? Cause I’m sorry bro but we can’t leave you in there alone.” Marvin dove for his mask, snatching it from the floor and smashing it against his face. There was a large crack in it from when it hit the wall, and the elastic was broken. Keeping a hold of it, he began taking deep breaths to calm himself down again, forcing oxygen in and out of his lungs. he waved a hand towards the door, letting it unlock and swing open.

The others shuffled back from the door slightly, to give Marvin more space to get out. Keeping his eyes on the floor to avoid their questioning looks, he brushed past them, mumbling something about going to bed, ignoring their demands for him to explain himself.

Marvin lay, staring up at his ceiling in the dark, feeling the last of the adrenalin slip away. A numbness filled him, emotional exhaustion muting everything. He shifted, trying to reach a more comfortable position. An hour shuffled past and he shifted again, huffing irritably. 1 AM, 2 AM. The hours crawled past agonisingly slowly, cruel whispers chasing around the magician’s mind as his insomnia shackled him to the waking world.

Carcas they taunted. Monster, hideous. You’re mask is cracking and they’ll all see what a freak you are! They’ll be horrified and they’ll see how right Jackie was. Well, they already know you’re fucked up; just look at that performance earlier! Once they see your face, there’ll just be no denying it. Monster. Carcas. Freak. Hideous.

After what felt like a million years, sunlight began to creep through the blinds. Marvin watched it crawl across the walls and brighten the room until he was interrupted by the harsh buzzing of his alarm clock. Reluctantly, he shut it off and dragged himself up. He needed some fucking coffee.

Replacing the broken mask with a spare, Marvin pulled on some fresh clothes. Sighing, he left the safety of his bedroom and headed to the kitchen.

The others were sat around, chatting over their morning coffees when Marvin walked in. As they noticed him, the conversation stopped, leaving a thick fog of awkwardness in the air. Chase coughed slightly, and tried to grin, though it came out a sort of grimince.

“Uh, Marv! Hey! You good bro?” The magician gave him an equally poor smile.

“Yep. yeah, i’m good. Just, you know. Getting some coffee. You?” He waved a hand, and the coffee in the pot lept into an empty mug on the side. It floated over lazily into the magician’s waiting hand. He took a long sip as Chase watched enviously.

“Man, it is so unfair you can do that” he muttered. “So, anyway. Uh, about last night-” Marvin’s jaw set slightly.

“It was nothing.” he lied. “I was just tired and needed the bathroom.”

“The mirror exploded.” Scheeplestien pointed out.

“It was an explosive shit?” “Bullshit.”

“Catshit, actually.” Chase groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

“Ugh, dude, come on. You literally screamed and then you had some sort of meltdown. That was not an explosive shit. You need to tell us what's up, magic-man. You can talk to us you know.” Marvin snorted in disdain.

“That's pretty fucking rich coming from you, Chase. ‘Cause you talk to us all the goddamn time don't you? You tell us what’s fucking going on when you’re drunk off your ass at three in the fucking morning right?” Chase looked stunned, blinking like Marvin had just punched him square in the jaw. He opened his mouth to say something, but Schneeplestien was quicker.

“Now that’s not fair Marvin.That is a completely different thing, a thing for a different time. Chase was only trying to help.”

“I don’t need help because nothing happened.I was tired and there’s nothing to talk about.” He drained his coffee, not caring that it was still slightly hot, and slammed it down.

“Marvin-”

“No.” he yelled, eyes flashing behind his mask. “I’m done. It was nothing.” turning away, he marched out of the room, ignoring the glass that shattered in his wake.

For the rest of the day, the others avoided him, making excuses to leave any room he walked into. He said nothing, telling himself it was what he wanted and what he deserved. They should back off, and they should avoid him. No matter how much he repeated this though, he couldn’t shake the feeling of shame and hurt each time it happened.

Hours later, Marvin sat in his own room, practicing tricks that shouldn’t be that hard, yet grew increasingly more frustrating. After a particularly unsuccessful trick, he flung his deck of cards to the floor in an impromptu game of 52 pick-up. A neat, gentle knock came at the door.

“No.” he snapped. “Go away.” flopping down onto his bed, he stared at the ceiling until another knock sounded a moment later. “Fuck off!” There was stillness, for long enough that it seemed the visitor was gone. Just as he began to sigh in relief- or perhaps disappointment- a more forceful knocking began.

Marvin groaned. It was clear that whoever it was behind the door was not going to leave him alone. Pulling himself off of his bed, he stomped over to the door, flinging it open.

“What.” He glared.

Jameson took a small step back, raising his hands in a display of peace. “I just wanted to see how you were doing old chap.” he signed, more than a little nervously. “You’ve been in such a tizzy all day, make no mistake!”

“I’m fine.” Marvin closed the door, but a polished shoe stuck in the crack, keeping it open. “Jamie,” he protested. “What are you-”

“You, good sir, are a liar!” proclaimed Jameson with a flourish. His expression softened slightly, mustache twitching with concern. “Please, tell me the truth. allow me to help.” he took off his hat, and started fiddling with it at his chest; a respectful gesture fused with a nervous tic into something so utterly Jameson. The door was opened with a sigh.

“Well it seems like you’re not gonna fucking leave me alone, so you might as well come in.”

With a slight beckon, Marvin turned and receded deeper into his room again. Centered on the far wall, a double bed sulked; bed sheets crumpled and beaten, hanging half onto the floor.  Opposite, a chest of draws, gutted in the magicians’ search for a new mask. Cards and props lay scattered about the floor, amongst clothes and spell books. It was a far cry from his usual tidy room. Jameson took it all in silently, raising his eyebrow a fraction when Marvin finally looked back at him.

“If this is your version of fine, my friend, then the definition of ‘not okay’ must have changed without my knowing.” he noted. “Now, what on earth is going on with you?” Marvin said nothing, unwilling and unsure of how to proceed. Huffing, Jameson shook his head. “Honestly. Well then, as you, Marvin, are insisting on being as stubborn as a mule, it would seem that I must figure it out myself, if you don’t have any objection to that? No? Right then.”

He peered about the room, contemplating where to begin before his eyes landed on the discarded mask.

“Ah-ha!” he signed triumphantly. “Yes, this is a good place to start.” As he considered it for a moment- picking it up and turning it over with a look of thoughtfulness- Marvin began to feel nervous. Letting him in was beginning to feel like a very bad move. “This mask. It broke last night in the bathroom, am I correct? Yet rather than leave it there, or carry it back, you held it against your face, and then replaced it with a spare. Why?” he mused.

“Stop.” Jameson plowed on regardless, like he hadn’t even heard him.

“And then there’s the timing of the-” there was a split second of hesitation as he picked his phrasing. “-Incident. It was after Mr. Jackie made a jest about the musical, comparing you to the villain, who also, of course, wore a white mask.”

“Jamie, stop.”

“Not forgetting the mirror, which-” “Jameson, please! That's enough. Stop.” Marvin begged. “Please stop.” Jameson froze, hands mid sign. He blinked.

“Marvin?”

Trying to steady his breathing and racing heart, Marvin rubbed at his eyes, suddenly feeling very, very weary.

“Look.” he said. “You’re gonna guess it soon aren't you? If you haven’t already figured it out that is. I-” He looked away for a moment. “I’d rather you didn’t. But I also know you’re not gonna leave unless you get answers either, right?” he chuckled without humor. Jameson looked extremely concerned now.

“No, I- I can go if you want me to. The last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable!”

“I- No, no, stay.” Marvin heard himself say. “I suppose I need to tell you at some point anyway.” he bit his lip, unwilling to continue.

“What is it?”

“It’s, well. It’s-” his voice shook, as did his hands twice as hard, as he reached up to his mask. “It’s pretty disgusting.”

His fingers hooked round the mask and he stopped, unable to undress in such a way in front of another. Surely Jameson would run, terrified, to tell the others of the monster among them. The thought scared him, petrified him in a way that few others could. It wasn’t a risk he wanted to take, it wasn’t a risk he felt he could take.

But still.

A part of him wanted to be free of the secret, to be able to discard the mask, for the constant fear of being found out to be gone. A part of him longed for the constant what if?s to be over. A part of him wanted to trust Jameson. He took a deep breath and in one swift movement, removed the mask, sqeezing his eyes tight as every instinct yelled ‘mistake!’ definingly loud.

The mask fell to the floor, landing with a thump he could barely hear over the beating of his heart. He heard too quick steps backwards, and his stomach sank. Of course. What was he thinking? Cautiously, he opened his eyes, scared to see the look of horror on his friend’s face, palms sweaty with nerves. Jameson’s hands were clasped over his mouth and his eyes were wide with shock.

