Gradient's POV

I swim around, searching for a way out of this world or someone to join. It's better than being alone. I searched around, but then some eels circled me. They were very chatty but I slap them away from me before their words could sink in deeper. Nothing they said really bothered me but one or two things stuck in the back of my mind for the time being. I didn't WANT to believe or take notice to their words. Many of these other worlds have people just to bring other people down.

I swim around, locating some sort of cave or tunnel.

"Hello?"I call out into it

This world changed my voice, erasing my glitchy traits.

"Hello, who is there?"A voice calls back

"I'm Gradient. I don't mean any harm...I'm just lost. Who are you?"I ask

"I'm Kappa. You can come in before any of the big fellas get ya."The voice tells me

I see a shadow overcast me and I dive into the tunnel. It grew narrow. I find a merman-like person with shaggy brown hair. He looks at me and grins. I realize just how bad my sight is without glasses. I sit down, trying to make out who this "Kappa" guy is.

"Hello there,"He says sweetly,"Where are you from?"

"Emm, well our worlds seem to colliding and I was just randomly put in here by a floating dorito. Hard to explain."I reply

"Oooo! That sounds cool! What's it like?"He asks

That started a conversation between us and then he told me about his adventures in his world. We were getting along pretty well. Then he got a sly, blurry, smirk on his face.

"Do you have someone looking for you?"He asks

"I sent a message to my father, but dunno if he will actually come for me. Events in my world sort of erased his memory and I dunno if he will like or even try to see me."I say

"Sure he will! Family is family and they stick together regardless!"He says

"Do you have someone coming for you? Or do you just wander alone?"I ask

I see his cheeks start to glow.

"Well, I planned to meet someone special when we can."He says

"What's stopping you?"I ask

A glow comes from his chest and tries to drag him away. He points to it as he presses against a rock.

"It wants me to get in the middle of a fight with a mini-god instead but I'm trying to rebel against it and live my own life....The most I can ya know. Hey, Surface God! Unless you are trying to kill me again, let me stay here! A dead Beacon cannot fufill prophecies ya know!"He explains, then shouts

The glow fizzles out. He is free from its grip for now.

"What's the name of this special someone?"I ask

"Siren, why?"He asks

"I may run into him and guide him to you."I say

He smiles.

"Really?! Thank you! I'll be sure to tell your father or Bluescreen where you went if I run into them too!"He says

"Huh?"I say, surprised that he named Bluescreen

"Oh come on! It's obvious he's someone special."He says

I feel my cheeks burn and I nod. Suddenly an orange blur zips in, tackling and cuddling Kappa.

"Gah! Hey buddy!"Kappa yelps, giggling

"Who is that?"I ask

"The closest person that I consider family. We weren't exactly given families and were lonely, so we became each other's. Wait, I gave you to Siren to protect him. Did you leave him or did yo-"Kappa says, switching focus to the axolotl that now accompanies us

"ARP! Get back here!"A voice shouts

I could see Kappa's face turn a bright red. I glance to the cave entrance to see two blurry people coming.

One of them has ink come from their fingers like a squid or something, forming something I couldn't make out.

"We should go after Arp! I gotta protect him like he protected me!"A voice says

(Please correct me if Arp from Castle Swimmer is not a he. I highly recommend reading it on webtoon. IT is GREAT and I LOVE IT!)

The two dive into the cave and quickly locate us.

"Kappa....."One says

"Siren! What are you doing here?"Kappa says

"We were traveling until suddenly this one decided to take off!"Siren says, pointing to the axolotl or "Arp"

I realize their connection. Siren looks at me.

"Who's he? And why is he squinting so much?"He asks Kappa

"This is Gradient. He has bad eye-sight and lost his glasses. He's lost so we've been chilling here together."Kappa says

"Is he your new prophecy target?"Siren asks

"The Surface God hasn't signaled me that he is."Kappa replies

I get up to greet the two.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, Siren. Kappa was just talking about you."I say, extending my hand

"GRADIENT!"Kappa exclaims, his face burning up

"What? It's the truth."I say

"Well now I'm kinda glad Pagoon didn't follow."Siren says

"Who?"Kappa asks

"A kid I met and traveled with. He kind of teased me about you a lot."Siren says

Kappa smirks.

