Chapter 5: Angus's new room mate
Angus, Anti, Chase and Henrik managed to come back into the hospital, where they pulled themselves from the machines and took a moment for them all to regain their composure after such an experience. Naturally, Henrik was the first one to wake up followed by the other three. Once they were all close together again, they began to discuss how they were fairing mentally and spiritually. "How are you feeling, Chase?" Henrik asked his friend, wondering how well his health was after going through that traumatic event.
Chase rubbed his eyes as he spoke with a slight giggle. "A-A lot better, actually. I know it was hard to go through but… I'm glad I was able to face her. Sure, it was just the memory, but hey maybe this is a sign that things are gonna turn out well for me and the kids."
Angus smiled as he looked over at his brother figure, happy to hear his optimism. "Glad to hear it. And we'll be with you every step of the way to make sure that happens." Chase looked over at his brother, the two grinned at one another as they were glad the nightmare had ended.
"Well, it is getting late. I think we should all head home and get some rest." Henrik stated. "I'll ask Jackie and Marvin if they can be the donors for tomorrow."
"So… where is Anti gonna stay?" Chase asked, looking down at the Glitch. Anti's tail wagged as he looked between the other three. He seemed like he was in need of a place to stay, since he didn't have a residence here.
Henrik opened his mouth, about to speak only for Angus to step up. "He can stay with me. I'll take him back to my cabin." Anti jumped as he looked over at the Hunter.
Henrik seemed just as worried. "Are you sure, Angus?"
"Yeah, I was the one that brought him to the Mindscape, so it's only fair that I look after him. Besides, I think he would be much better staying near where his souls are." Angus pointed out.
The Doctor hummed as he made those points. "I suppose in that regard, it would make sense. Alright, but if anything happens, contact me or come get me."
Angus nodded at his father, then turned to the Glitch. "Come on Anti, let's head back to my place and we can get you settled in."
"O-Okay…" Anti stepped closer to Angus as the pair began to walk out of the room together. Chase and Henrik watched them leave, and when they were gone, the cool dad looked over at the doctor with shining eyes.
"Chase… I know that look." Henrik raised a brow to him.
"Come on Hen, we have to keep him!" Chase begged.
"Kasebrot…"
"He needs a home and family… And if he is the real Anti, technically he's one of us anyways!"
Henrik looked at him with an unamused look in his eye. "He probably already has someone waiting for him from where he was from."
"Come on, you took in Angus when you first met him and made him your son right on the spot!" Chase pointed out.
When he heard that, Henrik jumped as he blushed. "T-That was different…" He knew he was busted though, so no point in denying it.
It took them a long while to get back to the cabin, since they had to go on foot. Once they had gotten there, it was so late at night, the world outside was pitch black. Angus led Anti inside of his home, letting him get comfortable. "You were here before, but let me give you the grand tour." Angus offered. "This is the living room, it's the biggest area I have in my house. Over there is the kitchen and dining room. If you get hungry, let me know and I'll make you something." He led him over to the right side of the house where there was a side room. "This is my bedroom and over there is the bathroom. The place isn't too big, so I doubt you'll get lost. But if you have any other questions, let me know."
Anti looked around the cabin, he felt so small in this place, even though he was here once before. He shifted his feet as his tail laid low to the ground. "Are you… sure it's okay for me to stay here with you?" He asked, feeling nervous.
Angus could see the gittering feeling Anti was having, though he guessed it was natural. "Well, I'm not just gonna pawn you off to the other egos. I don't think they would be capable of dealing with… this in general. The only other place you could stay at would be the hospital, but I figured you wouldn't want to be there." Anti jumped at the mention of that location, then looked to the ground as he fiddled with his fingers again. Angus walked over, kneeling so he was on Anti's level as he looked into his bullseye pupil. "Look, I know we are still technically strangers, and that you don't want to talk about what happened… but I need to know more about you, Anti. And the place that you came from. I have a lot of questions and… I think only you can answer them."
Anti bit his lip, as he looked up at Angus while holding his tail. "I...I…"
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna interrogate you tonight. We've both been through a lot and frankly… I could use some sleep." He sighed as he rubbed his neck. "So, for tonight let's rest up and I'll ask you some questions tomorrow… okay?"
