The Stage is Set

The Sweetest Suffering of a Parent pt.1

Derniere Danse - Indila

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Blue looks up at Reaper with confusion. He points at himself with a disbelieving chuckle. He must have heard wrong. That can't be right. That shouldn't be right. He has his parents in UnderSwap. Right? Those are his parents! Sure he can't remember anyone other than his Gaster, but still! Ink can't be his parent. This doesn't make sense. There has to be another explanation. Maybe they share a name? No, that couldn't have been it. He's been out in the Multiverse longer than most, second to Cross. That doesn't make sense. He would've met Ink's child. Maybe he was just trying to tell Blue something instead. That has to be it. Maybe he heard it wrong. He must have. Did he say that before?

He looks around at the other bewildered expressions. "Me? I'm Ink's son?" He starts to laugh, tears filling his sockets as the pieces start to fit together, but he doesn't want to accept them. He refuses. No. It can't make sense. No. He won't let it. "I can't be Ink's son!" He shakes his skull as he laughs. Why is his mouth so dry? "I have parents! I HAVE parents!" Blue covers his mouth as his eye pips dart around. "I know my parents' names! W-what is this?" He looks away, his hands moving to grab at the scarf around his neck. When did it become a noose? "He's joking, right?" His laugh is loud but hollow. Dry with refusal, "F-funny! So FUNNY INK!" What does this mean for him? What- Why is this the truth? Why didn't Ink ever tell him? Why? Why? Why? WHY?

Blue squats, his head between his knees as he grips his skull. He tries to hold in his scream but it leaks through his teeth. Someone approaches him from behind, "Blue-"

Blue snaps as he stands to face Dream. "No! I Have Parents! Ink Isn't My Mom!" He smiles, "It Must Be A JOKE!" He feels his face start to heat up as he tries to hold in tears. "He Isn't MY MOM!" He heaves with his breathing for a minute in stunned silence.

Blue's smile crumbles as tears fill his sockets as more of that past rewrite fills his mind. He doesn't know why 'mom' came to mind first. He doesn't want to know. Maybe he does? What does this mean for him? What does Ink mean by this? Blue has parents, his parents, in UnderSwap. He remembers their names. He knows them, he remembers them from the before. He only met Ink after leaving his AU. He'd never seen Ink before then, definitely not when he was growing up. None of this makes any sense.

"Blue, wh-"

"N-No! He Can't Be! That Can't Be Right! Ink Isn't My Mom! Right?!"

"Blue!" Dream grabs his shoulder, holding Blue steady as they make eye contact. Blue stops breathing at the sight of those soft golden lights. "Breathe with me." Blue can only nod. Dream's demand is soft, something he can always ignore; yet the promise of support has him taking deep breaths. After a minute, he leans his skull against Dream's. Dream leans into the touch, moving one hand to cradle one of Blue's hands. "It's going to be alright." Dream cups Blue's face, "It's okay. We can figure this out." Dream silently leads Blue through another breathing exercise, holding him close the entire time. "We're in this together."

Blue sniffles, covering Dream's hand with his own and leaning into the touch. His hands shake as he nods. "Y-yeah." He takes a deep breath, "you're right. I apologize."

He tries to reign in his thoughts as he clears his throat. If Swap is here too, then they need to be focused. He needs to be focused. Blue locks the reveal in his mind, tucking it away for later. He can come back to it later to process. Once they are all safe. He can and will ask all the questions he has. He'll get the answers. He'll understand. He will, with Ink help fill in the gaps. Dream won't let him go through this alone. He subconsciously realizes that everyone gave him a moment to process in private. As much as they could, really.

Dream pulls Blue's skull down to rest against his for another minute, "There's no need to apologize. We all understand. That is a lot to take in, hun."

Cross comes closer, resting a hand on Blue's back, "It's going to be alright, you can always ask him." Blue perks up, "Remember?" No, to be honest, he forgot. "He said he would answer any questions we had." Blue looks at Cross, "Maybe this would be something he wanted you to ask him about?"

The others nod, Nightmare crouches down, "If there is something here that gives you the answers you want and need, we'll give you the privacy to process them, okay? Only take someone to stay safe." Nightmare smiles at him, "That's all we ask. Alright?"

Killer leans against Error with a nod. He offers his silent support, "We gotta keep you safe. We promised Ink, remember?"

Blue nods. He pulls away from Dream to wipe his tears, feeling like a little kid standing among adults. Is this why his soul has been screaming at him so much recently? Is this why he feels these emotions? He has too many questions. All of them feel like he's trying to hold onto sand without any gloves. He doesn't have any answers. He only has emotions and vague feelings to guide him. He needs to know. He has to. Ink called him his son. He needs to know why. Blue looks up at the soul shards.

It's okay love, ask me...

The thought lingers in the back of his skull, and it vaguely sounds like Ink. He briefly wonders why, before shaking the thought out of his head. He squares his shoulders and takes a step forward, away from the group. He keeps his chin up as he stares at the shards.

"Ink, please..." His voice is soft and quiet. "Tell me... Why- how am I your son? Why do I feel this way? Please... tell me." He clasps his hands together, hoping Ink can tell him.

Maybe a shard here would have the answers? He stares for a moment, slowly losing hope that this would work. Then, a shard starts to glow. The shard is a smaller one, yet the colors swirl violently. A lot of emotion, a lot of magic, is packed into one small piece. It glows yellow to green, something that doesn't make the most sense to those who haven't studied the color theories as religiously as Ink. Blue immediately understands. From the context clues of what he's asked, and from things locked away from his mind whispering their answer. Yellow for familial love, green for a mother's love. He understands that this is the shard he needs to follow.

Blue looks back, and Nightmare nods at him, "Bring someone with you, okay? We promised Ink we would keep you safe."

Blue smiles gratefully at Nightmare before turning to Dream, "Will you?"

Dream cuts him off with a nod, "Of course."

Lust cuts in, looping his arms around the two, "I'm coming too." Blue tries to protest but Lust covers his mouth, "No arguments. You two have been fighting for too long here. I have the extra energy and magic here." He pulls away, already walking in the direction of the soul fragment as he rolls his shoulder. "Besides, I'm aching to punch the shit out of that Swap guy, should we see him."

Dream cackles as he scoops up Blue to follow Lust. He would pay to see it. He wonders if they would have to fight; if they are even ready for that. Peace has made them rusty, made them complacent. He frowns, he isn't even sure if they would win without their heaviest hitter. As much as he wants Ink to rest, he isn't sure if they would live without Ink. He also has strong feelings for having Ink possibly help them fight his dead fiancee. Yikes.

What a mess this is.