(If you haven't re-read the last chapter, then this won't make sense to you. So,  ples go re-read it you beautiful pleb)

I wake up, snuggled in a burrito of warmth (a courtesy of my blankets). With a yawn, I roll over and take a peek at my alarm clock, which's dimly illuminated screen reads: 

8:30pm

"Well, I just screwed my sleep schedule..." I murmur, rolling on my back once more. My lights are turned off, probably because of Sans coming to check on me when he got home. With another yawn, I push myself up and onto my knees and stretch my arms above my head. I turn and dig through my blankets for the paintbrush, which I quickly find buried under my pillows. I tuck it into my tangled hair and walk out of the room. the floorboards beneath the fuzzy hallway carpet give a slight creak as I step on them, the noise indicating the house's age. I absentmindedly run my fingers along the wall to the right of the stairs, feeling the bumps and imperfections of the painted drywall with my fingers. I rub my left eye and flick the light-switch at the bottom of the staircase. The lamp in the middle of the room switches on, illuminating the space with warm, yellow-ish light. 

I'm surprised when I see the emptiness of the room, as I had expected Papyrus to be sleeping on the couch. With a shrug, I brush it off and walk into the kitchen for a glass of water. As soon as I grab a glass from the cabinet and reach to turn on the tap, I hear a thump from upstairs. Setting the glass down, I furrow my brows and walk from the kitchen and to the base of the stairs. 

"Papyrus...?" I ask in a semi-loud voice (as to not wake anyone). When a response doesn't come forth, I sigh and walk up the stairs, listening for another sign of Papyrus (or Sans, for that matter). All that makes itself known is silence as I look into Sans' room. The blue-clad skeleton is nowhere to be found, so I frown and further investigate the noise I heard. 

Glancing into my room, I find nothing out of place from the last time I was in there, so I move to Papyrus' room. The door is slightly ajar, no light sneaking out from the thin crevice between the wall and the door. Instinctively, I take my brush from my hair and push the door further open, switching on the light as I do so. The messy room holds no signs of life at all. Papyrus is gone. 

"Y/N!" The shout scares me badly, and I jump. 

Ink suddenly comes rushing down the hall, his eyes wide. Slamming into me, he does a double take and grabs my arms, his demeanor frantic and sad.

"Y/N! Oh, thank the creators, you're okay!" It is at this point that I realize the state of his health. He's battered and bruised, his outfit is ripped and his bones are cut in multiple places.

"I-Ink, what's going on?" I ask, his panic becoming contagious.

"You must come with me, you have to right now," He looks at me sternly, his mixed eyes filled with fear. "He's coming, for you. He'll kill the both of us if he finds us, we have to leave, and go to the only place it's safe." Tears are stinging my eyes as the terror sets in.

"Who?! Who's--why?" I stammer,  grabbing his arm.

"Nightmare, and Error, a-and--We just--we have to go. Now!" I hadn't ever seen Ink like this (then again, I haven't really seen him that much, but it still scares me). His once brave attitude has been reduced to nothing as he looks around the both of us in fear. He grabs me around my waist and closes his eyes, and in a brief moment, I'm dizzy (and still scared).  

Before I can react to anything, a familiar, "Y/N!" followed by a hug surprises me. I wrap my arms around Sans and sob,

"Sans! What's going on?!" 

"Blue, don't move yet!" Dream scolds as the stars in my vision disappear. "Not until you're healed..."

I jump up and look at Sans sternly, worry taking over my mind. Sans' left eye is wrapped in gauze, and he is in worse shape than any of the other Star Sanses.  His scarf is ripped and his bones are sliced open, his eye is wounded and he looks to be limping. "Oh my god!" I scream, covering my mouth. "Sans, oh god, what happened to you?!"  

 He looks down and sighs. "They... Got to us. Caught us off guard, a-and they got us within an inch of our lives." He murmurs in his high-pitched voice.

"Especially you, apparently!" I cry, urging him to sit down. He does with a slight wince.

"Dream, I'm fine," Ink insists quietly, turning my attention to him. "It's nothing."  He walks away from Dream, sighing as he touches his forehead. Dream touches his arm, making Ink wince and look at Dream with a tired expression.

