Anti glitched out of the Septic house and off somewhere else. He didn't know where exactly but anywhere was better than surrounded by people he THOUGHT gave a shit about him.

It was cold where he was but he didn't care. He'd rather not feel anything anymore.

He didn't see any buildings quite near him so he figured he must have glitched on the edge of town. The only thing he recognized that could have brought him here was a telephone pole. He wanted as far away as possible. Looks like he got his wish without expending too much energy.

Not that it mattered.

Slowly, just standing there, he started to shake. The cold was starting to get to him.

And with the cold like this came danger for him. He couldn't glitch like this, freezing over his system. He was stuck out here now with no help in sight.

'That's alright' he thought to himself, 'I'm just useless trash anyway. This was what they've been wanting for years, right?'

Snow blew in his face, making his eyes water even more, 'I'll just give them all what they really want then . . . . .'

Slowly, Anti walked over to a nearby road bridge that went over a small creek. He sat down underneath it like a frozen troll.

'Merry Christmas guys. . . .'

"We have to figure out where he went NOW!" Sean shouted above all of them, "Anyone have any ideas?"

"Maybe downtown?" Henrik suggested.

'The theater?' Jameson asked.

"The bar?" 

Everyone glared at Chase.

"What?!" he defended himself, "It's where you GO after a shitty fucking day and obviously Anti's had a TERRIBLE LAST COUPLE DAYS!"

Jackie sighed, "I'll check out downtown and check the bars and clubs"

Marvin nodded, "I'll go and check the Iplier house. We need to find him as fast as possible"

"Vhy? Think he'd really throw a tantrum again?" Henrik brought up, "Vhat? Ve are ALL thinking it!"

"Not the time, Hen. Right now, Anti's safety is the most important"

"Along with anyone else he might take his anger out on" Jackie mentioned, "Not that I think he'd do that right now. He didn't seem . . . angry. Just . . . upset. Almost broken, really"

"I don't blame him" Chase shrugged, "We DID get in a pretty bad fight and if what Marv said is true, he's heard a WHOLE fucking lot worse. Actually, I've never seen him cry. This was the first time"

'Then we shouldn't be worried about other people!' Jameson signed, 'Anti could be in danger of hurting HIMSELF!'

Sean nodded, "Jackie, you head on downtown. Marv, you check with Dark. Let me know if either of you find out anything"

"What are you gonna do?" Chase asked him.

Sean slung his winter coat back on and mittens, "I'm going out to find my ego. As cold as it is, he might be right outside close by for all we know too stubborn to find shelter"

"I'll come with you" Chase went to grab his own coat.

Henrik and Jameson got on their own winter coats, "Ve should also try his cell phone every once in a while. He could pick up if he gives in"

With the plan all set up, they all split up their separate ways to find Antisepticeye.

Chase, Henrik and Jameson followed behind Sean and the father couldn't help but feel awful. This was mainly his fault, wasn't it? 

Without realizing or knowing about it, Chase was Anti's last hope. He was the last person he went to and Chase had just lost his temper like that.

It wasn't what Anti thought, though. Sure, they all got pretty fed up with his anger issues but as long as he didn't do anything that was unrepairable, they wouldn't hate him for it. Marvin and Henrik were able to do a lot to protect other people from the unstable glitch.

'I completely fucked everything up and now he thinks I hate him. It's not true! Sure he can be a prick sometimes, but I KNOW there's a soft side to him and I KNOW he likes all of us, too! He's not a bad guy but the corrupted ear-piece made him feel like the worst person on the planet. Why the hell did Marvin have something like that in his room anyway!?'

"ANTI!" he shouted out for him. 

Unfortunately, they lived on the outskirts of town. Almost near the country. 

If Anti was indeed feeling suicidal, it would be the perfect way to die.

The snow was blowing hard and piling up, making it harder for them all to walk but they had hope they'd find him before he did anything stupid.

'Idiot' Sean felt himself break and cry a little, 'What did you hear to possible think we all hate you? What monstrosities were you subject to in that unstable mind of yours?'

'What did he hear?' Chase was breaking by the second, just thinking about it, 'What did he hear from all of us?'

'I can only hope it's not irreparable.' Henrik called out for the glitch with them.

'I hope he's okay' Jameson could only hope for his safety with the others. 

Hope was all they had at this point.

