Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You found the bitty one day after experimenting with ink based watercolor paints. One second you tried to paint a galaxy, but clumsy you knocked over one of the ink jars spilling watercolor everywhere. You scrambled to salvage as much of the ink and picture as possible and failed. With a sigh, you got up to get some napkins or something to clean up your mess.

When you returned to the room sitting among the inky watercolor mess was a tiny skeleton bitty. You stare at the ink covered bitty.

You’ve heard of bitties before. They are tiny monsters that people or other monsters can keep as companions. Although you never had a bitty since your home is already a zoo with with a cat and dog running around not to mention you occasionally end up pet sitting your family's other pets too. Your friends had dragged you to a bitty shelter a few times for opinions on which type of bitty they should adopt. These trips have made you somewhat familiar with the main types of bitties that exist.

The bitty skeleton you were currently staring at was definitely a Sans type bitty, but none of them you’ve seen before looked exactly like your new friend. Eyes lit up with different colorful shapes that seem to shift occasionally. Ink splattered on his cloths and cheek bones. He was reaching for your paint brush as you stared.

“Hi there. Don’t mess with that right now,” You cooed at the bitty to avoid upsetting him as you plucked the paint brush out of the bitty’s reach.

“Hey!” The little guy squeaks in protest.

The paint brush gets dried on a paper towel and tucked behind your ear. You did not want to find out what the bitty would do with a paint brush just yet. Maybe later after you’ve had a chance to figure out what kind of bitty he is.

“So… what kind of bitty are you.” You ask somewhat awkwardly. You aren't sure how to handle a bitty suddenly spawning into existence from a puddle of ink.

“I’m an Ink bitty! I like art, and spending time with creators like you,” the tiny skelly replies.

Suddenly you remember you haven't introduced yourself, so you take a second to do that.

“But you can call me whatever you like as long as it isn't demeaning,” you add to the introduction.

“Nice to meet you Creator!” The Ink bitty says.

“Do you have a preferred name, or should I just call you Ink?”

“Ink is fine Creator,” Ink replies cheerfully.

“Okay then. So I’m going to take a second and do some research on Ink bitties for a bit,” you tell Ink. You give him some paper and your colorful erasable markers so he can entertain himself.

You decide to check the official bitty website for more information on the bitty. You pull out your smartphone and start your search. Through the site you learn Ink bitties are considered an exotic Sans type bitty. Most Ink bitties are bred and adopted from bitty shelters or stores. There are rare cases of Ink bitties being born from ink spills if large amounts of ink and a creative human is nearby. Ink bitties are energetic and creative bitties. The thing that really sets them apart from all other bitties is how they are actually soulless as a result, shelter Ink bitties require their tiny ink vials to feel emotions. It isn't known if the ink born versions of the bitty are the same way since they are extremely rare. There is some speculation that ink born bitties can “feel” emotions after they develop a bond with their human creator.

Wow, you’ve never read something so informative while being completely uninformative at the same time. You sigh and put away your phone for now. Glancing around, you notice Ink had doodled all over your white desk with those makers. It makes you remember a time when you were a child, and you tried to paint that same desk rainbow colored with washable paint. You just smile and shake your head. Thank the stars your markers will come out with heat. You make a mental note to find your hair drier to make clean up a fast process.

“Having fun there.” You ask smiling with nostalgia.

“Yep!” Ink replies. His eye lights constantly shifting shapes and colors like a kaleidoscope each time he blinked.

You let Ink know you're going to get something from the kitchen. You want a drink. Ink insists on coming with you. You walk to the kitchen. The moment you set foot in the entryway to the kitchen you pause. You suddenly can't remember why you went to the kitchen in the first place. You take a moment and stare at the doorway.

“Why did we stop?” Ink asks confused.

“I forgot what I was doing,” You respond now glaring at the doorway.

“Why are you glaring at the doorway?”

“Because I know the minute I turn around and walk back to my room I will remember what I was doing. Then I would walk all the way back to the kitchen just to forget again,” You explain slightly irritated.

You walk back to you room with Ink slightly irritated and of course you do suddenly remember what you were going to get from your kitchen. You decide not to get that drink. Placing Ink on the desk again, you pull out your phone to play music and song covers. You grab your laptop and work on some fan fiction idea you are currently inspired with. Ink doodles on your desk more with those makers. He pauses occasionally to read what you write and offer encouragement.

When you snap out of your writing haze three things stand out. First, your room is a lot darker, second your hungry, and third it seem Ink had gotten a hold of one of your sketchbooks. You decide to remedy the light issue first and walk across your dimly lit room to flip the light switch. The light revealed a new issue. Your desk is now covered in colorful doodles. You pause for a moment not sure how you should feel about that. Should you be irritated that you now needed to use a hairdryer on your whole desk to make the doodles disappear? Should you be happy? The doodles are really cute. You opt to just deal with the desk later.