"So you missed me? Clearly I was on your mind if others got enough info to tease you."Kappa says

"I-Uh-Well, I erm-"Siren says, seeming flustered or anxious, choosing his words carefully

"You did too, Kappa. You clearly missed him a lot."I say

Kappa looks at me.

"You're right.."He says

He gets up and hugs Siren.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Siren."Kappa says

Arp lets out happy squeaks watching this unfold. Siren hugs Kappa back and they just landed on the floor of the cave gently, having a sweet moment of silence to embrace each other happily. The other just watched me, seeming to ignore all other things. Kappa took notice to them.

"Who's this Siren?"He asks

"Oh, right! This is a friend. He can't speak and I don't exactly know his name.....Who are you buddy?"Siren asks, both of them sitting up

The stranger points to me and makes a heart appear in the water.

"That doesn't answer my question."Siren says in a confused tone

"OH! Are you Bluescreen?"Kappa asks

He nods. Then hugs me close to him, tilting my chin up to look at him. My face burns, noticing how close he is. I could make out his face and he was smiling.

"You know him?"Siren asks

"Gradient told me plenty about him."Kappa says

Bluescreen kisses me on the head and I felt my face burn up extremely.

"Bluescreen...."I say softly

He smiles. He looked different with a human face, yet so handsome....I'm still in love with him. He strokes the back of my head, knowing it relaxes me. I rest my head against his chest and he softly rocks us back and forth to give a comforting feeling. I shut my eyes, feeling safe in his hold. I feel our tails intertwine.

"KAPPA! WE FOUND YOUR DISGUISE! We-!"A voice cheers

I look over to see two new faces enter. Two new blurry faces. Then a third.

"Well hello there. I see you've got company while we were fighting that mini-god."One says

"We just found him, that's all."Siren says

"Neth, Mono, Mucku! Heyy,hehe! I can explain!"Kappa says

"Who are they?"One asks

"Okay. The axolotl is Arp, those two are Gradient and Bluescreen, and this is Siren. They're my friends...Guys, this is Neth, Mono and Mucku."Kappa says, gesturing to each one that he named

"Hello."I say

Arp squeaks.

"Hey!"Mucku cheers

"Hi..."Neth says

Mono waves.

"Nice to meet you three. Bluescreen can't speak so don't expect him to answer you."Siren says

Mono seemed excited hearing that. She rushes over and starts communicating with Bluescreen, even showing him how to communicate different things with ink appearing in the water.

"Neither can Mono so I think they'll get along very well."Neth says

Mono's eyes seemed to twinkle. Neth comes over to me and examines me carefully, circling me.

"Mucku, zap him."She says

"Okay!"Mucku says, zapping me without hesitation

I blink a few times and things seemed somehow a lot clearer.

"Don't worry Bluescreen, we just reattatched the protective film over his eyes. For whatever reason it was missing and messing with his vision. Just another example of how EVIL we truly are!"Mucku says, then giggles in the sweetest of ways

Not evil or intimidating whatsoever.

"Thank you...."I say

"No problem!"Mucku says, hugging me

Neth simply smiles at us.

Siren comes over and tries to start a chat with Mucku and was successful at first.

"Hey wait a minute, you look familiar."She says

"I've been in a cave most of my life so I can assure you that it's likely that you haven't."Siren says politely

"Mono, why is he so familiar-looking?"Mucku asks

Mono looks at Siren and froze. A cheerful spark went off in her eyes. A drawing of some face appeared.

"Oh right! That!"Mucku says

Mono looks at Kappa and makes hearts leave her fingertips on one hand and point to Siren.

"Oh! Kappa, is this your intended target for thievery? How evil!"Mucku says

"Huh?"Siren says

"He joined us to learn from us. He intends to steal-"Mucku begins

"OKAY MUCKU THAT IS ENOUGH THANK YOU!"Kappa says, pulling Siren close and covering his ears

"Kappa, I wanna hear."Siren says, moving his hands

"He wants to steal your heart."Mucku says

Siren's face burns up and Kappa's face is a deep red.