“Told you it was bad, huh?” he mumbled. The youngest ego shook his head slightly to collect himself, before asking;

“What happened?” Marvin shrugged.

“Fucked up spells mostly. Explosions, curses, that kinda shit.” he sat down on the end of his bed, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “Definatly some curses in there. No matter what I do, I can’t get rid of this, this-” wildly, he gestured at his face. “Freak show.”

“Goodness, Marvin, I- I’m so sorry. I never knew, I never would’ve even guessed you-” Marvin waved him off. “You would’ve, you were just about to, remember? But yeah, no, you wouldn't have known. No one else knows. And I don’t want them to either. They’ve got enough to deal with without knowing that they’re living with a monster.” A self decrepitating smile slid across his face. “They probably think i’m dangerous enough as it is after last night, don’t need this horror show scaring them too.”

Jameson frowned, biting his lip.

“Monster?” he repeated. “Why ever would you think yourself a monster?” The magician snorted.

“Uh, hello? Have you even been paying attention Jameson? Because of my fucked-up, deformed face! It’s bad enough I throw a magical temper tantrum whenever I get angry! Everyone knows that something like that, and something like this makes me a monster!” His voice rose and he clenched the bit of shirt in his fists. Magic pricked along his skin in ripples, making his hairs stand on end. Jameson cringed back slightly, fear clear on his face. Seeing his friend’s expression, Marvin willed the magic to vanish, putting his hands up reassuringly.

“Shit, Jamie, I’m sorry.” he clamored. “I didn’t mean- urgh.” burying his face in his hands, he did his best not to cry. “I’m sorry.” he mumbled. “I’ve got no right to yell at you about this. It’s not your fault.” A hand on his shoulder made him look up as Jameson sat down next to him, a serious look on his face.

“Now you look here, friend.” he signed. “Don’t you dare call yourself a monster because it is most certainly not true! A fellow’s appearance does not define them; your face does not make you a monster!”

“But what about in the play? The phantom was a villain because of his fucked up face.”

“The phantom was a villain because of his actions.” Jameson countered. “Not his appearance.”

“But-”

“No. You’re a good person Marv my friend. And those scars don’t change that a bit!”

“All the monsters we know look like monsters. Why would I be any different?”

Marvin thought of the resident monsters, Anti and Dark, and how no one could possibly mistake them for what they were, with their strange, other worldly auras, blacked out eyes and in Anti’s case, his mutilation.

“What about that Warfstash fellow?” came the argument “He doesn’t look monstrous now does he? Yet he’s the most dangerous of them all!” the younger ego’s face softened slightly. “Look,” he continued. “The point I’m doing my damndest to make, and you, for some incomprehensible reason are doing your best to ignore, is that how you look does not define you! It doesn’t make you good or bad, or whatever other terms you could possibly want to use. The other’s wouldn’t think any less of you if you chose to show them.” Sighing wearily, Marvin leant against his friend.

“Maybe.” he conceded, closing his eyes. “Maybe you’re right.”

They sat, in close silence, simply thinking in the company of the other. Later, Marvin would emerge from his room, maskless for the first time ever. Later, the others would gape and gasp in shock and concern. Later, he would explain everything. Later they would apologise and offer their support. Later, it would all work out okay. Later, there would be other challenges.

But for now, he would sit there with his closest friend, and begin to truly wonder if the play could be wrong.

[septic-dr-schneep]

JSE Fanfiction - Room To Bend

Summary: After he loses one of his younger patients, Schneep suffers an anxiety attack. 

It didn’t affect him often—at least not to the point where he gave any visible indication of it. Most of the time it was just loitering in the back of his mind like a bee knocking against the inside of a jar. It was a persistent tink-tink-tink that he could usually drown out, given he put in the effort.

Some days, however, there was no more room to bend. He didn’t have any more hands to cover his ears and stifle the noise. His hands were frozen under the tap water. He couldn’t help but watch with numb fascination; the water was clean when it left the faucet, cloudy red when it reached the drain. Sometimes it didn’t occur to him just how much blood he came into contact with.

Today had been a long, stressful day, but that wasn’t new to him. The soreness and exhaustion burning through every muscle in his body were part of the job. He just needed to lie down and stare at the ceiling for a while…decompress.

The faucet squeaked as he turned it off and then there was a moment or two of deep, unbroken silence. It was then that the fear crashed in, sweeping him off his feet and onto the floor. Gravity increased a thousandfold, weighing his body down, caving him in on himself. All of the air fled his lungs as the room closed in, glaring at him, touching him, pinning pressure down on him like he was a stress ball—squeezed and never released. The bee in the back of his mind had broken free of the jar and the buzz rang in his ears, made his nerves tingle.

Again he saw the blood on his hands—so much blood, so much suffering, so much guilt—It was all his fault. His fault, his fault, his fault, his fault—

He remembered all of their faces, pasty white and still, expressionless. He remembered the range of color in their eyes—brown, green, blue, gray, amber, staring back at him, preserved like frosty glass in their last moments—He couldn’t breathe, he was choking on their blood. Panting and whimpering, he dragged his fingernails along the fabric of his coat and rocked faintly back and forth, trying to ground himself, but he couldn’t feel anything. Even when he curled his fingertips in and his nails bit into his arm with enough force to bruise, he couldn’t feel anything.

My fault. My fault. I got her killed. She was just a little girl, she was just—she wanted to be a designer. She was meant to live. Failure. Fault. Failure.

The tears were scalding on his cheeks. Since when was he crying? Every hoarse sob stole more of his breath until he finally thrashed, banging the back of his head against the cabinets behind him and slamming his feet down hard against the linoleum. The short bursts of pain let his chest expand for just a moment, as if he’d jumped out of his own skin, before his clothes crawled back over him and tightened. This was it; he was being strangled, smothered. Starved of oxygen, hyperventilating to no avail, he was going to die too.

“Schneep?”

No. No, no, please, no, he couldn’t do this in front of them.

“Schneep!” The person at the doorway strode toward him, hurried footsteps echoing. Blue, black, green, and white entered his kaleidoscope field of vision and he couldn’t help but sob in relief and shame when Marvin eventually clawed his way through the blur. If it had to be anyone to see him like this, he’d want Marvin, even if he repaid him by flinching back as soon as he reached toward him.

“Too—too much,” he choked out, to which Marvin nodded hastily, understanding lacing through the concern.

“Okay, I won’t touch you…Just tell me what happened. Can you do that? Talk to me.”

Audibly struggling to swallow, Schneep leaned his head back against the cabinet again, chest heaving as his hands fell to his thighs, scraping against them for purchase. “Lost her. I—I-I lost little girl…She died in sleep. I wasn’t there and I sh-should’ve been!”

Cursing quietly, Marvin shifted forward again, clearly wanting nothing more than to grab him but resisting for his request. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Schneep, but I know you did everything you could. You always do.”

“Nothing…helped.”

“You did,” the magician retorted just as easily, unwavering. “You may not think so, but you did. I know you. You probably visited her every day, didn’t you? You tried to make her smile and laugh and you reminded her that she was loved. You promised to take good care of her and you did, for all the time she had left. You’re not helpless. This is temporary, Schneep…You need to breathe.”

“Can’t. I can’t, I can’t. I can’t—”

“You can. Breathe with me, okay?” The hand that disobeyed and settled lightly on Schneep’s shin wasn’t as oppressive as the doctor had expected. It squeezed gently. “Breathe now. Four seconds.” Schneep’s attempted breath was more like a thin wheeze, but Marvin nodded encouragingly nonetheless, slowly easing his grip. “And out—same four seconds.”

Lowering his head, Schneep pinned tear-filled eyes on Marvin’s hand. It was an anchor, its grip ebbing and flowing, guiding each breath through the pounding waves of anxiety. It held him above the surface, kept him from drowning. Hissing shakily, he began tracing the path of the burns visible on Marvin’s wrist, focusing on the pattern. Patterns. Scars. Always the same, no matter how much they faded. He could trust in their familiarity. Scars were something he was just as familiar with as blood. Scars meant healing. Not forgetting, but healing. The tears only spilled faster at the thought, but the panicked buzz was starting to recede into exhaustion. The bee was wandering back into its jar.

“There we go…” Marvin soothed, noticing the tears but saying nothing. He had to keep him focused on breathing. “There we go…You’re gonna be okay.” Schneep managed a slow, tiny nod, and Marvin squeezed his leg one last time before gradually peeling it away, holding it out. “Can I help you now?”

He had already helped more than Schneep could ever thank him for, but he could start by nodding again. Once he did, Marvin drew him away from the cabinet and into a delicate hug, as if he were made of paper that would crumple under too much pressure. He only dared to tighten it once Schneep actively curled into his arms, hiding his face against his chest.