"Obviously you aren't alright," Dream crosses his arms.

"We have bigger priorities than my health." He looks down at the floor, obviously thinking deeply. 

"Just let me help you!" Dream snaps angrily, staring at Ink with a piercing look.

"I don't need it." Ink replies calmly, walking away. Dream places a hand on his head as he watches the painter go.  

"Ink doesn't like being helped," Sans sighs, "Not because he thinks he can do it himself, but because he believes that he doesn't matter. It frustrates Dream to no extent, mostly because he feels like he needs to help." He frowns. 

"Dream's the empath, Ink's the leader, and you're the fighter, huh?" I ask, looking at him solemnly. 

"I suppose you could put it that way, Human." He hums.

"Where's Papyrus?" I ask worriedly, looking around. 

"He's safe, somewhere they can't find him."

I don't push Sans further on that subject.

"So...what is this place?" I ask, looking around at the big house.

"Basically, our headquarters. Ink found it and we all helped to refurbish it, and this is the one place Nightmare and his team cannot enter. We all have to stay here, unless accompanied by another teammate while leaving, because it's dangerous to do otherwise. Ink had to grab you quickly, because we tracked Nightmare's destination back to the house when he teleported away from battle, and we knew instantly that he was going for you," Sans explains. "I don't know why he wants you, because you're innocent in all of this, but he does, so we must keep you safe." He smiles sadly, and I nod. 

I can't keep my mind off of Ink, though. This was all so sudden, and he was so terrified... and then to think of him not accepting help...

"Where's the bathroom?" I ask. 

"The end of the hallway." Sans replies, pointing upstairs. 

I nod and walk up the stairwell, but instead of going to the bathroom, I take a look around. There are many rooms in this hall, and three stand out to me. These three, of course, seem to be the bedrooms of the Star Sanses. A door with a star and a moon engraved in the wood is obviously Dream's, the door is closed, though, so I don't intrude. Sans' door has nothing on it but a "Knock First" door-hanger around the knob. A quick peek inside of the room shows that it looks identical to the room he has at home, except for many pictures of Ink, Dream, and Sans together (and a camera on a table in the corner). The next room's door is plastered with posters, drawings, quotes, and pictures. it's slightly open. I can see Ink, sitting on his bed, but I knock anyways. 

"Come in," Ink murmurs tiredly from inside.  I push the door open a bit more and enter the room, earning a small glance from Ink. "Hi, Y/N." He sighs, looking ahead.

"Hi," I give a slight wave and walk over to him. I sit beside him and look at his hand, which is covered in cuts. That's probably the arm he hurt...  I note silently.  "Are you okay?"  He shrugs.

"If 'okay' is the term for mentally shaken up, hurt, and confused, then yes, I'm fine," He sighs, closing his eyes with a pained expression.  "How about you? That must've been a bit of a shock." 

"I'm fine too, I guess," I sigh. "Did you get hurt? During the battle, I mean." I ask,  knowing the answer already. 

"A little..." He murmurs, pulling his arm away with a slight wince. He sighs and avoids direct eye contact with me. 

"Can I see?" I ask, pointing to the arm he moved. He sighs again and closes his eyes.

"It really isn't important, we need to work on finding Nightmare and Error." He says, pulling his sleeve down a bit more. Rolling my eyes, I gently grab his arm and roll up his sleeve, revealing a deep cut across his lower arm. 

"Ink..." I murmur, looking at him sternly. 

"I told you, it isn't important..." He murmurs sadly. 

"You have to accept help sometimes," I sigh, spotting a roll of bandages on the opposite side of the room. Standing up, I walk over and grab it, spotting a med kit a few feet away. grabbing that, too, I head back over to the painter.

"My team matters more, though," He protests, looking at the cut. "Who cares about me, my team needs my help." 

"I care. This could take a while to heal, the bone is almost fractured," I open the kit and grab his arm again.  "Your team couldn't function if you were fatally wounded, so you need to accept help for the minor things."

Ink sighs. "You remind me of Dream..." He mumbles. 

"I'll take that as a compliment."