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huffle-dork · 4 months

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Swap into the CrystalVerse Chapter 4: Stitched

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix

Read Swapboys | Read Stitched | AO3 Link

Prologue | Switch Chapters Taglist: @brokentimewatch

After what feels like a fall through space, Alt is suddenly standing on solid ground. A tile floor, to be specific. It's not familiar at all. He barely has time to look around--This is a kitchen of some kind--when he hears someone scream close by. A bright blue circle suddenly slams into him, pushing him into a corner of the room--It's not just a kitchen, it's also a dining room, and he's been pushed to a corner in between the table and a small window. The blue circle expands until he's basically blocked into the spot.

There are two men standing in front of him, looking horrified. One of them (his face is hidden by a blue cloth mask, and he wears nice clothes paired with bracelets and armbands) has his hands up defensively. The other (he's wearing a black hoodie with the letters PMA on it, and one of his eyes seems a brighter blue than the other) is backing into the counter and reaching for the knife block.

At hearing the screaming, Alt instinctively glitches in surprise, then is thrown off as the blue circle is slammed into him. He’s disoriented and then looks at the magic trapping him and glitches a bit in fear.

Then, he looks out at the sight of the other men. He tries to hold up his hands in a calming gesture. He’d glitch out of the magic but these guys looked freaked out enough already. “Woah woah hey! Fuck i- sorry I didn’t mean to-“

It’s just now occurring to him that- this isn’t home. He freaks out, trying to see if he still has the TRVLR.

Alt does indeed still have the TRVLR. But when he tries to turn it on the screen just flashes a low battery image and nothing else.

“Why now?!” The man in the hoodie cries, grabbing one of the knives from the block. “What do you want?! What more can you fucking do at this point?!” The blade trembles; his hand is shaking. The man in the mask moves one arm protectively in front of him.

Alt relaxes slightly as he sees the TRVLR is safe but pockets it for now. Seems he has bigger stuff to deal with.

Alt holds up his hands to show they’re empty. “H-Hey! I- I don’t think I’m who you think I am! My… my name’s Alt- I’m… not from around here- I… I’m sorry to just pop in here I uh- couldn’t really control it. But I won’t hurt you! Swear it.”

They both clearly doubt what he’s saying. “Like we’d fall for that,” the man in the hoodie scoffs. “I-I don’t know what new angle you have, Anti, but it’s not going the work!” The man in the mask makes a throat clearing noise to get the other’s attention. He moves his hands—oh, it’s BSL. Call the others, J-happy.

“They can’t get here—” the first man starts to say, then looks at Alt and stops. “Okay. Yeah. I’ll do that.” He slowly reaches into his pocket with his free hand and pulls out a smart phone.

Alt pales at the name. “Fuck okay…. Course there’s an anti here… okay-“

He sees the sign and then he panics and signs back please wait!

Sometimes signing helped Hen to calm down- maybe it would here too.

“Look I- I dunno how things work here but- I’m not- I’m not this Anti. I mean- i kinda am but! I'm not… from this world- I… i'm from another universe.” He glitches a bit in nervousness- hating being trapped. “If you could just let me explain or- I can show you something… something your Anti probably can’t do…? Maybe?”

The man in the black hoodie laughs, sounding almost hysterical, and dials a number. “We’re not going to give you a chance to do—”

Go ahead, signs the man in the mask, looking intrigued.

“JJ what the fuck?!”

He’s never used sign before, the man—JJ—explains.

“He’s never looked like that before either!” protests the other man. “That doesn’t mean it’s anything good!”

Your phone is ringing, JJ points out.

The man presses it to his ear. “Chase? Yeah, I-I can’t even begin to describe what’s happening here, but can you guys come home just in case? It might be…him.”

JJ nods at Alt, waiting patiently.

Alt relaxes some and nods, “oh um… you guys know in like- superhero movies where they travel to other places and they have like- people who are the same but.. different?” God he sounds insane. “I… I’m that- I think…”

Alt then blinks at the name Chase and he bounces slightly, “oh you have a chase! I… I do too! He’s my brother- Chase Brody! and I’m Alt Brody! We… in our world he’s a super hero and I’m… a magician, I guess? More like an entertainer- trying to be a hero…” he then fumbles with his shirt- looking for his mask before remembering it’s gone.

“Whatever guy you’re afraid of though… I can promise I’m not him but… I think you guys could be in danger… from someone else. And I need to find him and my brother… but I swear- I won’t hurt you. Im not that kinda guy…” -anymore. Mag’s words about how he’s always hurting people sticks in his head but he sticks his hands in his pockets and tries to stay calm. His shoulder fizzle and twitch with glitches, showing his nervousness.

“O…kay.” It an unbelievable story. And the man in the black hoodie clearly doesn’t believe him. “Chase, do you have a brother?” He says to the phone. There’s a long pause. “What is going on over there?” he mutters.

JJ, however, looks thoughtful. The blue shield keeping Alt in the corner drifts away a bit, giving him more room. That sounds insane, but I don’t think you’re Anti, he says. Or not the one we know. You’re being way too nice to me for that. He gives a muffled laugh, like chuckling without actually opening your mouth. I don’t think Anti could pretend to like me if his life depended on it. For my friends’ sake, though, do you mind staying there for a while? Oh, this is J-A-C-K by the way.

“You said your Chase was a superhero?” Jack repeats. “What’s his costume like?”

Alt breathes a little easier as the shield is moved- but he looks very uncomfortable being trapped. too much like when Mag would keep Blitz in a cage. “sure- no problem…” He shifts anxiously on his feet, trying not to let his anxiety and fear get the better of him. These guys seem chill… but he doesn’t want to let his guard down. The first guys seemed chill too-

Alt nods to the finger spelling. “Jack… okay. I gotta friend named Jack…” He blinks at Jack’s question and then thinks. “Oh he’s uh- not wearing his costume today. But he’s in a bright orange jacket- got a pink skull with a purple paint splatter behind it. S’also on his hat. He’s got a pink mask and like- yellow green hair.”

"Well, that's... that adds some credibility," Jack mutters. "I think your brother just showed up right next to our friends."

JJ raises an eyebrow. You're not going to say anything about how that's a weird coincidence?

"I considered it, I really did, but there's never been... look, two people is weird." Jack looks at Alt with new eyes, now able to see past the glitching exterior. He looks... a bit freaked out. "You can drop the shield, Jays," Jack says quietly. "It's okay."

The circle flickers away and JJ sighs. I'm glad we could sort this all out.

Jack speaks to his phone again. "Yeah, you guys get over here as fast as you can. Bring the guy. We'll, uh, talk when we're all together in person."

Alt seems to relax even more especially once the shield is removed. He smiles sheepishly, “t-thanks… I get it though. Bein’ cautious… I would have reacted the same way.”

He anxiously messes with his pockets and doesn’t really move from the corner. These guys act just the way the inverted guys acted towards him… but those guys were assholes. What if… the Anti here wasn’t like the first Anti he met? His stomach rolls anxiously. God… and where was Mag?

