Littleverse, Meet Ink

by Cashagon

Littleverse: a multiverse in which most, if not all, of the main characters are children. Small children. Some of which have never had parents to guide them. FMD Ink: a psychopath. What will happen when these two forces meet? Well..a lot of adoption, fluff, and angst, apparently. We do not know how this happened. Go check out Clichély on AO3 and Wattpad!

17. Fresh, Meet a Demon

(A/N): Trigger warnings for animal cruelty, graphic descriptions of death, and general violence.

Yeah, should have had these far sooner. This story isn't fir small children, ngl.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Dinner's ready!" Ink alerted, about fifteen minutes later; Fresh had zoned out. He looked at Fresh curiously. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. 'Course, broksi." Fresh gave him a small smile. "Just a bit tired. I'll be aight."

He didn't want to worry Ink about this. It wasn't anything he needed to worry about right now. There was nothing they could do about Author. If she was finally showing what she was really like, then okay. There wasn't anything they could do about that. So there was no reason to worry about it. She freaked him out enough when she was acting nice.

"Okay." Ink nodded, finishing up the plates for the children. "Do you like meat in your sauce?"

"Yeah, dat sounds good. Thanks." Fresh nodded.

The twins came in the kitchen, Dream taking the lead. He carried a coloring book and some crayons. He set them on the table next to his seat and looked up at the adults.

"What's for dinner?" He asked.

Nightmare quietly took his seat next to Dream and rested his head on his folded arms. His socket looked droopy and sleepy.

"Spaghetti." Ink replied, setting four plates on the table and sitting down. "I hope you'll like it."

Dream used his fork to inspect the spaghetti carefully. When he deemed it worthy of his delicate palette, he happily started eating the meal.

"Dream..." Fresh gave the child a look as he took a bite of his own food.

"Hm?" Dream looked up, face already covered with sauce.

"What do ya say?"

"Uhhh...can I have parmesan?"

"You may, but dat ain't wha' I meant. Ya gotta tell Ink 'thank you' for making dinner."

"Ohhh...thank you, Ink!"

"Thank you, Ink." Nightmare said quietly.

"Oh, it was no problem!" Ink assured. "Thanks for the compliments!"

"You're welcome!" Dream smiled, taking another bite.

Fresh looked over to make sure Ink was eating and said, "Ya did good, Ink. Thank you."

"Thank you!" Ink replied, beginning to eat, too.

"No prob, broski." Fresh nodded.

The meal was a quick one, with not much conversation. It would seem the children were all talked-out after the meeting. When everyone finished their food, Ink gathered up the dishes and took them into the kitchen to wash them.

Fresh took the children to their room and helped them get ready for bed.

"Aight. Get inta yer pajamas." Fresh told them.

"Okay!" Dream went to the dressers and pulled out their pajamas, handing Nightmare his.

The two got changed, and Fresh made sure they brushed their teeth; he then started the process of tucking them into bed.

"Goodnight, ya two." Fresh said softly as he rubbed each of their skulls.

"G'night, Daddy..." Dream said sleepily.

"Goodnight Daddy." Nightmare yawned and rolled over, cuddling his stuffed animal.

Fresh turned the light off and left the room, before he went back to the nursery to check on Fate. Just in case. The baby was still fast asleep, and when he was certain everything was in order, Fresh went back to the kitchen to check on Ink.

"Hey, broski. Ya almost done in 'ere?" Fresh asked as he leaned against the counter.

"Uh-huh!" Ink nodded, putting the last plate back into the cabinet. "Look, um..I'm really sorry..for everything. If I had known that this would all happen, I would have just..jumped into the void. Instead, I'm bringing..a lot of pain and suffering to this world. I..I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you or anyone else..I'm sorry."

Fresh came over and wrapped his arms around Ink in a hug. "It's not yer fault, Ink. You didn't choose this or ask for it."

"I could've stopped it.." Ink sighed. "I just wish I'd known sooner."

Ink looked down, before raising his gaze back to Fresh.

"So..I'm sleeping in your room, right?" He asked.

"Dat's right. Ya still don' mind sharin' a bed, right?" Fresh confirmed, as he pulled back from the hug; he kept a hand on Ink's shoulder.

"I don't mind." Ink assured. "I'll just go get some pajamas from my room and meet you there..unless you don't want me to, of course - I don't want to force anything on you!"

"Yer fine, Ink. Go get yet yer pj's and I'll meet ya in my room, aight?" Fresh smiled reassuringly.

"Okay." Ink nodded.

He walked to his room, grabbing some pajamas and putting them on before going to Fresh's room. He hoped Fresh wouldn't be irritated by his presence..

Fresh was already dressed in his own pajamas and pulling back the covers, and he looked up when Ink entered the room.

"Hey, broski. Ready fer some shut eye?" Fresh asked as he slid onto the bed and patted the spot next to him.

"Uh-huh." Ink climbed into the bed, making sure not to take up too much room or make Fresh uncomfortable. "Good night, Fresh."

"Night, Ink..." Fresh laid back and pulled to covers over them. He set his glasses on the end table before setting his arms on top of the blanket.

It wasn't long before he fell asleep; it had been a long day, and he needed the rest. Hopefully, tomorrow would be easier. Ink yawned, following Fresh into the land of dreams.

And the house was quiet.

For a little while, at least.

A fussy cry came from the nursery, waking Fresh. He groaned and sat up, sighing and getting out of bed. Ink was still asleep, likely having been worn out during the day; knowing that an impending demon invasion was coming and that it was all his fault was probably stressful. Fresh quietly left the bedroom and went to the nursery. Fate had stood herself up with the help of the crib bars. She bounced on her legs and whined.

"What do ya want, hm?" Fresh asked, stopping a few feet away.

Fate whined some more and held her hand through the bars towards him.

"What? A toy? Ya hungry?" Fresh guessed. He wondered what infants ate and if he should have been paying closer attention to what she had eaten at the hideout.

She simply kept reaching for him, even when she flopped to her rear.

In truth, Fresh knew what she wanted, but hereallydidn't want to do it. It had taken everything in him to hold her the first time.

Hey, you can relax. I'll be here. You can just pretend it's me holding her, and you can just be..a vessel! Pseudo-baby holding!

Fresh blinked and stepped back from the baby. This only made Fate start crying, big fat tears forming in her eyes as she started making grabby hands at Fresh.

"And how would you do that?" Fresh asked quietly, trying to keep his tone light; his soul felt tight as his earlier fears came back to mind. Something wasn't right...

...

Fresh blacked out for a second, before regaining his senses. When he came to, he was holding a crying baby, who obviously required his attention at the moment more than anything else, such as voices that could control his actions.

Fresh shook as he realized what happened, eyelights mere pinpricks inside wide sockets. He looked down at the infant and started bouncing her in his arms automatically. He couldn't bring himself to speak. His thoughts had come to a screeching halt.

The only thought in his mind was...

Not again...

"Waaaaa!" Fate's cries brought him back to the present.

Fresh swallowed and tried to soothe the baby, even as his soul beat harder; with a watery voice, he whispered, "E-easy dere, kiddo...S-Sans gotcha...Sans is 'ere...it's gonna be aight...okay?"

He brought the baby up to his shoulder and started pacing the nursery. The action served to calm both Fresh and Fate. More Fate than Fresh. Fresh was going over in his mind what had happened - mulling over the possibilities.

Either A: Author was more dangerous than he gave her credit for..and hadwaymore control over his life than he thought.

Or...

B: Fresh had a demon.

A low chuckle came from the back of Fresh's mind..

And a yawn came from the doorway: Ink. It seemed that the baby's cries had woken him up, finally.

"You okay?" He asked, tiredly. "Need any help?"

Fresh brightened when Ink entered the room, and he sighed in relief. Ink could help him. Fresh could explain what happened, and they could get rid of the nuisance before it became a bigger problem. He wasn't keen on the idea of someone else messing with his code, hence his reluctance to handle Fate, but this was too big for him to handle. He needed help. He should have told Ink what happened earlier.

Now or never, right?

Fresh opened his mouth to speak, "Ink, I-"

Fresh was silenced immediately; he found that he couldn't say what he wanted to, no matter how hard hetried.

Ah, ah, ah..don't spoil thesurprise,now!

Ink looked at him willingly, misinterpreting his cut-off words for a plea for help with thebaby.He nodded, taking Fate into his arms gently.

"I, uh, learned a few things about handling babies.." Ink looked down. "Didn't use them right at the time, but..they'll come in handy now. Are you okay?"

Fresh shook his head. It was all he could do. His mouth wasn't working. He couldn't make a sound.

His eyelights were pinpricks once more.

Not again...oh, please, no!He tried to remain calm, but this was something he had never wanted to repeat ever again. Not after what happened last time.

Fresh tried to gesture to his throat, to signal to Ink what had happened.

His hand was stopped halfway, making it look like he just..wanted to shake hands.

Word of advice: you'llstop..unless you want me tohurtthem.

Ink blinked at the offered hand, shaking it in confusion, but not questioning it; he was half-asleep. Fresh's sockets widened even further. He couldn't let that happen. This thing had already taken over his body once, and he knew it could do it again.

I never agreed to this... how did you gain control?He wondered.

Fresh smiled lazily at Ink, putting on a calm persona and forcing his body to relax. The only thing he couldn't relax were his eyelights.

He didn't want Ink hurt. Or any of the kids. He couldn't let that happen.

Ink continued to rock the baby, trying to lull her to sleep; he didn't notice Fresh's distress.

I can control youreveryaction! But it would be nice if you'd let me inside yourmind...

Never going to happen.Fresh thought angrily. He moves to lean against the wall, arms crossed.

Fate's eyes drooped and she cuddled into Ink's chest as she fell back asleep. It seemed she just wanted to be held. Ink smiled at the sleeping baby, laying her down in the crib and draping a light blanket over her to keep her warm. He then looked over to Fresh.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" He asked, beginning to walk out of the room; he knew better than to stick around..especially when he wasn't entirely awake.

Fresh nodded, not trusting himself not to attempt to warn Ink. He would need to figure a way to get rid his little problem,withoutit being aware. But he ran into the problem of it being able to control his actions. Which meant he couldn't warn anyone, he couldn't open his own code, and he couldn't enact any plans without the demon stopping him.

Fresh closed the door behind him and followed Ink back to the bedroom.

Ink lay down in the bed after Fresh, yawning..maybe Fresh could ask him a few things.

"...How ya feelin'?" Fresh hesitantly asked, staring at the ceiling. He was relieved to have his voice back.

"..Scared." Ink replied. "I don't want to hurt anyone.."

Fresh hummed in understanding. His brows creased as he asked. "Ink...how-how does a demon gain control o' someone's actions?"

He hoped this wasn't something that would make the thing act. His hands clenched the blanket as he waited for Ink's answer.

"Well.." Ink hummed for a moment, before answering. "They can control actions from the start, but..they usually don't show themselves unless they know their victim knows. They don't usually do it unless they're trying to keep their victims from revealing their presence, though. The worst thing to do would be to give them full control..which is what they want. Then they can make you do what they wantwithoutcontrolling you..why do you ask?"

"Jus'...jus' tryin' understand wha' we gotta keep an eye out fer." Fresh settled on. "Ya'd kno' wha' we're lookin' fer better dan I would. Bein' able ta see da signs, an' all."

"Not really.." Ink sighed. "The only way toreallytell would be after the fact..after the person's let them in. That causes a suddenbigchange in personality, and by that point, it's..really hard to combat. That's why we have to try to use Fate's abilities; I can't tell by myself if they're here unless one of them goes afterme.."

"Then check us. No warning." Fresh said quickly; he didn't have time to consider a plan, not when the thing could stop him at any moment. "Spontaneous checks are what we got."

Please understand, Ink!Fresh thought. He couldn't outright say it; he couldn't evenhintat it. All he could do was hope Fate was able to find the demon. That somehow she'd be able to communicate it to Ink.

He hoped none of the kids had been infected...

"They don't affect checks, either.." Ink shook his skull, before looking at Fresh in question. "Is something wrong?"

"...There's a lot happenin'. By checks, I meant wit Fate. Don' let anyone kno' wha' yer doin' fo' we try." Fresh replied; he didn't want to hurt anyone, so he stuck to the plan they'd already discussed. "We need ta get Fate's strings on everyone."

