Raising Anti

31

"Chase, what's going on..."

"Just go!" Chase yelled as he shoved the too out of the kitchen slamming the door shut just moments before he was slammed into it. He spun around to find Anti standing there completely out of it and looking unstable. "I was right... episode. Sam?" Anti slowly glanced over to the sink making Chase's breath leave him. "Yeah, no. You are not getting that knife." Anti went to run for it only for Chase to pull him in and hold him tightly as he flailed around. "Shh... Kiddo. It's ok. It's ok, Sam."

"Let me go. Let me go!" Anti screamed as he fussed and flailed. All he could hear was the voices screaming at him. "I have to... must... can't hurt... won't hurt. No let him hurt me!"

"It's ok, Sam. Nothing is going to hurt you." Anti screamed out magic flaring making all the loose dishes out and about explode around them into a million glass shards. Chase quickly guarded the kid as to not let him get hurt by the flying glass and he crashed. "Sam, breathe. I've got you."

"Hate... Hates me. Can't... Won't get hurt. I can't..." Chase just sighed as he sat himself down focusing solely on the kid and not the fact that he clearly wasn't human after that whole magic shithole. "Chase..."

"It's ok, Sam. I won't let anything happen to you." Chase ran his fingers through the kid's hair as he loosened his hold on him a bit. He didn't want the kid going in sensory overload over everything so he tried to do as little as possible while still doing as much relaxing stuff as he could. He whispered softly to the kid as to not be to loud and prayed he didn't freak over the contact. He couldn't risk letting him go and the poor thing hurting himself. "It's ok. You're safe. I promise. No one is going to hurt you while I am here. I've got you." Anti slowly stiffened in his arms as Chase's voice seemed to drown everything else he was hearing out. "It's going to be ok, Sam. It's ok."

"D-Daddy?" Chase smiled as Anti glanced up at him only to break down in his arms. "D-Dad... da-a-ad?"

"It's ok." Anti cried in his chest as Chase just sat there holding him. "It's ok." Chase didn't move an inch until Anti started to doze off and he sighed. He heard the door creak open and he frowned seeing Marvin peek his head in. The moment their eyes met he could see the realization in the magician.

"He had an episode? But nothing happened..." Chase frowned more as he hugged the kid a small bit tighter, feeling his protectiveness coming over him. "No one did anything to set him off. Why?"

"Something clearly did, Marvin." Marvin tensed as Chase just shook his head. "Just because we didn't do anything doesn't mean that nothing happened. How many times have I snapped over noth-..." Chase's eyes went wide as froze up suddenly. "...nothing?"

"Chase?" Chase laughed with an almost broken look as Marvin's eyes just darkened.

"So is this what JJ meant by Sam's worst?" Marvin just frowned making Chase tense up in understanding. "I'm gonna get him to bed now."

"Chase..."

"It's fine, Marvin. I've got him." Chase whispered as he carefully pushed himself up and left the kitchen. Marvin just took one good look at everything and groaned. Guess they were going to need more dishes again. Chase sighed as he brought Anti back to his room laying him down on yellow and red comforters that covered it. Anti had been staying more in his room than his own. In fact, Anti's pillow pile had even been moved into there so that he still had it. The younger didn't mind any and the old was just glad he could keep an eye on him. After that whole sickness thing, the last thing Chase wanted was to find Anti in that state ever again., and finding out the kid's lungs were bad only scared him more. 

"That... That whole scene hit a bit too close to home, kiddo." Chase muttered to himself really as he brushed Anti's hair back with a sad smile. "It was too much like looking a mirror." He gently pulled a thin blanket from the foot of the bed and laying it over Anti as he sighed. "That just... It felt far to similar to one of my episodes. Not... Not exactly but similar."

"And that magic huh?" Chase laughed sadly as he spoke out to no one just trying to work through his thoughts. He wasn't blind. He wasn't stupid. He was broken and trying hard to both confirm and deny everything he thought of, making it so he never really came to a proper conclusion but he did see it all. "You're not human... You're not a kid, at least according to JJ... You know Dark somehow... Damn it, If I could just fucking figure this all out. I feel like I should know already. Everything is right fucking there but..." Anti whimpered in his sleep making Chase clam up and smile. "I'm sorry, Kiddo. My rambling but be upsetting you." Chase quickly grabbed the cat stuffy before placing it right beside Anti watching the younger wrap his tiny arms around it, cuddling it close for comfort. "Rest up kiddo."

"Guy's we NEED to talk." Chase called out as he quickly bounded down the stairs. "That kid is suffering with shit and I can't help properly because I don't have all the info!" Jackie flinched as he just stepped back not really wanting to be at the brunt of another Chase outlash. "Please?"

"I'm sorry, Chase. As much as I believe you should know, I do agree with Jack's decision. Besides, We can't go against Jack's wishes." Marvin gave the dad a sad smile as he shook his head. "I'm sor..." There was a knock at the front door cutting the magician off and all three just stood there with equally confused looks. "Were we expecting someone?"

"Jack didn't tell us." Jackie whispered as Marvin started for the door.

"I don't know if it's a good thing to have a visited right now considering Sam just had an episode." Chase groaned as Marvin just waved him off.

"I'm not just going to ignore them, Chase." Marvin rolled his eyes playfully before opening the door and freezing up at who was on the other side. "Well, shit."