[SJaT original] Teen Era

A Hotel Room

Shut up Karen, it's Teto Justice time-

BB's POV

<~o~>

Moving from a large house to a small hotel room in the OT wasn't ideal for anyone. Why did anyone think that moving our family here would be a good idea? Granted, it wasn't their fault. The timeline hopping "puppet" had hijacked Underfell, and they were doing their best to get rid of it.

On the plus side, Palette got to be around his family more, and so did Goth, making their younger siblings happy.

On the down side...Was everything else.

"STRETCH FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, STOP TOUCHING MY STUFF!"
"I was nowhere near your junk, edgelord," Uncle Stretch hissed, phalanges twitching in irritation. He was probably just more angry due to withdrawal symptoms from not smoking – he'd promised Papa to cut down and didn't have time to grab a pack of cigarettes before he left the house.
"WELL, SOMEONE DID!-"
"Edge! Stretch! That's enough!" Papa yelled, frowning at them. We all stopped, my Uncles looking away sheepishly. "We have to stick together, we need to! We're family for stars' sake! If you don't do it for me, do it for the kids! And if not them, then...Do it for him..." he quietened down, shrinking back slightly as he started to nuzzle into the spare jacket he always had, taking in the faint smell of mustard and cinnamon.

We had no idea where Dad was. Rasp said he was nowhere around Snowdin, and Papa couldn't find him anywhere else in the Underground. He'd been disappearing during his sentry shifts and sometimes in the night. Papa refused to believe it was anything...Well, anything that would break their soul-bond, because he would feel it. And he would feel it if he were in pain or dead, too. Instead, it was all...Numb. Nothing was happening to Dad. But that meant we couldn't find him, too.

So, as far as we knew, he was completely gone from the Hyperverse. And I couldn't help but think that was a lot more unsettling than if he were alive.

<~o~>

I woke up with a whimper, hugging more into Rasp's side. Another nightmare of that day...But my brain had decided to torture me with new experiences to mix and blend with it. Dad wasn't there to help as I screamed for him to come and rescue me as they...I shuddered just to recall it.

I sat up in the small bed Papa had insisted we share. Everyone else was still asleep. Papa had insisted my Uncles share the only other bed as there were more of them than him, and it would be more uncomfortable for them than him if they slept on the couch he was now snoring gently on. They only begrudgingly did it, facing away from each other and frowning in their sleep.

I reached for my phone on the small table beside me. It was barely 2am.

Just in time to see if Sketch was still awake as he pulled another all-nighter to edit the pictures he took yesterday...

<~o~>

Blackberry Dreams
How's the editing going?

Shutterbug
Doing great! uwu
Looks like you aren't if you're up this late and talking to me again :(((

Blackberry Dreams
Underfell is practically derelict and we don't know where Dad is

Shutterbug
Wait, what?!
That's terrible!

Blackberry Dreams
It's hell
I had the nightmare again, but he was in it
Or rather...not in it

Shutterbug
I am now hugging my phone oh Beauty Berry BB I feel so bad for you
Screw it, I'm finding you and hugging you

Blackberry Dreams
You don't need to do that!
And everyone else is asleep!

Shutterbug
Screw everyone else you're tons more important.

<~o~>

Typical Sketch move. A flicker of red and he was standing in the middle of the room, ignoring everyone else as he rushed over to hug me.

"Sketch, the others..." I protested softly, trying to fight back to tears welling in my sockets. He just hugged me tighter, shutting the rest of the world out and even ignoring Papa's small movements on the couch. And then I broke down. I couldn't help it. But the tears were too heavy to not spill down my cheeks, body shaking as wave after wave of sadness hit me.
"It's ok, everything will turn out just fine..." he comforted, voice hushed and smooth as he hugged me tighter. I clung onto him and wept as quietly as I could.

I just hoped that he was right.