Ink nodded. "All right..do you have any favorite breakfast foods?"

"Uh, french toast. It...my bro used ta make it." Fresh said, a nostalgic look on his face.

"Okay. Do you want to talk about anything else?"

Fresh sighed and shook his head. "Not fer tonight, nah. Jus'...if at any point someoneisacting strange, don't brush it off."

Was that too much? They were looking for that anyway. Surely this warning was vague enough. It was the best he had.

"Okay." Ink nodded. "Good night, Fresh..and..do you want cuddles?"

Fresh smiled and rolled over; he held his arms open for Ink. "I think I'd like dat."

Ink hugged Fresh tightly, trying to comfort him as well as he could; he could sense that Fresh needed it, and a good slave wouldn't just go to bed without asking first!

"Thanks, Ink... I really needed dis..." Fresh hugged Ink back and closed his sockets.

"You're welcome." Ink continued to cuddle Fresh into the night.

In the morning, Ink got up early to make breakfast. He made some french toast for Fresh, since he believed that his master needed it. Something was wrong..maybe it was just paranoia or fear, but Fresh wasn't acting right. He was probably worried about the demons coming for the children, and, honestly, Ink was, too. He didn't want thosemonstersgoing anywherenearthe kids..and he would likely have to sacrifice himself to keep them away. He was prepared to do that..he just couldn't tell anyone until it was time. Nightmare was the first one up; he walked to the kitchen sleepily and sat down at the table.

"Good morning, Ink..." He yawned, resting his head on his arms and tentacles.

"Good morning, Nightmare!" Ink greeted, placing some french toast in front of Nightmare. "Do you have a big day planned?"

"Not really..." Nightmare mumbled as he sat up to eat his food.

"All right." Ink nodded, putting the rest of the plates on the table; there were only three, since he didn't want to eat yet..he didn't know if Fresh would allow it, even if hewerea nice master. "What would you like to drink?"

"Milk, please." Nightmare asked, taking a bite of his food.

"Coming right up!" Ink grinned, going into the kitchen for a moment and returning with a glass of milk.

"Thank you, Ink." Nightmare said, before taking a drink.

Dream finally woke up and came in to join them. His face brightened when he noticed the food. "Is that French toast?"

"Yep!" Ink confirmed. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please!" Dream sat down next to his brother. "Can I have juice?"

"Sure!" Ink smiled, going to the kitchen and returning with some juice. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you!" Dream said brightly, before drinking his juice.

"You're welcome!" Ink nodded, sitting down with the children; he folded his hands in his lap..he wasn't feeling too confident right now, but he could push through..he had no reason to hurt these children!

While the kids ate, Fresh was getting up. He dressed quickly and went to the nursery; he needed to check on Fate. She was still asleep in her crib. He sighed in relief; he hesitated, but picked her up and held the baby to his chest. With shaky arms, he shifted her to one arm and reached for her small hand. He needed to be attached to her, so that the others could know. This was the only way they'd know what was happening.

What are you doing?

"Just holding da baby's hand..." Fresh answered, hand hovering over the child's; he knew it wouldn't buy the lie. It knew perfectly well what he was doing.

You shouldn't be messing with-

The voice cut off as his hand made contact with the infant's. Instinctively, her strings reached out and latched onto him. Fresh shivered as the strings dug into his code. The painfully familiar sensation of someone else in his code, having access to his actions...it was never a pleasant experience. Unlike with the corruption demon, Fresh could feel as Fate's strings wormed their way through his being and hooked into him.

It was only when the baby started crying that he realized his grip was too tight.

He inhaled sharply and loosened his grip; he checked to make sure he hadn't hurt her, brow creased, "I'm sorry, kiddo...I- I didn't mean ta. I-I'm sorry..."

He healed the bruises he'd caused as tears welled in his sockets. He hadn't meant to hurt her. Sure, she scared him, but- she was just a baby; that was a fact he couldn't deny.

Fate's cries lessened, and she held his finger as she sniffled.

"I'm sorry...now, listen. Imma need ya ta tell da others 'bout my little visitor, K?" Fresh said softly, rocking the baby. "I can't tell dem myself, butyoucan. I need ya ta warn dem. Ya understand?"

The baby stared up at him with blank eyes, simply holding his finger; she didn't look as if she understood. Fresh sighed, closing his sockets. What was he going to do?

You're going topayfor that..

Ink walked into the room quietly.

"I heard crying." He said, seeming worried. "Is she okay?"

Fresh swallowed and took a breath to steady himself. He didn't turn around, the tears still falling down his face.

"I- I held 'er too tight. She startled me wit 'er strings." Fresh replied honestly, voice a little shaky. Lying wasn't beneficial on a normal day, let alone now. "She's fine now..."

"Oh?" Ink looked at him sadly. "I can help..should I get her some breakfast? That should cheer her up!"

Ink walked over, intending to take Fate, when he saw Fresh's face.

"Or..doyou..need cheering up..?"

Fresh took a breath and nodded. He felt in over his head with this situation.

"I think we both could use it..." Fresh sighed. He hated having to rely on someone who was still recovering from his own trauma, especially like this. Someone who admitted to having dark impulses towards children.

But what choice did he have? In this messed up situation, Fresh would have to rely on a literal baby and traumatized slave.

When had things become so complicated?

Ink nodded, taking Fresh's hand and leading him over to a small couch in the corner of the nursery (which may or may not have been there before). He set Fresh down and sat next to him, cuddling the baby with one hand and rubbing Fresh's back with the other. Despite the awkwardness of the position, both the baby and Fresh were getting comfort. Ink considered saying something to help the cause, but he didn't want to overdo it..especially when he was copying what he had used to do when manipulating his close friends. He didn't think he had ever genuinely cuddled with anyone in his life...except..

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, purging his previous thoughts from his mind. "I..I'll listen, even if it comes at a cost. Don't be afraid to hurt me."

Ink wouldn't have usually phrased it like that, but he could feel that something was bothering Fresh..somethingpainful.

"'Xactly what I 'fraid of doin'..." Fresh muttered, leaning into Ink as he stared out at the room; he couldn't mention the demon, but he could talk about this. "...Remember when I told ya I had a friend who was...hurtby a code manipulator? Well...da person who hurt 'em was a Fate. Older one. She was da sadistic sort dat liked seein' others fight."

Fresh gulped and looked down at the little baby in Ink's arm. She had calmed down now and was simply playing with her own hair; it was still a tangled mess.

"She looked jus' like dis kid, jus' bigger an' meaner." Fresh continued in a soft voice.

Ink nodded, following along as he continued to comfort the other two; he would listen if Fresh needed him to. He would do anything to help his master.

"He was the protector and in charge of creatin' new worlds. He wa' jus' a kid tho. An' she kept stickin' 'em in dee's impossible situations-" Fresh glared at the far wall and his free hand clenched. "I helped 'im escape, but Fate wasn' exactly happy 'boutdat..."

Ink frowned; he already felt sorry for Fresh's friend..he hoped this story had a happy ending, but he was doubting it.

"She decided dat if I was keen on helpin' people, den I should take 'is place." Fresh held up his hand where he could still feel the strings in his being. He couldn't see them, but they were there. "Losing control da first time...well, I don' need ta tell ya wat dat feels like."

Ink leaned in closer to Fresh, trying to give him as much comfort as he could. He knew what it was like to not have full control..to see his body moving without his permission. He wondered how Fresh had escaped.

"I wasn' sure I was gonna get out o' dere. But den...da Nightmare o' my ol' world decided ta go after da OG 'verse." Fresh rested his skull against Ink's as he remembered that last day. "Everythin' fell apart after dat. Nothin' left ta protect. I was fighten' his forces in Outertale. Losin'. Some jerk o' a Papyrus kicked me off da edge. Thought I was gonna die...den I woke in here, in Littleverse.

"Void transport?" Ink assumed; he had heard of that, but he had never seen it for himself..he was glad about that, really.

"Yep...didn' kno' our Void could do dat. Woulda jumped years ago." Fresh sighed.

If he had known, then he would have grabbed his friends and family and left that multiverse sooner. Things had been falling apart long before he learned of the multiverse.

"..I don't think it works like that." Ink admitted. "The researchers in my multiverse have determined that most of the people and things that fall into the void are destroyed or suffer horribly..there's a really small chance to survive..and that chance usually only affects those with high determination levels, with few exceptions."

"...Den again, maybe it was good thing I didn' jump sooner. Didn' kno' 'bout dat." Fresh cringed. Then he paused and looked over at Ink. "Wasn' dat wat you were gonna do? Even wit da risk o' hurtin?'"

"..I was going to try to kill myself." Ink nodded, solemnly. "If I was transported to a different multiverse, I would have just jumped again and again until I died.."

Ink wasn't going to mention the fact that he would do that if it meant protecting the inhabitants of this multiverse..he knew that this entire situation would either end in his surrender or his suicide.

Fresh sighed sadly and wrapped his arm around Ink's shoulders. "Broski...Ink...I'm sorry..."

"..It's fine." Ink said, softly, looking up at Fresh. "It's not like it was the first time..probably won't be the last. I guess I should tell you..that's another side effect of possession..wanting to off yourself, just to get rid of the voice inside your head. I..I'm not sure if it goes away or not.."

"...I'll keep dat in mind." Fresh sighed. He only just got the thing, so he wasn't that far gone yet; hopefully this pest would be gone soon.

Right? How long had it been pretending to be Author? When did it show up? The off-color remarks seemed recent, but what if it had been there longer than that?

Fate grabbed his attention by reaching up to play with his hand again. Fresh flinched, but he didn't pull away.

"..You should get something to eat." Ink said. "I can dress her and bring her out, unless you want to stay close..I'm feeling pretty confident, but if you aren't, I'll understand."

Fresh wasn't feeling confident of anything lately. What if the thing made him hurt Ink? Or the baby? Or his kids? It could control him at any moment, and no one in this house could stop him.

Well...Fresh had actually never seen Ink fight at full strength. Maybe he could keep Fresh in line.

"I think I'll stay. Its not dat I don' trust ya, I'd jus' feel better bein' close righ' now." Fresh hoped Ink didn't misunderstand him. Or think this was a lack of trust, when in reality Fresh was putting a ton of trust in him.

"All right." Ink nodded, picking up Fate and humming before pulling out a hairbrush and starting to navigate the baby's messy hair.

Fresh leaned against a wall and tried to focus on the present. He didn't want to zone out and mistake it for...something else. Fate tried to grab the brush to investigate the strange thing. She wanted to play with it! Ink chuckled, rubbing the child's head as he brushed her hair gently; he was enjoying this. Her eyes drooped as he brushed. That felt nice...

Fresh smiled gently at the scene. Ink was so gentle with the kids. It was hard to believe someone like him could have any violent thoughts towards them. Ink hummed, brushing her hair until it was neat. After that, he dressed her up a bit with a pretty hair bow. Then he began to look for something nice for her to wear; Fresh had added a good variety of baby clothes for the little Fate. They were nothing fancy, but they were cute. Ink picked out a nice blue dress, showing it to Fate; he hoped she would like it! She cooed and reached out for the dress. It looked so pretty!

"That's a good girl!" Ink grinned, beginning to dress the little one.

While the baby was distracted, a certain someone decided to strike up a conversation.

How about we go outside, hm?

Fresh tensed. Hereallydidn't want to. His best bet of being stopped was staying with Ink.

But it would just make him move, wouldn't it?

Gulping, Fresh said, "Yo, Ink? Imma step out fer a mo. Ya good wit dat?"

"Uh-huh!" Ink nodded; he was confident that he would be all right alone with Fate. "I'll get her breakfast and make sure the other two are okay!"

Let's go.

"Sounds good, broski!" Fresh smiled nervously.

He didn't linger. He left the bedroom quickly and walked out of the cabin with only a quick good morning to the kids. Dream waved as he left, before going back to his breakfast. Nightmare waved as well, but he took notice of his daddy's haste. Of the fear going through him.

Fresh walked a short ways into the forest, just short of hearing distance of the cabin. He didn't know what it wanted, but he wasn't taking a chance.

That's good. You're awonderfullistener..but you tried something earlier..something I didn't particularlycarefor..

Fresh felt a sharp, piercing pain wrack his body; it wasn't going away..

