I’m sorry that this is late, I just wasn’t sure if I should post this because I feel like it doesn’t focus on moonlight that much?? But yeah I changed my mind and will post it anyway.
Pairing: Marvlesepticeye (Marvin x Jackie)
Words: 800
Warnings: None
It was the middle of the night when Jackie quietly opened the door to his and Marvin's apartment. He did his best to keep quiet as he carefully snuck into the living room and found the cupboard where he always kept extra clothes hidden. He quickly changed from his crime-fighting outfit into something he could comfortably wear while sleeping and continued on his way through the house. He was fully aware that he was supposed to get there hours earlier, but he couldn't do anything about the bad guys' schedule, could he now? He just hoped that Marvin gave up on waiting for him and went to sleep on his own, he didn't want to have to explain himself this late.
Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the door to their bedroom and gently pushed it open. As soon as he peeked inside, he could tell that something was out of place, though it took him quite a moment to figure out what exactly.
The bed was as messy as always, so it was hard to tell if Marvin was in it or not, and a couple of items seemed to be just slightly misplaced, but it wasn't quite that. Finally, Jackie realized what was so unusual, the room was far brighter than normal. With a puzzled look, he stepped inside and looked for the source of the light for a moment. It didn't take him long to see that the window wasn't covered by the blinds and that a certain someone was looking out of it. For a moment, the hero wasn't sure what to do, but he finally made up his mind and called out.
"Uhh... You're awake, Marv?" he asked hesitantly. Upon hearing his voice, his boyfriend flinched and quickly turned to face him.
"You're back!" he gasped, sounding very relieved to see Jackie.
The magician quickly made his way across the room, and now Jackie could see him better. His long hair was loose, he was wearing his regular pajamas, and he looked very troubled. He seemed to be tired, too, he obviously wasn’t used to staying up this late. That made the hero feel somewhat guilty.
“What happened? Did you get hurt?” Marvin asked, finally getting over to Jackie and putting his hands on his shoulders.
“I-I’m alright, just had to stop some robbers,” Jackie answered truthfully. Marvin sighed in relief. “What did you think happened?” the hero asked. His boyfriend glanced down.
“...I was worried you were injured,” he admitted, stepping back and slowly making his way back to the window. Jackie followed him but didn’t speak, allowing him to finish. “I watched the news and they mentioned an explosion in the south part of the city. I got worried so I tried to call you, but you didn’t pick up,” he explained further, reaching the window and leaning against the windowsill.
“My phone probably died, I forgot to charge it today,” Jackie explained himself, stopping not far behind his boyfriend.
“I guessed,” he nodded, looking outside. “I know I shouldn’t worry so much, you know what you’re doing, but it’s just…” he sighed. Shaking his head slightly, Jackie put a hand on his shoulder.
“And I shouldn’t disappear without a warning. But I promise, Marv, I’ll always come back. No matter what,” he swore, slowly lifting his hand to put it on Marvin’s cheek instead. Relaxing a bit, his boyfriend nodded slightly while leaning into it.
“I know…” he muttered quietly, putting his hand on top of Jackie’s one. That gesture alone made the hero’s cheeks heat up a little.
“I love you so much,” he smiled, watching his boyfriend relax further.
“I love you too,” Marvin responded with a small grin appearing on his face. Then, he glanced outside again. “The sky is very pretty tonight, isn’t it?” he asked.
“O-oh? Yeah,” Jackie agreed, but he only looked at it for a moment before turning back to Marvin, watching the moonlight sparkle in his boyfriend’s eyes.
“It reminds me of you,” he said softly after a moment of silence. That caught Jackie off-guard, but after just a moment he chuckled quietly.
“Alright, alright, enough of that,” he said, pulling his hand away only to take a step forward and lift Marvin off of the floor, much to his surprise. “You need to get some sleep now, being so charming and handsome must be tiring.”
His boyfriend didn’t complain, he simply held onto the hero to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally be dropped and let himself be carried to bed. They didn’t bother to shut the blinds, they just lied down next to each other, wrapping their hands around themselves and quickly fell asleep, just barely covering themselves with a blanket. They didn’t feel the need to do that, they both felt as if the needed nothing else as long as they had each other.
Covering themselves from the rain to the best of their ability, Chase and Henrik finally reached a bus stop with a small plastic roof, allowing them to take cover and stop. They were both soaked, though the leather coat Henrik was wearing proved itself to be far more water-resistant than Chase’s jacket. Leaning against each other, they tried to catch their breaths, slowly walking over to a bench and sitting down.
“...That was almost cool,” Chase chuckled shortly, taking off his hat and squeezing it, causing water to literally flow from it.
“If you say so,” Henrik shrugged, leaning back and taking deep breaths. He obviously wasn’t as used to running as Chase was. “Do you have tickets?” he asked between his wheezes.
“Yep,” Chase nodded, digging through his pocket for a moment before pulling out two miraculously not soaked bus tickets. “We don’t have to walk any further,” he assured.
“Good,” Henrik nodded. “I can’t wait to get home and finally rest,” he muttered.
Not talking much more, the two waited for their bus to arrive while listening to the raindrops drumming against the bus stop and the pavement, reminding them of what would happen if they tried to get home on foot. After sitting there for over 5 minutes, they saw headlights in the distance and could tell that it was their ride. They both got up from the bench and got ready to walk through the rain for just a couple seconds to make it into the bus.
