long live the k̨ińg͢͞

@therulerofall

RP blog for Anti (ONWlore AU).

70 posts

@farbeyondaverage

The glare was replaced by a smile at Chase’s response. Anti could feel amusement bubble up within him, a contrast to the simmering anger that had dominated only moments before. “Your family?” he repeated. The look on his face was almost pitying, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the laughter that followed.

He couldn’t help it. The fact that Chase was still hoping for their family after all this time was just too entertaining a thought not to laugh at.

How tragic he was. How funny.

The smile on Anti’s face stretched into a grin that showed all his teeth. “That sounds like wishful thinking to me,” he continued, “though I suppose I don’t blame you for running to the Watch. That group of misfits and broken egos has got to be a step up from the family that never even existed, hasn’t it?”

farbeyondaverage

Chase looked up at Anti, face twisting up in confusion. “What would you know about family? You never had one.”

He tried sounding confident, despite his thoughts working overtime to piece together what Anti meant. A family that never existed? His family was real, he knew them, remembered them.

“Jackie, Marvin, Jamie, Henrik, all of us. We could’ve been your family. But you cared too much about your power.” He continued on, avoiding addressing Anti’s comment. He didn’t even know what to say to it. He didn’t know if he even wanted to know the answer to his questions. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face that.

Anti held back another laugh as he listened to them dance around the question, then rolled his eyes at the one they responded with. Family. A source of weakness, and nothing more. Chase was proof of that.

“Maybe if you’d cared about your power a little more, then you wouldn’t have ended up here.” Anti gestured to the room around them, and the lights flickered wildly for a couple of moments until he lowered his arm again. “Look at you. Alone, afraid, and unable to confront the truth even when it is staring you in the face. It doesn’t sound like your family has done much good for you, if you ask me.”

farbeyondaverage

“My family is the only reason I’m alive,” Chase said quietly. But he was still shaking. Still scared. And still trapped. What was the point of even being alive if he just ended up here.

He looked back up at Anti, wide eyes full of fear, hands still gripped tightly around his knees. “What truth? What are you talking about?” His voice came out unsteady, weak, and sounded like it came from somewhere else. Somewhere in his mind, a thousand possibilities were eating at him, every one worse than the last. What “truth” could Anti possibly know that he didn’t? Or was he just trying to get to Chase even more?

Anti looked down at Chase and met their eye, taking in the fear and apprehension. He would have argued that their family hadn’t done them any favours, but their second comment quickly distracted him. "You really don’t know?” he asked, voice almost gleeful. After the chase they had led him on, he had been looking forward to this moment. “I knew you were clueless, but this is impressive!”

He paused for a moment while he shifted, moving closer to Chase. “It’s sad, really.” He tilted his head to the side, face warped into an expression of mock pity. “This family you speak so highly of? Your wife, your children? You never noticed that they don’t actually exist?”

#farbeyondaverage

@funnytheorist

Anti felt a sense of smug satisfaction as he watched Matt’s fear turn to acceptance. The infection was a wonderful thing - for him, at least.

When they moved to the bed Anti followed suit, though there was no creasing or indent on the covers where he supposedly sat. His eyes rapidly flicked back and forth as he peered over the theorist’s shoulder to read the information on the screen.

“Interesting…” he muttered once he’d finished, leaning away from them as he considered what he’d just read, and what they had explained.

Although the theory was still somewhat vague, Matt seemed to be onto something… not that Anti knew too much about the specifics of what the cure might require himself. He’d never tried to create one, after all. The only other person he’d spoken to who might have wanted to do so was the doctor, and they’d never managed it. A ward of insane patients could attest to that.

Anti’s eyes flicked over to Matt again. He had been tempted to leave them be while they succumbed to the infection they were trying to fight, but now it seemed like he ought to try and derail their research before it could yield any actual results.

“Interesting,” he continued, “though, doesn’t finding a supernatural cure seem a bit hopeful? ‘Supernatural qualities’ could mean anything. They probably wouldn’t help at all.” He paused, and raised an eyebrow. “I would have thought a person like you would have stuck to the facts, rather than fiction and fairy tales.”

As he spoke, his attention flitted between Matt and the laptop in their hands. There was a lot of information there… a lot of easily corruptible information.

Still, one problem at a time. It was a lot more amusing to mess with a person’s mind rather than the code of their computer.

Matt scrolled through the research on his laptop, blinking hard at his comment. Supernatural qualities wasn’t exactly the right term for it, since he was more or less looking for anomalies in the Watch Members blood, things that made them special. Nearly everyone had a gift or ability that they were unaware of, after all. But as his “fellow watch member” and theorist commented about the futility of it, he found himself believing that maybe…they were right. It would be extremely difficult to pinpoint what he needed in their blood, and it would take a long time. His shoulders went slack and he set the laptop away, frowning. He’d been working on this for so long, trying to find some way to cure this infection. He wasn’t sure how much longer some of the people in quarantine had. “I…you’re right. This isn’t plausible. Not only will it take forever, but it’ll be next to impossible to do.” he murmured, frowning as he glanced over at his laptop and then back to his “fellow watch member”. He looked so…upset. After a moment, he got up and started pacing back and forth, running fingers through his hair repeatedly. “Crap. I have to figure something else out…” he frowned. “It would be much easier if I could just get a blood sample from Anti himself…or a sample of whatever he uses to infect people…”

Anti blinked. “A blood sample?” If the Watch decided to act on that he might have to be a little more careful when he inevitably ended up in a fight with one of them again. Not that many got close enough to draw blood and survive…

The memory of a baseball bat flashed through his mind, and Anti suppressed a wince. Maybe playing it safe wasn’t such a bad plan after all.

“That’s certainly an… interesting idea,” he said, forcing himself to focus on the theorist again. “How’d you plan on getting close enough to get either of those things, though? They sound pretty dangerous to obtain.”