“I’ve got you,” the older Ego murmured lowly, his voice rumbling comfortingly under Schneep’s ear. “It’s okay. We’re okay.”

For reasons unknown, Marvin had always put out more body heat than the others. With his arms wrapped around him like a steadying harness, Schneep couldn’t help but melt into the warmth and the faint scent of jasmine and almond butter. As the tension eased out of him inch by inch, he kept counting in his head: one, two, three, four—in—one, two, three four—out.

He had to keep breathing. Right now, he was more aware of that than anything else in this world. He had to keep breathing for her sake.

[vidderinserts]

Septic Situation || Intro

hey guys! So this is unbeta’d but I know it’s terrible so I’m just gonna post it. This is gonna be a mini series, so if you wanna send in some prompts for it go ahead! I will feature the Septic egos and you can prompt platonic or romantic. Enjoy!

Living with the Septicegos had been hard to adjust to at first. They all looked minutely different enough to tell them apart at a glance, all looked like your best friend and each had their own attitude. Marvin would often remind you that it could’ve been worse - you could’ve ended up with the Ipliers. You would shudder at the mere thought of that.

You had settled in fairly quick, learning the tricks to dealing with them. It hadn’t been super difficult, but if you weren’t careful, if you made one misstep, it could turn into disaster at the Septic house.

Huh. Septic House would probably make a neat show. Maybe you could try your hand at animating something like it for YouTube.

Chase liked coffee first thing in the morning and he was usually up at about eight, shuffling into the kitchen with mussed up hair and his slippers mismatched (his kids had gotten him so many that he just swapped them out.) He’d smile at you tiredly, a quick good morning and thank you when you handed him a mug.

Schneep- who kept insisting you call him Henrik- was next, a half an hour later with his bag stuffed with his work clothes, hair pinned away from his face (desperately needing a hair cut) and a spring in his step. “Guten morgen, N/N! Ah and coffee too, you angel!”

“Bro, it’s too early, keep it down. You’ll wake Marv.”

Then Jackie would amble in, clearly exhausted from his ‘night job’ but forcing a smile. He’d gratefully accept your offer of coffee and you’d all sit around for a bit until Chase was awake enough to help you make breakfast.

Anti was always the first you’d run into in the mornings however. As soon as you woke and headed to the kitchen, the virus ego would be perched on the counter cleaning Mr. Stabington. He’d offer a noncommittal grunt when you’d quietly greet him.

The first time the encounter happened, you had nearly screamed at the sight and he’d had to glitch over to cover your mouth. “Wouldn’t want the others waking up now would you?” He had hissed, fingers digging into your cheek.

Marvin was the last you’d meet, usually staying up from three in the afternoon to anywhere between four and six am. Apparently he used the time when everyone else was asleep - barring Anti - to practice his magic because he was worried about interference.

You’d had months to acclimate, and you had rather well if you ignored the initial Anti encounter. There wasn’t much that surprised you after half a year as their babysitter. The glitch and Chase constantly arguing, Schneep and his long hours at the hospital, the occasional explosions from the magician or superhero and the occasional friendly fire between them all became routine.

Almost comforting.

Jack had been hesitant about offering to let you live with the egos after you lost your job, but you had needed a place to stay and all he could offer you at his apartment was the couch. He hadn’t thought it would go this well, or that you’d almost seem happier than before.

Now, as he sipped at his coffee with an arm around Signe, he smiled. You were talking quietly to Anti, who was only glitching minutely and offering a few harsh giggles when you relayed some funny bit about your day. “They’ve come out of their shell,” Signe remarked, resting her head on his shoulder. “The others too.”

“Maybe it was a better idea than I thought.”

[starlit-havens]

Ok so consider this please: Egos react to fan art. They're scrolling through together, looking at all the cool drawings of them, and then suddenly Anti comes in and sees how much stuff is dedicated to him and we actually genuinely love him and... (fill in your own ending. But I beg you to make it happy.)

“Ooh hoo hoo!” Jack giggled in delight, scrolling through Tumblr and liking everything in sight. “Oh my GOD, septicart week has to be the greatest thing we’ve ever done on the channel! Guys, come in here!” he shouted, turning his head to call to the other Egos, not taking his eyes away from the screen.

Chase was the first one to come in, nerf gun in hand. “What’s up, dude?” Schneeple was close behind. Jack just pointed the computer excitedly, watching the Egos for their reactions. “Yo, that’s me!” Chase exclaimed, astounded, pointing to a figure in a post. Jack nodded frantically, grinning from ear to ear. “Dude! There’s so many of me! I look so cool! Schneeps, you’re drawn here to!” The good doctor was pretending not to care, but when he heard his name, he pushed Jack out of the way and leaned in close next to Chase. “What zhe fuck?” Schneeplestein demanded. “I look gorgeous! Who drew zis?” Jack, rolling backwards on his chair from the doctor’s push, raised his arms in a little dance. “The fans! The community drew all of that!” The good doctor couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Vell, they certainly know who zhe best doctah ees.”

Marvin and Jackaboy Man trailed in, confused. “What’s up, Jack?” Marvin asked, fiddling with his wand. Without waiting for an answer, Jackaboy peeked over Chase’s and Schneeple’s shoulder, catching glimpse after glimpse of himself drawn in the most heroic poses. Letting out a squeak of delight, Jackie pointed to the pictures and looked to Jack for confirmation. Jack nodded, watching the superhero freak out with happiness. Marvin narrowed his eyes and approached the computer, burrowing under the three Egos to gain control of the mouse. He stopped the incessant scrolling and stared at the picture he had landed on. “But that’s… that’s me,” he whispered in awe. The other Egos nodded furiously, watching the downcast magician’s features lift. “They drew pictures of me? They like me?” Marvin demanded, turning towards the other people in the room. “Marv… they love you,” Jack responded affectionately. Marvin didn’t say another word, just put a hand to his mouth and continued to scroll, eyes filling with tears.

Suddenly the room went dark and Anti glitched into view, twisting his knife in his fingers. “This better be important,” he informed them, giggling madly.

Chase grinned and looked at Jack for permission, who nodded his head. The other Egos drew to one side as Chase beckoned the demon over to the computer. Anti glanced at all of them suspiciously before joining the capped Ego at the desk. “Dude, did you hear about the septicart week?” “Of course I know about it, I live in the same house as you, Brody,” Anti taunted, glitching around the room to make threatening gestures towards the other Egos. “Well, check this out, bro.” Anti squinted at the screen, setting down his knife to take the mouse. Eyes widening, he saw picture after picture, drawings of all mediums and styles, with him and all of the Egos. So many of these drawings were of him, some even with captions. “Ngl, Anti was really fun to draw.” “Drawing one of our favorite green beans!” “Hope you guys like it! I worked really hard on this one.” “Thought I’d jump on the #septicart bandwagon and start off with a good one.” “What is this, some sort of joke?” Anti snapped, spinning around to leer at Jack. “No, Anti. They really do love you. They love all of you,” Jack answered, gesturing with his hands towards all of the Egos. Anti’s leer faded into a confused tilt of his head. “They love me?” “Absolutely.” “They love us,” Anti said in a small voice. “They love us,” Marvin repeated in disbelief, trying to subtly wipe away tears. “They love us!” Jackie whooped, flipping in midair and high-fiving Chase. “Hell yeah, dude! They adore us!” Chase responded happily. “Zhey are quite smart people, your community,” Dr. Schneeplestein told Jack, a soft smile on his face. “Zhey really do like us.” “They love you,” Jack repeated, and pulled them all in for a hug.

(How’s this for happy? I do enjoy writing fluff with these characters. This is probably the only time you’ll find Anti genuinely touched, though, so make the most of it while you can! Thanks so much for the ask. I love writing stories based off of your prompts!)

[cryptidofthekeys]

Happy Birthday Schneeplestein!