"Were we right?"Mucku asks

".....Yes...."Kappa mumbles

The two of them were ecstatic while Kappa and Siren were flustered and red in the face.

"Kappa, why? You-"Siren begins

"They said that they were evil witches and were independent! I wanted to learn how to be like them and then Mono caught me drawing on a rock so they kinda found out about you..."Kappa explains quickly

"But you can't steal what's already stolen."Siren says

"H-Huh?"Kappa says

"Kappa, you already stole my heart. Guess you just didn't realize it."Siren says, hugging Kappa gently

"Ooo! You tricked us! You're not such a newbie after all!"Mucku says with a giggle

Mono goes over and starts communicating with Neth. Arp rests in my lap as I sit down in the cave.

"Siren, they were teasing."Kappa says

"I know."Siren says

"You're not upset?"Kappa asks

"I literally was teased to the point where that kid Pagoon was going to try to get you to marry me if he met you. So trust me, these sweet folks don't bother me."Siren says

Kappa kisses him on the cheek.

"I missed you, Siren. And I'm not giving your heart back anytime soon."He says

"What?"Siren says, clearly dazed by the kiss on the cheek

"I'm an evil witch in training! I gotta keep what I steal and now that I have you in my clutches, I'm not letting you go as easily either! Mwahahahahahha!"He says, hugging Siren into the sandy ground and laughing

They were fooling around and it seemed really sweet.

"Alright, Kappa. We've decided to let your new friends join us since they are lost as well."Neth says

"And you know what that means! EVIL DISGUISES! COME ON MONO!"Mucku cheers, grabbing Bluescreen, Kappa and I

Siren went to follow but Neth grabs him and Arp.

"But I want to learn what kind of person Kappa is so fond of. And see what this creature is capable of."She says

I could tell that she was really just being protective of Kappa like a mother would be. I smirk. People were so sweet here.

Mono and Mucku put some "evil witch" clothes on us and it honestly looked pretty good. It helps us blend in as well. Soon enough, we were traveling with them. Siren passed out when Neth said something to him and Kappa was revealed in his new look. Kappa carried him while we followed Neth, Mono and Mucku. Arp protected us from behind or would swim beside us and let out adorable sounds. Arp often rested on Siren or Kappa.

I smiled, finding that this was a lot more progress than blindly swimming around and wondering where to go all alone. I talked with Bluescreen about anything that came to mind really. It's been a while since I saw him and I didn't exactly have easy ways to reach him either. But after a bit I realized he wasn't listening. Maybe the ink hearts gave it away.

I look at him, going quiet. He realizes what he was doing and how he got caught. His face burns up.

"Got something on your mind?~"I ask teasingly

He holds my hand tightly.

"Aww, another pair of lover-guppies!"Mucku says, noticing this

Mono's eyes sparkle in wonder, equivalent to Shino's shipping gaze. Bluescreen signals some things.

"Wait, you're boyfriends?"Mucku says

We nod.

Mono claps excitedly.

"Congrats!"Mucku says

"Wait, you're proud of that?"Siren asks

"Why wouldn't we be?"I reply

"You're not afraid of what others think?"He asks

"No. I've learned to not really care about other people criticizing who I am or what I'm like. We're happy and love each other and that's what matters. The only voices that matter are of those who love or care for you, not every single person you meet. It's none of a stranger's business anyways. Why?"I ask

"I lived in a cave castle most of my life so I don't know those things. Plus most families had a mother and father. And they did try to kill Kappa....So coming out about that didn't seem like a good thing."He explains

"Yeah, that's a tough situation. But those who truly love you will accept it and those people are those who matter. But as long as you're happy and not sacrificing your love or happiness, everything is ok. Your happiness does matter after all and as long as you're happy, those are times that count."I explain

Siren nods. Kappa's eyes twinkle.

"Teach me your ways please! I suck at saying no to people!"Kappa says

"He's trying to be more independent."Siren says

I nod and we start chatting while Neth leads us along. Mucku realized something and told me that the magic used on me will only be temporary. I understood.After a while, Siren and Kappa trailed behind with Arp to speak privately. We find another cave to settle in, right outside a colony. I see in the distance a girl talking to a crab. I recognized the crab. During my wandering, it got stuck on my tail at one point. Everyone was inside the cave so I was the only one around to notice them.

