| Plaything | Antisepticeye x Reader

Chapter 12

I distract myself by opening my laptop and going straight to YouTube. As I scroll through the videos in my subscription feed, I can't help but wonder why Anti's so invested in Lukas. Why the hell would he care? Shaking my head, I close my eyes and pick a random video. It turns out to be one of Jacksepticeye's older Subnautica videos. Looking at Jack, or Sean, I notice distinct differences in his and Anti's disposition.

Contrary to popular belief, both Sean and Anti's smiles are genuine, it's just the cause of the smile that's different. Sean's smiles are inviting and warm, caused by humor or something heartwarming. Anti's smiles are usually slightly wider than Sean's, baring more teeth and putting people off, caused by morbidity and others' fear. The eyes are really different too. One pair of blue sees the best in everyone, shining with positivity and compassion. The other pair of green and blue searches for people's nightmares and are frighteningly cold.

Halfway through the video, the YouTube page crashes. I sigh and reload the page, finding some Top 10 video to distract myself with. Fine, I won't watch his videos, I think at Anti. Chill.

The 'A' flares for a moment and I wince. However, it's not enough to really hurt.

Soon, I decide to go to bed. I lay down, hoping that Anti will grant me a night of actual sleep. Despite the fact that the last nightmare was a bit enjoyable, I still haven't felt well rested for about three days. It takes me a while to fall asleep, full of anxiety and apprehension.

When I do close my eyes, I'm surprised to sink into a peaceful slumber.

Opening my eyes, I'm happily astonished to wake up to a well rested body. I sit up, making sure that I'm not actually dreaming. I pinch myself and slowly count my fingers. Realizing I'm not in the midst of some realistic nightmare, I leisurely get out of bed and get dressed. I begin to appreciate the morning for the fact that I'm not waking up in a cold sweat.

When I finally make my way downstairs, I find Anti sitting on the couch. He's staring out of the window in deep thought, not realizing I'm there. The demon isn't smiling, with a thoughtful expression on his face. His body is perfectly still, but still glitches from side to side occasionally.

Since he's paying me no attention, I decide to make myself a bowl of cereal. Only when the refrigerator door slams shut after I put the milk away does he look up. I try to avoid his gaze, pretending not to notice the abrupt whip of his head.

"What time is it?" Anti asks.

I turn on my phone for a moment. "9:46 AM," I respond.

"Shit," he curses, stabbing his small pocketknife into his thigh in frustration. Though he wears black skinny jeans, an even darker spot begins to make a circle around the wound.

I stare in confusion. Anti pulls out the knife and stands as if nothing is wrong. Does he do that often? Is that why he forgets that other people can't deal with being stabbed and stuff?

He turns to me with a questioning look. "Doesn't that hurt?" I ask, gesturing to his bleeding leg.

Anti shrugs, not giving a definitive "yes" or "no." I guess I'm not getting an answer.

"Why are you so frustrated?"

"Because," he pouts, "I forgot about the time and you went to bed and I didn't get to give you a nightmare."

I roll my eyes. He almost sounds childish. Luckily, I'm able to shove that thought out of the way before it reaches hearing distance of him. I shake my head and finish my cereal. After dropping the bowl in the sink, I turn to head back upstairs.

"You're not going out today?" Anti asks.

"I don't really feel like being social, today," I say.

I move quickly to avoid more questions. Unfortunately, Anti appears in front of me on the landing of the stairs. I wobble backwards in surprise, but he grabs the collar of my shirt before I can fall down the stairs.

"You mean you want to avoid Lukas," he states. Finding no advantage to lying, I simply look to the side and give a small "yeah". Anti squints at me, scrutinizing my expression. "He's affecting you."

I look Anti in the eyes again. His eyes aren't glowing or angry at me, but there's definitely anger at someone. Is he mad at Lukas for stealing my attention? He has been trying to make sure I don't forget about him. Anti's whole thing is kinda taking attention and flaunting his power. It'd make sense he'd hate someone for taking up my mind space.

He notices my preoccupied mind and snaps out of his own thought. Anti jerks me closer with a scowl, jarring me from my analysis. "What're you thinking about?"

"Why you're so angry," I answer honestly.

"Oh, really?" he grins. "And what have you figured out?"

I ponder whether or not to tell the truth. Anti doesn't like to be analyzed, so telling him might just turn his anger onto me. Then again, proving that I'm more than just some random human and that my thoughts are significant might just wipe that smug smile off his face. I take a deep breath and decide to risk it.

"I figured out that you're an attention addict," I begin. "You're probably mad at Lukas for taking my mind off of you."

Anti's smile wavers, but he keeps it up. It might not've done what I wanted, but at least he's not angry at me.

"Not exactly, but close enough." He lets go of me, and I straighten my shirt. "Why are you thinking of him, though?"

I sigh, having dreaded the question. "Well he hurt me, then decided to add insult to injury, and continues to pester me." I begin to rant a bit, since I haven't been able to talk to anyone about it. "He lied to me once, and now thinks he can get away with it again. And I didn't have anything against Arendt before, but they keep supporting him like he's done nothing wrong. They blame me for not wanting to let him use me. It's so annoying. I fucking hate them both."

After a deep breath, I've calmed down again. Anti's smile has grown wider, twisting my stomach in fearful apprehension. His eyes glint with insanity and a bit of satisfaction. The cheerful demon grabs my arm firmly, tugging me forward.

"Is that so?" he smiles. "Well then, it shouldn't be too hard to fix things."

With that, I'm whisked away by a cloud of pine-colored darkness.

{A/N} By the way, I do read all of your comments, guys. They're all hilarious or really motivating. Thanks for each and every one. I just don't reply to all of them. If there is something that you want me to see, though, just know that commenting is a good way to get my attention!

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