“Hey Ink, you want dinner?” You call out to the distracted bitty.

“Sure!” He replies.

You head to the kitchen carrying Ink and open the fridge. You decide you are not in the mood to cook. You grab some lasagna out of your fridge and microwave it. It comes out slightly burnt around the edges. You over microwaved it. The lasagna is split between Ink and yourself. It seems Ink prefers the over cooked parts of your pasta. You make a mental note that Ink seems to like over cooked foods as you both finish your meals.

A quick glance at your oven clock tells you it's late. You grab Ink and prepare for bed. You set Ink on the part of the bed you had designated the “pet zone”. It's the foot of bed that you set a side for your furry or now skelly companion to sleep. You have been trained by your furry companions not to roll into the “pet zone”.

After making sure Ink is settled, you crawl into bed. Before you get too comfortable, you make sure to set your alarm you have things to do tomorrow. Just as you start to drift off a dip in the bed alerts you to your furry companion’s arrival. The critter wants to share your bed too. You tell your companions good night and drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Pat. Pat. Pat. Something is patting your face. Nooo, it’s too early! Your alarm hasn't even gone off yet. You don't want to wake up before your alarm goes off. Pat. Pat. Pat. Who or whatever is patting your face is doing so persistently. You give in and crack an eye open. Your furry companion of a cat looks you in the eye, lifts their paw, and pats your face again. Groaning, you raise your hand to give them pets. They always wake you up for pets. While petting, you glance at your clock, 4 am. Too early. You want to go back to sleep. Hopefully, if you give them enough pets, they will let you go back to sleep.

A few hours later, you wake up due to your alarm. Your furry buddies demand more pets, so you ruffle the fur on their heads. You take a moment and look for Ink. He had moved from your pet zone to a fuzzy rainbow body pillow on the opposite side of your bed. Of course, he did.

You hop out of bed, careful not to disturb Ink. After confirming he is still asleep, you head to the bathroom to do your usual morning routine. When you finish, you wander back over to the bed to wake up Ink.

“Ink it’s time to wake up,” You say, nudging the sleepy skelly bitty.

The tiny skeleton groans at you. He seems as enthusiastic about being awakened as you were. You slip on a hoodie. Then you scoop up the sleepy Ink. He gets gently tucked into the kangaroo-like pouch of the hoodie. Once Ink is situated, you head to the kitchen to make breakfast. You decide to make your favorite breakfast food for Ink and yourself. Ink is placed on the table with a small plate of food. Both your furry pets sit in the kitchen waiting for food. They have dry food sitting out already, but you crack open some wet for both anyway.

When breakfast is done and cleaned up, you pick up Ink. You should probably pick up some bitty supplies for Ink today.

“Hey Ink, we should head to the store and pick up some stuff for you. I don't have anything bitty supplies.” You suggest to Ink.

“Yeah, and we could go to the art store too!” Ink chimes in excitedly.

You pull up your navigation app on your phone and search for the closest bitty shop. When the directions load, you head out. Roughly fifteen minutes later, you arrive at the shelter and supply store.

“Welcome! Do you need help with anything?”A kind looking bunny monster greets you.

“Hi. No, I’m just looking around right now,” you greet them back, and then you start browsing the store with Ink.

Ink picks out some things of interest as you walk through the store isles. As you wandered through the isles, Ink picked out a few changes of clothes, some monster foods he likes, and several art supplies his size. You grabbed supplies to make a customizable bitty house for a larger sized bitty, and a few bitty care manuals. One of the bitty manuals was custom to your area with list of bitty approved locations like vets, restaurants, etc.

When you finish shopping, you get in line at a checkout counter and pay for your cart. You wish the cashier a good day before heading back home to put away Ink’s new stuff.

At your home, you start by putting away the different monster foods in their appropriate places. Then you sit on the floor to start building Ink’s bitty home. You grab a knife to cut open the packaging and dump the contents of the bitty house kit on your carpeted floor. After a minute of making sure all of the kit contents are out of the package, you root around for the instructions manual. A brief flip through the booklet later your eyes glaze over. You don't actually want to read all the detailed instructions, but luckily it also has step by step pictures. You proceed to assemble the bare house using only the pictures in the booklet.

Once the house is complete and tested to make sure it's sturdy, you pass Ink some paints and his Boomie to start decorating his house. You help by moving tiny furniture pieces to Ink’s preference. Occasionally you add your own creative touch to Ink’s house when you feel inspired to. Hours pass as you and Ink customize Ink’s house. You look around and realize the room is cast in shadows. Standing up, you cross the threshold of the room and flip you ceiling light on. You really need to keep better track of time.

“Hey Ink, want something to eat?” You ask your small companion.