Chase was walking around the house, checking on the other egos and helping them out with the birthday set up for Doctor Schneeplestein. There was one ego who just sat on the couch, lazily flicking through the TV channels, rolling his eyes when finding nothing on, he made the TV simply glitch out, yes, you guessed it... Antisepticeye was the only one who did not particularly give two shits if it was one of the others birthday's or not. Chase sighed when he wandered into the living room and found Anti on the couch "C'mon dude, can't you get up and help out? Marvin could use some more help, Robbie's trying to eat the streamers..." He whispered, looking back towards the kitchen to see Marvin scolding Robbie "Don't eat the streamers!... That's not gonna be good for you!" Chase then turned back towards Anti who now stood up and loomed over him. Chase gulped a little and took a step back "A...Anti?" He spoke with a nervous tone, he had lived with Anti for a long time, everyone knew how unstable he could get, especially if angered. Anti leaned forward, an annoyed expression gracing his features "̷͜A̸͜͝ǹd̷ ͟͠ju̢st̴ ̵͢wh̷͞͡a̕͜͜t̶͏ ̶́m̀ák̷̴e̸͢ş͢ ̡͞͡y̵͝'̷̵͝ ̛҉t̴̛͠h̨͝i̶̢͜ņ͞k̛͝ ̡I̸͟ ͟wa̢n̨n̵͘͡ą h҉e̷҉҉l̛͡p̷̛͢ ̧o̵̷u̷͝t̡ ̧͟wit̶͝h҉͢҉ ́̕͠H͝͝ I̶͟ ͘͜Ś̕ ̕͟͡b̧͘i̴͢͢r͜͠͡th͟d͟͜á̷y̡̨ ̧̡ȩ̵x̨a͝͡c҉̛tl̢y͡҉͝? ̧Ì́͠ ͏̡c̷̕où̧l̴̛d̴͝ ̢̛̕c̨̨ą̶re̡ ͏̨l͞͏e̢̡śs̀ ͏a̛͡b͘͠͏ơ̵͞ư͟t̢̕ ̵̕a͝n̸͟y̵̢̕ ̧o҉f̀͠͡ ̛̛y̷͝e̴r̕͢ ͜bí̸r̨th̸̡d̢͢a̸ys҉̀.͢" He then proceeded to walk off, leaving Chase to sigh sadly. "...Well... He's not gonna help anytime soon..." Chase's head perked up when someone began tapping on his shoulder, he turned to see Jackieboy-Man and smiled a little "What's up dude?" Jackie smiled back and spoke with a rather excited tone "Schneeple will be home in awhile, just got off the phone with him, although he was a little cranky I interrupted his break" He and Chase laughed a little, they both turned they're heads when they heard Marvin screech. "Robbie no! Don't eat the plates!" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Chase and Jackie both walked into the kitchen, looking at Rob who simply gurgled and groaned, Chase looked at Jackie "I'll give him some food, you can help Marv out how about it?" Jackie nodded and went to help Marvin out while Chase got Rob some food to keep him calm. *Meanwhile...* Anti was in his room, grumbling to himself and stabbing his wall "̀Wḩ̸y ̡͝t̷̵h҉e҉̕ ̵f̡̀u͏̢̡ck̢ ́w͜o̧͞͡ù̵̢l̸͡d҉̕͢ ͢Ć̕ḩ̕a̢͞s͜e҉ ͏́t̕'̡͢in͏͟͝k ̧͠͏I̵̧'͏d̛͘͘ ̷̢̨a̷̷c̡̛͟t̶̀ùa̢l̡͟ly ̢͢͢c̕ąr͠͡e ̸̧ab̧ǫ̧ú̕t̛̛҉ ̴a ҉҉̡n ̀y҉͢ ̡of̷ ͠t̢̀hey̨'̛́r͝e bir̸̛t̕͜͟h̸d͝͠ay̨s͟͜?͞͏.̨͝.̸̷. ̵͠Ḩe͘'̴ś̸ ̵͢͡s̴̵͟o̸̸ ̷̡͝s͘t̶̷up̷̸̡i̷d̷!.́͜.̕.͠͞" He growled a little, plunging his knife into the wall and leaving a deep stab mark through it. ". . ." *Back to Chase and the others* Rob was happy now, he had hugged Chase and thanked him for giving him food, this time the zombie decided to actually try and help but he wound up wrapping the streamers around him instead of where their supposed to go. The others laughed at the zombie a little, before helping untangle him from the streamers, they all began helping out and teaching each other, er, well Rob anyways how to decorate which he seemed to understand just a little bit. Chase thought for a moment, he realized that Anti wasn't around now, he had even tried to ruin anything, he looked towards the others "Has anyone seen Anti?" They all shook they're heads "Not since this morning" Marvin replied. "Maybe he's in his room" Jackie spoke, giving a slight shrug. Chase sighed, shaking his head a little "...Maybe he'll come out eventually." Now that everything was set up, Chase went around and checked everything, however, he struggled when it came to the chocolate cake, he was definitely apart of Jack, they all were, it took every inch of strength to not eat the delicious cake in front of them. "Okay, Streamers: Check, Delicious... cake... Er, Check! ...Other stuff! ....Checkity check!" He declared, tossing his clipboard and surprisingly, it landed perfectly on one of the edges of the counters, he fist-bumped the air "Yes! Nailed it!" However, the clipboard suddenly tipped over and fell into the trash can which made Chase sigh "Darn it... So close." He then yelped as something tackled him to the ground, he looked to see what had tackled him and gasped, it was his kids (yes, he gets to be happy too, fuck the angst for once) "Hey kiddos!" He smiled brightly, ruffling both of they're heads, this made the children giggle happily and hug they're father. Samira spoke out first "Hey daddy! We heard it was Sneep's birthday and we wanna help out!" Greyson nodded "Yesh! Pwease daddy, can we help?" Chase chuckled a little "Sure, you can both tackle hug him when he walks in, and don't forget to yell surprise" The kids cheered with glee and hugged Chase tightly, he hugged them back and then watched as they ran off and started talking to the others, He thought for a moment, if the kids were here than that meant... He looked over to see none other than his wife Stacy. He gulped a little, not sure about any of this, he hadn't talked to Stacy in awhile after they're last quarrel, he watched as she walked over to him and he froze completely. "...." A few moments of silence before Stacy actually smiled at him and held out her hand "Need help? The kids pretty much tackled you to the floor, they must be a lot stronger than they're own father haha" (Stacy is being nice in this because I want the egos to be happy for once, but if anyone wants to imagine something dark, eh, picture someone threatening her like 'so help me woman, if you don't be nice to that boy--' anyways-- off track here!) Chase couldn't believe it at first, he shakily took her hand, he had a skeptical look written all over his face. Stacy pulled Chase up and into a hug "...I know... Your... Probably wondering if I'm still mad or anything... Well, I'm not babe, in fact... I'm sorry for... all the yelling... I want to put aside our quarrel, especially since the kids really wanted to see you and Schneeplestein too." A smile lit up Chase's face upon hearing those words, he hugged back quickly, holding back his tears of joy "I'm sorry too... I'll try to be bet--" He was cut off by Stacy pecking his cheek "Don't worry about it... Your... Doing just fine honey..." (Yeah someone definitely threatened her to be nice and it must've worked wonders, can't imagine who'd do that though... *shifty eyes*) Chase had the biggest smile and blush on his face, it was soon interrupted by his children wandering up and screaming 'Sneep's is coming!' Soon everyone got into they're positions, waiting for Schneeps to walk through the door. Once he did everyone shouted surprise/Happy Birthday while the kids went up and tackled hugged the rather startled doctor, Schneeplestein looked at everyone with a smile on his face. Chase went up to Schneeple and hugged him as well "Happy B-day bro!" Schneeplestein hugged back the best he could "Zank you Chase, und zank you too little ones." The children giggled at his accent and began trying to imitate it, this made the others laugh. "Okay, so which do you want first? Presents or...cakeee?" Marvin asked, he secretly prayed for the cake first, which Schneeps of course caught onto, with a devilish smirk plasted on his face he spoke up. "Vhy, prezentz first of course~" This made the other egos practically scream internally, sure, Schneeplestein definitely wanted the cake as well but, he held back just this once. The others lined up, the first to give they're presents was of course the kids and Stacy, the kids had made him clay versions of doctors equipment, and Stacy had gave the doctor a scarf. Schneeplestein smiled happily and hugged them all "Zank you for ze wunderbar gifts" They all nodded and stepped aside, Chase stepped up next to give his present over. Schneeps gasp when he saw what was inside the box, his smile growing even brighter when he pulled out a homemade trophy that said '#1 Doctor and friend' on it, this was almost enough to bring him to joyful tears. Chase hugged and patted the doctor on the back "Hope ya like it, took me awhile and I kept messing up the words." He laughed as did Schneeplestein "Vhy zank you Chase, it looks absolutely wunderbar!" He exclaimed happily, watching as Rob approached nervously. He looked at the others with a sad expression then back to Schneeple as he held out some flowers, or well what used to be flowers, the petals were bitten off. Schneeps looked at Robbie curiously "Did you eat ze flowers Robbie?" The zombie looked down "Robb didd... waass hunggrrry... ...Robbb sorry...." He had a guilty and sad expression on his face. Schneeple looked towards Marvin and nudged over towards Robbie, Marvin seemed to understand and nodded. He held his wand up and walked over, tapping it against what remained of the flowers, everyone watched as the flowers sprung back to life, blooming in bright colors. Robbie was in awe when he saw the flowers do that, he always looked fascinated when it came to magic, he then smiled and gurgled happily, handing them over to Schneeps and proceeding to hug the doctor best he could. Schneeplestein chuckled, hugging Robbie back, he always loved to see a smile on the zombie's face "Zhere, ze flowers ah' brand new, even zhen, you still gave me a prezent Rob, so I appreciate zat a vhole lot" Rob's smile got bigger, it was... weird in a way but nonetheless he was happy, he then stood back, letting Marvin and Jackie step forwards. Jackie was holding a weird glowing box which made Schneeple rather skeptical, he rose a brow "...Zhere iz nozhing in zat box zat vwill jump out at me or blow me up iz zhere?" Marvin frowned a little "That was one time ...Okay, two times and I said I was sorry!" He pouted when the doctor only laughed, taking the box from Jackie and opening it up, seeing the glowing... Heart locket. Schneeple blinked and took it out of the box, opening it up, his eyes were wide when he saw a picture of him and the other egos, like... a family photo of sorts. He looked to the others who smiled, Marvin and Jackie both asked "Do you like it?" Schneeple didn't answer, tears began pooling around his eyes, not tears of sadness but tears of joy "Marvin.... Jackie... Zank you, zank you so much" A large smile plastered its way onto the good doctor's face as he put the locket-necklace around his neck, holding the heart tightly in hand. Marvin and Jackie hugged Schneeple happily, Marvin was the one to speak now "There's a reason it glows too! You might find out the true reason someday... Everytime your away and you get lonely or something, then just remember... That's there, and you can never truly lose it..." (the reason he can never truly lose it is cause ya know it glows, that and this is hard to explain but its like he can sense wherever it'd be) Schneeplestein hugged them back after wiping the tears from his eyes "Your all too kind..." Everyone was happy now, well, almost everyone... "By ze way, vhere iz Anti?" The others froze, looking at each other and were about to speak before they heard a door slam shut, they turned they're gaze to the hall and much to everyone's surprise, there Anti was... With a gift in hand as well. Chase and Schneeple were the ones most surprised, the doctor stood up and watched as Anti slowly approached, the two locked eyes and there was a long moment of silence before Anti grumbled and held out his gift "͘.͘..̢͡ ̵̴H͡e̶͝r̷͠e͟͟.͘.͏.̀̕͟ ̧̀I͏͞t̷'s̵̸̡, ̕ń͠ò͘t̕͢͏h̛i̵̛͏n̸'̀ ̡́m̀u̢͞͠c̷͠h́͢ ̡͞b͏̛͜u͘͡t ̸i̸̡͟t̷s͘͏͡.̸̛.̵.̵ ̴̸s̨̛ơ̸m͏͟e̴͠ţ'́i̡n ̧҉̴I ͜͞͡g̨͝u҉̢͡e̕ss͞?͠͡" Schneeplestein looked at the present in Anti's hands then back to Anti, his face was skeptical and he was about to speak before Anti cut him off with a low snarl "̧T̢a̵ke҉̵̶ ̶̡i͢t̢̢͢ ̧b̛͟҉e̷fò̴͢r̷͡͠e͟͡ I̴̡ ͡͝c͠h̶ą́͢n̵̡ģ̷e͘͠ ҉̶̕my̶ ́m̸̀͢ ̨͘i͏ ͟n̕҉̷ ͜͏̢d̸.́͘..̛" Schneeple nodded and took the gift, opening it up he saw it was... a knife, now that was expected but upon closer inspection it was... It was one of Anti's most favorite knives, it even had Schneeple's name carved into the handle. "̶Y̶e̵a҉̧h͝,̷̢ ̡̛y̛͘e̶a̡h̴́ ̕Į̸̷ ͢k̷̵n̴̸̢o͡w̵͢,̧͟͝ ̴̢i̵̸͘t҉͠s͠,̶̨ ́nǫ̸t͘ ̷̧t́h҉̴à́ţ ̶g̸̡oo͝d̨͝ ͞òf̴̵͡ ̢͘͠a͢ ́p͜re̕͏͞s͏en̸t͢ ̵͠b̶̴͜u̢͠t̴̴-̷-̨" He was cut off, his body tensing and freezing when he felt Schneeplestein hugged him, he had never expected that reaction, he just expected the doctor to insult him or for Schneeps to tell him to go away. The two were definitely never on the best of terms, insulting and almost fighting with each other occasionally, but what Schneeplestein said next shocked Anti even more "Zank you Anti... You're... Alvight. I love ze knife you gave me, itz very sharp" He smiled at the glitchy demon who simply stood there, looking confused and completely lost "Y̷̕e͜͞r.̵̕͟.̴.͘.̴ N̡̡o̶͞t̨ ͘͡go̕͠͠n̡̧n̶͝a̷͜ ̴̷t̴̡el͝͞ĺ̴͡ ͡m̷͟͝e ͟҉t̵o̕͢͢ ́̀go̡ ͠f͡u̢͠ć̵̡k̷̀ m̕͏͢y͘şȩl҉̴f̢̡͏?̡ ͝O͜r̷ ̧̢t̵͟ell͏̧ ̢͏m҉e ̷̢t͟͡͏'͏ g̵̡o͜ ͟͡t͏̵͟'҉͡ h̷͡él͠͞l̨?͏ ͘͝Ó̷͘r̕..͡.̶͘͝ A͠N͘͠Y͟T́H͡I̕N̨͜G?͘ ̴͝N̵̨o͢ ͟͏i҉̀͡ń̨su̸l͘͠t͜͝ś? ҉N̨o̴͡ ͝ņ͜ơ̷̢t̡h̡̢i̶̡n͝'?̶̴̡" Schneeplestein shook his head "No, no insults, also ahem, language, zhere are children around" Anti looked the doctor up and down, to see if he was lying when he found no trace he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly "Ȩr̷͞.̨̧̢.͜. ͟Y̨͟èŗ͘͜.̨̛̛..͠.͏̸ ̀͞Ok̀͞a̷ý̵.̡̀.͝.̴͜ ̶͘bu͏͏t,̸ ̵͘dǫn͠'t͞ ̵́͘t͡'̛͠in̢k ҉I͠'̡͘͢m͢͢ ͡͠ǵ͜o̕n̶͟ǹ̸a̶ s̕҉̴tàr̵̶͜t́ ̢b̡ȩ͠íng̡ ͏̕ń͡i̶̢c̨e̢ ̕͏t͢͠o̴̴ ̶̧҉ỳ̛o̧͠͠u͟ A̛L̷̵L̡͘ ̨̕͘t̵̨he̵ ̡t҉im̶̧̀e͜͏ b̵̴eç̴͢a͏u̕͝s̡e̶͢͞ ͠o͏f͞ ̡҉t̸҉h̷́͡i͘s̢͘" He scoffed, crossing his arms, he was secretly suppressing a smile at that. Schneeplestein nodded "Fine, fine, now, who vwants cake?" The other egos, especially Anti screeched with joy, they rushed to the kitchen along with Schneeps and everyone excluding Anti sung the happy birthday song to the good doctor, after that they all dug into the cake ravenously, yeah, definitely egos of Jack. Anti and Schneeple locked eyes one final time before simply nodding at each other, they'd call a truce... For awhile anyways, after all it was only fair.