Anti moaned a bit, still shaking slightly as he rubbed his tail. Even though he didn't want to think back to his 'home', he knew that Angus wouldn't let up until he got some answers. "O-Okay…"
Angus gave a reassured smile as he tried to persuade Anti a bit more. "And don't worry, we're safe here. Whoever it was that hurt you, won't be able to get you in the Mindscape."
"Promise?"
Angus nodded. "Promise. I won't let anything bad happen to you, Anti. Not as long as I'm around." He wanted Anti to feel like he was cared for and wouldn't be hurt if anything bad happened. Considering the strange state he was in when he attacked that memory of Stacy, he didn't know what else Anti was capable of should he become overwhelmed with emotion. Angus also wanted the Glitch to feel more comfortable around him and the other egos, so he could try and be more open with them. After all, chances were he was going to be staying with the group for a long while.
Anti smiled widely as he stared at the Hunter. His words felt sincere, and he did believe it. "Thank you, Angus."
The Hunter yawned as he looked over at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's getting late, we better head to bed. You can sleep on the couch tonight, Anti. I'll make sure to give you a pillow and a blanket before you head off." The Glitched looked to see the couch in front of the large TV. He slowly walked over to it and hopped on it, padding the cushions before laying on it.
"It's pretty comfy." He admits, nestling in almost immediately.
Angus slightly chuckled. "I'm gonna go freshen up before I shut the lights out. Will you be okay by yourself?"
Anti nodded, clearly settling into his spot. Posi looked over at Angus with a smile. "I'll watch over him while you go get cleaned up."
"Thanks Posi." Angus smiled at the angel. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He then turned and headed off around the corner to get into the bathroom. While he was gone, Anti took the time to look around. He remained on the couch, but his mind had so many things going through him as the events of today were still fresh in his mind.
"A-Anti?" Posi spoke gently as he went over to the figure, sitting down next to him. The Glitch looked over at the positive half of his soul. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Anti flattened his ears as he looked to the ground. "I just… have a lot on my mind. So much has happened and I don't even know how to process any of it." He sighed, his one eye half-lidded.
Posi reached over to hold one of his hands, soothing the skin to keep Anti calm. "You can tell me," He reassured him. "Please, don't feel afraid to speak to us about what's on your mind...I can already sense how stressed out you are from here."
Anti looked up at his former guardian. He didn't want to make Posi feel ashamed, it was just hard for him to open up. After all, he hadn't been with his soul for how many years now? Even so, Posi was willing to listen and maybe it would be good to get it out of his system. "To be honest, I'm really scared."
"Scared of what?" Posi asked.
"Everything. I'm scared that I'm not gonna get you and Nega back. I'm scared that I'm just going to fade away before I get you guys back again. I'm scared those scientists will come back and get me… take me back to that place and they… they'll…" Anti trailed off, his one eye forming black tears at the base. "What if this doesn't work out, Posi? What if… what if I…"
"Hey, hey… look at me Anti." The angel urged as he held onto his former host's face, gently cupping the cheeks and looking him over. A smile formed on Posi's lips as he did his best to be hopeful. "I know you're scared, but I don't blame you. It's natural that you would be worried about those factors. But worrying about them won't do you or us any good. They're only going to keep weighing you down and having a terrible judgement on your mental health. I know there are risks involved with this situation… but we have to think about the good things that will come out of this! Henrik knows what he's doing, and we have so many great people here who are willing to help not just Angus, but you as well. They've already welcomed you openly, Anti. Things won't be the same here as they were back home."
The Glitch took in what Posi was saying, and though he was still nervous about the future, the angel's words did help give him some comfort. Anti's perma-smile played out on his face, his eye casted to the floor but he did feel a bit better. "Posi… do you… have any memories of when you and Nega were inside of me?" He wanted to know. He needed to find out if Posi had any recollection of being with Anti at all.
The angel hummed, doing his hardest to think back. Sadly, nothing really came to his mind. He looked up at Anti and shook his head. "I only have glimpses and feelings, but as for fully formed memories, I can't recall anything like that." He admitted. Anti let his tail hang from the couch, he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. Then again, Posi and Nega weren't really conscious when they were with him, unlike Angus. Posi rubbed the side of Anti's cheek that wasn't glitched out. "You look so tired…" He noticed, seeing the dark bag under his one eye.
Anti sighed, laying down on the couch as his head rested near Posi's legs. "I can't even remember the last time I got some sleep." He admitted. Posi petted Anti's head, as the Glitch moaned into the feeling and closed his eye.
