| Plaything | Antisepticeye x Reader

Chapter 27: Nightmares for Dummies

Eventually, he lets me go, and I scoot to the opposite end of the couch. My face burns as I attempt to focus on my show again. After a couple minutes of success, I'm dragged over to him by my left arm and forced to lay in his lap. My endeavors to slip out from underneath his arms fail. Anti continues to manage his cutlery as if nothing's happened.

Why me? I think, finally giving up and letting my head drop against the arm of the couch. My hands ball into fists as I close my eyes, body absolutely rigid.

"Christ, you're tense."

I open my eyes and glare at Anti. Gee golly gosh, I wonder why.

"You act like I'm gonna hurt you, or something."

"How do I know you're not?" I ask. "You literally have your knife collection laid out in front of you with me – whom you've so lovingly nicknamed your 'plaything' – laying in your lap like a patient on an operating table. I'm surprised you haven't carved into my weak human flesh, yet."

Anti pauses, holding one of his larger knives. He looks deep in thought, staring at his reflection. "It is weird, isn't it?"

I raise an eyebrow, confused by his answer. For another moment, he says nothing. Then, he turns to me with a wicked smile. "It almost sounds like you want me to mutilate you."

Rolling my eyes, I mumble, "It's less weird than what you do now."

"What's so wrong about caring about you?" he asks sarcastically.

A small laugh escapes me at the absurdity of the question. "Yeah, 'caring' about me. More like just trying to make me as uncomfortable as possible since pain won't do it."

Anti stays silent for a while, staring at the blade in his hands. Then, he shrugs and resumes his work. I stay quiet, as well, closing my eyes again. Eventually, because of my tired muscles, my body relaxes as I lay in his lap. My breathing slows, but I don't fall asleep. Because of this, I surprise Anti when I ask:

"What's it like when you're controlling someone else's dream?"

"Like this."

I almost instantly fall asleep, brought into a dark void. Anti stands beside me. Looking around, I see nothing but blackness, but I hear slow, quiet breathing.

"1) You've gotta give me a sec before just whisking me off somewhere, and 2)Where are we?" I ask.

"1) No. 2) In someone's mind."

"Whose?"

"Bernice Baker's."

A smile breaks onto my face. "Oh hell yes. They deserve the nightmare of a lifetime."

"Glad you think so –" he steps behind me and places his hands on my shoulders, leaning forward to whisper in my ear "– because you're gonna give them one."

Though goosebumps run up and down my arms, I grin from the idea of making sure that Baker experiences hell. 

Anti instructs me for a few minutes, telling me that this entire place is controlled by my mind. We practice with smaller objects and focusing on keeping the landscape steady, then work on moving parts and AIs. After about half an hour, I've mastered the basics as well as a bit more. He seems pleased with the progress I've made, which is – though I'd never admit it to him – validating.

After a bit of indecision, I settle on a simple landscape: our school. Being a bit ambitious, I add lots of moving parts and people, namely the students in our class, the class above us, and the class below us. I set Baker's starting point in the middle of the cafeteria. When they open their eyes, the nightmare begins.

Bernice's 3rd Person POV

Bernice opens their eyes to find themself in their school's cafeteria, surrounded by a mass of people, as usual. Their friends surround the table they're at, talking amongst themselves. They're all turned away from Bernice, which is odd. Maybe they're looking at something else.

The bell rings and Bernice stands to go to class. They make their way down the hall, again noticing that no one's looking at them. Usually, there's at least five people around them at all times.

They reach the end of the hallway, realizing that they can't get to their classroom. Isn't this hallway supposed to keep going for a bit? And despite having walked with the direction of people, everyone was still facing away from them. Bernice reached out and grabbed someone's shoulder, preparing to ask if they'd like "the honor of accompanying [them] to [their] classroom."

The instant their hand makes contact with the boy's shoulder, he whips around as if in disgust. Most of his face is perfectly flat skin – with no nose or mouth – except for two wide, bright eyes that bore into Bernice. They recoil, but the boy does not turn away. He continues to stare at them, taking a step forward, and then another.

Surrounding students begin to do the same, turning around to reveal two glaring eyes. Bernice backs away slowly, but their back hits the wall behind them. Though they cower from the stares of the tens of people that now surround them, the piercing gazes do not cease.

Then, one by one, arms reach out to grab them. Bernice presses against the wall to avoid the many hands stretching to touch them, until finally there are so many that the limbs cover the rest of their vision.

In between the gaps of the fingers are the burning eyes glaring at them with disdain.

And then they wake up.

[Y/N]'s POV

When I open my eyes again, it's only been an hour. Anti's arms aren't over me, anymore.

Manipulating an entire landscape and multiple people had been exhausting and absolutely draining. I had to construct and control every single student in that hallway, and it wasn't even that complicated for a nightmare. Hell, Anti's created beasts and logical physics and sound – he's even made me simulate what it feels like to die.

I run my hand through my hair saying, "I see why you were upset when I ruined your nightmare that first time. Wow. Just wow."

"Isn't as easy as you thought," he smirks.

"Yeah. Jesus, I'm tired."

"You did pretty well, for a human. Your brain isn't quite as advanced as mine, but you did well."

A warmth spreads in my chest. I sit up and smirk at him. "Stop underestimating me. I'm a human, not an idiot."

"I'm not underestimating humans," Anti rolls his eyes. "They are idiots."

I'm sitting right here, I think, deciding not to interrupt him with my snarky comment.

"You are a bit different."

"You flatter me," I reply dryly, full of nonbelief.

"Now who's the stubborn one."

"Oh shut up."

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