It was Thanksgiving in America but Anti was thankful they didn't celebrate it. Instead, they awaited Black Friday which wasn't exactly better but he'd take that over sitting in the middle of an awkward dinner with everyone. He just wasn't in the mood to be in that social interaction although he LIVED with them all. He had been thinking about what to get everyone for Christmas and it was hard to think about, really. This would be his first Christmas celebrating with everyone where none of them hated him anymore. He'd be excited but with the monster hanging around in his mind, he was more on edge.

However, that didn't mean he was going to skimp out. The subject of money with the egos was strange but mostly, they lived off of whoever had an actual job. Which was Sean and Henrik. Marvin sometimes performed street magic and Jackie received an award here and there from a little old lady but other than that, no one really had to worry about money. But Anti really wanted to buy the others presents to show them his gratitude for giving him another chance like they did. He especially wanted to do something good for Chase for being the first to accept him.

The only problem was that he didn't know what to get anyone. Maybe a little more time thinking about it would be best.

That morning, Anti had tried to spend some more time around Jameson but he must have been annoying him because he kept checking his watch. Jameson and Anti never quite clicked together but they appreciated each other's attempts. Like when Jameson got Anti that knife! And in turn, Anti had made everyone dinner with it but he had also learned that Jameson liked darts so they'd do that together sometimes. Anti liked Jameson because he was mute but also always very understanding with him. Today, however, Jameson seemed to have had other things on his mind so Anti decided to leave him be.

Anti now sat out on their deck wearing a turtle neck in the slightly chilly weather. Thankfully, however, it was sunny so he decided to stretch out under the autumn trees. Then the sound of the screen door opening alerted him. He opened his eyes to see Marvin coming out to sit with him, "Hey Anti" he almost seemed worried.

"Hey Marv" he muttered.

"How you doing today?"

"I'm fine" 

"You sure, buddy?"

Anti grumbled a little, "I'm fine."

"Look I know you've been having nightmares lately-"

Anti shot a glare at him, his mood changing, "And I presume Chase told ya? Dammit, why can't he just mind his own business!?"

Marvin suddenly growled, "Who's the one who went to his room asking to sleep in the same room as him?"

That shut him up.

The magician sighed, "Look, Anti. I know you don't like asking for help but . . you need it"

Anti felt his anger bubbling but he tried remembering that it wasn't fully his own anger. He did need help. He just wished they all didn't treat him like a child.

"It won't work"

"What won't?"

"The potion."

Marvin narrowed his eyes at him as Anti gave a humorless smile, "Why do you say that?"

There was a sudden flash in Anti's eyes and suddenly Marvin flinched as if he were a different person for a second. Anti raised his brow at him, "Marvin? What happened? You okay?"

"Yeah, no. Yeah. . ." Marvin waved it off. He must have just been seeing things, "Thought I saw a bee is all. Um . . . Why do you think the potion won't work?"

He shrugged and Marvin pulled a vial out, "Look just try it for tonight and if it doesn't work you can tell me you told me so. Okay? Just trying to help, man." he pat Anti's shoulder before walking back inside. Anti twirled the vial around in his hand and he could hear the monster inside giggling.

"It won't matter"

Good vibes gone and stress returning, Anti sighed and went back inside as well after a while.

'I haven't seen Chase all day. Wonder where he is?'

Suddenly he bumped into Jackie in the hall and right away Anti could tell he was mad about something.

Jackie huffed and tried to walk around him but Anti stopped him, "Sorry Jackie. What's wrong? Bad day?"

The hero scoffed and Anti noticed all the bruises and scrapes on him, "Oh I'm just fucking fine. Why do you ask!?"

Anti took a step back, not expecting the animosity, "Uh. . .n-nothing. You just seem . . .irritated."

"Yeah no shit!" Jackie hissed, "It's bad enough I had to start the day without my damn coffee and then some waste of an asshole robbing some lady gets away! Then the lady fucking pepper sprays me!  To make matters worse,  I was chasing after another guy who it ended up was running to his gang and they beat me up. So no, Anti, I'm not having a good fucking day!"

Anti didn't know what to say but he tried to be helpful, "I'm Sorry. You want me to help you?" he tried checking his wounds only for Jackie to shove him into the wall hitting his head.

"Don't fucking touch me! I don't need your goddamn help, glitch!"

That struck him, "J-jackie. . . I. . I was just-" he stuttered.

Jackie suddenly realized what he did and a waved of remorse crashed on him when he saw Anti's head bleeding, "A-anti. Shit I'm sorry. I-"

He tried to reach for him but Anti flinched back hard, shivering and before Jackie could say anything more, he ran off, ignoring Jackie's shouting.

Far enough away, Anti rubbed the back of his head and found himself walking to Schneep's office. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. He tried again. Still nothing.

