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hollenka99 · 4 years ago

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Henrik and Joline

Summary: Henrik and Joline spent many nights under the stars.

Warnings: Referenced death/infant death

After playing SoulScape last weekend, I really wanted to write something based on it. Please check out @power-of-friends-games on GameJolt because their games are really cool.

The night had been like any other. After clocking out, Henrik had walked down the road to his usual stargazing spot. Before long, he'd located both Hercules and Ophiuchus. It was as blissful as ever. Nothing could distract him from his time here, not even the sound of cars passing by. Or so he believed. "Excuse me. Do you mind if I join you?" Shooting upright in alarm, he momentarily forgets himself as their eyes meet. Oh. Well, he hadn't expected for her to look like that. While he can't see her eyes properly in this light, the waves in her hair are like the sea gently lapping along a beach. That three quarter length skirt she was wearing looked pretty on her as well. In years to come, he will swear this was the very moment he fell for her. "Oh, well sit, sit!" "Thanks." She drops down next to him. With a hand extended, she says "I'm Joline." "Henrik." They smile at each other as he returns the handshake. The two of them spend the night chatting and admiring the night sky. With no effort at all, 10 minutes become 100. The first time he hears her laugh, he knows he wants the chance to hear it as often as she'll allow him. And that smile... well, the sentiment remained the same. At one point, Joline begins talking about the sky, how she adores the amalgamation of swirling colours always present above. She's always had a soft spot she can't explain for the blue parts of it. He says nothing other than casual agreement. "You know, I've never seen you around. Was this your first time coming here?" "No, I am here a lot." Joline's brows furrow in thought. "Huh, that's odd. Would've thought I'd bump into you before tonight." "Well, we've met now. And I think I would like to keep meeting. What about you?" "Yeah. Yeah, I think I'd like that too." They go their separate ways soon after exchanging contact details. Henrik struggles to stop smiling slightly to himself the whole trip home. ---- Visiting their usual stargazing spot had become a practically daily affair by this point of their relationship. Henrik honestly wondered how he'd been able to be here on his own before meeting Joline. Some nights, they conversed on and off throughout their stay. Other times, silence would surround them comfortably. Tonight seemed to be one of intermittent chatter. It begins with Henrik and Joline laying on the grass. Their hands have effortlessly found each other with the sound of the breeze accompanying them. Their little contest to identify as many constellations as they could had concluded a while ago. Joline sighs contently. "I can't wait to be able to do this as a family." "That sounds lovely. I'm sure it will happen someday." "How about as soon as next year?" A beat passes. Henrik's face contorts into varying expressions before settling on amazed disbelief. Sitting up, Joline can do nothing but grin at her husband as he stares at her. "Henny, we're going to have a baby." She bursts into a fit of giggles as she falls back from the force of a body colliding into hers. Henrik seems not to take much notice of the playful warnings to be careful. Instead, he tightens his embrace. There comes a peck on her lips followed by a reminder that he loved her. It is a while before the joyful excitement dissipates enough for there to calm once more. "I didn't think anywhere else could have done this announcement justice. Just you, me and the stars above. They're responsible for bringing us together and now, well..." A few brief chuckles. "You know, you could say the stars ali-" His finger rapidly positions itself on her lips. "No, please. Being friends with Chase is bad enough. All those bad, bad jokes." The finger is gently removed. "But still, a baby." "A baby." He echoes in an exhale. "Our baby." "I can't wait." She gazes his way, grin firmly fixed on her face. He lets their eyes meet as fingers entwine. "Me neither." ---- Henrik double checks he had essential items such as his wallet and keys when Joline burst into the corridor. Odd, she'd been reading a magazine only a couple minutes ago when he kissed her goodbye. What on earth could be so urgent? "Henrik, wait." "What's wrong? I need to go to work right now. The clock is ticking." "I'm sure this is worth being a few minutes late." Joline beams as she grabs his wrist. His face lights up upon realising where his hand was being directed. Even more so when he feels the fluttering sensation she'd intended him to. If he had it his way, he'd spend all morning ensuring their daughter knew how excited they were to meet her. Joline regrettably cuts it short after a number of minutes. "Henny, you should probably leave." He grumbles. "But-" "Go! You don't want to be late for work, do you? We'll still be here when you get back." Despite the momentary reluctance at the door, Henrik begins his shift in a better mood than he was expecting. ---- It was clear Joline couldn't find comfort tonight. The larger her bump got, the more difficulty she had with finding a good position to relax in. This extended not only to their bed and sofa but also the ground at their favourite spot. Perhaps even more so. Either way, the manner she kept shifting worried him. Henrik is somewhat glad when she unexpectedly takes advantage of him lying back. "Have you ever considered a career as a pillow?" "Surprisingly, no." "Hmm. Maybe replace a couple of those ribs with whatever they stuff actual pillows with and you'd be good to go." "If you say so." He strokes the top of her head. In the night air, they revive the name discussion. For months, they'd thrown suggestions around but while a few had been decent contenders, none seemed to be quite right. There was still time, of course. However, the time that remained was growing ever shorter with each week that passed. Options such as Estelle were brought up without any real consideration. "No, I think I actually like the thought of an E name. How about... Emma? I like Emma." "Emma von Schneeplestein does sound nice." "We going with Emma?" "Hmm, maybe. Make sure we don't forget to write that down later." The two of them lie there with only the wind and the results of its influence to be heard around them. Joline drifts off with ease, head remaining on her husband's stomach. And for a good while, he doesn't dare disturb her. ---- Joline wasn't going to make it. Henrik had been there when she'd unexpectedly collapsed, doing everything he could think of to help save her in response. However, when all things were said and done, there was nothing more he could do for his beloved wife. Well, perhaps there was one thing. There was still Emma. Their little angel, as precious as she was small. If anything, Joline would want him to be with her. As if she had to ask. Their daughter shifts slightly in her incubator. Oh Emma. Don't worry, it was going to be okay. Daddy's right here and he's not going anywhere. They would go home together. Just without... without Mummy. They'd manage though. He promises he'll be there for her, regardless of the circumstance. Time slips by as he ensures his daughter knew how much he loved her, how much Joline loved her despite them never getting to truly meet. Emma becomes the sole audience to a multitude of stories featuring her parents. She learns of the day Joline had bought a light blue turtleneck to tease him, only for it to genuinely become one her favourite choices for the colder months. The anecdote revolving around how he knew he wanted to marry her is also told. Then there was obviously the time a beautiful woman had asked to sit beside him as they stargazed. They wouldn't be here today if the Mindscape hadn't been generous enough to allow their paths to coincide. As much as he wishes things could have gone differently today, at least there was one good thing coming out of it. Throughout the day, he monitors the baby's wellbeing. When his eyelids grow heavy without permission, his brain reacts by instinctively causing his head to jerk up. No, he couldn't rest yet. He needed to keep an eye on Emma. He could sleep once they were both cleared to return home. He's sure his little girl will like the crib Joline picked out. Being confused as to when he fell asleep is the least of his problems when he wakes. Emma is gone too. No, this couldn't be happening. He should have noticed the signs. Why didn't he spot the warnings? Surely this could have been prevented if he had been more observant. There must be something he'd missed due to his negligence. If only he hadn't been stupid enough to sit down and allow himself to pass out. He leaves reluctantly following several sympathetic prompts to head home. Supposedly, that was the best place for him right now, though he certainly disputes the notion. The issue is, he's not sure where he wants to end up. One thing is for sure. He doesn't want it to be home. Who would ever want their destination to be an empty house? ---- He avoids that particular spot. Their spot. It's not easy by any means. The damned place was to the side of the only road leading to the hospital. Despite every self protective effort, the day does eventually come when he finds himself standing where he'd spent countless evenings admiring the stars with his wife. Too long had he stood frozen on the other side of the road. He'd simply remained transfixed, mentally battling himself regarding whether this was a good idea. It wasn't but he doesn't believe sheer avoidance would be beneficial either. A particularly bright star catches his eye once he gains the courage to glance skyward. He knows it is most likely Venus or a similar celestial body. That doesn't prevent him from fooling himself enough to hear her voice for a short lived moment. From beyond the grave, she greets him with "Hi, Henny." And well, he supposes it was somewhat fitting she had used Venus just to say hello. Joline had been a display of utter beauty that he'd loved more than any other person in his life. As for desires? Ha! The one desire he had concerning her was to have her back by his side. Preferably with Emma in her arms. Not that he would deserve it, given how he'd betrayed their trust in failing to save them. "Good evening to you too, Joline." He brokenly mutters back. With another glance at the stars, it's almost as if she was beside him. He swears he can feel Joline sliding her fingers inbetween his and resting her head on his shoulder for a fleeting second. His fingers curl as his head leans sideways, both expecting to meet something solid. Instead all they find is air. No. No, sorry, he doesn't believe he can do this. Not tonight. Any remnants of Joline that had been anticipating his return here would have to be left disapprovingly watching him flee. ---- Henrik had travelled along this route so many times over the years it was practically second nature to him. The quantity of memories made here were innumerate. Granted, a great deal of them were filled with him and Joline not talking about much. He wouldn't take back a second of that time spent together. He certainly recalls getting through some rough shifts thanks to the promise of being able to relax with her at the end of it. A version of this location was the entry point to his worst memory. He's replayed that terrible day an unhealthy amount. Yet it was in the name of saving his son in everything but blood that he'd done it. He would force himself through it again if it could help Angus. He's so relieved the serum is being accepted by the hunter's soul. "Hellooo? Dad, are you there?" "Hmm, yes? Sorry, what did you say?" "I was just wondering what you thought about my idea. I know it's kind of a trek to get to my home from Attitude City and I should be focusing on letting the serum do its job but... I want to do this for Anti and the others. Especially after everything I did." "The party?" "Yes." "It is a great idea. I am proud of you for wanting to organise this. But let me help his friends first." "Dad, his birthday isn't until the 10th. I'm sure you'll have figured this stuff out before then." "Well, don't do anything too strenuous yet, okay? Until I am sure you are recovering, I want you to be careful." A chuckle is heard over the line. "Don't worry, Dad. I think I already feel a little better than yesterday." The call soon ends, leaving Henrik to sit in an all too familiar patch of grass. And for the first time in too long, there is no pain in coming here.

#jacksepticeye #henrik von schneeplestein #power of friends games #septiscape #soulscape #soulscape spoilers #my writing #tw death #tw infant death

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breakingsomething · 5 years ago

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What about 26 with Schneep or Jackie and someone else?

trigger warnings: scars

his hands are shaking.

they haven't stopped shaking in months. not since that fucking bastard had taken him away. henrik had always has steady hands - he was training to be a fucking heart surgeon, for fuck's sake. he hadn't even had time to use his license before everything had happened. what is he going to do now?

he just keeps looking at them. his hands are pale, thin, covered in white scars that are barely visible unless you really look at them. so many scars. not just on his hands, either; he's fucking covered in them, what feels like every inch of his body coated in marks of varying degrees of visibility. some dull and faded, some raised and pink. they feel like bugs crawling over his skin. he sobs and digs his nails into his arm, wanting to tear his skin off if only to get rid of this disgusting feeling.

a knock on his bedroom door. "hey, uh, hen? are you there?"

it's chase, his soft american accent distinct from the other two's irish. he sits up, quickly forcing down his rising panic attack and wiping tears from his eyes before they can fall. he has to stay calm for chase. for chase. for his brother, his friend, who's dealing with enough already without henrik's problems added to the plate. "yes, i'm here," he replies, proud of how steady he's keeping his voice. "what's wrong?"

the door suddenly creaks as chase pushes it slowly open, making henrik startle with the sound. chase peeks his head in, coming round the door with a worried smile plastered on his face. he's wearing his hair down for the first time henrik's seen in months, messy blonde curls barely brushing his shoulders. "hey. you've, uh, been in your room basically all day. what's up?"

henrik glares at the ground. "it's nothing. i have been… doing work."

chase plops down next to henrik. "from your bed? with your laptop and phone in an entirely different room?"

he looks away, not wanting to see his brother's face. "yes. but i'm going to bed now. goodnight."

he shoves chase's arm, and chase laughs. "you think i'm a dumbass, doctor schneeplestein? like you'd ever willingly go to bed without passing out first." henrik can feel him staring at him. "i think you're trying to get rid of me."

henrik doesn't say anything, because there's a lump in his throat blocking his words. he squeezes his eyes shut so he doesn't have to look at his trembling hands balled up on his lap.