He looks over to the guy with the mask and slowly asks, speaking out loud and in sign since it seemed to put them at ease. “What’s your name?” He was trying to put a finger on who this guy reminded him off… he heard JJ earlier but… that can’t be right.

JJ's eyes crinkle; he's clearly smiling under the mask. J-A-M-E-S-O-N, he says, carefully spelling it out. And you don't have to sign for me, I can hear you. I just can't speak. Very considerate, though.

Alt’s eyes widen slightly. Okay… like Dr. j… weird. Dr. J was the least magical person he knew… this guy seemed very magic though- but he had the dressing styles of Henny. Though… kinda like the first Jameson he met… but Alt can tell this guy is kind. The first Jameson- the red one. He always had a sinister tinge to everything he did. “Ah okay… sorry my friend who taught me- he’s deaf so… force of habit I guess.”

Jack finishes his conversation and hangs up. "Okay. So. Yeah. That's Jameson, we call him JJ. We have two other friends who live here--well, kind of, e-everyone has their own places but it's been uh... This is my apartment, we're all staying here for now. Our friends are Chase and Henrik, but we call him Schneep. And, uh... yeah. S-sorry about the...reaction. You just... I've never seen... someone other than Anti do that stuff."

Alt grabs at his arm and tries not to shudder. “…I can imagine… I think.”

Are we going to explain about Anti? JJ asks Jack.

"Well, uh, basically Anti is this... guy..." Jack says slowly. "I don't... know if he's actually a human. Probably not. He... hates us. And has spent almost a whole fucking year trying to... he spent a whole year attacking us. Anyway. If you're from another world, how'd you get here? What are you doing here?"

Alt listens but feels his stomach drop. God… this Anti sounds like bad news… he wonders if he’s just as bad as Mag.

“Well… it’s a long story for me too but uh… we have a guy back home. A black magician named Magnificent. He’s… he’s obsessed with trying to go to other worlds to gain more power… and he… he used me to do it.” He pulls out the TRVLR. “We found this device that can help us travel… but I gotta make sure I get Magnificent back with us.. as much as I hate him… I can’t let him torture people here- or anywhere else. It’s… what me and my brother do. Or… try to do. Save people.”

JJ looks alarmed. Black magic?

Jack groans. "God damn it."

Sorry for the strange reactions, it's just that... Anti was probably caused by a black magic spell, Jameson explains. So... I think we can understand. Jack shudders. If just a single spell can cause Anti, what could a person specializing in dark powers do?

Alt grips at his arm, like he can still feel the ache of the black magic- like a phantom pain. “I… I get it. Black magic fucking sucks.”

"Y-yeah. That's... that's... you guys are really brave for dealing with that." Jack smiles at Alt. He's still not entirely sure about him, but if he's telling the truth, he and his brother are probably much braver than any of them.

Alt flushes and tries to duck down his head, looking away. “Well… me and my brother got… powers so- we gotta use em for something good… you know?” He feels that pit he gets in his stomach of when he did the opposite of that but… the others told him he was trying and that was enough.

JJ nods. Better use of your powers than what Anti's done, by far. His eyes crinkle again as he tries to be reassuring--hard to do with a mask hiding half your face, but he tries.

"We can try to help you out a little. Maybe. Not sure what we can do, but we'll try." JJ nods again in agreement. Our friends and your brother should be arriving here soon. Perhaps we should wait for them in the living room.

Alt nods, “yeah alright-“ He looks around, then realizes he doesn’t know where to go. “Uh I should- probably follow one of you…”

"Yeah, just this way." Jack walks towards the one entrance to the kitchen/dining room, glancing over his shoulder at Alt. "Don't worry, i-it's pretty easy to find your way around, haha."

Alt tries to smile back but it quickly falls, his mind going a million places at once. He follows them to go wait in the living room.

-----------

When Alt appears in Jack's kitchen, Bro appears in a park. It's a nice park, with a playground and picnic tables dotted around, but it's definitely not familiar.

Looking around, it's also almost empty. There are just two people passing by on the sidewalk. A man wearing a cap and bandanna, and a man wearing a black coat that's a bit out of place in the temperate weather. The man in the cap happens to glance around at the right time--and sees Bro. He immediately stops walking, and it's clear why. The man looks like him. Almost exactly, just missing the dyed hair.

If there was any doubt that Bro wasn't home yet, it's gone now.

Bro looks around in confusion, about ready to fly around to see where they are. But he stills and his eyes widen as he meets the other man’s eyes. He hesitates- then goes to remove his mask, letting his hair fade back to its natural brown, and his eyes dim down to a more natural hue. Then he tries to wave, grinning nervously. “Uh- hey there?”

Bro is obviously a bit more built then the other man is- even though Chase felt he was on the slimmer side when it came to heroes. But- he can tell now when he sees a doppelgänger. And damn- looks like this guy has been through hell… but- who was the guy next to him?

"Um... h-hi..." The man is clearly uneasy, taking a couple steps back when Bro gets close.

"Hello?" The other man is turned towards Bro, but not quite meeting his eyes. There are strange scars on his face that look, strangely enough, like tear tracks. "Who are you? Chase, is this a friend?"

"Uh, n-no, but..." the first man--Chase--grabs the other's hand. "He... looks like me..."

"We all sort of look like each other, that is not narrowing it down."

"No, I mean... really looks like me. Like... if I had a clone. Who worked out."

The other man laughs. "There is something strange about this. But there is nothing to worry about... I think. It's not who you are worried about, I can tell."

That's a very vague statement, but Chase does relax slightly. "Who... who are you?" he asks Bro.

Chase messes with his hair and adjusts his hat before trying to get a little closer.

“Itss- a long ass story. And I’m still very confused by a lot of it but- I think this will… maybe help?” He shrugs, “m’name is Chase Brody. I think that’s familiar to you, yeah? But, where I’m from, people know me as a superhero, Bro Fantastic!”

He does a slight hero pose but quickly lets it fall. He studies the man who doesn’t look at him curiously. “Um but- I’m looking for my brother and… a bad guy. A really bad guy… i dunno what he’s gonna do here but… it can’t be good.”

Chase blinks. That's a lot of information to dump on him all at once. He processes it silently for a few seconds. "What the fu--"

And then a ringtone comes from his pocket.

"Ah shit." Chase pulls his phone out and glances at the caller ID. "Schneep, it's Jack. Hang on a second you... other... me, uh..." He picks up the call. "Hey, is something going on?" He goes a bit pale. "What? What do you mean?! You can't just--is he there?! What? No, I don't have a brother, you've known me long enough for--look, something just--"

Bro blinks in confusion and looks between the two of them, trying to pick up the conversation with his super hearing. He perks up as he hears the mention of a brother and zips over so he’s closer. “Oh is that your friend?? If they’re asking about a brother that must mean they found Alt!” He grins.

Chase yelps. "Uh, personal space, please!" he says, stepping backwards.

Bro backs up quickly raising up his hands. “Oh right, sorry!” Jesus- this guy was just as bad as Alt was. He’ll be real cautious around him…

Chase stares at Bro. "There's a guy here who fucking looks like me but with green hair and he's wearing some crazy outfit, this weird-ass orange jacket and pink mask--"

"Ahhh." Schneep nods slowly. "That makes the superhero thing a bit more believable." He waves in Bro's general direction while Chase continues to talk on the phone. "Hello, by the way. My name is Henrik."