As soon as the vehicle pulled over and the doors opened, the two covered themselves again and rushed inside, somehow not getting much more soaked than they already were. Inside, it was somewhat warmer than they assumed it would be, but still too cold for them to get fully comfortable. Soon after entering and scanning the tickets, Chase spotted two free seats next to each other, so he took Henrik’s hand and carefully led him towards them, doing his best to keep his balance as the bus started. Finally, they both made it there and sat down next to each other, still holding hands.
“Here we go,” Chase sighed, relaxing in his seat for a moment before finally letting go of Henrik’s hand and taking off his soaked jacket. Henrik watched him do it with a frown forming on his face.
“Won’t you get cold?” he asked after seeing his boyfriend just put it away.
“I’d rather be freezing than freezing and soaked,” Chase answered with a shrug. Sighing quietly, Henrik pulled off his coat, and handed it to his boyfriend.
“We both know I handle the cold weather better,” he stated when he was met with confusion in Chase’s eyes. Shrugging again, his boyfriend took it and hesitantly put it on. It was completely dry inside and was still warm from being worn a moment earlier.
“Whoa, this is… nice,” Chase smiled, snuggling into it. “Just tell me if you get cold too, alright?” he requested. Henrik nodded.
“Of course,” he promised. With a soft smile, Chase leaned against his shoulder.
The other side of the coat was still somewhat wet, but Henrik didn’t seem to care while wrapping his arm around Chase, pulling him a bit closer. For a moment, they just sat like that, but eventually, the doctor’s peace was disturbed by his boyfriend sitting up and digging through his jacket’s pocket. Eventually, he pulled out his phone and a pair of earphones before looking up at Henrik.
“...Wanna listen to some music?” he offered, already plugging the earphones into the phone. Henrik sighed while nodding, he knew full well that their music taste was very different.
“Alright, if you want to,” he agreed, taking one of the earphones and putting it into his ear.
“Awesome,” Chase smiled, taking the other one and unlocking his phone to play some music on it while going back to leaning against Henrik’s shoulder.
They didn’t say anything for quite some time, just listening to music and cuddling each other, still hearing the soft tapping of raindrops outside. After no more than three songs, Henrik could feel Chase leaning more heavily against him, but he simply assumed that he was relaxing more. Only when he glanced down at him after some more time he recognized that his boyfriend was asleep.
“Chase-” he tried to say before realizing what happened. A soft smile appeared on his face as he shifted slightly to make sure he was comfortable. “Of course,” he muttered to himself, wrapping his hands around him. “...I love you, Meine Liebe,” he added quietly.
“I…” Chase murmured, blinking slightly but quickly closing his eyes again. “Love ya too, Hen…” he finished somehow, on the brim of falling back asleep again. Henrik didn’t expect to get an answer, but he certainly wasn’t disappointed.
“Rest some more… I’ll wake you up near our stop,” he promised, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on top of his head. Chase breathed something incomprehensible before relaxing and drifting off again.
Henrik kept smiling while watching his boyfriend falling back asleep, still holding him gently while his attention slowly shifted to looking outside and making sure that they wouldn’t miss their stop. The music continued to play from Chase’s earphones and eventually, the doctor had to admit that their favorite songs weren’t so different after all. The only unfortunate thing about that ride was having to stay awake while feeling so cozy and tired, but that certainly was something he was willing to put up with if it meant Chase getting some rest instead.
Now, I picked to go with Cold for this one, but some warmth ended up in it nonetheless.
Pairing: JJ x Jackie (I can’t find their ship name anywhere)
Words: 700
Warnings: None
It was already getting dark, like it usually did during wintertime, but Jackie knew he couldn’t get back home yet. He still had a large part of the city to patrol and he refused to skip even a day of his rather unusual job. However, when he looked down at the main street from a rooftop, he noticed someone waving at him. After he got over the fact that someone noticed him despite his best attempts to hide, he finally focused on the person and almost immediately recognized his boyfriend, Jameson.
He waved back and quickly got down from the building, pulling off his mask and putting on an oversized, blue hoodie he always had in the backpack he wore during his patrols. Figuring that this was enough of a disguise, he finally walked into the street and quickly made his way over to Jameson, who had no issue spotting him in the crowd despite the quick change of clothes.
JJ, unlike Jackie, was dressed very properly for the cold weather, he was wearing a woolen, fluffy hat, a long scarf, a warm jumper with a coat thrown over it, and a pair of gloves. He also had a backpack with him, though it didn’t seem too heavy.
“Hey, Jamie! What are you doing here?” Jackie asked him when he finally got close enough to him.
‘Hello, Jackie! I wanted to see you!’ Jameson signed with a cheerful expression on his face. ‘Aren’t you cold?’ he added upon seeing how lightly Jackie was dressed.
“Well, maybe a bit, but I’ll be done with the patrol soon anyway…” he answered dismissively. With a silent sigh, his boyfriend pulled down his backpack and unzipped it.
‘You’re in luck, I have something just for you!’ he signed before reaching down to it, pulling out a thermos and handing it to the confused hero. Jackie was surprised by how hot it was at the touch. ‘I made you some warm tea!’ Jameson announced.
“Whoa, that’s really nice! Thanks, sugar!” Jackie smiled, trying to unscrew the lid to taste the drink.
‘You’re welcome. Are you sure you’re not cold?’ JJ signed, noticing the hero’s hands trembling slightly. Jackie shrugged.
“As I said, I’ll be done soon anyway-” he tried to avoid the question, but didn’t get to finish.
Before he could refuse, Jameson pulled off his hat and scarf and put them on his boyfriend instead. They were very warm and the hero couldn’t find it in himself to pull them off and give them back instantly. Only when he saw Jameson pull off his coat as well and hold it out for him, he came to his senses.