Matt continued to pace for a moment, running hands through his hair repeatedly. This was bad. It wasn’t good at all. He’d told Owen that he was onto a way to cure the infection, and this was a huge setback. They were to be expected, but he was running out of time. Who knew how long those people in quarantine had… His head snapped up and for a second, it looked like Anti’s illusion was failing, a tiny trail of blood starting from his left nostril. He exhaled a deep breath through his nose, speeding up the trail of blood for a moment. “I…Well, I don’t exactly know. But there are fights. Perhaps someone can get close enough to draw some blood? Or if he could be knocked out? I…I have no idea.” he murmured, running his hands through his hair again, seemingly unaware of the blood that finally made it to his lip. “I’ll…I’ll need to draw blood from each of the watch members still…” he said absentmindedly, finally stopping his pacing so he could stare at Anti, amber eyes fixed on him. Again, it almost looked like Anti’s illusion had worn off, but he gave no outward signs of it, just continued to stare at him.

Anti made no comment on the dripping blood or the staring, instead only watching with a look of vague curiosity as Matt tried to come up with a plan. They seemed more alert than they had been before, but Anti wasn’t too concerned with their behaviour. Now that he’d seen their progress towards finding a cure, why not take the chance to push them a little further? Run a few tests of his own, perhaps.

“Draw blood, huh?” he repeated once the muttering had stopped. “That sounds like a good start, but why not think bigger? You can only learn so much from blood samples, after all, and the infected might not have that much time.”

He got up and walked across to the wall nearest to him, stopping to point at one of the photos showing a puppet. “Why not just test things out directly on one of them? It’s not like you can make things much worse.” As he twisted to look at Matt again he tuned into the connection, trying to influence their already muddled perception.

This was a good idea. An excellent idea. Definitely wouldn’t end horribly.

@farbeyondaverage

The glare was replaced by a smile at Chase’s response. Anti could feel amusement bubble up within him, a contrast to the simmering anger that had dominated only moments before. “Your family?” he repeated. The look on his face was almost pitying, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the laughter that followed.

He couldn’t help it. The fact that Chase was still hoping for their family after all this time was just too entertaining a thought not to laugh at.

How tragic he was. How funny.

The smile on Anti’s face stretched into a grin that showed all his teeth. “That sounds like wishful thinking to me,” he continued, “though I suppose I don’t blame you for running to the Watch. That group of misfits and broken egos has got to be a step up from the family that never even existed, hasn’t it?”

farbeyondaverage

Chase looked up at Anti, face twisting up in confusion. “What would you know about family? You never had one.”

He tried sounding confident, despite his thoughts working overtime to piece together what Anti meant. A family that never existed? His family was real, he knew them, remembered them.

“Jackie, Marvin, Jamie, Henrik, all of us. We could’ve been your family. But you cared too much about your power.” He continued on, avoiding addressing Anti’s comment. He didn’t even know what to say to it. He didn’t know if he even wanted to know the answer to his questions. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face that.

Anti held back another laugh as he listened to them dance around the question, then rolled his eyes at the one they responded with. Family. A source of weakness, and nothing more. Chase was proof of that.

“Maybe if you’d cared about your power a little more, then you wouldn’t have ended up here.” Anti gestured to the room around them, and the lights flickered wildly for a couple of moments until he lowered his arm again. “Look at you. Alone, afraid, and unable to confront the truth even when it is staring you in the face. It doesn’t sound like your family has done much good for you, if you ask me.”

#farbeyondaverage

medizinundblut-blog

@therulerofall

The question caused his breath to hitch, digging his nails into his upper arms to try and stop his hands from trembling even more, but failing miserably. Henrik stiffened at the contact, lost eyes rising to meet the other’s through strands of bloodied fringe. “O-Of course!”

Just the small effort of trying to sound kinder on Anti’s part worked wonders on the doctor’s already corrupted perception. He was confused, and he didn’t fully know who the person in front of him was anymore.

Jack or Anti.

Oh well.

Fuck it.

He didn’t care anymore, as long as he made up for his mistake.

The doctor hung onto the other’s words, focused on the offer. “I-I can do that.” He murmured quietly, aware but not quite of the solemn expression painted on whoever-it-was’ face. “I can…I can protect him, I can make it up to him. I’ll…I-I will.”

It wasn’t necessarily determination that fuelled him at this point, more of a blind sort of loyalty that mixed horribly with his insanity that made for bad decisions. “I…I won’t let anything like this happen again, I swear it. I promise. I won’t let anyone hurt him, I won’t let myself hurt him again.” Henrik muttered semi-frantically, still lightly clawing at his upper arms, fingers still trembling as his gaze lowered, not reaching the other’s eyes but not on the floor.

Although the doctor stiffened under his grasp Anti made no move to let him go, not while they were still speaking. He looked past the bloodied fringe and averted gaze, ignored their shaking hands and desperation, and focused instead on their words. As they spoke a sense of vicious triumph rose within him, though outwardly his only reaction was to nod minutely.

The sympathetic look on his face certainly didn’t extend as far as his thoughts. As far as he was concerned, Henrik had brought this on themselves when they had tried to run.

This was a madness of their own making, and well deserved.

After a long moment he leaned away again, and then clapped them on the shoulder. “Good,” he said. The steadiness of his own voice was a sharp contrast to the doctor’s stammering. “There are lots of people out there who are willing to hurt him, so make sure you stick to that promise. Jack’s going to need all the help he can get.”

He dropped his hands and moved away, then looked at the doctor and sighed. Their madness was obvious, but for how long would it last? Would they be willing to keep those promises if they realised who they were speaking to? The opportunity to win the loyalty of another ego was too good to let slip, even if that loyalty had questionable foundations. He just needed to make sure that they didn’t regain lucidity too soon… if ever.

“I can only do so much to help him, Henrik,” he continued after a moment. “Are you sure that I can rely on you?”

medizinundblut-blog

Henrik jumped just slightly at the clap to the shoulder, eyes rising again as the other moved away. A cold confusion washed over him at the words. People willingly wanted to hurt Jack? There was something about that his head couldn’t get around. It was Jack, after all! The same Jack who had helped him get through so much. How could anybody…

His expression hardened just slightly, and he exhaled slowly.

The doctor answered easily to the question raised even with a stuttered repsonse, as if it was obvious. After all, to him, the answer was clear. If only his brain wasn’t so muddled and clouded, he’d be able to word it.