Perhaps you'll think twice after this.

Fresh grit his teeth and leaned against a tree. His fists clenched as he waited for the pain to pass. He hoped it would.

He grunted. "Twice like how ta get rid o' ya, ya mean. Ya kind ain't gonna win dis."

The pain intensified with his words.

Oh..we alreadyhave! We just need a little help to ease the transition..but don't worry..

You'll learn to enjoy it.

Fresh bent over and cried out in pain. His body shook with the pain. "Nah, man...don' count yer chickens fo' dey hatch."

The voice only chuckled as the pain surged through Fresh's bones, sapping his strength. Maybe this wasn't just some twisted form of punishment..he was getting tired.

Fresh blinked his sockets open.When did they close? He panted, trying to push through it. It wasn't working...

"Nnnno...don't..." Fresh pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had to warn the kids...he started dialing the home phone with shaky fingers.

His hand suddenly dropped the phone, and his vision blacked out..but he was still conscious. Just..a bit disabled.

You're lucky I'm not making you break your own bones. Maybe later..but for now, you'll be spared..for whatever that's worth.

Fresh shivered in the snow, the pain still wracking his body. Tears flowed down his face, leaving tracks behind.

Is this what Ink went through?He wondered; it was all he could do right now.

Oh, no..he went through somethingmuchworse.

It chuckled, as the pain began to subside; Fresh's vision was beginning to clear, slowly.

Now, be a good little tool and don't try to escape again, okay? We can do this again andagainif we must.

"I'm no one'stool..."Fresh ground out, still leaning heavily against the tree.

You will be once you'rebroken.

The pain intensified one more time, this time striking Fresh's soul, before dying out.

Fresh gasped and fell over into the snow, gripping his chest as he waited for the pain to subside. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. He wouldn't give in; he refused! He'd never be used like that again. He refused to someone's puppet.

Not again.

Once the pain subsided just enough for him to stand, he got up and started forward. He needed to get back to the cabin. He...he needed to get the kids away. It wasn't safe.

Shoulders slumped, Fresh slowly made his way to the cabin.

When he arrived, Ink was sitting at the table with Dream and Nightmare, spoonfeeding Fate some baby food; he wasn't sure if she could eat too much regular food yet.

"Hi, Daddy!" Dream turned around to look over the back of his chair. "Where did you go?"

"...Just had ta make a call." Fresh answered vaguely. He sat down at the table and sighed; he didn't really feel like eating.

Nightmare's brows creased. He could sense the turmoil in his daddy. The fear, anger, worry...something wasn't right. Fresh felt his stare and looked up to give him a small smile.

"Are you hungry?" Ink inquired. "I made your favorite."

He had asked Ink to make this specifically. Fresh nodded, getting his plate and taking a bite, and it did make him feel better.

"Thanks, Ink." Fresh smiled gratefully.

"You're welcome!" Ink smiled happily, glad he could help. "So, do you have anything you want me to do today? I could work on cleaning up the attic, or just babysitting, or I could watch over you for the day. You aren't looking too good; are you ill? Should I make you some soup? Do you feel like you have a fever?"

"...I'm jus' feelin' a little under da weather. Jus'... kinda achey." He rubbed his chest, but he refrained from detailing more than that. He couldn't - not with the kids around.

He didn't want to hurt them.

"Babysittin' would be good fer today." Fresh continued. "I'll still be close if ya need me, so don' worry."

"Okay!" Ink nodded. "I hope you feel better soon. Did I hurt you in my sleep? I'm sorry; I need to be more careful.."

"No, it wasn't yer fault, Ink." Fresh was quick to assure him. "Ya didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I did..I didn't notice you were feeling bad." Ink sighed. "I'll do better, Fresh."

"Hey...yer noticin' now. Dat's what matters." Fresh genuinely smiled. Ink was noticing; that was good. He needed someone to notice what he couldn't say.

"Thanks!" Ink grinned. "Don't hesitate to ask for anything if you need it!"

"I'll keep dat in mind, Ink." Fresh nodded, a twist of fear at the thought of trying to tell Ink. It wouldn't work; not like that.

Ink gave Fresh one last smile before focusing on feeding the baby; he had already mastered the art of the airplane spoon. When the food was close enough to her face, it disappeared from the spoon. Fate hummed, enjoying it very much.

"You're so good!" Ink cooed, continuing to feed the baby. "Is this yummy?"

Fate hummed and nodded as another spoonful disappeared. "Num num num..."

Ink giggled as he continued to feed the baby, playing all sorts of games to keep the little one focused on eating. He seemed..comfortable.He felt safe here. Fate hummed happily, sensing the positive feelings through her strings. She was happy that Ink was happy. Not everyone she was connected to was happy; she wondered why. Dream leaned over in his chair and made faces at Fate, causing her to giggle.

"You're so cute." Ink said, feeding Fate the last spoonful of food. "Now, do you want to watch me wash some dishes?"

"Yeah!" She didn't know what dishes were, but Ink was fun and nice.

"All right!" Ink smiled, picking the baby up and gathering up the empty plates and utensils to take them to the kitchen.

"Thanks, Ink." Fresh called out, still eating his French toast.

The twins called their thanks as well before running off to play, and Ink carried baby Fate into the kitchen and began to wash the dishes with her on his shoulders; he was using a bit of magic to keep her steady.

"Oooo!" Fate looked at everything curiously from her new height; she pat Ink's skull and babbled about this and that.

"Yep, it's pretty cool up here, isn't it?" Ink chuckled. "Someday, you'll be so tall that this will seem like nothing!"

Fate giggled and hugged his skull. "Tall string?"

"Yep!" Ink nodded lightly, making sure not to jostle the baby. "You'll besupertall!"

Fate gasped, as if this was a world shaking discovery. She was going to be tall? Woah...

Ink smiled, although Fate couldn't see it. "What can you see from up there?"

"Mmm..." She looked around the room; she didn't recognize a lot of things in here, having never been in a kitchen before. Without much thought, she tapped into her strings as she looked at everything to find the words in Ink's memory. "Plates...stove?"

"That's very good!" Ink encouraged. "Soon, you'll know what all of these things are!"

"Yay!" Fate bounced on his shoulders and looked for another thing. "Tea pot! Apples!"

"That's so good! What else can you see?"

"Door! Winow! Sink!" She happily called out all the things she could see.

"Yes!" Ink grinned. "That's great!"

Fate continued to name things she could see, using Ink's memories to know what they were called. Ink didn't pick up on Fate's sudden influx of knowledge, simply encouraging and congratulating the baby for knowing about all the household objects while he washed the dishes.

After a few minutes, Fresh stepped into the kitchen after checking on the twins. He handed his own dishes to Ink and asked, "How's it going in here?"

"It's going well!" Ink smiled, beginning to wash Fresh's dishes. "This kid knows alotof words!"

"Yeah? Must be pret smart fer 'er age." Fresh hummed.

Fate smiled at him and reached out to him. Fresh hesitated to hold her, for two reasons: he still wasn't sure about her, and he didn't feel comfortable around any of the kids right now. That was part of why he came over here. Ink was still his best bet at being stopped if something happened.

"She knows what everything in the room is!" Ink nodded. "I wonder where she learned.."

Fresh looked up at the baby and hummed. "She got 'er strings in ya, yeah?"

"I think so, yeah." Ink confirmed. "Don't worry - it's not uncomfortable. It's actually a bit like what I'm used to, but..less. It feels good."

"Dat's good. Dat it ain't bad. She's probs usin' ta learn, gettin' da words from yer head." Fresh guessed.

"Oh..that makes sense." Ink hummed. "Kinda weird, but it isn't as if I haven't had people in my head before!"

"Heh, I kno' wat ya mean..." Fresh said absentmindedly, hand straying up to rub his chest.

"Sorry!" Ink winced. "Didn't mean to put those thoughts in your mind!"

"It's aight, Ink. Ya didn' do nothin' wrong." Fresh gave him a reassuring smile.

Fate looked at Fresh, and her eyes drooped sadly. She reached for him again. She wanted to help him feel better, but Fresh was still hesitant to hold her and pretended he didn't notice.

"Well, if you need anything, just let me know." Ink reminded. "I'll be happy to serve!"

"Thanks, broski. Imma jus' hang, if dat's aight." Fresh smiled lightly. "Jus' kinda wan' da company, ya kno'?"

"I know. Feel free to stick around, although I can't promise it'll be exciting."

"Dat's fine. Excitin' ain't all it's cracked up ta be, anyhow's."

Fate slumped on Ink's head and pouted. The other adult wasn't paying attention to her.

"That's true." Ink nodded, before looking up at Fate. "Aww, what's got you so sad? Do you want a cookie?"

Fate perked up at the mention of a cookie; she knew what that was! "Cookie cookie!"

"Okay!" Ink grinned, creating a cookie and handing it to the child.

"Mmmm!" Fate happily smashed the cookie on her face; most of it disappeared, while a few chunks and crumbs fell on Ink's head.

Ink rolled his eyelights, going back to washing the dishes, and Fate stayed up on his shoulders, happily naming things as she plucked the knowledge from Ink's mind. She didn't go deeper than surface level for the names. She didn't know the full usage of the items, but that didn't matter right now. Fresh simply stood to the side, focusing on the simplicity of the chore. He was considering sending the twins to Gaster's place again. They would have been safer there; he wouldn't have had to worry so much about accidentally hurting them. Ink continued to encourage Fate's knowledge; even if the child was probing his mind for knowledge, it wasn't as if he wasn't used to that. At least she wasn't going through his memories and torturing him if she found something that she didn't like (unlike a certainsomeone).Fate soon grew bored of her naming game and looked around for something new to do.

While she was looking, Fresh hummed as a thought occurred to him. He voiced it before it could be shut down. "Think ya could try sending her what ta look for wit da demons? Through da strings?"

"Oh!" Ink hummed. "I suppose I could. String, would you read my mind, please?"

"Wat read?" She asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"..Can you hear my thoughts?" Ink rephrased.

"Thinks stuff?" Fate asked; she nodded and tapped deeper into his mind, looking for his thoughts. She didn't know what she was supposed to be looking for, though.

"I'll start rightnow."Ink said, beginning to think about ways to identify whether someone had a demon in their mind or not; he compiled lists, gave visual keys, and also provided instructions for what to do if there was a suspect.

"Ohhh..." Fate blinked as she absorbed the information. This was a lot to take in, and it would take her a moment to comb through it.

Feeling hopeful, Fresh stepped into doorway between the kitchen and the living room to send the twins outside - to go into town and play with their friends.

"Yo, kiddos? How's about ya go ta Vanilla and Creampuff's house yeah?" Fresh suggested; he didn't want them around, just in case something happened.

"Yeah!" Dream thought this was a good idea and jumped up.

Nightmare was a little slower; the mix of hope and fear in his daddy was distracting.

"Take your time." Ink encouraged, not wanting to overwhelm the baby.

From the information Ink provided, Fate was able to determine that these demons weren't good. They made people sad. She didn't like it when people were sad...

"Bad demom!" Fate said with conviction. "Dey bad!"

"Yes, they're very bad." Ink agreed. "Which is why you need to tell me or Fresh if you see someone who's doing these things; we can help them, okay?"

"Okie." Fate nodded firmly; she would tell them immediately.

Fresh walked back into the room and asked, "How's it goin'?"

"This is the last one." Ink informed, putting one last plate on the drying rack. "Shall I go watch the others, or did you need me for something else?"

"Actually, da kids went ta Gaster's place. Dere's..." Fresh hesitated. This was risky; he could have been making a huge mistake. "I was thinkin' we could test out Fate's searchin' skills."

"Oh?" Ink blinked. "Well. I guess we can do that, but..shouldn't we wait a while? She only just learned.."

You don't want to hurt the poor thing,doyou?

Fresh smiled nervously and gulped. "Heh, ya might be right...guess I'm just gettin' a little anxious is all."

He glanced around the kitchen, wondering if there was some way to stop himself. As if he could. Did he still have those joke cuffs? The funny ones shaped like lobster claws? Maybe if he cuffed himself to the fridge.

He took a step towards it.

"Are you hungry?" Ink inquired. "I can make you something. I know you just ate breakfast, but I know how it is! You just eat, and then you're hungry again! I also know how to deal with anxiousness! Chocolate always calms me down, but I doubt that'd work for you, unless you like chocolate as much as I do. Massages help, too! Do you want me to give you a massage?"