“What about you, Jamie? You’ll be cold too!” he tried to argue, but Jameson wouldn’t pull back the hand in which he was holding the coat.
‘My jumper is good enough to keep me warm until I get home, and we both know your patrols take a lot of time. And we don’t want you to catch a cold, do we now?’ Jameson shut down his arguments. Jackie hesitated before sighing in defeat and taking the coat off Jameson’s hands and putting it on.
“Fine… But only this once,” he agreed. No matter how strong he was, he would never win this argument and he knew that.
‘Of course. I’ll get you some warm clothes before tomorrow,’ Jameson nodded in agreement before smiling warmly. ‘You look lovely in this coat,’ he complimented.
“...You think so?” Jackie asked, a smile appearing on his face as well. JJ nodded.
‘Of course, dear,’ he confirmed before taking a step forward to give Jackie a kiss on the cheek. ‘Now good luck saving the world,’ he signed as a goodbye.
“Thank you, Jamie. I’ll see you back at our house, alright?” Jackie responded.
After receiving a nod of confirmation, he disappeared into the crowd only to get back to the top of the building and put on his mask once again. Before continuing on his way, he took a moment to drink the drink he got and admire the way it tasted… Jameson’s tea was always the best. And even though he had to take off the bonus hoodie to make sure that his suit’s logo was visible, his boyfriend’s coat was more than enough to keep him warm throughout the rest of the patrol.
A short one-shot I’ve decided to write, where JBM is Trans, Marvin is Gender Fluid and they both finally decided to come out to each other! Also posted here, on AO3!
Character(s): Jackieboy-Man, Marvin
Words: 1.5k
Warning(s): Ego shipping
Jackie just couldn't make up his mind. He kept picking up his phone only to set it down a second later, shaking in fear. He really wanted to text Marvin, but he just didn't know how to start a conversation... and he wasn't even sure if he'd rather talk over the phone or in person. Only after over half an hour of this struggle, his phone vibrated. He hesitantly picked it up and looked at the screen, seeing a new message from Marvin just pop up.
[Can we meet?] it said. Before Jackie could collect himself and respond, another text came. [I need to tell you something]
Jackie took a deep breath. Great. Did he do something wrong? What if Marvin already knew? How serious was it? Oh no, oh no, oh no...
[Yeah sure] he texted back. He didn't have to wait for an answer for too long.
[Great! 4 pm by the park is okay with you?] Marvin texted. Jackie glanced up at the clock, he had 10 minutes.
[Yep! See you there, Ily!] he texted back.
[Love you too] came an answer. ...So maybe it wasn't that bad?
With that, Jackie set down the phone, walked over to his closet, and looked through it. He thought for a moment before deciding that he should actually put on his binder for the occasion. And so he did, throwing his favorite red hoodie over it and hiding his hair in the hood. It was quite hot outside, but this would not stop him from looking like he wanted to. Having only a couple of minutes left until 4 pm, he quickly left the house and rushed to the park. Luckily, he lived close to it, so he got there just in time. He stopped by the gate and looked around, soon enough spotting Marvin near. He waved his hand and walked over to them.
"Hi, Marv!" he greeted when he got close enough, doing his best to hide how nervous he was.
"Hey, sweetheart. You look great today," they answered. Jackie laughed quietly.
"Thanks... So, you wanted to tell me something?" he reminded. Marvin tensed up before nodding.
"Yeah, but... can we walk first? I'll be honest, I'm kinda nervous," they admitted. Jackie quickly nodded.
"Oh, sure! Totally! Yeah!" he agreed. Marvin chuckled at his quick reaction before starting to walk, trying to find the right words to start. Then, they suddenly looked Jackie over.
"...Is this a new hoodie?" they asked with a small frown. Jackie looked down at his clothes before shaking his head.
"Nope. It's the usual one, why?" he answered. Marvin hesitated for a moment.
"I don't know, it just looks... different?" they answered. That's when Jackie realized, his chest looked different with the binder on, so... Oh.
"I'm not sure why..." he muttered, hoping that they'd believe him.
"Alright, then. And aren't you hot in it?" they asked with a bit of concern.
"Nope, I'm alright," Jackie answered. When he was met by silence, he decided to try to keep the conversation going. Except, he almost couldn't think with how stressed he was becoming, so he managed to find only one question. "By the way, what's your opinion on LGBTQ+?" he asked before even realizing what he was saying.
"...What do you mean?" Marvin asked, visibly confused. Jackie hesitated before realizing that there was no way back.
"I mean, uh... you're okay with it, right?" he asked. Real smooth... Marvin chuckled, looking at him with a sweet smile.
"Love... I told you I'm Ace, right?" they reminded him. They were sure they did. And for a moment, they wanted to add something else, but they stopped at the last moment.
"Oh! R-right!" Jackie gasped, face-palming. How could he forget? "Well... I need to tell you something, then," he announced. That alone got Marvin's full attention.
"What is it, J-" they tried to ask, but Jackie stopped them by raising his hand before they could use his deadname.
"Yeah, it's... I'm not really..." he tried to explain, but was at a loss of words. Marvin put a hand on his shoulder.
"Go ahead. You know you can tell me anything, right?" they reminded. Jackie nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, I- I know. So... I... I'm not actually a... girl...?" he announced. This visibly surprised Marvin, making them tilt their head in confusion.
"...What do you mean?" they asked. Jackie took another deep breath and glanced around to make sure no one else would hear.
"I'm... I'm Trans," he managed to say, closing his eyes and waiting for the worst. After a moment, he felt Marvin cup his cheeks.
"That's... love, that's amazing!" they said. Jackie quickly looked at them, surprised to see a loving smile on their face.
