Palette's POV

"I'm sorry about this, Palette."Goth sighs as we lay on his bed together

His favorite doll, Toby, is being held tightly to him.

"Sorry for what?"I ask

"I....I just wanted to invite you over but my dad turned it into an investigation opportunity before I even went over to you. It feels wrong...as if I set you up.....And he invited my uncles over which will only be worse....They're going to be merciless....Maybe I should just walk you home so you don't get put through that."He says

I chuckle, surprising him.

"Goth, I knew that becoming your friend wouldn't be easy. They're lovingly protective of you and there's nothing wrong with that. The looks your dad or brother give me at school told me plenty. I knew what I was coming into. But it isn't the worst thing. I can handle it."I say

"What do you mean? There's been worse?"He asks

"Well......"I say, thinking back on the memory

"Brother! Look! You are an uncle now!"My father cheered

"You can hold him! Here! YEET!"My dad said, throwing me

SLAP!

"Get that abomination away from me! It's disgusting!"My uncle snapped

"Brother! You made him cry!"Father said

"GOOD!"My uncle growled

".....Let's just say there have been more interesting introductions than this."I say

Like being tossed and hit like a baseball.....

He frowns, looking concerned.

"I had to learn my batting skills from somewhere, don't you think?"I say jokingly with a laugh

That got him laughing a bit.

"What did you do to a baseball player to get that lesson?"He asks

"I sucked at it during a game to a frustrating point for them. Couldn't hit the ball in the right direction."I chuckle, making up the story on the spot

He chuckles.

"Kids! Dinner is ready!"Mr. Geno shouts

I follow Goth to the dining room where they settle into their usual seats. I see his uncles that he warned me about. Uncle Death and Uncle Glitch. I could easily tell the difference between the two sides of the family and they had a spare seat between them. Mr. Glitch glares at me much like his brother had while Mr. Death is much more friendly like Mr. Reaper, giving me a warm smile and wave. Goth sits between his siblings across from my seat. I quickly get the sitting situation settled, giving the uncles notes I made for them. That eased the tension.

"It's nice to meet you, Palette. Thank you for the sweet note."Mr. Death says

"Yes, sweet."Mr. Glitch says

"No problem!"I say

Mr. Glitch leans close, narrowing his eye at me.

"I know the truth about you, Palette. Intruding on our AU, tch. You better give good reasons to trust you given that you're not what you say you are as far as living in the neighborhood goes."He whispers

I feel a chill go down my spine and bow my head. Then he jolts as if he got kicked.

"Behave."A panther tells him

"Wha-?"He begins

"Don't scare off his friend. Goth cares about him and you'd be a hypocrite."The Reaperling says

I glance over, seeing Goth is glaring at his uncle.

Then before anything could proceed, there is a knock at the door. Shino quickly runs to open the door and returns with a tall, goat-like stranger. He has two large horns sprouting from his head, fluffy ears and a golden beard growing from the hair on top of his head. He wore white robes with blue and a brown belt. He had golden bands on his wrists and shoulders with a long flowing purple cape. A laurel wreath rests on his head.

"Gramps is here!"She cheers

Wait, that's their grandpa? Goth says he only has one grandpa!

"Hi, Grandpa!"Goth and Raven say, confirming it

Their grandfather looks at me and smiles warmly at me.

"I see that we have a new guest here. Who are you, young man?"He asks

"P-Palette."I say nervously

Is he going to react like the other...?

He walks over to my chair and extends his hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Asgore, their grandfather."He says

"N-Nice to meet you too."I say, shaking his hand

"Is something wrong?"He asks

"I'm just a little confused. If you're their grandfather...Who came to my door earlier today? Did I just anger the wrong person? A creep?"I reply

He kneels beside me, looking concerned.

"What do you mean? Who came to your door?"He asks

"When I went home, my parents weren't there. There was a knock and I answered. Someone claiming to be their grandfather was there and tried to convince me to leave Goth...He said that he was the god of balance or something and said that there will be trouble."I say

He facepalms and so does Mr. Death.