“Sure, Creator!” Ink chimes back.

You scoop up the small skelly and head to the kitchen. After everything you’ve done today, you don't feel like cooking, so you just make a few sandwiches for the two of you. Ink insists on his cut into fun shapes, and you try to humor him.

Chapter Text

You got dressed in some casual clothes you can work in for your first day at your cousin’s shelter. Once satisfied, you leave your room to look for Ink following the new doodles added to your walls.

“Ink! I need to head out to work as a favor for Laney. Do you wanna came? There will be other bitties to socialize with while I do boring adult stuff,” you ask your small roommate as he draws on your walls with his Broomie. Come to think of it. You aren’t sure where Broomie came from since Ink didn’t materialize here with it. You are shaken from your thoughts at the sound of Ink’s voice.

“Sure, Creator! Sounds fun! I get to meet new characters,” Ink chimes in, still painting on the walls.

“Well? c’mon then. We should get going soon,” You playfully rush Ink before stepping out of the room to pack a few things in a small messenger bag. In the bag, you tossed a small sketchbook, some art supplies, and an old smartphone for Ink just in case he gets bored.

When you finished packing everything up, little Ink tackles you laughing mischievously with Broomie attached to his back. You scoop him up and head to the kitchen to grab a snack for the two of you. Then you head out the door and to your car. Ink is secured in his bitty seat in the car. The messenger bag gets tossed onto the passenger side floor. After hopping in and securing yourself, you start your GPS and head to Bitties and Bobbles, your cousin’s bitty adoption center.

A forty-five minute drive later, you arrive at the parking lot of Bitties and Bobbles. You park your vehicle.

“Well... We’re here.” You tell Ink, slightly nervous, although it’s just your cousin and an army of Bitties, you are worried about leaving a wrong impression on everyone.

Ink unbuckles himself and tries to comfort you with a hug around your arm before he gets sidetracked by something outside. You take a deep, calming breath before climbing out of the car. Ink rushes to the passenger seat to wait for you. Popping the door open, you scoop up Ink and snatch up the messenger bag. You walk into the adoption center a chime rings out as the door is opened.

“Welcome! I’ll be with you in a second!” The voice of your cousin calls out. She must be in the back room.

“Take your time! It’s just Ink and me!” You call back to Laney.

While waiting, you glance around. The front half of the store looks like any pet store with isles of various bitty supplies. Then there is the Bitty visitor area on the center's left side beyond all the Bitty goods. The right end of the center has various pens with some of the bitties available. The farthest wall held aquariums of aquatic bitties. There even was a door leading to the Lamia Bitties den.

You set Ink down after getting him to agree to not starting too much trouble with the other bitties. Ink runs off to bother a lone Error bitty in a corner. You head to the back room and poke your head in. Laney is tending to a Nightmare bitty. She is wrapping one of his tentacles with a bandage. This Nightmare is on the bigger end of the sans bitty size spectrum at a foot tall. You think about how cuddle-able a bitty his size is, although you aren’t complaining about the size of your Ink. He isn’t a super tiny skeleton either, and you thank your lucky stars for that. If he was as small as some bitties, you were pretty sure you might lose him with how absent-minded you could be and how easily distractible he could sometimes be... And now you’re getting sidetracked.

“Need help?” You ask your cousin, trying to ground yourself and reclaim your fleeting focus.

“Yeah, can you keep an eye on the bitties upfront while I finish patching this little guy up?.” Laney asks you. The Nightmare glares your cousin down and slaps her hand away with a non injured tentacle. She ignores his antics and keeps bandaging.

“Sure,” You say. You place your bag on a counter out of the way and head back into the central part of the adoption center.

In the area where the bitties were gathering, you stand nearby supervising them, occasionally chatting with a curious bitty. At the same time, you wait for your cousin to finish and give you the rundown on your temporary duties until she can get a new worker to fill the shifts appropriately. After several minutes pass you notice an Edgy eyeing you. You ignore it and shift your attention to see what your Ink is doing. Apparently, the answer is being strung up like a Christmas ornament by a now irate Error bitty. You move to go free Ink and defuse the situation. When you do, you notice your bare ankle suddenly feels warm and wet. You look down, and it is lightly bleeding. Huh? How did you not feel that? A minute earlier, when your attention had shifted to Ink and Error, the Edgy had bitten you on the ankle.

You head back into the backroom to ask your cousin for the first aid kit to patch up your ankle. Then sporting a colorful new bandage on your ankle your go to free your Ink.

Chapter Text

Several minutes after you defused the situation between Ink and the Error bitty, Ink is now in a timeout pen with your phone. As much as you adore the little skeleton, you can’t show favoritism in a bitty shop. How else would you gain any respect from your temporary bitty charges? You head into the back room to check on your cousin. She had been tending to the Nightmare bitty for a while now.

