Always Watching. Jacksepticeye AU

Chapter 11

Everything seemed okay for a while for everyone. Jackieboy Man had his full strength back and was fighting crime like normal; Chase was spending some quality time with his son and Jack and JJ were just doing their own things. They were all fairly happy until one day, Tyler woke up to a loud crash.

He glanced at the clock through the dimly lit room and saw that it was merely five in the morning. Chase didn't get up until at least ten every day so there was no chance it was him. Tyler got up onto his feet, making sure his phone was in his pocket, sneaking out of his room and closing the door as lightly as possible behind him. He kept his movements as quiet as he could as he headed towards the crashing noises. It lead him to Chase's bedroom.

He glanced in to see that Anti had an arm wrapped around Chase's neck. Chase was bright red, as if his breathing was getting cut off by the demon. "Come with me and I won't hurt the boy." Anti muttered, smirking to show off his sharp canines. Tyler's eyes widened as he watched, frozen into place. He wanted to run forward and help his dad but he was too afraid.

"Okay!" Chase choked out. Anti grinned, letting him go so that he could catch his breath.

"That's what I thought." Anti grabbed Chase's arm before using his power to make them both vanish. Tyler immediately ran into the room and yelled for his dad, helplessly searching everywhere for him. The room was completely trashed, Chase's chair even flipped on the floor and a couple of his Nerf guns scattered around. His clothes had been pulled out of his draws and were pretty much covering the entire carpet.

"Dad..." Tyler mumbled one last time before taking out his phone with shaky hands. He called Jackieboy Man without even considering the time.

"It's like four in the morning... what the-" Jackieboy Man's voice was slurred because the phone ringing had woke him up. He sounded genuinely irritated for having his 'beauty sleep' interrupted but Tyler's frantic voice helped him wake up a bit more.

"Dad's gone! IjustwokeupandheardanoiseandIthoughtsomeonebrokeinorsomething-" He was speaking so fast that it was next to impossible for Jackieboy Man to keep up.

"Take a breath and slow down." Tyler must have listened to him because he inhaled deeply before exhaling. When he spoke again, it was slow and noticeably more coherent.

"I just woke up and heard a noise... I thought someone broke in or something so I headed towards the noise and I saw Anti!"

"Shit... Did he-"

"He took dad!"

"Are you alone? Where are you?"

"Yeah... I'm in dad's room... on the floor. I'm really scared, Jackie."

"I'm going to come and pick you up."

"But it's five-"

"I can't have you staying there on your own." Tyler was secretly grateful that Jackieboy Man was coming to get him because he was terrified. He wasn't just sitting on the floor: he was hugging his knees against his chest and rocking back and forth. When Jackieboy Man found him, Tyler's head jolted around with wide eyes, petrified that Anti had returned. Jackieboy Man bent down and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's okay..." He whispered, keeping his voice soft so he didn't startle him.

"Where'd dad go?" Tyler murmured. Despite being sixteen years old, he looked like a little kid again. His usually soft eyes were full of terror and he was violently trembling.

"I don't know but I'll find him, okay?" Tyler was staring into space as he numbly nodded and took both of Jackieboy Man's hands. The hero pulled him up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders to keep him steady. He guided him back to his car and sat him down. "You can stay with me for now."

"Dad..."

"He'll be okay."

"Promise?" Jackieboy Man couldn't promise because he knew what Anti was capable of so he remained silent as he got in the driver's seat. Just a couple of weeks ago Anti had held a gun against Chase's head and he seemed willing to pull the trigger. Tyler didn't need to know that though.

-

Tyler didn't like staying with Jackieboy Man. As much as he loved him, he missed his dad. Jackieboy Man was rarely ever around since he was constantly having to leave for missions; Jack was always recording videos and JJ was silent and Tyler didn't know anything about sign language which made it harder to communicate. He spent most of his time on Jack's PlayStation but it wasn't as fun when he had to start his favourite games from the start. At home he had been so close to defeating the final colossus from Shadow of the Colossus but he was back to square one. Sure, Jack had completed the game a million times but it felt like cheating to go straight to the time trials.

Jackieboy Man's sofa was uncomfortable too. It was fine to sit on but it was too small and Tyler was a lanky boy so his legs hung over the edge. He constantly tossed and turned in the night, trying to find a position that didn't involve his knees digging into his chest.

It wasn't like he would have been able to sleep much anyway. His dreams were haunted by the day he had watched his dad get taken away. He'd relive it over and over again until he gave up on trying to sleep and just quietly watched YouTube or played the PlayStation on mute (so it was silent other than his occasional grumbles). He went to school a zombie, thick bags under his eyes and body slouched lazily. He didn't really have any friends to ask if he was okay either so no one found out about how poorly he had been sleeping or, if they had, they didn't ask.

Jackieboy Man noticed his declining mood and energy and knew Chase would hate to see him in such a state. He was too preoccupied to check on the boy as crime rates had substantially increased, meaning more and more villains littered the streets. Anti was yet to make another appearance, probably watching Tyler suffer from the shadows, cackling about how it was his doing.

One day, Jackieboy Man received a call from Henrik out of the blue. He picked it up and blurted out a greeting but the only response he received was static. His thumb was just hovering over the hang up button when he heard a familiar glitch-y voice say, "Six left."

"Henrik?" He stupidly muttered, even though he knew it was Anti who had spoken. Jackieboy Man didn't even bother to change into his suit before getting into his car and speeding over to the doctor's house. The door was unlocked so he went straight in and called Henrik's name. He searched every room and eventually reached his bedroom. It was the final room he checked but no one was there.

The room had been completely trashed, similar to Chase's. There was even a splatter of blood on the carpet and, although he knew it was Henrik's, he could only hope it was Anti's. He stayed in the room for a moment, wishing he could be able to see his friend's face and hear his German accent again.

So, on chapter 11, the real plot kicks in ;)