The crab points to me and the mermaid nods, then comes over to me. She had the classic mermaid style with the shells on the chest.

"Excuse me, are you Error?"She asks

"No, I'm Gradient."I reply

"Oh! So you're his son!"She says

"Who are you and what are you talking about?"I ask

"I'm Ink. Error said that he left to look for his son and I learned from others like a girl named Shino that a boy named Gradient is who he meant. It's nice to meet you!"She, er, He says

"He...Considers me his son?"I ask

He nods.

"He got your message and became very excited. He quickly left and started trying to find you."He says

"So why are you a mermaid here?"I ask

"Well, his brother E!Pap left to do some things and so I went to check on his anti-void. Apparently Science found out that Error left his anti-void so the ONE TIME nobody was in it, he decided to break his rule and do as many experiments that he could at once. And I just so happened to arrive as they failed and started to blow up. Yeaaah, Error is so gonna kill Science later. His experiments put me here like this."He says

I knew I couldn't say that he is also a parent, or was before the reset. So I chose my words and actions carefully. I hug him gently.

"It's nice to meet you."I say, though this was not the first time that we met

He smiles, then gets snatched by some other merfolk that seemed to be teenagers, commenting that Ink's style was "so last Atlantis" or something. He looks very alarmed. One of them grabs me as well, dragging me along. I lost sight of Ink and everything that happened was a blur, happening too fast for me to process. They left me after giving me some glasses for whatever reasons. I swim back to the cave, finding Bluescreen searching for me. I hug him, seeing how panicked he was getting. He looks at me and suirms, shifting to face me. Then he pulls me into a kiss. My face burns but I enjoy it. He makes a message appear in the water.

Don't scare me like that again!

"Okay, sorry."I say

I grin.

He smiles.

A message appears in front of us.

I arrived in this world and found a way to blend in. Send me your coordinates please.-Dad

He really considers himself that? This is great!

I send him the coordinates and go in with Bluescreen to rest.

The next morning, someone was at the cave entrance. I watched, hidden in the dark behind a rock as the person paced and mumbled to themselves, seeming concerned.

"These are the last coordinates he sent....Could he be inside or did he run off? This space is pretty open, maybe one of those beasts got him..........."I hear the stranger mutter

Dad? He came this fast?

I go over to him curiously.

"Hello there, Sir. You seem unsettled. What is bothering you?"I ask

He takes one look at me and smiles. He instantly pulls me into a hug.

"Son! I recognize your voice! I'm so glad that you're okay!"He says

"Son?"I say, my mind still wrapping around his affection

"You're Gradient, right?"He asks

I nod.

"It's me, Error!"He says, holding my hand

"Dad? You really came to find me? Why?"I ask

"Of course I did! You're my son! Why wouldn't I come? I told you that I'm taking you home and that is what I'm going to do! The multiverses are clashing and it's way too chaotic or dangerous for you to be out by yourself!"He says

I didn't even realize I was crying until he reached out, wiping my tears.

"I wasn't sure what the reset was going to do to you or change you! I've met versions of you who hate or try to use me! You were finally a nice father and I was scared that the reset would undo that..."I explain

His grip tightens on my hand.

"I promise I will never be like them."He says

I smile.

"Now, what are you wearing?"He asks

"Oh, this outfit was to blend in. I met some nice folks here. I-"I reply

"NOT NICE! EVIL!"Mucku yells

"They are good pretending to bad. Like a bunch of Blue's trying to be evil."I whisper

He chuckles.

Everyone comes over and looks at my dad.

"This is your father?"Kappa and Siren ask

"Yep!"I say

One by one, they each introduced themselves. Neth grabs Dad to have a private chat to "get to know him" but I Mono said that they really wanted to learn if he could be trusted with me.

Bluescreen holds my hand gently. Siren peeks out, seeing the colony or city nearby.

"What's that place?"He asks

"Oh! That's a city! Come on! I can show you!"Kappa says, grabbing Siren and I before swimming off excitedly

Bluescreen gripped my hand tightly as we were pulled along. Kappa brought us to the center of it all.