"henny? i'm - oh, oh shit, don't cry, i'm sorry, i - did i upset you? shit, dude, i didn't mean -"

"not your fault," henrik chokes out. he rubs his palms into his eyes, furious with himself. "his fault. anti. not you." he lets out a pathetic sob. "i am supposed to be a doctor! i am supposed to save people, but that bastard - he took - he took everything!"

he covers his face, shoulders shaking as he cries, embarrassment filling him as he becomes ever more aware of chase's presence. he sniffles, turning away. "i'm supposed to be better than this."

"henrik," chase says softly. he takes one of henrik's hands from his face and holds it tightly in both of his. "you can't always be the one to - i mean, you save everyone, but who saves you?"

he chuckles softly, pulling henrik in for a hug. henrik doesn't pull away. just lets his brother hold him.

"he won't hurt you again," chase murmurs against his shoulder. "he'll never hurt any of us again."

#jacksepticeye #boop writes #henrik von schneeplestein #chase brody #prompt #anon #arc one: before the storm

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ask-spg-schneep · 5 years ago

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Hey Doctor Schneeplestein, I was just curious but, do you have any nicknames that you like to go by? I hope you're having a great day!

Ahh, many of zhe names of nick.

Sawbones

Zhe good doctah

Angel of healing

Schneep

Henny

Rick (people do not know zhat ZHIS one hurts mein heart)

HenHen (am I zhe joke to you?)

That guy

Oh god here he comes

Where is my lawyer

The last thing you’ll ever see (I do not understand zhese long ones)

Angel of death

The dark doctor

The undetaker’s best friend

The one responsible for all this

SchneepHennyRick (zhank you, Tumblr...)

Bro (zhis one is from Chase)

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pixelpolaroid · 7 years ago

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Till the End- Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Merry Glitchmas

Chase and Jackie both stepped in front of the other egos, blocking Anti from JJ and Marvin. Henrik tried to hide behind the Christmas tree. Marvin took a step closer to him, feeling the other begin to panic. Anti chuckled, downing more of his wine. “Well look at you all. Gather together, not worrying about a thing.”

Chase jumped over the back of the couch, his gun appearing in his hands, pointing it at the glitch. Jackie boy stood next to him, his hands fisted, ready to fight. “Stop trying to be clever Anti. We’ve heard these lines before,” Chase retorted.

Anti threw back his head, giggling like a mad man. Jackie grimaced at the sight. “You’re outnumbered Anti. Do the smart thing and get out before things get messy.”

“Oh but where’s the fun in that hero?” Anti pouted. “I just wanted to talk to the dear ol’ doc here,” Anti tilted his head sharply. “I know you’re here Henny,” He mockingly said.

Henrik peaked out behind the tree. “What did you call me?” He mumbled, almost inaudible. Anti just laughed, voice coated in static.

Marvin took a step in front of the do defensively. The magician snapped his fingers and in a puff of smoke he was wearing his mask. Anti chuckled at this. “What a touching display. You think you’re doing much little magic man. I think he’d be better having a chicken protect him,” Anti teased.

Marvin looked away shyly. “Get out Anti!” Chase demanded. Emphasising the gun pointed at his head.

Anti rolled his eyes. “Oh come now, I mean no harm. To you at least. I was just wondering if the little doctor here had gotten any strange messages.”

Scheneep looked at him confused, feeling around in his pockets. He glanced away shocked when he realized his phone was gone.

Anti laughed maniacally. “Oh you wouldn’t have,” Anti lifted his hand, holding his phone between his fingers. “Cause I've been taking your calls today. Just wanted to give you a little holiday present,” the glitch let it fall to the ground, throwing back the rest of his wine. “Good shit,” He muttered, throwing the empty wine glass against the wall. The egos shuttered away as the glass shattered. “M̧̕͠e̸҉r̸r͟͞y҉ ̶C̴h̸̶r̸i͜s̸̀͟t́͜ma͞s̡̀,” Anti mockingly said as he glitched away.

Chase ran to the backdoor, gun still in hand. He ran into the snow, scanning around, looking out to the tree line. Nothing, there was no one to be seen. “Dammit,” He muttered.

“Chase!” Jackie yelled from the back door. Chase looked back, observing his panicked expression. “Chase it’s bad.”

The two ran back inside. Schneep was on the couch looking through his phone, reading messages quietly to himself. Marvin hand a hand on the doctor’s back, soothingly rubbing circles. Chase could see tears forming in the doctor’s eyes. “Schneep?” Chase almost whispered.

The doctor looked up at him. “He took her,” Schneep’s voice was broken sounding. “Cynthia. He took her. She’s been trying to contact me for hours,” He cried showing him the phone. Chase skimmed over countless messages from her.

“Henrik are you there?”

“Something going on. I’m really Scared”

“Henny the lights keep going out. I think someone’s in my house.”

“Henny please answer your phone!”

“Henrik. Henrik I saw him. He looks like you.”

“Why aren’t you answering!”

“That voice, oh god please where are you!”

The last one made Chase’s stomach turn. “C̛óm̷e o҉n ́lit͘t͠le ̨He̕nny̨!͠ C̡om͠e͘ out͜ ҉and҉ p̨l̵a̡y!̷̶” Attacked was a picture of a woman. She was tied up, beaten and gagged. Makeup smeared down her face, clearly from cry. The image was glitched, but Chase could see her slim tall figure bruised up badly. It was clear that she put up quite a fight.

Chase looked down at the weeping doctor, his head was buried in his hands. Chase felt a dagger in his heart, they all could feel it. He wondered how much worse it must have been for Marvin.

A light bulb went off in his head. Chase grabbed arvin and pulled him into the kitchen, leaving Jamie to comfort the crying doctor. “Chase what the heck?” Marvin whispered.

“Can you find her?” Chase asked.

Marvin’s face dropped a little. He looked down meekly. “I... I don’t know,” He responded.

Chase sighed heavily, tightly grabbing his shoulders. “Marvin please,”

The two were interrupted as Henrik ran into the kitchen, aggressively grabbing the magician from Chase, holding him by his shirt. Chase watched the scene play out in shock. “Where is she?” Schneeplestein demanded. “What have you done with my Liebling?”

Jackie tried pulling him off of Marvin. “Henrik calm down, just let him explain.”

“Explain what?” Chase yelled. “What is going on?”

Henrik pushed him away, showing chase his phone again. “This!” He yelled. Chase took the phone and read a message that had been sent just a minute ago. He read the message out loud

“Maybe your little magician friend knows something.” Chase looked up at Marvin.

The young magician’s face was froze with shock and fear. “He knew?”

“Knew what? Marvin what aren’t you telling us?” Jackie demanded.

The kitchen went quiet. All eyes were on Marvin. He looked at each of their faces. He sighed heavily. “Sorry guys I should have told you but, I was afraid to say anything,” He slowly lifted his mask and brushed away his bright bangs. Chase wondered if he should stop him. The magician took a deep breath. The other egos all gasped as Marvin’s third eye opening. He struggled to stay standing as it looked around at all the egos. Absorbing all these new emotions, a mixture of rage, fear, confusion, shock and so much more poured into his mind. Chase stepped forward, holding onto his friend, keeping him standing. Marvin held Chase’s shoulder, the eyes still darting around at the others.

“Are you okay?” Chase whispered. Marvin, though his eyes seemed a little foggy, nodded, looking back at the others. If he couldn’t sense their emotions already, he probably wouldn’t be able to tell exactly what their expressions meant.

“Marv,” Jackie tuned in. “What is that?”

“How long have you had this?” Schneeplestein added in.

Marvin took a deep breath. “It’s part of my powers. It can see people’s auras and it assists me with my tricks, but,” The magician hesitated. He turned to Chase who just nodded, reassuringly. “But it sometimes shows me vision of things going on somewhere else. That’s,” Marvin stopped, head down, but his eyes were looking up at Henrik. “That’s how we found you Henrik.”

The others were left speechless. Schneep didn’t know what to say. His eyes landed on Chase. “You knew about dis?” There was a hint of anger in his tone. “You used this to find me?” Chase could hardly face the doc, all he could do was nod. Schneep sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He turned to the magician, stepping closer like he was going to grab him again. The doctor stopped himself though, pointing right at him. “You find her. You find her right now and once we do, I’m done with this!” He proclaimed. The doc looked around at all the egos. “I’m done. No more glitches hurting people I love. We find her and you all forget I ever existed!”

#antisepticeye #chase brody #marvin the magnificent #jackaboy man #dr schneeplestein #jacksepticeye #septic egos #merry glitchmas #till the end

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huffle-dork · 7 months ago

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Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 1: Swapboys

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

JJ leaves the venue's stage area, walking out into the main entrance. It 's starting to get dark through the windows outside. Other crew members are heading out as well, chatting about how well the rehearsal had gone.

"Jems!" Marvin waves, grinning. "I t'ink t'at went well today, didn' it?"

JJ smiles back, walking over to the bench where Marvin is waiting. I think it did, too. But I'm exhausted. Even though he wasn't using any actual magic for the rehearsal, going through the same steps over and over again, pretending that he was, took a lot of energy.

"So exhausted t'at you didn' notice you're still wearin' the costume?" Marvin says, raising an eyebrow.

Oh. JJ looks down, realizing that he's still wearing the cape. He sighs. I forgot. This was the first dress rehearsal, I'm not in the habit of taking it off yet. Here. He digs into his pocket and pulls out the car keys, handing them to Marvin, who takes them. You can wait in the car if you want.

Marvin shrugs. "Better t'an waitin' all by myself in the entrance. You'll jus' be a minute, t'en?"

Yep. Be right there. I really just need to drop the cape off.

Marvin gives him a little salute. "Message me if anyt'ing comes up."

I will. JJ nods, smiling, and turns around, going back into the venue.

The lights are all still on in the auditorium. JJ quickly runs up the aisle between the seats and got onto the stage, passing behind the red curtain to the backstage area, where he could access the dressing room he was supposed to leave his stuff in (though that never stops him from keeping his stage mask with him at all times.)

He leaves the main backstage area, heading for the back halls where the dressing rooms and prop storage places were... but then he stops. What's that? Is there a crack in the wall? Since when was that there? It definitely wasn't there at the start of the rehearsal.

Curious, JJ walks up to it. It doesn't seem to go all the way through the wall. He can't see through to the room beyond, just seeing blackness inside.

Suddenly, the crack widens. It makes no noise but the movement is so unexpected that JJ jumps back in fear. There's a breeze coming from the crack. No, wait. The air is going into it. Into this black space beyond the crack.

JJ turns and starts to run. He's not sure what's going on but he knows bad news when he sees it! But it's not enough. He feels himself getting pulled backwards. Frantically, he tries to think of a spell that will help--maybe if he blocks it off? But any magic he sends that way just gets sucked into the fissure.

And before he knows it, he's pulled in as well.

=========

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Jackie?" Frederick asks, waiting at the front door to the house.

"I mean... I'll go if Chase wants me to." Jackie glances over at Chase, also hanging around awkwardly at the front door.

"N-no, that's fine, really." Chase shakes his head. "This is... it's my business."

"Yeah, and? You're my friend, so you're my business," Jackie says.