"Are you... is that... okay with you?" he asked nervously. Marvin seemed surprised that he'd even ask that.
"What? Of course! I... I love you so, so much... What should I call you?" they asked him. Jackie felt a giant wave of relief wash over him upon hearing that.
"I- J-Jackie, please?" he answered. Marvin nodded with a smile on their face.
"That's a lovely name, Jackie. Thank you for telling me," they said. Not able to hold back anymore, Jackie rushed forward and hugged them tightly.
"T-thank you s-so much..." he choked out, holding back tears. Marvin hugged him back, gently rocking him to the sides and giving him all the time he'd ever need.
"Of course, love," they answered. When Jackie finally pulled away with a smile, they realized that this was a perfect moment for them to come out as well. "I actually have something to tell you about myself too, you know?" they said. Jackie looked at them with curiosity.
"What is it?" he asked, wiping away whatever was left of tears in the corners of his eyes.
"I... I thought about it for some time and I... I don't think I'm cis either...?" they said with hesitation. Jackie looked up at them with a surprised expression. "A-actually, I'm sure I'm not. I... I concluded that I'm... Gender Fluid," they announced. Jackie couldn't help but gasp.
"Really? That's awesome!" he cheered, bouncing a bit. Marvin felt just as much relief as Jackie did a moment earlier.
"...We can still be together, right?" they asked, just to be sure. Jackie nodded quickly.
"Yeah, of course! Of course! I- I love you so much, nothing can change that!" he reassured. Marvin smiled, relaxing.
"I love you too, Jackie," they said, pulling him into a hug again. Except this time, they were the one who needed it.
"So..." Jackie started, still holding them close. "What pronouns should I use for you? And, do you want me to call you a different name?" he asked. Marvin needed a moment to get themself together before they could answer.
"A-any are fine, but... they and them, for now? And... I'm fine with Marvin most of the time, just... could you call me M...Mary sometimes? When I feel female...?" they requested. Jackie quickly nodded.
"Yeah, of course! That sounds great!" he agreed without hesitation. Marvin leaned on him a bit upon hearing his answer.
"Thank you so, so much... this means the world to me," they said, still refusing to pull away from the hug. Jackie carefully rubbed their back.
"...Thank you for telling me," he answered, doing his best to not cry over how amazing everything was.
They both stayed like that for quite a moment, just hugging each other tightly while standing on the side of the sidewalk in their favorite park, taking this amazing moment in. They could still remember how afraid they both were about this conversation even 20 minutes earlier, but it just went so great... this was amazing. They could be themselves and still date the one they loved... This was more than perfect. And a hug never felt more warm and safe before... it was hard to believe that everything that just happened was even real. But it somehow was...
"H-hey, can we go to a hairdresser?" Jackie asked eventually, when he finally pulled away. He gestured to his long hair hidden in his hood. "Because I might need a haircut..." he chuckled nervously. Marvin quickly nodded.
"Yeah, of course. There's a place nearby, I think?" they answered, taking Jackie's hand to lead him. "Do you want to go buy some new clothes after that? I could use some, too..." they asked. Jackie nodded after a moment of hesitation.
"Sure, Mar," he answered, shortening the nickname "Marv" even one letter more. Marvin's face lit up upon hearing the new version. "Mar" just worked for both Marvin and Mary, it was... perfect.
"...I love you so much," they said, leading Jackie towards the way out of the park.
"I love you more," he chuckled, squeezing their hand gently. And soon enough, they squeezed back, both of them hoping that they'll never have to let go.
Now, this one ended up being a bit longer than my other ones but like,,, I feel like it’s still good so here ya go, another story for another day with another ship.
Pairing: heroaverage (Jackie x Chase)
Words: 1200, apparently
Warnings: None
Jackie was running down the street, glancing down at his wrist every couple of moments before swearing under his breath and speeding up. This was supposed to be his and Chase’s first official date and he was meant to get there 5 minutes ago. Maybe it wasn’t much time, but he was afraid that his partner would leave before he manages to get there and explain himself. He tried to fix up his hair and straighten his hoodie on his way, but it obviously wasn’t too successful with him running in the meantime.
Finally, he reached the café they were supposed to meet at, but he couldn’t see Chase anywhere outside. He felt anxiety fill him, but he figured he might as well check inside before he goes home and tries to text him. He pushed the door to the building open and walked inside, looking around. Finally, he saw a familiar person sitting in a corner with an empty chair in front of them and he felt relief wash over him.
“Jackie! Over here!” Chase waved at him as soon as he noticed him enter. The hero clumsily made his way towards the table with a smile forming on his face.
“Hi, Chase, it’s… great to see you,” he greeted a bit awkwardly. It was his first date in forever and he wasn’t sure how else to start. Chase chuckled at that greeting, but didn’t seem to mind it.
“It’s great to see you too, Jackie. Sit down, I got you a drink already,” he answered, pointing to a cup sitting on the table next to the free chair. Jackie looked at it and a surprised expression appeared on his face.
“Whoa, that’s actually my favorite drink! How did you know that?” he gasped, not able to hide amazement in his voice.
“A man has his ways,” Chase winked. “You mentioned it some time ago,” he gave an actual answer after a bit of silence. He was worried that it came off wrong, but Jackie was just too amazed to speak at first.
“That’s really sweet of you,” he said finally, sitting down in the chair that was left for him. “And I’m sorry for being late but-” he tried to explain himself, but before he could, he accidentally knocked a sugar bowl off the table.
