Fading Ink

Chapter 12

As a new error, Blueberry figured out quickly that crashing was not fun.

Crashing was not good.

Crashing meant loosing.

Waking up, and opening his eyes, Blueberry noticed one thing.

He couldn't see.

Well, he could, actually, but everything was blurry.

Sitting up, Blueberry looked around, noting the orange and yellow all around them. It looked like the Judgement hall.

"Blueberry!" Ink's voice echoed, and a blurry mush of brown, black, and rainbow rushed towards him.

"ink? what's going on? i... i can't sEE vERY wELL." Blueberry tried squinting up at the artist, but it didn't help much.

Ink seemed to pause, and Blueberry could only imagine what he was thinking.

It was a moment before Ink spoke again.

"I was going to ask if you were okay, but I guess not." Ink muttered.

Blueberry frowned.

"okaY, jUst bEcaUsE i can baRELY sEE, doEs not mEan I can't hEaR yoU."

All in all, Blueberry felt he was taking this whole 'very blurry sight' thing surprisingly well.

He heard Ink sit down beside him, and he assumed Ink was leaning back against the wall.

"so, what ExactLY happEnEd?" He asked after a moment, curiosity biting at him.

Ink said nothing.

"ink?"

"... You destroyed Sugarswap."

Horror gnawed at his soul as he took in this new information.

"so, whERE aRE wE now?"

Ink sighed, not in annoyance, but what Blueberry could only describe as forlorn.

"Undertone. This is a very stable universe, so I'm not that worried about it, but..." Ink made a slow movement. Piecing together the sounds and what little sight he had, Blueberry figured Ink had placed a hand on his chest, clutching it and probably pulling the fabric there into wrinkles.

Huh.

He was pretty good at this whole 'blind' thing.

"BUt what?"

"I can feel... I can feel the other universes. They're dying. All of them are dying. And I'm just sitting here, doing nothing to help them, doing nothing to save them..." Ink sniffled. "And when they finally collapse, there's nothing I can do to revive them. Who could-...? Who would want to do this?"

Blueberry carefully placed a hand on Ink's shoulder.

"maYBE thE answER isn't as simpLE as jUst 'somEonE'. maYBE that's why yoU fEEL LikE yoU can't do anYthing, BUt yoU know what? yoU can do somEthing. whatEvER it is that is doing this pROBaBLY isn't that oBvioUs, and that's onLY a REason to tRY haRdER. Right now, aLL yoU can do is tRY."

There was a moment where nothing happened.

And then, arms wrapped around him.

Blueberry recognized this feeling, and he immediately hugged Ink back, letting the artist cry on his shoulder.

If all he could do was comfort Ink, then he was going to do it.

~~~~

It felt like everything was falling apart.

Regarding the state of the multiverse, that statement stood quite literally.

Words of doubt spilled from his mouth, and Ink couldn't do anything to stop them. All he could do was cry, hugging himself close to Blueberry, who countered every doubt with words of hope.

What if he couldn't save everyone? What if everything was just meant to be destroyed? What if they died? What about the original universe?

What if he just wasn't good enough?

'No, we will save everyone, we'll find a way. If everything was meant to be destroyed, than why was it created? We won't die, we'll stay strong, together, all three of us.

And you are good enough.'

Past years of stress surfaced, past years of not a single tear, and by the time Ink had cried himself out, there was a rather large ink stain on Blueberry's shoulder.

Sniffling one last time, Ink pulled out of the hug, wiping at his eyes.

"Th-thanks, Blue."

Blueberry grinned widely.

"mwEh hEh! i'm alwaYs happY to hELp!"

Ink let out a shuddering breath, smiling as well.

"BUt don't LEt it gEt to yoU, okaY?" Blueberry added as an afterthought, reaching out a hand for Ink.

Ink took it, looking straight into the other's eyes, even though Blueberry had said he couldn't see very well.

"I won't let it get to me." Ink's smile grew slightly.

"yoU gotta pRomisE mE." Blueberry demanded, his grin turning playful, and Ink let out a laugh himself.

"I promise."

From across the room, Error stared at him.

Ink met his gaze.

"I promise."