“O-Of course! You have my word.” Lost eyes lit up with a drive, although it clearly wasn’t a good one considering the situation. He balled a bloodied hand and hit himself firmly on the chest, like one would do with pride, although the gesture clearly lacked such in this instant. “I’d-I’d protect Jack with my life. H-He is a dear friend, I wouldn’t let anyone get near him with bad intentions. I’d fucking k-kill them for trying!” Hysteria edged his voice, but he seemed dead serious.

His grasp on himself and reality was nonexistent, and it showed.

The doctor’s words were music to Anti’s ears, and the gesture that accompanied them was just as pleasing to see. His eyes moved from the bloodied fist to their determined gaze, and he met it with a slow nod and a sound of quiet acknowledgement. A puppet they were not, but it seemed like their delusions would keep them just as loyal.

It was a fitting fate for someone who had faked their madness previously, Anti thought.

“I admire your enthusiasm, Henrik!” he responded with a smile. “Jack would thank you for it, too. He wouldn’t want a bunch of vigilantes running around and hurting people in his name, you can trust me on that.”

As he spoke he went to fold his arms across his chest, but aborted the motion at the last moment when it agitated the wound that ran down his torso. Another throb of pain accompanied the movement, though admittedly not enough to warrant the exaggerated wince that followed. “You really did a number on him, though.” Anti prodded at the dressing a little, peering down at the red stained cloth.

“Perhaps we should continue this discussion back at the hospital, where you can patch him up properly.” The glitch looked up again, and extended a hand to the doctor. “You have a lot of work to do to make up for that little mistake, don’t you think?”

#medizinundblut

@farbeyondaverage

The glare was replaced by a smile at Chase’s response. Anti could feel amusement bubble up within him, a contrast to the simmering anger that had dominated only moments before. “Your family?” he repeated. The look on his face was almost pitying, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the laughter that followed.

He couldn’t help it. The fact that Chase was still hoping for their family after all this time was just too entertaining a thought not to laugh at.

How tragic he was. How funny.

The smile on Anti’s face stretched into a grin that showed all his teeth. “That sounds like wishful thinking to me,” he continued, “though I suppose I don’t blame you for running to the Watch. That group of misfits and broken egos has got to be a step up from the family that never even existed, hasn’t it?”

#farbeyondaverage

@defenderel

Anti met El’s eye and chuckled. “It’s hard to argue against something when the evidence is staring you in the face.” He started to walk across the pavement, though he kept his head turned towards the other man as he moved.

“I suppose I could just tell your friends the truth,” he continued, “but why bother, when I can let them discover it for themselves?”

The glitch came to a stop with El between himself and the wall. His form flickered for a moment as he watched them, and the gap between them grew smaller again. “If you’re not willing to share their secrets, then that’s what’s going to happen.” His face split into a grin, and he raised his arms out towards them. “Last ch͟ánc͞e̵ ̡t́o͜ ́chan̶ge͟ ͢you͝r ̷m̧i͢nd͜.”

blackblankpages

El attempted to back away from Anti, finding himself with his back against a wall and the glitch in front of him, blocking him in. He started chewing on his lip again, eyes cast down.

“What do you want?” He muttered, sounding almost defeated. “What secrets?”

He was avoiding Anti’s gaze again, his face and voice and posture all marked with guilt. He still wasn’t convinced he’d tell anything. But he wanted to know what Anti wanted to know. To see if it was something he’d be willing to give up.

“Nothing too horrible…” Anti matched El’s steps, maintaining the same distance between them. “You are very close to your leader, aren’t you? Closer than the others, at least.”

He stopped as they did, tilting his head to one side. Although they looked away Anti did not, still training his gaze on them even when they avoided his. “Why not share what you know? He can look after himself- more than you can, anyway. And he would want you to get yourself hurt, would he?”

blackblankpages

El looked up at Anti again, eyes narrowing. Of course. Of course he wanted to know about Owen. He still looked scared, still shaking, still chewing on his cracked bottom lip. But his eyes were angry again, glaring at the glitch.

“Of all people, you expect me to sell out my best friend? I’m not that stupid…”

He started biting his lip again, cutting off his sentence. He couldn’t say what he was thinking, not if he wanted to get out of this without taking down the whole watch. He almost said that if Anti could take down Owen, the watch would fall apart.

He paused, clenching his fists and looking back at the ground again for a minute. When he looked up again, he looked almost defeated and he let out a long sigh. “Do what you want. I’m not telling you shit.”

Anti sighed, and smiled wryly. If there was one thing he could rely on from a member of the watch, it was that constant - irritating - loyalty to one another. He had been expecting a response like that, though it had still been worth a shot.

“Well,” he replied after a couple of beats. “If you insist.”

His hands balled into fists at his sides, electricity running down across his palms once more, though this time when he moved towards El it wasn’t to grab his collar. Instead he struck outwards in a quick punch towards their head, grin plastered across his own face.

If they weren’t willing to share their secrets, then at least he could still share theirs… and hopefully send a message in the process.

blackblankpages

El didn’t have a chance to react before Anti’s fist slammed into his head. He blinked and was on the ground, having stumbled sideways and fallen from the sudden impact. He was still awake long enough to register the dull ache in his skull as he hit the pavement and blood leaking from somewhere, probably a scrape he received from the fall. He looked up at Anti as his vision started fading out, seeing the wide smile on the glitch’s face. He opened his mouth to make some kind of comment, but nothing came out as he faded out of consciousness.

El fell to the ground and Anti relaxed again, absentmindedly cracking his knuckles before shaking out his hand. “Not so good at defending yourself, huh?” he commented to nobody. When no further reply came from the defender he strolled over to where they lay, and kicked them sharply in the leg.

Still no response.

Anti chuckled under his breath, then crouched down beside them. After a couple of moments of rummaging he had retrieved the contents of their pockets, and quickly went about sorting through it all. The pills he raised an eyebrow at then threw on the ground beside El, the phone he kept in one hand, and the rest he chucked into the gutter nearby.

As he got to his feet again his focus was on the phone screen, which was already starting to bug out and glitch as he watched it. He ignored the interference and went instead to their contacts, quickly typing out a message - nothing too elaborate, but enough to get the point across.

Now their friends could find them, and see for themselves who they were trusting to have their backs.