Thanks to his sharp senses, he realized just in time to reach down and grab it before it could hit the ground and shatter, making a mess. However, Chase’s reaction was just as fast and the two tried to grab it at the same time. Luckily for them, they didn’t hit their heads and the sugar was caught in the air, but while Chase ended up holding it, Jackie only managed to put his hand on top of his.
“N-nice catch!” Jackie chuckled, backing his hand away and doing his best not to blush. Even if those were just their hands touching, it did make him a bit flustered.
“You were quick too,” Chase smiled, setting the sugar bowl back on the table. He didn’t comment on Jackie’s expression and seemed to be far less nervous about this date. “So, you were saying?”
“Yeah, I wanted to apologize for being late,” Jackie repeated, his expression getting a bit more somber. “I just got my ass kicked in a fight and the bad guy got away and I had to quickly change at my apartment and then I still tried to look around because I was worried that they followed me and would do something and-” he tried to explain, but he grew more nervous as he spoke.
“Hey,” Chase said, stopping him from rambling more by gently grabbing his hand under the table. “It’s alright, Jackie. I’m not mad, and I’m sure you’ll get them next time,” he said softly, looking into Jackie’s eyes. That alone seemed to reassure the hero enough to replace his troubled expression with a sheepish smile.
“Thanks… I guess I will,” he agreed hesitantly.
“I’m sure you will, we both know what you can do,” Chase clarified. “But for now, just relax. We can worry about that later,” he added. Jackie nodded and took a deep breath, pushing the anxiety away.
“You’re right. So, how was your day?” he asked, getting the conversation on a more normal track. Still, they kept holding hands under the table.
The two ended up talking for hours and ordered quite a number of drinks in the meantime, but they both could agree that they had a great time. The slight tension from the beginning of their date quickly disappeared between the sweet talks and funny stories they both shared and they almost didn’t notice the time pass. Only when most of the other customers left the café and the place was growing awfully quiet, they noticed that it was already dark outside and the place would probably close soon.
“Well, won’t you look at the time… I guess we’ll need to get going soon,” Chase sighed quietly. Jackie glanced down at his watch and had to take a double-take.
“Oh. Yeah… So, who’s paying? I gladly will,” he offered. Chase shook his head.
“Nah, I’ve got it,” he assured, digging through his pocket to find his wallet.
“How about we split the money in two?” Jackie suggested, already holding his. Chase considered it for a moment before nodding.
“Alright, that seems fair,” he agreed.
Still holding hands, they got up from the table and walked over to the register to pay. After a couple of minutes of waiting in a queue, they finally got to do it and left the café, walking down the street until they’d reach the subway station, where they’d have to say their goodbyes. Chase had to take the subway while Jackie’s easiest way to get back home was simply walking there. And unfortunately, they soon got to their destination.
“Thank you for today, Jackie. It was really lovely,” Chase thanked him, looking off into the street as if he was in thought.
“Thank you too, this was probably the best day of my life,” Jackie admitted. And then, remembering a tip he received quite some time earlier, he leaned over to give him a small kiss on a cheek. Unexpectedly, Chase turned away from the street and looked back at him.
“So when are we doing this aga-” he tried to ask before he was cut off by a very sudden kiss.
Both Chase’s and Jackie’s cheeks turned bright red, but none of them tried to pull away at first. They did so only after a moment, mostly because they were not prepared for that at all. For a moment, they were too flustered to say anything else, but eventually Jackie took a step back and nervously rubbed his neck, looking at Chase with an embarrassed smile.
“So… I’ll text you later?” he said without certainty. A grin appeared on Chase’s face after a moment longer of being astounded.
“I sure hope you will,” he answered with a small chuckle, his cheeks still brightly red.
“I- I promise,” Jackie confirmed before taking a couple of steps back and, before Chase knew it, disappearing somewhere.
And while they both headed in different directions, they both thought about just one thing: That date was the best decision of their lives.
“Broken into pieces”, Chapter 3 - The not-so-jolly Jameson
Hi everyone! After over a month, I finally managed to get another chapter of this thing done! As you might start noticing now, I’m trying to show each Ego’s feelings in each chapter, so that’s why the focus shifts to JJ in this one!
Here is this chapter on AO3 and Here is the last chapter on Tumblr!
Character(s): Jameson, Anti (”mentioned”), Henrik (smaller role), Chase (smaller role), Marvin (smaller role)
Words: 1.5k
Warning(s): mentions of death
Jameson was sitting on the couch in the living room and growing more concerned with each second. He was sure that he caught a glimpse of Henrik passing the room earlier and that the doctor looked troubled, but after that, he only heard the sound of his door being slammed shut before everything went silent. As time went on, he felt an urge to get up and check up on his friend, but before he managed to make up his mind he finally heard the door open again, quickly followed by footsteps going towards him. And so, the dapper man decided to stay in his spot and wait for things to unfold.
After just a moment, Henrik entered the room. He looked tired, or maybe even sad, as he glanced around before finally spotting JJ. Once he did, he quickly wiped his eyes before making his way towards him and taking a concerningly deep breath. Jameson tilted his head a bit while waiting for the doctor to say something, but for the first time in forever, the man couldn't find the right words. Eventually, he sighed.
"Wait here. I... I need to get Chase and Marvin here, too," he said, his voice surprisingly low.
'Why? Is everything alright?' Jameson signed before the doctor could leave. Henrik quickly shook his head.
"D-Don't worry about it, Jameson. I'll explain in a minute," he assured. This answer obviously didn't reassure JJ, but he nodded and allowed Henrik to leave, not wanting to wait for the actual explanation any longer than he had to. After a moment, Chase entered the room and awkwardly sat down next to JJ on the couch.