Chase laughs. "Thanks. But no, really, it's fine, I-I'm sure these magician guys are, uh... trustworthy. I mean, if you're dating one, they have to be."

"Wh--we didn't say--You don't--H-how'd you figure it out?" Jackie stammers.

Chase grins. "You two are pretty obvious."

"No we're not," Jackie grumbles.

"Ooookay, let's head on out, we want to get there soon," Frederick says, hurriedly changing the subject before Chase can notice his blush. "Come on, Chase."

"Right." Chase nods. "I'll see you later, Jackie."

"See you." Jackie waves. "Bye, you two. I'll still be here when you get back."

Frederick chuckles, and opens up the front door. "Be back soon, hopefully." And he and Chase head out.

Jackie watches them get in the car and leave through the living room front's window. He's really glad that Chase is recovering after all the shit Marvin and Jameson put him through. It can't be easy. Apparently the ABIM healers were stunned at how deep the mental magic went. But now, about a month later, he's almost back to his old self. Almost. Jackie still notices him blanking out a lot. But that'll heal with time.

This will be the first time Chase is actually going to an ABIM place for an appointment. Previously, Frederick arranged it so that the healers would come to the house. But Chase told him this week that he's ready to start leaving. That's a good sign, Jackie thinks.

He looks around the living room, unsure what to do now. No, wait. Maybe now that he's alone he can get some exercise done without worrying about bothering the other two. Yeah. That works out. He grabs his staff from the table by the front door--uncollapsing it in the process--and makes sure that he's standing far from anything that can be knocked down.

...wait a minute. What's that?

Jackie stops, staring at the middle of the room where something... black has appeared It like of looks like a spot where wallpaper's started to peel... but it's in the middle of the air. Where there's no wallpaper. Or wall. "The fuck?" he mutters, pulling out his phone to call someone about this.

The rip expands quickly, a yawning black hole in the middle of the room. Jackie jumps and quickly backs away, not wanting to take his eyes off it. A breeze rushes through the room as the air is pulled towards the rip--and Jackie can feel himself being pulled as well. He puts his phone and staff away, grabbing onto the doorway--fuck keeping an eye on it, he needs to get out of here!

But it's too fast for him. The pull increases rapidly, and Jackie just can't hang on. He flies back through the air and disappears into the blackness.

=========

It's a quiet night tonight. There's been a lot of rain lately, but today, Schneep doesn't hear the familiar sound of rain against the windows. Only the sound of the tap running as he washes up the plate and glass he used for dinner. He's found that it's helpful to get that done right away, so that he knows where all the dishes are.

He turns the tap off and grabs the towel from its spot next to the sink, drying up the dishes. It really is quiet tonight. He can't hear his neighbors in the flats above or below, and he hasn't gotten any texts or calls from his friends. Well, that's fine. One quiet night might be just what he needs.

After putting the dishes away, he heads to his office and starts booting up his computer. He's really happy that Chase helped find a good screen reader, it's been such a blessing for his online studying.

...The hair on the back of his neck prickles.

Schneep spins around. "Hello?" he calls, despite knowing that no one is in the flat with him. Even though he wouldn't be able to see them, he would be able to sense their souls.

But if it's not a person, then why does he feel like something's... wrong?

Is it that breeze playing through the room? The office doesn't have windows, so did he leave one open somewhere else? He starts walking back out of the office--and then stops as alarm bells ring in his head all of a sudden. He gasps, stumbling back. What's happening?! Why does he suddenly feel like something is wrong?

Hold on a minute. Why does he feel like something pulling him forward?

He scrambles backwards, instinctively reaching to the side for a weapon--but then that wrong feeling grows stronger and he stops. He has to get out of here! He has to--maybe he can jump away? He tries to, using that strange magic that allows him to teleport places--

But oh no, that just made it worse. The pulling is stronger--did he get closer?! "H-help!" he gasps out, reaching for something to grab hold of--

But then he loses his balance. He feels something pull him back... and then he starts to fall. Down through darkness that he cannot see.

=========

The darkness doesn't end of course for Schneep- but after a long fall he finds himself falling onto hard solid ground. But it's... almost plush? Like a soft carpet.

Then, the sound of a door swinging open is heard- followed by a confused whine. That whine quickly morphs into a bark that comes barrelling towards Schneep- and the fuzzy mass crashes into him, almost pinning him down for a second. Then, it pauses- almost... confused.

"Sahne! What on earth are you doing?!" Schneep hears a voice call. ...why does it sound like him?

Schneep yelps, pushing the dog back—because clearly it's a dog. He scrambles backwards, heart pounding, adrenaline immediately spiking. It's fine it's fine dogs are friendly it's just a normal dog it just wanted to be friendly— "A-ah... H-hello?" he calls out, turning towards the voice, sensing a person there. "I-I am sorry, I—I did not mean to intrude—"

"I am so sorry!" The voice cries, hurrying towards Schneep and the dog. "She normally does not lash out like that! Sahne- bad girl!" He scolds gently, sounding quieter as his head is pointed towards the floor. The dog makes a slightly pitiful noise.

Then, there's the sound of shuffling as the man gets up to his feet, "I am sorry...! are you hurt-" Then, there's the sharp intake of breath. "Oh Heiliger Strohsack! You- you are looking just like me!" The man suddenly giggles brightly and goes to grab Schneep's hands in his own, "Are you another doppelganger!? Wow! Are you also called Henrik, then?! You must be, ja?"

"N-no, I am fine, I promise." Schneep pats himself down. "Do not blame the dog, I am sure I just appeared out of nowhere... wait, H-Henrik?" He processes what the stranger just said. "Yes, I—I am. Another doppelganger? Wait, are you—am I--?" He squeezes the stranger's hands and laughs a little. "I am sorry, this is... very disorienting for me. I-I am blind, actually. So if I look like you, I must take your word for it. Where... am I?"

"You are?!" The other Henrik gasps, "Oh! ... I am so sorry- if it helps I am deaf- a bit better now but..." He laughs, "If you'd like to ... i dunno- feel around to confirm, you can! But, yes! I am... lets see differences, differences- Oh well, I have teal hair instead of your brown. And- oh! I am taller! And- oh i quite like your coat..." He shakes his head, "Ah- that probably is not helping...! Uh- This is a city called Brighton! And this is my flat, and I am Henrik von Schneeplestein but you know that~!" He giggles again, swinging their hands, "But all my friends call me Henny! If that helps- I know all our similar names must be confusing! Where are you coming from?" He asks brightly.

Schneep can feel Sahne curling around his feet, sniffing at his pants and shoes. Her tail is wagging- he can tell by the loud thumps as it hits the couch that's next to where he fell.

"Ah... Brighton, yes, I have heard of that place, i-it is not too far from my home in Mirygale," Schneep says slowly, shuffling slightly as he feels the dog at his feet. "But I think... I am very far right now, yes? Hold on a moment." He reaches to the side, wondering if his abilities still work. They seem to, as he finds his cane quickly and pulls it out. To Henny, it looks like Schneep's hand disappears into thin air and then reappears holding a white cane. "It is nice to meet you, Henny," Schneep says, giving him a small smile. "I-I have never met another me... I am assuming that... this is some other world?" He finds the nearest wall with his hand and starts feeling out the rest of the area with the cane.

Henny gasps in delight as he sees Schneep's cane appear. "Oh! You have magics too! how funny!" He starts to wander a bit after Schneep but in tighter circles to not get in his way, and pushes and leads Sahne away as she tries to trail after him too. "Oh yes is it very strange is it not? I am more used to this now though, I think. Ever since my friends Alt and Chase started to travel around so and even bring us along! But, I remember the very first time we appeared in a new world it was very very strange!"

As Schneep walks around, he loops across the living room and finds it a fairly tiny space. Looping around the couch he finds what feels like a bookshelf and then a window with potted plants sitting in the sun. Then, turning once he hits a corner there's an open door. Henny warns him quietly that that is the bedroom. Walking from there Schneep finds a low sitting entertainment center with a tv on it. Then, a dog bed. Following the rest of the wall, he feels a hallway- then from there leads straight to the front door where Henny and Sahne entered. Turning from there- he feels the slick tile of a kitchen... this place must be mostly open concept? And then a half counter with a couple barstools underneath before he finds the carpet and couch again.

Ah, okay, he's got the layout now. He's guessing this is an apartment of some kind.

"Alt and Chase?" Schneep repeats, eyes widening. "Wait a moment! I know them! They came to our world! Me and my friends, I mean. Certainly gave us a surprise. And I am not sure it was, um, an entirely good time for them. This villain came with them, ah, Magnificent, but who cares about him. Th-they said they were lost—Alt and Chase, I mean—did they get home alright?"

"Oh they did??" Henny grins. He snorts at the comment about Mag and laughs, "Oh yes- do not be giving much thought to that mangy cat! Oh I wonder which world you came from then! Alt and Bro have been on so many adventures now! They started using that machine they had so often to visit places! If it was when they said they were lost.... maybe the first time? Hmm... they've told us about so many worlds now- Oh... but it broke recently- the thingy. Alt has been so sad about it..." Henny seems to perk up and dig in his pocket. "Oh! I can text them! They would wanna know all about this!" Listening to Henny speak is almost like verbal whiplash- able to go from one emotion to another in a blink of an eye. Maybe he's a performer?

Schneep laughs. "You are a fast speaker, hmm? Ah, not that I mind, of course. My friends are much the same way." He sits down on the sofa. "Yes, I remember they said they had a device, though at the time they didn't know how to work it. So sorry to hear about it breaking." Hearing that does send a shiver of anxiety down his spine. If the device to travel through worlds is broken... how is he going to get home? "Texting them would be wonderful. I'm sure they would at least have some insight into all this. I am not sure how I got here... I felt something pulling me, a-and then I was falling, and then I was here."

"Hm... that is unusual..." Henny comments, pacing as he texts, "I do not think I have heard of anyone coming here in such a way... oh- but Alt did mention there could be... rips? Rips coming but he also said do not be worried so- maybe not? Hm..." There's the rapid sound of clicking on his phone screen.

"Rips?" Something about that feels right to Schneep, though he couldn't explain why. "Perhaps that's what happened. I was in my office in my apartment when I felt that. Alone. I can think of no other explana—"

A cool nose touches Schneep's hand and the sound of tail wagging can be heard on the floor. Then, a gentle slightly sloppery tongue tries to lick his arm.

He yelps as he feels the dog tongue and quickly jerks his arm away. "A-ah... good dog. Good... Sahne, was it?" Cream in German. "That is a nice name. She is your dog, then. Does she have a light colored coat?"

"Sahne!" Henny gently scolds, like a father telling off a toddler kindly. Sahne barks in return, her tail wagging faster. Henny laughs, "Oh yes- she is a cream golden retriever! And she is mine- she is my hearing dog! For me deafness, you see. And I know, I know... not the most creative name but- it suits her!"

Schneep chuckles. "I bet she is a cute thing. And a good working pup." And friendly--completely friendly.

Henny bends down and whistles, "C'mere you zukerpuppe~" He coos towards her and Sahne comes bounding over to him. He gives her lots of big pets, fluffing up her fur as Sahne makes little happy whines. "Oh yes sorry- you were in your apartment and you felt the rips? Hm... Alt might know about this... he is in a show right now though so- we might need to wait a bit for him to answer. ....are you hungry?"

Schneep tilts his head at the mention of food. He just ate dinner, but it would be rude to refuse an offer, wouldn't it? "Ah... perhaps a snack would be fine. Something small, I do not want you to go to too much trouble. Alt is at a show, you say? Is he a preformer or some kind or is he attending a show? That did not come up during their brief time in our world."

