'Ink' is getting tired of his act but maybe getting dragged to this AU was just the thing he needed.

——

FGOC Multiverse

'Ink' knew he had been lying to himself but the hope someone would realise what was going on with him dwindled as the years passed. Dream had been friendly at first but once they realised why he took his paints, they showed far too much pity for his liking, and just when he thought he had found someone he could trust...

He did think it was sort of fun to run around with Dream and later Blue, to defend the multiverse against 'unspeakable evils'. It was hard not to laugh every time he heard that, as he knew how vital to the multiverse they truly were.

'Ink' was tired but tried hard to keep going. He tried to imagine his life was like a game, as it was the only way he could convince himself to continue this tortuous life. It didn't help that mother thought this whole thing was hilarious, so he was forced to continue this charade of bumbling idiot.

Early on he had added a new magic called 'Karmic/Judge magic', hoping others would realise that something was wrong with how things were going. He was deeply disappointed at how his gift was used and despaired at how the 'Judge' role became nothing more than a fancy name.

He didn't think he made his creations unable to think for themselves but perhaps something had gone wrong?...Did mother do something? She had been rather surprised when he talked about it, so he wouldn't be shocked if she had.

"𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕤𝕠 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕, 𝕀𝕟𝕜. ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕦𝕝𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕤?"

He froze at the suggestion but instantly agreed at the chance of learning something new. He was surprised she had allowed this but it did give him the chance to relax and explore the wonders other places had to offer. He was sure he could have stayed away forever but far too soon he was dragged back. He of course made sure to excitedly talk about all the new ideas he had gained for his multiverse to mother .

'Ink' often fantasised of one day being able to leave this place but knew he was merely a puppet for her to play with. He did manage to learn what her true name was, FATE . He had met many monsters and few had favourable opinions about this Deity and seeing the impact of her presence he could hardly disagree.

After being dragged back to his multiverse it felt like life was even harder to go through. Experiencing a taste of freedom had made him realise how he rarely enjoyed any part of his day. His fights with Error became even more lacklustre and he could see the way Error and even Nightmare watched him in confusion and suspicion.

...How Dream was still oblivious was rather impressive but he was getting too tired to care.

"I think you should take some more paint, Ink. You are feeling a tad washed out"

"Thanks, Dream! You are such a great friend"

He took his paints and he hated it. He had grown rather numb to this process and sometimes he even forgot he was acting or that his SOUL did exist somewhere. The only good thing was that mother had not been around as often lately. He had refused to let his guard down though and was just waiting for her to appear with an even more outlandish 'request'.

It had been another day fighting the 'Bad Sans' when he felt something latch onto his magic. He yelped at the pain and soon felt his entire being be thrown onto a hard ground. He lay there in confusion and pushed himself up, staring in puzzlement at ending up in a basement...and what were so many other skeletons doing here?

"Hey, can everyone just calm down. It seems something went wrong with the machine, so let's all sit down and talk about what to do about this now"

...a machine? He glanced around and focused on the item indicated, barely managing to withhold a scoff. That thing was useless and he knew it had not been the cause. For one, he felt no magic from it and another he could sense the Code of this AU had been altered. It felt very familiar but he would think more of it later.

"Dream! Look how exciting things are getting! So many characters in one place!...why are the boring ones here though?"

"I'm not a 'character' you piece of sh-"

"Oh god, i didn't know Ink was here"

"...can I dust him?"

'Ink' was proud of his skills in being annoying and pretending to hear none of the complaints. He did focus on what Dream and Sans were talking about and felt his grin widen at the news.

So the others' magic was limited, was it? He could feel no issues with his but felt no need to point this out.

"Ink. Do you have any idea what is happening?"

"Nope! Isn't it exciting?!"

He watched how each skeleton monster reacted and catalogued everything he heard. When a week passed and he still felt nothing from mother or the disgusting bond he had with her, he started to treat this place as a break. He kept away from everyone, enjoying being able to be more himself in this place.