Angus went into the bathroom, closing and locking the door. When he did, he leaned against the wall and gave a loud sigh. "Haaaaaaaa!" He groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I know that sound…" Nega appeared before him, arms crossed and a brow raised. Angus saw him, but didn't respond. "What's the matter, Angus? And don't say nothing, I will be able to taste that bs you will feed me."
The Hunter rolled his eyes, knowing he won't be able to hide anything from Nega. So he went ahead and let his stress out. "I'm just… still trying to get used to the fact that I'm… like this." He gestured to his body, showing off his Hunter getup.
"Well, you have been 'Anti' and not Angus for how many years now? I would have thought you'd be happy to be yourself again. You remained 'Anti' for so long because of our connection with you, and you always wanted to go back to being 'The Hunter'."
"I know… it's just been way too long." He turned back to the sink, looking in the mirror so he could catch his reflection. "I don't even recognize myself anymore. I know I'm me but… I haven't seen my face in so long, can I really call it my own?"
Nega walked over, being in the mirror as he checked over his current resident. "Angus… are you saying you'd rather go back to being 'Anti'?"
"Of course not! But… being 'Anti' was all I've known for so long. What if… what if I don't even remember how to be 'The Hunter' anymore?" He turned away from the glass, not wanting to see his expression.
Nega glared at him, showing off his sharp fangs as he held onto Angus's shoulders. "Are you saying you want to give up? Since when has Angus Irwin, the Survival Hunter, allowed himself to quit a challenge halfway though? You've always made an effort to see things to the end, no matter the results or how hopeless the situation was! That trait carried with you even when you forgot who you were and when you took on a new ego! You're just going to give up now, when we only just got started?"
Angus looked over at Nega as the devil made him listen to his words. "B-But… what Chase had to go through because of me. I don't want the others to-"
"Go through their past traumas? That's life, Angus. We all have some heavy baggage that carries with us, it's how we got where we are now. Some are able to live with it, some aren't. But they are lucky, because the egos have each other to help out. When one falls, they're always there to lift them back up. You are no different, Angus. They will be there to pick you up and help you put the pieces of your soul back together. Because they care about you enough to relive those nightmares if it means that you will survive. They're not giving up on you, so don't you dare give up on them."
Angus was speechless for a long moment, hearing Nega talk as the two of them were alone together. He never really thought of Nega as someone to give motivational speeches, that was Posi's department. And yet, there were some truths to his words that not even the Hunter could ignore. He took in a deep breath and nodded, giving his shoulders a shrug. "I just… want to make it up to them for what they are doing. What they have to go through…"
"You want to make it up to them?" Nega narrowed his eyes at Angus. "Then you are going to be there for them when they face those powerful memories and help them collect those soul shards. And you are going to survive that operation and live the rest of your life as Angus Irwin! Because when they see your smiling face and healthy soul, they'll know that all of that baggage they had to relive through, was worth it."
The tears began to spawn in Angus's eyes now, he really wanted to live again. Be Angus Irwin again. And if his family was willing to sacrifice some mental health points just to do that, then him living through that soul serum operation would mean that facing their fears would have been enough. Angus smiled, wiping his eyes. "H-Heh… that's true." He agreed. "Still, I will also have to make up for lost time with them."
"Especially to your 'Sunflower'?" Nega mocked.
"Mnnnnph!" Angus's whole face turned red as he looked over at the devil, who was smirking and chuckling to himself. "S-Shut up!" He looked over into his cabinet and grabbed a washcloth, wiping his face with some warm water and soap.
"I am never going to let you live that down." Nega smirked as he phased through the door and walked out of the room. Angus finished washing up, sighing as he reminded himself that he would have to get back at the devil for what he did.
Once the Hunter was done, he headed out of the bathroom and turned around the corner. "Hey, Anti are you-" He paused, looking over at the living room as he saw Anti laying on the couch, with Posi petting his head as he helped the child sleep. Angus chuckled, going over to observe the scene more closely.
The angel looked up at them. "He's fast asleep." He whispered, slowly getting up from the seat and laying Anti's head on the cushion.
"Of course…" Angus sighed. "He's been through just as much as the rest of us. I'd be more surprised if he wasn't tired."