Marvin teleported Jackie immediately downtown first for his search.

Jackie knew that Dark and Anti had never been exactly close but he hoped that he had at least gone to him instead of doing something stupid like trying to kill himself.

'He wouldn't do that, though, would he?'

Before Marvin could leave for Dark's place, Jackie stopped him, "Marv. . . . .About Anti and this ear-piece.  . . You said it made him think his worst fears, right? Do. ..  do you know what he could have heard from us? Separately, I mean? I mean, he was acting very odd earlier and I just  can't get it out of my head."

"You want to know what he thought he was hearing from you?"

". . .Yeah"

"You sure? I mean, I haven't even seen what he thought I was saying. Kind of afraid to with how he broke down like that. Thought Anti was the strongest of all of us"

"That's why I have to know, Marv"

The magician sighed, "We don't have time for this. But just one quick look, alright? Then I have to go"

Jackie nodded and watched as Marvin pulled out the faulty ear-piece. He mumbled a spell on it and held onto Jackie's hand.

There was static at first but then he could just barely make out Anti and his conversation earlier that morning.

"Oh . . .. sorry about that. I meant to take that down a long time ago but I mean. . . well you're such a good influence for me working out, you know!? But if it bothers you too much, I can take it down"

'I love to imagine it's really you. Stabbing knife into your eye socket, watching you cry and bleed out. Fuck, I want to tear you apart! Why did Chase want to protect you so fucking bad?! This is all his doing! But he just HAD to feel so bad for you. Piece of trash, you're lucky Chase vouched for you so hard'

Jackie remembered this conversation. Anti had been staring at the picture he had of him on the dart board in his makeshift gym. It wasn't what Anti, thought though!

'Little bastard has always influenced me to get stronger. I swear, that's all it was. Just a friendly rivalry. But I guess with hearing that shit, he's bound to think something worse'

He listened in on more.

"Anti?"

"Huh?" he forgot Jackie had asked him a question but he remembered, "Oh. . . no, it's fine. I understand. You can keep it up if you want. I know I was pretty terrible back in the day"

Jackie belted out a laugh, "Pretty terrible!? Dude, you were a fucking disaster! But that's what makes you, you, huh?" he grinned at him so positively.

You'd never know he was thinking such horrendous thoughts.

'Little bitch if he doesn't get out of my space soon, I'm gonna lose it and make this look like an accident.'

"Yeah . . . . . I'm gonna go now"

Jackie suddenly looked confused, "Huh? But why? You just came in here!"

'No, stay so I can make an excuse. They won't care anyway'

Jackie suddenly panicked and broke away from Marvin's touch.

'Fuck. . . . That's what he heard? It's not even close! My god. . .Anti. If I had known . . .'

He wiped his tears off of his face and Marvin stared at him concerned, "Jackie? You alright? It's not your fault, man. If anyone's, it's mine. I just . . . didn't account for Anti to find it. Didn't think it'd be so easily broken, either. The static from his hair . . . "

Jackie pat Marvin's shoulder, "Don't worry too much about it." like he was one to talk, "We'll find him, Marv. We'll find him and save him from those fucking thoughts. We have to. We HAVE to find him"

Marvin nodded, "Let me know if you find anything here. I'll check up on you guys in a bit"

With that, he vanished, leaving Jackie to run off to the nearest bar to find his brother.

Marvin teleported to the mansion and knocked on the door as fast as he could.

A few moments later, Google was the one to answer the door.

"Where's Dark? I need to speak to him NOW"

Google certainly looked surprised, but didn't argue, letting the magician inside.

"Sean, I do not zhink he is out here!" Henrik called to his creator, "We've checked the perimeter already!"

"No!" he was adamant, "We have to keep looking! We're not stopping!"

"Sean, he's right. You should go back to the house where it's warm. We can handle the search from here." Chase told him, "Go check and see if he's back home"

"No!"

Henrik sensed the stubbornness in the man, "Sean, please! You cannot handle zhis weather like ve can! We are not completely human so ve have more of a chance of surviving conditions like zhis than you! We'll find him!"

"I know we will!" Sean argued, "And I'll be the one to hug him when we do!"

All they could do was huddle around Sean as if to protect him from the cold wind while they kept marching on.

They weren't about to give up now. They couldn't.

Not when their brethren needed them most.

Dark stared at Marvin as if he were crazy, "What??"