When he heard the 'machine' go off a week later he was unsurprised. Whoever had dragged them here had a clear goal and he was curious to see what it was. Meeting a SwapDream was amusing as was Dreams over the top reaction. He patiently waited until Dream would finally snap. The other did like things being in clear boxes such as 'good' and 'evil'.

"Who is Sol, Ink? Why do I feel.."

"So drawn to him yet repulsed. You want to know him more but can feel he would harm you as soon as you do?"

He was too tired to act like Dream was used to, and just decided to be blunt. Most Dream types would feel a connection with others of their types and with Sol having eaten so many apples, Dream would have a stronger reaction to them.

Spending less time with Dream was nice and he couldn't wait until he never had to see them again. While their AU was a mess their narrow minded views were annoying to constantly hear, as was them constantly dismissing his thoughts, when he tried to speak up. He looked up from his book and looked at them in disappointment.

"Why are you surprised, Dream. That is your variant after all. Now if you don't mind, can you leave? I'm busy"

He sighed in relief as peace was restored and felt a real smile grow on his face when Heart turned up. He had never thought he would find a friend here, but this place was full of surprises.

More time passed and he shivered when magic swept through the whole building, while pretending to be engrossed with his book. Whoever had turned up was powerful and was most likely working with whoever brought them here.

"It's started again. I'll go check who the new housemate is"

He hummed in response but kept his magic focused on the new resident. He glanced up when Heart came back, a tad confused with how shaky they were.

"Are you ok?...did they do something?"

"What?..No! No it's another winged Dream like before but that isn't the issue. They have a babybones with them, Ink!"

A child? Spreading his magic further he did encounter a new presence. He must have missed it due to the others' magic overshadowing the others. How curious.

"-and i know you like quiet but would you mind keeping a watch on them?"

He looked at his friend and nodded. He saw the relief flow through them and withheld a wince, at what his mothers suggestions had caused his new friend. He had been surprised that Heart never brought up why he had ever created Lusttale but it just made him soften towards the other more.

He would have looked over the babybones either way but knowing how much Heart cared for children, he would be more diligent. The rest of the day was quiet but it was the next day he decided to look at his new visitors. He easily found the room they were sharing and waited till the SwapDream left.

He saw the way they stilled and looked around in confusion but he was easily able to suppress his emotions, so had no fear they would be able to find him. As soon as they left he snuck in and looked over the babybones. He was surprised they were a Goth variant and as he crouched closer to them he winced at their shallow breathing. Taking a chance he placed his hand on their chest and raised his magic.

He shivered when he felt a sinister presence but looking around the room he saw that no one was here. Did the being who brought them here watch them as well? Shaking off that disturbing thought he steadily fed the babybones magic before leaving the room. His magic was rather versatile and he was sure it would help whatever was clearly wrong with them, no need for Heart to worry.

He did pass by the new SwapDream, who he eventually learned was called Oneiro, but still saw no sign of the babybones waking up. Before he could panic on what was going on he twitched at feeling their presence move.

Spreading his magic constantly over the house let him easily track and therefore avoid who he wanted to. Getting out of bed he stood in the shadows and saw the door creak open, with the child soon coming out.

They were rather wobbly and he had to subtly use his magic to steady them, as they went down the stairs. He was a tad alarmed they didn't notice and even more so when they got closer to Sol. He was prepared to step in, when Sol turned towards the babybones, so was rather shocked when they picked up the child and held them close.

"Don't worry, little aster. I don't mind~"

He could agree that the nickname did suit them. Now that they weren't hidden under the covers, he could admire the babybones wings and the star-like patterns on them. He would love to be able to visit the multiverse that spawned such an interesting looking Goth. He was curious what the Creator was like there.

"By the way, you can call me Sol~"

This was going rather well but he had to make sure, so followed them as they went outside. He leaned against the house and stared at the two on the bench.

"Help yourself, little aster~"

He hummed at the heat he could feel coming off them and was surprised that the Goth could withstand it. This had to be one of the most exciting things he had seen in a while!