"Um...a light snack would be fine. Just somethin' ta munch on." Fresh gave a strained smile. "Jus' got da munchies, ya kno'? Weird..."

Fate watched the funny dressed adult. He was silly.

"Got it!" Ink smiled, looking through the cabinets for..cheese curls!Those were light, and they were cheese-flavored, which made them perfect. He held them out to Fresh. "Do you like these?"

"Yeah. Does are good." Fresh said, reaching out for the bag of cheesy delights.

"Enjoy!" Ink smiled, beginning to dry the dishes he had washed.

"Thanks, Ink." Fresh attempted a smile before looking down. How could he warn them without outright saying what was happening?

He had already had to send his kids away, and he had just gotten them back. He just couldn't risk it...

Fate glanced at him, wondering why he was sad. She didn't want him to be sad. Sad wasn't nice. Ink looked over at Fresh with a frown. He wasn't sure what had happened, but his master was unhappy..and he wasn't telling Ink why. Well, the secrecy was something he couldn't help, but..he could certainly offer something thatwould!

"Do you want to cuddle for a while?" He offered.

Fresh looked up and his smile turned more genuine. "I think I'd like that, broski."

"Okay!" Ink grinned, leading Fresh out into the living room and setting him down on the couch.

He then proceeded to grab several blankets and pillows, and he put the baby in the center to make sure she would be all right. Then he began to cuddle his master. Fate cooed in her new nest and played with her fingers and feet, entertaining herself. Fresh meanwhile, was greatly appreciating the comfort Ink provided.

He wrapped his arms around Ink and rested his skull against the other's. "Thank you, Ink..."

"Of course." Ink smiled, continuing to cuddle Fresh. "I'm here if you need to talk."

Fresh squeezed his sockets shut and sighed, "Thanks...I-I appreciate that."

If he could talk about this, he would have. With his arms around Ink, he was afraid even to hint; why had he started hugging Ink? Maybe he could have warned him. Somehow.

Maybe we should keep your mouth shut.

"Of course." Ink nodded, continuing the cuddles. "Anything for you, Fresh."

Fresh tensed, soul beating faster. "Th-thanks, Ink..."

Ink cuddled Fresh silently from then on, to make sure that he wasn't made even more uncomfortable by conversation, and Fresh returned the cuddles, hoping to convey his thankfulness through physical affection. Things were so weird right now. Fresh wasn't sure when it had happened, but he cared about Ink. More than just another responsibility, too. Maybe because they needed to be in close proximity. Maybe because Fresh had started treating Ink like one of his kids. Though, for all he knew, Ink was older than him. Fresh had lost track a long time ago...maybe it was because he was the only adult close enough and with the knowledge of how to stop the corruption demons.

That was definitely a new factor.

Something that accidentally falling into another multiverse couldn't fix.

Ink, unaware of Fresh's thought processes, simply continued to cuddle his master; he wanted to cheer him up. He hoped he wasn't getting too close..he was used to cuddling without really respecting boundaries..he would have to work on that. Fresh hummed, happy to receive the comfort. It felt nice, having someone else to take care of him for a change. Even if it was just hugs and cuddles. It made a difference. After twenty minutes of comfortable cuddling, Ink's grip tightened a bit; he wasn't feeling very controlled. He tried to remind himself that it was just a bad moment (although he wasn't sure what had unsettled his peace), attempting to loosen his grip. It only became tighter.

"Ink? Ya aight, buddy?" Fresh asked, moving his hand to rub Ink's back; maybe he needed some comfort too.

"Y-yeah.." Ink was..obviously lying.

But he didn't want to worry his master. Fresh needed this more than he did. He was more important. A master wasalwaysmore important than a slave. Ink didn't want to bore Fresh with his infinitesimal problems. He didn't want to tell Fresh that he hadn't had time to get himself under control in over a day or that the stress of an impending demon invasion was making his urges stronger. He could tell him when Fresh was okay - when Fresh didn't need his comfort.

"Hey, Ink bro, what's wrong?" Fresh asksedsoftly, pulling Ink in closer.

"..Your problems are more important than mine." Ink stated. "I'll be fine..but I might need some time alone sometime today."

"Ink, we're in dis together. I kno' trust takes time, but I'm here fer ya too. Aight? If ya need time, den aight. Jus' don' be afraid ta come ta me if ya needs ta talk, aight?"

Ink nodded, smiling. "I will."

"Aight..." Fresh started rocking them, trying to help Ink; the other may have believed his problems were less, but that didn't mean Fresh did.

Ink continued to cuddle with his master, enjoying the gentle rocking motions..but they didn't really help him. Fate had fallen asleep during this; it was clearly time for a nap. Fresh checked the clock on the wall; the day had barely begun, and it was already proving to be a challenge.

He sighed. Hopefully there wouldn't be any more surprises or issues.

Another thirty minutes passed in silence, and Ink still seemed tense. He didn't voice his discomfort, only continuing to cuddle. It seemed that he wasn't going to take care of himself until Fresh was all right.

"Hey, Ink? What's going on, buddy? Yer tense." Fresh pulled back slightly to look at Ink with a worried look.

"Just..haven't been coping very well recently.." Ink whispered. "I'm fine.."

"Ya mean wit da demon sitch? I can understand dat..." Fresh said with a frown.

"That's..certainly making it harder." Ink sighed. "I just..wanna hurt something..badly.."

"Ah. Hmm..." Fresh frowned deeper, thinking of ways to help. "We should take care o' dat den. Whatcha been doin' again ta curb it?"

"..I was just..hurting myself, mostly." Ink shrugged. "But I couldn't do it last night because I didn't want to wake you."

"Hurtin' ya self?" Fresh's brows creased with concern. "Ink bro...why...I take it da games didn' help much..."

"..They're not as effective as actually hurting something..but don't worry about me; I've been through worse, and this is really the best way for me to deal with it."

Fresh hummed, and his brows creased in thought. "Hurtin' somethin', huh? What about...have ya tried huntin'?"

It was something he hadn't done in a long time. He didn't have a need for it or particularly enjoy it himself, but it was an option. There were a few surface AUs they could check out and Ink could try there.

"Uh, I don't think so..does that involve hurting something really bad?" Ink wondered.

"Hmm... Normally yer supposed ta make it quick, but given da circumstances..." Fresh sighed; he wasn't a fan of what he was suggesting, but they had limited options. "Huntin' is killing animals fo' food. Dere's lots o' methods. Guns, bows an' arrows, and traps."

"..Do they scream?" Ink wondered; he hadn't ever really tried torturing animals before..he didn't know if they had feelings to hurt.

"Uhh...some do? I think?" Fresh said, disturbed by the turn this conversation had taken.

"..That could work." Ink shrugged. "But hurting myselfwouldbe less destructive..I'll do whatever you want me to, Fresh. I could even just try to ignore it!"

"Somthin'tells me ignorin' it don' help much. Come on, let's go take Fate ta Gaster. He's watchin' da twins right now. He can take car o' her while we go hunt."

"All right." Ink nodded. "Is there anything we need to do it?"

"Depends on yer preferred method. I'd suggest a bow an' arrow doe." Fresh said, sitting up. "I could code a set, no prob."

"Okay!" Ink smiled, standing up and picking up Fate. "Let's get her where she needs to go."

Fresh nodded and stood up. "Aight, let's head out."

He went to the hallway closet and grabbed a blanket before rejoining Ink in the living room. "Here, wrap her in dis. It'll keep 'er warm while we head out."

"All right." Ink wrapped Fate up snugly, making sure that she would be incredibly comfortable.

Fate hummed contently and curled into Ink's chest. She gripped his shirt in her little fist as she slept peacefully. Fresh nodded and headed to the door, holding it open for Ink, who walked out the door, rocking the baby softly to help her stay asleep as he walked outside into the cold. Fresh led Ink through the forest and to Gaster's home in Snowdin town. It was a nice day out. The few animals that had managed to wander into the Underground were enjoying the moderate weather, darting under bushes and climbing trees. It was chilly, as was to be expected in this district, but not unpleasantly so. There was no wind to bite at their bones and make it cooler than it truly was; the ceiling glow was a pleasant glow. Ink followed along slowly, not wanting to trip in the snow and wake the baby; that would have been a disaster, and he had caused enough disasters in his life..probably too many. They soon reached the house, and Fresh knocked on the door.

Gaster answered and smiled at them. "Ah, Fresh. Are you here for the children?"

"Fraid not. Was actually hopin' ya could watch dis little one too. Ink bro an' I gotta take a quick trip an' can' take 'er wit." Fresh explained.

"I see. Well, I suppose one more would not be too much trouble." Gaster decided, looking over at Ink and the baby.

"Are you sure this isn't any trouble?" Ink asked. "I can always just continue hurting myself."

Gaster blinked in surprise and looked between the two with concern.

Fresh sighed and looked to Ink. "Not when dere's another option."

"Why do you always want to take the hard way?" Ink questioned, genuinely wondering.

"'Cause da easy way ain't always da right way." Fresh said simply; he turned back to Gaster and asked again, "So ya don' mind watchin' da baby?"

"...No, of course not. I can watch her for you." Gaster nodded; Fresh had informed him on much of the situation, but there a few details he hadn't been privy to.

Ink handed the baby to Gaster before looking to Fresh. "Okay, I'm ready..where are we going?"

Gaster adjusted the child in his arms and bid them farewell as Fresh led Ink away.

"Dere's a surface AU dat gots lots o' different types o' critters." Fresh told Ink, holding out a hand.

"Okay." Ink nodded, grabbing Fresh's hand and following him.

FRESH POOF!

They landed in a lush forest, sunlight streaming down on them through the treetops.

Fresh let go of Ink's hand and coded a bow and a quiver of arrows; he handed them to Ink and asked, "Do ya kno' how ta use doe's?"

"Yeah." Ink nodded, accepting the weapons. "Dream showed me a long time ago. So, uh, what are we supposed to do?"

"We find a trail and track it." Fresh informed, walking forward. "An' keep ya voice low. We don' wanna spook 'em."

He scanned the underbrush for signs of animals - footprints, broken branches, or droppings.

Ink, oblivious to what Fresh was doing, simply followed him silently; he wasn't sure what type of "trail" he was supposed to follow. Fresh brushed a bush to the side and hummed; there were rabbit tracks under the bush. Tufts of fur, too. He gestured Ink forward and pointed down at the animal signs.

"What's that?" Ink wondered, whispering. "Is it important?"

"Rabbit fur and prints. There's a burrow nearby." Fresh leaned in and explained. "Keep an ear out."

"Um, okay.." Ink sighed, looking around for a rabbit..at least, he assumed that he and Fresh were looking for a rabbit..

Did rabbits scream when they were tortured? Or were the rabbits going to lead the duo somewhere else?

Fresh quietly led Ink around the bush, silently following the trail. Despite his loud outfit and how he sometimes behaved around others, Fresh was quiet. Not even a stick was broken or a leaf shifted out of place. Ink followed behind slowly, trying not to make any noise either. He wondered if Fresh had done this before; he certainly seemed experienced. Was this sport common? Looking for animals to torment in the wild? Ink had thought that environmental agencies in AUs would have made that illegal, but apparently not...

Ink was glad about that, although he would deny it in a second.

Fresh held up a hand to signal stop. He crouched lower and pointed to a hole under a tree a little ways in front of them; he gestured for Ink to get low and then pointed to the bow. Ink pulled an arrow back, unsure of what he was supposed to be aiming for, aside from what he believed was a burrow..

After ten minutes, a twitchy nose poked out of the burrow, sniffing the air. It was followed by a cautious rabbit head. The rabbit crawled out of it's burrow and ran a paw over it's snout. It didn't seem to have noticed them yet.

"It's cute." Ink whispered. "What do we do now?"

"Shoot it." Fresh said simply, face uncharacteristically blank.

"Okay." Ink did as he was told, shooting the rabbit in the head. "What now?"

Fresh stood up and picked up the dead rabbit and removed the arrow from it's head. He pulled out a sack and placed the still-warm corpse inside; he would take care of it later. He looked back to Ink and waved him forward. "Now we find another one. Or another animal entirely. I saw some deer tracks on the way here, so we'll backtrack and follow those."

