I feel panic run through me. I pace back and forth, trying to think. I look around to see that we were in some living room but nobody was around. It looked unfamiliar, definitely not Ink's home. I circle the couch while thinking. Is Inky okay? Is he asleep? No...He wouldn't have gone so limp then...He would've heard my yells, wouldn't he? He's hurt because of what Change did to me while I was him, but he aided those injuries. Could they have been worse? Could the power of the swap hurt him? Why'd he go limp? Is it really impossible for soulless people like Ink to die? Is it my fault? Could he be gone right now? BUt he hasn't dusted.....Where is everyone? What the hell is going on?

I hear a door open followed by footsteps. I quickly get in front of where Ink laid, covering him with my arms protectively. I look around but don't see anyone. I then notice a figure in the shadows of a doorway. I couldn't tell much about them

"WhO's tHeRe? If yOu'Re hErE fOr InK, ReNeW aNd ChAnGe, YoU'Re nOt GeTtInG hIm! NoT oVeR mY dUsTeD sElf!"I growl

"BrOtHeR? Is iT yOu? YoU'Ve rEtUrNeD!"I hear my brother's voice cheer

The figure came out of the shadows and reveal to be my brother E!Pap. He ran over and hugs me, clearly seeing bandages all over him. He saw Ink behind me and knelt down beside the couch. He examines Ink's injuries and condition. He seemed the most serious I've seen him. He then waves his finger above Ink like someone hesitantly choosing an elevator button. He then pokes Ink in his chest, right where his rib cage would be. Ink sat up quickly, opening his eyes. He was okay! My bro then stands up and smiles. I look at him in pure shock. I then look at Ink, then back at my bro.

"HoW'd yOu kNoW tHaT'D wOrK?"I ask

"I wAtChEd InK!Pap dO iT aFtEr gIvInG iT tO, wHat's tHeIr nAmEs? DrOom aNd NiGhtMoRe? Ya, TheM. ThEY wEnT lImp aS wElL anD aLl hE hAd tO do wAs pOkE NiGhTmOrE's hIdDeN eYeHoLe anD a gLoVeD hAnd oF DroOm's to wAkE uP! It sEeMed tO bE a CovErEd aReA thAt wAkeS tHem uP, anD InK dOes cOveR hImsElf a LoT sO I gUeSseD tHeRe!"My brother explains

I chuckled at his mistaking of the names. I thanked him and smile, glad he knew this knowledge.

"I'm gOnNa mAkE spAgHeTti! EveRyOnE iS uPstAiRs mAkInG pLaNs sO I'Ll geT sOme foOd rEadY! YoU cAn'T pLan wHeN hUnGrY prOpErLy!"He says, then heads off to the kitchen

I smile and chuckle. My brother always is looking to help. He's so nice and as any sans would call their Paps, he's the coolest. I turn my focus now to Ink. I gaze at him, then sit beside him and hug him, holding his hand. I nuzzle my head against his, feeling my face warm again.

"DoN'T yoU eVer sCaRe mE lIke tHaT aGAiN! YoU shOulD'vE tOld mE tHeRe wErE sIdE-EfFecTs, yOu iDiOt!"I tell him

"I'm sorry, Glitchy. I forgot! I promise I won't do it again. Don't you worry silly."Ink assures me

"YoU beTtEr nOt. I'm jUsT gLaD YoU'Re oK!"I say, seeing his face go rainbow a bit

He laughs and I just smile, holding him close with our hands intertwined. We were back together again. I liked that fact.

(drawn with base)

I enjoy this moment. His smile made me feel safe. I liked being by his side now and didn't want this moment to end. We were in a secure area, Ink told me. Dream's newly made Star Sans base. Nobody knows where it is and he set something in the code to constantly switch the supposed location, epecially after Nightmare came and left it. I nod and we fell into a sweet silence, both of us cozy in it. But it was soon disturbed when we heard whispers.

