Karma is in a much quieter multiverse and is finally reunited with one of his bonds

——

NeRd & JoCk Multiverse

Karma fully woke up to a hand stroking his skull and he purred at the familiar magic, pleased his idea had worked.

" Good luck, little glitch. You won't be alone for long, so stay put "

When he opened his sockets he realised that he was in an alleyway with Error standing over him. When they saw him awake, Error walked through a glitchy portal before it soon disappeared, making him whine. He sat on the ground and spread out his magic, scrunching his face at the SOULS he could sense. Why were they so faint?

It felt just like when he was with Asy, with the magic somehow even more insignificant and there were even no Balancers here. His role was very pleased by this fact but that just put him more on edge. It was so just so calm !

Especially compared to the crazy that was the last multiverse. He might have felt he was drowning in it but this was just as bad. His instincts were on edge, waiting for something to go wrong.

"Karma?"

He hissed at the voice but paused as he spotted someone who looked like Pale. They had pink eye lights but they were much darker then he had ever seen before. He stopped hissing but stayed in place, unsure if this was really someone he knew and not another imposter.

CARE/LOVE/MINE

"Pale!"

Karma was pretty sure you couldn't fake a bond and he lifted his arms happily, pleased they were coming closer to him. He chirped in surprise when he was covered in a blanket and picked up, held closely to their chest.

"Rest now. I will sort everything out, mine"

He basked in the bond and nuzzled into their neck, purring as the blanket covered his skull, blocking out the light. Their movement rocked him to sleep and he sleepily chirped, before falling asleep. He was still so tired from when he helped Error but he was really happy Pale was here.

-

Karma woke up on something warm that was slightly vibrating. He was pleased at not sensing any SOULS near him but it was only thanks to the bond he had that he realised he was lying on Pale.

"Good morning, mine"

Karma yawned before sitting up, Pales hands helping to steady him. Looking around he was bewildered at being in a living room and looking down at Pale, he noticed them wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt. He had never seen them wearing things like this before...

"It's from Template. They have a lot of clothes for when they cosplay. I have some for you too"

He rubbed his sockets and tried to get up but squeaked as he was held tight in Pales arms, before they stood up.

"You can explore later. You need a wash"

Karma wanted to protest but looking at his clothes, he realised just how much dust was sticking to them. Even his wings looked rather grey. He supposed he had been spending a lot of time with Grillby and UnderFell wasn't exactly a peaceful place.

He was placed on the bathroom floor, rather surprised at how large the bath was.

"I made sure it would accommodate your wings. Get undressed while I start the bath. Do you want bubbles?"

"Yes please"

He took off his clothes and tried to lean over the bath, pouting at how tall it was. He barely had to look at Pale before he was helped into the water, mesmerised by the colourful bubbles. These looked like the same ones his brother used for him!

He gleefully started playing with them but paused as something yellow was dropped in front of him. He chirped inquisitively and cooed at the yellow rubber duck that had a black mark on its cheek.

"Template said you would like it, i'm glad you do"

Just looking at Pale it was hard to tell what emotions they had eaten but he was once again distracted, as they added even more toy ducks to the bath. They were so cute!

Pale was pleased at how well this was going. It seemed he had been right to trust Template on how to care for a babybones, making the days of listening to them drone on about every subject under the sun worth it. While his child was distracted he started to scrub their bones, humming at all the dust that came off. Just where had his child gone to?

He had to change the water a few times but he was finally pleased at the cleanliness of their bones. Now he had to do the wings.

"Dip your wings in the water, Karma"

It took a few repeats before they realised he was talking to them but he didn't mind. He enjoyed watching their star eyelight as they played. It made his magic swirl in content at finally looking after what was his . He did notice them twitch when his hands moved too fast near his wings but as long as he was slow they seemed fine.

Once he removed all the debris from the wings he saw that they looked much different then he was used to and he felt his annoyance at Oneiro grow. They said they would keep him up to date on Karma but it seemed he would have to do things himself. He sat back and let Karma play more in the bath, making sure to grab some clean clothes for them.

His mouth twitched at their happiness, when they noticed the animal themed clothes he brought, making his current emotions pulse happily. He helped them to dry off before helping them change into fox themed pjs that had a fluffy red tail and ears on the hood. He had thought it excessive when Template gave him a pile of clothes for Karma but the urge to take pictures was high, at seeing them in clothes that had his magic on them.