“Everything okay here?” you ask her.

“Yeah, Night is all patched up now, ” Laney hands you the large bitty. “Can you take him outback? I think he would like some fresh air.”

“Of course!” you chime.

You walk to the fenced-off backyard with Night held carefully but firmly to your chest. Night doesn't fight your hold. You wonder if your cousin sedated him some. When you are outside, you set Night down. The goopy bitty heads to a tree and sits under it. A book materializes in his hand, and Night starts reading. You lie on the grass in the shade of the tree near Night, but you are not close enough to smother him with your presence. Lying on your back, you gaze at the sky quietly, trying to find shapes in the clouds lazily floating by. Half an hour is spent in silence with you and Night existing in each other's presence. Ink’s timeout should be over now.

“Hey, Night? Will you be okay out here while I get my Ink from timeout, ” you ask your current tiny charge.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine, human, ” He responds, shutting down any further conversation by returning his attention to his book.

You head inside, making sure the doggy door is unlatched, so Night can enter the building if he changes his mind. Laney is helping a potential bitty adopter. You slip past them and grab Ink. Your phone is swapped for a sketchbook, and you take Ink outside.

Back outside, you reclaim your spot on the ground. Ink is gently placed on the ground and given the sketchbook. You start to cloud gaze again. Ink opens his sketchbook and pulls out his Broomie to materialize a drawing utensil. He starts to sketch out the scene of his human and the Nightmare bitty under the tree. You hear the soft scratching of a pencil on paper and small hums from Ink.

The three of you spend some time there before Laney comes to get you for lunch. She wants you to help her distribute lunch to the bitties before you go on a lunch break. You grab Ink and place him on your right shoulder. Surprisingly enough, Night’s tentacles cling to your wrist after releasing Ink and dropping your hands to your sides.

“Hmm? You want me to carry you too?” you ask the grumpy bitty.

Night does not dignify you of a response, but the fact his tentacles are still wrapped around your wrist gives his answer away. You lift him to the opposite shoulder and follow after your cousin. In the backroom, Laney passes you a cart filled with various foods to pass out to the bitties. She takes a second cart, and you both take half the store to hand out food. You mostly just give the bitties on your side whatever meal they request from your cart and some supplements to balance their diets and magic. When you are done with your side of the room, Night and Ink claim their lunch. Ink snatches up a fluffy yet slightly overcooked waffle. Night grabs a sandwich and some apple slices. He viciously attacked the apples like they are the enemy.

You grab the remaining sandwich half off the cart to snack on. You will probably get something more filling in a bit. Perhaps after you check in with your cousin, so you can go on lunch break. Now that you think about it, you haven't done much work. You’ve mostly just hung out and played with bitties. Although you could argue that supervising the bitties is work... And you're getting sidetracked again.

After getting the okay to get real food, you head out with Ink. It took a bit of coaxing to get Night to release you so that you can leave. You take Ink to a cute bitty friendly cafe and order your favorites off the menu. Ink gets a small sweet treat too. The two of you grab a seat near the windows. You love being able to stare out the window and just spacing out. But before you do that, you set an alarm to alert you when your break is almost over. You nibble on your food as you gaze out of the window dreamily for a few minutes.

“Hey, Ink? Are you having fun at the bitty center?” you ask your creative companion.

“Of course, Creator! I got to meet many different characters! Oh, and I got to mess with Glitchy!” Ink says gleefully. It seems he is having the time of his life. You feel bad for the poor Error, though. Your Ink will probably torment the poor bitty. You should probably be responsible and try to curb this tendency in Ink.

“I’m glad you're having fun, but maybe you should leave that poor Error alone, ” you suggest to the Inky skeleton. Ink just waves you off playfully. You feel slightly offended, but you remind yourself Ink bitties aren’t known for their empathy.

When your lunch is over, you walk back to the adoption center. You actually do work when you return from the break with a checklist to keep yourself on task. You do your rounds as explained on the checklist and introduce yourself to the other bitties as the temporary assistant. Messes are cleaned up, shelves are straightened, and at some point, you gained a Night balanced on your head.

Chapter Text

Ink and you curl up on the couch. You get the day off from the adoption center, although technically, you’re on call today. You’re going to milk this free day for as long as it will last, and you are kind of craving something sweet.

“Hey Inky, want to make a cake? You can decorate it, ” you offer to Ink.

“Ooo! Sure!” Ink exclaims with a star in one of his sockets.