((WOO, ending is a bit sucky probably-- but anyways, yee here's the birthday fic for ze vworld's best doctah!~ I had some time to write luckily, wow, Anti pitched in huh? Shocking ...After all this, they're gonna go back and insult each other-- maybe and Stacy? Being nice to Chase? Its more likely than you think. Maybe the other egos had a little chit-chat with her or maybe it was something entirely different, no one will ever know but anyways, here y'all go! @robthezombie-support-squad | @chase-brody-protection-squad | @schneeplesteins-surgeons | and @magic-marvin-protection-patrol ))

(( Bonus: Chase snuck off with Anti and grinned a little “Your becoming a softie ya know that bro?~” He teased. Anti raised his knife  “̴́͢C͟͏̡҉H̷̢̧̀͢Ą̶̵̡͝Ś͝͏͞E͘͟.̶́ ̶̡͠͞F̵̨̛̀̕U͘̕͠C͞͞K̀͟͢͠ÌN҉҉G̛͡.͡͏̸ ̷̶͟͡͞B̷̶͢R̢͢҉̛O͝D̢̀̀͢͝Y͏̵̛.̸́͡.̶̸̕.͏̴̢.̨̛͟͜ ̢̕͏̶Y̶̕O̸̴͢͝U̸͜͡ ̕҉̧H̸́́͏A̕̕V̨͢͝͏É̶̵͜ ̶̨́T҉̷̨̕ ̀̕͝E̕҉ ̧͟͟͟͝Ņ͞ ͏̨̨̧̕S̶̶̷͞Ę̴͠͡Ç̡҉͜͡O͘͞N̵͡D̴Ś̸̀ ̶̢͠T͟O͏͏́ ̸̴̴́R̨͜Ù̵̴͢N̕̕͜͞.̵̢̨͢.̸̨́.͏̸͟” And so Chase ran away screaming, Anti wasn’t actually going to hurt him however, he was simply an embarrassed green bean ))

[poppyknitt]

Bio-Bots- A JSE Egos Fanfic

Android!Chase AU

-Post explaining how the hell i came to make this beautiful, blessed, but also cursed au in the first place

-Canon developments in the story as of writing this

[April 11th, 2017, our time]

Schneep and Jackie knew Chase wasn’t going to make it. His head was shot clean through, and his brain was damaged badly. Even if it did heal, he’d be in so much tremendous pain that he’d probably be begging to be “put to sleep”, as they call it in the veterinarian world. They stared hopelessly at the heart monitor next to Chase’s bed, which had a relatively steady pace at the moment, but, on occasion, faltered.