It settled the possessive part of him and he calmed when he felt his bond with them still holding strong.

HAPPY/LOVE/SLEEPY

The bond was also useful in letting him get a better glimpse at his child emotions but seeing them yawn and stagger towards him was obvious enough. Lifting them up he took them to the master bedroom and placed them in the centre of the bed. He took out the many grooming items he had 'bought' but paused as he looked at Karma.

"Karma?"

"Hmmm?"

"Am I still allowed to groom your wings?"

He still remembered the advice from the Birdtale he went to and he didn't want to make his child uncomfortable. The sleepy agreement made a stuttery purr spring from his chest and he started to look over his child's feathers.

He slowly started to stretch one wing out and snorted as Karma fell onto their back, looking close to passing out.

"Sleep. I will be gentle"

He waited until their breathing evened out and then used his fingers to card through both wings, glad they were in much better condition than last time he did this. He has also practised even when they weren't with him, so felt much more confident in his movements.

When he was satisfied there were no serious issues with their wings, he started the process of straightening out the feathers and lightly brushing out bits of dust still stuck in them. When he was finished he gently lifted them up and turned them on their front, amused they didn't stir.

He checked the back feathers and leaned back when he was done, making sure he hadn't missed anything. Pale started to put away all the items he used and laid on his back, before lifting his child to rest on his chest. He let loose his hold on his magic, allowing it to passively flood the room and surround his child, making sure to stake his claim.

-

"Where are we going?"

"School"

"I don't have to go to class, do i?..Does this place have a name?"

"Nope. You will be staying with me the whole day. I have a job and i have no idea what its called but i'm sure it's not important"

Pale had no clue why Template insisted he do this and didn't bother to ask how they even managed to get him this job, considering he hadn't been in this multiverse that long. They only mentioned that it would be good for Karma, so he had instantly agreed. They had not led him wrong yet, so he would try it.

The house he had chosen for them to stay in was rather far away from anything but it was perfect for his needs. He had noticed in the past that Karma became rather twitchy when near a lot of beings, so assumed living somewhere where there was none else would be perfect. He was glad he had guessed correctly and was gifted a hug when he admitted to choosing it deliberately.

His child seemed much more affectionate then before and he was glad sending them away had helped them. He still hasn't gotten the full story of what they had been through but he did hear an extensive account of a 'big brother'. He readily approved of this monster, especially with how Karma lit up when talking about them.

He hoped to meet them someday, curious to see just what kind of being they were. He had already approved of Oneiro but it seemed they were not as diligent with Karma as he would like. He had noticed the odd gaps Karma would leave out in their storytelling, painting a rather unsettling picture.

Pale got closer to Karma when he spotted them stumbling. It was unsurprising as it was rather early, so he scooped them up into his arms before he created a portal to be nearer their destination. He had of course made sure to hide this fact from the locals, as this multiverse was rather primitive with its magic use, with the resident monsters only having it internally for everyday life.

It sounded very dull to live here but perfect for him. It did mean he didn't have to worry about anyone overpowering him if he needed to set an example of someone, even though Template had repeatedly reassured him how safe this place was.

He walked out of the alleyway and looked up at the large brick building. So this was High school? He had no clue what that meant but he was apparently supposed to meet up with the rest of the teachers in the lounge area. It didn't help that he had no idea where anything was, so took a step into the building and focused on the monster sitting behind a desk at the entrance.

"Good morning! How can i help you tod-Ink? Since when did you have a child?"

Pale just managed to keep a scowl off his face, at the tensing of Karmas body. He hid Karma in his shoulder before twisting his face into a semblance of a smile. He was unsure how successful he was as the monster, that reminded him of Geno, flinched back.

"Hello. I am Pale. I am the new 'P.E' teacher..?"

He was unsure what that entailed but he wasn't too worried. He was here for Karma, everything else was irrelevant.

"O-Oh i see. The meeting has already started but you just have to go down this hall and is the third door on the right"

Pale silently left, wanting to get away before he felt the urge to maim them. He had to remind himself he wasn't in his multivers anymore and he shouldn't just dust anyone that he disliked, as it would make their stay here annoying...this was going to be much harder than he thought.