When he finished he looked from the screen to the fallen defender, and then slipped the phone back into his own pocket. As fun as it might be to stick around and watch what happened next, he had other business to see to. Besides, there was always a puppet or two around to keep an eye on things.

Anti took one last look around to make sure there were no onlookers, and then disappeared in a flash of green light and static.

@farbeyondaverage

The world was a wall of green pixels as Anti glitched from one location to the next, a sight that the demon was more than used to at this point. Less usual was the fact that on this journey he had a companion… not a willing one, but a companion nonetheless.

This did mean that moving through space required more focus that usual, but luckily he could picture his destination clearly in his mind; the room he saw was windowless and dimly lit, with an atmosphere as pleasant as the clinical decor suggested. Other than a couple of old hospital beds and a table there was no furniture to avoid, though there wasn’t much space anyway.

Anti’s appearance broke the near-silence of the room. Green sparks arced from his body like flares against the dreary backdrop, a cascade of lights that quickly died away to reveal the two figures. It took a couple of seconds for Anti to completely solidify, and when he did he only remained in place for long enough to push his companion away before he was glitching again to the opposite wall. He stood there while he considered the other man, smiling at his good fortune.

With eyes within the Watch, his life had certainly been made a lot easier. Information was at his fingertips, trivial to some but useful to him. Capturing Chase had been as easy as walking up to him on the street when he’d left the headquarters, then grabbing him when he’d been looking the other way.

Distant laughter was just about audible through the concrete walls, and Anti echoed it with a giggle of his own.

farbeyondaverage

Chase barely breathed and didn’t open his eyes at all as they glitched from place to place. He attempted to fight back when Anti grabbed him, but wasn’t able to get out of his grasp, and felt frozen in place when they glitched away, as if Anti’s powers were holding him still.

But finally, they stopped moving and Chase let out a long breath before he was shoved against the wall. Then he was crumbling in a heap on the floor, shaking violently, watching Anti’s every move with fear in his eyes.

“What do you want with me?” He said weakly, curling into a tight ball up against the concrete behind him. “What use could I possibly be to you?”

Anti grew silent as the other ego started speaking, though a smile still curled the corners of his mouth. “Not much,” he answered with a shrug. “You’re not really that useful at all, are you?”

It was more of a statement than a question. Anti had never really seen the point of Chase Brody, even more so now that he had them here, trembling in front of him. Why they had thought that joining the Watch was a good idea was a mystery to him.

“That’s not quite why you’re here, though,” he continued, walking towards them as he spoke. “Is it unthinkable that I just want to talk?”

farbeyondaverage

Anti’s words sunk into Chase’s ears, making his thoughts swirl. That wasn’t a question. That was a statement. And he wasn’t wrong.

Between a superhero and a magician and a doctor, Chase more often than not felt like he wasn’t worth much of anything, especially compared to his fellow egos. If Anti was trying to hit at his insecurities, he was succeeding.

“When do you ever just wanna talk?” Chase asked, eyes still locked on Anti, body still shaking softly.

Anti stopped a short distance away from where the other man was cowering. “Hey, there’s no need to sound so wary,” he said. “I just wanted to have a little catch up, that’s all. Ego to ego.”

He crouched down, resting his arms on his knees as he watched Chase tremble. “I thought it would be worth it, given how long its been since we last spoke.” As he went on his tone became colder, voice crackling with an underlying static. “Did you think that you’d be able to run from me forever?”

farbeyondaverage

Chase watched Anti move closer to him, gripping his knees tightly to his chest. He let out a breath, feeling anger bubbling up in him at the glitch’s words.

“That’s what I was hoping,” he replied to Anti’s question, voice quiet and bitter. He paused for a minute, glaring at the figure in front of him, looking so much like himself but somehow so different at the same time. “You don’t deserve to have his face.”

At Chase’s words the face in question warped into a scowl. “Really?” Anti hissed through his teeth, eyes flicking to black for the briefest of moments. “I’d say that you don’t deserve mine.”

Although his anger was fairly well contained, it still showed in the blurring of his figure and the occasional distortion of his voice. The other ego didn’t know what they were saying. They had no idea what it was like to have to fight for their body, to have to constantly struggle for control, to have to-

Anti stopped that train of thought before it could go too far. As tempting as it was to take his frustration out on the other ego, it wouldn’t get him anywhere.

Instead, he took a steadying breath before continuing. “This is my face,” he said. “It has been for years.”

farbeyondaverage

“It was his first,” Chase said, voice wavering a little as his confidence faded. Fear was growing in him again as Anti grew angry, pushing his own anger down. “You stole it from him.”

He gripped his knees tightly, knuckles turning white from how tightly he squeezed. Some part of his brain was telling him to stand up, to try to find a way out, to do anything at all. But he was out of shape, and not very strong. There was no way he could outrun Anti, even if he figured a way out.

So he was trapped, curled up against the wall on the cold floor, trying not to think of what Anti might do to him whenever he’s done “talking.”

“I didn’t steal anything,” Anti shot back. For a moment his form distorted, outlined in green, but it quickly snapped back into place. “I only did what I had to do. What h̷e̵ made me to do.”

He glitched to his feet, standing over the other ego while they huddled against the wall. Their fearful demeanour helped to ease his irritation, but not by much. As he slowly exhaled his expression shifted slightly, and he stared down at them through narrowed eyes.

“I was made to be a ruler,” he continued after a moment. “You were made to be a failure. A coward. So why did you choose to stop running away from your problems now? Why did you join that group of wannabe heroes when you know that you have nothing to offer them?”

#farbeyondaverage

@farbeyondaverage

The world was a wall of green pixels as Anti glitched from one location to the next, a sight that the demon was more than used to at this point. Less usual was the fact that on this journey he had a companion… not a willing one, but a companion nonetheless.

This did mean that moving through space required more focus that usual, but luckily he could picture his destination clearly in his mind; the room he saw was windowless and dimly lit, with an atmosphere as pleasant as the clinical decor suggested. Other than a couple of old hospital beds and a table there was no furniture to avoid, though there wasn’t much space anyway.

Anti’s appearance broke the near-silence of the room. Green sparks arced from his body like flares against the dreary backdrop, a cascade of lights that quickly died away to reveal the two figures. It took a couple of seconds for Anti to completely solidify, and when he did he only remained in place for long enough to push his companion away before he was glitching again to the opposite wall. He stood there while he considered the other man, smiling at his good fortune.