"Oh he is a performer!" Henny say proudly, "He makes illusions in the uh... oh... what do they call it here now... the ravvvehhs?" Henny butchers the word as he waves his hands, "Oh! The big places with all the lights and flashing and drinking and dancing- Alt says its loud but, I only feel it. He works in those places! He gets very into them so he's hard to get to when he is doing them." He chuckles. He pats Sahne's head and then points to her bed, "Sahne? Go settle in bed please." Sahne does what she's asked and flops down onto her bed. But, when she looks in Schneep's direction he can hear her tail thumping.

Henny's voice grows more distant as he walks to the kitchen, "Oh! Let's have some sweets! I think Jackie's kids made me some cookies..."

"Oh! Raves." Schneep laughs. "Yes, I think that does fit him! He seemed very energetic. I understand those can last a while, but this place seems comfortable, I am happy enough to wait. Cookies sound fantastic." He takes his phone out, going through the memorized motion to unlock it, and then he realizes what Henny said. "Your... Jackie has children...?" he asks quietly.

"Oh yes! 3 in fact, darling little things!" Henny giggles, "Oh yes- I believe Juwel- oh, that's what I call our Jameson, is over on a playdate with them right now!"

"Three? Huh." Schneep goes quiet for a second, thinking. "I cannot see my Jackie having one child, let alone three." It's probably good that he doesn't. The events of the past couple years would've been hard on them. Then again, if he had kids, would any of it have happened...? He shakes his head. "Juwel? How sweet. I hope they are having fun."

=========

A couple blocks away, in a completely different apartment, Jackie falls into a... well its a scene for sure.

He's fallen into a big apartment in what looks like a living room. He's sitting on a carpet that's boxed on 3 sides by brightly colored leather couches. On the side not blocked by seats is a big gaming entertainment center, filled to the brim with gaming consoles and all sorts of games. The bright blue carpet he fell on looks like an ocean- and is littered with toys and stuffed animals, and... teacups? Following the trail of empty plastic teacups and fake food- oh, and some real food on plates, Jackie's eyes meet... his own. They stare at him, big and wide like the saucer he's holding. ... but he couldn't be more different than the ex-vigilante. Besides, the same blue eyes, red hoodie, brown hair and general face shape and body- this Jackie has his hair up in pigtails, scribbles of a child's attempt at makeup on his face. He's wearing a tutu and has a plastic crown on his head. He's holding a saucer in one hand, a fake teacup in the other. He blinks comically at the stranger from where he's sat crossed legged.

Two little girls are sitting next to him on either side. One looks just like him- same fair skin and brown hair (though his copy's has some green dye fading at the end of his bangs) and she's dressed in a mixture of a superhero costume and a hastily put on dress. The other one is a lighter brunette and a bit older, wearing some plastic jewelry on her fingers and in her hair. She gasps as she sees the other man. The tinier brown haired girl however laughs in delight and points at Jackie, "Daddy! Daddy too!"

".... okay yeah- this... this is happening-" His copy deadpans.

Jackie scrambles to his feet, quickly taking in the scene. "Hah. Um. Hi? I just—hello?" This is a lot. His eyes dart around. Maybe this is an illusion? No, there are all the little details that you'd expect in real life. So—he just fell through a black rift of some kind... and ended up somewhere else? With another him? ...Wait a moment. "Oh! Oh, you're the other—oh." He slowly raises his hands, showing he means no harm. "I, uh... I just kinda... showed up here? I'm not—don't mind me. I think I'm not supposed to be here. S-sorry for interrupting your, uh..." He gestures at this ridiculous sight before him. Wait, did one of the kids call him 'daddy two'?

"Hey! Me and Dr. J are done with the cakes!" Another younger voice calls out, rounding out from an open door near a nicely tucked in counter dining space with tall bright red stools. Kinda like a diner, with a window space like where you place an order. "Ollie tried to eat all the frosting!"

"I did not!" Another smaller male voice calls out, and a small boy with black hair and glasses comes out, licking a spoon with bright pink frosting on it, icing on his face and fingers. He freezes as he sees the new man in his living room. "...whaaaa?"

"Ow! Ollie!" The other voices exclaims as she bumps into the frozen boy's back. This girl is older than the other two by a long shot- long dark hair bundled up in braids. She's wearing a sparkly rainbow dress with a kitten apron on top, and a black beanie-baby kitten on her shoulder. "Why did you stop in the middle of the-" She then looks up and screeches in slight fear and almost drops the tray of tiny cakes she's holding. "S-Stranger!"

"No Stranger! Daddy!" The littlest girl says happily, clapping her hands. She then makes grabby hands before trying to push herself up to her feet. The strangely-dressed Jackie yelps and pulls the small girl into his arms and jumps to his feet. "Ohh no Penny- let's wait a second...!"

Jackie looks a little overwhelmed by all the new people showing up. He backs away, keeping his hands up. "H-hey I'm just—I'm not—"

The other Jackie’s eyes widen as he takes in the look of him. "You're... from another world...? Oh! Oh- you're... you're the one who-" He swallows shakily and backs up, holding Penny to his chest protectively. "okay uh... hi? Shhhh... itake- okay uh... how did you get here... exactly?"

"What's all the commotion?" A gentle voice joins last, wiping his hands on a tea towel. This man is dressed quite professionally, slacks and a nice sweater over a buttoned top. But, he also has a too-small-for-him kitten apron on as well- and a slightly askew crown on his head. He has brown hair and round speckles and a brown neatly trimmed mustache. He looks up and then pales slightly at the sight of the visitor, staggering back. "...y-you're-!" He grabs the kids' shoulders in front of him quickly- quick enough to knock the ridiculous crown off his head and tries to pull them back towards the kitchen, looking fearful.

Jackie flinches a bit at the other Jackie's reaction, and even more so at the other Jameson's more extreme actions. But... well, it's not exactly undeserved, is it? Given how things went when these guys came into his world. "I'm not... I-I know what you're thinking, but I-I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not—I don't—" He swallows a lump in his throat. "I don't know how I got here. There was this... I-I don't know how to describe it, it was like... someone tore a hole in the air? And it sucked me in. And now I'm here. I-I'm really not going to hurt you, I promise..." His voice gets quieter and quieter as he talks.

Jackieboy's eyes widen. "...a hole? ...fucking shit-!" He then cringes and looks down at his kids. "... don't tell mum I said that and never repeat it, got it?" He then looks back at Jackie with understanding eyes. "... the rifts found you. And they brought you here..." He then looks to Jameson and then back at Jackie. His shoulders deflate a bit as he sets Penny down. "...it's okay Jay I... I think he's good. ...Alt did say this one was a lot nicer last time he saw them."

Dr. J doesn't look entirely convinced but he lets the other kids go. Ollie stays by Dr. J's side- and soon the older brunette girl runs over and goes to hide behind the doctor's leg. But, she peeks out her head to watch curiously. Dr. J hugs her close, and pats Ollie on the head. The older girl reaches up on her toes to put the cakes down on the counter and then approaches the stranger. Her bright blue eyes sparkle slightly, so much like her dad's. "Are you one of the other versions of my dad that Alt met?! Oh! He and Uncle Chase have been telling us all about your adventures!!" She sticks out her hand for him to shake, "I'm Kelsie! Kelsie Mann!"

Jackie jumps in surprise as the girl walks over to him. He's not used to kids approaching him. Especially now that he has all these scars. Chase used to joke that the kids could sense he was scary, but that really upset Jackie so he quickly stopped with those sorts of comments. "O-oh, um...hi, Kelsie," he says awkwardly, trying for a friendly smile. "Y-yeah. That's exactly what I am. Um... you can just call me Jackie, if you want."

"Kels sweetie- give him some space to breathe..." Jackieboy warns gently. He looks back at the other him and knits his eyebrows in concern, "... I dunno how the rifts work exactly but... uh- you haven't happened to be like- doing a lot interdimensional travelling recently...? Cuz- that's what did it for us... I think. Honestly- it was super confusing for me..."

Jackie looks over at his other self. "Um... no? It literally just opened up in my house—well technically not my house, but I live there with my—a-anyway, I don't know what the fu—frick is going on." And now he looks at Dr. J. "I'm um... not here to... do anything. I'm just... I-I should probably get home. Other me, do you know anything about these... rifts, you said? Do you know anything about them? Are they just gonna appear? Do you think they might've—might've pulled anyone else from my world here?" Holy fucking shit he hopes they didn't. That would cause all sorts of problems. Chase might start blanking out again if he got pulled to another world suddenly, Schneep wouldn't be much better, and not to mention what Marvin and Jameson might do to get back home.

Jackieboy looks worried, "...that's really not good then... I-I only thought we got sucked into them cuz we were strangers in those worlds ahhh frick- I'm not equipped to handle this! Lemme- lemme try to call Alt uh- h-hold on." He pats at his pockets underneath the big frilly tutu he's wearing and then jumps over the couch like the parkourist he is, shouting as he rushes down the hall. "I left my phone in my office hang on!!"

Dr. J nods slowly, "... I can tell from your demeanor... your body language is genuine. Just... hard to see you with... all of..." He cuts himself off, hoping his meaning is got.

"Hah... no, i-it's fine," Jackie says to Dr. J. "I-I get it."

Kelsie doesn't seem put off by Jackie’s appearance, "Woahhh! Your hair is so long! Daddy says he had long hair once but Mum made him cut it off cuz he looked funny!" She giggles.

"What do you do in the other world...?" Ollie asks quietly, "... are you a daddy too? Or do you jump around like... like our daddy does. Jump and take videos?"

"Is that how you got those funny markings on your face?!" Kelsie asks.

Dr. J visibly winces, "Ah Kelsie... remember what they tell you at school... if someone can't fix something in a few minutes then we shouldn't comment on it."

Kelsie does look embarrassed as she steps back and hides her hands behind her back timidly, "Oh! ...I'm sorry Mr. Jackie..."

Jackie looks at all the kids. "Um—i-it's fine, Kelsie," he says. "You're little and still learning. Just, remember what Jameson said for next time. I... got these marks because someone hurt me. But that was a while ago. I'm better now." He tries for a smile. "As for what I do, I, uh... actually haven't figured that out yet." It's kind of true. Once he dropped out of college he never got another job, devoting himself wholly to the vigilante thing, depending on other people to help with the money stuff. ...holy shit, he was a freeloader, wasn't he? How come Chase or the others never complained about that? How come Frederick wasn't currently complaining? Well—the second one was more understandable, he'd been held captive for months, but still—

Meanwhile- it seems tiny hands are trying to reach up to dig through his pockets- tiny toes trying to scale his leg.

Jackie looks down. "What the...? Child?"

Penny is trying to climb up his leg and reaching to try to grab his staff in his pocket. Kelsie gasps and goes to pick Penny up, struggling a bit at holding the nearly two year old. Penny hiccups and makes grabby hands, wanting the shiny. "Ahh I'm sorry for Penny, Mr. Jackie! She's kinda grabby."

"Oh- That's okay. I just kinda thought you looked like a hero," Ollie says, shrugging. "Like Bro is. You're kinda all muscley like he is."

"Sorry you got hurt.... those look really owchy-" the other brunette girl says quietly. Dr. J smiles warmly and ruffles her hair, "...that's very kind, Alice."

"A hero?" Jackie chuckles. "I mean--I'd like to be like a hero one day. But for now, I just... I get lots of exercise." He likes staying in shape. He likes that he's able to do that, and not... stuck somewhere. "It's okay about Penny, I just... didn't know kids that small could climb stuff. And thank you, um... Alice. That is very kind."

"Which world are you from again?? Alt has told us so much about them!!" Kelsie asks excitedly.

Dr. J winces again. "...I don’t know if he would have... said too much about this one..."

Jackie squirms a bit at the mention of his world. How to explain all the shit that went down there to a little girl? But luckily, his other self interrupts him.

