Work Text:
"Are you alright Ink?" asked Dream.
It hurts.
"I'm fine," he smiled, his eyesockets closed, as his grin overshadowed every different thought that could appear on his face.
I don't want to.
It doesn't matter. They were the ones who asked for this, surely there is a reason for it.
There is never one. They just want to laugh at all this pain and then laugh when I'm the
one punished for it.
They never forget about me.
They don't even know who I am.
But they don't forget me. They will keep coming back as long as I'm amusing them.
They will keep hurting me. I want it to stop. Just let it stop.
...
I can't I can't I can't I can't-
Why am I so weak? I was so close, why did I change my mind?
They were turning away! They were going to abandon me! Please don't leave me again, please don't do it, I won't fight again, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-
It hurts. They are the ones hurting me, why am I the one apologizing? I hate it. I hate it I hate them I can't take it anymore!
They promised they won't leave. I just need to show them something amusing...!
But they are amused when I'm hurt! They are amused when I'm hurting someone and when I tear my bones apart after doing it. The only thing that could make them amused enough would be if- Don't-
What if I-
No, no! It's stupid idea, I won't be ever able to look at myself again anymore-!
But they would stay, they promised!
They lie, they always lie, so don't-!
But they came back, they did! So it will be fine, they gave me a chance I can't waste it-!
But the cost of it will be-
They are the only ones who won't leave, the only ones who know, others don't-
Matter?
They don't. They don't they don't they don't.
I don't truly believe it, do I?
(Don't think about it)
"Ink? What are you doing here?" wondered Blue. His home was as lovely as always.
Don't do it.
Don't do it.
At prolonged silence, Blue got worried. He never saw that expression on Ink's face before. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"I-"
Don't do it.
He paused. He turned around and left.
His magic thrummed in his bones, he couldn't breathe, knife hidden in his scarf weighing him down and he couldn't breathe-
I almost-
How could I-
What I tried to-
Can't breathe can't breathe, help me-
I don't deserve help, can't breathe can't breathe just end it-
Broomie, Broomie is here, Broomie didn't leave, Broomie, Broomie I almost-
Shhh, i have no right to confess my sins.
But what to do? I didn't do it, they are going to leave.
I suffer, they will be amused enough for some time.
That won't be enough.
But no one deserves to get hurt for me.
But I'm scared. I'm so scared it feels as if my mind is crumbling, I can't think straight.
But they don't deserve to get hurt.
They don't deserve to get hurt. But what about-
Me?
...
...
I hurt someone.
I did. I lied.
I did. I don't have a soul.
I don't. So what if I-
Change a target?
But i don't want to be hurt anymore.
Do I deserve to not be hurt anymore? They will be amused.
...they will be.
They will. And I'm a danger to others.
I am.
Beep, beep.
"Ink? Where are you? No one can find you anywhere. We understand that your projects may take a lot of time, but it's already a week and you forgot to tell us again. We are getting worried about you. Blue mentioned that you were acting strange lately... Just come back the fastest you can, alright?"
---
The room was whiť̸̛̻̪̬͎̯̮̭̊́̀͋̌̒̊̊͊e̷͕͗͂́̀͋͑͂̍͆̃͊̈́͠.
The floor was black.
There were drawings on the walls.
They were black.
---
Beep, beep.
"Ink? It's urgent, something strange is going on in Multiverse. There appeared a lot of positive AUs lately, but Balance didn't move at all. Not to mention that Nightmare said he has problem with finding places he can feed on Negativity... Just come back, we need to talk about it."
---
Those pictures are broken.
They are pretty.
They are smudged.
They aren't w̴̧̭̖̞̘̹̦͎̺͓̬̣̩͋h̵͕̲͇͑͌͐̔̈́͌̉̀̈͂̈̂̚i̵̛̫͖͎̱͖̖͉̜̰̬̪̤̫̍̏̈́̈́͋̓̎͑̃t̸̛͇͈̼̿̾̀̒̂̕è̶͉̼̰̏̚.
---
Beep, beep.
"Ink where are you? There is something off about those new AUs, don't you think it's time to stop working on your project and come back? Multiverse needs you."
---
Needs...?
Am I needed...?
But i need to keep them safe.
I can keep them safe being here.
---
Beep, beep.
"I... what are you doing? I met Error today. He was acting really off. He was frantic and kept searching for something. I think he knows something. I didn't tell it to anyone yet, for some reason... It just... I have really bad feeling about it. You are... No, that's probably just me being stupid. You probably just lost your phone somewhere again. We are waiting Ink."
---
I'm getting dizzy.
I know. But they keep supplying me with paints.
But those are only for my emotions.
But at least they find me satisfying.
---
Beep, beep.
