Anti was going to do it. He was.

He was pacing his room at the moment but he WAS going to do it.

All he had to do was NOT act suspicious.

He was a good liar. . . .most of the time.

Most of the time, it didn't matter. He'd always just do whatever he wanted.

But now he couldn't do that for this. He had to be tactful and strategic to try and get the information he wanted.

'But what if they suspect something? What should I do? I need to gain their trust to get them to think about what they want for this stupid holiday. I can't just yell at them when I get pissed off. Not for something like this. This is more of a delicate matter'

Anti was nervous. He had never actually spoken to any of them before, either. Sure he had spent time AROUND them but none of it was exactly . . . ..  good quality time.

'But I can't just wallow around in my room. I have to go down there, corner one of them at a time and get the information I need.' With a sigh, Anti pushed the ear piece more firmly in his ear and brushed his hair down over it so it wouldn't be easily visible.

'Here goes nothing'

Exiting his room, he tried listening out for the others. He had decided to wait until morning. Start a fresh new day in trickery. Was it really trickery though if it was to get a gift they each actually want?

He didn't hear or see anyone in the hall so he walked downstairs. 

'Most of them are probably all still asleep. Like I should be' he stifled a yawn, 'But I know at least Henrik's up. He's gotta be, the insomniac'

But as he reached the kitchen, it wasn't Henrik who he saw up, but Marvin.

Anti was actually caught off guard seeing him this early in the morning but then again, Anti was never usually down here at this hour to know. Now he actually looked suspicious. Just a little.

Marvin was leaning on the counter sipping some tea and looking through some cards of his until he noticed Anti walk in.

"Oh, hey"

Anti swallowed but tried to act like his douchey self and appear uncaring of his presence, "Whatever"

"Hmph. Somebody's not a morning person." Marvin snorted, "What's gotten up your ass this morning?"

"Nothing." Anti shrugged and opened the fridge to act as if he were going to grab something. While hidden from the magician's view, Anti pushed the ear piece so it turned on.

'Nothing, my fucking ass' Marvin thought, 'What a fucking liar. I can tell something's up with him.'

Anti shut the fridge door and turned with his back to the magician, "Why're you up so early?"

Marvin chuckled, "I could as you the same thing"

The glitch shrugged again, "Couldn't sleep. Got hungry. Thus. . .I'm looking for food"

'Fucking free-loader'

Anti  always hated that word. He wasn't a free-loader. Or at least, he refused to believe he was. He did what he was told sometimes if there was no other option and if they were mad at him enough.

Marvin hummed over his cup, "I couldn't sleep anymore, either. But you're pretty talkative this morning. Good mood?"

"I'm fine. Whatever."

'He's always so fucking pissy. Can never get a nice answer from the asshole'

"S-sorry" Anti blurted without really thinking and Marvin looked at him strangely. Anti licked his lips, "I mean . . . when's this stupid holiday over with anyway? Getting a headache from all the damn lights and smells and shit"

Taking the answer as normal, Marvin refrained from rolling his eyes, "Less than a week. Christmas is just in a few days. Think you can handle it for that long?"

'I'd like to light HIM up. For all the times he's 'pranked' all of us, fucking prick. He's such a goddamn nuisance in this house'

That hurt.

Anti swallowed, trying to seem compliant, "Y-yeah . . .  I'll just . . . take Tylenol or something"

Then the magician actually looked concerned, "You're really not okay? You getting migraines or something? Maybe you should check in with Henrik then if you're not feeling good"

'Just get out of my fucking sight already. Wish we never had to let you live here'

Anti just nodded and slowly just . . . walked out of the room, out of Marvin's sight.

He took a moment to think to himself but he forgot to shut the ear piece off.

'Thank god. I can't stand being around that freak. He's always so infuriating. Wish Sean would have just let us kill him'

Anti's heart stung and he suddenly reached up to turn off the ear piece. He couldn't hear anymore of Marvin's thoughts.

'I never thought. . . . I never thought he actually felt that way. . . . He was always so  . . .  well, he talked to me, at least. He was always so polite. Didn't know he actually  . . . hated me so much'

It took him a moment to realize that he failed his initial mission in figuring out what the magician would want for Christmas but he was beyond that at the moment. Did he even WANT to get him anything now?