“... What should be done, Jackie..? He only has a little bit of time left. You and I, we-.. we both know this.”

“... I say we work together on blueprints.”

“Blueprints? What-Whatever for?!”

“... An android, of sorts. One that works and looks totally human. It may take a few weeks, but we’ll make it happen.”

“And what would I do? You are the one with the technological know-how; I, on the other hand cannot configure even a Raspberry Pi for the life of me!”

“You’ll help me make him look human. You’ll help me pull this off. We can do this, Henrik. Nothing is holding us back. No one will have to know that he died.”

“... Alright, then. Just give me heads up, yes?”

Jackie smiled sadly, “Will do, ‘doc’.”

~~~

[April 24th, 2017, our time]

Chase woke up groggily, his head spinning as his vision flooded with blindingly bright light, and he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. The heart monitor on his left beeped steadily, and his head was wrapped in bandages.

“Chase! You- You’re awake!” A voice, similar to his, cried out in joy, and next thing he knew, he was being glomped by a man in a black cape and strangely colored cat mask.

“Wh..Who..?” He slurred, taking a moment to figure out that this was Marvin, “Oh! ...M-Marv..?”

“Yep! That... That’s my name! Don’t.. wear it out!” Marvin said, putting on the best cheerful face he could, thought, Chase knew it wasn’t sincere, even as he laughed wryly in response. He could tell that the magician was distressed greatly by his attempt to kill himself.

~~

“Okay, so, he’s gotta be good at reading people, right? I mean, come on, even if we are just doing this to prevent further heartache, then why not take a few creative liberties that chance making social interaction and stuff like that easier?”

“Is up to you, Jackie. I for one did not know him very well beforehand, so you may wind up on your own for the programming part of this.”

“M’kay. Cool. I’m gonna do it.”

~~

[April 30th, 2017, our time]

“Stacy? Hi... It’s me, Chase... I was just calling to ask when you’re gonna let me see the kids next... I really miss them... S-Sorry for bothering you... I’ll... just go now..” He sighed, and hung up the phone.

“She still being petty?” Marvin asked, his face reading nothing but slightly amused sympathy.

“Yeah.”

“Damn. Well, cheer up, pal! She’ll have to listen to ya some day!”

“Maybe...”

~~~

“Greetings, Chase. I’m Jackieboyman! But, uh, I’d prefer being called Jackie.”

“... Uh... hey..? Good to meet you!” As the android spoke, his face lit up, as if he were just registering the name, and felt like he recognized it. Or something. Either way, it seemed like a good thing that he showed recognition, because it meant that at least one of the features he’d implemented into the android was working.

Jackie grabbed his clipboard, and checked off “Name recognition” from the list.

“What is that?” Chase asked, peering over his shoulder from behind. Jackie hadn’t even noticed him move! Weird. But cool!

“Um, it’s a list of functions you’re supposed to have. I have to make sure you function like a normal human if we’re gonna get the others to believe there’s nothing wrong.”

“Oh. Is silent footsteps one of them?”

“Not intentionally, no. I think it’s a byproduct of the materials we used.”

“Cool.”

“Hey, not to change the subject or anything, but how’re your tricks for the bro average channel going so far?”

“Pretty good! I can do a triple flip now! Wanna see?”

“Heck yeah, man! That sounds epic!”

Chase grinned cheerfully, and, going a fair bit back so he didn’t risk bumping into his older brother. He jumped up several feet, backflipped, landed on one hand, and did it twice more, landing on both hands the second, and on his knees the third. Jackie watched, eyes wide in awe, and applauded him excitedly when he finished.

“Wow! That was awesome!”

“Aw, shucks, Jackieboy! You’re too kind! Too kind!” Chase grinned, bowing humorously.

~~~

[Sometime in August, 2017, our time]

“Seán... Please... I-I don’t know if you can hear me, but... please... wake up.. We need you now, more than ever...” His voice broke as he pleaded for his old friend to wake up. Between the loss of Henrik, and Jack’s coma, he didn’t know if he was gonna be able to keep it all together.

~~~

Jackie watched Chase from a ways back, his heart breaking at the sight of his youngest brother melting down by the side of their creator’s bed in the hospital. He was about to go hug him and tell him it was gonna be okay, but Marvin ran in, pushed past him, and practically glomped poor Chase. The magician was clearly upset about the loss of Henrik and Jack, but he seemed to understand that the best they could do about it right now was help each other keep it together. Chase seemed shocked by the sudden hug, but he quickly returned it, appearing to be holding back tears.

~~~~

“Hey! Jackie! Look over there!” Chase exclaimed gleefully, hoping his brother was gullible enough to fall for it.

“What? What am I looking for?” Jackie asked in confusion as he looked where Chase had pointed. Chase grinned mischievously, and ran up to him while he was distracted, grabbing the hero’s goggles and yanking them down so they covered his eyes. Jackie yelped in surprise, and scrambled to adjust the goggles so he could see, as Chase made a break for it, darting away from him as fast as he could. Jackie yelled at him, and gave chase, catching up to him quickly, and tackled him to the pavement.

“Hey! No fair! Let me go!” Chase yelped, surprised by the strength of Jackie’s grip.

Jackie grinned, and stole his hat, letting go of him as he spoke, “Fine! But you’re still gonna pay for that”, and shot up, darting off in the direction of home. Chase laughed, and ran after him, yelling for him to give his hat back.

~~~~

[October 2018, our time]

Chase clutched onto his abdomen, coughing every now and then, as a strange, orange-ish liquid oozed around his arm. He didn’t understand why his blood looked so unnatural, but he didn’t think about that, as he let himself sink into a blind rage, and ran at the foreign glitch that was attacking Marvin.

“Chase, no!” Jackie screamed at him, desperately trying to drag himself after him, but the hero collapsed, his own wounds making him too weak to hold himself up anymore. Chase’s instincts screamed at him to go back for Jackie and flee this place, but he had to save his other brothers, too. Everything he knew about biology told him he shouldn’t even be able to run right now, but he didn’t care; Obviously, he could, which meant he was the only one able to do anything right now.

He tackled the glitch to the ground, and started throwing punches at his face, glad he was able to take him by surprise, since he probably wouldn’t have been able to pull that off if he hadn’t. The Anti screamed in anger, violently throwing him off, and stood up, as Chase caught himself. The vlogger stood as well, his eyes burning with hatred.

“Chase..! You..! You’re hurt! Wh-What-?!”

“He’s an android, Marvin.” Jackie wheezed.

“W-Wh-?! S-Since when?!”

“Since April...”

“W-Who else knew?!”

“... Henrik knew. He helped me create him...“

“Where- What happened to the Chase we knew?!”

“... He didn’t survive. The day Chase woke up was really just... the day after he had died..”

Chase listened silently, his heart heavy. He’d always had an underlying suspicion that he wasn’t as human as they’d said, but he didn’t realize he wasn’t human at all. He sighed, and opened his mouth, interrupting the conversation, “Marv, take Jem and the doc, and run. Don’t go home. Just... run. Make sure you never look back, and most importantly, don’t stop running until we meet again, okay?” The order came out dry and empty, his hate-filled gaze never leaving the glitch as he spoke.

“B-But what about you and Jackie?!” Marvin yelped, eyes wide, as tears began spilling from his eyes in small streams.

“... We’ll be fine. We’re gonna fight this guy off, and then we’ll run, too. I dunno how, or where, but we’re not stay here. Our world might as well be toast.”