With eyes within the Watch, his life had certainly been made a lot easier. Information was at his fingertips, trivial to some but useful to him. Capturing Chase had been as easy as walking up to him on the street when he’d left the headquarters, then grabbing him when he’d been looking the other way.

Distant laughter was just about audible through the concrete walls, and Anti echoed it with a giggle of his own.

farbeyondaverage

Chase barely breathed and didn’t open his eyes at all as they glitched from place to place. He attempted to fight back when Anti grabbed him, but wasn’t able to get out of his grasp, and felt frozen in place when they glitched away, as if Anti’s powers were holding him still.

But finally, they stopped moving and Chase let out a long breath before he was shoved against the wall. Then he was crumbling in a heap on the floor, shaking violently, watching Anti’s every move with fear in his eyes.

“What do you want with me?” He said weakly, curling into a tight ball up against the concrete behind him. “What use could I possibly be to you?”

Anti grew silent as the other ego started speaking, though a smile still curled the corners of his mouth. “Not much,” he answered with a shrug. “You’re not really that useful at all, are you?”

It was more of a statement than a question. Anti had never really seen the point of Chase Brody, even more so now that he had them here, trembling in front of him. Why they had thought that joining the Watch was a good idea was a mystery to him.

“That’s not quite why you’re here, though,” he continued, walking towards them as he spoke. “Is it unthinkable that I just want to talk?”

farbeyondaverage

Anti’s words sunk into Chase’s ears, making his thoughts swirl. That wasn’t a question. That was a statement. And he wasn’t wrong.

Between a superhero and a magician and a doctor, Chase more often than not felt like he wasn’t worth much of anything, especially compared to his fellow egos. If Anti was trying to hit at his insecurities, he was succeeding.

“When do you ever just wanna talk?” Chase asked, eyes still locked on Anti, body still shaking softly.

Anti stopped a short distance away from where the other man was cowering. “Hey, there’s no need to sound so wary,” he said. “I just wanted to have a little catch up, that’s all. Ego to ego.”

He crouched down, resting his arms on his knees as he watched Chase tremble. “I thought it would be worth it, given how long its been since we last spoke.” As he went on his tone became colder, voice crackling with an underlying static. “Did you think that you’d be able to run from me forever?”

farbeyondaverage

Chase watched Anti move closer to him, gripping his knees tightly to his chest. He let out a breath, feeling anger bubbling up in him at the glitch’s words.

“That’s what I was hoping,” he replied to Anti’s question, voice quiet and bitter. He paused for a minute, glaring at the figure in front of him, looking so much like himself but somehow so different at the same time. “You don’t deserve to have his face.”

At Chase’s words the face in question warped into a scowl. “Really?” Anti hissed through his teeth, eyes flicking to black for the briefest of moments. “I’d say that you don’t deserve mine.”

Although his anger was fairly well contained, it still showed in the blurring of his figure and the occasional distortion of his voice. The other ego didn’t know what they were saying. They had no idea what it was like to have to fight for their body, to have to constantly struggle for control, to have to-

Anti stopped that train of thought before it could go too far. As tempting as it was to take his frustration out on the other ego, it wouldn’t get him anywhere.

Instead, he took a steadying breath before continuing. “This is my face,” he said. “It has been for years.”

#farbeyondaverage

@farbeyondaverage

The world was a wall of green pixels as Anti glitched from one location to the next, a sight that the demon was more than used to at this point. Less usual was the fact that on this journey he had a companion… not a willing one, but a companion nonetheless.

This did mean that moving through space required more focus that usual, but luckily he could picture his destination clearly in his mind; the room he saw was windowless and dimly lit, with an atmosphere as pleasant as the clinical decor suggested. Other than a couple of old hospital beds and a table there was no furniture to avoid, though there wasn’t much space anyway.

Anti’s appearance broke the near-silence of the room. Green sparks arced from his body like flares against the dreary backdrop, a cascade of lights that quickly died away to reveal the two figures. It took a couple of seconds for Anti to completely solidify, and when he did he only remained in place for long enough to push his companion away before he was glitching again to the opposite wall. He stood there while he considered the other man, smiling at his good fortune.

With eyes within the Watch, his life had certainly been made a lot easier. Information was at his fingertips, trivial to some but useful to him. Capturing Chase had been as easy as walking up to him on the street when he’d left the headquarters, then grabbing him when he’d been looking the other way.

Distant laughter was just about audible through the concrete walls, and Anti echoed it with a giggle of his own.

farbeyondaverage

Chase barely breathed and didn’t open his eyes at all as they glitched from place to place. He attempted to fight back when Anti grabbed him, but wasn’t able to get out of his grasp, and felt frozen in place when they glitched away, as if Anti’s powers were holding him still.

But finally, they stopped moving and Chase let out a long breath before he was shoved against the wall. Then he was crumbling in a heap on the floor, shaking violently, watching Anti’s every move with fear in his eyes.

“What do you want with me?” He said weakly, curling into a tight ball up against the concrete behind him. “What use could I possibly be to you?”

Anti grew silent as the other ego started speaking, though a smile still curled the corners of his mouth. “Not much,” he answered with a shrug. “You’re not really that useful at all, are you?”

It was more of a statement than a question. Anti had never really seen the point of Chase Brody, even more so now that he had them here, trembling in front of him. Why they had thought that joining the Watch was a good idea was a mystery to him.

“That’s not quite why you’re here, though,” he continued, walking towards them as he spoke. “Is it unthinkable that I just want to talk?”

farbeyondaverage

Anti’s words sunk into Chase’s ears, making his thoughts swirl. That wasn’t a question. That was a statement. And he wasn’t wrong.

Between a superhero and a magician and a doctor, Chase more often than not felt like he wasn’t worth much of anything, especially compared to his fellow egos. If Anti was trying to hit at his insecurities, he was succeeding.

“When do you ever just wanna talk?” Chase asked, eyes still locked on Anti, body still shaking softly.

Anti stopped a short distance away from where the other man was cowering. “Hey, there’s no need to sound so wary,” he said. “I just wanted to have a little catch up, that’s all. Ego to ego.”

