Blue thought things would be simpler once Dream came back but it seems it only got more complicated ...also who was this tiny child and why was Ink acting like that?

——

@?£ Multiverse

Doodle Sphere

Blue was baffled and slightly scared at what he was witnessing, tempted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming but too shocked to even move right now. He was glad he wasn't the only one, as beside him Dream looked even more dazed ever since they had come back.

He hadn't even had time to open his mouth to demand where they had been before Ink came waltzing out of the golden portal as well while holding a monster child, before walking past Blue without a single glance. He might have been more worried if he didn't see the odd shapes Ink's eyelights had turned to, unsure he had ever seen the teardrops stay in that shape for so long.

"WHAT AM I LOOKING AT? WHY IS INK ACTING LIKE A NORMAL MONSTER FOR ONCE?"

He dragged his eyes away from Ink who was quietly talking to the child, to look at Dream and hoping they had a much better idea of what he was looking at. That idea was immediately shattered when Dream looked to be close to tears and ready to collapse any second.

At points like these he didn't envy his Guardian friend, almost afraid to ask what they were sensing or had seen in order to put that look on their face when they had supposedly just gone on a 'mini break'.

He went back to looking at Ink interact with the child, deciding to let Dream have a moment to gather themselves and went to grab his phone. He was just about to snap a photo of the two and hoped someone else would surely know who the kid was and therefore he could make a plan on what to do next. He just couldn't imagine this ending well and it was looking like they might need to use a crowbar to separate the two at this rate.

He had barely clicked to take the photo before he had to quickly drop his phone when it started for better words melt in his hands. He looked flabbergasted by this odd phenomenon but suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine when a dark glare was felt on the back of his skull.

He warily looked up and flinched at the pure white eyelights and dead stare he was faced with, shifting to stand behind Dream's prone form and near slumping in relief when Ink finally looked away after a few more unsettling minutes of staring into his SOUL.

Something had clearly set off Ink and he was despairing at being unable to warn the others of this, trying to nudge Dream to get them to snap out of their worrying mood. He stiffened right up when he looked over at Ink and realised they had vanished, cursing himself for taking his eyes off them for a minute.

He quietly apologised to the near catatonic Dream and tried to search their pockets for a phone, grimacing when his hand made contact with more gloop like substance that his own phone turned into, wondering why Ink was being so paranoid right now. His expression grew grim when he realised that wasn't the only thing the Creator had done, realising he couldn't form a portal or access any of his magic.

He tried to push down the growing panic and look down in alarm as Dream let out a hysterical giggle before collapsing on the ground in an uncoordinated heap.

Why did he end up the most stable one on this entire team?! He was the mortal one! He wasn't equipped for this at all!

——

Ink jumped between the small floating 'islands' of his Doodle Sphere, making sure to keep a tight hold on Aster as he did so. The goat child was rather wiggly and didn't have enough self preservation for his liking, the number of times they tried to jump off the edge of an island too many in his opinion.

"We are nearly there, Aster"

He reassured them, huffing when tiny horns butted into his chest and unable to help a small smile form on his face.

"What about Mr Dream? They were acting weird. Are they sick?"

His soft smile switched to a sadistic one, making sure to hide it from the kid in case they got scared.

That wasn't his goal here, trying to be as delicate as he could even if it felt unnatural to do so. He was far too rusty at this and did know he would be getting in a lot of practice, reassuring himself that it couldn't be too hard with how easy Dream made it look.

He finally made it to the island he had been aiming for, gently letting Aster down to explore. It was one of his more secluded islands, the one that held his paints and some of his special inks, the AU's creating more than he could be bothered to store on his person.

It's not like anyone else would be able to use the paints either as they were only able to be used by a Creator, quickly sending out a pulse of magic to add a fence to the island in case Aster decided to try 'Sky diving' again.

He swiped his fingers in the air and opened the Code again, his smile gaining a feral edge when he saw that Error had once again tried to hide the data from him again. It seemed he would need to pay the Destroyer a little visit soon, smiling maniacally when he found that Error was trying to contact Dream.

It had been an excellent idea to stop Blue or Dream trying to ruin things further, unable to help a devious grin forming on his face as he got an idea. Using the Code he 'sent' a message from Dream's phone to Error, planning to keep an eye on what the other chess pieces knew.

His kindness in allowing others privacy would be put on hold, very displeased such a thing was hidden from him. He should always know what happens to his AU's, the gaping hole where that AU had been was putting his senses on overdrive.

He was practising a great deal of self control to not just wipe the whole multiverse and start this game again, as the players were acting rather naughty right now.

It was a solid plan though, something he would keep in his pocket if he was pushed too far.

"Mr Ink! Look at all the yummy stuff I found!"

He shook off his daydreaming and looked over to Aster crouched by the pink 'lake', smirking at how colourful their fur was and guessing they found the rest of his paint supplies as well.

"Did you bathe in it?"

He said amused, grabbing the clear vial of ink from his satch and pouring it over his hands before carding them through Asters fur to remove the paint. He titled their head up to wipe their face, sighing when he saw them take another handful of pink paint and begin to eat it.

"Let's get you some solid food. Just paint is not enough to fill you, trust e on that"

He picked them up, holding them tight as he jumped off the island to the ground, it barely taking a thought to switch the gravity off for a second. He frowned when he saw Dream looking more alive but pasted on a smile when they looked over, ignoring them as he walked into the house to try and make some proper food.

"Hey, Mr Dream! I had funny coloured water. It was yummy"

Ink quietly snickered when Dream looked like they were about to lose it with Blue looking ready to go on another tirade, quick to slam the front door in their faces to avoid the conversation as long as possible.

Maybe he wouldn't destroy this multiverse just yet as their reactions were ever so amusing, looking forward to how his most unique 'creation' would make others react.

~~~~~~~

Ink: *Unpredictable and feared by many*

Dream: *A nervous wreck from dealing with Ink for so long*

Blue: *A tired mortal that has dealt with far too much from the higher beings* HOW AM I THE ONE MOST PUT TOGETHER HERE?!

-

Aster: *Ball of sunshine* Hello!

Ink: *Trying to act as a kind as possible and coming across slightly robotic* I'm nailing this kindness thing!

Dream and Blue: *Watching the train wreck with ever growing confusion* What is Ink doing..?

-

Ink: *Casually walking back with Aster who is drinking paint from a paint vial*

Dream and Blue: *Losing it and even more desperate to get them away from the child* WHY ARE YOU FEEDING THEM PAINT?!