{A/N} Guess who's back. Back again. Author's back. Tell the readers. Sorry, guys. This took way longer than I thought. BUT I have skimmed through all of the comments and will soon check out the accounts of my new followers! I haven't had much time to write, but I should have some more time coming up soon. Thanks for being patient with me!

I can still sense Anti in the house, so it's difficult to relax. Eventually, I decide to go for a walk. Before I even get a full block away from the house, Anti walks out from around a corner and falls into step beside me. It's surprising, but I don't jump. Instead, I roll my eyes as he sets him arm over my shoulders.

"Clingy much?" I mumble.

"Just wanna keep an eye on you." He pulls me closer to him.

"The hell do you think I'm gonna do?"

"I'm not worried about what you're gonna do. I don't trust other humans around you." This comment is emphasized by a distasteful glare he gives to the other people walking by us.

Frustrated, I try to beat Anti at his own game. "Aww, you're worried about me."

"Shut up."

"Trying to act tough, are we? I know you have a soft side," I tease, elbowing him in the side.

Because of his hold on my shoulder, Anti's easily able to guide me into an empty side street. He pushes me against a wall, placing a hand on either side of my head. As has become the norm, my stomach twists, but my face doesn't flush just yet. Though I'm in a less than optimal position, I don't flinch.

"You can't mess with my head like I mess with yours, [Y/N]. I'm invulnerable to it."

I feign confidence, pushing my luck. "Are you? Seems like I'm getting to you."

Anti's poker face drops for a moment, which validates my statement. However, he reinforces it and leans forward a bit, smirking. He probably expects me to react timidly, but I refuse.

"You're forgetting my leverage."

Finally, I decide to go the distance. I proved to Anti that he couldn't get me to obey him with fear. Now I'll show him that I can't be swayed by flustering. I give him a smug look of my own.

"You're forgetting that I'm adaptable."

I act quickly so I don't have time to think and decide against my actions. I move forward and press my lips against his. This time, I feel Anti tense up. His reaction is satisfying, similar to mine. However, the tables soon turn rapidly as Anti moves his arms from my sides to around me, keeping me in place. He presses me back against the wall and quickly recovers, but my point has already been made.

When he breaks away, I can't help but laugh. "I see why you like teasing me. That was hilarious."

"Ha ha," Anti mocks. He almost seems flustered. "It was just unexpected."

He lets me go and we continue our walk around the neighborhood. I grin triumphantly. We walk in silence for a bit as Anti sulks over his defeat. It's a bit humorous, but I try not to think about it too much. I'm proud, but I don't want to rub it in his face.

Eventually, I find myself heading to a small movie theater that shows the more obscure stuff. Sometimes, that means the best stuff. I've half forgotten that Anti's walking with me, and consequently have to buy two tickets. Since it's the smaller theater, at least the cost is much lower. I decide on an indie horror movie.

As we walk into the theater, I instinctually go to the best seats in the theater. Instead of the usual rows of cushioned – yet stiff – seats, there are soft armchairs, loveseats, and couches. Tables sit in front of and next to the seats, where food and drinks can be set.

I choose the seat close to the far wall, three rows from the front. Coincidentally, it's a loveseat. Before I can fight the habit, I sit down and Anti sits beside me. Usually, I pick the seat because I can prop my feet up on the opposite side. This time, I guess I'm just saving someone the terror of sitting next to a demon. Anti's arm wraps around my waist, pulling me to his side.

The lights in the large room go out and the movie starts... after a couple of ads. It's incredibly well made for the small budget, and the imperfection makes it seem more realistic.

A couple unusual things happen while I'm watching the movie. The first is that I completely understand what people feel while being stabbed. Only comment: It's not fun. Second, I don't fear the killers, as much. Sure, they can hurt me and I know what the pain feels like, but they only kill me once. I've experienced death at least three or four times by now. Again: Not fun.

Another odd thing is the fact that the entire movie isn't scary. Sure, the people around me jump, but I just sit still against Anti. At some point, I begin to doze off and my head rests against his shoulder. His shoulder tenses under me for a second, but he relaxes almost immediately and shifts me so that I'm more comfortable.

It's not every day you find yourself falling sleep on a demon of your own volition but uh... life is a conundrum of esoterica, I guess.

I'd only fallen into a shallow sleep, so I wake up a couple minutes later to the screams of some actor onscreen. I can feel Anti watching me carefully as I open my eyes and regain the little consciousness I'd lost. I'm comfortable, though, so I stay where I am until the end of the movie.

When it does finally end – with a great cliffhanger, by the way – we exit the theater.

When we're outside, I say, "Well... that was a bit of a waste."

"You're telling me," he replies, rolling his eyes.

"I mean, I guess you've played the part of the stabber and the 'stabbee'. Didn't really expect you to think too much of it. I just didn't know that I'd be so indifferent."

"Horror movies don't affect you as much once you've experienced the real thing."

"Makes sense."

Once we get back home, I keep myself busy by tossing knives at the dartboard. Anti begins sharpening and polishing his own knife collection.

"I should start making horror movies. Got a lot of great ideas from you."

He gets up from the table where all his cutlery is and stands in front of me. "If you ever run out of them, just ask. I'd be happy to help."

"Oh, you're gonna give me more therapy material than you already have?"

"I'm full of frightening material."

Unable to help myself, I shoot back: "You're full of it, alright."

He takes a step toward me. "Care to repeat?"

Feeling confident, I continue. "Haven't I already made it clear that you don't scare me? Others are terrified of you, sure. But even you have accepted that you don't get in my head like you used to."

Anti stares at me for a moment, defeated. After a moment of internal gloating, I become curious. My next words, though I want an honest answer, fill me with anxiety. "Why do you still stay here? I'm used to the gore, I'm used to the flirting now. Aren't I... boring you?"

Anti blinks and almost looks... hurt, for a moment. He definitely looks surprised, like he'd hardly thought of it. "You're not boring me. If you were, I wouldn't be here."

His words comfort me, but I'm still skeptical. I don't know why I'm suddenly so self conscious, but it's especially odd that I care what Anti thinks of me. Stranger still is that Anti just tried to comfort me.

"I guess it means something if a demon finds me interesting."

I let the conversation drop and sit on the couch, beginning to watch YouTube on my phone. Though Anti goes back to his blade-maintenance, I can feel him staring at me.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Plaything" as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and votes are super appreciated. Thanks for reading! ~Blue