The two of you migrate to the kitchen. You dig around your kitchen for all the supplies for making a cake from scratch. After gathering most supplies, you stare at two unlabeled large ziplock bags filled with a white powder. One of these bags is all-purpose flour; the other is rice flour for making mochi. You have no idea which bag is the right one. Well, you go with your intuition and pick one. The other bag gets put away. You preheat your oven. Then start measuring out the ingredients, and instruct Ink as to which bowl the ingredients you measure goes into. You let Ink mix the dry ingredients, and you mix the wet one with a fork since you can't find a whisk. Poof! Ink blended that a little too well. He made a powdery mess in his general area. You giggle at your Ink’s surprised expression. His small eye lights are in an exclamation point and a question mark. To make Ink feel better, you pass him some rainbow-colored sprinkles to turn your vanilla cake into a funfetti cake. Ink dumps a fair amount of sprinkles in. You carefully mix the two bowls together as Ink brushes the cake mix off himself. When everything is combined, you toss the batter into a safe oven dish and bake your cake. Well, you suppose you will find out if that was really flour as it bakes.

“Now what? Ink asks.

“We wait. It will be a little while before it’s ready, ” you explain, patting Ink over his head. You really hope you don’t get called into work while this cake is baking, but you wouldn’t be surprised knowing your luck.

“How about we return to the living room. We can put on a movie for background noise and draw or something?” You offer to your tiny friend.

“Sure, Creator, ” Ink says.

You carry him to your couch. He has his small sketchbook out. You pull on out from under the sofa. It has a mechanical pencil clipped in a pen holder you stuck to up. You draw, erase, and redraw the same picture repeatedly. You just cannot get certain aspects right.

“Are you okay, Creator?” Ink asks, trying to get a look at your drawing.

“Yeah. I just can't get this drawing to look right, ” You explain to the bitty.

“Hmm? Don’t be so hard on yourself. It looks fine, and you’ll improve with practice. Do you wanna talk about why you think it looks off?” Ink tries to comfort you.

“Honestly? I can’t do the whole “visualize this” thing. I don't really know how my drawing will look until I put it to paper. It's frustrating in a way since most people seem to know what they want before they draw it, ” you vent, “But I also know it isn’t a bad thing since I have more freedom to create without a singular inspired idea to limit me. It's just inconvenient at times like these when I want it to look a certain way.”

Ink hums in acknowledgment. You show him your drawing so he can get a good look. Ink turns his book to a blank page and redraws your picture in his style. When it’s complete, he turns the tiny book to you.

“Wow, that is so cool, ” you coo. The drawing looks complete, and you can still see your original piece in the image. He must have copied it before making his own alterations.

“It’s still your work. I just modified it a bit, ” Ink replies.

“It’s a nice collab between the two of us. Let's hang it up!” You perk up. If you could, you bet, you would have stars in your eyes.

You trot off giggling to find a place to display the drawing. Ink beams and watches you radiate excitement through the developing platonic bitty bond. He thinks genuine excitement is so much nicer than the paint simulated stuff.

When you return to the living room, the oven timer goes. Since you are already in a good mood, you playfully scope up Ink. The two of you head to the kitchen to remove the cake from the oven to cool. While it cools, you make some frosting from a recipe you found off the internet. You pull out some food dyes to color the white frosting. When the cake is cool, you let Ink decorate the cake. He mixes the food dye colors like a boss and makes a cute, whimsically decorated cake. You pull out your phone and take a picture of Ink with his cake creation. You cut two slices of cake. You hand one to Ink. Splat! Immediately it is smashed in your face. Ink is giving you a mischievous grin.

“Pfft!” Ink starts to laugh at your indignant expression.

“INK!” You shriek at the laughing bitty. He snatches the other slice of cake and runs off, “MY CAKE!”

You head to the bathroom to calm down and clean yourself up. After washing off your face, you decide to soak in a warm bath to unwind and wash off any remaining cake bits.

“Geeze that bitty, ” You mutter with fond exasperation.

Half an hour later, you get out of the bath. You have calmed down from your excitable state. Maybe you should look for Ink and get a slice of cake. You never did manage to enjoy the cake. Ink is curled up on top of your fur baby on the couch. He seems to be taking a nap after such an exciting day. Then your phone rings. Dang it!

Chapter Text

“Hello?” you answer the phone unhappily.

“Hey cousin of mine, I need another favor from you, ” Laney says over the phone.

“Sigh. Yes?” You ask, resigned to your fate.

“Can you come back over to the adoption center for the night? Just in case the bitties need anything. You can bring Ink and your furry babies if it makes you feel better, ” Laney tries to bribe you.

“So you want me to bittysit the bitties in the shop while you do stars knows what? And you are probably going to lock me in the shop, right? Sigh. Do I need to bring a sleeping bag, or do I get a bed?” You ask your cousin.

“Yeah. Bring a sleeping bag. It could be like one of those locked-in sleepovers we use to go to as kids. I have snacks stored in the breakroom, and you can get spare blankets and pillows from the closet next to my room, ” Laney says.

“Fine, let me pack an overnight bag and get my cake first. I’ll be there in about half an hour. Later, ” You hang up.

