#superjackieboyman

Now, some time after Anti moved to the Ipliers headquarters he managed to start dating both Wilford and Dark, quite the feat but they did go well together. This was no longer than two years after, but no shorter than four months, pin it where you will, more likely the earlier end of the scale.

Many of the Ipliers, as mentioned before, had noticed Anti's tendency for muttering, however it wasn't until this stage that they considered telling anyone other than Marvin, and even then, the thought of non acceptance was a looming shadow.

Anti had gone to Marvin first of all for some advice, They felt that they should tell the septics first of all due to the duration that they had known them. Luckily, Dark and Wilford had come with them so they didn't have to worry about saying it twice.

"Are you okay Anti?" Marvin asked, they were sat up in the magicians room, an odd place filled with all sorts of plants, crystals, candles, and vials, with old books open on the desk. The the room itself was rather messy, but it screamed Marvin.

"We're too loud, and scared- we've been doing so well at functioning we've felt like 'I', what if this makes us unstable - they deserve to know."

"I can talk or take over if you wish." Marvin took Anti's left hand, rubbing his thumb over Anti's wrist. Anti looked down at their wrist and then back up.

"We should do it ourselves."

"Do you want to go downstairs yet?"

"Yeah."

Anti got up, their form glitching too much for Marvin to continue to hold onto. The two went downstairs, catching the attention of some of the egos sat in the living room.

"About time," Jackie commented, "you two have been up there long enough you'd think you were up to something." Jackie teased, but then paused at how serious Anti's facial expression. He still remembered clearly what Anti was capable of, the other Septics may be back on good grounds with him since he started only visiting every now and again, but he wasn't as forgiving.

Anti stood in one spot shuffling for a moment before speaking, "I need to tell you all something because i shouldn't hide what I am anymore."

He paused, awaiting a witty comment before continuing to address peoples shoes. "Its just, Marvin made this body for me but im not an I if you get it- no no no, this is not working,- lampshade theory - yes, okay, right, so like, you guys, your soul and consciousness is like, one lightbulb and your body is like, a light shade- we're like, a bunch of fairy lights and alone we wouldn't generate enough light for the lampshade so we stick together but we've stuck together that long that our emotions and thoughts mingle and we mostly feel like an I but sometimes we get unstable and its loud and-"

Anti cut off when Marvin took his wrist, Marvin immediately let go again and Anti looked up, the room contained a mixture of confused and surprised expressions. Then, to their surprise, Robbie got up, waddled up and hugged them. They hugged their brother back and tried to hold it together, whispering Robbie a thank you before glitching away.

---

"Anti?"

He supposed glitching to their shared room was predictable but Dark and Wilford had found him incredibly quickly. He sighed and pulled the blanket further around him.

"Dark, We're sorry, we should have told you- it was deceptive of us- this changes a lot doesn't it?"

Anti heard Dark sigh and felt him sit next to him only guessing this as when the other person sat on the other side of him the bed dipped a little further.

"It does, and I would have preferred you told us before." Dark said, Anti waited for Dark to continue, hoping they hadn't ruined this. "but, this does not change your personality or any of our feelings I should hope."

Anti looked over at Dark, he looked rather sincere, but then again he always did when it came to serious personal matters. Anti didn't want to have to deal with a serious mood right then, they just wanted physical reassurance.

Anti reached out and touched Darks face, "Have we ever told you how pretty you are- pretty boyfriend - we love you."

Darks face broke into a smile and he put a hand over Anti's, taking their hand from his face and holding it between his own hands. Anti felt Wilford wrap his arms around their side and hug them.

"Nothing to say about me then Anti? I'm hurt."

Anti smiled, leaning into Wilfords hold, "You are very comfy- big pillow, we love you- comfy emotionally also- thank you."

"So, do me and Dark refer to you as 'They' or 'He'?"

Anti thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "Either works."

"Okie Dokie." Wilford let Anti go and got up, "Now, we've had an emotional afternoon, sho how's about I get some snacks and we have a pajama afternoon."

"If you get anything on these sheets."

"Darkling, honestly, it can be sorted, lets have a nice afternoon okay?"

( for @reverseblackholeofwords since they kinda dared us to bring on the angst)

Ego Inc had seen better days, there was only one Ego left, cursed as the last to fade, he walked the halls alone.

He remembered Silver and Ed being the first to fade, and everyone making preparations because that too would be them soon, Dr Iplier, the Host, Bim and Walter had been the hardest, loosing his two brothers as well as two close friends.

There had been a slight gap in the fading there, but eventually the googles started slowing down and eventually made the collective decision to shut down together. After this Wilford would often find Anti hiding and crying because he missed his brothers.