Jackieboy yells out something in the other room then hurries back to the living room, looking miffed. He's taken off all the tea party clothes and fixed his hair though. "Alt isn't answering! The one time I need his sorry ass on his phone! He's always on it!"

"...didn't he have a show tonight?" Dr. J muses quietly.

"Ahhh frick! Of course he does! Arghhh!" Jackieboy yells in frustration. "Just when we need the wonder twins! Why are they both busy now?!"

“A show?” Jackie repeats. “Wonder twins? Oh, uh, that must be Alt and Bro, then? Yeah, they would know the most, wouldn't they?"

“Yeah- they’re kinda experts now. Alt more so. I think Chase gets it but it also goes over his head. I still barely get it…” Jackieboy grumbles.

“And Daddy went to a bunch of them too!” Ollie explains happily.

“Like the one with the mermaids!!” Kelsie adds excitedly.

“Merms, sunshine. They didn’t like being called mermaids,” Jackieboy chuckles.

Jackie shakes his head. "Well, um... I can just... go, if you want. I mean, we'll probably have to stay in contact cause you guys are the only people I know who'd have any idea about the universe stuff, but I could go find a place to stay in the meantime." Would his debit card work in another world?

When Jackie mentions going elsewhere Dr. J waves him off, “Nonsense… you should stay in one place. Or hm… let’s contact some of the others to see if they’ve seen anything…”

“Oh yeah… if there are guys from your world here-“ Jackieboy pales and quickly opens back up his phone, “I’ll try to get Bro but he’s on an Overdose case right now! So uh- try to see if you can get to Henny, Jay!”

“Already on it-“ Dr. J says, flipping out his phone.

"An overdose case...?" Jackie repeats, confused. Then he shakes his head. Clearly, this isn't the time to get fussed about details. "Um... if you guys are sure, I'll stay. I guess this Jameson is right, you're supposed to stay in one place if you're lost." Maybe he could try calling Chase? They got him a new phone and phone number recently. But he didn't know if calling worked in other dimensions.

While the two men are typing away and calling, Kelsie looks up at Jackie and then tugs on his jacket. “…while we’re waiting… do you wanna join our tea party? We have actual tea in the kitchen… and cakes!”

Jackie looks down at Kelsie. "Um..." Honestly, he's going to be super fucking embarrassed about being in a tea party. But he just can't bring himself to say no to that cute little face. "S-sure. I might not be very good at, uh, tea party stuff. But I can try. T-tea would be great, thank you so much for offering."

Kelsie giggles, “You don’t gotta dress up like Daddy did. He did that cuz he’s silly. And Alice bullied her dad to wear stuff-“

“It was gentle encouragement!” Alice calls with a bit of huff. Dr. J laughs.

“But you just looked like you could use something sweet for your nerves- that’s what I did for Alt when he first showed up here! We had cake then too!” Kelsie beams.

Jackieboy looks up at this and gasps dramatically, pointing at Kelsie, “That’s where the last slice of cake went!! I thought I went crazy!! You gave it to Alt??”

Kelsie bursts into giggles, “it was secret breakfast cake! We couldn’t tell you!”

“Betrayed by my own daughter… can’t even believe this…” Jackieboy mutters, going back to try to contact Bro.

Jackie chuckles at the familial banter. Man... if he had kids, would this be how it was like? He couldn't see that happening anytime in his future, to be honest, but maybe he'd warm up to the idea eventually.

In the meantime, Kelsie hurries over to the kitchen and soon comes back with a true cup of tea and a small plate with a tiny un-iced bundt cake on it. She hands them to Jackie. “You can sit down on the couch to eat if you’d like! We don’t mind! Or the dining room is over there- or the chairs by the kitchen-“

Jackie looks down at Kelsie and takes the tea and cake. "Thank you Kelsie. I'll just sit on the sofa here, that's fine." He smiles and goes over to sit down. "Well... guess we just wait for a bit." He took a sip of the tea. Mm... usually he was more of a coffee guy, but sometimes tea really hit the spot.

This wouldn't be a bad place to wait, he supposed. He could handle staying here for a little while.

Ollie comes over to pick up Penny now, leading them both over to go play with some toys so Penny doesn’t try to steal anything else of Jackie’s.

Eventually, Jackieboy sighs and stuffs his phone in his pocket. “No use- I can’t get a hold of Bro…”

“Oh! I got a reply from Henny!” Dr. J says. Then he frowns in confusion and looks back at Jackie. “Um… Jackie… did the same thing that happened to you… affect Schneep in some way….? …some way that would make him… blind?”

"Huh? Oh, you mean to cause this?" Jackie gestures at his face. "Um... no, h-he was safe from that—well, safe being a relative term—wait, is Henny okay?!" He vividly remembers Schneep's reaction to his other self when these guys visited their world. Schneep had been very fascinated with there being another him, and very eager to try his hand at 'fixing' deafness. And with what Marvin and Jameson had done to Schneep, he'd be even worse now—!

“Huh…oh yes, he’s fine. ” Is all Dr. J says in reply. “Curious…”

“What is it Jay?” Jackieboy asks. “Is it the other Schneep?? The other you??”

“…I don’t think so. I think… could it be… someone else?” Dr. J looks up with confusion. “Henrik says this other him is… nice. A bit jumpy but- that’s because he’s blind. Uses a cane and everything ‘just like in the movies’.”

“What?? That… that doesn’t make any sense!” Jackieboy says in confusion, “…is this because of the rifts…? Are they just.. grabbing random people from other universes now?”

"I... y-yeah, as far as I know, that's not my Schneep," Jackie says. "Unless something... really drastic happened to him lately..." If Marvin or Jameson actually fucking blinded his friend he'll kill them. It won't matter what Frederick says, he'll fucking kill them. "I-I guess that bit about grabbing random people... is the best bet? Because... I-I can only think that he's from a third, different world." He shakes his head. "Should, uh, your Henrik bring him over here? So we're all together? Is that, uh, possible?”

The kids watch the adults exchange back and forth, all sitting on various parts of the rug and either eating some of the cake or playing with their toys.

The swaps exchange glances. Then, Jackie deflates with a sigh. “…I’ll call Stacy- she said she’s been wanting more hours here than at her other job anyways… We’ll meet up in the studio office.”

“So funny that place has become a lot like a headquarters for these situations.” Dr. J chuckles, “Alright, kids- let’s clean up for now.”

Jackie hurriedly finishes up the tea and cake, almost choking in the process but managing to hide that fact. "Here, I can help." The sooner they clean up, the sooner they can head out, and the sooner Jackie can know what the fuck is going on here.

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV Swapboys #swapboys #jackie mann #henny schneeplestein #dr. jj #silent film schneep #the jaunty jackson #inverted jackie #stitched schneep #EEEE IM SO EXCITED #BUT I ALSO GOTTA GO TO WORK SO LIKE I'LL HAVE THE AO3 LINK UP LATER #AND THE MASTERPOST #IM TOO EXCITED TO WAIT SO HERE BYEE

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huffle-dork · 11 months ago

Text

Swap into the CrystalVerse Chapter 28: Epilogue

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal's AUs |AO3 Link

Taglist: @brokentimewatch @di-diwata

(AN: This is the end! Thank you guys so much for all the love we've gotten for this series! We've had such a blast writing and seeing your reactions!! And- stay tuned! More multiverse adventures are already in the works!!)

For once, the three of them appear all together--in a very familiar space. The doorway looms large and empty. Everything is quiet.

As soon as they all drop, Magnificent is no longer bound by Frederick's magic. He pushes away from Bro and then disappears in a flash of static.

"No!" Bro shouts and is about to run after him but Alt stops him and pulls him back. "He's probably just as tired as we are... we'll find him later."

Bro pouts and then sighs, helping the two of them up. "Alright- you have a point."

Both of them freeze as they hear footsteps rapidly approaching the room, the faint sounds of alarm bells. "Movement! I hear movement! Move move move!"

The brothers share a terrified glance.

"Run?"

"Run!"

Alt grabs Bro and glitches them out of there- happy for once he knows exactly where to go.

The brothers soon appear back in their apartment. Alt sways- the jump they just took was huge and he didn't get a lot of his magic replenished. His eyes roll up as he starts to crash to the floor. Bro quickly catches him though. "Woah!"

There's the sound of something falling over- then the lights all flicker on. Following after that is the sound of... barking? And a furry bundle of cream fur crashes into the Brodys, toppling them to the ground.

Bro holds up an arm to protect Alt but then blinks in confusion. "...S-Sahne?"

Sahne is barking, tail wagging happily as she licks Alt's face. Alt scrunches up his face and pushes her away, blinking blearily out. "...hah??"

Footsteps rapidly approach them in the hallway before they see a new figure. It's Jackie- he's breathing heavily, holding a baseball bat in his hands and hoisting it up like he's ready to strike. But, his eyes widen as he sees who's in the hallway. "C-Chase? Alt?"

Bro feels tears come to his eyes as he sees his best friend- his actual best friend. "J-Jackie!"

Jackie scowls, his parental disappointed scowl. One that shows both anger and fear. "W-Where the hell have you two been?! We've been worried fucking sick! We all staked out here just to try to find clues and- Jays was just about to file a police report and-!" He quiets his shouting as he takes in the look of them. "...oh holy shit-"

Alt laughs at this. And soon that laughter starts to turn into light crying. Bro goes to hold him for a second, resting his head on top of his. He looks just as tired, even if he’s not as beat up as Alt is.

Jackie throws the bat and hurries to help the two up, taking them to the living room.

Once in there, they see that the apartment has been set up with sleeping bags and backpacks. Laptops are all over- two on the coffee table, one on the kitchen island. The tv is turned onto the news, one of Bro’s crime radios is playing, and scraps of paper and notebooks are strewn around. Dr. J stands up from where he was sitting by the coffee table, eyes wide as he takes in the sight of everyone. "Oh my god-" He mouths, holding up his hands to cover it. Then a blue blur is rushing at them, throwing his arms around the two brothers and attempting to lift them up.

"OH YOU ARE BACK!! YOU ARE BACK!!" Henny shouts, happy tears in his eyes, "Mein friends!! We have been so worried!!"Bro and Alt both wince but try to hide it, smiling at Henny.

Jackie pulls the taller gentleman back and gives him a sad smile. "Hey hey- give them a bit of space Hen..."

"Oh!" Henny looks at them and then gasps at the sight of them, "Mein gott! What has happened with you two??"

"It's such a long fucking story, Hen..." Bro laughs, shaking his head.

I'll make some tea." Dr. J signs as he hurries to the kitchen. Henny and Jackie help the brothers to the couch to rest.

Alt looks around frantically- and then finally hears a mrowl that's equal parts distress and delight. A flurry blob of black hits Alt in the stomach and then climbs up on his chest, meowing wildly. Alt starts to cry again as he hugs Glitches tight and curls up around her. "Glitches! Oh my sweet girl!! ohh i've missed you sooo much!!"

"Oh- I see how it is," Jackie teases.

"I'll miss you assholes later. lemme reunite with my cat." Alt deadpans before kissing Glitches all over her head, while the cat purrs and rubs her head against him.

The others all laugh.

Bro looks at the others in disbelief. “... did you guys really camp out here?”

“Not at first,” Jackie says, starting to gather up some of their stuff. “We weren’t sure if you guys just… left without telling us. But, we also knew something was up because…you would have told us. So- when we didn’t hear from you for… two days? We decided to come here to look for clues. Glitches was a fucking wreck…” He shakes his head.

“We did not find much… just that the TV in Alt’s room was all- statisch.” Henny adds. “Which is bad sign…” He pets Sahne as she comes up, bumping her head against him.

“So we thought Mag was behind it… but we couldn’t find head or tail of his furry ass either.” Jackie frowns.

Dr. J soon comes back in, carrying a tray of mugs and sets it down on the coffee table. Bro and Alt share a glance and laugh. Now it felt like home.