"Ugggh, Gaster!"Mr. Reaper groans

"What did you do that upset him?"Mr. Asgore asks

"He couldn't keep his story straight and didn't seem that threatening...More disrespectful than anything so I told him that he can't scare me and shut the door on his face."I tell him

"Slamming the door on his face? Kid!"Mr. Reaper exclaims

I glance at him nervously.

"Did I do something wrong? Does he have a connection?"I ask

"No, he doesn't! That's awesome! Geno, can we keep him? Please?"He says, looking to his husband

"But, Reaps-"Geno begins

"Forget about the tests! It's not worth it! Unless you want to be like Gaster trying to keep them apart!"Reaper insists

Visible disgust grows on Mr. Geno's face as he shudders at the comparison.

"Fine."He huffs

"Palette, who do you live with?"Mr. Asgore asks

"Um, my parents don't come around much so it's just me and my buddy Pakeekee."I say

"Where do you live?"He asks

"I have a cabin in a forest. Nobody's around so I didn't expect him to find me there."I say

"That is concerning. I'm not risking anything with his history so once you are done here, I'm going with you to set some security on your home. Intimidating a child...Stars! The lows he will go to...."He says

Shino pulls a chair up for him between me and Mr. Glitch, winking at me. I guess it was obvious that I was uncomfortable next to him.

From there the dinner starts going pleasantly. We talk about our school day or things that interested us. Jokes are thrown in and I get to know his family. His family is so nice once they drop their guard. The love and care is obvious and I mostly spend the time to watch and listen.

It feels nice to be part of this.

Nothing like where I started.

"So, Palette. Where is your family from?"Mr. Glitch asks

"Nowhere."I reply

"Oh come on, there has to be somewhere."He says

He says it with a smile but his tone shows underlying motives. He's trying to get me to slip up or something.

"I'm serious. Nowhere."I say

"Don't you remember a landmark or something?"He asks

"Vast emptiness."I reply

"Ah! You lived in a vacant area! Good idea to come to a more active or connected community around here!"Mr. Asgore says

"What are your parents like?"He asks

"Extreme workaholics."I say

"What holidays do you spend with them? What holiday bonding do you do?"He asks

"What's a holiday? Or holiday bonding?"I respond

He seems to realize what I mean or connect the dots. His stern look softens up, as if he realizes why I'm really here.

"....."He goes quiet, glancing away

"Ooo! These cookies look good!"Mr. Death says, seeing the tray of the treats I made

"Palette brought them."Mr. Reaper says

"Crafty one, aren't you?"Mr. Asgore says

I smile slightly, nodding.

"Mmmm!"Goth hums

I see he took a bite of one and could see that he is enjoying it. That made me smile wider. I see Raven passing behind my chair and hand him the note meant for him. He shakes his head and goes back to his seat. He sits down and pouts, refusing to eat anything. Mr. Reaper elbows him roughly.

"Don't be rude, try one."He says

Raven rolls his eye and eats one, tossing the unfolded note in the trash

I sigh, shaking my head and just enjoying the conversations again.

Meanwhile, with Dream

"Ink! Where's Palette?"Dream snaps

"Uh...I thought it was your turn to watch him."Ink says

"No! It was yours! What have you been doing for the past three weeks?"Dream snaps

"Adventuring, teasing Error, drawing, hmmm.....did I even go to see Palette?"Ink says blankly

"Ink!"Dream snaps

"Relax, he's probably fine.....Probably."Ink says

A dark laugh is heard. Dream looks over to see his brother chuckling at his panicked state.

"Lost your son, Dream? Neglected him? Maybe now I could turn him against you and take out one more light."Nightmare says before disappearing

"We have to find him!"Dream snaps

"Easy! He can't go anywhere without us after all!"Ink says, hopping into a puddle

Back to Palette's POV

I smile as I walk home with Mr. Asgore after saying goodbye to Goth and his family. My phone starts buzzing from my pocket. I take it out and answer curiously since I gave Goth my number.

"Hello? Goth, did I forget something?"I ask

"Who is Goth? Palette, where in the multiverse are you?"My father snaps at me

I frown. Now they call and care to check on me.