“Chase..” Jameson’s speech slide appeared, and Chase gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as he, too, began to cry.

“Go, god damn it! Go before I do something really fucking stupid!” He sobbed, not paying any mind to the sadistic grin plastered on the glitch’s face, as his voice cracked and broke. At that, Marvin didn’t take another warning, and, as he helped Schneep up, he cast a spell. Soon enough, it was just him, Jackie, and the monster that had invaded their world.

Speaking of the damned, the glitch began laughing his mentally unstable laugh, and held up his knife, which was stained with orange, “Oh̶,̧ ḩo̧w҉ a͟do͝rable̢!́ You real̴l̷y ́t̀h̨ìnk͜ ͜they̶ ̴c͢a̕n ͠ęsc͟ap͜e̡ me f̨o̵r l҉o̡n̢g͢ ̨j̀ust ̶bec̸ausę ̷y͘o͞u ͢tol͟d́ ̸t͡he̵m to҉ r̷u͏n?! ̨Oh, ҉d͢e͏a͏r͞ ̀r͡ób̶ot̛, ̕I ͞h҉àte to ̡say ̀ít,̢ b͘u͘t́ ̡as͜ ̢s͡o͜on͠ ̢as̵ I͏’m done ͟w̵i҉th̀ ́yo҉u? I’̀m̛ g̷o͏i͡n̴g straight for ͡t͏h̀em̸!̛”

“That’s why you’re not getting a chance to do that.” Chase said, smirking a little. The Anti paused, looking utterly dumbfounded by his statement. They stood there quietly for a moment, until Chase subtly signaled to Jackie, and the hero yelled at the glitch.

“Hey, doofus! You forgetting someone?!” Jackie taunted. The glitch growled in annoyance, and turned to him. Chase took the chance his brother had given him, and used his soundless footsteps to his advantage. He sprinted at the glitch, and withing moments, he was on top of him once more, punching the ever living hell out of him once more. It took until Jackie yelled for him to stop for him to realize he’d knocked the Anti unconscious.

He got off of the demon, and ran to Jackie, picking him up in an almost-bridal style fashion, despite his brother’s adamant protesting, “Shut up, dad. You’re too weak to walk.” He joked, knowing Jackie would be embarrassed by the spontaneous new nickname.

Without looking back even once, he used a little spell Marvin had taught him a while back, and opened a portal to another world.

———————————

Help i’ve been writing this story practically nonstop for like 8-9 hours and i’m already attached to Android!ChaseSo, yep! This is basically all of the super major parts in Android!Chase’s story that I’ve made yet! Also, random note, but uh, the Anti that came in at the end was indeed Monitor (the anti from one of my other aus, if this is the first fic of mine that you’ve read), and he most definitely destroyed the universe they came from. Whether Chase & Jackie ever reunited with Marvin, JJ and Henrik is currently unconfirmed, but don’t loose hope, because I’d absolutely love to be able to expand upon their stories later on! Though, I think my favorite part of this au is Jackie and Chase’s QPR father/son dynamic-

taglist:

@antis-loyal-puppet @tiny-septic-puppet @chaoticcrimsonrose (yes i know you hate the angst but this is only like 50% angst) @rorald-spooks @septic-dr-schneep

Additional tags:

@hotcocoachia @insaneangel18-blog @aquaticember06

[septic-dr-schneep]

JSE Fanfiction: Go It Alone

Summary:  Since his creation, Jackieboy Man has always fought his battles alone. Now he doesn't have to and that...takes some getting used to.

Owning the responsibility of being a superhero had never been easy and as soon as he was created, Jackieboy had been forced to accept that, mostly because of the welcome he had received. He’d burst into the Egos Incorporated building, ready with a heroic greeting to his fellow Egos, and had found all of the lights were off—more than that, all of the light switches had been torn out of the walls. Even without the lights, he could see that the entire place was a ruin.

As soon as he’d taken his first step past the doorway, Anti had come to greet him. That had been an interesting battle, to say the least, but Jackieboy was new and fresh and Anti hadn’t gained as much popularity with the fans yet, at least not compared to what he had now, so they fairly rivaled each other in power. They had destroyed what precious little was left of the building before dropping where they were and passing out for the night. In the morning, Anti had disappeared and Jackieboy was left with some serious renovations to do.

They were the first two and for the most part, they avoided each other. Jackieboy was left to his own devices for everything, including the treatment of his post-mission injuries. He spent many nights curled up on his bed, biting his lip against the pain until it bled too, his gloved hands shaking as he stitched up his wounds and then the tears in his jumpsuit that went with them. His secondary location was the bathroom, where he spent his time fighting for consciousness or throwing up after the unpleasant surprise of whiplash or an electrocution or natural blood loss.

It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. He reminded himself of that every night as he crawled—sometimes literally—to his bed, dry-swallowing his painkillers and searching for the sleep position that would hurt the least. It was worth it. Every time he saw the light, the hope and adoration in his citizens’ eyes, it made every scar something worth remembering.

It wasn’t like he could ever forget them, after all. He remembered every mission and the sweat, blood, and tears that went into them.

Nothing, and yet somehow everything, changed when another Ego arrived on the scene. Jackieboy had been in the kitchen, filling the lonesome void of silence by pondering his usual routine: dinner and a beer, some painkillers, researching home medical treatment for injuries, scouring the Deep Web for more crimes to prevent and then, if the city was quiet, binge-watching some of his favorite shows until he fell asleep. This routine was long-forged; time was somewhat different for the Egos than it was for everyone else.

As he’d rummaged around one day, he had found Anti’s notes on the matter: in what he called “outer time,” the time Jack and the fans knew, Jackieboy had only been created a month ago. In “Personal time,” he was already years old and he had spent those years going it alone, apart from those unfortunate instances when Anti threw a swing out of the blue, determined to take everything out on him. There were times that this reality threatened to drive him round the bend, but he honestly couldn’t foresee it changing any time soon.

Barely thirty seconds after this familiar thought, a near-blinding green glow broke open the front doors with a resounding crash, bringing Jackieboy in at his best run—which was more of a limp, considering that he had sprained his ankle the week before. Before him stood Marvin the Magnificent and he…wasn’t as magnificent as his name suggested. In fact, when he arrived, he didn’t even have an official name.

“Jack…didn’t expect me, I don’t think,” the nameless one had said as greeting. “He didn’t expect me to become an Ego; I was a one-time gig.” He shifted anxiously, his long cape pulled tightly in around his hunched shoulders, eyes wide and young and new behind his ridiculous cat mask, and Jackieboy had melted.

“One time is all it takes,” he answered reassuringly, squaring his shoulders and ignoring how the left one ached from being recently set. “Don’t you worry, magician. I’m gonna take care of you.”

Take care. If Jackieboy was anything, he was a man of his word, which was why his new companion was settled comfortably in a room immediately next to his. Even with the love and glory he had gotten from crime-fighting, he was never happier than when he remembered he had a “brother” to come home to. The time they spent getting to know each other was precious; Jackieboy helped him hone his identity, scouring the city for new magic books to give him, introducing him to all of the Harry Potter movies in the span of two days, and inventing a new moniker for him every morning to keep his spirits up until Jack could give him that one perfect name. It would come soon, he was sure of it!

His companion did quite a lot for him too, though he never seemed to realize how important all of it was. For the first time in his life, Jackieboy wasn’t weighing Personal minutes anymore, straining past every agonizingly slow, silent second. He wasn’t blasting loud music, desperate to drown out the silence, and he was able to say goodnight to someone knowing they would be in the next room when he woke up. He had someone who not only looked up to him but didn’t need to be rescued. They were close and safe together.

Of course, having someone in the house who actually cared about his safety made going it alone a little harder. Jackieboy was the protector, plain and simple, which meant he desperately wanted his “brother” to feel safe. He had a distinct feeling that licking his wounds in plain sight would undermine that, so he thought fast, playing off Jack’s authority just a little as he explained that their creator had a set of rules for younger Egos to follow. Those rules included a curfew. As soon as he felt the ever-present tingle of the magician’s aura soften into sleep, he would drag himself to the bathroom and get to work.

The curfew wasn’t as helpful with time-sensitive injuries, but he hunkered down and bore it well until the next time he could get a room to himself. He started stashing medical vitals in various nooks and crannies, simple things like bandages, needles and thread, and painkillers—lots of painkillers. It was miraculous what modern pills could do to stifle those annoying whines of pain that wanted nothing more than to crawl out of his lungs when he least expected them.