Eventually he faded too.

The last to go was Dark, and suddenly Wilford was alone.

He knew he was soon to fade, he knew it was to happen at any moment, like waiting for the last leaf to fall off a tree.

Wilford paced the halls, sometimes stood in the lift, it didn't work, anything electrical had stopped working when the Google's shut down.

He finally sat, in the meeting room, and waited, closing his eyes.

Just as he was ready to go, something restarted, a small energy he hadn't felt in years. Someone out there had remembered him, or discovered him, perhaps an old video, or a blog on tumblr.

He opened his eyes as the lights flickered, and came back to life, an electrical hum resonated throughout the building.

In their office, The Google's reactivated, and alongside them appeared a glitch they called a brother.

Elsewhere someone wondered the library again, in the dim light, and left to head to a friend in the clinic. In the clinic the decision was made that a coffee was needed.

A hero awoke, surprised he of all egos would be remembered, and elsewhere a junkyard salesman had the same thoughts.

A king flung on his multicoloured cloak and stepped outside to greet his subjects.

In the recording studio two brothers hugged and then ran through the building to find the third.

And on the top most floor a piano started to play.

Hundreds of miles away across the sea, a cabin, undisturbed for what could have been years, woke up.

A deck of cards flicked through the air, a hero sewed holes in his suit then put it on, an artist saw the sunrise and ran to his easel, the still movie actor continued to be amazed by an even moderner world, a simple man checked upon his kids, and together with a surgeon, they all made the decision to use this opportunity to visit friends one last time.

Ego ink was alive, yet just barely, everyone talking and using this miracle to talk, laugh and cry for old times sake.

Soon six green headed lookalikes joined, talking to other egos they had met in past. The two Doctors talked, Chase asked Anti how he was, Bim came across Chap and they started a conversation about how music effects film and other film related things.

Jacques took out a canvas, although who knows how he'd taken it with him, and made wan last painting, settling on a title of 'the last reunion'.

Now Dark was obviously observent of power dynamics and relationships, being a manipulator, but the first time he went and visited the Septics as Anti's partner rather than on business terms, he really got to watch how they worked.

The three of them were sat on the sofa in the septics living room, Anti listening to Robbie tell him things that have happened whilst hes been away. Robbie using signs along with his talking so that he can be easily understood.

What had surprised Dark is that Anti was signing back, when Robbie got up to go and fetch something he asked the glitch about it.

"Well, we have to know it to understand Jamie, so everyone in the household took a few lessons together. It also helped Robster with his communication."

"Why hasn't Jackie come to say hello?" Wil pondered.

"He doesn't like me." and that was that.

Dark noticed during conversation over Dinner that Dr Schneeplestien and Marvin tended to lead the conversation. The other Septics joined in too but there seemed to be a sort of respect for the two.

Schneep was obvious, he was a rather sensible person and had an air of responsibility around him. Dark, however, couldn't put a finger on why Marvin lead, he knew sometimes being very old didn't make you wise, the Jim's being a prime example, yet the septics listened to him.

Dark ended up pondering it for most of the meal and it was still on his mind as him and Anti waited for Wil to get into his pajamas back at their room that night. He sat himself up and looked over at his boyfriend.

"Say, Anti?" The other gave a hum in acknowledgement, "How come Marvin has such a sway over your... Old household?"

"Technically, its Schneeps household."

"That doesn't Answer my question."

Anti huffed, and then thought it over, "Me and Marvy moved in there a couple years ago due to Marvin catching Chase, although they still deny feelings for each other. The thing is, W- I'm soul bound to Marvin because he made this vessel." Anti rubbed his face a little, "Marvin is like, really old and he's met lots of souls however some souls like, move onto new bodies once their old one dies."

"As in reincarnation?" Dark asked, an eyebrow raised.

" 'suppose so, for like, Schneeplestien it was that Marvin saved him in a past life, causing the soul to recognise him and unlocking a lot of memories and weird stuff. Same with JJ, he almost died from a silent movie stunt."

"And what about Jackie and Chase?"

"Jackie got in a rough fight, he hates the soul bind though, doesn't trust Marvin because Marvin brought me along."

"Chase?"

"His wife left him near to when we moved in... He wasn't in a good place."

Anti left it at that but Dark nodded and Wilford said a little 'oh'.

"So its out of fear due to being bound?"

"I hope not, its more thanks for saving them,... At least I hope."

"Schneeplestien and James don't seem afraid of him now Dark." Wilford pointed out, moving into bed with them.

"Schneep isn't afraid of much," Anti stated, shrugging, "and Jamie's a sweetheart. He trusts too easily if anything."