You hop off the couch carefully so you don't disturb Ink and your fur baby. In your room, you grab a backpack. You toss your stuff into the bag. There are pajamas, toiletries, a few books, your journal, a phone charger, some pet supplies, and some other miscellaneous items for your and Ink’s entertainment. Throwing the backpack on, you walk over to the kitchen. You are going to have that cake and eat it too, even if it kills you... Not literally, of course. The cake is placed in a Tupperware container. It gets placed carefully in the bag. Then you walk to your closet to find your old sleeping bag. The sleeping bag is kind of childish, with an image of your favorite cartoon character printed on the bag. Oh well, it's not like anyone will see it outside of your cousin and the bitties. Maybe you should get a more mature sleeping bag later.

When you are content with what you have packed, you go to wake up Ink. He groans unhappily, but he moves off your pet. You harness your pets and pick up Ink.

“We are off to the adoption center for a sleepover, ” You explain to your companions. They don't seem to care.

You drive to the adoption center. Your cute dog sticks his head stuck out a window, and the cat wedges itself under a seat. Ink went back to napping in his car seat. Some time passes, and you pull into a parking spot. You alert your cousin you are outside. A few minutes later, she leaves the adoption center and helps you bring everything and everyone in.

When you are inside, Laney unharnesses your cat and dog. They instantly dart off to explore and get use to all the new strange scents. You hold sleepy Ink against your chest near your heart and soul. You drop your sleeping bag in the empty visitor room and try to set it up with one free arm. While fumbling with the zipper, you accidentally lightly punch yourself in the face when your hand slips.

Ink wakes up from the sound of your soft yelp of surprise and laughs at your stunned expression. He has no idea what caused you to make that face, but it's hilarious! You set the now awake Ink and finish setting up your sleeping area. Laney drops some spare pillows and blankets on your spread out sleeping bag.

“Okay, so if you need anything you can’t find in the back room, you can retrieve it from my apartment upstairs. Here’s the key,” Laney tells you, “I’ll be back in the morning. I think this could be good for you and Ink to make friends with the other bitties. But if you end up uncomfortable sleeping down here, you can crash in my living room. My room is off-limits because I don't want any bitties snooping through my stuff.”

A small silver key is placed in your hand, and a slip of paper with instructions on how to locate and use the alarm system.

“Okay. Night Laney. I guess I’ll see you in the morning, ” You tell her.

“Good night. See you tomorrow, ” She responds. Then she heads out to do whatever she has planned. Laney locks the door behind her, effectively locking you into the store.

You tuck the alarm note into the small pocket of your backpack. Reaching in your bag, you retrieve your pajamas and bag of toiletries. You set them on the pile of blankets, pillows, and sleeping bag. Then you grab your pet supplies. You set out two pet beds and a few pet toys in the room. After that, you feed, water, and send out your pets one last time before you decide to make yourself more comfortable.

You stroll to the bathroom in Laney’s apartment to change in the sense of privacy. Then you throw on your pajamas and set your bag of toiletries on the counter to use when it's closer to bedtime. When you are ready, you head back downstairs.

As you walk back to the visitor room, something latches to your ankle. You look down. Oh! It's Night clinging to you again in a rather tsundere manner. He seems to want to cuddle and hang out with you. But he won’t admit it and ignores you if you call him out. Night is too cute. You smile down and pick up the surprisingly affectionate bitty. It looks like this is going to be a real sleepover with some buddies now.

When you return to the visitor's room, the bedding you left is turned into a giant human-sized nest by Ink. You pull out that cake. Maybe you can finally enjoy a piece? But first, you need plates. You put the cake bag into the bag and head to the break room to find plates and cutlery. It takes several minutes of searching, but you find some paper plates and plastic cutlery. Happily, you return to the other room and cut up some cake for the three of you. You finally get to take a bite of your cake.

“Yum, that's cake, alright, ” you taste another fork full, “Hmm... maybe a little too much sugar. I could go for some milk with this, ” you mutter your thoughts out loud.

Ink is enjoying his second slice of the night. The frosting is smeared on his face. It's a good thing he doesn't get sugar highs. Night cautiously tastes and judges the first few bites as you did. After a few bites, Night seems to make up his mind and starts to enjoy it. A soft cyan blush covers his goopy cheeks. Huh, he must have really liked the cake. You laugh at how cute these two are.

Chapter Text

You pick Ink up after everyone enjoyed their slice of cake. Night, not wanting to be left alone, convinces you to take him with you. So here you are, carrying two bitties to the bathroom to clean frosting off their faces with a damp rag. Ink laughs as you rub his face with the rag. When you are satisfied, you pass Ink some bath crayons to keep him entertained.