Taking a breathe, Anti decided to just open the door. He poked his head through to see Schneep working away with paperwork galore, completely lost in his own little world.

Coming in, Anti made his presence known, "H-henrik?"

He was ignored.

He tried again, "Henrik!"

Schneep slammed a paper down, "Yes, yes! Vhat the fuck do you want, goddammit!? Can't you see I'm fooking busy?!"

Anti, not having a good day already in the slightest with Jackie having just yelled at him, took a step back, "I was just. . N-nothing. . . . nevermind"

Henrik scoffed, "Then don't vaste my time, Anti! Get out so I can finish my vork!" he took a gulp of coffee, not even looking at him.

"S-sorry to bother you"

Tearing up, Anti just left to his room. He hated feeling weak. He hated crying like baby but he couldn't help it. All the progress he had made with them all . . .it almost felt like today just shattered it. He knew inside that Jackie didn't mean to hurt him. He knew Schneep was just stressed with his work. He knew Marvin was just trying to help him. But Anti laid in his bed hiccuping, his tears blurring his vision. He used his pillow as a tissue but the tears kept coming.

Finally calm after a while, Anti hadn't even realized it was after ten at night. No one had even come to get him for dinner. Or did they even eat together? No one had tried coming to him the whole day besides Marvin. Were they mad at him? Did he do something wrong? Hell even Jameson that morning had been testy with him. And Sean didn't come over today.

He heard a crash in Chase's room beside his and something that sounded like stumbling. Curious as to where he had been all day, Anti wandered out of his room and to Chase's door.

'But what if he's mad at me, too? But then again what if he's hurt?'

Solving his inner dilemma, he decided on knocking on the door first, "Ch-Chase? You okay in there?"

Anti barely heard a groan and thinking he might be hurt, Anti opened the door only to find Chase with a bottle of vodka drinking it like water on the floor by his bed. His hair was a mess, he had bags under his bloodshot eyes and he was struggling to keep upright.

"Ch-chase! What happened? You alright?"

He came up to him but Chase barely registered him, "Heeey~ there"

"Chase. . . " Anti tried helping him up on the bed and as he did, Chase kissed his cheek sloppily, "Ew! Gross, Chase!"

The father just giggled and Anti huffed, "What happened to you? I thought you stopped drinking? Is this what you've been doing all day?"

"So!? What are ya, my mom?!" he giggled again and took another swig, "M'fine"

Anti swallowed thickly. He hated seeing Chase like this and it was clear he had been crying. This wasn't a happy drunk. Something bad happened.

"Chase please talk to me? You can tell me what happened."

There were a few moments of silence, probably because Chase was still trying to register what he just said, "Stacy called meh. ."

'Uh-oh' Anti gulped.

"Christmas comin' . . . . Wanted to see muh kidzzz, ya know?"

Anti nodded to show he understood and Chase continued, slurring his words roughly, "She said no! No kids fer you, ya bum!" he frowned, "Can't see kids Christmas. Haven't seen em for months and. . . . . still nooooope."

Anti felt for him, he really did. Chase loved his kids so much and here Stacy was being so horrible to him. Did she not see that he really had changed? Chase had been doing so much better with life and then this had to happen. 

"I'm sorry, Chase" Anti consoled him, "It'll be fine. Maybe Sean can talk to her?"

Chase shook his head, an angry look in his eyes suddenly, "No. Leave meh alone."

He was worried for his brother. He knew they couldn't die but he'd hate to see him hurt himself going into a coma or something due to alcohol poisoning. So Anti did the stupidest thing you could to a drunk person.

"Chase please. You should go to bed now. Get some rest. Here, give me the bottle."

"No" he scoffed at him, "Mine~"

"Chase please" he tried again but suddenly the anger was directed to Anti now.

"Don't touch muh bottle~! Stupid fuck!"

Anti tried not to let that get to him, "Chase, please. I'm only trying to help ya" Chase shoved him with more strength than Anti anticipated, throwing him to the ground on his back.

"I said fuck off, ya little glitch bitch! It's my bottle!" he kicked him but thankfully he wasn't so coordinated and it wasn't hard but it still hurt Anti's feelings.

"Chase" he muttered out.

"Fook off! I. . .I tried helping ya before. . . And look where that got meh! Ya snapping at meh like some fucking cunt. Then fuck you! Don't expect me ta help ya again, stupid glitch! Freak! Get out!"

Anti didn't need to be told twice and ran out of the room, scared and sad. He locked the door behind him and started bawling his eyes out. He hated being so weak! He hated being treated like a mistake! He just hated it all! He didn't want to be treated like a child but he didn't want everybody to hate him, either!