"Okay!" Ink nodded, still unsure of what the plan was, here..was it just killing animals? That really didn't help with his urges; in all honesty, it was making themstronger..

Maybe they were going to do something with the dead animals..?

Fresh led them back the way they came and found the trail. Fresh led them down the deer path and to a grassy clearing, where he held up his hand to signal 'stop'. He crouched down next to a tree and nodded to Ink to get ready. There weren't any deer yet, so for now...

They waited.

Ink readied the bow, wondering what they were waiting for; he hoped it would be exciting. He really wanted to hurt something..hereallydid.

He had to wait for his master to let him, though..

A couple of female deer cautiously walked into the clearing, scanning the area for danger. One caught sight of the two skeletons and froze.

"Now!" Fresh whispered sharply.

Ink let his arrow fly, hoping he was shooting at the right one; he hoped he was..it would have been embarrassing if he had chosen the wrong one. The arrow plunged itself into the frozen deer's head. The deer reared back and cried out in pain. Her companion startled and ran off in fear, abandoning her in the clearing. The injured deer tried to run off as well, half blinded.

Fresh brings out what looked like a jump rope and swings it over his head. He threw it at her hind legs, causing her to stumble and fall as it wrapped around like a bolo. Ink blinked at the sudden action, unsure of what to do next..was this it? He looked to Fresh in question.

"What's next?" He asked. "Did I do it right? Are we done?"

"Ya did good. Figured a bigger animal would be better." Fresh said, standing up and walking towards the deer.

The deer made a fearful noise, almost like barking scream. It struggled to it's legs and tried to get away. She wasn't getting very far...

Fresh stopped a short ways away and waved Ink forward. "Both times ya went fer da head. Fer a rabbit, dat's instant. Bigger da critter da longer it takes. Fer a deer ya gotta shoot fer da lungs o' heart to kill 'em quick."

"Oh..where are those?" Ink inquired. "Should I try again?"

Despite how much he knew about human and monster anatomy, he severely lacked when it came to animals..he had just..never really paid that much attention to them. He was beginning to regret that decision.

"In dere chest. Aim fer 'er front, where da ribs would be. See it heavin'?" Fresh said, indicating how the animal panted harshly.

The deer stared back at them with a wide, terrified eye. The other was destroyed by the arrow sticking out of her head. Her chest heaved as she panicked and tried to escape once more. She soon regretted thrashing around, as a loud snap rang out in the clearing. She hobbled away on three legs, falling down often and crying out in that strange bark.

"Okay.." Ink hummed, aiming for the chest of the deer and shooting.

He..reallywondered when he could hurt something with his hands. This was far too easy..and the pain wasn't satisfying his urges at all..he wasn't used to this. The deer fell down and gasped, struggling to breath as blood filled her lungs. She didn't last long, unable to hold on as her heart rate increased before-

It stopped.

Fresh didn't watch this time; he was carefully observing Ink and reading the other's body language.

He hummed thoughtfully. "How ya feelin', Ink?"

"..Not great." Ink admitted, kicking a rock softly. "Does this get any more..*exciting?"*

Ink was sure that this could have been fun..forsomepeople. It just..wasn't fun for him. It felt too easy, and there was little to no feeling thathewas the one making something suffer..he was just shooting an arrow at an animal and wondering if it would die on the first shot. Fresh looked down at the freshly-killed deer with a thoughtful look. Ink was struggling with the urge to hurt something. He needed to cause pain and suffering. Fresh held out his hand, and a neon pink light glowed. It turned black and green with binary code scrolling rapidly across the surface, forming a long object with a sharp tip. The shape settled and a large hunting knife landed in his hand, the blade catching the light and flashing dangerously.

"I believe ya know how ta use one o' dee's." Fresh said, as he handed the handle to Ink. "We'll still go fer da deer. Dey get ta be pret good size out 'ere. Da neck, chest, and skull are near instant death. Da rest? It'll take longer fer dem ta come down."

Ink looked at the blade, smiling a little; that would donicely..

Although he didn't want to be..toointo it. He could have hurt Fresh. He gently accepted the blade, spinning it around in his hand before looking up at Fresh with a newfound eagerness.

"Where should we look next?" He asked, scouting the area a little.

"We'll have ta track a new trail. Come on, let's see where dee's two come's from." Fresh laid a hand on the deer's cooling body, and it disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. Standing back up, he started in the direction the deer had come from.

Ink followed along, bouncing eagerly as he looked for trails like Fresh had found; unfortunately, he still wasn't sure exactly what to look for, and most trails weren't obvious..at least, they weren't tohim.

Fresh's trained eyes searched the ground for the telltale signs of wild life, namely the larger game they sought. He would stop briefly to point out the signs to Ink in a low voice. Broken branches, bent stems, different types of droppings, and the shapes of tracks. He took this opportunity to teach Ink how to find his way through the forest. Ink found the entire thing interesting; he had never really had tosurvivebefore, since he was immortal. It was fascinating..he wondered how others could do this all the time, though. Having a home was much easier to deal with.

Up the path they followed were more deer. Fresh subtly stepped to the side and nodded towards them; he whispered under his breath, "Ya kno' wat ta do?"

"Uh-huh." Ink nodded, stepping closer to the deer.

He got as close as he could without being noticed, and when he was, he bolted for one of the forest creatures; unfortunately for it, Ink could catch it. First, he disabled its legs. Ink spent the next five minutes tormenting the animal mercilessly, before giving it a not-so-painless death. When he returned to Fresh, he was..covered in blood..but he was smiling!

"That was fun!" He grinned.

Fresh allowed himself a small smile. While he normally wouldn't approve of this, circumstances had required it. It was better for Ink to hurt animals than it was for him to hurt people. If he was going to ween Ink off of torture, then this was a good first step. There were plenty more after this, but it was a start.

"Glad yer enjoyin' yerself." Fresh eventually said. "Feelin' better den?"

"Yeah!" Ink nodded quickly. "Are we gonna do more, or...?"

Ink would have liked to do more..but that might have defeated the purpose of trying to stop. He didn't feel his urges too much anymore; anything beyond this would have mostly been for fun, really, and he wasn't sure if Fresh would approve of that.

"If yer confident ya can control yer urges now, den I say we call it a day." Fresh stated, looking down at the remains of the animal before them. "We'll clean up here an' den I can show ya how ta skin an' process wat we caught."

"Okay!" Ink nodded, wondering what was next; this was exciting!

Fresh nodded and started with the clean up; he didn't want to waste the meat, but given its state, it wasn't completely safe either. A lot of blood had soaked into the flesh, making it questionable at best.

In the end, they dropped it off with a dog food factory before going back home.

There, Fresh led Ink to a shed behind the cabin. Inside was a work table and a meat hook from the ceiling. Because while he didn't care for hunting, it was always good to be prepared.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Ink had never done this before; he wondered if he would get to do it again. "Do we just..eat it? I'm not much for raw meat, but I wouldn't mind it. Can we cook it first?"

Fresh snorted and gave Ink an amused look. "We gotta prepare dem first. Skin and gut 'em. Ya kno' anythin' 'bout dat?"

In a puff of punk smoke, Fresh had the deer in his hands and hung it on the hook. He then got ice out of a deep freezer and put it in a small tub, before placing the rabbit in it.

He grabbed the necessary tools for the task.

"Uh..I think I've done it to..humans." Ink blinked. "Is this like that? Because I thought that was just torture."

Fresh decided to skim over part of that and said, "Ya gotta skin an animal before ya can cook it. Otherwise ya get fur an junk in ya good. Its got a practical purpose outside o' torture "

He handed Ink the tools needed for the task.

"Oh, okay!" Ink nodded, accepting the tools and starting.

Surprisingly, he seemed to know exactly how to do this. He must have used that particular type of torture more than once in his years. After about ten minutes, the deer was fully skinned, and Ink hummed, looking at it with a squint.

"It's ugly." He stated. "What do we do next?"

Fresh snorted in surprise, pulling over a, ice bucket. "Now we cut it open an' get da guts out. Don' damage dem, cause doe's can be used fer different recipes."

"Ah, all right." Ink nodded, although he didn't seem sure how to do this part. "Where do we start?"

"Start here." Fresh pointed to the deer's stomach at the end and dragged his finger down. "And go down..."

"All right." Ink followed Fresh's instructions to the letter, making sure that he didn't do anything that Fresh didn't tell him to do.

After a while, the deer was entirely dealt with, and Ink was ready to move on.

"What do we do now?" He asked. "Is there more to do here, or can we do something else?"

At some point, when he thought Ink had it covered, Fresh had cleaned and prepared the rabbit. The meat from both kills was packed away in a freezer.

"We're done 'ere. How's ya needs right now?" Fresh asked, handing Ink a cloth to clean up; he wiped his own hands off, as well.

"I'm feeling fine." Ink smiled, wiping his hands off. "It was..pretty fun. I liked it. Should we go get the children now, or should I start cooking some of this?"

"We should cook some o' dis. It'll be good." Fresh said, looking down at the ground with a worried expression. "But, uh...only enough fer da two o' us. Da kiddos are gonna stay da night wit Gaster."

"All right." Ink nodded, not deciding to question it. "Would you rather eat venison or rabbit?"

"Rabbit sounds pretty good right now." Fresh decided, looking back up with a small smile.

"All right!" Ink nodded, grabbing the rabbit and getting back to the house, where he would prepare a meal for himself and his master; this would be a great meal!

Fresh followed him inside, ready to take a bath. Actually, Ink could have used one too.

"Yo, broski?? Ya probs should take a quick shower and change fo' ya cook." Fresh suggested.

"Huh?" Ink looked down at his clothes, realizing that he was still covered in blood. "Oh..sorry. I can just.."

Ink opened a code bar for just a second, before typing in a simple command. Within a second, his clothes were clean.

"All done!" He grinned.

"Dat works." Fresh nodded and started towards the bathroom. "Imma shower den. See ya in a few."

"See ya!" Ink grinned, before going to the kitchen.

He began to create..hm..perhaps a roast would be appropriate. He wasn't sure what Fresh would have preferred, but putting the meat into the oven was the most straightforward way to cook it he could think of! He began to prepare the meal, making sure to also make some mashed potatoes in case Fresh didn't like the meat. Fresh didn't take long to clean up. He returned to the kitchen soon enough, leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets. He was now dressed in casual sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"What's cookin', broski?" He asked with a relaxed smile.

"Rabbit roast." Ink replied, peeling some potatoes.

"Sounds rad, broski. Need any help wit dat?"

"I'm fine." Ink assured. "There isn't much to do, anyway; do you prefer gravy or straight juice, by the way?"

"Gravy sounds good." Fresh said; he honestly didn't care at the moment. He just felt tired.

"Gravy it is!" Ink smiled, wondering what rabbit gravy tasted like..

He hoped it tasted good. It probably would. He didn't need to worry. Probably..

He continued to cook, and Fresh eventually sat down and watched Ink cook with a calm expression. With the kids out of the house, Fresh felt a little better about this. Sure, he was still a liability right now, but at least there were less people around for him to accidentally hurt. After a good while, Ink finished making dinner. He sliced the meat carefully and made sure that Fresh got enough to sustain him; Ink didn't care how much he got as long as his master was happy. Once he was done plating the food and pouring the gravy, he took the plates out to the dining toom.

"Ready to eat?" Ink inquired.

Fresh nodded and smiled. "Yeah, thanks for cookin', broski."

"No problem!" Ink smiled, sitting down at the table. "I hope you like it; I've never cooked rabbit before, so..it was an experience."

"I'm sure its jus' fine. Ya always do good." Fresh assured him, before taking a bite and humming; it wasn't bad. "Like I said, ya did good."

"Thank you, Fresh!" Ink grinned, beginning to eat his food; it really wasn't bad! "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Some water would be nice."

"All right!" Ink got up to get his master some water, returning with a glass and ice. "Here you go! Do you need anything else?"

"Thanks, broski. And nah. I'm good now." Fresh said, taking a drink. Putting it down, he asked, "How ya doin,' by da way?"

Why do youcare..?

The voice chuckled as Ink began to reply.

"I, um..I'm all right." Ink assured. "I think I'll be okay for a while; you don't have to worry about me!"