"It already...passed a lot of time since someone last saw you Ink. You...you are fine, right? You have to be fine. Today we visited again and you still weren't back. It didn't seem as if you were back at all in this whole time. I'm not sure if we can say that you are only working on your project anymore. Ink, if you listen to those messages, then please answer. We are getting scared for you."
---
Everything hurts.
I know.
I want to stop it.
...I know.
Why am I doing this?
...
---
Beep, beep.
"We are still looking for you Ink. I... Don't know why I am still calling you when it gives absolutely nothing, but... i feel that if I stop, something bad is going to happen. Those new AUs... There is more of them you know? People inside of them are really strange, they... Would it be stupid to say that they don't feel like real people? I am sure Error knows something though. He gave up on destroying other AUs and now just keeps going after the new ones. ...I'm scared Ink. Is it bad when I kind of want to let him...?"
---
...I can't move them anymore.
Ceiling is still w̵̘̝̺̩̠͋̍̈́͗h̷̘͙̲̰̀i̴̛͈̾̊̆̓t̵̩͑̉͌̐͠ḗ̷͕̤̦̅̽͝.
But i don't have enough magic.
I know that's not an excuse.
The magic isn't even flowing down my arms properly anymore.
But it's still there.
...It's still there.
---
Beep, beep.
"Ink, me and Blue are slowly loosing ideas where to look for you..." trembling breath is heard through the speaker. "I-" person stops and moment later call is ended.
---
I'm scared I'm scared
I'm scared I'm scared
Let me out, I don't want to be here!
Why, why did I come here I can never cover this-
It's all consuming, it's everywhere, it's hungry.
It's going to eat me whole, get rid of everything I am, until there is nothing but shell-
Look down, down, down, the floor is black, it's me, I'm still here-
---
Beep, beep.
"..." after few minutes when only someone's breath can be heard, whisper cuts through the silence. "...Where are you Ink?"
---
...?
Ah.
...was i sleeping?
I don't sleep.
But suddenly I'm feeling better.
Am I? Maybe the magic pouring out of the cuts got absorbed back. There is a lot of it after all.
Floor is still black.
But i don't sleep.
Did I faint?
I never did it before.
But more of my magic is on the floor than in my body.
...fair enough.
---
Beep, Beep.
"Hi, it's me again... Sci said those messages go through and are played, so it probably means you are listening to them. Or someone else. I don't know what scares me more, existence of someone that would be able to defeat you and make you disappear or you, hearing what is going on and still not coming back. Sci tried to pinpoint location of your phone using his new device, but something went wrong. It is strange, because it works for literally any other phone, anywhere in Multiverse. He is going to check blueprints again and see if- how he can fix it." Pause. "Ink... please come back."
---
Why am I doing this?
So others will be safe and so They won't abandon me. (It's my fault after all.)
They have no right to after this.
They promised they won't.
How much do Their promises mean?
...
---
Beep, beep.
"Blue was able to get out of Error what he was looking for and guess what? He is looking for you. Do you know that even Nightmare and his boys are looking for you? And so is Fresh. And Geno. And Reaper in his free time... There is a lot more people that care for you than you know. And still, no one has any idea where you could've disappeared to."
---
They laughed they laughed they always laugh-
That's good, they are happy, they will stay.
It's not, someone get me out of here, help me, help me, I want to bu̵͙͎̥̇̌̍̃r̶͓͍̰̍̌n̷̙̉̿͂̓̈́͝ ̶̼̱̩̖̣̯̊̏̚ţ̵̝̪͙̱̈̀͂̍h̸̨̤̙̄͘è̴̖̱̙̿m̴̠̰͇̼͎̭̺͋̚ ̶̮̀ͅa̵̯̳̩̐̄l̸͚̉́͂͝͝l̸̟̃̆̿̓̄̊-
(Someone please help me)
---
Beep, beep.
"Hey... Do you remember when I mentioned those strange, new Universes and how residents seem so off? Well, lately I visited Dancetale, one that I was in before. People inside...were not like before though. It seems that whatever is going on with those new Universes, it's infecting others... If not for us, then won't you come back for Multiverse?"
---
How
much l
on er
g ?
e
v m .
a e .
S .
---
Beep, beep.
"Ink?... It stopped spreading. Did you have anything to do with it...?... I don't know why I'm asking when I know you won't answer. I just. Miss you, Ink. We all do. Won't you come back home? We are waiting."
---
I need them.
I hate them.
I don't.
I hate myself.
Others
Were
So warm.
It's so cold now.
Dream.
Error.
Blue.
Nightmare.
Sci.
Kille-
(I miss them)
---
Beep, beep.