"I told you, puppet. They don't REALLY care about you. You should have listened to me"

Anti shuddered at the sound of its voice in his head, "Shut up" he whimpered.

"I can help you, you know. Don't you hate all this pain?"

There was a silent 'yes' in the air.

"I can take it away. You just need to ask, sweetheart"

Anti shook his head, "I don't need your help. Bastard. Leave me alone!"

"I can help you." it spoke again so calmly though, "I'll make you feel so much better. Numb, even. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"B-but you just want to hurt them all. You just want to take my body and hurt everyone."

"No~" it spoke so sweetly, "Darling, for you, I'll just ease your pain. You know I can help. You've felt it before. It'll be like falling asleep. No harm will come to them. I promise~"

"B-but"

"Trust me"

Anti was being lulled by its words. It spoke so calmly like it was singing him a lullaby or something.

"Y-you . . . .you p-promise? You won't hurt them? You'll t-take it away?"

"Of course. Then tomorrow you can have your body back and you'll feel SO much better. All will be fine."

Anti bit his lip but he felt himself breathing easier, 'Maybe I could. . . just for a bit'

"Go into the bathroom, little one" he spoke like a parent. It knew it had swayed Anti's thoughts, "We can do it there."

As if being gently dragged, Anti wobbled into the bathroom with his favorite knife in hand, the wound on his head he'd suffered earlier starting to throb again. He groaned at the feeling.

"He did that to you. Jackie."

Anti nodded and he looked in the cracked mirror where the monster smiled so sweetly, "It'll be okay. That pain will be gone, too. But first. . . I need you at your weakest, love, so I can take over. You're so strong, little one."

Anti already felt his body moving without his accord. He held the knife up to his arm.

(Trigger warning)

Looking back at the demon in the shattered mirror, he felt himself drag the the blade down his arm. He barely felt it as the blood oozed into the sink, painting it red. He kept cutting and pouring his blood out. He didn't look at the mess he was making but in the back of his mind, he knew it probably had to be horrific. The demon grinned dangerously, its eyes pitch black with its iris's glowing green. It jittered in anticipation.

"That's it" it cooed, "Just a little more. Give yourself to me"

(Trigger End)

Anti felt as if he were about to faint when he glanced at the pill bottle on the counter.

It was full.

Anti's eyes widened in horror.

'No.' he thought, 'It can't be. . . it was half empty last night. Has he been. . . .tricking me and messing with my head this whole time!?'

The demon grinned and suddenly Anti felt himself snap back as it forced itself into him, choking his very being. Anti tried to cry out but the demon made his own hands curl around his throat to shut him up. 

It was over so quickly and suddenly just everything stopped. The struggling, the cries. Everything.

The demon looked on the other side in his new body but this time Anti saw it. It was like they had switched places. Anti watched from inside. It was like he was on the outside of a trick mirror trapped in a room. He could see things on the outside but he couldn't make himself known or take back control.

He saw in the cracked mirror, the eyes were now pitch black and his arm started healing itself. 

The demon giggled in Anti's body, "So good to be back" he hissed with a smile, "But oh don't worry, puppet. I wasn't completely lying to you. You won't be all numb. You'll still feel the pain of losing your brothers." he giggled before running his tongue on the bloodied knife, moaning at the taste, "I've missed you"

Just as the demon was reveling in his newfound position, there was a sudden knock at his door. The demon grinned at Anti's weak struggling to keep him away from answering. He walked over to the door and opened it, ignoring Anti's screams in his head and hiding his blood-covered arm behind his back.

Marvin was at the door, "Hey Anti." he looked troubled, "I thought I felt something happening in here. You alright, man?"

The demon put on his 'Anti' face and smiled innocently, "Yeah I'm fine, Marv. No problems."

Marvin was unsure for a moment before nodding, "Alright. You gonna take that potion I gave you earlier? I promise it really will help."

The demon still smiled, "Oh yeah. Was just getting ready for bed and was gonna take it."

The magician still felt as if something was off but didn't pry. He knew Anti had been irritated lately with his lack of sleep, "Okay then. Have a good night, bro. See you in the morning"

"Night" It shut the door as Marvin left and he could just feel Anti's confusion.

"What? You thought I'd just kill them all right away? No, no, no. I got to make things interesting, puppet. I want my return to be DRAMATIC. Also! I've just now realized you've been calling me either 'demon' or 'monster'. Let's change that, shall we?"

He didn't give Anti a choice who was still fighting with all he had left. But he was too weak now. The demon had won him.

"Let's go over some names now, shall we? Hmm. . . . Puppet-master. . .Puppeteer. Septic-eye? Septic Sam? No, no. That one's taken. . . . Ooo! I got it! My dear Anti. . . You can call me Septic. Just Septic." he twirled the knife in his hand still licking it like a lollipop giggling.