"So... did you see Henrik?" he asked after a moment of just sitting speechlessly.
'He told me to wait here. With how troubled he looked like, it's slightly worrying,' Jameson signed hesitantly. Chase gave him a tiny nod.
"We're on the same page here, then," he muttered, more to himself rather than Jameson.
After sitting there for just a moment longer, they heard a distant sound of Henrik and Marvin arguing in a different room. They didn't even try to have any small conversations as they listened to their friends fighting about something for an almost concerning amount of time. Finally, the voices went quiet, and soon after that, Henrik, still looking as troubled as before, walked into the room. He was shortly followed by a visibly annoyed Marvin. The magician stopped right by the door and crossed his arms as if he was in a rush.
"Alright, what is it, Henrik?" he asked. The doctor sighed.
"You might want to sit down before I tell you," he answered, grabbing a chair for himself and sitting in front of the couch. Marvin just rolled his eyes.
"I'd rather not, I need to get going soon-" he tried to argue, but Henrik cut him off.
"Sit down," he repeated in a voice that made Marvin realize that this wasn't something he should be arguing about. Still annoyed, he walked over to the couch and sat down next to Chase. "Thank you," the doctor sighed, rubbing his temples.
"...Can you tell us what happened, please?" Chase asked after silence filled the room for some time. Henrik nodded slowly.
"It's about Anti," he started. Before anyone got to chime in, he tried to continue. "Today, he and Jackie were saving people from a building after it caught on fire..." he tried to explain, but his voice trailed off. This alone left everyone in the room with visibly concerned expressions.
'Is he okay?' Jameson signed nervously, even though he wasn't sure if he was ready for the answer.
"No, he... didn't get out in time. The building collapsed while he was still inside," Henrik answered after a moment of hesitation. Now the worried expressions were replaced by shocked ones filled with disbelief and the room fell silent for a moment.
"A-Are you serious!?" Marvin yelled, jumping off of the couch and rushing towards the doctor. "I-Is this a terrible, dumb joke or something?!" he demanded.
"Marvin! Marvin!" Chase called after him, breaking through the shock and following him to stop him.
"It's not a joke," Henrik answered truthfully, which only resulted in more yelling.
And while the three argued, Jameson silently got up and stumbled out of the room, quickly rushing to his own bedroom. He felt dizzy while he tried to acknowledge what he just heard. He didn't even think it was possible for Anti to die, not to mention how... human his death was. And the fact that he died saving other people seemed even more absurd. Jameson never felt comfortable around the demon, he usually tried to avoid him simply because he didn't trust him, but now he felt... conflicted. Was his fear reasonable, or was he just wasting his time, blinded by the past?
Trying to wrap his head around the whole situation, he sat down on his bed and stared at the floor. He struggled to imagine Anti being a hero, saving strangers, and willing to sacrifice himself for the better cause, but it somehow happened. When did the demon change for the better? Did he ever show that side around Jameson? How come he never noticed? Eventually, he shook his head and pulled out a pocket watch to check how long has he been sitting there. He certainly didn't want to worry the others by disappearing, so he wanted to make sure that he wasn't gone for too long... And that's when it hit him.
=====================
Jameson felt tense the moment Anti walked into the room and locked eyes with him. It's been over a month since the demon moved in, but JJ still couldn't help feeling scared when left alone with him. Somewhat awkwardly, he made his way across the room and over to Jameson, hiding something behind his back. The man's first assumption was a knife, which only made him more anxious, but he was soon to be proven wrong.
"H͜e͏y͢, u̧h,̛ ̛Ja͝m̸e͞s͘on̵,͏" the demon greeted and judging by his voice, he was nervous about this talk as well.
'Yes?' JJ signed, doing his best to hide his fear.
"I go͏t̢ yơu so̵m̡et͘hi̢n͡g̷," Anti announced. This confused the dapper man... what did he mean? As if he could read Jameson's thoughts, he pulled out a fancy pocket watch. "Ma͠r͝v͟in̴ ͢h͜e̸lped̡ m̢e ͏pic̛k i҉t. H̛e ̸said̶ ̵som͟ęt̛h͠i̧n̨ģ ҉abo̡ut ho̶w̢ y̨ou͞ ̨nee͜d t̨im̢e͞ ̶to͞ ge͝t us͏ed t̢o ̶m̵e̢.͏.͏.̵ I͡ jus͏t ͘th͜ought ͝y͢o̧u'd͟ like it." he explained. Hesitantly, Jameson nodded and took it, still half-expecting to get stabbed.
'Thank you. That's a very thoughtful gift,' he signed, briefly looking it over and putting it into his pocket. 'Excuse me, but I need to leave now,' he added, carefully getting up and backing away from the demon. Anti nodded.
"S͘u͞re,͏" he responded simply.
Jameson left the room and only then he felt safe. After calming himself, he pulled the watch back out and took more time to take a look at it, finally noticing all the fancy details and quickly beginning to like it. He was confused about receiving it, but he just assumed that it was entirely Marvin's idea to get it and the magician only convinced Anti to give it to him. It would make some sense, the man was obviously trying to get others to like the demon and he knew how much Jameson appreciated gifts...
=====================
Jameson felt an incredible amount of guilt wash over him when he realized that even back then, Anti was trying to be nice. Influenced by others or not, he was seriously trying, only to be ignored. How come JJ never noticed his efforts? He wasted so much time avoiding him instead of getting to know him, and now... now it was too late to give it a try. This realization made his insides twist in an almost painful manner, knocking the air out of him.