"I know it's a lot to take in!" Marvin told him everything, "But if you know ANYTHING that could help us find Anti, then PLEASE! We don't know if we have a lot more time left!"

Dark was surprised to say the least but believed him. He couldn't deny the look in the magician's eyes were solid honesty. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is. He hasn't been here" Dark confessed.

"Dammit!" Marvin stomped the ground. He was losing patience. He had to try and go somewhere else. Maybe he was at Ethan or Mark's place? Maybe Evelien? Felix? 

He had to try SOMEWHERE!

Marvin nodded to Dark, "Well thanks anyway. I'll go see if-"

"Well hey wait a second" Dark stopped him, "You don't have to go just yet"

"I do" the magician argued. He didn't have the time for this, "If I don't, Anti's at risk of even more danger by the second!"

"Precisely why you should listen to me" Dark's voice boomed, stopping Marvin's mild panic for a moment, "I said we hadn't seen him and we don't know where he is. I didn't say we couldn't help find him. You remember Host, I presume?"

Marvin gaped at him, "Of course, I do, but I don't see how-"

"He can find him. Come with me. I believe he's up in his room. Hell, the bastard's probably expecting us"

Marvin was confused. He knew of Host's powers but did they really stretch so far?

He wasn't about to complain, though. If there was any chance of finding Anti, he'd take it.

Meanwhile, Anti stayed under that road bridge. 

It was cold and starting to get dark but he didn't care.

All of their words echoed in his head. They would be the last he heard from them.

He wished things could have been different. He could have made things different.

Why was he always such a bastard to them all? So rude and foolish? All those tantrums for things so ridiculous and stupid.

He was so childish.

So angry at everything.

In the distance, he could see the Christmas lights from the town. He really wasn't that far away from home but hidden just well enough that he might not be found until Spring at this rate with how the snow was coming down.

'Christmas. . .  what a joke' he thought to himself, 'Supposed to be so cheery and joyful. A season of forgiveness and . . .love. I don't deserve any of it, though. Doesn't matter. I'll disappear along with the snows. Fade out like a dying battery. That'll make them happy. Maybe that'll make them . . happy'

He could feel himself fading already. It was so cold, he was at the point where he had stopped shaking, his body giving up with his soul. Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, it was to be expected that he wouldn't last long anyway. Even if he was an ego.

In the distance, he could just barely hear Christmas music.

'For once, it doesn't sound so bad . . . . . .'

The instant his eyes closed, he lost consciousness. 

The snow was clinging to him under the bridge, almost hiding his still body.

His heartbeat was the only thing that signified life in the barren country roadside.

His soft heart beat  . . . . 

Getting slower and slower by the second.

"-ti!"

The voices were barely heard over the harsh winds. But it was there nonetheless.

"ANTI!"

Anti thought it was just a dream. Maybe it was just his hopes and dreams that he heard them in the depths of his mind.

And he'd go on believing that.

A soft beeping in a small enclosed room made him start to think otherwise.

'beep. . . . . beep. . . . . . beep'

He recognized that sound.

He couldn't really feel anything but he felt himself shaking.

'Am I . . . alive?'

He moved a little, feeling the warmth of a heated blanket over his body. 

Upon feeling something so abruptly, he startled himself out of his 'sleep' and his eyes shot open.

Honestly, he still thought he was dead.

His vision was still adjusting but as it did, he saw everyone surrounding him in the small room. He recognized it to be Henrik's small office in the basement.

What he couldn't believe , though, was the looks on everyone's faces, full of hope and concern.

And not just the Septic egos!

Dark, Host, Dr. Iplier, Wilford and a few other Iplier egos were there, too along with Sean and Evelien.

Henrik was the first to notice he was awake and grinned wide, "Anti! You are awake!"

The others looked around towards Anti and upon seeing the doctor was correct, they. . . smiled.

Anti coughed, his lungs having suffered from his huddling in the snow, "Wh-what's . . . going on?"

Chase was the first to bombard on him, slamming into him with a tight hug, "Dude, you fucking psychopath! Don't you EVER go and do anything that dumb again, you hear me!?"

Anti couldn't even speak, 'What?'

"You had us worried, Anti!" Jameson signed. It was one of the few times Anti had ever seen him without his hat one. He must of taken it off in his worry.

Wait. Worry? No, they couldn't have possibly been worried about him, right?