"Robbie?"

"He's not Marvin's doing."

"No?"

"W- I'd like to go to sleep now."

Dark nodded, that was the conversation over, Wilford turned onto his side and pulled Anti close. "Sleep well Anti, Dark, I love you."

Dark and Anti muttered their responses, Dark staying on his back rather than cuddling up to the pair. Adjusting the pillow for his neck, and listening to Anti's breathing until he was sure Anti was asleep.

It had taken Anti a while to fall asleep. Dark supposed the questioning can't have been nice.

He knew where Anti lived, and by extension Dark and Wilford. He could arrest them.

'you can't think anyone is ever purely good'

'moral compass of a child'

'the world isn't black and white'

Who were they to give him life lessons. Saying things like that doesn't excuse their actions. He could hold them accountable, he could stop them.

He thought back to the whirling shadows Dark wrapped himself in, and how he seemed to just tuck them away until needed, as if they had a mind of their own but he bent them to his will. That power terrified Jackie. He didn't know much on Wilford, but he carried a gun with him, he knew that much. He had seen it in the back of Wilford's trousers sometimes. He didn't know much on Wilford, but he followed Dark.

Anti, he knew some bits on them, they glitched and spiraled with their knives like a dance. One that Jackie needed to stop, he had to stop Anti, and Dark, and Wilford.

He could stop them right?

Someone knocked on Jackie's door, snapping him out of his thoughts. He sighed.

"Jackie? You in there dude? No one's seen you all day." Chase, great. It's not that he didn't like Chase but sometimes the way he acted like Marvin's lapdog really annoyed him.

Jackie couldn't find the effort to roll over or talk. Looking up at the ceiling.

"Jackie? Dude, I don't want to barge in there." Chase said, "We didn't see you at dinner last night and Henrik said that you were probably out. No one's seen you since yesterday dude, we're worried."

Jackie turned his head to the door, as if it would somehow convey a message to Chase, he wasn't sure if the message would be 'fuck off' or 'leave' or just, 'I'm fine' but it didn't reach as Chase knocked again.

"If I don't hear proof of your existence soon I will come in there."

Jackie sighed and kicked the end of his bed.

Around Christmas hot chocolate in the cabin was common, it was as if it replaced coffee, but whenever someone went to make some, three other people asked for one too.

Jackie and Schneep made plain hot chocolate, just the drink and nothing else, so they usually wern't asked to make any.

At the other end of the scale was Jameson, he made it from scratch, added squirty cream, marshmallows and occasionally things like caramel or cinnamon.

In between were the rest, Anti liked to add marshmallows, Chase sometimes had whipped cream, Marvin occasionally had both.

However, it was easy to see, that in the cabin, hot chocolate was a season must have, so god bless Jameson for not throwing a fit every time he made hot chocolate, because honestly, patience of a saint.

When the septics first started living together, Marvin and Anti were a mystery to the others, they clearly went back, but how far was another matter. Now Chase, having being kicked out of his house by Stacey had needed a home and had gone to live with his friend Henrik for a while, Henrik was already housing JJ, who was trying to get back into acting and comedy, which he considered a difficult task for a mute in this day and age, but fortunately he was happy go lucky. Henrik was also housing Jackie, who was around enough for conversations, but seemed to vanish at a moments notice.

Now obviously it's not clear how Marvin and Anti joined them, in fact, as far as they all remember it was Chase who had made friends with Marvin and roughly a month later went to visit Marvin's apartment only to find Marvin and his roommate in distress over an eviction notice. Chase at this point, had never met Anti, odd of a name as it were, but he had heard of him, upon meeting Anti, he wasn't sure of him, talking directly to Anti seemed okay, he just had what seemed like a slight stutter, where he changed his words midway through speaking. However, he seemed to mutter to himself a lot.

Chase had gone back to Henrik's feeling pretty miserable for Marvin, but although he wanted to help, offering it would ultimately be unfair to Henrik, a point he explained to the doctor when he saw Chase's expression.

Henrik did earn a stable income, it was just that such an income wasn't paid to support four grown men, Chase was still working on YouTube and Henrik had patient faith in both him and JJ, Who worked part time in a café so he was still contributing. Jackie however, seemed to be the slacking member of the household, or at least to Chase and JJ.

Henrik however, had set many a broken limb for him and listened to the tales of Superjackieboyman, rolling his eyes to the point of muscle memory. He always warned Jackie that one of these days he wouldn't be able to make the right choice, but for whatever reason, Jackie was sure the day wouldn't come.