Dr. J smiles at them then signs, “We’re so glad you two are okay… but perhaps you can fill in the gaps for us?”

“We should call Stace… and Oliver- cuz Alt looks like… well you look like shit, man.” Jackie says.

Alt flushes and sits upright- but gets an earful from Glitches when he stops petting her. “No! Don’t call Oli! I don’t wanna worry him!”

“Dude he was here just a couple hours ago trying to help,” Jackie smirks. “He’ll want to know.”

Alt freezes, face getting redder. “...he was… trying to look for me?”

The others all share a glance and Bro even laughs and pulls in Alt for a hug/noogie. Alt hides his face in Glitches’ fur.

“Well gents!” Bro starts, “How much time you got? Cuz we have an epic tale to share~”

“Can we share in the morning?” Alt moans, curling up to lay down in a semi-fetal position with Glitches squished in his arms. “Or three- I’m so fucking tired dude…”

The others share a look and then they smile.

“Seems like we have time.” Jackie adds quietly.

“...you all should drink the tea before it gets cold.” Dr. J reminds them.

Everyone laughs. Friends, reunited at last.

It was good to be home.

Alt felt the TRVLR safe in his pocket, the knowledge of all their new friends and companions saved in his phone. Who knows what future adventures await?

#swap into the crystalverse #swapboys #alt anti #swap magnificent #bro fantastic #jackie mann #jack1eboi #dr. jj #silent film schneep #henny schneeplestein #sahne the dog #glitches the cat #i love being able to write all the boys together their banter is so fun ajgvhbka #i hadnt gotten a chance to in a while cuz of the villain arc :'C #which i need work on next ahgavjb #i hope you guys had as much fun reading as we had rping this!!#it was such a blast!!

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huffle-dork · 2 months ago

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Whumptober Day 22/23: Bleeding through Bandages/ “I’m doing this for you”

Finally catching up! :D

#whumptober2024 #huffleart #jacksepticeye #septicart #swapboys #bro fantastic #alt anti #Henny von schneeplestein #silent actor schneep #I imagine bro is younger in the first one cuz like by 2020 he heals so much faster and doesn’t have green hair not wearing his mask HGHBN #impulse alt #alt’s villain arc

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huffle-dork · 1 year ago

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I had to draw the boys laughing together from my new swapboys chapter !! I never really imagined them being super close but now I love it so much 🥹

#swapboys #alt anti #Henny von schneeplestein #silent film Schneep #etwas peilen #septicart #huffleart #swapboys art

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huffle-dork · 1 year ago

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IF you are taking requests... could I get a sick Henny Schneeplestein/silent actor Schneeplestein. Maybe with the stomach flu. It can be a sickfic or a drawing. Which ever you'd prefer! Or both. 😄

(I’m working on some Henrik and Dr.jj related stuff! Mostly how Henny first found himself in this time! So this was before Dr. J meets Alt, and before Henrik meets Bro and Alt! Dr. J doesn’t know that magnificent exists either or the existence of magic- well except whatever the well brought Henrik to this time. so wahoo! Also I got a lot of sick fic requests for Henny so I just lumped a bunch together and then made it worse~ >:3c)

Dr. J had his phone pressed between his head and neck as he bent down next to the actor’s bedside. “Yes… Henrik is poorly again-“

“Again?” The surprised voice of Jackie echoed on the other line. “Damn�� that’s been like what… 3 times already? It’s only been a few months since you found him, right?”

The good doctor frowned as he draped a cool wash cloth over Henrik’s forehead. The brunette’s eyelids fluttered and he mumbled something incoherent out in German but he seemed to relax some.

“I suppose the poor boy just has a weak immune system…” Of course, Jameson knew it was a bit more than that… Henrik came from a different time… he was more prone to sicknesses and Dr. J was still scrambling to get him records and vaccines and shots… but he wasn’t going to spill that out to Jackie. He didn’t know- and well… Jameson always kept his patients’ secrets.

“Poor guy…” Jackie sighed. “What do think it is?”

“I think it’s the flu this time unfortunately…” Jameson checked the actor’s pulse then temperature then frowned more. He was very warm… “I’m worried I might need to take him to hospital… but maybe if I’m early I can just take him to the urgent clinic…”

“I mean- how out of it is he?”

“…this morning he tried to make coffee and help me make breakfast for Alice… but he poured milk in the stainer and coffee grounds in her cereal.”

“… maybe urgent care is a good idea-“

Jameson gave a weak chuckle but then sighed, pushing Henrik’s damp hair away from his eyes. “I suppose… I’ll keep a close eye on him… if his temperature rises anymore I’ll take him straight away.”

“Sounds good, dude. Just- if it’ll cheer him up, tell him the kids miss him. They keep asking when they can see Uncle Henny and his puppets again!”

Dr. J smiled and nodded, “That would make him very happy… thank you, Jackie.”

“Anytime Jem! I’ll catch you later.”

Jameson hung up the phone then looked back to check up Henrik.

He was still so pale and thin… thick bags under his eyes and veins so stark they looked almost… purple. Especially around his wrists and neck. If Jameson didn’t know any better- he might could say they even glowed. But, that was impossible.

Henrik’s eyelids fluttered again and he finally opened them enough to see Jameson. He smiled dazedly, despite his fatigue.

“Oh… hullo doktor…” He muttered weakly.

Jameson smiled weakly. “Hello, Henrik. How are you feeling?” He signed to him.

Henrik looked up at the ceiling and knit his eyebrows together as if trying to think.

“Not… good- mmm weak and… and… wackelig-“ He pressed his eyes shut and bit back a whimper. “Is hot… and- my head is super hurting and my… Mein Magen…”

Damn the hardest part of Henrik being delirious was him switching to German… Jameson knew some but he had to rack his brain to remember. “Okay… shaky and- and your stomach hurts-“

Henrik nodded, “Ja.”

“Alright… anything I can get you?”

Henrik slowly shook his head. “I am… just tired I think… thank you, my friend.”

Jameson smiled and nodded, “of course, Henrik… if you need anything just shout and I’ll be there.”

————

It was only about an hour later when Jameson was startled from his paperwork, hearing screaming coming from Henrik’s room.

He raced down the hall and threw open the door- finding Henrik tossing and turning in the bed, sobbing out in German.

“nicht mehr! nicht mehr! Ich möchte nach Hause gehen!”

Jameson’s heart sank as he quickly walked in and then gently tried to rouse the actor awake. It took a second but slowly he started to quiet, breath coming out in shaky weak bursts. He struggled to open his eyes to look at Jameson. His irises were glazed with fever.

“Doktor…” He wheezes, “careful- Vorsicht mit den Saiten…” He gritted his teeth then gripped at his head. It was pounding so bad- it felt like his skull could break in half. “…hurts… s’hurts…!” He quietly sobbed, curling up in the bed.

The good doctor just watched Henrik thrash with worried eyes. He has no idea what to do…! He quickly went to take his temperature but… it wasn’t worse.

He hummed in thought then resigned to do what he did best. He found Henrik’s hand and started to lightly tap a steady rhythm as he pulled out his pocket watch. The actor’s tear filled eyes looked up and caught onto the sight of the watch almost instantly. He relaxed quickly… maybe too quickly. That was also concerning him. But, the least Jj could do was try to calm Henrik down.

“It’s okay Henrik… you are safe… just breathe with me and try to relax okay? I won’t let anything hurt you…”

———

The rest of the night went by in a flash. Always busy, the good doctor was. The nanny brought home Alice and they made dinner together. Alice helped him take in some soup to Henrik- but he didn’t seem all there. Jameson was just glad he ate… then Jj spent the night with his little one, reading her stories and sending her to bed. Shawn was out at a gig so- the house was quiet as the tired doctor flopped onto the couch and leaned his head back. He felt exhaustion weighing down on his limbs- and that force pulled on his eyelids before he could even fight it.

He woke up in a dark living room to the sound of a huge crash. Thunder. Jamie started awake and then fumbled for his phone- turning on the flashlight.

Caught in the light, like an animal caught in infrared was the ragged body of Henrik. Even his eyes seemed to glow green in the dark. The sight sent shivers down Jameson’s spine, especially as lightning crashed behind them, lighting him even more in an eerie glow.

He fumbled for the lights and then looked at the sick actor. “Henrik… what are you doing out of bed?”

Henrik didn’t answer. He was still in his sick clothes, hair ruffled from sleep, glasses missing, barefoot. He stared blankly at the doctor as if he couldn’t understand what he said.

Then, Jameson could just faintly hear a sound. It sounded like… static. Something Henrik wouldn’t be able to hear. He could hardly hear it himself over the distant sounds of rain and thunder.

He walked closer and spied something in Henrik’s tight grip. A… a phone- showing nothing but the offending static.

“Henrik- where did you get that? I… I hadn’t gotten you one-“

Again, the actor didn’t answer- but this time he pushed past Jameson, roughly clipping his shoulder. He staggered slightly but then continued on, despite his shaky limbs and ragged feverish breath. Jameson was thrown off guard and was about to shout out- just as Henrik threw open the door to the storm outside.

He walked out without even hesitating, shambling mindlessly through the rain.

Jameson’s feet moved quickly as he dove after him, pausing just briefly to guard his face from the harsh falling droplets. But then he’s roughly grabbing Henrik and struggling to get in the actor’s face, trying to get him to read his lips.

“Henrik! This- this is insane! You need to get inside right now!”

Henrik blinked sluggishly at the doctor then tried to move out of his grip. “Got… to… h-have… have to….” He’s mumbling, almost too quiet to hear.

Jameson lashes out, going to grab both sides of the taller man’s face so he can focus on him. His eyes burn with concerned anger. “No! Henrik please- wake up! You’re only going to make this worse!”

For a scary few seconds, Henrik’s expression remains blank and empty. But, slowly, that sickly glow seems to fade and his bright blue eyes gain some clarity.

“…d…doktor… Jackson…?” He slurs in confusion. Jameson slumps his shoulders slightly in relief. The actor pushes himself out of Jj’s grip to look around- noticing now where they are.

“We are… outside…” he breathes, as it confused. Then he looks up at the sky and laughs distantly, “it is… raining-“

He shivers and then shuts his eyes. “Mmm… it… fühlt sich gut an…” He sighs. Then, he starts to pitch forward, face and body suddenly falling limp- making Jameson scramble to catch him. They fall into a heap on the wet grass.

Henrik almost immediately starts to wheeze again as his head falls against Jameson’s legs, painful gasps of air coming from his throat. His face is scrunched up in pain. Jameson fumbles to feel his forehead- and even with the cooling rain he startles back from the burning warmth. Jameson frowns then sighs and starts to load up Henrik into his car. It was time to see Dr. Doom again…

Henrik briefly stirred and blearily looked out at Jameson as he was sat up and buckled in. “Doktor… juwel?“ He mumbled.

For a second, Jj smiled. He adopted Jackie’s nickname for him it seemed. “Yes, Henrik… I’m right here.”

Henrik reached out and Jameson was quick to find his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Through, his fuzzy vision and soaked bangs, Henrik found Jameson’s eyes. He looked terrified, which sent a spike through the good doctor’s heart.

“Bitte, Juwel-lass nicht zu, dass er mich mitnimmt…”

His grip in Jameson’s hand then fell limp again as he slumped back against the window in the car. Jameson’s heart spiked- because he now knows that phrase too well… Henrik had mumbled it over and over in moments like these.

‘Please… don’t let him find me…’

The strange phone that Henrik held was left in the rain- the static flickering with green light.

#sorry this took so long!#I like to use these requests to flesh out story parts I haven’t gotten to #and I finally got ideas!! hooray!!#silent film Schneep #Henny von schneeplestein #dr. jj #sick fic #requests #swapboys #Jackie mann #this is all kinda a sneak peek to more stuff I’m working on!#I’m just buzzing with swapboys ideas rn guys it’s great!#readswapboys

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huffle-dork · 1 year ago

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Hufftober Day 10: Glitch

Something I drew for Alt’s Birthday Fic! The boy deserves something happy for a change!