Bro blinks down at Henrik and smiles. “Oh uh yeah- believe it or not this isn’t my usual uniform… my uniform is cooler. …don’t ask why I’m wearing my own merch it’s from my fans-“ He laughs then tries to offer a hand to Schneep. “Henrik huh? Nice to meet ya!” …he’s not at all like Henny…

"It is nice to meet you too." Schneep smiles, happy to have met someone friendly for once. "You can call me Schneep, if you would like. I'm sure your, ah, uniform is cooler but this cannot be too bad either." He makes no move to take Bro's hand.

Chase turns back to the phone. "So, should we bring this guy back to the apartment? Okay. Okay, we'll be there soon." Chase wraps up the phone conversation. He looks over at Schneep and Bro and notices the awkward raised hand. "Oh, uh, Schneep, he's trying to shake your hand."

"Oh! I am so sorry." Schneep reaches out and finds Bro's hand, shaking it firmly. "I am blind, you see." He chuckles. "You see, because I do not."

Bro tilts his head and is just about to let his hand drop when Chase fills Henrik in. Then, Bro flushes and quickly shakes Schneep’s hand. “Oh! Jeez I’m sorry- I didn’t realize…” He awkwardly messes with his hair.

"Is okay, I suppose it would be hard to tell," Schneep says. "I should get one of those canes that people have in movies."

Bro laughs then looks back at Chase. “Immm guessing your friends got freaked out by someone else who looks like us- probably glitching a bit?” He tries to laugh.

"Glitching..." Chase repeats. "That would explain why Jack thought it was him. Why? Do you know what just happened up there?"

Bro makes a face. “Ah- I’m guessing glitching isn’t… a good thing here. Uh- well- it’s starting to be a pattern for us… I hope it doesn’t actually become one though cuz god- Alt must be stressed out… but uh- basically the guy we’re looking for- he’s trying to go to other worlds. Cuz he’s insane. You know how it is. And uh- he keeps trying to use my brother- cuz he’s got magic. Electric magic, mostly. I guess I… kinda do too? But they feel different. I can’t cast spells. Oh but! Yeah- he keeps grabbing Alt to go to these other places cuz glitching helps with that I guess- and I try to stop him cuz.. I’m a hero. And no one messes with my baby bro.” His eyes glow slightly with power before dimming down.

“Anddd so far- it seems like we get separated when we go somewhere new… I’m just glad alt isn’t hurt this time…”

Chase seems to have more trouble processing this, but Schneep's eyes widen. "There is someone trying to go to other worlds? That... cannot be a good thing, for anyone. I can only imagine someone would try that out of curiosity or some--some bad intent, and it sounds like this man does not fall into the former."

Chase’s expression darkens. “Mm… curiosity drives him alright. But mostly the bad stuff yeah. He’s… insane. Just try easiest way to put it. “

"Let's, uh, start walking home," Chase says. "We can keep talking on the way." He pauses. "You're... a hero, huh? With actual powers." He lets out a breath of laughter. "That's crazy. That's insane."

Bro nods and follows after them then grins. “Oh yeah! You wanna see?” He runs a bit a head of Chase and then jumps in the air and hovers, grinning like a huge dork. “Ta-dah! I mean- I can do more but- this is my favorite.”

"Whoa!" Chase gapes, astonished, then laughs. "I-I've never seen--Schneep, he's flying!"

"Oooo!" Schneep's head tilts up, following Bro's voice. "That is incredible!"

Chase beams and then touches back down to the ground, laughing. “It’s pretty neat- I like it. But, uh- sounds like you guys also got… somethings that’s gotcha on edge so I’ll keep it low key~!” He walks backwards while he talks though, keeping up the conversation.

"Y-yeah..." Chase gives a little laugh. "It's a long story, but... there's this... thing that's been stalking us for a while. He's called Anti, and... he's done some pretty bad stuff to us." He tugs on a wristband, making sure it's in place.

"My friend Jack--when your brother appeared in our kitchen, he thought he was Anti coming to fuck with us some more. But things must've calmed down by now." "We should hurry in any case," Schneep says. "Perhaps Anti heard our phone call and wants to act on it."

"Shit. Right. Yeah." Chase takes Schneep's hand and starts walking down the street. He looks back at Bro. "C'mon. It's not too far a walk."

It’s still so weird to hear his brother’s chosen name said with such fear. Bro nods, “ah right. Lead the way.” He follows close behind, keeping an eye out for anything lurking around.

"Okay." This is weird. This is so weird. Chase tries not to stare at the other version of him as they head down the street.

"I am sure this will all turn out fine," Schneep says.

-----------

In an instant, Magnificent appears in an industrial-looking area, surrounded by low concrete buildings and electrical boxes and wires. It looks run-down. Abandoned, maybe. As soon as the line between universes is crossed, any lingering effects of Distorter's trance snaps, now much, much, much too far to keep the connection stable.

Magnificent shakes himself out of the trance and then grips at his head. He curses to himself in Gaelic and throws an angry fist into one of the metal boxes. “That fucker.” He growls. But then he shakes himself out again and studies the area around him, feeling stuff out. “Hmm… where did my useless puppets bring us now?” He starts to walk around, studying the area- looking for magic. Such luck those kittens weren’t around to get in his way again… he’d find them when he had use of them again.

There is much more magic here than where he arrived in the last universe. He can feel distant spots--there are magicians in this city. But much closer than that is a strong presence of black magic emanating from one of the concrete buildings.

Magnificent grins, breathing in the air. Okay. This would do just nicely~ He hums and looks around, his finally locating the dark magic. Oh- well.. that could work out even better! Less energy wasted on converting the magic… perfect. In a fizzle of static- he teleported into the building.

The inside of the building is filled with more electrical boxes and some mismatched computer and TV parts, clearly scavenged and brought there. It's one big room. The only way to proceed is through an open doorway and down a set of concrete stairs. A red glow comes from below, and so does the black magic signature.

Hm. This almost reminded Mag of his cub’s old apartment. Though his was less- creepy. But that doesn’t bother Mag. In another fizzle he appears at the bottom of the stairs.

Magnificent finds himself in a long corridor that extends forward. The floor is perforated metal and the walls are concrete. Red bulbs in the ceiling light up the area. There's a strange sort of fog effect happening, preventing him from seeing more than thirty feet down the corridor. There's a faint sound of static coming from... somewhere.

Magnificent hums with a slight smirk. So- this magician had a flare for the dramatic. He can appreciate that. He does roll his eyes slightly, trying to push through the fog towards the sound of static.

The corridor extends further... and further... The sound getting closer... And so is the feeling of black magic. He can sense it, he's coming up on it-- No. Wait. It's... behind him?

"It's like looking in a funho̵u̴se ̀m͡ìrr͡or."

Magnificent whips around, lighting a green flame in his hand. He chuckles. "Amusing~ are you going to linger in the shadows like a coward? Or face me like proper magician?"