"Well, I think it's about time we turn in for the night. Gonna be a long day tomorrow." Nega stated. Angus nodded, as he reached under the cabinet of the TV stand. He then grabbed a spare pillow and blanket, going over to gently move Anti's head and let him lay on the pillow. Then he placed the blanket over Anti's body, as the Glitch purred while curling up.
Angus chuckled as he pet the Glitch's hair. "Good night, Anti." Angus yawned, heading over to his bedroom and tossed himself onto the bed. Maybe he could finally get a good night's sleep for a change. His eyes closed, taking in the sweet scent of the night and allowed himself to drift off.
Sirens were going off as the lights on the walls made the hallways shine red. Wee-Woo! Wee-Woo! Wee-Woo! That blaring noise could be heard in every single room of the facility. As damaging as it was to his sensitive ears, the subject kept running. His bare feet carrying his tiny form down the hallways. His chest was rising and falling at a quick rate as he attempted to get air into his lungs. The subject stayed close to the walls, doing his best to remain invisible. He peeked his head around the corner, seeing two figures in white lab coats with machine guns in their arms. They talked amongst themselves, as the subject listened.
"Did you find it yet?!"
"We're searching the perimeter and locking down access to the elevators. It won't get too far."
"We have to contain it before it unleashes its power!"
"I'll check the monitor room, see if we can gather any data from the cameras before it shuts them down." The two of them split up, as the figure gulped. He took the chance to turn the corner and run as fast as he could. The shackles on his ankles and wrists made his body much more heavy, but he was persistent. He didn't care how long he had to run or what he had to do, he finally managed to get out of that prison and he had to find a way to escape. He kept going, his heterochromic eyes focusing on the path ahead of him as his serpentine tail was raised up in defense. He knew now that he could no longer take the elevators to get him out of the lab, which meant he would have to find some vents. It would be a tight squeeze, even for his size, but it was the only option he had left.
"There it is!" The creature gasped, looking back over his shoulder to see a bunch of people in tough armor and raised guns. Sensing danger, the creature used its legs and hands to run on all fours, scrambling down the never-ending maze that was this lab. The five men in armor ran after him, doing their best to keep up. He didn't look back, he didn't want to be taken back to his cell. He turned a couple more corners, hoping to lose them eventually. He would have tried taking shelter in one of the rooms, but they were all locked so his options of pathways were limited.
He skidded to a stop as he found himself face to face with a dead end, becoming trapped by a wall and the five suited people that were approaching him with their machines at the ready. "S-Stay… away!" He warned them, keeping himself on his fours with his tail raised in a spear like manor.
"Remember, contain it and do as minimal damage as possible." One of the figures told the other four. They nodded, as one slowly approached with his weapon raised up and the finger on the trigger. The subject growled, he knew right then and there that he would either go down fighting, or go willingly back to his cage. And he was not going anywhere with these monsters! The pupils shrunk in the black scleras, looking pin-pricked as he jumped over to one of the figures. Raising his claw like hands up that he morphed to make the ends more sharper. He slashed at him, piercing the armor and making blood come out of his suit and body. The man groaned in pain, falling down on his knees as he held his open wound to prevent it from bleeding out.
"It's gone into the feral state!" One of the remaining four shouted.
"Take it down!" The other ordered. Two other men raised up their guns, firing darts to try and pierce into the subject's skin. He managed to avoid the darts thrown his way as the subject went over and slashed at the other two guards, making the crimson liquid spill out of them. He even went as far as to pierce one with his tail, sending him flying into the wall. The subject growled, showing off his sharp chompers as he was not going to be an experiment any longer. Two guards remained standing, as they were face to face with a rabid beast. The subject snarled, approaching them as he was ready to pounce.
"Where's the backup?!"
"They should have been here by-agggh!" The other one fell to the ground, as the monster held him down. His eyes crying out black tears as he raised up his clawed hand which was ready to strike down the one he had pinned to the floor. Just as the bladed fingers were ready to slash at the armor, the subject gasped all of a sudden. He looked down, seeing something that had punctured his very throat. The other figure had snuck up behind him, a knife in hand as he used it to slice through the throat of the subject before pulling away. It was enough for him to have fallen off of the one he had pinned down. He held onto his neck, doing his best to keep it from bleeding anymore. The wound wasn't deep enough to do any fatal damage, but it was causing him to make his vision grow fuzzy.