"What are they doing?"One voice whispers

"They seem to be getting along."Another whispers

"Why'd you drag me away from the others? To watch them? Seriously?"the first whispers

"Remember the bet we made. I want you to be here to see proof when evidence comes that I've won it."the second says

"Pfft, as if. Cocky much? I don't see watching them as a way to get evidence."The first states

"Says the one who watches all the timelines or AUs. Aww, they're holding hands! That has to be something! You and I both know how Error is with his phobia."The second insists

"True. Wait, I think they hear us. They tensed."The first says

I look at Ink, he looks at me. It was true. We both had tensed at hearing the whispering that seemed so focused on us. I felt myself glitch up more. Ink's grip on my hand tightened. My smile left me, as did his.

We look around and see two faces peeking out from behind a wall. Geno and Reaper. Geno had his usually uncertain gaze, his glitch covering an eye as usual. He had his normal attire, as did Reaper. Reaper had his usual grin with his hood over his head.

(I drew it)

"Shoot they see us."Geno says

"Who cares? Hey, Error! How are ya, Ink? Oh! We didn't ruin a lovers' moment, did we? You both wouldn't have happened to be lovers, would ya?"Reaper cheers

That's them alright. Geno timid as alwas and Reaper never afraid to speach his mind. Wait, what did he say? Lovers? Loving moment? Error signs filled my vision. I felt my face burn a lot.

"L-LoVeRs? W-WhaT? I dUnNo wHaT yOU'Re tALkInG AbOuT, REaPeR." I nervously say

"Told ya so. They're just friends. And you can't use a tradition as evidence."Geno says

"Aww man."Reaper says

"Well, actually....I do recall telling Error I love him if that counts for anything. Then he told me another time that he does too. What are lovers again?"I hear Ink say

"Lovers are people who love each other! So you both are lovers! Score!"Reaper cheers

My vision clears up for one eye, but my face only grew warmer. I look at Ink, his face a rainbow but his expression calm.

"InKy! WhY'd yOu tElL tHeM?! YoU knOw HoW ReApEr iS!"I say

"Inky? Oh, the nickname gives more evidence! This is too good! Wait what's that supposed to mean, Error?"Reaper exclaims

"It meAnS wHat iT meAns."I reply slyly

"Yes, Ink. Why'd ya have to do that?"Geno asks

"Cause I do know how Reaper is and if it's like any bet between you two, I think I know what he wagered. Let me guess, he won if he learned if we're lovers?"Ink says, winking at me

I got the message. Oh, this was gonna be good. Ink was a genius, knowing their bets and how Reaper is. I turn to look at the two again, now curious.

"And I win if you were just friends....So he won."Geno timidly admits

"You know what that means, Geno.~"Reaper teases, giving a smug grin as he gazed down at Geno

Geno looks up and quickly realized the meaning. His face went a bright red.

"Why'd I agree to this bet to get you to leave me alone, cause you never did anyway. Reaper, no!"Geno mutters

"Reaper yes! Come here, Geno!"Reaper cheers

Geno ran off quickly with Reaper chasing after him. That got them away and to leave us alone. Ink smiles proudly, having known and expecting this. He and I fist-bump and I smile as well. It seems that those two will be busy for a while. But it also seems that tgey've grown closer.

"My bet is on them getting together before Dust and Blue do."Ink says

"Wow, hAvE soMe fAiTh iN tHeM, InK."I tell him

"Glitchy, this is Blue and Dust we're talking about. Blue is so oblivious to the Dust's feelings, thinking they're just friends. Dust seems to be too shy to even tell Blue. I don't know what he tells you but those two just won't take a hint! I've seen both of them drop hints to each other, they've even kissed for crying out loud and they still don't see the obvious!"Ink explains

"TruE. Go0d pOiNts. I woN'T beT aGaInSt yOu Or TheM, I wAnt to sEe hOw ThIs goEs."I state

"I can help!"Dream says, jumping up from behind the couch and seemingly out of nowhere.