"I'm living my life. Found some nice friends too."I say

"Tell me where you are right now and we will get you!"He says

"Oh now you care? Now you notice? Just to drag me back to get forgotten again in that wasteland? I'd rather not. I'm living my own life since you made it clear you don't want me in yours. So stay out of it."I say

"You don't know how much trouble you are in, Palette! Come home so we can protect you!"He says

"I don't care. Oh, trust me, I will. But home isn't with you. Bye bye!"I say, hanging up

Tears fill my eyes and slip down my cheeks as the words sink in.

I broke away.....They only noticed when I was gone and happy....Wanting to ruin it....They were never good for me after all.....No going back, that's for sure. I...did it!

A hand is gently placed on my shoulder. I glance up at Asgore and he wipes my tears.

"Are you alright, Palette?"He asks

"Yeah...I....*Sigh*I just needed to get away. Things are just sinking in now that I said it. And now I have to be honest...."I say, wiping my tears

He sits down and lights a small fire in his hand. It is warm and comforting.

"I...I'm not from this world at all. My parents aren't here at all either. I....ran away and this is the first world I landed in. The first signs of life that I've ever seen..My real home is an empty wasteland of a world that's as blank as a paper. My parents always leave and it's just pure chance for them to drop in and check on me. Always so busy or they just forget that I exist......Pakeekee is just a parakeet that lives with me in the home I built but even he shows more care for me than them...."I explain

He is silent, listening intently.

"I didn't mean to lie or intrude on this world...Your home....But I didn't want to go back there. I've been improvising as I go along to learn about how things work. And I didn't want to risk being sent back to them. Cause they will just toss me aside and forget about me again. I've seen what real families are like, what happiness or joy it could have in comparison to what I lived with....I don't want to live that life. I want to live my own life that has friends, adventure, new experiences and happiness instead of the nothing they have given me. They don't want me so I don't want them...It's tough to admit but it's honestly true...I just want to live a normal life like everyone else! Goth is my first real friend! Or any friend! He's so happy and that makes me happy! I've never felt so safe before! I-I....I...."I explain, starting to tear up again

He hugs me gently, rubbing my back.

"It's okay, Palette. I knew that you were an outsider from the start. It's okay...It's okay."He says

I look up at him.

"B-But I intruded! I did something wrong! I lied! Why aren't you upset like Mr. Glitch?"I say

"I know every being in this world so you stood out. You're a child, you're meant to make mistakes. And I could see in you goodness that makes up for the lies or intrusion. Goth's father and uncle aren't from here either and yet they only make this world better. And Reaper's side of the family intrudes on other worlds to do their job. We can't get upset over that. And given your circumstances, you did the best thing for yourself. You cannot be blamed for trying to leave a bad situation. And you've been nothing but good to my grandkids so I have nothing to hold against you. You're just a child, you shouldn't even have to deal with such big concepts or decisions. If our world brings you happiness and security, you may stay. I don't want to live with the thought of sending you back to misery."He tells me

I smile up at him. Then frown.

"I might've been extra rude to Gaster because he was trying to insult Goth. He called Goth a mistake or an illegitimate child, whatever that means, as if that would make me leave him. I was not supposed to exist either. I was a mistake between my parents so I didn't like how Gaster tried to use those things as a bad thing to Goth of all people. He's such a good person so it just didn't fit."I say

"You are good as well...You aren't a mistake either...But don't worry about Gaster. He's wrong."He says

I nod.

"And, I'll even keep it secret so nobody treats you any different than before. Gaster tends to cross lines and has a record so it'll be safer too. You may tell others when you feel safe or trust them most. And if your so-called parents or family come here, I'll handle them and give them a few parenting lessons. They won't harm you or take you. I promise. If they approach you, call me and say Blue birds fly."He tells me with a reassuring smile

I smile up at him.

"Thank you, Mr. Asgore!"I say

"Please just call me Asgore. Now, I think I have some security to put on your home. Shall we go?"He says, getting up

I nod, leading the way.

I'm safe here....

TBC