"Woah...."Siren says in awe

"I haven't been here in a while....Ooo! They are having their love festivals!"Kappa says

Kappa begins showing us around, unbothered since nobody saw his scales so nobody made a scene or even knew that "the Beacon" was here. I heard something and stopped while Bluescreen went ahead, chatting.

"LET GO OF ME! CUT IT OUT, Dream!"A voice snaps

I swim to the sound of the yells and find Ink struggling to get out of Dream's hold. Dream stood in the sand, still a skeleton but with an enchantment obviously on himself to be able to breathe underwater. Dream was holding Ink way too roughly, trying to force-feed Ink some sort of vial.

"You'll thank me for this! You're out of character! you weren't thinking straight when you left me! You need to go back to normal so drink this vial!"Dream says

"No! I was thinking straight but you were not! I am just being myself and disagreeing with you! Get that thing away from me!"Ink growls, slapping the vial away

"The Ink I know doesn't love a freak like Error more than me!"Dream snarls

"Then you don't know me at all or make it easy to like you either! And he is not a freak! Cut it out!"Ink snaps

"This vial will fix that and erase those flaws! Just drink it!"Dream snaps

"What is wrong with you Dream?! I said no!"Ink snaps, slapping the vial out of his hand

"I won't let you fall for someone as worthless as him!"Dream says, taking out a backup vial

I see the spilled vial as I get closer, seeing a death symbol and broken heart rise from the liquid. I snap and the code of the vial is deleted, therefore making it cease to exist. I swim as fast as I can, then tackle Dream down.

"NEVER INSULT MY FATHER! NEVER BELITTLE MY FATHER! YOU ARE NOT A RAY OF LIGHT BUT A RAY OF DISRESPECT! You are not one to talk like that about him and if I catch you meddling with him or his loved ones, even bad-mouthing him behind his back again, I will destroy you!"I growl

Dream just laughs.

"Aww, you are trying to protect your father? You think you can scare me? How adorable. Go run along and play with your little friends kid."He says

I snap my fingers, making a screen of code appear.

"What do you have there?"He asks

"Oh, just your code. With a single tap it could all be deleted. Do not test me."I growl

His face goes pale.

"And I'll be happy to help him if either of us catch you, Dream."Ink says, his eyes dull and glaring at Dream

Dream looks even more frightened now. Ink stands beside me, free from Dream.

"Never meddle with Ink's emotions or life with vials again. And that goes for everyone else that my dad cares about too. Scram!"I snap

Dream opens a portal and leaves.

"You alright?"I ask

He nods.

"Thank you. He hasn't stopped bothering me lately and thinks I got sick with an illness or something just because I decided to go solo. He sent me medicines and then thought I haven't taken my vials so he tried to make his own and well...You saw him trying to get me to take it. It stinks to rely on those vials, especially when people like him try to use to manipulate me. But seriously thank you for stopping him. I don't know where things could've gone if he managed to get that stuff in me."He says

A thought randomly comes to me and I switch the screen of code to Ink's code. I tap on a few things, examining his stats.

"Have you taken any vials recently?"I ask

"No....But I haven't felt empty lately like lacking emotions. I've still felt strong emotions toward others."He says

"Like what?"I ask

"Anger towards Dream obviously, even disgust at his actions.....Joy around my friends....Very strongly with Blue or Error especially. Some kind of anxiety or fear a bit with Error. I feel nervous around him sometimes, like butterflies in my rib cage.....Fear witnessing AUs clashing with multiverses. Joy and even sadness with my brother since I am glad to be with him but missed a lot of time with him. But I haven't taken vials since Error was at my place last. I haven't felt an emptiness since then. I only take them when I feel empty or a lack of emotions, not randomly. But this is the longest time that I've felt emotions...And whenever I take them lately, I don't get greatly impacted as I used to..."He explains

I examine his code and stats.

"I think I know why."I say

"What is it?"He asks curiously

"You seem to be getting a soul. The vials don't impact you as much because you are starting to feel genuine emotions. The vials probably just give you energy levels or refuel your soul with the emotions. Your soul isn't done forming yet so it's like a fuel tank and the more you feel these emotions, the more of the vials is used up. But of course since it's a soul it has some emotional fuel that never leaves."I say

On the screen was the outline of a soul with the colors of his vials mixing inside it. It was like looking at a beaker with chemicals swirling in it. It wasn't complete or stable but it was clear that it is in progress of forming.