I fell off the couch roughly from shock at this surprise appearance. Ink hardly moved, he just tensed.

"GaH! HoW lOnG haVe yOu bEeN tHerE?"I exclaim

"The whole time! It was fun seeing ya panic, Error!"Dream says, smiling

"Of cOuRsE iT waS."I say with fake enthusiasm.

"Why would you even help them get together? Aren't you the one who's against us being with supposed bad skeletons?"Ink asks, not trusting Dream clearly

"Ya, anD tHe oNe whO tRiEd t0 kiLl mE oR bE rUde wHen I'm arOunD oVer It?"I point out

"Well, things change. Besides, love gives a lot more positivity! That always helps! Plus, it's funny to see Ink's reaction when he loses a bet. He knows the code."Dream replies

"Shut up!"Ink snaps, his face a rainbow

"Oh wAit! Or iS iT beCaUse yOu'Re fAlLiNg fOr CrosS noW anD yOu dOn'T waNt tO bE a HyPoCrItE?"I wonder teasingly

Dream's face lit up. It was hilarious!

"N-No! I don't like him like that! It's for the positivity! Also, not even I can take how oblivious they are anymore."Dream insists

Dream heads upstairs. Ink and I look at each other, then quickly follow to see what he was gonna do. We follow Dream into some room that had a big table in the center with a bunch of chairs around it. Cross, Dust and Blue were currently the only ones in it as we followed Dream into it. Each of them had some kind of beverage in their hand. They each notice us and smile, welcoming us back. Dream went over to Blue. Ink and I come in and sit to watch.

"Hey Blue, isn't Dust nice to you?"Dream asks

"Oh ya! He's the best of friends I could ask for!"Blue cheers

I see Dust look away from Blue, his face bright. He was clearly unhappy but was accepting the low chances of getting to hear Blue call him more. But that didn't stop him from feeling that way towards Blue, and I don't blame him. He hid his face with his hood and hand. Blue on the other hand was oblivious as always.

(I drew this with a base)

I look at Ink and we shrug. Was that really Dream's big plan? Ask him that question? Did he expect Blue to outright admit it? We shake our heads, Dream should know better. But then Ink's eyes widen and nods his head back to them. I look to see Dream was getting closer to Blue, resting a hand on his battle body chestplate. The only thing that gave Blue any height advantage was that he sat on a chair.

"Good. 'Cause you are way too sweet and innocent that I don't see anyone in the right mind being mean to you."Dream says, then leans in and kisses Blue

Just like that. Straight up. Ink and I look at each other like what are we witnessing? I see Dust, who had been sipping his beverage spit it out in shock. He proceeded to glare Dream down, who purposefully shut his eyes. Blue just stared in shock at Dream. Cross was staring at the two in angry shock as well. Blue's free hand was shaking and Cross was making his way over. Ink and I were staring in amazed shock. This was his bright idea? It's gonna get himself in a hole more than anything!

(I drew this with a base to visualize the situation)

Blue then gothis thoughts and actions together from what I was guessing. He reaches and grabs Dream's hand on his chestplate and shoves it off him. He then pushes Dream away from him. Dust and Cross were clearly angry but holding back to see where this was going. Ink and I remain silent.

"Sorry, Dream. I don't see you like that. I see you as a friend, an ally, a fellow Star Sans. This is okay, right?"Blue says

I muffled a chuckle at Blue friend-zoning Dream who had planned this most likely. Yet he never directly friend-zoned Dust. I just found this a bit funny. I look at Ink and he smirks, getting what I'm thinking. We turn back to watch some more.

"Oh, that's fine. I get it, silly!"Dream says cheerfully

Dream then comes over and sits beside us.

"Dude, what was that about?"Ink asks

"Kissin' the crush in front of the person with the crush. Causes jealousy and that makes people act or speak without thinking twice. Works every time."Dream replies proudly.