Those pills were all he could think of as he limped home after his latest escapade. The Silver Shepherd had called him in a panic asking for his help in dealing with an alien creature running amuck in his city nearby. After hours of chasing the gigantic arachnoid being, pinning it down and then chasing it down again when it inevitably escaped, one good shot to two of its legs had sent it crashing into the side of a building—one occupied by civilians on every floor. Silver Shepherd had lunged, but Jackieboy had frankly ordered him to stay behind and evacuate the civilians while he held the building up. Shepherd knew the city better, so he would know the safest place to send them.

The lobby ceiling was heavy as all balls and he had no idea how long it took, but he kept his thoughts away from the pain. “Work with your knees, use your knees, no slipping,” he hissed through short, ragged breaths as his back and the rubble pressed against it groaned ominously. No pain, no pain, don’t let go. They’re scared, they need you. At long, long last, he could hear Shepherd shouting from outside that the civilians were safe. Trembling, Jackieboy breathed a sigh of relief and promptly let his body give out.

He was curled up there under the rubble for a while, not really caring to get up, until he heard his friend calling for a rescue team to dig him out. That wasn’t allowed; if they found him like this, who knew how they would react? “Get up,” he ordered himself, wriggling as best he could until the wreckage started to shift. As soon as it slid off, he threw himself to his feet—best to get it done quickly—and it was all he could do not to cry out, but he was upright and he was fine and dandy.

Shepherd was definitely relieved to see him, but Jackieboy kept the congratulations brief, making up some excuse about the magician needing him at home before heading out. Flying wasn’t an option; he could gauge that something was seriously wrong with his back and he didn’t want to put any drag on it. The dull impact of each step alone was agony.

When he got home, any residual adrenaline died away and he felt like his skin was on fire. The bathroom felt miles away, but he made it there by sheer willpower and stripped off as much of his costume as he could, sagging against the door to keep himself standing. As soon as he did, he was forced to bite back a high-pitched yelp as the door bumped the piece of metal lodged in his lower back. If he craned his neck, he could see it in the mirror: a piece of rebar. It wasn’t even that thick; why did it feel like he had been backstabbed with a broadsword?!

Somehow it had managed to miss his spine and vital organs, he noted, searching desperately for a bright side. That meant he should pull it out, right? He honestly had no idea. His computer in the other room felt very, very far away and his phone had been broken by the building falling on top of him, so he couldn’t check for sure. He’d rather wing it than have rebar in his back any longer than was necessary.

“Out,” he whispered, straining to get a proper grip on the metal despite the awkward angle. “Out, out, out—gently—” The edges of his vision were whiting out and he was distantly aware that he could very well land on the injury as he collapsed, but just as the floor started rising to meet him, the rebar fell with a clang and blood cut a bright, wet trail through the dust on his skin.

Antiseptic became his best friend, forcing Jackieboy to laugh at the irony as he swathed his back in it and several layers of gauze. He would probably need stitches for it, but he could get to it later. In the meantime he treated the other shallow cuts scattered across his body, meticulously picking out any glass that had gouged its way in and slapping bandages on those too. He definitely needed stitches for his leg, however, and it wasn’t a need he could put off.

He was out of painkillers in his bathroom stash, he discovered, mumbling a curse as he grabbed the thread and crept out toward the kitchen. He would have to be particularly stealthy if he wanted Magic Man to keep sleeping peacefully, but his closest store was at the very back of the pantry—reaching up to grab them was going to be murder, but all that mattered was the relief he would feel afterward.

They weren’t there. As much as Jackieboy patted around and stood on tiptoe to see, the bottles had vanished. Biting his lip and doing his best not to panic, the hero spun around, jumping out of his torn and bloody skin when he came face to face with Anti.

“L͘oo̴k̷i̴n͘g for̶ ͟th̨ese̡?” the Glitch taunted, waving the bottles innocently.

“I don’t have time for this,” Jackieboy hissed, vehement and pained.

“W̕ha͜t'̢s yo̵ur hưr̡ry̡? Worried that the c͢h͞ar̵m̶e̢r͢ may find out what y̢͞ǫ̶͡u̡͢͡’ve been k͟ȩepi̧n̕g f̡ro͘m̡ h͘im̴?̧” Anti scoffed, turning the bottles over in each of his hands and scanning them intently. “When d̛o you plan o̴n t̶el̨l̢ing him̴?̧”

“Why do you care? What d’you want?”

“I w̴ant to wa̧tch you i͘m̵p̵r̕ov҉i̵se. I want to see if t̷o̶d͡ay’s the day you d͡ro͜p d̸e͟a҉d because you can’t keep your f̛riends cļo̡se͘!” Jackieboy’s irises sputtered with threatening light and Anti tilted his head condescendingly. “Don’t try͘ that; you don’t want to s͝tr͡a̴i̷n yourself.”

True to Anti’s words, Jackieboy felt the power in his blood waning; most of it was seeping from his back at the moment. “Anti…” he began in a low voice, very nearly pleading.

Anti’s teeth remained bared, but any hint of humor dropped away from his face as he leaned closer, static making his voice and figure grainy as he barked, “You ma̶d̛e͢ this happ͡e͟n and yo̵u ‘ll be the one who fi̢x͠es it! Go ͞a̶head͠, herǫ! Just try and fix ̶it͞!̸”

Jackieboy swung. He was in agony and he was angry and he did the first thing his instincts told him. Anti swore and flung the precious bottles to the side, where they exploded against the wall and scattered their contents as he drew his knife to replace them. It wasn’t a fight Jackieboy could win and in the back of his mind he knew it, but he couldn’t let himself stop. He swung and missed, swung and missed again, narrowly ducked Anti’s swipe and batted his arm away from his throat, only for Anti to neatly flip the knife to his free hand and plunge it into his side. The hero couldn’t manage anything but a stuttering gasp at the fresh pain blooming; the bloom became a burn as Anti viciously twisted it up under his ribs.

“S̶o p͢ointl̸ess,͟ pu̢pp͡e̷ţ,” he tutted as Jackieboy’s feet slid out from under him on the linoleum; he was held up by the knifepoint alone. “Let’s h̶op͞e the c̷ha͘rmer is smar̴te͟r͏ than y̸o̡u we͟re̶.”

Were, Jackieboy realized as Anti dragged the knife out of him inch by serrated inch and strode off, letting him drop. Were. I’m dying? Belated terror coursed through his veins as the blood left them, bubbling up in his throat and his side, but the fear wasn’t for himself. He couldn’t let this happen, he couldn’t let the magician be alone, not with Anti. He was young, vulnerable—he didn’t even know his name yet—

“Hello there? Is anyone…oh, my, what has happened to you?!” a strange, exotic voice gasped, drawing a cough from Jackieboy as he gravitated toward the noise. With a clatter and a thump, the stranger arrived beside him. As soon as he glimpsed the similar shock of green hair, Jackieboy knew.

A new Ego. This was the worst time possible for a new Ego; for all he knew, Anti could still be around.

“G-Get out of here…Hide,” he found himself saying, every word a struggle. His vision was swimming, but even when he blinked, startled eyes peering into his own were all he could see of the new one’s face; the rest of it was covered by an awkwardly attached procedure mask.

“You are the hero!” the stranger was now babbling in a panic, completely ignoring Jackieboy’s words. “I know him, he save the city countless times, we all love him—you—but you’re in a sorry state! What on earth did you stick yourself with and why, oh, why? B-But do not worry, the—the doctor is here! Dr. Schneep will do all he can to save you…”

“Jackie?”

No, no, no, that was the magician’s voice, he couldn’t be seen like—He spotted Magic Man coming up on the scene from the hallway, gaping down at him and the youngest Ego in horror.

“You there! Help me with him,” the foreign doctor—Schneep, he’d said?—ordered hurriedly, and the magician was quick to obey, carrying Jackieboy to the nearby dining room table. Jackieboy’s mind went to strange places when he was bleeding out: his first thought was that he didn’t want to stain the tablecloth. He tried to say as much, but he was already flat on his back with his “brother’s” cape draped over his lower legs, so it was too late.

It was too late for a lot of things, he mused regretfully as he watched the magician pace the room, begging the new one to act fast. The doctor nodded with such force that his surgical cap flew off his head, rummaging through the bag he’d brought in with him. Jackieboy focused on that for a few moments, wondering at how he moved and talked so differently, though he couldn’t make out what he was saying anymore until he pushed back Jackieboy’s hood and leaned in very close. This close up, Jackieboy could see that his gaze was strained by anxiety, but his voice was kind.

“Do not worry, hero,” he soothed. “We’re gonna take good care of you.”

Take care. Jackieboy recalled making that same promise some time ago. Eyes glassy and overly bright behind his mask, he offered a small nod. Maybe…just this once, it would be nice for him to be rescued.