"How is this possible?"He asks, looking shocked

"A soul isn't just a source for emotions and life, it reflects what kind of person you are or what you experience. You've probably experienced enough for your code to reflect that and gain a soul. You've made friends, you've gone through struggles or problems, you've gained or lost things throughout your life. You've relied on others but also grown independent. You've made bonds with other people and grew to genuinely care or feel for things that happen around you. A soul is made of genuine emotions. You've experienced things that people with souls can experience, with or without your vials. So, your code is adapting and making one for you. At least that's what I can understand from this code."I say

He summons it and looks at it in awe. He looked amazed. So happy. I know that this is one of the things he kinda would hope for. To be real. Living. Not a "soulless freak" as others called him in the past.

"I can....actually feel for others? Not depend on those stupid vials?"He asks to himself

Then he hugs his soul tightly. His face shows instant regret.

"Okayyyy.....Don't squeeze it. Got it."He says

I chuckle. He's still as goofy as always and learning. I examine the code and find that I could learn what each color/ emotion is focused on. I read each one and grin.

"Soooo, mind telling me how you fell in love with my dad?"I ask with a slight teasing tone

"I dunno what your talking about."He says, looking away

"You've gained genuine love and currently it is focused on my dad. It says right here."I say, showing him it

His face burns up.

"He's just......Special to me ok?"He says, his face burning red

"I understand."I say with a smirk

"You're not upset? What about your other parent?"He asks

"Well, that's kinda complicated. I was born into a timeline of another version of you and Error but the Error you know adopted and/or took me out of that toxic relationship. So technically I am both his actual son since he is also an Error Sans but adopted since he is not my timeline's. And that technically would make you or that version of you the other parent but like I said, thigns are complicated. Especially with the different multiverses getting involved. And put simply, it's none of my business who you're into. I'm not gonna be like Dream. You can be into anyone you wish. If anything, I'm happy you love my dad. Cause I know you're not the only one feeling that way.....Who knows, maybe you could celebrate the festival here with him."I explain

"There's a festival?"He asks

"Yep! A festival in this city to celebrate love! It's lots of fun!"I tell him

"What kind of love?"He asks

"Seems like any because nobody here seems to have any issues with my boyfriend and I celebrating with some friends."I say

"You have a boyfriend?"He asks

I nod. He smiles.

"GRADIENT!"I hear a voice yell

I look over to see Kappa and Siren coming over.

"There you are! We've been looking for you! Bluescreen got worried."Kappa says

Bluescreen hugs me tightly.

"Sorry...."I say

Siren looks at Ink.

"Who is this, Gradient? Do you know them?"He asks

"Mhm. This is Ink. Ink, this is Kappa, Siren and my boyfriend Bluescreen."I say

Ink waves.

"Oooo! Would you like to join us? We're checking out the festivities!"Kappa suggests

"Gradient, you gotta try the treats they made. They're delicious."Siren tells me

Bluescreen signals to me that it's like cotton candy or chocolate.

"Sure."I say

"Is it ok if I join?"Ink asks in response to Kappa's invite

"Of course! The more the merrier!"Kappa says

I nod.

We head off and the treats were delicious like they said it would be. It was lots of fun and the city stretched out farther. I noticed this world merged with the Spongebob Squarepants fandom or worlds. And it was a smooth mix since this world was celebrating valentines day. Kappa and Siren didn't have a clue and just continued to have fun, though returned to their world soon enough. Ink left us temporarily to get a gift for Dad.

"Son! There you are!"Dad exclaims, swimming over

"Hey, Dad. We were just enjoying the festival."I say

"Cool."He says, taking in our surroundings

"Hey guys! I'm ba-!"Ink cheers, swimming over with what seemed to be a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

I could see Ink's face burn up and the love he's feeling just threaten to burst from him. His pink eye signaled it and it was as if hearts ould dance around him. He held the gift up as if to shyly hide his face.

"-ack...H-Hi, Error."Ink finishes, snapping out of surprise from what it seemed.