On the other hand, Night just grunts and tries to shove your hand away. You wring out the rag and drape it on a towel rack; you would put it into the hamper when it's drier. Then you decide to wash your face to make it fair and blot it dry with a towel. You brush your teeth and fully prepare for bed.

When you are all ready, you scope up the two bitties and head back down to the shop. You pass out the remaining cake to all the bitties but the baby blues. Anything to avoid their infamous sugar rushes. When all the cake was eaten, you clean up the dishes and wipe bitty faces clean. You wish everyone goodnight, then curl up on your bedding nest to sleep.

A few hours later, you wake up. It is always a struggle to fall asleep in a new location. At least you aren’t one of those people who wake up confused and disoriented after falling asleep in a new place. You notice Ink is curled her your neck, and Night is laying near your soul. Your cat and dog are pressed against your sides. It's pleasantly warm, but you can't sleep now. You carefully slip away from all the bodies of your sleeping companions as you try not to wake them up. After a few minutes of shuffling, you got free and head to the break room. Maybe some warm milk would help you sleep. You prepare some milk and hop up to sit on the counter with your legs lightly swinging. Then you hear the tiny tapping of feet on the hard floors.

“Creator?” Ink asks sleepily; a fist rubs at his eye sockets.

“Ink? What are you doing up?” You ask him softly as you climb down to pick him up. You set him on the counter and grab a small mug for him. Then you hop back onto the counter.

“You were gone, Creator, ” Ink answers.

“Sorry, Inky, I couldn’t sleep. There is no point in lying in bed getting frustrated, so I got up to get some warm milk,” You tell your tiny companion.

“Oh,” Ink says as he nuzzles your side. It seems he is in an affectionate mood.

You lift your mug of warm milk and dumps a little into a bitty sized cup so Ink could drink some. Ink and you sip at your milk and enjoy the silence of the nighttime. Another set of footprints thud against the tile; it's Night. He stares up at you. You slide off the counter to set Night on the counter as well. Another bitty mug of milk is prepared.

“As I told Ink, I couldn’t sleep,” You tell Night.

You down what’s left of your milk, but you still aren’t sleepy. The two bitties are scooped up again. You head to the bathroom to brush your teeth again. Then you carry them back to bed. You lie back down. Both bitties are nuzzled against you. You tug the blanket over you. Both bitties let out a calming purr in an attempt to lure you to sleep. The sound is soothing, and you start to dose off.

The next morning you are awakened by a slap. You grumble and open your eyes. There is a paw in your vision.

“Did you just slap me?!” You ask your cat incredulously.

“Mew,” Your cat meowed.

You lift your hand and pet him. It’s still too early. You get up and tend to both your cat and dog’s needs. Then you climb back in the nest to continue sleeping longer with Ink and Night. The next time you wake up, it’s to your cousin unlocking the door and setting off the alarm. It startles everyone. You groan, covering your ears with a pillow in hopes it stops. Ink buries his face into your side, trying to drown out the sound. Night looks around the room, alarmed. Your cat darts out of the room to find a place to hide, and your dog just starts barking and making more noise.

A few minutes later, it is silent. Laney must have disarmed the alarm. You get up and grab your change of clothes. As you head to the bathroom, you pass your cousin.

“Morning, Laney, ” You greet, stifling a yawn.

“Morning, how was everything?” Laney asks.

“It was a calm night. The bitties helped me finish the cake, ” You tell her, “Anyway, I’m going to get ready. We can talk when I’m done.”

You head to the bathroom and get ready for the day. When you are appropriately dressed, you head back into the central area of the adoption center. You go to the visitor’s room and clean up all the beddings your companions and you used last night. Everything but the sleeping bag gets tossed into a hamper to be washed. Then you run the first load of laundry. Next, you roll up your sleeping bag and throw it in the corner of the break room. Then back upstairs, you scrub the bath crayons off the bathroom counter and toss all your toiletries back into its bag. Afterward, you gather all the towels the bitties you used. You throw them into the hamper with what’s left of the bedding.

When you are satisfied with most of the evidence from last night has been tidied up, you go to Laney’s kitchen to make some breakfast. Meanwhile, downstairs, Ink is curiously tugging on Night’s tentacles. Night is scowling at the playful bitty. When Ink gets bored, he takes his Broomie and recolors Night’s goop a soft pink, making Night look like a Nightmare bitty who got into the strawberry milk. Ink laughs at Night’s new coloring, amused. Night scowls harder at the other colorful skeleton.

“Hehehe! Oh, come on! Lighten up, Nighty! It's just a joke. The colors will wear off in a few hours, ” Ink tells the Nightmare bitty, laughing gleefully.

This is the scene you stumble into when you attempt to let everyone know breakfast is ready.

“Ink, stop teasing Night, ” You lightly scold, then add, “but he is adorable in pink.”