"Quickly, sedate it!" The one who had wounded the feral demanded. The subject fell to the floor, already feeling nauseous and queasy as the blood loss was getting to him. He looked up, seeing one of them taking out a syringe with some green gel inside of it. He whimpered, laying on the ground as his body grew numb. There was nothing he could do now, it was all over as he felt the needle going into his arm and the liquid being absorbed into his bloodstream. The world went dark, like it always had been for him.
Anti's one bullseye pupil shot open, he woke up from the couch in a cold sweat. He gripped the blanket around him, sitting up as his glitching was becoming far worse. He panted with a shaky breath as he held onto himself with the blanket. Due to the cabin being dark, he thought he saw vague shadows surrounding him.
"SXQgaHVydHMhIEkgZG9uJ3Qgd2FudCB0byBnbyBiYWNrIQ==" Anti screamed as he huddled himself more into the cushions.
Posi could hear Anti screaming and rushed over into the living room to see him cowering. Angus heard that scream too, but he was still tired to fully register it. "Mnnnhhh?" Angus shifted a bit as he tried getting up. Nega kicked him out of the bed, knowing it would take him a while just to get up. "Ow!" Angus hit the floor and grunted. "What the heck was that-"
"Anti?! What's wrong?!" Posi gasped as he was over by the Glitches side. When the Hunter heard Posi and Anti, he was immediately on guard. Turning on the lights, he went to the living room where Anti was huddled in the couch with the angel by his side.
Once again, Anti was speaking in that strange code that Angus could not understand, but it seemed to have been an indicator that he was beyond stressed. "Shit! Anti?!" He ran over to the couch, with Nega and Posi next to him.
"A-Anti… it's o-okay. You're safe now, I promise." Posi told him as he held onto him. Anti kept glitching badly, crying out of his one eye.
"What happened?" Nega questioned as he looked over at the Glitch.
"I think he had a nightmare…" Posi concluded, rubbing his head.
Angus stepped over, kneeling right down to Anti so they were at eye level. "Anti. Anti, hey. Look at me." He gently said. The Glitch looked up at him, still gasping for air. "I want you to do something for me. Breathe in for four seconds." Angus instructed. The young child nodded, doing as he was told. "Now, hold it for seven seconds, then let it out for eight." Anti waited, keeping his breath in for that long before exhaling just in that time. "Do it again if you need to." Angus watched him, as he repeated the process again and again, which seemed to have worked. The glitching went down and though he still had tears in his eye, his breathing was even.
"Are you back with us now?" Nega asked.
"Y-yeah… sorry for waking you up…" Anti apologize.
Posi gently reassured him with a kind smile. "It's alright, Anti. You just scared us a little, that's all."
Angus looked up at Anti, with a worried expression. "Anti, can you tell us what happened?"
"O-Only if you want to!" Posi added. "We won't force you."
The Glitch looked down, his hand went to his throat where he could still feel the neck wound bleeding. As much as he hated that memory, he knew that keeping it a secret would end up hurting him. They were being so nice to him, it was the least he could do. "I… I dreamt that I was back at the lab. Where you found me..." Angus nodded, knowing what he was talking about. "I… I managed to escape from the cell they kept me in. They were planning on doing more experiments with me… so I ran off to try and escape. I fought off a few of them but…" He winced as his fingers brushed against his neck, where the wound was. "T-That was when… one stabbed me in the neck. I lost some blood and… the wound never healed properly."
Upon hearing that, Angus's wide went wide as a growl appeared on his face. "So THAT's how you got the neck scar." He realized as he looked at the wound on Anti's skin. Sure, in canon it was supposed to have been a trademark as Antisepticeye, but knowing where he got it from and where made Angus even more upset. "But… who were those people that were after you?" He questioned.
"They were scientists. They were tasked with monitoring me and… creating me. They made me in order to be part of their program." Anti explained solemnly.
"What program?" Nega asked, as he nor Posi were aware of this since they were not conscious during the time they were with Anti.
"I don't know… they never really told me the details. But… one of them mentioned that they were trying to get me to… break through the barrier."
"Barrier?" Angus repeated. "What kind of barrier?"
Anti shook his head. "A lot of the details are still fuzzy. I don't remember a lot of it." He admits.
"It's okay, Anti." Posi assured gently as he rubbed his shoulders. "Maybe it's better you don't remember some of that stuff." He stated.