He crouched down, resting his arms on his knees as he watched Chase tremble. “I thought it would be worth it, given how long its been since we last spoke.” As he went on his tone became colder, voice crackling with an underlying static. “Did you think that you’d be able to run from me forever?”

#farbeyondaverage

@farbeyondaverage

The world was a wall of green pixels as Anti glitched from one location to the next, a sight that the demon was more than used to at this point. Less usual was the fact that on this journey he had a companion… not a willing one, but a companion nonetheless.

This did mean that moving through space required more focus that usual, but luckily he could picture his destination clearly in his mind; the room he saw was windowless and dimly lit, with an atmosphere as pleasant as the clinical decor suggested. Other than a couple of old hospital beds and a table there was no furniture to avoid, though there wasn’t much space anyway.

Anti’s appearance broke the near-silence of the room. Green sparks arced from his body like flares against the dreary backdrop, a cascade of lights that quickly died away to reveal the two figures. It took a couple of seconds for Anti to completely solidify, and when he did he only remained in place for long enough to push his companion away before he was glitching again to the opposite wall. He stood there while he considered the other man, smiling at his good fortune.

With eyes within the Watch, his life had certainly been made a lot easier. Information was at his fingertips, trivial to some but useful to him. Capturing Chase had been as easy as walking up to him on the street when he’d left the headquarters, then grabbing him when he’d been looking the other way.

Distant laughter was just about audible through the concrete walls, and Anti echoed it with a giggle of his own.

farbeyondaverage

Chase barely breathed and didn’t open his eyes at all as they glitched from place to place. He attempted to fight back when Anti grabbed him, but wasn’t able to get out of his grasp, and felt frozen in place when they glitched away, as if Anti’s powers were holding him still.

But finally, they stopped moving and Chase let out a long breath before he was shoved against the wall. Then he was crumbling in a heap on the floor, shaking violently, watching Anti’s every move with fear in his eyes.

“What do you want with me?” He said weakly, curling into a tight ball up against the concrete behind him. “What use could I possibly be to you?”

Anti grew silent as the other ego started speaking, though a smile still curled the corners of his mouth. “Not much,” he answered with a shrug. “You’re not really that useful at all, are you?”

It was more of a statement than a question. Anti had never really seen the point of Chase Brody, even more so now that he had them here, trembling in front of him. Why they had thought that joining the Watch was a good idea was a mystery to him.

“That’s not quite why you’re here, though,” he continued, walking towards them as he spoke. “Is it unthinkable that I just want to talk?”

#farbeyondaverage

@farbeyondaverage

The world was a wall of green pixels as Anti glitched from one location to the next, a sight that the demon was more than used to at this point. Less usual was the fact that on this journey he had a companion... not a willing one, but a companion nonetheless.

This did mean that moving through space required more focus that usual, but luckily he could picture his destination clearly in his mind; the room he saw was windowless and dimly lit, with an atmosphere as pleasant as the clinical decor suggested. Other than a couple of old hospital beds and a table there was no furniture to avoid, though there wasn’t much space anyway.

Anti’s appearance broke the near-silence of the room. Green sparks arced from his body like flares against the dreary backdrop, a cascade of lights that quickly died away to reveal the two figures. It took a couple of seconds for Anti to completely solidify, and when he did he only remained in place for long enough to push his companion away before he was glitching again to the opposite wall. He stood there while he considered the other man, smiling at his good fortune.

With eyes within the Watch, his life had certainly been made a lot easier. Information was at his fingertips, trivial to some but useful to him. Capturing Chase had been as easy as walking up to him on the street when he’d left the headquarters, then grabbing him when he’d been looking the other way.

Distant laughter was just about audible through the concrete walls, and Anti echoed it with a giggle of his own.

#farbeyondaverage

medizinundblut-blog

@therulerofall

The question caused his breath to hitch, digging his nails into his upper arms to try and stop his hands from trembling even more, but failing miserably. Henrik stiffened at the contact, lost eyes rising to meet the other’s through strands of bloodied fringe. “O-Of course!”

Just the small effort of trying to sound kinder on Anti’s part worked wonders on the doctor’s already corrupted perception. He was confused, and he didn’t fully know who the person in front of him was anymore.

Jack or Anti.

Oh well.

Fuck it.

He didn’t care anymore, as long as he made up for his mistake.

The doctor hung onto the other’s words, focused on the offer. “I-I can do that.” He murmured quietly, aware but not quite of the solemn expression painted on whoever-it-was’ face. “I can…I can protect him, I can make it up to him. I’ll…I-I will.”

It wasn’t necessarily determination that fuelled him at this point, more of a blind sort of loyalty that mixed horribly with his insanity that made for bad decisions. “I…I won’t let anything like this happen again, I swear it. I promise. I won’t let anyone hurt him, I won’t let myself hurt him again.” Henrik muttered semi-frantically, still lightly clawing at his upper arms, fingers still trembling as his gaze lowered, not reaching the other’s eyes but not on the floor.

Although the doctor stiffened under his grasp Anti made no move to let him go, not while they were still speaking. He looked past the bloodied fringe and averted gaze, ignored their shaking hands and desperation, and focused instead on their words. As they spoke a sense of vicious triumph rose within him, though outwardly his only reaction was to nod minutely.

The sympathetic look on his face certainly didn’t extend as far as his thoughts. As far as he was concerned, Henrik had brought this on themselves when they had tried to run.

This was a madness of their own making, and well deserved.

After a long moment he leaned away again, and then clapped them on the shoulder. “Good,” he said. The steadiness of his own voice was a sharp contrast to the doctor’s stammering. “There are lots of people out there who are willing to hurt him, so make sure you stick to that promise. Jack’s going to need all the help he can get.”

He dropped his hands and moved away, then looked at the doctor and sighed. Their madness was obvious, but for how long would it last? Would they be willing to keep those promises if they realised who they were speaking to? The opportunity to win the loyalty of another ego was too good to let slip, even if that loyalty had questionable foundations. He just needed to make sure that they didn’t regain lucidity too soon... if ever.

“I can only do so much to help him, Henrik,” he continued after a moment. “Are you sure that I can rely on you?”