#egotober #egotober 2023 #hufftober #swapboys #alt anti #bro fantastic #Henny von schneeplestein #Kelsie mann #Jackie mann #jack1eboi #huffleart #swapboys art

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huffle-dork · 1 year ago

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Etwas Peilen (Swapboys AU)

Continuation of Welcome to the Show exploring Alt and Henny’s relationship!

Masterpost | More Swapboys

Before the new friends parted ways, the good doctor Jackson rounded them all up to get their scratches and wounds tended to. Bro and Jackie were already helped, with Bro giving a detailed report to the police and Jackie icing his aching nose.

Dr. J had Alt up on the bar stools with him, lightly dabbing antiseptic on the cuts on his cheek. Alt hissed and was trying not to glitch away as Jameson held him still.

Henrik watched anxiously, wringing his fingers back and forth. He… can’t believe Magnificent just… let them go. Guess they proved themselves? Maybe… but- Henrik was scared the puppetmaster was only biding his time. And until now… he had no one who he could confide in.

Until… Alt.

As the good doctor started to gather his supplies and finished up with Alt, popping a clean white bandage on his cheek- Henrik hesitated before slowly approaching. The normally charismatic actor felt nerves in his throat but he tapped the glitch on the shoulder.

Alt looked back and raised an eyebrow at him, “Schneep? Uh… wassup?”

Henrik tapped his legs as he tried to find his voice, “T-Today was… long day. But- we… we have found ourselves in a uh… similar position, yes? And so I… I was wanting to invite you to make the drinkings with me?”

Alt’s eyebrows furrow in slight concern, “Are you suggesting alcohol to wash our troubles away? Cuz I don’t think the doc would approve of that-“ He glanced back towards Jameson as he went to join the others.

The gentleman laughs and shakes his head, “No no! Not in that way… I- just think it would be nice to… get to know each other better? Since well… you know.” Henrik messes with the back of his head anxiously, trying to give an award winning smile to Alt.

The younger man stared at Henrik with an unreadable expression for a couple beats. Then, he sighs and stuffs his hands in his pockets, going to pull his mask up out of habit but stopping himself to look back at the actor.

“…I should warn you I’m not an open person so… I dunno how much getting to know each other they’ll be… but, sure. Tomorrow night… meet me at Insomnia.”

Henrik tilts his head slightly, “Not tonight?”

Alt laughs, though, it looks kinda pained. “Nah I… I got a gig tonight.” He laughs some more and pushes his bangs back then tugs on them, “god… I have a gig… I… I should get ready for that…”

Henrik frowns in sympathy and hesitates before putting a hand on Alt’s shoulder. “Please… do not push yourself too hard my friend… and you… you are injured…”

Alt blinks in surprise at the gesture and then glitches back to his feet, looking at the actor warily. Henrik blinks and holds up a hand and Alt attempts to give a forced smile. “I-I would cancel but… I need money for drinks now.”

Henrik steps back and wildly waves his hands, half signing out of habit. “No no! You will not pay! It will be on me!”

The glitch seems surprised by this too. But, now he smiles more genuinely. “Well… all the more motivation then, huh?”

He lightly hits Henrik on the shoulder as he starts to walk away, turning so the gentleman can still read his lips. “…see you tomorrow then, Schneep. You know how to reach me.”

He then pauses and fully turns back towards Henrik, something dawning on his face. “Wait… you Do know how to text right? U-Use a phone?”

Henrik laughs and nods, “Ja I know the telefon! I’m not as fresh from the past as you think, my friend. I have learned very much!”

“Oh… okay- good then…” Alt nods then sends a two finger salute Henrik’s way, glitching away into that night. “See ya.”

Turns out Henrik did know how to text but… not… well-

Around 7 pm the next day Alt’s phone buzzed with:

Schneep

🍺🙏☑️❓❓❓

Alt

…Yeah man- how’s 9 sound?

Schneep

😁🥰❗️❗️❗️

Alt

U kno u don’t have to use only emojis to text right?

Schneep

👍

Welp- guess that answered that. (Asking Jackie about it- apparently after Dr. J helped Henrik get his phone, the teal gentleman accidently got stuck in the emoji menu for a couple days and now is like- addicted to them. Alt wasnt sure if that was better or worse than old man texting-)

A little after 9, Alt glitched in front of the small pub downtown called Insomnia. He liked it here- good place for a drink after some of his shows.

He walks in, nodding towards the bartender that recognized his mask. Then, it was surprisingly easy to find Schneep- cuz he barreled right towards Alt with his arms open.

“Hallo, Alt!! My friend!!” He shouted.

Alt quickly stumbled back, his shoulders buzzing as he tried to keep out of Henrik’s grip. He hurried to take off his mask and hold up his hands. “Uh- hi Schneep- sorry just- not good with… contact-”

Henrik tilted his head in confusion but then got the memo and nodded, a bright smile back on his face. “Oh yes! Not to worry- I will save huggings for later!”

“Y…yeah- sure-” Alt muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. Damn- this guy was too sweet. It was kinda intimidating…

A furry head peaked out from Henrik’s leg and Alt recognized Schneep’s dog, Sahne. He felt himself bristle a bit like an offended cat. But, she just blinked at him, her tail slightly wagging. She had her vest on- guess she was working. So, Alt tried his best to ignore her.

Henrik led them towards a quieter part of the bar where he had already set himself up with a small book. Though, once Alt got closer he recognized it as something more than just a paperback novel- it was a small moleskin sketchbook. Henrik plopped into the seat and Alt hesitated before sitting down and gesturing towards the book.

“You… draw?”

The gentleman’s eyes sparkled as he eagerly nodded. “Oh yes! I quite like making art in my spare time! Normally, I like to paint… but when I wait for friends I like to draw portraits!”

He shows Alt his sketches- quick gestures of other patrons- mostly anyone with a very striking appearance. Henrik smiles as he looks at them. “I think… learning people is helping me to understand more and more about how people work now. Sometimes- it helps it feel not too different.” He pats Sahne’s head as she sits down next to him. She licks his fingers then settles down to rest under his barstool.

Alt listens and nods to his words. He then flushes and fumbles for his backpack. They were trying to get to know each other and… well- this was something most people don’t know about him. But, artists liked showing off to other artists. It couldn’t hurt… He pulls out a thin tablet and then turns on the screen, flipping to show it to Henrik. On the screen are designs he’s done for his illusions and shows- and concepts of graffiti tags, most featuring a green eyeball with red x’s and a stitched smiley face over its iris. Alt’s face turns very red as he stammers out, “I uh… I draw too. And, um… i also like- painting but… not in the way you do.”

The German actor looks beyond pleased, sparkles practically coming off his body as he grabs Alt’s hands and holds them close. Alt yelps and pulls himself away and Henrik apologizes quickly, “Oh yes sorry! But Alt! You are good! Such fun colors!! I wondered if it was bright paint on your clothes! Someday you must show me more of your work!”

The glitch turns even more red and hides a bit in his hoodie, “Um… yeah- if I can… find one that’s uh- in a good spot… I can show you.”

Alt had been trying to find more free spaces lately but- doesn’t mean he doesn’t still tag where he’s not supposed to. Not that anyone could catch him- he had quite the streak for heaven spots around the area. Couldn’t take Henrik to see those though- well, at least up close.

Alt flagged down the bartender and ordered some Irish whiskey, watching as Henrik got what looked like his 3rd pint of beer. He smirked and sipped at the drink, taking a second to appreciate it before he sighs and looks back at Henrik.

“Alright, you had something on your mind, right? Or were you serious about getting to ‘know me’?” Alt added the air quotes to make sure his sarcasm wasn’t lost on Schneep.

Henrik blinked and then played with the pages of his sketchbook. “Oh ah… I do- want to get to know you… I think you seem- well… very rough around edges- but… sympathetic too. I think I would very much like to be friends.” He tried to smile at Alt. But, then he sighs and takes a sip of his drink before continuing.

“But- if you want to skip pleasantries then- we can talk about the elephant in the air-”

“...do you mean ‘elephant in the room’?”

Henrik flushed and then laughed, “Oh is that how that is called? But… ja- let’s talk about this elephant.”

He then gets quiet and looks down, tracing the lines in the table.

“...Magnificent-” He eventually whispers, suppressing a shudder. “I… I could not help but notice… that he treated you and me… very different from each other.”

He looks to meet Alt’s eyes now, “I do not know how it works for you… maybe it is different… but when I am ah- puppet… I see it all. I remember. Not right away but… it comes to me in my dreams…” He grips one of his hands into a fist and closes his eyes as he takes a shaky breath. Sahne seems to sense his distress and reaches up to rest her head on his leg. He continues, “I cannot control what my body does. I cannot form my own thoughts- but I still… see it. I am forced to take in what awful things I am made to do…”

Henrik hesitates again before meeting Alt’s gaze. “in the warehouse, when he gave you his power… did you mean it? That you wanted all that or… was that his ah- thinking forced in you?”

Alt frowns. Wow- that was… immediately very deep. He takes a long sip of his whiskey before he responds, but his voice is quiet. He almost forgets he needs to turn enough for Henrik to read his lips.

“I… I was definitely influenced but… I guess. I do.. kinda want that?” He grips at his head slightly, “It’s… complicated… and goes wayyy into my backstory that I’m not sure you’re at a level to unlock yet.”

Henrik looks confused.

Alt shakes his head.

“Sorry video game joke uh- im not sure we’re… close enough yet… to explain why… but-”

“Then, can I share some of me?”

The glitch blinks at the actor. “Huh?”

“If you know me better then- we would be closer. And you can explain better, ja?” Henrik smiles.

Alt looks confused by this but eventually laughs and knocks back some more of his drink. “Alright, shoot.”

Henrik hums and looks up, “Oh… where to begin…?”

“Oh!” He grins at Alt, “I know is hard to believe because of my accent but- did you know I am not full German? Actually, I am a full British citizen!”

Alt’s eyebrows shot up, “...that is hard to believe.”

The gentleman laughs lightly, “I know my accent is everywhere- but I spent many of my early years only speaking German- and sometimes French!” He gets a dreamy look on his face, “My father was a British doctor- he learned in France where he met my mother. She was full German but was trying to study with some artists there. They met… fell in love and then moved to London and had their 5 kids.”

“5 kids?!”

“Yes! I was the baby!” Henrik added with glee. “I had 4 older siblings- two brothers, Peter and Fritz… and my sisters, Gabi and Ilse.” He smiles sadly for a second and pauses to take another drink before sharing more.

“Father used to say when he grew up he hated German because he was expected to learn it. But then, he met my mother and it was suddenly the most beautiful language to him. We loved speaking it- even while in England. I wouldn’t even see Germany until I was grown.”

He then frowns and leans more on the table, absent-mindedly petting Sahne’s fur back. “... that changed with the war. The great war… Then, our accents and our language was suddenly not to be spoken. People would get angry with us for sounding too German. We made sure to hide our German sounding names… Father was on the lines, as were my brothers.

So… they were… somewhat safe when the Zeppelins came. Safer than we were…”

Alt’s heart and stomach dropped.

“No one was prepared… we were out shopping and… and-” Henrk clenched his glass tight with both hands, his fingers shaking. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a stuttering breath. Sahne whined and leaned more on his leg. Alt didn’t know what to say-

“... Mama, Ilse and Gabi didn’t have to suffer. But, I never saw them again-”

“...Schneep-” Alt tried to interrupt. But, Henrik was lost in his re-telling.