"I don' think I'll stop worryin', even when dis is over. Dat's part o' carin'." Fresh reminded, shifting uncomfortably when the voice spoke. "Andyes,I mean care 'bout you."

"..Are you okay?" Ink wondered, noticing the shift. "Are you anxious? I can give you a massage while you eat, if you'd like!"

"...No, but dat's not necessary. Its the sitch. Its gettin' ta me, ya kno'?" Fresh attempted a reassuring smile.

"I understand..can I do anything to make it more bearable? Maybe lighten your load for a while? I want to help..just let me know how."

He alwayshasbeen the best..such a good little slave.

Fresh's hands clenched under the table, and his smile turned fake; it was enough to fool anyone, though. "You are helping me, broski. By being close. I feel better knowing you're here."

Fresh felt better knowing there was someone whomighthave been able to stop him if something happened. He refused to put the kids in danger, and Gaster wasn't a fighter. And with no way to ask the those in the other multiverse for help, then their options were limited. Ink smiled at the compliment, his worries being assuaged for the time being.

"All right." He nodded, looking back to his food. "But if you need anything, just let me know! I'd be happy to help!"

"I will when I can, thanks." Fresh said vaguely; how much would it take for Ink to figure it out? He didn't know, so he decided to go back to his food. He needed to figure out a way to get Fate to find out.

You reallydon't.

Ink went back to eating his food, ignorant of Fresh's worries.

I will be free of you eventually.Fresh snapped back, keeping his expression calm and taking a bite of his food.

Just keep telling yourself that.

I will, because it's true. So don't get comfortable.Fresh was probably pushing it, but he felt the need to say it - to rebel even in the littlest of ways.

It'syouwho shouldn't get too comfortable..

The voice faded away with a chuckle.

Fresh suppressed a shudder and roughly swallowed his food. To take his mind off of the threat to his and everyone's lives here, he looked up at Ink and tried to make small talk, "So, any plans for this evening?"

"Uh, not really." Ink shook his skull. "I'll do whatever you want me to do. I could start cleaning the attic, if you'd like."

"Dat's not a bad idea. Mind if I help?" Fresh requested. Normally, he would have been making his rounds and checking on the kiddos in the multiverse; he hadn't had a chance to properly do that since Ink arrived. And he still couldn't, not without putting the kids in danger.

"You can, if you want. It'syourhouse, after all! When do you want to start?"

"After we eat is fine." Fresh nodded; he was in no hurry.

"All right!" Ink continued to eat his food, humming a tune as he ate.

Fresh took his time to eat, not too fast or too slow. When they were finished, he stood up with his dishes to clean them.

"I can do that!" Ink assured, standing up and attempting to intercept Fresh.

Fresh let him take the dishes and sighed, smirking playfully. "So close..."

"Yet so far!" Ink grinned, taking the dishes to the kitchen and beginning to wash them.

Fresh chuckled, following Ink to watch. Once Ink was done, he led him to the hallway and lowered the attic door, revealing a foldable staircase.

"So, what do you want to keep, and what should I get rid of?" Ink inquired, beginning to move up to the attic.

"Got a lot o' old furniture dat sum o' da folks 'ere gifted. Didn't need it all, so I stored it 'ere." Fresh explained. "Any clothes up 'ere I need ta go through wit da twins. Dey grew a tad. Might giv dem ta da other kids out 'dere."

Large white sheets covered couches, chairs, and a few tables. Stacked about were boxes, mostly filled with clothes.

"All right!" Ink nodded, walking over to the first box and beginning to clean up.

Despite how much seemed to be up here, Ink was determined to tidy the entire attic up by the end of the day. It would be a challenge, but it was one that he was willing to face! The hours went by, with the two going through the boxes and moving furniture downstairs to set them out front. Fresh would ask around if anyone needed anything, and he would take the rest to a furniture shop in New Home.

The clothing was neatly stacked to the side, ready to be sorted at a later date, and a few boxes had toys the twins had stored up there, along with a few Fresh thought they might enjoy when they were older, including a couple skateboards he planned to surprise them with later.

In one box, however, was a photo album. Half hidden under some moth-eaten sweaters, the worn book stood out. There was a picture sticking out of the book, having slid out when the box was moved. Ink could just barely make out a familiar colorful jacket.

"Hmm.." Ink grinned, picking up the photo album. "What's this?"

He looked up to Fresh, wondering if he could look inside; he liked seeing old pictures of people he knew..except for the ones he didn't like. He didn't really like Dream..he really never wanted to see him again.

Fresh glanced over and hummed questioningly, a bit distracted by the box he had.. "Find somethin', broski?"

"Looks like pictures!" Ink commented. "Can we look at them?Please?"

"Uh, sure." Fresh stood up and walked over, looking down at the book; his expression was unreadable when he recognized it. "Huh, I was wondering where dat went..."

He sat down cross legged next to Ink and opened to the first page. There were four pictures, including the loose one. They were all of Fresh and a Papyrus in various poses in Snowdin.ASnowdin, anyway. The Papyrus was dressed similarly to to Fresh.

In one picture, the Papyrus was covered in head to toe in silly string with Fresh grinning in the foreground. He was clearly the perpetrator.

Ink tilted his skull at the images, humming.

"Your AU?" He assumed; it looked like the sort of place Fresh would have lived.. "It looks nice."

"Yep. Dat was my bro. He went by da name 'Coolio, when we learned 'bout da multiverse." Fresh said, recalling their first interaction with other worlds.

"Cool.." Ink smiled a little, before frowning. "I guess you..aren't together anymore? I mean, I haven'tseenhim, so.."

Fresh lifted a picture of the two looking into the camera, their matching glasses raised to show off their eyelights.

"...I don' kno' where he is. We got separated afta our world got destroyed." Fresh said quietly, staring down at the picture. "Lot O' da survivors were scattered."

"Oh..sorry." Ink looked down. "I didn't mean to make you sad..I guess I just don't really understand family bonds that well. It comes with being a soulless twit.."

"Not ya fault." Fresh sighed, shaking his head. "And ya may not understand it, but I doubt it's because o' dat."

"But itis.."Ink looked down, frowning. "He told me so..so it'sgottabe true.."

"If ya mean Broomie, den kno' dat he was lying. I've met plenty of soulless beings in my time, an' tons understood how family bonds worked." Fresh tilted his head and looked at Ink. "And I've met plety o' beings wit souls dat didn't. Having one 'o not don' determine dat."

"It wasn't Broomie..although he agreed." Ink shrugged. "Dream told me..he told me alot.."Ink sighed. "And he has family, so..so he knows what he's talking about..right?"

"Hmm...what's his current relationship wit his family?" Fresh asked, not liking what he was hearing; even his son, who didn't fully understand emotions (ironic, right?) knew better than to make a claim like this.

"Well..he and Nightmare..don't really talk anymore.." Ink started, frowning. "But..that's my fault, too..I made Nightmare look like a villain, and Dream wanted to be a good guy..it's all my fault.."

"Does Dream try to talk to Nightmare? Actually, talk to him?" Fresh continued, scooting closer to Ink.

"..Yes, but..I always..tried to stop him..he doesn't deserve Nightmare, anyway.." Ink huffed, before looking at Fresh with a frown. "Sorry..that was mean.."

"You care about Nightmare, doncha ya?" Fresh said thoughtfully. "Why try to stop them from talking? Was it just to keep up the villain image?"

"...Back when..the multiverse was young.." Ink sighed. "I was friends with..their mother. When she died, I..she asked me to take care of them. But..when I finally started paying attention, it was a mess. Dream wasneverwith his brother! He sometimes left him alone for days or weeks at a time..and Nightmare thought he was the greatest. I..I adopted him..as my nephew. I just..Dream doesn't evenknowhis brother..he made his choice a long time ago..he doesn't deserve him.."

"What kept little Dream away?" Fresh wondered. His twins did everything together; he couldn't imagine them ever being apart. It was Dream's idea for them to share a room.

"..There was a village near the Tree of Feelings..the villagers appealed more to Deam than his brother, apparently." Ink sighed.

"Hmm...and Dream had a choice in going with them?"

"Pretty sure he'd have hadeveryopportunity to decline every once in a while over the span of five hundred years.." Ink glared at the ground; it was rather obvious that he wasn't fond of the Dream he knew..

Fresh frowned. He didn't know the Dream of Ink's multiverse, so he couldn't really comment on that situation. All he knew was how his son behaved.

"I see...well, that aside, your understanding has nothing to do with you being soulless. That's something you can still learn." Fresh decided to get back to the original topic.

"I'm pretty stupid." Ink sighed. "I'm not sure it'll stick. Thanks, though..it means a lot..but I don't deserve it. I don't deserveanything.I'm sorry if I'm a burden; I'm not trying to be. I nevertryto be. I justam.I just..ruin everything."

Fresh wrapped an arm around Ink and pulled him into a hug. "Ya ain't a burden. I can see ya tryin', doin'ya best ta help. So I kno'ya care. And as fer deserving it? Ya deserve more dan ya think."

Ink looked down, sighing. He didn't believe that..he didn't deserveanyof this care or love. But he couldn't argue with his master; that would have been wrong.

You're disgusting..really. We're going to have to work on your attitude.

Why don't you work on yours instead.Fresh grumbled in his mind.

He rested his skull against Ink's and whispered, "Jus' keep tryin'. Da more ya do dat, da easier things get. An' I'll be 'ere ta help ya, every step o' da way."

How would you like to step outside again?

"Thanks.." Ink nodded. "I'll get..back to work. I'm sorry for all that; I shouldn't have been so annoying."

Ink stood up promptly, going back to his cleaning; he didn't seem to want to talk further on the subject.

You should try to be more like him. He's a wonderful result of our teachings..wouldn't you say?

Fresh grit his teeth, his opinions about their'teachings'quite clear. He ignored the voice and went back to sorting through boxes. They were nearly done with the attic, anyway. After a while, the attic was fully cleaned up, and Ink smiled, happy that his goal had been completed! Now that the attic was clean, Ink could search for other things to do to help out..and maybe focus on helping Fresh, too..his master didn't quite understand everything involved in owning a slave, and Ink would have liked to help him out a little..

"Nice work, Ink. I'll look through the clothes downstairs later. I should probably make some calls about the furniture...maybe Miss Bun needs some new chairs..." Fresh said, muttering that last part.

"I can do that for you!" Ink volunteered. "You know, withmearound, you don't really have to do any heavy lifting at all! I can just do it all for you! Many masters have their slaves handle all their unimportant affairs; it's..standard, really. Broomie didn't really do it too much with me, though, since he..didn't really have any business until he needed me to perform his summoning ritual."

Fresh opened his mouth to tell Ink he liked helping Ink, that he didn't mind the work; he stopped when he caught that last part. "Summoning ritual?"

"Uh, yeah?" Ink blinked, tilting his skull before humming. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know. Well, in my multiverse, there are several different planes of existence; one of them is the home of the demons. They only have limited access with the main world, but their possession factors into travel. They can haveimmensepower in the main world, but they need to work for it. After possessing someone and altering their code, they can use their victim in a summoning ritual, through which they can develop bodies of their own to use in the main world. It's really hard, though; depending on the victim, they have to first show their dominance, then do a few mental..things...? I'm not privy to all the aspects of it, but Broomie was close with me. After all that work, something called a 'summoning stone' appears somewhere in the multiverse, and after sacrificing ten random souls to it, the demon can get a body, and then they can basically do whatever they want."

"...Remind me to destroy that stone if it ever shows up." Fresh requested, with a dark expression. He would do everything in his power to prevent it; he knewhewouldn't allow this thing access to his code, but he couldn't guarantee the children wouldn't.

He needed to call Gaster and talk to him about Fate. Maybe he could help the baby warn everyone.

"Uh, there isn't just one, and I'm not sure theycanbe destroyed.." Ink informed. "But they only show up if a demon's gotten so far in the summoning process; it would take quite a while. "Anyway, do you need anything to be done? I'm ready and willing to help!"

"Right..." Fresh shook his head and sighed to relieve some tension. "Uh, jus' need ta get da furniture ta anyone who wants it. Gotta make some calls."

"I can do that!" Ink grinned. "Just tell me who to call!"