He covered his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. He couldn't think straight anymore, he didn't know what to do... oh, he wasted so much time! He didn't know for how long he was sitting like this, but a loud crash in one of the nearby rooms finally snapped him out of it. He looked around, trying to figure out what happened, but heard nothing else.
With his hands shaking, he picked up the pocket watch to check the time again before putting it back into his pocket. Then, he managed to get up and stumbled over to his desk, still desperately trying to think. Eventually, he concluded that there was only one thing he could do now. He knew that others were probably suffering more than him, so he decided to do something he knew they wouldn't be able to prepare. Holding back tears, he picked up a pen and piece of paper before starting to write. With a heavy heart, he put "The funeral" on top of the page. Because somebody had to.
“Broken into Pieces”, Chapter 1 - When everything crumbles
Look at me, attempting to write again! This fic is going to have 7 chapters and is far more angsty than other things I’ve wrote so far, so be beware! Also, this will include some ego shipping, but that’s going to come into play later down the line (probably chapter 6 or something)
“At first, everyone strictly hated Anti. However, as time went by, the "evil demon" started to grow on them, and soon enough, he became a part of their weird, little family. Of course, some liked him more and some liked him less, but in the end, they did care about him.
That's why when one day everything went wrong and they lost him, it hit them hard.“
Character(s): Anti, Jackieboy-man
Words: 1.2k
Warning(s): fire, major character death
When the egos first met Anti, things didn't go smooth. They went very wrong, actually, and it all ended with a big fight between them and him. But only as time went on and big battles continued to happen every once in a while, they started to realize that the demon wasn't truly trying to harm them. Just knowing this wasn't enough to fix everything, but when Marvin decided to try and talk with him instead of fighting, their theory was confirmed. Anti wasn't the bad guy, they just misunderstood each other at first.
And so, the magician was the first one to bring Anti to the house he shared with the other egos. It caused some chaos at first, but one after the other, everyone slowly realized that he was right - Anti wasn't a threat. Some trusted him more than the others, but after less than a month, it was safe to say that the demon was a part of their family already. He helped Jackie to fight crime, he taught Marvin more powerful magic, he helped Jameson with puppet shows, he tried some trick shots with Chase, he helped Henrik to relax after work by preparing coffee... And for everyone, he always offered a shoulder to cry on and some not-always-great-but-still advice. So, really, it was perfect. Even if he sometimes said some immoral things or got close to revolving to violence, they worked through their differences and accepted him as one of their own.
Little did the others know, things were just about to change.
Jackie was struggling to catch his breath, he felt exhaustion in every single muscle of his body, but he didn't even think about stopping to take a break. A huge building was on fire and many people were still stuck inside, he had to save them! And so he kept going in and out, getting the people working there outside while doing his best to cover his face. He was still waiting for the firefighters to get there, but luckily, he wasn't alone. Anti was there to help, carrying outside as many people as he could to help. Unlike the hero, he didn't even bother covering his face from the smoke. He was a demon, after all, he didn't have such stupid weaknesses. He was getting tired as well, but again, it didn't affect him as much.
"How many people are still inside?" Jackie asked one of the people he first brought outside.
"Just a few more, maybe 10?" the woman said, looking around and counting her coworkers again.
"You heard that, Anti?" the hero called out just moments after the demon left the building, helping two people outside. He nodded tiredly.
"Ye̛p̢. 10.͢ G͞o͏t it͞," he confirmed, turning back to go into the building again.
"I'm right behind you," Jackie informed, running inside as well. Just a couple more people.
Five minutes passed and it appeared that everyone was outside already. This was good, a far better outcome than usual. Well, almost everyone, one more person was missing and so was Anti. It was entirely possible that the worker simply left already, or that he wasn't inside in the first place, but the disappearance of his ally worried Jackie far more. He was currently resting and finally catching his breath, but with each second he felt more urge to go back inside and look for Anti. He could already hear the sirens in the distance, which meant that the firefighters soon would arrive, but he couldn't help feeling worried. Just as he made up his mind and got up to try getting back inside he saw someone running out. The last missing employee, a rather young man.
"Are you okay?!" the hero asked, immediately running up to him. The man nodded shakily, coughing heavily.
"He- he's there-!" he wheezed, pointing to the building. Jackie's gut-feeling told him that something was very wrong.
"Who?" he asked, even though he was sure he knew the answer.
"A-a man- He- He was getting me out, but he- he fell and- told me to run, so- so I-" the boy said, but before he was done explaining Jackie already took off running and swearing under his breath. So much for the demon's 'smoke resistance'.
"Anti! Anti?! Where are you?!" he called out, looking around. And for some time, he got no answer. Only then came a weak grunt from one of the rooms. "Anti!"
Jackie ran into the room and, to his horror, discovered Anti lying on the floor, coughing quietly. He quickly rushed to his side and tried to pick him up only to realize that the demon weighed more than an average person and he was just so exhausted... Still, he tried a couple of times, tried until he felt dizzy. Then, he just tugged on Anti's shirt and tried to drag him outside to no avail.
"J- J̡acki̶e̷?" Anti asked, seemingly regaining consciousness.
"You're up?! Good, now come on! We need to get outside! Everyone else is safe!" the hero informed, trying to force the demon up.
"T̕-҉͢t҉h͏e̡͠r͠e'̷͞s͝͞͝ ̨̡no-̵" he tried to argue, his voice getting more distorted as he spoke. Suddenly, he froze. ".̧̡.̕͝.͠R̷̶̡͘ų̷͜n͏̴̸̧.҉̵͢͠" he said. It was hard for Jackie to even make out what he was saying.