Anti sighed again, shaking slightly as he held the blanket around himself. Angus however wanted to ask a few more questions. As he was about to open his mouth, Nega held his shoulder and shook his head. The devil probably knew what Angus was going to say, and he didn't want the Hunter to hurt Anti anymore. So Angus stopped in his thoughts, he didn't want Anti to become even more upset. Though, he did want to ask one important question. "Did they… take you into that room? Where I freed you from?" It was the only question he would ask for the night, then he wouldn't bring it up again.
Anti looked at the Hunter who asked him that, but to Angus's surprise, he shook his head. "N-No… it was a different one. There was a large table in the center with clamps to hold me down and half of the room was covered by a glass barrier…" He explained.
"With a tray of tools and a desk with a computer?" Angus finished.
The Glitch jumped but nodded. "H-How did you…?"
"It was one of the rooms I saw when I first went into the hospital you were trapped in." Angus finished. "It looked like something out of a horror sci-fi movie." Anti looked down, his tail dropped across the couch as he still held onto his neck. He still could feel the pain from when that knife entered him and gave him that permanent scar. He always hated it. Angus was trying to hold back his anger, he did not like hearing what these people had done to Anti. No wonder he wanted to be free, with what he had gone through, he probably was desperate. And chances were, that wasn't the worst thing they did to him.
Angus saw how down his ears and tail were, making him worry about Anti. A nightmare like that was never easy to get over. He thought for a while, wondering what he could do. He hummed as he looked back at the kitchen and smiled. "Hang on a moment, I think I have some powder left over!" He stated, heading over into the kitchen and rifling through the cabinets.
"Powder?" Posi questioned. Angus didn't answer him as he grabbed two mugs and a couple of packets. He then went to the fridge and grabbed some milk, pouring it into a teapot and let it heat up over the stove. While the milk started to get warm, Angus placed the powder into the kettle, mixing it a bit. Anti and the two souls watched as he worked in the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, he came back into the living room with the cups in hand. He then walked over and handed one of the cups to Anti. The angel sniffed the air and gasped. "Is that chocolate I smell?!"
Angus chuckled. "Hot chocolate to be exact." He let the cup be held in Anti's hands. The Glitch took it, sniffing it as his tail wagged in anticipation. He could smell how delicious it was, even while Angus was making it. "Go on, drink up." Angus advised.
Anti leaned closer to sniff it again, before bringing it to his lips. He let the steaming liquid enter his mouth and swallowed it down. He purred as he began to take larger gulps. It felt so warm and tasted wonderfully. Anti made the mistake of drinking it when it was hot, though. So he set it down and shook his head as his tongue was stuck out. "Hawt… hawt… hawt…"
"You have to give it a moment to cool down, but don't leave it for too long." Angus advised. "Try blowing on it, that should help." Anti took a moment to cool his tongue off before listening to Angus's words. He reached for the cup again and blew on the surface, once he did, he drank it again and it didn't hurt as bad. "Better?" Angus asked. Anti looked over at him and nodded. The Glitch now had a milk mustache on the one side of his face. "P-Pfft…" Angus snickered as he saw that. "You got some on your face. Here, hold still." He reached over, wiping the excess cocoa off with his thumb. Once it was gone, Angus grinned. "There, much better."
"How does it taste, Anti?" Posi asked.
"It was hot… but great." He admitted with a smile.
"I learned this trick from Dad, uh… Henrik, when I lived with him for a while. Whenever I had nightmares, he would make me a cup of cocoa to help soothe my nerves. I could never make it the same as he did though." Angus admitted as he took a sip of his own drink.
"Well, I think it tastes great! And… it did make me feel better." He admits with a small grin. Anti's cup was already halfway gone at this point, as he sighed. "Whenever I had a bad dream, dad would come into my room and we would build a special fort of blankets and pillows. He would sleep in there with me, always telling me that no one would be able to hurt me so long as I was inside that fort."
"Glad to see not all of your memories are bad ones." Angus stated as he sat close to Anti. "Actually, you mentioned your dad before… back before we went into Chase's memory."
"Well, he isn't my real dad." Anti admitted. "But he took me in when he was in charge of looking after me. Things really only got slightly better when he came into the picture."
Angus raised a brow when Anti added that. "I can only guess that your dad hated what they were doing to you."