Fresh sighed. "Guess we could both call folks up. Dere's enough fer two, dat's fer sure. Ya can use da landline in da kitchen while I use my cell."

Fresh wrote down some names and numbers, handing the paper to Ink.

"All right!" Ink took the paper and went to the kitchen, beginning to make calls. He wasn't sure how Fresh wanted him to go about this, but he ultimately decided to just ask people whether they wanted the furniture or not in a straightforward way, and quite a few agreed. They said they would be by later that day to collect them, thanking Ink for the call.

Fresh finished his calls about the same time Ink did and walked I to the kitchen. "How'd it go?"

"Well!" Ink replied, grinning. "A few people said they'd come! Did you get any takers?"

"Got a few, yeah. Miss Bun said she'd take whatever was left fer her in-laws' niece. Jus' had a litter apparently." Fresh said with a pleased smile.

"Aww, baby bunnies are so cute!" Ink beamed, grinning. "Shall I organize what we have to make it neater?"

"Good idea. Gerson said he'd be by in half an hour, so we should get started on that." Fresh said, clearly planning to help.

"Okay."

Ink began to move the heaviest pieces of furniture first, not wanting his master to hurt himself if he were to try; Ink didn't intend to allow his master the chance, however. He didn't want his master to be hurt by physical labor..that was a slave's job, and he was a slave - it washisjob, even if his master wanted to help. Fresh had other plans. He didn't wantInkto get hurt.

He grabbed the other end of the chair Ink was carrying and helped him move it to the correct spot.

"You don't need to do all this." Ink said, calmly, as Fresh helped. "I can handle it; I'm feeling a lot better now."

"Dat's good. Still good ta have help." Fresh replied, just as calmly. "No need for ya ta strain ya self."

"..If you insist." Ink nodded, accepting the answer; he wasn't going to argue, as much as he disagreed with his master's wishes.

They continued in this manner, moving large pieces of furniture together and smaller pieces individually. The furniture in the yard was neat and tidy by the time Gerson arrived.

"Looks like you boys have been busy." The old turtle commented as he walked up to them.

"Ya kno' how it is. Work hard, play hard." Fresh removed his hat and wiped his brow. "Doe I think I'd nap instead."

"WA ha ha! You? Take a nap? I doubt that..." Gerson laughed good naturedly. He looked up at Ink with a curious look, holding out a hand. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Gerson. I run a shop down in Waterfall."

Ink shook the other's hand with a smile.

"My name's Ink." He introduced. "I'm Fresh's new sl-"

Ink caught himself at a difficult moment, holding his word for an uncomfortable amount of time before finding a different word to say..he kept forgetting that Fresh didn't want others to know about Ink's position..

"-lighty weird roommate...?" He finished, hoping that the other would accept that answer..

Gerson squinted at Ink with his good eye, studying him critically. "Roommate, ey? Didn't know Fresh was looking for one."

"It jus' sorta happened." Fresh shrugged with a calm smile. "One o' da kiddos introduced us, an' things went from 'dere."

Gerson turned his stare at Fresh and hummed. He didn't seem to buy that, but he shrugged. "If you say so. So, where's the couch you were telling me about?"

"Right over 'ere." Fresh says, leading the elderly monster to a polka dot couch.

Ink followed over, not saying another word; he had already messed up too much already..he didn't need to do it again. He was stupid, but he knew when to shut up..he hoped.

Gerson inspected the couch and nodded. "The pattern is absolutely hideous! But, wa ha ha, my daughter will love it."

"She still a handful?" Fresh chuckled.

"Try five! Keeps me on my toes, that's for certain." Gerson smiled fondly.

"Kids do be like dat. I'll get dis ta yer place right quick." Fresh said, standing behind the couch and setting his hands down on it.

"I appreciate it." Gerson nodded.

"Aight. Ink, be right back." Fresh said, turning his attention to Ink.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Ink asked, seeming worried about Fresh. "That's probably really heavy, and I wouldn't want you to get hurt! Maybe I should come with you? Or I could take it myself? I could handle it!"

"Should be aight, Ink." Fresh tried to reassure with him. "Gettin' it dere is easy. I'll jus' poof it dere. After dat we'll jus' move it inta place."

"Well...if you'resure.."Ink sighed, nodding and backing away. "I'll be waiting here, then; let me know if you need me. Or let me know if you justwantme..or if there's something else I can do..."

Fresh nodded. "Ya got it. If anyone shows up, help 'em wit da furniture dey asked fer."

"Yes, Fresh!" Ink nodded, standing by and preparing to be helpful..if there was going to be any way to be helpful while Fresh was gone.

Fresh looked at Gerson and the other laid a hand on Fresh's arm.

FRESH POOF!

This left Ink alone in the yard. It would be a little while before anyone else arrived. Once the two were gone, Ink sighed, plopping down into an armchair that had been near the couch. He crossed his arms as he sat back, wishing he had been able to convince his master to let him help. Training a master was hard, though..Fresh knew almostnothingabout the culture that Ink had lived with for a good portion of his life, and..Ink couldn't just teach him. He had to be subtle about things..and Fresh didn't always agree with him. But he would continue..and maybe, one day, Fresh would understand him..

But that day clearly wasn't today.

A few minutes later, a young monster walked up to the cabin and looked around; he noticed Ink and asked, "Oh, hello! I got a call about a chair?"

"Huh?" Ink blinked, standing up promptly. "Oh, uh, yeah, we've got a ton of stuff here! See anything you like? We've got a few chairs."

"That one looks nice." The monster decided, pointing to a floral arm chair.

"All right!" Ink smiled. "I can transport that to your home for you! Do you see anything else you'd like?"

"I only needed the chair, thank you. I wouldn't mind help, though. Thank you."

"Of course!" Ink grinned, lifting up the chair. "Where to?"

"I live in Snowdin on Poff st. Not too far." The monster said brightly. "Do you need help carrying that?"

"No, thanks; I've got it." Ink shook his skull. "You just lead the way; I'm new around here, so I don't really know where places are.."

"Okay!" The monster nodded, starting towards town. "I'm Pine, by the way. What's your name?"

"Ink." Ink answered briefly, not knowing if Fresh would have wanted him associating with this person; he couldn't betoocareful, after all!

"Nice to meet you, Ink."

The walk to town wasn't long, thankfully, and they soon reached it. Ink was silent for the rest of the way, not making conversation or humming..he didn't feel very comfortable without familiar faces around him..

Not that he always felt comfortable evenwiththem..

They reached Pine's house, and he opened the door, holding it open for Ink. "You can just set it inside. I'll move it later."

"All right." Ink set the chair down inside the house. "Do you need anything else before I go back?"

"No, that's okay. Thank you!"

"Very well - goodbye!" Ink waved, beginning to walk back in the direction of Fresh's cabin.

"Bye!" Pine waved.

Fresh was already back at the cabin by the time he arrived. He smiled at Ink as he returned. "Hey, Ink. Someone come while I was gone den?"

Ink smiled when he saw his master, running up to greet him. "Hello, Fresh! Yes, someone came, and I helped them take a chair to their house! I'm back now, though, if you need me for anything!"

"Good job, Ink. Not much ta do 'til someone else comes, doe." Fresh informed, smiling back. "We got a mo ta chillax 'til den."

"All right." Ink nodded. "Would you like me to get you anything while we wait?"

"Nah, I'm good. How's 'bout you, doe? Ya wan' somethin' ta drink?"

"I'm fine." Ink assured. "You're more important."

"We're both important, broski. Even if ya don' believe it." Fresh countered, giving Ink a patient look. "Now, how's 'bout a snack? I think I got sum cheesy crackers somewhere."

"I can find them for you!" Ink grinned, running off into the house without another word.

Immediate obedience was a virtue; he would teach Fresh that, first. It was an easy lesson.

Fresh sighed, shaking his head. He could tell this had something to do with Ink's life style. They would figure this out. Eventually.

Meanwhile, the cheesy crackers were in the cabinets next to the sink.

It's soniceto see him still helping us...

Ink swiftly located the snack, grabbing the crackers promptly and returning to Fresh, still grinning happily.

"Here you go!" He gave the crackers to his master.

"Thanks, broski." Fresh returned the smile, ignoring the voice; it wouldn't know nice if it bit it on the behind.

"I'm happy to serve!"

"I know ya are. Ya wan' some?" Fresh asked as he shook the box.

"Only if you want me to. I'm not really hungry right now, but I'd take an order!" Ink shrugged, as if that were normal for him.

"If you aren't hungry an' ya don' wan' dem, den I ain't gonna make ya. I'm askin' what youwant."Fresh emphasized, trying to get his point across.

Ink let out a small knowing chuckle, before shaking his skull.

"You can be really interesting sometimes!" He commented. "Most masters would just make me do what they wanted me to! Sorry if I'm acting a bit weird, but..we come fromreallydifferent backgrounds..am I making you feel uncomfortable?"

"I kno' we're different, broski. Dat's alright. We'll figure this out." Fresh said calmly, though his smile drooped; the last thing he needed weretwobeings trying to get him to accept this'life style.'He would fight this every step of the way.

"All right." Ink nodded. "Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable; I'm still..not used to all this."

"I kno' ya don' mean ta. An' we'll work through dis." Fresh laid a hand on Ink's shoulder and sighed. "I'm jus'...now jus' really ain't da best time fer dis, ya kno'?"

"..Yeah." Ink nodded. "Sorry. It's just..I don't like thinking about big things..and focusing on smaller things helps me keep my cool...I'll try to keep myself under control, Fresh."

"I can understand dat. We'll jus' hafta keep busy den." Fresh sighed, looking to the side, and his gaze glanced over the direction he had a'talk'the other day.

Why don't you let him help you understand? You'd do well to listen to him.

"Right!" Ink grinned. "I can clean this furniture up a bit more; it could use it!"

Ink began to clean up the furniture that was still here, making it look nicer and ridding it of any dust or stains. Fresh sighed, letting Ink clean to his heart's content. If it took the guy's mind off of the situation, then all right. He still wasn't giving up on breaking Ink out of this mindset. Andno onewas going to make him change that.

We'll see about that...

Ink continued to clean, making each piece of furniture neat and tidy for its new owners. One by one, people came to claim chairs and couches from the two. They helped them move them to the people's homes, even going as far to help them place it just right.

It took the majority of the day to do so.

When the last piece of furniture was gone, Ink let out a sigh of relief before sitting down on the ground with a huff.

"That was tiring.." He admitted. "What's next?"

"If you feel up to it, den we can see 'bout catching up on da laundry. Der ain't much, but it still need doin'." Fresh said, wanting to sit down himself. But there was still work that needed to be done.

"Got it!" Ink rose back up to his feet and went into the cabin to start the laundry as any obedient slave would have.

Oh, just relax.

The voice seemed..rather annoyed with Fresh's thought processes.

You've got him to do everythingforyou; why not take a break already? You've been up foragesat this point.

Fresh entered the house behind Ink, and after knocking the snow off his shoes just outside the door and wiping his feet, he called out after Ink. "Imma be right wit you! Jus' get dem together an' I'll help sort!"

The voice sighed.

I'll break you..eventually.

"All right!" Ink shouted from a different room, undoubtedly collecting clothes that needed to be washed.

"Don't hold your breath." Fresh muttered as he headed down the hallway.

Fresh found Ink putting dirty clothes into the laundry basket diligently, humming a tune as he went about his work.

"Lookin' good. Which rooms haven't been checked yet?" Fresh asked Ink.

"Just mine." Ink informed, standing up. "I can get it, though; I don't have much in there. You seem tired. This isn't difficult; do you want to just relax?"

"Nah, I'd prefer ta stay busy." Fresh answered. "Imma get started on sortin' da colors."

"If you insist." Ink nodded, going on his way to his room. "I'll be right back."

"Aight." Fresh nodded, kneeling down to start separating the lights, darks, and colors. There really wasn't much, but it helped take his mind off things for a little bit.

This is a slave's work. You're hismaster...

A brief surge of pain shot up Fresh's arms.

Fresh gruntsped and dropped the shirt in his hand; he shook his arms out and picked the shirt back up, putting it in the correct pile.

"Don' care. Gonna it, no matter wha' ya say." Fresh huffed, continuing the task.

I'll teach you...or, perhaps..

"Fresh, are you all right?" Ink inquired, rushing over; it appeared that he had seen Fresh's brief struggle. "Did something happen? I can help!"