"..." sobs can be heard before person on the other side gathers themselves together. They start talking in raspy voice, "There was another argument today. It was... well, it doesn't matter, I don't want to talk about it anyways," a sniffle. "...I was so angry at you. Not now- at the beginning when you disappeared. I tried my best to stay angry, because then I wouldn't worry as much, when you probably just lost sense of time again. But you didn't come no matter how much time passed and I was always bad at staying angry at you and now... At the beginning there were places to look for you in, there were things to keep an eye on... things to keep occupying myself with. But now there's nothing I can do and I just keep thinking and wondering, if we will ever even see each other again? Will we find you? Or what we find will be just your dust laying on the ground-"
---
Move your arms and
Paint.
Ṕ̸̡̣̖̳̐̚ẩ̷̠̚̕i̶̠̖̪̺̘̦͑̊n̷̦̣̿t̷͍̖̝̜̔͗̃͗͜
P̸̡̢͉̤͍̭̙͎͍̖̱͛͂̆̓̀̄́͐̿̉̽̅͛̔͑͐͛̍̌̂à̵̯̖͍͇̤͚̭̯̟̰̼̮͍͋̎̇̈́̓̑̓̒̉̇̍͐͊̀́̏̔͑̓i̴̛̛̛̻̤̽̐̌͐́̇̍͐̇͂̓̓̀̚n̷̻̖͓̳̰̝͕̓́̊́͛͂̕ẗ̵̛̛̜̣̗̗̟̻͔͕̝͈̩͔͎͉̖͓͕͎͋͂͂̋̎̔͗̂̽
P̴̧̧̛͚̣͙̰̲̻̪͔͔̳̼͍̈͋̈́͒́̎̈́̅̈́̋̂̌͛̀͌̐̀̾́͆̄͋̏͗͒̈́͋̾̌̊̓͊̑͑͌͘͘̚̕͠ä̸̡̡͈͕̞̩̮̭̭̞̘̙̮͔̥́͑̃́̅ͅį̴̨̭̬͇̦̲̳̣̰̦̹͉͍̫̩̟͙̪̾͗̃̄̈́̈́͆̾͑͑̚͜ņ̷̨̛̛͖͔͓͉͎͚̰̞̩̺͈̳̼̬̺̩̤͕̹̦̥͓̠̺̼̜̗̠̞̜̻̦̹͆͛́̊̽͛͆́̇͊́̀̀̒͐͜͜͜͠͝͠ţ̸̡̨̨̛̛͔͖͍̲̪͇̮̹͎͉̣͎̪͙̲̱̝̫̹̥̫͖͔̘͔͖̈́̓̇͗̊̄͋́̌̈́͂͛͛͊̈́̆͂̑̎͑͒̎̎̑͊̈̅̈́̍̑̓̓̓́̍̉̂̚̕͘͜͝͝͝
.....
.....
.....
.....
---
Beep, beep.
"No one knows what happened, even Sci, but the discrepancies showing up when we searched for your location disappeared! Just like that, without no one doing anything and I know it will take at least few hours more before Sci decodes it and it's the middle of the night, but i can't sleep. Don't worry Ink, just a little more and you will be going home. Just a little more."
---
E
H L
P
M
E -
---
"Ink?!"
"Oh, Stars, Ink! Here, quickly-!"
The voices were fading in and out, but he struggled against nonexistent opponents when they tried to get him out of there. This was his place. He had to stay there, pay for his sins, in his personal torture chamber. He had to stay and maybe then (they will come back.)
They found him.
And as much as Dream wanted to celebrate, he felt sick to his core.
They found him... but they did it in building with one room, completely barren if one doesn't count walls, that were possibly white at some time, now covered in what Dream recognized as Ink's blood, the floor one huge puddle of it, that was reaching up to their ankles and that terrible stench-
But, possibly the worst was how there were no windows leading outside and no door leading inside. This was room created to stay.
This wasn't place that was supposed to be ever left.
They had to make a hole in the wall, to get inside, for Stars sake!
And Ink was there, his bones almost all black from his own magic...that was still seeping slowly from the cuts. Way slower than it should in healthy monster. When they tried to call him, he was unresponsive, but the way he started to struggle when they tried to remove him manually was heartbreaking. He didn't even recognize them and it couldn't be blamed on lack of light since thanks to whatever magic created this place, it kept the room bright on the inside.
Magic, that Dream dreaded to compare to Ink's.
Once outside, in proper light, blank purple eyelights looked at them, seemingly not even aware of their presence. Ink's fingers were trembling and half conscious, he only kept repeating:
"They left, They left, They left, They left..."
Dream didn't know why Ink was there. He didn't know what he meant or what he was feeling, but he knew that Ink was finally there. With him.
So any of the above didn't even really matter.
Dream brought his arms around Ink and hugged him with all his might. In his hold, artist seemed yet smaller than he already was in his memories and more delicate than he remembered. He looked broken and desperate and hopeless and Dream only tightened his arms around him more, wishing to erase whatever happened in the past few months.
And it was nowhere near enough to help Ink, but for now, it was all that Dream could do.
So he closed his eyesockets and started whispering soft reassurances until exhausted artist lost consciousness.