Ink's eyes widen with curiousity and wonder, then blinks and nods. He then gets a sly grin. I look at Ink and his smile grew.

"So you got two things done in a single go? You multi-tasker! Good job!"Ink says teasingly

Then I notice Cross taking some breaths to calm down or at least hide his anger. I watch him approach Dream from behind.

"What do you mean? Eh, whatever. Just watch."Dream says, his eyes narrowing with his face glowing.

I shift my gaze to Blue and Dust. I see that Dust had also taken some breaths to calm down and was approaching Blue. Dust taps Blue on the shoulderpad, looking very nervous. Blue turns to face him.

"Hey, uh, Blue? Can I tell ya something?"Dust asks nervously

Blue smiles at him.

"Of course ya can, Dust! We are friends after all!"Blue replies cheerfully as always

Dust leans in close. Blue lifts his hand up slightly.

"Well.....I......uh......."Dust struggles to speak.

Dust leans in closer and kissed Blue. I was so happy for him to finally get the courage to do it. It's about dang time that this happened! Dream's trick worked. I notice Dust's face was lit up as he did it. Blue's face was lit up very bright, much brighter than when Dream kissed him only moments before. I could see that Dust had nervously shut his eyes while Blue kept his open. His eye-lights shrank a bit from shock. Still, he didn't shove Dust away like he had done to Dream.

(drawn with base)

Dust soon breaks away from Blue. Dust nervously turns away, muttering to himself. Blue just stared at him, eye-lights growing back to their normal size and face still just as bright. He reaches out and taps Dust's shoulder. Dust looks over at him over his shoulder. Blue whispers something to him that I couldn't hear and then speed-walks out of the room. Dust just stood there, staring blankly now at a wall. He soon shakes his head and left the room through a door on the opposite end of the room. I smile, knowing I'll probably have to talk and check on them at some point.

I look at Ink, who seemed happy but also nevous. He had this nervous grin on with his eye-lights showing a star and water drop. I look over at Dream now to see Cross has yet to let himself be known behind him. He finally took some more breaths and taps on Dream's shoulder. Dream quickly turns around. Cross towers a bit over him.

"Hey, Dream. Can I talk with you for a minute? In private? Chara's asleep."Cross says

Dream looks back at us and Ink smirks. Dream's face lit up. He must've realized what Ink meant now. He turns back to Cross.

"Uh....S-Sure, Cross."Dream stutters

Cross seemed overjoyed. He grabs Dream's hand and ran out of the room, dragging Dream with him. We were now alone in the room. I took this chance to speak with Ink.

"AmAzInG hOw tHis wEnT fRoM sToPpInG tWo kIdS t0 maTcHmAkInG."I say with a chuckle

"Heh, true. But it's better that everyone gets along so there are fluent plans to defeat them, right?"Ink tells me

I nod.

"I don't even really mind losing the bet and having to follow that stupid code. It's clear that I may get to see some interesting things from Dream."Ink says

"WhAt cOdE wAs hE eVen tAlKiNg aBoUt?"I ask

"He calls it 16B. Basically if I lose a bet that he even knew about, I'd have to do whatever he wants for a full 24 hours without fighting. Doesn't really make sense but now that I saw those two, I don't really care."Ink says

I nod, processing this. Dream most likely made that just so he could mess with Ink. I smile, then remember how Dust and Blue may be reacting. I then get an idea.

"YoU cHeCk oN BluE, I cHeCk oN DusT. GoTtA mAke sUrE tHis dOeSn'T meSs aNyThInG uP bEtWeEn tHosE tWo, kNowInG tHeM. MaYbE iF tHeRe's sOmE spArE tiMe, wE cAn ChEcK oN OuTeRtAlE?"I suggest

"Sure!"Ink says, then goes after Blue

I get up and stroll through the opposite doors. I turn the corner to find Geno pinned to the wall by Reaper. Knew Reaper would catch him at some point. Reaper was being sly as always but Geno wasn't giving in.