"Not without you!" the hero refused once he realized that Anti just asked him to run. Swearing loudly, the demon tried to get to his feet.
"F̶in̵e͏.͏ ̷̡I̷͝'͢͜m̨͜ ̛ri͏͝g̛h̷̛͜t͠ ͏̷b҉̵e͡hi͢͞n̴d͘͢ ͏͘y͠o̴̧͜u͝,̷̶" he muttered, getting up and starting to stumble forward. Jackie ran first, but kept looking over his shoulder to make sure that Anti was still there. "J̸u̢s̵t ̸̢g҉o̵̧.̶͜ ̷̡Y̷̸̢ou̵͝'re̸ ̴sl̸̢̕o͠w̴i̛n͞g u͞s̕͝ ḑ̧o̵̷w̸̛n̕.̸͜͠" he complained.
"Fine!" Jackie sighed, reassured that Anti felt better. He wouldn't say that on death bed after all, would he?
Already stumbling, Jackie ran outside and took a deep breath of fresh air before stopping, coughing, and wheezing. A couple of citizens walked over, concerned, and tried to ask him if he was okay, all while the firefighters finally arrived. As they got to work and tried to extinguish the fire, Jackie finally caught his breath and the wheezing soon turned into a quiet laugher. Everyone was fine, after all, so why not laugh?
"I'm- we're both good-" he said proudly. When the people only looked more concerned, he looked at Anti for confirmation. All color drained from his face when he realized that his friend... wasn't there. "I- He was right behind me!" he gasped.
Without hesitation, he tried to run back inside, promising himself that this time he'll make sure that Anti gets out even before him. Yet just as he was getting closer to the entrance, he heard something snapping inside, and before he could enter, the building crumbled before his eyes. He froze in his tracks and stared for a moment. Then, he called out to the firefighters, telling them that someone was still inside, and then he fell to his knees in defeat. Still staring.
"He was right behind me... he was..." he kept muttering to himself, ignoring the civilians surrounding him and trying to calm him down. "Right behind me..."
It slowly occurred to him that this was... over. This short moment was the end. There was no way to turn back time, Anti was gone. Just like that, wiped from the earth... This was the end of the demon's story.
@basket-full-of-septics‘s Septicart Event, Week 3, Day 2 - Henrik & “Experiment”. Is me taking a weird approach even surprising anymore?
Character(s): Henrik, (???), other(s) mentioned
Words: ~650
Warning(s): None
Henrik's eyes snapped open and he flinched. He was frozen for a moment before looking around. This wasn't the bus he was sitting in just one blink of an eye ago. This was a regular living room, yet a one he didn't recognize. How did he get here? When did he get here? Why did he get here? What was going on?!
The German doctor got up to look around and tried to find the way out of the house, or at least something that would tell him where exactly was he or how he got there. He couldn't help but notice his clothes. He had his white medical coat and quite a lot of medical equipment on him, but no mask. That was weird, he usually had it with him even outside of work, but now it was just... gone? He could also see a bag that seemed to belong to him. And just as he picked it up, he heard somewhat familiar voices talking, approaching his room.
"I really hoped it'd work..." someone complained.
"Me too. Maybe we can try again some other time?" someone else tried to cheer the first person up. Though their voices were so similar, almost identical!
"I guess. We'll just need better ideas," the first one answered.
"Yeah. So, bye?" the other one said just as they were getting dangerously close to the door.
"Sure. See you around!" the original speaker answered and the two seemed to separate.
The first person opened the door as the other one seemed to run off in another direction. The man in the door looked exactly like Henrik. He was in the middle of taking his own medical coat off when he noticed the confused and nervous German doctor in the middle of the room, holding his bag close to his chest and looking at him. The two glared at each other for a moment before the stranger turned around and yelled after the person he just allowed to leave.
"Jackie! Go get Marv, it worked! He's here!" he shouted. A faint 'Really?! On my way!' was hearable from the other side of the house, but Henrik couldn't care less.
"What worked?! Where am I?! Who are you?!" he demanded and the man at the door walked in after taking a deep breath.
"I'm Seán, but you can also call me Jack. You're Henrik, right?" the man asked, holding his hand out for a handshake. Henrik hesitantly shook it.
"Yes. Why am I here?" he asked. The other man seemed to laugh nervously.
"Well, I guess I kind of... just created you?" he said and if not the fact that he had no other options, Henrik wouldn't believe him.
"Created?" he repeated. Maybe it was a misunderstanding?
"Yeah. It happened to me before, even twice, but... it was never really planned. This time we were actually trying to see if I can make it happen on purpose," Jack explained. Henrik was only getting more confused with this information.
"And it worked," he concluded, considering the fact that he existed.
"Exactly. The experiment succeeded, I guess?" Jack confirmed, trying to joke to lower the tension. "There's more to it, but I'm sure Marvin will be able to explain it better than I am, you'll just have to wait for Jackie to get him."
"...Who are they?" Henrik frowned in confusion.
"Oh, they're the egos I created on accident!" Jack clarified quickly. Henrik nodded, pretending to know what the hell was going on. "And while we're waiting, coffee?" he offered. Now, this was something Henrik felt fully comfortable with.
"That would be nice," he nodded and soon enough was led out of the room and into the kitchen.
"Oh, by the way! I believe this is yours?" Jack stopped and handed Henrik something. The doctor quickly noticed that it was his surgical mask.
"Oh, yes, thank you!" he nodded, taking it off the man's hands.
"Keep an eye on it. Marvin said that if I have to give it to you then it's important," he explained and Henrik nodded despite not really understanding the situation yet. He only hoped that he would once that Marvin guy explains it.