Chapter Text

A few days after that bitty lock-in, you stand in your cousin’s bitty shop. It’s been a slow morning, and you are bored. You aren’t even working today; instead, you’re just loitering around because you and Ink were bored at home. Plus, you need to socialize Ink with other bitties.

Ink is chatting and probably bothering that Error bitty again. You see the Error bitty glitch after a particular comment from Ink, and you decide to step in.

“Ink, leave Error bitty alone. I think he is going to crash soon if you keep this up. Why don’t you play with one of the more energetic bitties like the baby blues or something,” You tell your bitty.

“Aw, but Glitchy is so much fun! We’re only playing,” Ink whines.

“No, we aren’t! Go away!” Error hissed, glitching.

You pick up Ink and carefully take him away from the grumpy Error. Ink is deposited into a bitty pen with a baby blue and a young Dream bitty to play with.

Then you walk back over to the Error bitty to apologize for Ink’s behavior. Error has hidden in his hammock of strings.

“Hey, Error bitty,” You call out.

“What do you want?” Error bitty snaps.

“I’m sorry if Inky has been terrorizing you. Here take this chocolate bar as a piece offering,” You apologize holding a bar of chocolate in the air for him.

A tiny blue string wraps itself around the bar and snatches it out of your grasp. You watch with morbid fascination as Error bitty attempts to shove the entire oversized bar of chocolate into his tiny mouth.

“Well, I’ll leave you alone now,” You tell Error as you excuse yourself from the conversation after Error has finished his chocolate bar.

You head over to the pen you left Ink in. You stand nearby as you watch your Ink bitty play with the Baby Blue and Dream Bitty. The three seem to be playing a game together. After making sure the area is clear, you sit down on the floor.

As you watched the trio, a weight appeared in your lap. You reach out and pat the weight on the head. A cool goopy feeling head. Glancing away from the Stars, you looked at the being resting on your lap. It’s Night. He draped himself across your lap like a cat. His eye closed as you gently stroke his skull.

You turned your attention back to Ink and the other two bitties as you continued to stroke Night’s head. They had escaped the pen. You bet it was your Ink who instigated the escape. Ink led the Dream and Baby Blue around the shop on some adventure. They adventured and helped the current staff with small bitty friendly tasks like handing out food. You’re glad Ink is making friends. You close your eyes and listen to the world around you. A soft purr emits from Night as you continue to pet him and just listen to all the white noise.

Ink led the Dream bitty and the Baby Blue around. They are currently helping an assistant hand out snacks.

“I bet I can hand out more snacks than you both!” Ink playfully teased.

“I, the magnificent Baby Blue, will beat you!” The Baby Blue retorted.

Dream tried to appease them, but the two bitties grabbed an armful of snacks and ran off. He eventually joined the other two, handing out snacks at the encouragement of the now giggling shop attendant.

In the end, the tiny Dream managed to win the competition regardless of the late start. The three star bitties lie in their cuddle pile eating the snacks saved for them by the shop attendant they helped. The three bitties eat their fruit cups, satisfied with their hard work helping.

After spending a few more hours at the bitty center, you get up from your seated position and stretch. Night glares at you because your movement disturbed him. He disappeared into the shadows. A cursory glance showed Night is nowhere in sight now. Oh well, you need to find Ink and probably head out now. You’ve been loitering in the shop for too long.

“Ink! We should get ready to head home soon!” You call out to your bitty.

“Okay! Five more minutes!” Ink shouted back from one of the shelves.

“You have until I get our stuff from the backroom!” You responded.

You leisurely walked to the backroom to grab your stuff. In the backroom, you snatch up your jacket from its place draped over a chair. You pat down the pocket to make sure you have your keys. Check. You can feel your keys in your pocket. Afterward, you reach under the table and grab your backpack. It feels heavier than you remember. You toss the bag on and head back to the main floor to retrieve Ink.

Ink told his two new bitty friends bye before you scooped him up and left. You carry Ink to your car and place him on the passenger seat before walking to the back seat to store your backpack. After returning to buckle Ink into the car seat, you drive home. As you go, Ink noticed a McDonald's.

“Hey, Creator?” Ink questioned.

“Yes, Ink?” You ask.

“Can we get McDonald's?”

“We really shouldn’t be wasting money on junk food right now... But a milkshake does sound good right now... Fine, we’ll get McDonald’s. Just don't expect this to happen every time we leave the bitty center, okay?”

“Got it!” Ink cheered.

You pulled into the drive-thru and ordered Ink a burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake. Several minutes and a transaction later, Ink munches on the burger as you claim the fries and shake.

“Thanks, Creator!” Ink cheered.

“No problem, Inky,” You tell him and pet his skull.

Satisfied, you carefully drive home. If a few fries go missing from their cup as you drive, you and Ink don't notice it.