Now obviously when Chase told him of this problem Henrik started hoping to find a workaround. Henrik was a rather self sacrificing person, always helping fix other people's problems before addressing his own or letting himself rest. He had asked Chase if they made any income, to which Chase seemed unsure, and so he accompanied him to visit Marvin the next day.

Marvin had also seemed a bit uncomfortable being asked, he said he sometimes sold people things he had made, although he was rather vague on what. He also said Anti took jobs and was paid per job, but unfortunately none recently were nearby and waisting money on travel was not ideal.

Henrik eventually just asked for some bank statements, and took them home to look over.

Within the next three days the attic was cleared out and Anti and Marvin moved in up there. Henrik wasn't sure what Anti was paid to do, but the input helped none the less, as it turned out, Marvin just sold odd bits of craft online, do it was no wonder they had struggled.

Months down the line from this, everyone had supposedly settled, Chase's YouTube was actually stable, or as stable as it could be. JJ was still unable to find any stage career, but the café was fine for him, and Marvin was a little more open with the others regarding his magic.

Jackie, however, still was a rather solo person, still appearing at odd times with make up covering a black eye or a graze on his arm. More recently, Jackie had been concerned over a string of murders in the area, however, once looked into, the style was similar to other cases that had been picked up on, the only difference was the killer was less careless. Some were just cold killings, others the body had been mutilated after death. The most chilling ones however, were ones that happened behind closed doors of abandoned locations, the victims had been tortured, then given their deaths as an act of mercy.

Jackie was on the search for the monster who had done such a thing. The fact he found it that night was purely luck. However, it was a rather rotten and twisted luck.

The warehouse was rather wide and cold inside, concrete floor, corregated metal walls and roofing, with metal beams supporting the structure. Any of the original equipment had long since been removed and pigeons had started to nest there.

On the floor, Jackie could see a man tied to a chair, with a table behind him, both of which looked like they had been dragged in, presumably by the being that was waltzing around with a knife.

The fact that he was humming sickened Jackie to the stomach, someone could enjoy this like it were a walk through the park. He watched the man move things on his desk around, then remove the gag from the man's mouth, holding a blade to his throat and muttering something, straightening up when the man nodded.

Jackie dropped down just in time to stop any injury happening to the man, but realised it a fatal mistake when the other just moved the knifes aim and plunged it into his throat instead.

"You know it's rude to interrupt someones work, causes them to rush and become sloppy."

The tone was almost conversational and Jackie didn't have a respons, the whole situation spiraled downward as his reality shifted, "Anti?"

"Well, now at least we know each others work and pass times. Anything heroic or dramatic to say before you try to kill me?"

"I- you killed him."

"if you've found me here you know it's more than just him. I don't always get to pick who myself, but that's fine."

"Anti, that's not something to do or take lightly, it's wrong, you're a monster."

"Jackie. You can't think that anyone is ever purely good. There's always going to be a little bit of evil- something that leaves them teatering on the edge of the long plunge to hell-" Antivs eyes seemed to widen in a feral and maddened joy and Jackie shuddered, he had heard Anti mutter to himself like this before, but watching him almost embrace it was frightening "Our work should be considered a favour, an art- we make their final moments unbearable and so if they end up in hell after that then they truly deserved to die- not that the concepts of hell of heaven are even remotely real Jackie but think about it." Anti strode over to him, throwing an arm over his shoulder, causing the vigilante to shudder before Anti began circling him, "Even you have flaws, evils. Pride perhaps? The other think it's sloth but how could it be? You're out here being such a good boy and protecting everyone, they don't know your life is on the line do they?- What will you say when we get home, 'Anti's evil, he's insane, you must understand' " Anti mocked, not giving Jackie a chance to speak.

"Or are you going to kill us?" they asked, standing in front of the hero and spreading their arms out, making their chest a target, faking a saddened, pouting expression , "Go on. Here's your chance, rid the world of my evil. Marvin would probably be the only one to mourn us- he worked so hard on this body for us."

Anti stood there a moment longer, closing their eyes to truly give Jackie a chance, before opening them, grin splitting back across his face.

"Well then, see you later Jackie."

And with that they were gone.

Jackie avoided Anti from then on, and Anti didn't share Jackie's identity, it was a move Jackie made himself, perhaps to stop Anti from making it. Jackie now was very aware that the household ran on blood money, it was ironic to anyone with a twisted humour, Henrik made money saving lives, Anti made money ending them.

Anti made Jackie uneasy and he was the first to vote when Anti needed to go. Whether Marvin cared or not, Anti made his skin crawl, although it was evil to with ill upon someone, Jackie wished something would stop Anti, which just proved their point further.