"....Hi. Do I know you?"He asks

"This is Ink."I say

Those three words made his expression change so drastically. His face burns brightly. He glances away, taking my hand.

"Excuse us for a few moments."He says

He pulls me away behind a big rock.

"What the heck have I missed? How is Ink here and looking like....that?"He asks

"According to him, Uncle Papy went with friends to other AUs and run errands so he asked Ink to keep watch over your anti-void. Ink just so happened to arrive when Science decided to break your rule and well, the blasts changed him and put him here looking like that."I say

His fists clench.

"Science....."He growls, clearly not happy with Science

"But on the bright side, Dream won't bother either of you for a while."I say

"Oh come on! He's here too?!"He snaps

"Well he was, but I convinced him to leave."I say

"What the hell was he doing and how did you get him to leave?"He asks

"He was bothering Ink. He wouldn't let him go and was trying to force him to consume some weird vial that would normalize him as Dream put it. Ink wouldn't take it and when it broke, it wasn't anything good. Dream was trying to make Ink turn against you and side with him again, insulting you the entire way. I knocked him to the ground and we fought, he thought I wasn't a threat but I showed him otherwise. Ink and I told him that if he doesn't stop bothering everyone and belittling you than he will not last another day. And showing him how easy it is for me to delete his code easily convinced him to leave."I explain

"If he gets near Ink again like that, I'm going to kill him."He says with a venomous tone

"Understood. Don't want him messing with Ink's soul."I say

"Soul? He doesn't have one."He says

"Whoops, guess I misspoke."I say with a shrug

He looks confused.

"So....Are you going to celebrate the festival of love with him?"I ask

"N-No..That's stupid."He says, looking away with his face burning

"Dad, I know you better than ya think."I say

".....Maybe."He says

"Let's go then."I say

We rejoin the group and we continue enjoying the festivities. Dad casually went beside Ink and intertwined their hands. Ink noticed and he froze up, then swam off quickly. He returned, wiping his mouth so I guessed he had a panic ink moment. He comes beside me.

"Please help.  I'm new to these feelings. It is beating so fast and it feels like butterflies are in my rib cage but I can't control it and can't run off to...ya know, everytime he does something as simple as glancing at me!"He whispers

He has it bad for my dad. c:

"Okay, so what you do is-"I say, whispering to him

He sighs relieved, thanking me.

Dad subtly tried again. This time Ink didn't flee.

"What's that?"He asks, noticing Ink's gift for him

"U-umm, I em, uh-"Ink stutters, struggling to speak

"Who gave you it?"He asks, glancing around

Ink's face burns.

Dad glances at him, waiting for a response.

Ink slips it into Dad's hands.

"It's for you.."He says

Dad looked surprised, in disbelief almost. He pinched himself, clearly not believing this is real.

"How much of that love vial did you drink, Ink?"He asks

"None."He replies

"He doesn't have to as much anymore, Dad."I say

"What's that supposed to mean?"He asks

Ink shows his developing soul.

"I can feel genuine emotions Error...."Ink says

"How is this possible?"He asks

"His code adapted to new circumstances and evolved."I say

"I hope you enjoy the chocolates..."Ink says softly

Dad was trying to process this clearly.

"Ink! Come check this out!"Kappa cheers

Ink swims ahead, leaving our sights. Dad stares at the gift in his hands, swimming along beside me. Then crowds surrounded us and Dad jolted, his phobia driving him nuts already and his hatred for being in crowded spaces not helping things. He held the gift in one arm close and held me to him protectively with the other as the crowd seemed to march along, pulling us with them. I see Ink with Siren and Kappa amongst the crowd up ahead. Bluescreen was popping up and disappearing again. We get herded into this circular structure and sit down in it. There was someone talking but I could heardly hear or focus on them. I was focused on locating my friends and Ink.

"Welcome again to everyone who came! Now the ritual can begin!"The person shouts

Kappa hid his scales more as he sat a few people ahead, not wanting to get spotted by others.

"Some helpers will come around to take you away to another room. There you shall meet the one you are meant to love. If the Surface God is pleased, you shall be released by morning. Let the ritual begin."The stranger at the center says

I watch as Kappa, Siren, Bluescreen and Ink each get picked to be taken away. One by one, the crowd forming an audience was picked away. A "helper" comes over and grabs me and puts me in another room. I find Bluescreen in this room.

"No duh."I mutter

I find him peacefully sleeping on some sort of underwater bed and happily lay down beside him, snuggling him close. I kiss him on the head and start to doze off, feeling him snuggle closer to me.

When we woke up we were let out. I saw Kappa and Siren but didn't see Dad or Ink anywhere. Bluescreen and I search for them to find Dad giving Ink a different box of chocolates. I notice Dad wore a sash of hearts now and Ink had a red gown on. Bluescreen and I look at each other, smirking.

Ink was already a blushing mess in front of my dad with the gift. Dad leans in near Ink's ear.

"I could give you something sweeter than those chocolates but cannot be bought. All you have to do is ask.~"He coos

Ink's face turned a deeper red.

"W-Wha-? What do y-you mean? D-D-Do y-you love me?"Ink asks

"Ask and you shall recieve.~"He says, kissing Ink on the cheek

I heard a restrained squeal from Ink, his face radiating a bright red.

"You like that?~"Dad asks smoothly

"Error, y-your phobia. Aren't you going to crash?"Ink asks

Aww, he's as careful with Dad's phobia as Dad usually is with his! They're not pushing each other past the limits but this scene is adorable!

"Nope.~"Dad says

Two dolphins pushed past them, knocking the chocolates out of Ink's hands and pushing them together. I catch the chocolates and watch to see where this leads, not wanting to spoil the moment. Dad had his arms wrapped around Ink and Ink had his hands on Dad's shoulders. Both their faces burned up, seeing how close they are. But then they pause, seeming to get lost in each other's eyes, slowly going closer and kissing each other. Kappa and Siren come over.

"Awww! They confessed, huh?"Kappa whispers

"You knew?"Siren asks

"They gave off the signs."Kappa replies

I nod.

A portal opens up beside us.

"BrOtHeR! InK! ThErE YoU a-"Uncle Papy says, walking through

Dad and Ink were completely ignoring their surroundings, enjoying the kiss. Uncle Papy takes a picture on his phone with a grin.

"ThAt's GoInG iN tHe ScRaPbOoK."He says

"Hi Uncle Papy!"I say

He looks at me. His eyes twinkle.

"NEpHEW! So gReAt tO fInAlLy mEeT YoU!"He says, picking me up in a hug

I smile.

He looks to Kappa and Siren, who were looking at him in amazement.

"ThAnK yOu fOr lOoKinG aFtEr mY nEpHew. I'lL bE TaKing ThEsE tHrEe hOmE nOw."He says

"You mean four."Siren says

"HuH?"He says

"You can't leave his boyfriend behind."Kappa says, gesturing to Bluescreen

"Ooo! YeS!"He says, scooping Bluescree up as well

He walks over to Ink and Dad.

"CoMe oN yOu tWo."He says, wrapping a string around them and pulling them away

"Stay safe! Thank you for the advice!"Kappa and Siren shout

We wave to them and go through the portal, finding ourselves in the anti-void. Once the portal shuts, we each turn to normal. Uncle Papy takes another picture now that they are recognizable as their normal selves in their normal clothes. Dad and Ink realize that they are somewhere different and look around. Chemicals were spillt and blasted everywhere. It was a mess. Uncle Papy releases them from the string.

"I love you, Error."Ink says

"Heh, I tHiNk ThE KiSs mAdE tHat clEar."Dad says

"I aM sO sHaRiNg ThiS wItH eVeRyOne."Papy says

"Wait...WheRe iS eVeRYoNe ElsE?"Dad asks

"TheY aRe VisItIng fRiEndS lIkE EdA unTiL I pIck tHem Up."Uncle Papy says

Dad notices the mess and Science standing nearby. He releases Ink.

"YOU!"He growls

Science takes off running.

"GET BACK HERE! YOU CANNOT JUST BREAK MY RULES IN MY HOME WHEN I AM GONE! GET BACK HERE YOU!"Dad yells, chasing after him

Ah yes, everything seems to be going back to normal.

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TBC