He stiffened when he heard rustling of feathers near him and quickly left, not wanting to catch Oneiros or the others' attention. A low profile was the best way to have a better time in this place and it seemed the babybones would be fine.

-

'Ink' had thought that would be the end of the interactions with the child, so was rather surprised when his friend spoke up, sounding rather excited.

"Ink? Can I grab a few things? I'll be out straight after"

"What for?"

He was trying to draw the child's wings from memory but just couldn't get them right. It would be so much easier if they were here.

"Babysitting duties"

He tensed and internally swore at being so distracted, that he didn't notice the babybones in the room. He started gathering art supplies and prepared to hand them over but paused at seeing the child in Hearts arms.

"I-I'll help you.."

"Thanks! Lets go, Karma"

Hmmm. He hadn't managed to learn their name but it was good to know now. He wondered why it was different from the usual Goth. He followed Heart and was happy they chose the room others rarely used. He quickly dropped the items but stopped before leaving. He was curious and now was his best chance to observe them more....it also meant he wouldn't run into Dream, who he could tell was standing behind the door.

"Now sweetheart, do you know who I am?"

"...my babysitter?"

"Yes but my name is Heart and the other monster is called Ink. Would you like to see what things Ink has kindly brought you?"

"Yes please"

He did take a step back when he saw their wings flare and the look of distrust in their sockets, when they looked at him. He clenched his jaw at that name again and watched as Karma looked over his supplies with a surprising amount of care. It was when they got to the colourful tub that he hesitantly walked closer.

"What is it?"

How did a child not know what this was? He doubted Oneiro wouldn't give the child whatever they wished, with how much they subtly bragged about them but it still piqued his curiosity.

"It's play-doh"

"....What do you do with it?"

Now Ink was the Creator and one of the things he still found joy in was art. So he instantly lit up at the question and started to explain all the things you could do with it. He briefly took note of Heart leaving and excitedly showed off all the items he had brought down stairs. He started to slow down as he felt a weight on his side. Looking down he could see Karma barely keeping awake, with their wings limp behind them.

"Why not have a short rest?"

"But I've been sleeping way too much. I want to play more"

He looked around and quickly created a pillow for them to lay on. They weren't a large child and the room was rather sparse otherwise. Maybe he should create more furniture? It would be hilarious to see Sans confusion, on spotting more items that came out of 'nowhere'.

He tried to nudge them awake but was surprised to see they were already asleep. Huffing he lifted them and placed them on the pillow on their front. He was about to sand up when a small hand grabbed his paint vial sash. He tried to get them loose but stopped at the whimper.

"Karma. Can you let go?"

"..no more.."

He leaned down to hear them better, unsure what they were saying.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Please no more paint..it hurts.."

He stared down at the babybones in disbelief, realising that they were still asleep due to their sockets being closed....Just what was going on?

"Ink. Are you feeling ok?"

He startled at Hearts' voice and glanced at them briefly. He had too many thoughts and he needed to leave.

"..yeah. I'm fine"

He left the room and headed straight for his bedroom, feeling his hands shake as he chose a paint to drink. Once he managed to dull his emotions he felt like laughing hysterically.

Just what hell had he come to, that a child who clearly had a SOUL, had taken paints?

He hid his face in his hands and sighed at the new stress. It seemed he would need to keep a closer eye on them now. He really thought that Oneiro was a good caretaker but perhaps he was wrong.

It wouldn't be the first time he had put trust in the wrong being.

~~~~

*Gifting Judge magic*

'Ink': Perfect! Maybe now someone will notice something is wro- are they just using it to attack?...how stupid did i make them?
-
'Ink': A babybones Goth? Not that unusual

*Sees their wings*

'Ink': Very pretty wings and an unusual name but still things look fine. I don't need to interfere-

*Hears them talking about drinking paint*

'Ink': RED FLAG! I knew things were too good to be true!