Anti nodded. "He despised it. If it wasn't for him, I probably would have remained bitter and hostile to everyone I met. He kind of looks a lot like your father, Henrik. That's why I thought… when I saw him through the window…" Anti trailed off, looking deep into his cup.
Angus tried to break the awkwardness as he bit his lip. "I can see why you'd thought that." He admitted. If this father of Anti was anything like Henrik, then it was a good thing he took the Glitch under his wing.
"He's a great dad and wonderful doctor… even if the others didn't really like him." Anti admitted. "I… I hope he's okay." He stared down, as he felt depressed. Angus noticed this, seeing the worry on his face. He thought for a moment, trying to figure out what he could do. An idea came to the Hunter's mind.
He jumped up from the couch and smiled. "Hey Anti, how about we do a project?"
The Glitch wagged his tail as he looked at him with a tilted head. "What are you planning, Hunter?" Nega questioned. Angus only smirked wider as he winked at the devil. Nega and Posi were slightly confused, but they went along with it.
Within twenty minutes, the four had managed to create a small pillow and blanket fort right in the living room. Anti and Angus had to be very close together, but it was worth it. Anti was happy as he covered his body in a fluffy blanket and purred. The Hunter chuckled. "It came out a lot better than I thought. I'll have to thank Chase for those pillow fort lessons he and his kids taught me."
Anti's tail wagged as he was giggling like the child he was. "This brings back so many memories…"
"Good ones, I hope." Posi smiled. "Oh, let me try something real quick!" The angel waved his hands around, summoning his powers to create a northern light recreation within the sheets and pillows. The other three awed in amazement as the angel smiled with pleasure. "Figured we could use a nightlight for tonight."
"I feel better already…" Anti sighed, still smiling with that perma-grin.
"Yeah, thanks Posi." Angus chuckled. As the lights danced across the sheets, Angus got another suggestion. He began to move his hands around, letting their shadows project onto the blankets. He moved his fingers just right so he could create an image of an animal. He opened the animal's snout and imitated a howl. "Awoooooooooo~"
Posi clapped his hands as he heard that wolf impression. "Whoaaa! Angus, you're so good at that!"
"Nothing less from the 'Survival Hunter'." Nega chuckled. Angus blushed at the comment.
"What kind of animal is that?" Anti asked.
"That was a wolf, it's like a dog but much wilder. They howl in order to call members of their pack, cause they don't like to hunt alone." Angus explained.
"Ooooooh!" Anti's bullseye sparkled as he looked back at the shadow. "What else can you do!?"
Angus redid his hands, trying to get his fingers in a certain position. He ended up doing a growl, making it low in volume with a snarl at the end.
"Oooh~ That sounds like a bear." Posi noted.
"A bear?" Anti tilted his head in confusion.
"They're big, fluffy animals with small tails, but they have large claws and sharp teeth! You don't want to mess with them!" He warned Anti. "There are also different kinds though, like grizzly bears, black bears, polar bears, and panda bears."
"Woah… I didn't know there were so many…" Anti commented.
Angus smiled at the Glitch. "When we get better, I'll take you on an expedition! It's like an adventure where we will see all the different kinds of animals."
"R-Really?!" Anti's tail wagged more as he enjoyed the thought.
The Hunter placed his hand on Anti's head, patting him as he nodded. "It's a promise." He declared. Anti leaned into the rubbing, his tail wagging like a dog as Angus kept petting him. The two of them seemed to look much happier, and looked even closer together than when they first met. Posi and Nega noticed this, glad the two of them were on better terms. They were going to need to support one another if they were to get through this ordeal. The road ahead was still a long one, but the guardians would make sure they would make it out of it in the end.
"Feeling better, Anti?" Angus asked as he ruffled Anti's hair.
"Mh-hm." He nodded. "Thanks for this, Angus…"
"Nightmares are never fun, I've had my fair share of them." The Hunter admitted. "Why don't we try getting some sleep again? We can stay in the fort together, and if you have another nightmare, I'll be right here to comfort you." Anti nodded, adjusting himself so he was laying right on Angus's chest. The Hunter sighed, not an ideal spot to sleep in, but if it made Anti happy, he would put up with it. He used his wings to cover up Anti, acting like a blanket around them. It would just be for one night, and he figured he'd have Anti pay him back later on. For now, some long-awaited sleep was what he needed. What they both needed.