| Plaything | Antisepticeye x Reader

Chapter 3

I flop back onto the couch, breathing heavily. The speed of my heartbeat eventually slows,  and I close my eyes. My mind is chaotic, full of more questions than I could possibly answer. I'm in complete shock over the realization that an evil fan-created alter-ego is alive. Giving up on trying to figure him out, I decide to ignore the situation until I'd recovered some energy. Slouching into the couch, I scroll through Hulu.

After six episodes of some competitive reality show, I decide that I'm relaxed enough. I grab my keys and a jacket and head outside. It's still slightly damp from the rain the day before, but it's much warmer. About three blocks from my house, I begin to find the jacket unnecessary. I grab a cup of iced tea from a nearby cafe, proceeding to stroll around the neighborhood.

My mind completely forgets about the green demon, focusing instead on the incredible weather and cool breeze. I don't even think about Anti – That is, until a wrenching pain sprouts in my chest.

I lean heavily against a tree, gripping my plastic beverage cup so tightly its lid pops off. My other hand moves to my chest, and I become increasingly dizzy. Stomach knotting, I feel a bit nauseous. It dims, then disappears completely. I decide that it was nothing serious, maybe some indigestion, and continue walking around. About an hour later, the same feeling reappears, with the same quick retreat.

The third wave of surprise sickness (approximately 30 minutes later) causes me to contemplate heading home. Instead, curious, I rush into a bathroom and dart into a stall. Lifting up my shirt, I can see that the 'A' on my chest dimly glowing a scarlet red. I stare in fascination.

Nearly a minute of fighting the urge to vomit later, the glowing has brightened and I feel much worse. I briskly make my way home, tossing the empty iced tea cup and holding my stomach. I reach my house, groaning as I continue inside. The 'A' has heated up now, and I can see the fiery red shining through my shirt. As I close the door, my knees give and I cradle my churning insides while laying on my side on the floor.

"Oh!" a falsely cheerful voice greets my doubled over form. "You're back!"

Anti stands over my body, smiling down at me as usual. His gaze is full of malice, conniving, and... ownership, possibly? The glare, though, seems to intensify the the pain, and my vision begins to dim the longer his eyes remain on me – particularly his bright green eye.

"You stayed out too long," Anti growls, crouching down to look at my pained face closely. My teary eyes are shut tight, but a cold, sharp, metallic sensation against my neck causes my [E/C] eyes to rapidly flick to the demon leaning above me.

He holds the tip of a small knife to my throat and the blade presses against my chin. This way, he forces my head up so that my eyes meet his. I've fought back the tears so that my eyes are dry, now. I give him a blank expression, refusing to give him the satisfaction of anger, hatred, or fear.

Suddenly, just as randomly as the pain had started, it passes and the fiery sensation is replaced with a soothing warmth. My tense muscles relax instantly, and I glance down at the 'A' underneath my shirt, finding it glowing a bright almost neon green. I glance up at Anti as he removes the knife from my skin.

"If you make it home in time, however, that–" he gestures to the green light, the same hue as his eyes "–happens."

I nod, deciding not to question why he's controlling how long I'm out. "How long am I allowed to be out?"

"Five hours, total, at a time," he answers sternly. "After three and a half, there's a warning. Another hour and there's the second. Thirty minutes later, at five hours exactly, is when the real shit starts."

With these last words, Anti grins, daring me to test his patience again by staying out. Five hours, huh? I think. Seems reasonable, I guess.

Finding the time limit acceptable enough to comply with without protest, I nod and stand. The glowing of the 'A' diminishes. Anti stares at me as I sit on the couch, turning on the tv. Initially, I was able to ignore him, but the hole he's burning in the side of my head gets to me.

"Do you need something?" I turn to him finally.

Anti shrugs, leaning against a kitchen counter and continues to stare at me eerily. Again, I try to ignore him, but fail. I turn to Anti again.

"Can you please stop staring at me? I can feel your eyes on me."

"Picky, picky," he rolls his eyes. Still, he shifts his eyes away. Later, however, his eyes slide back onto my face. I let them stay, deciding that he'll just keep staring at me no matter what I do.

"Why are you still here?"

Anti shrugs. His eyes finally drift from me to one of his knives. He begins tossing it around, inspecting the blade. I notice weird things about the demon. He sort of glitches out of reality every now and then, like it's difficult for him to stay in one place. His sentences even become stuttered at times because of it...

Anti's eyes dart up for a moment, and I quickly look away.

"You know that I can hear everything you're thinking, right?" he raises an eyebrow.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be rude. Just getting used to the fact that you're... a real person," I apologize, averting my attention back to my tv show. Anti scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Hey, it's difficult and weird, okay?" I defend. "It's not every day that some glitchy doppelganger busts through your laptop screen and carves their initial into your stomach. Give me some time."

Anti remains silent at this comment, but still seems annoyed. I sigh.

This is gonna be a bitch.

"I heard that," the demon growls.

"Good," I shoot back.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Plaything" as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and votes are super appreciated. Thanks for reading! ~Blue