"Shh. It's ok, mine. Today should be a short day as I only need to talk to the other teachers...do you want some chocolate? It's your favourite"

Pale barged into the room, ignoring how chattering instantly stopped, before grabbing a bar of chocolate from his bag. It was cumbersome not being able to use his inventory out in the open but the tiny hand that grabbed the bar, before chirping happily, easily wiped that stray thought away.

"Wow. You really do look like Ink...are you sure you two aren't related?"

Pale reluctantly looked away from his child to examine the room, spotting a lot of monsters that just felt weak to his senses. They were no threat to him, so he closed the door before sitting in the spare chair by this world's Ink. He stared at the monster who spoke, finding it odd how normal their voice sounded, considering he was used to it glitching.

"I am not related to Ink. Just my child"

He felt Karma look up at him at the last word, making him nuzzle them in reassurance. They might not be fully related but the bond he had was a very solid claim that he refused to let go of. He had felt a few times when it felt close to breaking but he persevered. This was his child that his magic picked. He was not letting go so easily.

He took out some paper and coloured pencils and placed it on the table, hoping to distract Karma from the many monsters in the room. He gently stroked their skull as well, glad they started to relax.

"Oh..they look nothing like you"

"Ink! That was incredibly rude!"

A Positivity Guardian? How weird not being able to sense their unique magic. He usually liked staying around those, if he felt his emotions close to vanishing. A shame the one in his multiverse refused to go near him anymore.

"They are adopted. Their parents were deemed unfit caretakers, so they were removed from their care"

The words felt clunky in his mouth and he just prevented saying 'permanently', when mentioning Reaper. He had wanted to remove any biological ties, that linked his child to anyone else, but Oneiro beat him to it and sadly the other birth parent was tolerable...maybe that would change?

"I see. We apologise for our rude behaviour, this was just a surprise and we were only told last week about a new teacher. Let me make introductions as the Principal is running late..again. Probably slept in again"

Pale hummed and passively listened but was more focused on his child. None of the names he was provided with were new but he did glance at Ink being introduced as the 'art teacher'. Karma looked intrigued by that so he would look into that further. He was then given a list of his expected duties and he frowned in puzzlement.

"Are these all my duties?"

"Yes...is there an issue, Pale?". The Dream looked at him in curiosity, patiently waiting for him to expand.

"This will take me away from my child. I was told I could keep them beside me at all times"

"These are recent additions made by the Principal. Do you not have anyone who can care for your child?"

"No...they have a 'condition' and i am worried to trigger it with added stress"

"There isn't anything in the forms you signed..Is this new?"

Considering he had no idea what Template had put down he wasn't surprised.

"Yes. The doctors thinks he may devop Pixelation syndrome, due to his biological parents"

All bullshit really but still something he would have to check due to Karmas magical donors. Geno was a glitch and Reaper was hardly a normal monster either. Oneiro had reassured him that Karma had no health issues but he was doubtful, considering they also said Karma was 'nice and safe'. His child's bones however told a very different story.

This would also have the benefit of discouraging others to touch his child. Helping him to control his more violent urges and he could see the way it made his child calmer, as it was obvious they were rather tense around so many monsters.

He was intrigued as a few pixels starting to cover Error before they settled down, followed by pity being directed at his child. Karma seemed oblivious to this and was happily sitting in his lap, while colouring in, quietly chirping when they picked a new colour.

Thankfully the rest of the meeting didn't last long and he even managed to leave before the elusive Principal came. Pale saw no need to socialise with his 'co-workers' so left the first chance he could, only making sure he knew what time he needed to come in tomorrow.

~~~~

Karma: This place is so peaceful!

*In Balanced multiverse with zero issues*

Karma: *Suspiciously* Too peaceful..
-
Pale: I can act normal. I'm great at acting. No one will suspect a thing!

*Given a wide berth wherever he goes*
-
Pale: I am a logical monster. I can settle issue with words alone

*Karma showing a negative reaction to Geno*

Pale:..but violence is a rather neat solution too!
-
Dream: Do you have any questions about your duties, Pale?

*Pale barely paying attention, planning to do whatever he wants*

Pale: Nope. Looks all good