“That’s how my deafness started, I was… 11, I think? Peter found me, he was working in a hospital nearby. He took care of me. Some kind soldiers taught me sign while I recovered- then... Then father was-”

“Schneep!” Alt exclaimed and gripped onto Henrik’s shoulder. The gentleman looked up with slightly misty eyes. Alt was quick to pull away but he held up his hands. “Dude… you… you more than earned your level- I… I can answer your question now… if you want.”

Henrik blinks and then laughs, looking a bit embarrassed as he rubbed at his eyes. “O-oh ja… I forgot that was the point… we are not here to hear such sad story!” He tried to smile it off but Alt could tell it was forced.

Alt swallowed and then knocked down the rest of his drink, the alcohol burning his throat. He quickly ordered another one, shaking himself out. “Need a bit more liquid courage for this…” He muttered.

Once the new drink is gotten, Alt holds it in his hands for a second before sighing and turning enough for Henrik to understand but not enough to look in his eyes. Pixels vibrate around his head and shoulders in a way that’s hard to see in the dim light of the pub.

“… I dunno if you met anyone like me in your time. And not just.. cuz of the glitches and magic but… I was… born… wrong.” He clenched his teeth slightly and tried to ignore the feeling that was screaming at him- telling him that every eye was on him. “…And I grew up… constantly thinking about it… how I wanted to be something… better. Stronger… because I didn’t feel like I was… as I am.”

He traces the rim of his cup in thought. Henrik watched him very patiently. Alt felt like that was more than he deserved.

“I know Mag was spitting fucking bullshit- but… some part of me… wants to believe him. And I’m not sure if that’s his mind tricks or… the part of me that wants to be… something more. I.. I want to be stronger… but I don’t know how to get there… and for just a little bit… I did believe him. That he could… make me stronger. And… things would get… easier.”

He leans his head on the table, starting to feel the alcohol in his cheeks. Schneep leans closer to make sure he can still understand. Alt angles his head a bit better as he mumbles in defeat.

“I’m sorry… I know you want to find some good in me but… my life has royally sucked. And… sometimes what Mag purrs out sounds… argh!”

He suddenly grips at his head, a headache blooming alongside his conflicted mind. Purple seems to spark weakly in his eyes.

“I dunno! I’m confused! I… I can still hear his stupid smug voice in my head…! I don’t know what I want…! I just- I just… I’m so fucking tired…! Of all of this-! I’m tired of being hungry and- and- powerless and a-scared… I don’t want to feel so lost anymore…!”

He starts to cry but hides his face and he hiccups “I want all of this to stop…!”

Henrik almost misses the last part but- his eyebrows crinkle with sympathy. Alt starts to come back to himself and then shoots up, looking at Henrik with wide eyes and red ears.

“Fuck I- I didn’t… I didn’t want to-“

The gentleman hesitates, going to reach out like he wants to touch Alt’s hand, but then stops to just loop his pinky around Alt’s own. Alt almost pulls away but- that’s… that’s not so bad.

“I understand,” He says softly, “He whispers siren songs- into your head. But… he will only tell you things you want to hear. He does not care… he only wants control. His promises are… empty.”

He sighs and looks down, shrugging. “That is how he got me. He used my confusion and promised to help me… he did not. He is nothing but ein lügnerischer Bastard.”

Alt looks away but- he’s afraid to tell Henrik how little he cared. Before, he met the others. Before he even thought he could become friends with them… with anyone. He didn’t care who he hurt- if he got hurt. Because- he’d finally be somewhere better…. Someone better. ….right?

Henrik lets go of Alt’s pinky and then waves a hand, giving a nervous smile.

“This is getting too of the serious! We should… talk about other things!”

Alt looked down at the table and sighs. “ I… I think… I need to go home…”

“No!” Henrik suddenly yells, startling the glitch and Sahne, who bumped her head on his leg. The actor then pleads to Alt. “We do not need to talk anymore if that is what you want! We can just… do the hangings out! We could… draw together and drink! No more serious talk!”

This gives Alt pause. Actually… that sounded like it could be fun. The pickpocket slowly smiled, bringing back his tablet. “You know what Schneep… I’ll bite. But it’s on your wallet-“

Schneep beamed brightly.

The two spent a while just drawing together. Alt tried to copy Henrik’s idea of drawing others around him. But- he wasn’t nearly as good as Schneep. So, he went back to what he knew- he even tried making bubble tags of the others' names. Just for fun. It was nice to just- doodle for a change.

He glanced at Schneep who had paused in his drawing to stare at someone across the way. He had a somewhat lovestruck look on his face.

Alt tried to follow his gaze- and saw what looked like a man- but honestly their gender was pretty ambiguous. They had tan copper skin and wavy brown hair. They were dressed in shiny silks with celestial patterns on them- even Alt had to admit they were very pretty. Maybe they were a model.

Henrik seemed to think so too- cuz as Alt looked at Henrik’s sketchbook- the whole page was filled with studies of that one person.

The glitch smirked and then bumped Henrik enough to get his attention. “Like something you see?”

“Hm? Oh! Ja… very much-“ Henrik sighed as he looked back. “He is… so pretty- I cannot stop looking…”

Alt rolled his eyes and waved a hand in front of his face. “Careful- you don’t want to creep them out-“

Then Alt frowns, realizing something.

“Wait… Schneep- are you… gay?” Alt makes a face and thinks, “wasn’t that like- a sin back then or something?”

Henrik’s face turns bright red with embarrassment and alarm. He holds his cheeks and ducks down, whispering, “ah yes right I- I cannot think such things!”

Alt wasn’t expecting such a response- so he hurries to correct him “no no it’s okay! it’s… not like it was anymore. It’s okay now- no laws against it!” Alt hurried to look around then gestures vaguely at a cluster of gay couples on another side of the pub. “Like see there’s a couple guys over there too- you’re fine…”

The actor seems to calm slightly at this and nods. Alt hesitates before adding, “I just- didn’t expect someone from your time to even be into that…”

Henrik laughs “Well it was- against the law. Very strictly for a longtime… but it does not mean the thoughts are not there.” He looks back to study the pretty person again as he swirls his drink in his glass. “Though… I think I like just- pretty people in general. I do not care what sex they are, you know?”

“Well- if it helps, I think they’re non-binary- from what I can tell at least.” Alt shrugs.

“Ah yes… that is- neither girl nor boy… yes?”

“It gets… complicated but- yeah basically.” Alt answers. He makes a face and takes a long sip of his drink. “Gender is weird.”

He then starts to think about this too. Maybe he was having too much to drink by now but- he finds himself muttering. “I get it… the pretty people thing. I- think I’m the same…? Though… I dunno- I don’t… crush on anyone. But I think if I knew someone for long enough… maybe-” Alt sighs dramatically and falls back against the table, squishing his cheek against it. “feelings are weird too…”

Henrik smiles and shakes his head with a laugh, “They are indeed…”

“Fucking hate them-“ the glitch muttered. Henrik shakes his head with a quiet giggle.

“You know- I had many chances to visit Berlin once I started acting. And it was such a sight…! It was… more okay there- to be queer. Even here in Brighton, it was becoming better and better! It made me feel… so happy. Like I could be understood- eventually.”

He looks to Alt and smiles, “Even when I was younger… I think I heard of people like you, Alt.” Alt’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

He grips his glass and looks down at the table. “However…It all started to change… right before I- I was brought…“ He pressed his lips together and suppressed a shudder.

Alt’s face creases in sympathy. He knocks back the rest of his drink then adds quietly. “…you dodged something really awful, Schneep…”

“I know…” Henrik’s voice cracks. “…I am… grateful in some ways… that I did not have to suffer another war… but…” He bites his lip to keep from crying.

Alt can tell there’s a lot left unsaid in the silence but he can read it well enough. No need to draw out this pain for the poor guy. Alt’s been pretty sensitive to touch tonight but- he leans his shoulder against Hen and flags down the bartender for another round. “…it’s okay, Schneep. I get it… let’s talk about something else, alright?”

Henrik quietly nods.

There’s quiet for a second before Alt asks, “uh… I don’t know- a lot of sign yet… wanna try to teach me? Something simple though.”

Schneep’s face instantly lights up with excitement and nods. “Oh yes!! I have the perfect thing!!”

Turns out- in sign, you can either finger spell a name or whoever’s signing can make up a sign that’s faster for someone they know. So, Henrik made quick work of teaching Alt the signs he used for their little group.

Bro Fantastic was the letter B then the sign for hero. Jackie was J then the sign for tired. Dr. J was easy- it was two J’s then the sign for doctor, naturally. And Sahne was cream, dog. Because Sahne in German meant Cream. Not the most creative name but- Alt had to admit it suited her.

Eventually Henrik starts to sign something that starts with A- then he makes a jagged motion in the air. Alt tilts his head.

“What’s that one?”

“It’s you! A- then lightning! Alt!” Henrik adds cheerily.

Alt feels his face heat up slightly. He then grins and laughs, “heh- awesome. Got any others?”

Henrik thinks- and Alt can see his cheeks getting flushed and warm like he feels on his own. So everything was a bit harder to slug through- but it was definitely more fun.

Finally, Henrik laughs and then starts a sign that looks like he’s drawing whiskers on his face. Then he taps his hand on his forehead, holding it straight up and touching the thumb to his skin.

Alt narrows his eyes. “Mmmm what’s that mean-“

Henrik grins real wide as he shows again, this time explaining. “Cat, bitch!”

The glitch’s eyes widen and then he barks out a laughs nearly spilling his drink. “Magnificent!”

“Yes! You got it!”

They both erupt into drunken laughter and giggles, falling over on each other.

The night wears on for a bit longer before the two admit they’ve had enough to drink. Alt feels it a bit more than his German counterpart and ends up stumbling into him as he attempts to stand up, nearly running into Sahne.

“Oops… s’rry pubby-“ Alt mumbles. Sahne wags her tail vigorously in response.

Henrik laughs then asks, “Can I help you outside, or?”

Alt grumbles and waves his hand. “Yeh ye- do wh’ev’r ya want…” He then pushes his face somewhat against Henrik’s side and the taller man quietly giggles at the sight.

Henrik leads the two outside and then tries to flag down a cab. He helps hold Alt up with one arm, while Sahne guards his other side, alerting him to any sounds he needs to watch out for.

He feels Alt shift and looks down to see the tired glitch try to find his eyes.

“…hen?” Alt slurs out.

It takes a second for Henrik to process that but his eyebrows shoot up. Alt hasn’t attempted to use his first name yet- it still wasn’t it fully, but it was close enough to make Henrik’s chest feel light.

The glitch looks away at first but then looks back to mumble out, “…it was nice. To not drink… alone.”

Henrik smiles and nods, “…I thought so too! It was very funny! …Perhaps we can… do it again sometime?”

Alt can’t help but feel himself smile. “…yeah… I think I’d like that…”

#ALT AND HENNY ARE SO IMPORTANT TO MEEEE #I love writing Henny’s speech too he’s so fun #I did so much research yesterday too- trying to really solidify hen’s past #and I didn’t even get to most of it!!! DX #but now I know HGHBN #swapboys #Hufflewriting #Henny von schneeplestein #silent film Schneep #alt anti #ww1 mentions #nothing too big but Schneep is from the 1900s- about 1933 #he just missed the really bad stuff-#anyways I’ve loved thinking about Alt and Henny being drinking buddies for forever!!#and it makes sense theyd bond so well cuz of Mag :)#if anyone wants the very complicated past I’m giving the boys like their families and stuff please ask HFGGHB #hopefully I can build more of this up soon-#but next I either wanna work on the next villain arc part or Henny first coming to the present-#idk yet!#anyways enjoyyyy #also I had to add that both Henrik and alt can do art ^^#they’re my characters I need more artists hfhvb #also hint to Henny’s future partner! :D #it was fun letting alt and hen talk about their sexualities too uwu #readswapboys

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