Anti shivered again, "I thought . . . you all hate right? I thought it's what you all would have wanted?"

"Idiot" Jackie shook his head, " . . . You were wrong"

Anti shook his head and he started to get worked up again, "I HEARD it! I heard all of you. . .you . . .all hate me. Want me gone and dead. I heard it. I-"

Marvin came up to him and held his head, stopping his panic, "It's not what you think, Anti. Please. . . let me explain, hm?"

Anti didn't understand. What else was there to explain? They could never take back what they said, right?

"I don't understand"

Dark cleared his throat, getting his attention, "Just hear them out, Anti. It'll make sense. I promise"

Anti glared at him. He didn't trust him but he supposed that since he was there, he might as well.

Marvin took the ear-piece out of his pocket, "You found this in my room, right? Had to have been the other day?"

Anti nodded sheepishly. Usually he wouldn't be so sullen but he was cracked and broken. Not himself.

"Well . . . BEFORE you had it, it indeed WAS a device that would enable the user to ear someone else's thoughts. However . . . when combined with YOU . . .it seemed to have corrupted."

"What do you mean? Worked fine to me." Anti glared at the device, "I could hear everything . . ."

"You THOUGHT you could hear our true thoughts." Marvin corrected, "When in reality . . your hair and static messed up the collaboration of the spell and small bit of technology combined with it. You changed it. Instead of hearing someone else's true thoughts, you were able to hear what you feared most from particular people"

"Lies" Anti growled, "What I heard matched exactly what you all would think! It's not broken! You're lying to me just to cover your own asses!"

"Anti, please, it's not-"

"Shut up!" Anti yelled at Chase who tried to console him, "You're liars! I know what you were thinking! You wanted me gone! To leave! To die! Hell, Jackie even wanted to KILL me! Henrik wanted to poison and euthanize me!"

"They weren't real, Anti!" Marvin tried to get through to him, "Please just-"

Anti shook his head violently, slightly glitching, making the machine he was hooked up to glitch a little as well.

"Anti-" Sean tried to get his attention but Anti covered his ears. He didn't want to hear their lies!

But suddenly, hands were on his own and he flinched back, seeing Dark in front of him, holding his hands to keep from hurting himself.

"Anti . . . . I know we're not . . .close. I know you've never. . .had the best relationships with other people. But sometimes . .  Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. Trust me. What they say is the truth"

"B-but . . how can I know that for sure?" he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop the emotions that were starting to overwhelm him, threatening to shatter him completely.

Dark smiled slightly. It was an odd action from him but Anti had to admit, it was a nice sight. He had only ever seen him growl, glare and frown before. Occasionally smirk, too.

"Do you trust Host, perhaps? He can tell you-no. He can SHOW you the truth. If you're willing to see it, that is"

Anti went quiet. He knew of Host's powers. They rivaled Marvin's really but they were more . . .story-driven. Based completely off facts and non-fiction. Host never saw the point in lying or hiding anything. He was always blunt. 

So yeah. He'd trust what Host had to say.

Letting the blind-folded man come near, Anti gave in, letting him take his hand.

"The Host let Anti feel the Septic's and Sean's emotions. They had all been very worried about him"

Suddenly, a wave of fear, concern and sorrow hit him like a truck. Anti's tears streaked down his face but he couldn't stop them. He felt everything. All the pain including his own. It hurt so much.

"The Host encouraged Anti to look beyond just feeling. The Host let Anti see. Let him hear the truth."

It was so odd, really. Anti felt like he was watching a movie play out in his head. Hearing an audible in his mind of something he didn't recall.

Everything was so warped but he heard what they all REALLY thought.

It was nothing like the device had let him hear.

Before Anti could actually think about everything, Host pulled away from him, jarring him out of the experience suddenly.

Chase went to hug him again, "I'm sorry, bro. . . . You heard all that shite . .and then I had to go and make it worse, saying what I did. I was just under so much stress, Anti! None of what I said was true! I swear it! None of our problems are your fault! It's not your fault!"

Anti clutched the blanket tight in his fist, trying to contain himself.

"Everything will be alright, Anti"

That broke him.

Anti gripped onto Chase and buried his face in his neck, crying.

Chase only held onto him harder and smiled sadly as the others came closer, too. Jackie hugged him alongside of Chase. And then Jameson joined in, then Henrik and Marvin. And then of course Sean had to break through a gap to get to him.

