Chapter Text
They feel themself start to exist.
It's a weird thing to be certain of-- from anyone else's perspective, one moment he was on Blue's couch, halfway through telling a story, and the next moment, nothing has changed. But he cuts off mid-sentence, staring into the distance, and knows--
This is the beginning of the multiverse.
Everything up to this point has been nothing but backstory. The real story starts right now.
He can't remember the story he was just telling.
"...Ink? You okay?"
Ink startles and turns instantly to look his friend in the eyes.
We've never really met.
Ink panics.
In just seconds, he's thrown up on the floor and teleported in a rush straight to the Doodle Sphere, leaving Blue no time to question what's going on before he's left, confused, alone in the living room.
...
(Dream walks in a moment later from the kitchen with three cups of tea.
"What happened?"
"No idea??" Blue says. "They just... froze, panicked and teleported away."
Dream looks at the paint on the floor, concerned. Nobody but Ink can access the Doodle Sphere, so Dream and Blue both know there's not much hope of going to check on them.
"I hope he's alright... should we try and call?"
"Already on it--" Blue unlocks his phone and goes to Ink's number-- then stops and looks at the other side of the couch, quickly changing to a disappointed expression when he sees. Ink's phone is barely poking out of the couch cushions, forgotten. Nothing to do but wait.)
...
Ink is alone in the Doodle Sphere. For the first time. He already knows everything about it. The multiverse spins around them. Within each world, people live as if they always have. Somewhere, a Dust makes his first kill, believing with the rest of the world that it was one of thousands-- a Frisk falls underground for the first time with no other life to go back to. They'll choose to stay with Toriel at the end. Error reboots in the anti-void-- Cross misses a world that never existed-- Dream hopes Ink is okay.
Ink remembers Dream and Blue-- his best friends. They've been not only protecting the multiverse from Error, Nightmare, and anything else that dares threaten it together, but also always there for each other and always happy to spend time together, for years now.
Years that didn't actually happen.
How can he face them-- the real them-- now?
He sits on the ground, hands over his face, and tries to focus. They know the characters, they know how to have a conversation--
He doesn't know how to have a conversation. he feels out of character-- he cant be out of character when it counts--
They curl up even smaller.
He's been aware he existed for about ten minutes and the weight of hundreds of worlds is on his shoulders. He's had no problem handling it before but he wasn't really there. How will they protect the multiverse now that it's really on them, for the first time? They cant fail now. They've never succeeded.
...Their first act of free will should be cooler than this. Ink can still be a character-- is still a character. Ink is silly and impulsive-- annoying (on purpose, at least usually), mysterious and inexplicable, not concerned with being "normal," and his friends know and accept that-- an easy character to play, right? Even if he plays him a little wrong, that too can be a part of the character. No one will suspect a thing. He's got this.
Ink stands up, wipes the edge of their eye sockets (for no reason) and teleports straight back to Blue's living room.
They materialize out of the paint puddle still in front of the couch, jumpscaring Blue and Dream. Blue flinches and Dream makes a quiet squeaky noise.
"Heyyy guys what's up?" Ink says, cheerfully, getting on the couch.
Blue and Dream are on opposite sides of the couch. Dream sits with crossed legs, while Blue is entirely on the sofa, and sideways, leaning his side on the back cushion. Ink remembers it would be in character for him to sit even more incorrectly, so he climbs up to flip upside down in the middle with his legs over the back of the couch. He smiles up at Blue and Dream in a normal and friendly way.
"What were you doing? Are you okay?" Dream asks. He looks concerned.
Ink really can't explain the truth to him.
"I... forgot? Everything's fine though!"
His friends look suspiciously at each other. Nobody says anything for a moment. Something is wrong. Ink needs to fix this. He says something that seems in character.
"I-have-to-go-prank-Error-or-something-see-you-guys-later-love-you-bye---"
The end of his sentence is cut off as he sort-of-backflips off the sofa from his upside down position into the... portal. Nailed it! They're so good at being a person from real life.
...
(Yeah, something's definitely wrong.)