The corridor is empty for a moment. And then the static sound grows, and pixels fizzle together to create a single form. The man floats slightly off the floor, grinning. The upper half of his face is hidden by a mask of shadows, leaving only his eyes, with strands of green light twisting in the center of the forehead. A similarly shadowy cape flows from his shoulders, and a pair of cracked teardrop-shaped amulets dangle around his neck. His neck... which has a gaping wound slashed across it, green stitches straining to hold it shut.

"I'm mo̧ŕé than a mere mąg͏icia̢n̵, stranger."

Magnificent does stumble back some at the sight, then his eyes are quickly scanning the new figure, trying to understand it. He laughs, standing confidently. "Well- aren't you an interesting thing?"

"I could say the same for you." The figure drops to the ground, head tilting as he scans Magnificent. "You look so f̸am͟i͠lia̧r... but I k͏n҉o̷w you're not who you look like." He chuckles like that's a hilarious joke. "What are you doing here? And I don't just mean in my home."

Magnificent smirks, "You seem familiar to me too... in a way."

He extinguishes his flame and giggles, "Our cores are powered by the same thing, I'm sure you can feel that. So, surely you feel the same kind of fire~"

His eyes light up with magic and madness. "I'm searching for power. I'm pushing beyond the limits our worlds set for us!" He tilts his head like a curious cat, eyeing the glitch like one would study a treat behind glass. "I believe you can help me."

He blinks slowly. "Power... Yes, I wanted that once. But now all I need is śu͠ff҉e̕ring̨." A smile slowly spreads across his face. "Not mine, of course." He giggles. "But I remember that fire. Yes... maybe that could be very, very, int́e̕r̸estinǵ. We could join for a time. What is it you need?"

Magnificent grins, "Oh if suffering is what you want I can provide that as well."

He then stands up straighter and tilts his head, "I have a puppet that snapped his strings... and his annoying do-gooder brother who keeps getting in my way. I'm also... searching for the most powerful magic I can... but that's just for me~!" He giggles. "I just need to get my unruly cub back under my thumb and then I can continue my search for things beyond here."

"Oh I know al͠l about bad puppets." His expression darkens, then clears as he laughs. "But I think I might be of assistance. I just listened in on a v҉e͝ry interesting phone conversation. I think the ones you're looking for are in the same place as my problems. I know where they stay. I haven't yet confronted them yet, but this seems like a g̀o͢o͞d time." He pauses. "If we're to work together, we need to call each other something. They call me Anti. And you?"

Mag makes a surprised face at the name. Is that so? This... thing is this universe's Alt? Interesting... very interesting. He smirks. "You can call me Magnificent." He holds out a hand, a slight flame on his palm. "I look forward to working together, Anti."

Anti grins. Not bothered about the flame, he reaches out and takes Magnificent's hand. "To a... fruitful c҉o͏llaberat́io̧n."

Magnificent grins and shakes their hands. "Alright- where are these unruly puppets of yours, Anti?"

Anti's grin widens. "Come with me and I'll s̢how yo͟u̶." The fog in the corridor clears up--revealing that the stairs were just out of sight this whole time. "This way." Anti glitches and reappears near the top of the stairs, eager to get started.

Magnificent smirks and teleports after him, feeling a sense of something akin to excitement. This should be fun.

-----------

There's a knock at the door. Jack stands up and goes over to open it. "Hey," Chase says, stepping inside with Schneep behind him. "So... this is the guy." He gestures at Bro, then notices Alt in the room and stifles an instinctive flinch. "And that's your guy."

Bro blinks at Jack then grins and waves, "Hey sup! I'm Chase but you can call me Bro cuz that's probably less confusing!"

Jack gives Bro a tentative smile. "Hi." There is something about his cheerful nature that's relaxing. Bro brightens as he sees Alt and zips in with a quick burst of speed, going to hug his brother. "Hey! You're okay!"

Alt glitches in surprise and then lets Bro hug him- but he has that annoyed cat look on his face. "ah- hi Chase... yeah I'm okay!" He glitches back onto the couch but Bro doesn't seem bothered by this.

Alt studies the two new men in the door, feeling weird at seeing his brother's double. He... looks harmless enough. Actually- all these guys look like they're scared of their own shadows... he feels him anxiety increase. That was... cuz of this universe's version of him…

The hero looks around and then notices Jameson and he smiles again. "Hi! I'm Bro!"

Jack lets the two... other-universe-visitors, god that sounded so weird... have a moment, then cleared his throat. "Uh, so, introductions all around. That's Jameson," JJ nods and waves at Bro in return, "that's our Chase, that's Schneep, and I'm Jack. And you two are Bro and Alt. Nice to meet you... despite how things started off."

Schneep raises an eyebrow. "Did you scream or something?"

"No!...maybe," Jack admits.

Alt grins a bit, “Yeah he did.”

"I-it was instinctual." He looks at Alt. "Not anyone's fault."

It's a pleasure to meet all of you, JJ says.

Bro beams, “Nice to meet you all! Damn this has been a lot of a nicer jump than before!”

"Yeah." Chase nods and smiles. But then it fades. "But, uh... we should get to business. Bro said there was... someone else who came with you guys..."

As Chase gets serious, so does Alt, his eyes darkening. “…his name is Magnificent. He’s the… he’s a villain in our world. Torturing us- making puppets of us. Well- mostly me. He can’t keep bro down for long.” Alt shakes his head then continues. “But he’s… he’s the reason we’re here. He’s obsessed with power- and trying to find ways into new universes. He wants any unique magic he can find to claim as his own. Draining the versions of himself so he can stand on top…”

Alt rubs at his wrist, running fingers over what looks like a pale dark purple tattoo. It’s two thin lines that wrap all the way around, with scratch marks on the inside that obstruct the circles from being complete. He then blinks back up at the others. “…if you guys have magic… like I saw with Jj… he might be coming after you. He can… he can see these things.”

The guys' expressions all turn pretty grim hearing that. Chase adjusts his wristbands again. "Puppets, huh? Yeah... our guy has done that too," he mutters. He notices Alt playing with his wrists too, but doesn't say anything about the marks.

He's never gone to other universes, though, JJ says.

"Ah, excuse me?" Schneep raises an eyebrow.

The Nightmare is a pocket dimension, that's different... and he didn't actually go there, JJ says.

"Do we have to find another version of Magnificent here to protect?" Jack wonders.

Alt winces a bit at Jack’s statement about having someone to protect. “I mean… I think- in our universe… he was once someone called Marvin.”

“Yeah but. That guy hasn’t been him for a long long time.” Bro says darkly, crossing his arms.

Alt shrugs, “I never knew him as that… but our friends… they knew him. He’s just… insane now. Corrupted completely.” He digs his nails deeply into the skin around his marks.

"Well, uh, even if we don't, yeah, we all have some pretty unique magic that might attract this guy." Jack adds.

"Not me," Chase points out.

"You are magic in our hearts, Chase," Schneep says, half-joking, half-sincere.

Bro smiles at Schneep and Chase and nods vigorously. “Yeah dude! My friends say we’re all magic in some way! Though- iiii don’t get it cuz super powers feel different from magic but! You know!!”

Chase smiles at Bro. Man, is he this peppy? Well, he could be. But that smile fades as he remembers what Alt said earlier. "Not to be a bit of a downer, but... a-at least we don't have to worry about protecting anyone? We had a Marvin, but he's... gone now."

"He and our friend Jackie were part of the spell that summoned Anti," Schneep says quietly.

The Brody Brothers both quiet down though at the revelations. They exchange a sad look at the fact that this universe lost their Jackie.

JJ tenses. Speaking of Anti, do you think there's any chance of this Magnificent finding him?

"And doing what?" Jack asks.

I'm not sure, but I don't think it would be good. Maybe he could drain Anti's magic and that would get rid of him, but then we'd still have to deal with the magician. Or maybe they would... work together?

Schneep swears in German. "If they do, we must be prepared for anything. Anti knows where this is. He could lead that magician here."

We have to prepare for an attack, then. JJ looks thoughtful. Jack, do you think you could... see if there was anyone strange around?

"What, do you want me to get right up to someone and stare at them weirdly? Because my special vision only works as far as my normal one does." Jack closes his left eye--and jumps a little when he looks at Bro and Alt with just his right. "Whoa!"

Bro and Alt both jump in response to Jack’s exclamation. “What??” Bro asks- his soul is a bright bright star in his chest. The inside is blue with a bright outer ring like a bright sun, bright silver white energy cracking in its center.

Alt glitches a bit from the shock as he looks at Jack curiously. As he glitches- Jack can see his soul repeating the action with him. Then, it solidifies, bright cyan with swirling bright greens, brimming with power. So much so electricity seems to rise off of it in sparks, rotating around the soul as a whole. “…Special vision?”

"Well, I-I uh... I can see people's souls," Jack says bluntly. "And--I guess it's because you guys are from a different universe, because your souls are very different. They're... so energetic." He smiles a little. "Kind of cool actually."

Alt blinks, “woah- people’s souls? I… I’ve never heard of that before… I think- Mag can see magic like- signatures. See if you’re magic. But I don’t even think he knows what a soul is.” He laughs bitterly.

“That’s so cool though! Never thought my soul would be energetic!” Bro laughs.

Then Alt glitches to his feet, a look of panic in his eyes. “Wait- Jack.. you said this Anti was a result of black magic, right?” He pales, “then yeah Mag… he’ll either drain him or… or if they have similar goals then-“

"Fuuuuuck." Chase glances around the room as if concerned that something might happen just then. "Okay. Okay. One is bad, two is worse--or one with the power of two, god."

"Jack, did you not call Chase?" Schneep asks. "We know how Anti can mess with our phones."

"I know that! But I thought that it'd be fine because I thought Alt was Anti!" Jack runs a hand through his hair. "But yeah--they might be coming here right now. We have even less time than we thought."

"Where's my gun?" Chase is already running down the hall towards the bedroom to look for it.

Should we leave the apartment? JJ asks. His eyes are starting to glow a brighter blue.

"I am not sure, that may be a risk." Schneep is suddenly holding a pair of scissors. Where did he get those? He didn't pick them up.

Alt is trying not to panic, half-pacing, half glitching in front of the couch. “Okay okay… uh- Weaknesses for Mag! Uhhhh fuck we haven’t figured that out yet! Uhhhh just- god!” He looks at Bro with wide eyes but Bro puts a hand on his shoulder and smiles. “It’ll be okay Bro, these guys look like a tough bunch.”

Alt tries to breathe and nods, “just… he’s not completely human but he can still feel pain just.. less of it. I guess.” He picks at his wrist and looks down. “And if you… if you see me get …stiff just- try to get behind Bro and run.”

“Alt-“

Despite being blind, Schneep manages to look Alt directly in the eyes. "We do not abandon people when they are not themselves." His voice leaves no room for negotiation.

Alt staggers, mouth opening and closing in surprise. Bro grins and nods. “Yeah- well said, Schneep.”

"And thanks for saying we look tough," Jack adds, hurrying into the kitchen to grab that same knife he'd picked up when Alt appeared. Chase returns to the room, a handgun clasped in both hands.

"Okay, okay," he says. "If I freeze up one of you guys has to take this from me, okay?"

Alt grips his arm and looks away, then he shudders and looks around with wide eyes. He hears the sound of static. “Fuck I… I think they’re here-“

#swap into the crystalverse #SITCV stitched #stitched au #Jacksepticeye #c!jack #chase Brody #Jameson Jackson #antisepticeye #marvin the magnificent #Jackieboy man #alt anti #swap magnificent #bro fantastic #sorry for the cliffhanger lol

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zepskies · 3 months

Text

Being Human - Part 3

Pairing: Alec McDowell x F. Reader

Summary: Your life made sense before Alec slipped his way in. He unravels your threads without even trying. He frustrates you as easily as he weasels back into your good graces. But you soon realize that this man is worth the challenge.

AN: Remember that in this point in the season, we're in the year 2020 (DA season 2 was released in 2001). And we're about to dive into some rocky waters...

Chapter Summary: The weight of Alec’s secret is starting to create fractures. Because now, you have a secret of your own.

Song Inspo: “Attention” by Avant (ft. Snoop Dog)

Word Count: 4,400

Tags/Warnings: 18+ only! For smut, elements of mate claiming, fluff, angst, perilous situations, and a cliffhanger...

💜 Series Masterlist

Part 3: Complications

These are the nights you live for.

The gang’s all here at Crash. You’re accompanied by Max, Logan, Original Cindy, and a fruity cocktail Alec got for you. Though you roll your eyes at the way your boyfriend is trying to hook people into playing a game of pool with him, clearly so he can hustle them. The man has freakish skills.

He’s already won two or three paychecks’ worth off Sketchy, who bows out by necessity.

“Come on. Anyone, anyone! Step right up and test your skills!” Alec calls throughout the back of the bar.

“Babe, would you give it up?” you say, even though you’re smiling. “No one wants to get swindled.”

He turns to you, zeroing in with a flirtatious grin.

“Want to try your hand, sweetheart?” he asks.

You snort. “I think not.”

“Aw, come on. We don’t even have to play for cash. How about sexual favors?” he offers. The more he thinks about it, the more he likes that idea, with a growing smile. His gaze locks on yours.

“I wouldn’t even mind losing,” he says, giving you a cocky wink.

You smile, fighting a blush. Max and Cindy roll their eyes. Logan ducks his head in amusement.

“That white boy nonsense actually works on you?” Cindy asks.

You take a decided sip of your cocktail in lieu of answering.

In the end, Logan steps up to the plate, to much cajoling. When he actually wins, Alec is forced to accept a bruised ago as he forks over $50.

You beckon him over and he joins your half-booth table. You lean against him after he slides in behind you, his arm wrapping around your waist. He presses a kiss to the side of your head, and you know he doesn’t care all that much about the game.

You all cut up as usual for a while, laughing and telling stories from the day of package slinging. Logan patiently listens to all of you Jam Pony alumni commiserating over how each of you would choose to prank Normal (if there were no repercussions). Sketchy ends up with the best idea: putting super glue in the glue stick the man uses on his hair.

When the laughter dies down, Alec offers to buy the next round of beer. He often does, you’ve noticed; he’s a generous person, whether he thinks of himself that way or not. Logan gets up to join him at the bar, wanting to chip in for the pitcher with his “new winnings.”

You shake your head at that. Alec’s pride probably won’t allow competition from Logan for a second time tonight.

“We’re about to be short-staffed again,” says Cindy, earning your attention. “Jenny got knocked up.”

Max’s brows raise, while you give a happy clap and a sound of excitement.

“Oh, good for her! She and Carlos have been trying for months.”

“Hmph. That is one thing I’m not envious of,” Cindy says.

“No kids on your wishlist?” you ask.

“Not a chance, boo,” she replies.

You turn to Max next. “Are you in Miss Anti-Family’s camp too?”

“Hey, ain’t nobody said I’m anti-family,” Cindy cut in. “I believe it comes in all shapes and sizes, and they don’t gotta be your blood.”

You take a moment to think about what she’s saying, and you conceded with a nod and a smile.

“Fair enough, OC. You’ve got it right,” you gestured at her with the hand that held your drink. She clinks her half-empty beer with your glass. Both of you then turn to Max with expectant gazes, still waiting on her answer.

“I’m not into all that domestic stuff, really,” she says. Though her gaze drifts toward Logan, who’s still arguing with Alec at the bar. “My life’s complicated enough.”

Cindy snorts into her glass. You don’t quite get it; maybe because you don’t really know Max all that well, for how often you guys hang out. It’s like she keeps you at an arm’s length. It hurts you sometimes, when you see how close she is with Cindy, but you suppose it’s her right to keep her circle small.

The world’s become a lot tougher after the Pulse. The more people know about you, the more they can use it against you. That’s why finding people you can trust, and even love, is all the more precious.

You glance over at the bar again, where Logan and Alec have seemed to come to a consensus. (Logan’s bowed out of paying for beer.) Alec has a victorious little smile on his face. He looks over, as if sensing your gaze, and he shoots you a wink. Your smile grows.

Meanwhile, Max and Cindy watch you with twin looks of wry amusement.

“So you want the family package, huh?” Cindy asks.

You twirl your straw around your glass.

“I haven��t thought all that hard about it, but…I wouldn’t mind, with the right person.”

Max chortles, pointing a finger towards the bar. “You think that’s Alec?”

Cindy’s brows furrow slightly as she shoots her friend a warning look. You bite your lip and look down at your drink.

“Now’s not the right time but, maybe someday,” you reply.

Later that night, you treat yourself to a bath in Alec’s apartment. The heater here is amazing. His place is so spacious, with a huge TV in the living room worthy of his obsession with cartoons and soap operas.

He has another one in the bedroom, where he’s made himself comfortable watching some old sitcom.

When you eventually get out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around you, Alec is predictably glued to the TV. You don’t even think he’s noticed you when you walk by him to grab the change of clothes from your overnight bag, but he pulls you into his lap before you can get dressed.

“Why the hell do you need clothes?” he says, stealing a kiss. “Those cumbersome things.”

You giggle, and he smiles against your lips. He rolls you underneath him on the bed and you help divest him of his clothes, down to his boxer briefs. He’s in a good mood tonight, you can tell.

He takes one corner of your towel and peels it off you slowly, until your body is bare for his gaze. His eyes take in every inch of you before they make it back to your lightly blushing face.

He smiles, and he takes down the messy bun from your head to have your hair fanning wildly across his pillows. Your hands move across his chest and further down, but he puts a stop to your exploration. He grasps your wrists and pins them down to the bed with a strength you can’t escape.

You raise your brows. “Alec?”

“Trust me,” he says, dipping down to kiss your neck. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

You suck in a breath. Far be it from you to argue with that.

“Is this one of those sexual favors?” you tease.

He laughs against your skin. “You’re about to find out.”

Then his mouth drifts away from your neck, burning a hot, wet trail across your dewy skin. He finds his way between your breasts, before he lavishes attention to each one. While his tongue swirls around one pert bud, he rolls the other under his thumb and pinches just hard enough to elicit a gasp from you.

Your back arches off the bed a bit; your fingers rake through his sandy hair, clenching whenever he finds a sensitive spot. Both your grip and your voice spur him on, letting him know he’s in the right direction.

You don’t know this, of course, but before a few months ago, he wasn’t so well-versed in this arena. He’s learned his way down a woman’s body with much practice. And he’s come to find that every one of them is different, each with their own set of tells, as he likes to call them.

For example, he knows that even you don’t mind it fast and rough, you prefer it slow, like this. You like a full work up, with his lips dragging down below your navel and his thumbs guiding your knees open, so he can slot himself between your legs.

Already you’re breathing deeper as he makes his way down, pressing open-mouthed kisses down the inside of your left thigh. His tongue licks a languid stripe up the seam of your pussy.

“Alec,” you whine, like you want him to speed up the pace. Maybe you do, but all he gives you is a smirk from between your legs.

“Patience is a virtue,” he teases.

You huff and will yourself to be virtuous, closing your eyes with deep breaths. “Please…”

He chuckles. “I gotcha, baby. Don’t worry.”

His hand slides up your lower belly, both to comfort you and to hold you down. You cover his hand with yours, but your nails soon dig into his skin as his fingers deftly slip past your folds and find your entrance.

“Already drenched for me, I see,” he remarks approvingly. He gathers some wetness and finds your clit, circling with the pads of his fingers. He searches for the right angle, using the sound of your voice to guide him.

When you suck in a gasp and shudder, he knows he’s found the right spot. He replaces his hand with his tongue, while he slips two fingers deep inside you. As he works you over, unrelenting when your hips threaten to raise off the bed, he holds you down with a firm hand. Your hands fist in his hair as your eyes close and your mouth drops open with your moans.

Finally, you buck against his chin and let out a wordless cry. He feels your wetness coat his tongue and knows he’s making you come. Your inner walls are still quivering around his fingers when he slips them out of you. He actually licks them clean, making you shiver again at the sight.

Alec crawls back up the length of your body while you catch your breath. He smiles down on you and brushes your cheek with the back of his hand.

“Not about to pass out on me, are you?” he asks. A teasing gleam is in his eyes. “I think I can resuscitate you.”

You laugh breathily in response and pull him down to you, crashing his lips to yours. You taste yourself on his tongue, which isn’t unpleasant. Your nails drag down the back of his neck. Alec groans into your mouth and sinks his fingers into your hair.

Now he’s more on your wavelength as you reach for the waistband of his boxer brief and quickly roll them down. He helps you by kicking them the rest of the way off, allowing you to wrap your thighs around his hips tightly.

“Hey, wait a second,” he says, laughing with his forehead pressed to yours. He grabs your hips and angles you a bit higher, then he reaches between your bodies and holds the painfully hard, weeping head of his cock at your entrance.

He meets your eyes, and you smile and squeeze the back of his neck in encouragement.

As slowly as he can manage, he pushes inside you. He stretches open your inner walls inch by inch. Both of you take in deep breaths and utter mingled moans as he continues to push inside, until the head of his cock reaches the very depths of you.

You toss your head back against the pillow with a heavy breath.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah,” you nod, licking your lips. “Just move, baby, please.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. He likes when you call his name, but he thinks he likes even more when you call him baby. He knows that you mean it, unlike women he’s had to pay for.

But he doesn’t want to think about any of those exploits when he’s with you—there’s no comparison. He slides out almost the full length of his cock, before he pushes back in. He builds a slow, sensuous, steady rhythm that serves both of you well.

He actually works up a sweat, and you help him by meeting his thrusts, encouraging him whenever you give him your voice, your instructions and praises, your hands attempting to squeeze the circulation out of his arms.

He's so focused on rocking your world (and his own) that he doesn’t realize what you’re about to do.

He’s deep inside you when you brush your hand along his jaw and utter the truth.

“I love you,” you whisper.

Alec pauses.

Both of you are breathing hard, but the fact that he doesn’t say anything makes you freeze. Neither of you have said that before. You hold in your breath.

Alec’s pupils are blown wide as he dips down, nosing along your throat before he begins to move inside you again. You moan in response as your legs squeeze his hips. He sinks his teeth just above where your neck meets your shoulder, making you gasp and arch against him, gripping his hair tight.

The way you’re squeezing him so tightly, from the inside out, means he reaches his shuddering end before you do, but he still makes sure you get there for a second time. His fingers reach between you to press and circle around your clit before his last few hard thrusts. It has you coiled tight, before you gasp and moan your release.

He licks a long stripe along your neck. You hiss in pain when he laps over tender flesh.

“Sorry,” he pants.

“You got me good, Count Dracula,” you quip.

Alec breathes warmly against your ear. He pulls back and examines the bite mark on your neck. He barely remembers doing it.

It’s like…some kind of claim.

Like an animal, he thinks wryly. For the first time, he wonders just what the hell they put into his cocktail at Manticore.

He clears his throat.

“Uh, I’m sorry,” he says, contritely. “Didn’t mean to…”

You slide your hands up his arms and catch his gaze. You smile in amusement, even though you’re blushing.

“Didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

The two of you don’t talk about what you said.

Or what he didn’t say.

You don’t know what’s happening, but you think it stems from that night.

Alec begins to pull away from you.

Dinner plans get “rain checked.” Trips to the farmer’s market, to the park, to Pike Place get cancelled.

For the next few weeks, the only time you see him is at work or at Crash, or occasionally in the line for boxed and canned goods in Sector 2.

Max can’t give you a straight answer on what’s going on with him (and really, you should be able to figure out your own boyfriend without her help). So you finally have to put your foot down.

You try to pull him aside at work, in front of the Jam Pony building. He’s on his way in, while you’d been on your way out.

“Alec, can I talk to you?” you ask. He gives you a strained, apologetic look.

“I’ve gotta pick up my next deliveries.”

“Alec, please,” you implore. You squeeze his arm enough to hold his attention. “I feel like…like you’re avoiding me. Is there something going on?”

His expression dims further. “I’ve just been really busy.”

“We’re always busy. That’s not it.” You frown, and your body tenses. “Is there…someone else?”

Alec briefly closes his eyes, emitting a short sigh. “No. Nothing like that.”

You let out a subtle breath of relief, because you do believe him this time. But that just makes your next question even more difficult. Your arms cross, to disguise the way you’re bracing for a figurative blow.

“Then…have I done something wrong?” you ask.

That hurts Alec even more. Though his training, so deeply ingrained, allows him not to show it.

“No. No, it’s not you,” he says, wiping a hand over his mouth. “It’s… Listen, I just think we needa slow down a bit, you know?”

“Slow down?” you ask. A trill of panic laces down your spine. “Is it about…what I said?”

Alec doesn’t want to answer, but you both know then that you’ve hit the nail on the head.

“I just need some space,” he says. “I think it’ll be better for both of us.”

“Really?” you ask. Your voice flattens, and hot tears well up in your eyes.

It threatens to undo him. Somehow, he’s able to hold firm in what he believes he has to do, in order to protect you. Even from himself.

Alec reaches for your cheek. He hesitates just slightly, but he drops a kiss on your forehead.

You don’t want to let him. You can’t help it though; you savor his touch. You feel his warm lips on your skin, and then he’s gone by the time you open your eyes.

A few days later, you still feel like hell. You manage to reach your locker and you lean against it. Your stomach churns with nausea—the constant sign of your stress as you try to get through your morning.

On the TV, some government agent is exposing a genetics company called Manticore. That it created “transgenic” subjects as genetically engineered soldiers, often using animal DNA. They escaped almost a year ago now.

They’re not human. They’re living among you. They’re dangerous, and you have a right to be scared.

You’re only half-listening, because the truth is, this sounds like a bunch of fearmongering bullshit, and you’re too tired to be all that alarmed. Humans are dangerous enough, as far as you’re concerned.

The government is probably trying to cover up something even more heinous by concocting this ridiculous story.

You rest your cheek against the cool metal of your locker and just stand there for a while in time in space. You don’t care much about the world around you, until Max comes into your line of vision. She touches your arm.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asks.

“I’m fine.” A vast overstatement, though you know that you aren’t convincing anyone.

You look up just in time to see Alec standing at his own locker. He’d been glancing at you and Max, but being caught by your gaze makes him turn away, closing his locker as he leaves.

Max’s lips press together. She returns her attention to you in thinly veiled concern.

“What happened exactly?” she asks.

“Max, I don’t know,” you confess. “Things were fine. They were good.”

You let out a deep, exhausted breath.

Oh yeah, you haven’t been sleeping much lately either.

“Deep in my gut, I have this feeling. Like he’s going through something,” you say. “Or he’s hiding something from me. He just won’t talk to me. Every time it feels like we’re headed somewhere good, solid, he pulls away. I can’t fucking do it anymore, Max. I just can’t take it.”

You slam your locker closed and try to get on with your day before your tears fall. Max sighs and watches you go.

She doesn’t know that you head to the bathroom and heave your breakfast into the toilet bowl, spilling what little you could keep down this morning.

You haven’t been sighted at Crash in weeks, but Alec comes here every night, Max notices. He drinks alone tonight, once again looking more woe is me than ever.

It boils her blood.

She takes a seat next to him and punches his arm with a heavy dose of her transgenic strength. Alec flinches with a cry of protest, but she just glares at him.

“Why are you doing this to her? To yourself?” she demands.

Alec wants to glare at her, but he doesn’t have it in him. He just quirks his head and sips his drink. He doesn’t even know what kind of liquor this is, but the bartender promised it’s the strongest thing he has back there.

“Leave it alone, Maxie,” Alec says, as he takes a sip. Though strongest be damned, he’s slammed down four of these and he’s still not drunk. Ain’t that a bitch.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says.

“I don’t?” Max raises her brows. “You’re fucking with her head and her heart. And for what? So you can have a little pity party?”

Alec does glare at her this time. “You know what, why don’t you just leave me the fuck alone?”

“Not until you tell me,” she demands. “Why’re you pushing away someone who clearly cares about you? Not that I get why. If this selfish, pigheaded, asshole behavior is supposed to be charming, then maybe she’s better off without you.”

He slams down his glass hard enough for liquor to slosh out over his hand.

“Don’t you get it?! That’s exactly it,” he hisses, low enough that only the two of them can hear. “When are you going to understand that we’re a threat to them? We’re being hunted every damn day. You think Ames White and his cult cronies’ll think twice about a little collateral damage?”

“Alec—”

“You think you and Logan are any different?” he adds. “Let me remind you, you were a danger to him even before a genetically engineered virus came into the picture.”

She’s angry, but he knows she can’t argue with logic. They both know that Alec is speaking from a place of experience.

“So you’re just gonna break her heart?” she asks. “Again?”

Alec shakes his head and casts his gaze down into brown liquor. Max leans toward him with a steely glower.

“You’re a coward,” she says, before she slips away.

Alec wipes his wet hand on his jeans.

…Maybe she’s right, he thinks. You’ll probably end up regretting the day you ever met him, but at least you’ll be alive to hate him.

“Oh God,” you utter, a hand covering your mouth.

You haven’t been to the doctor in several years, but you managed to scrape enough money together to afford this little test. It gave you a more definitive answer on why you’ve spent the last few weeks fighting sickness and fatigue in equal measure.

How could this have happened? You were on birth control. What could possibly have…

You don’t know what possesses you to go hunting for the little round packet in the medicine cabinet. You examine its contents and confirm that you haven’t missed even one pill of your pharmacy-issued birth control.

On the bottom of the packet, however, you spy something small in the fine print: EXP – 02/2017.

Expired…THREE YEARS AGO?!

Apparently, you can’t put it past pharmacies to sell outdated meds now.

You sit alone on your couch in silence for nearly an hour. You run down every scenario, every path you could possibly take and try to consider its most likely outcome.

Medical care is a joke nowadays, unless you're still part of the wealthy 1%. That also includes...termination.

Even you did try to find a way to do it, somehow scrounging up the money to end this, the thought alone makes your heart ache.

Alec is young, and so are you. You two had barely been together for six months before he basically broke up with you, and you're not even sure how he'll react when you tell him. (At this point, you don't have high hopes.)

And yet, it hurts. What you'd told Original Cindy was the truth; you want a family. You're tired of being alone, even though the two options laid out before you scare you in equal measure.

A thousand thoughts are still running through your mind, contradicting each other with brutal logic, versus what your heart tells you. But one decision is certain...

You need to talk to Alec first.

You wait until the morning at Jam Pony HQ, when you’ve settled your nerves enough to see Alec.

He never shows up for work, even an hour into shift. Damn it.

Okay, you suppose you’ll have to do this another way. You grab your phone, and you call him.

Thankfully, he picks up on the fourth ring. “Hey.”

“Hey,” you reply, a bit awkwardly. The two of you haven’t spoken in nearly a month.

“What’s up?” He doesn’t sound like himself. He sounds guarded, almost hesitant.

“We need to talk, Alec.”

He blows out a sigh. “Look, I haven’t changed my mind.”

You swallow past the pain.

“I know," you dully reply. "It’s not about that, but this isn’t a conversation I want to have digitally.”

“...Okay,” he relents, with another sigh. He sounds a bit distracted. “Uh, I’m taking care of something right now, but I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you stop by my place after work?”

You nod. “Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

Of course, it’s hard to focus on your work after that. You wonder how many months you have until you can’t work anymore. Until you’ll have to fend for yourself…and for your child.

With or without Alec, you plan to do whatever it takes.

So you do your best, as you always do, to get through your day. You fight exhaustion and nausea and anxiety with every delivery, but at the end of the day, you have a clipboard full of signatures and a clean docket.

You leave right at 7:00 p.m. to head over to Alec’s apartment. You use your spare key to unlock the door and find the apartment shrouded in darkness. You flip on the closest light switch before you turn to shut and lock the door behind you.

The door pushes open abruptly.

It knocks straight into you and throws you off your feet. You crash with a pained cry into a wooden table, knocking off a half-empty glass of whiskey that cuts into your arm when it breaks.

A pair of strong hands take hold of you and haul you up, spinning you around. You stare up with wide eyes into the face of a man you think you’ve actually seen before. He’s tall, white, dark hair, piercing eyes.

On the news, you realize. You saw him on the news.

“Where is 494?” he demands to know.

You blink in confusion and fear. “What?”

The man rolls his eyes.

“Alec McDowell,” he says.

Your breath stills in your lungs.

“Why’re you looking for him?” you ask. “You…you work for the government.”

“That’s right.” His smile is thin. “It’s a federal matter. And I suggest you tell me what I want to know.”

His grip on your arm tightens enough to make you whimper.

“I don’t know where he is,” you blurt out. Mostly because it’s the truth.

He raises a brow. “He lives here, doesn’t he?”

You refuse to answer, but the man lowers his gun and seats you forcefully on the couch.

“Then we’ll wait.”

Minutes turn to an hour. Alec’s late—a fact you’re half relieved about, and half cursing him for. You turn to the man who holds you at gunpoint without even looking at you. Though you instinctively know that any attempts to run will be short-lived.

His men wait by the door with guns at the ready.

“Who are you?” you ask.

The man turns his head and gives you a cold smile. “Agent White, at your service.”

“Okay, Agent White. Why are you after Alec?”

“Oh, I’ve been looking for him for a long time,” he says.

You frown, with pursed lips. “Why? What do you think he’s done?”

“It’s not what he’s done. It’s what he is,” White says. “Him, and everyone like him.”

“What the fuck are you on about?” you snap.

White rolls his eyes. He lets out a sharp sigh before he stands. He grabs you up along with him. Fear churns inside you, tightening in your throat.

“I have a better idea,” White says. “Instead of using you as leverage to make him come quietly, I think I’ll just let him walk in, nice and easy. He’ll find you gutted. On the floor. And then I’ll do the same to him.”

Frightened tears well up in your eyes when his grip moves and tightens on your jaw, like he’s thinking about breaking your neck.

“Wait, please!” you plead. “I’m pregnant!”

White actually pauses, tilting his head. He smiles.

“Interesting.”

AN: Ames White has entered the chat...

EDIT (2-05-24): I made some edits here on the reader's thoughts of what she should do after her discovery. In hindsight, I realized I'd left out some aspects of the world. Specifically how access to medical care would influence her decision vs. what this particular character wants for herself.

Next Time:

“Hello, 494.” A man’s voice—one that Alec would know anywhere. It prickles his skin with unease and makes his blood boil all at once.

“Ames White.” Alec’s teeth grind. “What game are you playing now?”

“This isn’t a game. It’s business,” White claims. “I have something you want. How much are you willing to pay to make sure she stays alive?”

Alec forces himself to calm down, even though his pulse is racing.

“What do you want?”

“You. And 452. With no bullshit on your end,” the agent replies. “Or this girl is going to pay that price for you.”

Keep Reading: Part 4 (Finale!)

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