The others watched happily as the family was back together, watching the intense emotions from a safe distance.

A couple hours later, the Ipliers left and they moved Anti upstairs in the living room by the fireplace to keep warm.

"Why did you think you had to take that thing anyway, Anti?" Marvin asked him, conjuring up a mug of hot cocoa for him, "I'd think it'd be for a prank but then again, I'm still not so sure"

Anti shrugged, "I was trying . . . . I was trying to figure out Christmas gifts for you all. I couldn't think of anything. I thought . . . I thought making you think of something in your heads would be easiest"

"So that's why you kept talking about Christmas so weirdly!" Marvin slapped his own leg, "Makes a lot of sense now, actually"

"Yes, I vas wondering. Christmas music had never given you headaches before" Henrik mentioned.

Chase shrugged, "Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. You don't have to get us anything, dude"

"But you all give me something every year. . . . even if it's . . . just one thing"

Sean caught on fairly quickly, "Wait. . .  you were upset because of that? You almost express such dislike about the holiday, though. We all just though you'd appreciate as little as possible from us"

"Guess that was pretty shitty of us, too, though" Jackie popped up, "All we've ever gotten you was a knife every year. But honestly, we never knew what else to get you. We should have tried to get to know you better, Anti. That's our bad"

"Nah" Anti shook his head, "It's mine, too"

'What do you mean, Anti?' Jameson signed to him.

"I should have. . ." this was hard for him to admit but he tried his best, "I should have tried, too"

"But you DID" Marvin chuckled, "Even when you heard those first initial thoughts, you were still planning on getting us all gifts. You still tried even when you thought we all hated you. You tried and that's what matters."

"Still . . . I'm sorry for . . always being a bastard"

"You don't need to apologize, Anti" Chase laughed, "That's just who you are and we wouldn't love you any less for it!"

"Besides" Sean laughed with them, "You ALL of kind of bastards in your own way."

"Yes, you really should have gotten married before you had us" Henrik joked.

That night, the air was filled with laughter and jokes. Anti felt warm on the outside AND inside.

Anti looked over at the tree that was lit up so beautifully and bright. The presents under the tree didn't matter. Even if he couldn't get them anything, it didn't seem to matter to any of them. 

Not to say, he still wouldn't try.

He still had one more day left until Christmas day.

And on that joyful day, it was even warmer in Anti's heart. He had managed to secretly glitch off to some stores downtown. He got Chase that new skateboard, Henrik a new mug and Jameson got some new craft supplies to make more sock puppets.

He got Jackie a new dartboard WITHOUT his face on it, Marvin a new book on special herbs for spells and weird healing properties and he got Sean some treats to give to BB.

He didn't expect anything in return.

He wasn't prepared for the new mountain under the tree Marvin had conjured just for him.

Under the tree was a gift for him from ALL of them this time. 

Upon getting to know Anti better the other day, Marvin gave him a safe array of prank potions. Jackie gave him a couple dumbbells so he could get back into shape to be able to spar against him one day.

Jameson made him his very own mock voodoo doll of himself. Henrik gave him a giftcard for Starbucks so he could get as many of those sweet drinks as he liked.

Sean got him a heated blanket of his own seeing how much he liked the one Henrik couldn't get away from him.

And Chase . . . . .

Chase had pitched in with Marvin to make him a special choker that would contain his static so he couldn't mess up any more electronics that he touched or that were in the house. 

Thoughtful gifts all around, really.

Anti, for once on this holiday. . . 

For once he was happy. This year, Christmas even rivaled Halloween and that was saying something.

Seeing everyone's faces light up and hearing their laughter and grateful voices.

Anti could see now why Christmas was so special.

As they all gathered around in front of the camera, Anti would be in the first Christmas picture together with them all. He grinned, even putting up with having the Santa hat placed on his head as they all squeezed in together for the camera.

He could really see what Christmas was about now. He didn't have to ask anymore. The warmth and love in the house told him everything he needed to know now.

Anti smiled for the picture, 'Merry Christmas, assholes'

The camera snapped, capturing the moment forever.

'I love you guys'

THE END

Merry Christmas everyone! It's not the same this year as always but I hope you all are being safe and have a wonderful holiday. If you don't celebrate Christmas or holiday today, then I hope you have a wonderful day nonetheless :)