Perhapswewill..

The voice chuckled lowly.

Fresh frowned briefly. What did it mean that?

"Hey, Ink...yeah, someo- something hurt my arms. They're fine now." Fresh admitted, putting a smile on. "Did ya get yer clothes?"

"Yeah, I've got them." Ink nodded, putting his dirty clothes with the other ones. "You shouldn't be working if you're injured. Do you need any healing? At the very least, you should sit down for a while..I don't want you to strain yourself, especially doing something thatI'msupposed to do.."

"I'm not injured. Its jus' a minor annoyance." Fresh's smile quirked higher at his little jab. "An' last I checked, we all wear clothes. Dat means I should help."

"..I don't know why you're so insistent, but all right." Ink sighed, allowing Fresh to have his way. "Just..please don't push yourself too hard.."

"No harder than I need ta, aight?" Fresh assured him, still sorting the clothes.

"All right. But I'll be watching you!"

"Ya got it, broski." Fresh chuckled.

The sorting didn't take long, and soon the first load was in. While they waited for that, they needed something else to do. Fresh wasn't sure if there was anything that even needed doing; everything was pretty much done.

"Guess it's break time. Ready fer lunch, broski?" Fresh asked.

"Of course, Fresh!" Ink nodded. "Shall I make you something?"

Just say "yes"; you're tired. I can literallyfeelyour fatigue. It's disgusting.

"Told ya before, I like cookin' wit ya." Fresh smilesd starting towards the kitchen. "How's 'bout we make sum chicken an' seasoned potatoes? I kno' sum easy recipes."

You're going to pay for this..I'll makesureof it..

"If that's what you want.." Ink nodded, accepting Fresh's decision. "But remember not to push yourself..please."

"No mor' den I hafta."

When they reached the kitchen, Fresh grabbed a bag of potatoes.

He pulled out enough for the two of them and handed them to Ink. "I'll get started on da meat. Wash these and cut dem up, aight?"

"Yes, Fresh!" Ink saluted, before going to prepare the poatatoes; he wouldn't fail his master!

"Thanks, Ink." Fresh said.

He pulled some chicken breast from the freezer, noticing the pancakes Ink had made the other day. They'd have to eat some tomorrow. Grabbing a cutting board, he started to chop the meat into cubes; cutting it frozen made the process easier. Meanwhile, Ink was finishing up washing the potatoes and was now cutting them up. He didn't know exactly how big or small his master wanted them, but he believed that the small chunks he had cut would be a good size; they didn't seem too big or too small. Fresh placed the chicken in a pan and seasoned it, placing a lid on it.

"How's doe's potatoes coming?" He asked

"They're coming along well!" Ink replied, smiling. "What should I do after I finish cutting them up?"

"Mix 'em wit bakin' soda an' salt. Makes 'em crunchier."

"Got it."

Ink promptly finished cutting up the potatoes and followed Fresh's orders, not wanting to disappoint his master with something so trivial. While Ink did that, Fresh checked on the chicken, stirring occasionally. After seasoning the potatoes thoroughly, Ink looked back over to Fresh.

"What shall I do now?" He questioned, not exactly sure.

"Now we just stick 'em on a pan an' bake 'em. I's already got's da oven heated." Fresh directed, stepping to the side.

"All right!"

Ink followed the instructions quickly, putting the potatoes into the oven.

"Do you want any help over there?" He offered.

"Nah, I got it." Fresh said; he was grabbing some vegetables to go with the meal, thinking steamed broccoli would go good with it.

"All right.." Ink glanced back at the oven, sighing quietly; he had nothing to do at the moment, then..his master was the one working.

That wasn't right..

But he couldn't take control; he wasn't in a position to do that. He just had to deal with it.

Once the broccoli was in the in a pot and steaming, Fresh set the chicken on a low setting to keep it warm. It would be a little while before the other items were ready.

He went over to Ink and asked, "Hey, ya alright?"

"..It isn't right for you to be working while I'm not." Ink said, quietly. "It's..it's just notright.."

"Sounds like somethin'theywould say." Fresh commented, keeping his voice calm for Ink's sake.

"..They?"Ink blinked, looking up at his master. "Oh, well, um..I mean..itis.What they say. It's..it's just the way things are. Masters shouldn't work harder than their slaves; that's just common sense."

"Hmm...well, I guess I just don't see things the way they do." Fresh shrugged; he'd likely hear about this later, but he didn't care right now. "I don't see an issue with me working while you take a break."

"...Okay." Ink was visibly uncomfortable with the idea, but he wouldn't argue with his master...

Notyet,at least.

"It'll take time, but don' worry, you'll get used ta da idea." Fresh said, as he sat down; at this point, it really was just about waiting for the food to cook.

"If you say so.." Ink sighed, fiddling with his hands; this felt sowrong..

"Mhm...so, have you ever had seasoned potatoes before?" Fresh asked, trying to start a light conversation.

"Probably." Ink replied, quietly.

Don't confuse it. You're putting so much undue pressure on what would otherwise be a near-perfect slave.

You can shut up.Fresh snapped at the voice. While on paper, part of that sounded like sound advice, the rest was nothing but junk.

He sighed lightly to keep himself calm and asked, "Penny fer ya thoughts?"

"..I'm just not used to relaxing." Ink informed. "I..I'm used to doing what my master tells me, and nothing more.."

"Relaxing is good. Ya don' get much done if ya don' get some rest." Fresh said, leaning back in his own chair.

"..I guess so..but I usually just wait until I'm exhausted; it's easier to get permission that way..."

"Ya don' got ta worry 'bout dat wit me. If ya need a break, den all ya gotta do is ask."

"..You're really nice." Ink smiled a little at the statement. "Nicer than..almost everyone.."

"Thanks! I try ta be nice ta everyone." Fresh returned the smile.

And now you're going to shut up, if you know what's good for you.

"..Thanks." Ink looked over at the food, watching it cook. "It..means a lot."

Fresh was sorely tempted to say something just to spite the stupid thing. But he was pushing it as it was. Instead, he reached out and laid a hand on Ink's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

If he couldn'tsaywhat he wanted, then he would show it.

Ink seemed comforted by the gesture, smiling at Fresh gratefully. Fresh smiled back and nodded; after a moment, he stood up to check the food. Since the broccoli was done, he turned that and the chicken off. The potatoes were almost done, too. Ink paid attention to those, and when they were done, he tended to them, making sure not to burn himself in the process.

Fresh plated the food and set it down on the table. "Good work, Ink. These potatoes look great!"

"Thank you." Ink grinned, happy he had done well. "Is it ready now? Or is there more to do?"

"Dat's it. Only thing left is ta ask if ya wan' butter wit yer broccoli."

"No, thanks." Ink shook his skull. "Doyou?"

"S'pose I could do wit some." Fresh said lightly, starting to stand up.

"I've got it!" Ink assured, running back to the kitchen to grab some. "Do you want anything else? I can get that, too! You don't have to get up! It's entirely unnecessary!"

Fresh sighed, rolling his head with fond annoyance. "Jus' some water, thank you."

"Got it!"

Ink returned a moment later with some butter and water, putting both down on the table. He then went to get some plates and utensils, returning again with the items and finally sitting down.

After sitting, however, his eyelights widened, and he hopped back to his feet.

"Do you want me to serve it?" He offered, seeming nervous.

Hm..I wouldn't have expected such a major slip-up..what have you been putting into his mind?

"Dat's aight, Ink. Thanks for gettin'da butter an' water." Fresh smiled proudly; it seemed his efforts were paying off.

"Um, all right." Ink nodded, sitting down again. "Just let me know if there's anything you need me to do."

"Ya got it." Fresh nodded, starting to eat.

Ink didn't say anything more, only beginning to eat after his master. He idly wondered why he felt more..pushy.He..didn'tusuallyfeel like this. He didn't want to impose his ideals on his master..too quickly.

Maybe he was just being paranoid. His mind needed something to do. He just had to control it.

Fresh hummed appreciatively, holding up a potato on his fork. "Ya did good wit dee's, Ink. Good job."

"Thank you." Ink smiled at the praise, happy that his master enjoyed his cooking. "What you made is great..definitely better than anythingIcould ever create."

"Nah, man, don' do dat ta yerself. Ya cookin' is great! I jus' kno' da easy stuff." Fresh said, with a modest smile.

"..." Ink pushed back the urge to argue..it wasn't right. It wasn't proper. "I..don't think so. But thank you."

Interesting...

Fresh wasn't sure is this was a good sign or not, judging by the voice's comments. He would just have to proceed with caution.

"You're welcome. Ya did good seasonin' dem. Spread just right." He complimented, taking another bite.

"Thank you." Ink replied once more, before looking back down at his food; he just needed to focus on something other than his master right now..he would be fine.

Sensing the conversation was at an end, Fresh went back to his food as well. He wondered if this had to do with Ink's...upbringing.Fresh didn't know when Ink was first possessed, but either way it was long enough for it to have a lingering affect. He should look into it more. He had Ink's rules, but he probably needed more; where did one look for that sort of information?

The voice in the back of his mind chuckled lowly at his thoughts..

Fresh resisted the urge to frown. He didn't like it when this thing was happy - usually meant something was up. Ignoring it, he focused on his food. Maybe there was a book he could find. Maybe one of the adults knew something? Not likely, but it was something to try.

Why waste your time with books and myths..when you only need toask?

And trust you not to twist the truth?Fresh countered.

Oh,please!

The voice seemed to find his question terribly funny, laughing heartily at it before continuing to speak.

Would I lie about my ownculture?One that I amproudto be part of? Whywouldn'tI want to tell you? I'm interested in seeing your reactions.

Fresh mulled that over. He still didn't trust it, but even lies could tell him something.

I'll bite.He took a bite of food.Why is Ink acting like this? He's pushing yourculturemore than before.

Simple: we're telling him to. Subconscious suggestions are useful tools, especially when dealing with ones like him. Don't bother trying to stop it; you can't.

We'll see about that...Fresh thought, before asking,So these are left overs from when he was possessed?

Well..thesusceptibilityis. He wouldn't be quite so affected if he hadn't been under our control so long; luckily for us..hewas.

Anything else left over?Fresh asked; he needed to know what else to be on the look out for.

Oh, come, now; I won't tell youallour secrets...but I suppose I can tell you this: he'sverydevoted to us..even now that he's free! Of course, he won't be free for much longer!

He'sstayingfree. I'll ensure it. And I'll ensure youneverthreaten this multiverse again.Fresh stood up with his plate and turned so Ink wouldn't see the look on his face - the set frown and blank glasses with a faint purple glow behind them.

That, my little victim..will be easiersaidthandone.

Ink blinked, standing up quickly. "I can take your plate out for you! You don't have to get up for something so trivial.."

"Nah, it's alright, Ink. I got it." Fresh said cheerfully, replacing his dark look with a smile.

Ink didn't deserve his anger. That was reserved for a certain nuisance in his head.

"...If you insist.." Ink sighed, sitting down again; he..didn't need to push. That was disobedient behavior...his master wasn't ready to perform punishments.

Fresh washed his dishes and started putting the left overs away. "Ya want any more 'foe I put dis up?"

"No, thank you." Ink stood up to take over..or at least help. "I can do this; you can relax.."

"No need ta worry 'bout it, I got it." Fresh smiled.

Ink stared at Fresh blankly, clenching his fists tightly before sitting down once again..he knew it would end up like this.

He was useless.

Fresh had realized how useless he really was, and he had decided that Ink couldn't even put things into a fridge without screwing up. That was just..great.Congratulations, Ink! What a great way to mess everything up! Now, Fresh not only had to worry about his part in defending against a demon invasion that was all Ink's fault, but he also had to worry about common household chores! Ink's literaljob,which he was, obviously, not equipped to perform anymore!

He wanted to hurt someone.

Preferably himself.

Well..if he couldn't do his job, he needed to be punished..and if there was one thing Ink knew how to do..it was to hurt people. His master wouldn't do it, obviously..

So Ink would.

While Fresh was busy doing important things, Ink took the opportunity to get up and go to his room. When he was there, he locked the door; he didn't need Fresh trying to stop him. Hedeservedthis.

His quiet whimpers were muffled by his pillow as his punishment began.