#medizinundblut

@defenderel

Anti met El’s eye and chuckled. “It’s hard to argue against something when the evidence is staring you in the face.” He started to walk across the pavement, though he kept his head turned towards the other man as he moved.

“I suppose I could just tell your friends the truth,” he continued, “but why bother, when I can let them discover it for themselves?”

The glitch came to a stop with El between himself and the wall. His form flickered for a moment as he watched them, and the gap between them grew smaller again. “If you’re not willing to share their secrets, then that’s what’s going to happen.” His face split into a grin, and he raised his arms out towards them. “Last ch͟ánc͞e̵ ̡t́o͜ ́chan̶ge͟ ͢you͝r ̷m̧i͢nd͜.”

blackblankpages

El attempted to back away from Anti, finding himself with his back against a wall and the glitch in front of him, blocking him in. He started chewing on his lip again, eyes cast down.

“What do you want?” He muttered, sounding almost defeated. “What secrets?”

He was avoiding Anti’s gaze again, his face and voice and posture all marked with guilt. He still wasn’t convinced he’d tell anything. But he wanted to know what Anti wanted to know. To see if it was something he’d be willing to give up.

“Nothing too horrible…” Anti matched El’s steps, maintaining the same distance between them. “You are very close to your leader, aren’t you? Closer than the others, at least.”

He stopped as they did, tilting his head to one side. Although they looked away Anti did not, still training his gaze on them even when they avoided his. “Why not share what you know? He can look after himself- more than you can, anyway. And he would want you to get yourself hurt, would he?”

blackblankpages

El looked up at Anti again, eyes narrowing. Of course. Of course he wanted to know about Owen. He still looked scared, still shaking, still chewing on his cracked bottom lip. But his eyes were angry again, glaring at the glitch.

“Of all people, you expect me to sell out my best friend? I’m not that stupid…”

He started biting his lip again, cutting off his sentence. He couldn’t say what he was thinking, not if he wanted to get out of this without taking down the whole watch. He almost said that if Anti could take down Owen, the watch would fall apart.

He paused, clenching his fists and looking back at the ground again for a minute. When he looked up again, he looked almost defeated and he let out a long sigh. “Do what you want. I’m not telling you shit.”

Anti sighed, and smiled wryly. If there was one thing he could rely on from a member of the watch, it was that constant - irritating - loyalty to one another. He had been expecting a response like that, though it had still been worth a shot.

“Well,” he replied after a couple of beats. “If you insist.”

His hands balled into fists at his sides, electricity running down across his palms once more, though this time when he moved towards El it wasn’t to grab his collar. Instead he struck outwards in a quick punch towards their head, grin plastered across his own face.

If they weren’t willing to share their secrets, then at least he could still share theirs... and hopefully send a message in the process.

@medizinundblut

While the doctor sat in silence, Anti took the opportunity to settle into his body once more. By this point the interference and visual distortions had died away entirely, leaving an almost ordinary-looking person in their place.

His eyes flicked from Henrik to the makeshift gauze that was wrapped around his middle, and he picked at it with an air of curiosity. The white of the cloth was stained almost entirely red, the smell of copper clung to his skin, and every breath made the wound ache more.

Anti ignored it. If the price of the doctor’s sanity was pain, then he would happily pay it.

Movement caught his eye, and he refocused on the other man. As they got to their feet he took a step towards them, though the apology that followed brought him to a halt. There had been a time when he would never have expected to hear those words from Henrik, as stubborn as they had shown themselves to be. Now, however, the distant gaze and empty expression told him that this was a very different man to the one he had known when all this had begun.

The thought made him want to laugh, but instead he forced a hurt expression to his face. With the doctor as they were, the victory celebrations would have to wait.

“You should be sorry,” he said instead, and gestured to the bloodied gauze. “Look at what you’ve done to me. Look at what you’ve done to your friend.”

medizinundblut-blog

This was Anti.

His breathing was slightly ragged, and his unfocused gaze dropped to the ground before he closed his eyes so that he couldn’t see the bloodied gauze, as if the same blood wasn’t covering his hands. So that he couldn’t see the hurt expression, which looked too similar to Jack for his confused, blurring thoughts to handle.

This was Anti…

“I-I’m sorry.” He repeated, voice hollow as his fingers curled with a light tremble. Henrik was trying to find words, but his mouth felt dry and his thoughts were buzzing and-

The doctor huffed, a hand coming up and running through his hair, tugging harshly at the roots. His head hurt. Nothing made sense.

“It was…it was ein Fehler, e-ein Unfall.” He muttered almost desperately, opening his eyes yet keeping his gaze on the ground as his hand dropped from his hair. It took him a moment to translate, as if he hadn’t noticed the cross between languages. “A-a mistake, an accident. I didn’t mean to….I’m so sorry.”

This was…

He finally looked up at the other again with empty grey eyes, reluctantly taking in the hurt expression and lack of visual distortion.

Was-

J-Jack.

No, Anti.

Jack.

Henrik didn’t know, and he couldn’t stand it. He clawed at his upper arms uselessly, taking a small step towards the other. His face was a mix between regret, desperation and a horrid blankness.

“I-I’ll make it up to you!” He said, voice tainted with hysteria and desperation. He wanted to make things right. He had to make things right. He had hurt his friend.

The doctor still fumbled with his words, but there was a raw weight to them. Not calculated; completely genuine words pushing through his insane haze. “Ich- I’ll do anything, bitte. Pl-please. Let me make it up to you. I didn’t mean to. I-I didn’t mean to…”

At the doctor’s jumbled words Anti raised an eyebrow, watching with cold curiosity as they tugged at their hair. He listened as they stammered out apology after apology, excuse after excuse, but made no move to stop them from trying to make things right.

It was useless, after all. They were reaching out to someone who would never be able to hear them again.

His eyes moved from their bowed head to their shaking hands, and a small smile briefly quirked his lips. How funny this all was; the good doctor, reduced to a trembling wreck.

What a fantastic opportunity.

“It didn’t feel like an accident, Henrik,” Anti said, meeting their empty gaze when they finally looked up at him again. “What kind of person mutilates their friend by mistake?”