His head WAS actually starting to bother him now.

'Maybe I should actually go see Henrik. I feel. . .. weird after talking with Marv. It's probably nothing but . . .I don't know. Maybe I get get something out of the doc instead and try again with Marv later. Maybe he's just not a morning person like me sometimes' he lied to himself.

Anti tried going down to Henrik's basement clinic but as he knocked, he didn't get an answer and it looked like the lights were off.

'Maybe he went off to his clinic downtown.' Anti thought to himself, 'I could probably go down as a patient and he wouldn't suspect anything. Yeah, I'll do that'

Rolling his shoulders, he glitched himself through a nearby electronic and came out through the doctor's private computer in his office.

Fixing his static hair, he brushed himself off and smoothed down the wrinkles in his clothes that the glitching caused.

Henrik didn't appear to be in his office so Anti assumed he was in the clinic somewhere helping patients.

'Should I just wait in here for him to walk in or would that be too weird? I don't think they want me out in public very much so I guess I should wait? But if I was my normal asshole self, I'd just waltz right in and demand his attention.'

Anti thought about it, 'Then again, I don't want to . . .piss him off like I apparently do Marvin.'

So instead, he settled on waiting in the office.

It was pretty awkward, really.

He had nothing to do except wait.

Finally after thirty seconds, Anti got up from the doctor's chair and started to look around his office to see what all he had. This could be his chance, really to check out what all he might need or want.

But just like in his room, everything Henrik owned was minimalistic or just very simple. Everything was neatly stacked and clean. Not at all what he expected of him. If anything, Anti expected Henrik's office to be a cluttered mess like a tornado had blown through. With all the caffeine the man ingests everyday, you'd think it would be that way.

After a good twenty minutes, Anti was about to give up and wait to see him later, when the door opened.

Anti watched as the good doctor walked in staring at a piece of paper with a mug of coffee in his hand, blowing on the steam to cool it. He didn't seem to notice Anti yet until he coughed lightly.

Suddenly Henrik jumped a little, "Gah! Jaysus, little bastard! Zhe hell do you vant!? Vhy are you here!?"

Anti didn't take his anger to heart. He DID just scare him, after all, "Sorry" he lifted his hand to his ear and gently pushed the button, making it look like he was just scratching at his head.

Henrik glared at him, obviously not trusting his apology.

Anti shrugged, "I uh. . . .  I have a headache"

Henrik just scoffed, "I have a full lobby of actual sick patients who need my help and YOU just sit in my office waiting like a creep because you have a headache!?"

Anti saw the problem, "Y-yeah . . and I know you guys. ..  don't like me going out in public by myself"

'Never stopped zhe fucker before'

Anti bit his lip but Henrik spoke then, "Vhatever. Zhis couldn't vait until I came home? You don't have medications in bathroom?"

Anti just shook his head. He DID but he couldn't say that. He was here for a reason. So instead, he thought up a little white lie, "Marvin told me to come see you."

'Of course that magic asshole would pawn him over to me. He can cure a small headache with a flick of his wrist but he decides to send the bastard to me to annoy me'

Anti was having some flashbacks with Marvin so he decided to push things on, "I think it's because of all the lights and music. Maybe I'm just  . . oversensitive during this time of year? I've never really . . liked the holidays too much"

Henrik drank more of his coffee, "Can't be oversensitive about something you are never around. You stay in your room all zhe time"

"Because of the holidays." Anti reiterated. 

'Little fucker speaking to me as if I'm stupid.'

"I'm . . . just saying. I can go if you want, Hen" he didn't want to anger him further like this. He didn't want to hear something like this morning again.

"No, no, no!" Henrik waved his arms around, "You are patient and I vill give you Tylenol. Should get rid of headache very quickly." 

Anti watched the doctor go over to his desk and reach in one of the drawers to pick out a bottle. He opened it and poured out three, "Take three every six hours" he handed them to Anti.

Anti didn't actually have a headache but he couldn't tell him that. Without complaint, Anti popped the pills in his mouth.

'Zhey should have let me euthanize him years ago.'

Anti thought about not swallowing for a moment.

'BUT. . . . if I did zhat, zhen Sean vould be upset.'

Anti swallowed down hard and took the other mug of water that Henrik offered him.

Sipping quietly, Anti refused to look the doctor in the eye, his heart rate picking up.

But Henrik started to look at him funny, "You are getting pale." he lifted his hand to feel Anti's forehead, "Picid. Almost feverish. Are you sure it is just a headache you are feeling?"

'Please let it be more than just a headache.'

"I'm fine" Anti stood up and stumbled away from the doctor, "I think I'm . . .Think I'm just gonna go now"

Henrik narrowed his eyes at him distrustful, "I suppose . . .I'll see you anyway later. Just maybe take a nap. Tylenol should start vorking soon"

'Should have given him rat poison. Dumb bastard probably wouldn't have known the difference'

Anti just nodded and glitched as fast as he could back home.

Once again, he forgot to get information about a present for Christmas.

But at the moment . . . .  he didn't give a shit.

Should he really care anymore what they want for this stupid holiday?

He felt absolutely horrible. He had never felt this way before. So hurt. 

Surely Henrik and Marvin were just having bad days so far, right?

Maybe later after a nap, Anti would feel up to trying again.

That's all he needed right now, right? Just as Henrik said. Maybe he just needed a nap. Was this ear piece even working properly?

Anti was walking into the living room when he spotted Jameson sitting at the couch watching a silent movie.

'Jameson's always nice. Even if he dislikes me, he wouldn't . . .hate me, right? And he never has bad days, really. He's always so chipper and signs to me even when I'm being a prick'

Grunting, Anti made his way over to the mute.

Jameson looked his way and smiled, signing to him, 'Hello there, Anti! How are you this fine day?'

Anti cracked a smile, "I'm fine . . . . y-you?" he never really ever asked anyone ELSE how they were. Was it weird he was doing it now?

Obviously Jameson thought so and he tilted his head a little to the side in confusion but didn't note the matter. Instead, he just signed, 'I'm great!'

Anti nodded, "Uh. . good. Good." he looked over at the TV, "What're you watching?"

'Oh just a favorite movie of mine.' Jameson fumbled a little, "I can change it if you want?'

Anti shook his head, "No, no, it's fine. Keep it on. . .  I was just. . . man, the holidays, huh?"

He just got more and more awkward every time he tried this.

Jameson narrowed his eyes at him, picking up on the very weird behavior, 'Are you alright?'

"Yeah, why? Just a headache. Henrik says I should probably take a nap. Even gave me some Tylenol"

'Oh that's good' Jameson sighed, only to think in his head a moment later.

'Please just leave'

Anti thought he misheard. He had never heard Jameson's voice before but it sounded so  . . . well, it sounded sort of British like the character Sean voiced for that one video game.

Anti looked over at the tree, "Looks pretty bare this year, huh? Usually it's full up"

Jameson nodded, "I suppose. We don't have a lot of money this year, though, to use on gifts. You have one, too, like always'

'Just one, though. That's all you deserve'

"I know" Anti spoke sullenly, "I mean . . . yeah. Heard shit's not going too good for you guys. That sucks . . . ."

Jameson shrugged, 'It'll be alright, though. We always make it through'

'Without you, though, it'd be a lot better'

He was on the verge of snapping but he kept it in. He didn't want to break down in front of Jameson. Not after hearing what he was really thinking about him. 

Maybe Marvin and Henrik weren't actually having bad days after all?

That thought stung but he knew he was hard to be around. He had to be. But he never meant to, right? Was he really that bad? 

He had gotten better, hadn't he?

Anti just nodded, "I'm gonna go upstairs . . . . . . . . take a nap"

Without waiting for Jameson to sign anything, Anti just walked away, abruptly stopping their conversation.

He could barely take it.

When he got to his room, Anti shut the door behind him and locked it. He didn't trust any of them right now.

Well, that was a lie. He didn't trust Marvin, Henrik or Jameson right now. 

He hadn't heard what Chase, Jackie or Sean thought about him. Maybe he didn't want to. But a part of him did. 

It wasn't about the gifts anymore.

It stopped being about the gifts earlier this morning.

Anti flopped onto his bed and curled onto the mattress holding himself. His chest hurt and his stomach was starting to clench in on itself. He knew what this feeling was but he refused to admit it.

He refused to admit he was sad.

If anything, he was curious now. 

He had to know, even if it hurt him more. He had to know.

What did the others think about him?