"Reaper, I swear, if you don't back off now, I'll make you!"Geno snaps

"You always say that, Geno. Come on. What are ya gonna do? Give in! I want my wager for winning the bet."Reaper says with a teasing tone

"No!"Geno insists

Reaper leans forward and Geno clenches a fist. I shut the door and they both look at me. I smile and look down the opposite way of the hall to see Dust was at the corner of it. I look back at them. I knew what Geno was gonna do and didn't want to be punched after Reaper.

"HeY, dOn'T miNd mE. I'm jUst lOokInG fOr DusT. Cya wHeN wE pLan!"I say, then run off to give them privacy

I reach Dust and he had his eyes hidden by his hood. I wasn't sure if he was in thought or something. But, I could see his face was bright. I tap him on the shoulder. He jolts and looks at me.

"Oh, phew. It's you, Error. Hehe. What's up?"Dust sighs

"WhAt's Up? YOu'rE asKing mE whAt's Up? Y0u tolD BlUe hOw You fElt! ConGratS, dUde! I sHoUlD bE aSkiNg yOu thAt! HoW aRe yOu? WhaT dO yOu hAvE tO sAy?"I tell him with a grin

"Oh, so you really saw that....I'm good, Error. It feels like a relief to get that off my chest. But I also feel stupid like Dream for doing what he did. I'm still unsure about this. Did you feel like this with Ink?"Dust explains.

"If bY tHat yOu mEan nErvOus As hElL, tHeN yEs I diD aNd sTilL dO. BuT lOok aT tHe cLeAr sIgnS. HiS faCe wEnt bRiGhT aNd hE diDn'T sHoVe yOu aWaY lIkE hE dId To DrEaM. PluS dIdn'T hE wHiSpEr sOmeThInG tO yOu?"I state

"Oh ya! He told me to.....oh."Dust says

"WhAt?"I ask

"He....Wanted me to see him whenever E!Pap finished preparing his food and everyone eats."Dust replies, holding his arm nervously and looking at the ground

"DuDe, I'm sUrE it'S oK. YoU dId goOd. JusT tAlK wItH hIm aNd I'M sUrE iT wIlL bE fInE. I gOtTa gO sEe InK, cYa anD gIvE mE thE dEtAiLs laTeR!"I say, then head off to find Ink. 

I couldn't find Ink anywhere. I found his bro locked in a room labeled Blue's be-better jail room. Makes sense. He make those chaotic kids, there's consequences. Yet, no sign of Ink himself anywhere. I found Blue and he said Ink had went to OuterTale already, though was upset that he broke the buddy system rule they had planned on apparently. I quickly go to OuterTale and hear some violent noises almost instantly. I hear a snapping sound with a portal noise to follow it. I look around, knowing something had gone down. I see something that made me panic and glitch out. 

Ink's broomie was broken in half. It floated across the empty space of OuterTale. I reach out and grab it once my eyes cleared up from error signs and it was within my reach. I hold it gently. I then notice there was something scratched into the halves. It was a message. Missing someone, Error? Come and get him!-N, R,C

They took Ink? Goodness, why'd I suggest to leave to here at a time like this? Nightmare must've sided with them! I can hear him right now already. "What better time is it to cause negativity than at a time of chaos?" But we just got back! Gosh dang it! I take out my phone and call my bro. I open a portal to Blue. I toss the broken brush in and it lands by him. I shut the portal and my bro picks up.

"HeY bRo. I'm gOnnA bE lAtE t0 mEaLtImE. G0tTa fIx a BuDdY sYstEm."I say

"HuH? BUdDy sySteM? WeLl, oK, bRo. Be cArEfUl."E!Pap says, then hangs up on me

I nod, then think. Where could they be hiding? Where could Ink be? How soon can I find him? I begin my hunt, searching AUs that was like that unfinished one Ink was kept at last time, when he served them.