He let the question sit in the air for a moment before taking a few steps towards them, approaching the doctor as one might approach a wounded animal. His pace was slow, movement careful, and he watched the other man intently as he got nearer to where they stood. Then when he was close enough he reached out towards them, clasping their shoulders even as their hands scrambled at their arms.

“Hey- listen. You really want to make up for it?” He made an effort to sound a little kinder, act a little gentler. Blur the lines between him and his host even more. “Perhaps you can. You just to need to make sure that nothing like this happens to Jack ever again... because of you, or anyone else.”

He craned his neck so that he could look them in the eye, expression stern and solemn. Any trace of amusement was long gone.

#medizinundblut

@medizinundblut

While the doctor sat in silence, Anti took the opportunity to settle into his body once more. By this point the interference and visual distortions had died away entirely, leaving an almost ordinary-looking person in their place.

His eyes flicked from Henrik to the makeshift gauze that was wrapped around his middle, and he picked at it with an air of curiosity. The white of the cloth was stained almost entirely red, the smell of copper clung to his skin, and every breath made the wound ache more.

Anti ignored it. If the price of the doctor’s sanity was pain, then he would happily pay it.

Movement caught his eye, and he refocused on the other man. As they got to their feet he took a step towards them, though the apology that followed brought him to a halt. There had been a time when he would never have expected to hear those words from Henrik, as stubborn as they had shown themselves to be. Now, however, the distant gaze and empty expression told him that this was a very different man to the one he had known when all this had begun.

The thought made him want to laugh, but instead he forced a hurt expression to his face. With the doctor as they were, the victory celebrations would have to wait.

“You should be sorry,” he said instead, and gestured to the bloodied gauze. “Look at what you’ve done to me. Look at what you’ve done to your friend.”

#medizinundblut

@defenderel

Anti met El’s eye and chuckled. “It’s hard to argue against something when the evidence is staring you in the face.” He started to walk across the pavement, though he kept his head turned towards the other man as he moved.

“I suppose I could just tell your friends the truth,” he continued, “but why bother, when I can let them discover it for themselves?”

The glitch came to a stop with El between himself and the wall. His form flickered for a moment as he watched them, and the gap between them grew smaller again. “If you’re not willing to share their secrets, then that’s what’s going to happen.” His face split into a grin, and he raised his arms out towards them. “Last ch͟ánc͞e̵ ̡t́o͜ ́chan̶ge͟ ͢you͝r ̷m̧i͢nd͜.”

blackblankpages

El attempted to back away from Anti, finding himself with his back against a wall and the glitch in front of him, blocking him in. He started chewing on his lip again, eyes cast down.

“What do you want?” He muttered, sounding almost defeated. “What secrets?”

He was avoiding Anti’s gaze again, his face and voice and posture all marked with guilt. He still wasn’t convinced he’d tell anything. But he wanted to know what Anti wanted to know. To see if it was something he’d be willing to give up.

“Nothing too horrible...” Anti matched El’s steps, maintaining the same distance between them. “You are very close to your leader, aren’t you? Closer than the others, at least.”

He stopped as they did, tilting his head to one side. Although they looked away Anti did not, still training his gaze on them even when they avoided his. “Why not share what you know? He can look after himself- more than you can, anyway. And he would want you to get yourself hurt, would he?”

@funnytheorist

Anti felt a sense of smug satisfaction as he watched Matt’s fear turn to acceptance. The infection was a wonderful thing - for him, at least.

When they moved to the bed Anti followed suit, though there was no creasing or indent on the covers where he supposedly sat. His eyes rapidly flicked back and forth as he peered over the theorist’s shoulder to read the information on the screen.

“Interesting…” he muttered once he’d finished, leaning away from them as he considered what he’d just read, and what they had explained.

Although the theory was still somewhat vague, Matt seemed to be onto something… not that Anti knew too much about the specifics of what the cure might require himself. He’d never tried to create one, after all. The only other person he’d spoken to who might have wanted to do so was the doctor, and they’d never managed it. A ward of insane patients could attest to that.

Anti’s eyes flicked over to Matt again. He had been tempted to leave them be while they succumbed to the infection they were trying to fight, but now it seemed like he ought to try and derail their research before it could yield any actual results.

“Interesting,” he continued, “though, doesn’t finding a supernatural cure seem a bit hopeful? ‘Supernatural qualities’ could mean anything. They probably wouldn’t help at all.” He paused, and raised an eyebrow. “I would have thought a person like you would have stuck to the facts, rather than fiction and fairy tales.”

As he spoke, his attention flitted between Matt and the laptop in their hands. There was a lot of information there… a lot of easily corruptible information.

Still, one problem at a time. It was a lot more amusing to mess with a person’s mind rather than the code of their computer.

Matt scrolled through the research on his laptop, blinking hard at his comment. Supernatural qualities wasn’t exactly the right term for it, since he was more or less looking for anomalies in the Watch Members blood, things that made them special. Nearly everyone had a gift or ability that they were unaware of, after all. But as his “fellow watch member” and theorist commented about the futility of it, he found himself believing that maybe…they were right. It would be extremely difficult to pinpoint what he needed in their blood, and it would take a long time. His shoulders went slack and he set the laptop away, frowning. He’d been working on this for so long, trying to find some way to cure this infection. He wasn’t sure how much longer some of the people in quarantine had. “I…you’re right. This isn’t plausible. Not only will it take forever, but it’ll be next to impossible to do.” he murmured, frowning as he glanced over at his laptop and then back to his “fellow watch member”. He looked so…upset. After a moment, he got up and started pacing back and forth, running fingers through his hair repeatedly. “Crap. I have to figure something else out…” he frowned. “It would be much easier if I could just get a blood sample from Anti himself…or a sample of whatever he uses to infect people…”

Anti blinked. “A blood sample?” If the Watch decided to act on that he might have to be a little more careful when he inevitably ended up in a fight with one of them again. Not that many got close enough to draw blood and survive...

The memory of a baseball bat flashed through his mind, and Anti suppressed a wince. Maybe playing it safe wasn’t such a bad plan after all.

“That’s certainly an... interesting idea,” he said, forcing himself to focus on the theorist again. “How’d you plan on getting close enough to get either of those things, though? They sound pretty dangerous to obtain.”

long live the k̨ińg͢͞ @therulerofall - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag