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Language Barriers [AT]

Summary:

In an alternative timeline where Dream only speaks Spanish, and instead of him going to the Omega Timeline first. Ink takes him to the anti-void, Swap takes it upon himself to teach Dream English.

[Accompany fic for askstarfamily Tumblr]

Notes:

* To hide workskin, go scroll to the top near "Comments" and click; "Hide Creator's Style"

* Ink speaks in italics to mimic the font; "Note this!". Error speaks in bold and strike to mimic errors.

* I used Google Translate for this, so if any Spanish speakers read this. This is a cry for help.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

"GO ASGORO!" Error cheered in his usual glitchy voice, echoing through the Anti-Void. Throwing his hands up as he cheered, hitting Swap's popcorn off his lap and knocking the drink down as well. "oh, oops."

"IT IS FINE ERROR!" Swap exclaimed before grabbing a piece of popcorn off the Anti-Voids floor and tossing it into his mouth. Error eyed him with distaste.

"gross- what! yes, it is!" Error shouted at the air, which appeared to be the voices.

"I HIGHLY DOUBT THE ANTI-VOID CARRIES GERMS ERROR," Swap shrugged, grabbing another one, "BESIDES, IT WOULD BE WASTEFUL TO THROW THESE AWAY."

"still gross," Error shook his head, opening a glitchy portal, and stealing a box of napkins from Underfell. Swap caught it as Error threw it at him, opening it with the intention of cleaning the drink. At least before he saw a gloved skeletal hand coming out of the water. "oh queen..."

"hey, guys!" Ink exclaims as he pops out, bringing along another skeleton with bright yellow eyes. They were draped in a thin yellow cape, some sort of crown wrapping around their head, and snow was scattered across their clothes. 

"INK PLEASE TELL ME YOU DID NOT KIDNAP SOMEONE," Swap said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I DO NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH ANOTHER KIDNAPPING SITUATION."

"hey, in my defense because of that, we're friends!"

"THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT GOOD!" Swap exclaimed then turned his head to Ink, "SO?"

"well... i did take them from an au- hey, listen! they teleported in haventale first! i thought they might've been error or nightmare!"Ink exclaimed before Swap could scold him.

"wow, rude."

"how is it rude?!"

"you-"

"OKAY!" Swap interrupted before they could argue, "AND WHY DID YOU TAKE THEM TO THE ANTI-VOID?"

The two shot each other glare before Ink turned to Swap cheerfully, "well i... uh..."

"YOU DO NOT REMEMBER DO YOU?"

"uhm... nope!" Ink nodded sheepishly.

"hah, idiot!"

"shut it! you have horrible memory as well!"

"WELL, WHAT AU ARE THEY FROM?" Swap asked, trying to defuse the situation from blowing into another arguement.

Ink looked at the skeleton who was flailing around their arms trying to escape Ink's grasp, "uhm... dreamtale? that can't be right."

"DREAMTALE? THE AU WHERE EVERYONE IS SLEEPY? IS THAT THE SANS OF THE AU?" Swap questioned, Error grabbed at his skull.

"can these guys shut up..." Error mumbled.

"no, it's... a different dreamtale. it was definitely made after i came into existence, but it seems like the au was locked."

"so, even the creators didn't want you to see what was happening?" Error mused, Ink glared at him.

"more like to stop you from interfering!" Ink shouted, then turned back to the skeleton, holding them by their cape. Swap decided not to question that said skeleton was literally taller. "must be a pretty important au if it was locked."

Error eyed the skeleton carefully looking at its code as he leaned in closer, "is that swap's code?"

Swap and Ink both looked toward the skeleton who pouted, Ink's eyes widened, "huh, it is!"

Swap squinted, concentrating on the skeleton. He could barely see the code thanks to a certain kidnapping, and even then he didn't know how to read code, "IS IT?"

"mhm! looks like... their body is a copy of yours!" Ink exclaimed cheerfully, dangling the skeleton.

"yeah, now that you mention it. he kinda looks like swap but if he was younger." Error said, standing up and walking towards the two.

Swap looked down at himself, "DO THEY? I CANNOT TELL."

Before Ink could respond, the skeleton yelled, "¡Déjame ir!"

All three looked at the skeleton who was flailing around- Swap still didn't understand how that was possible since they were taller than Ink- and thrashing around.

"I've watched enough undernovela to know that's Spanish," Error said, kneeling down to their heights. Ink's eyelights changed as if a lightbulb went off in his head.

"oh yeah! that's why i brought him here! i didn't know spanish!" Ink announced, letting the skeleton stand on the floor while still having a firm grip on their cape.

"how are you the protector if you can't speak more than one language?"

"hey! that doesn't have to do with anything! besides i can speak french as well-"

"Gracias," The skeleton thanked, Ink looked at him quizzically before turning back to Swap and Error.

"what're they saying?"

"they're thanking you idiot squid."

"yeah, but why ?"

"I THINK THEY WANTED TO BE LET DOWN, THEY WERE THRASHING AROUND EARLIER," Swap noted as he walked up to them, "WHY DID YOU NOT BRING THEM TO THE OMEGA TIMELINE? THERE ARE SURE MORE SPANISH SPEAKERS THERE."

Ink blinked, looking at the skeleton then back to Swap.

"oops?" Ink shrugged, Error facepalmed.

"WELL I SUPPOSE I CAN TRY TO TALK TO THEM, I LEARNED A LITTLE TO TALK TO OTHERS," Swap stated, turning to the little skeleton, "EHH ALGO DE INGLES?"

The skeleton blinked then shaking their head, "No."

Swap sighed before asking, "TU NOMBRE?"

The skeleton smiled and stuck out their hand which Swap shook, "Dream!"

"what'd they say?" Ink asked, popping up in between them.

"well, they obviously said they can't speak English!" Error said, crossing his arms.

"oh yeah?" Ink turned to Swap expectantly. 

"UH... YES, THEY CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH."

Ink deflated at that while Error grinned, making himself look taller than he already is.

"ALSO I FOUND OUT THAT THEIR NAME IS DREAM!" Swap exclaimed, pushing Dream in front of him. Dream gives a small wave as they smile cheerfully.

"oh! uh... hola dream!" Ink waved back, before turning to Error, "say hi! error!"

"err, no?" Swap turned to Error expectantly, while Ink frowned. "wh- hey! oh fine... hi dream!"

"you've gotta say it in spanish! he doesn't understand!" Ink exclaimed, puffing up his cheeks.

"what? no i don't! look, he's waving! he gets what I mean!"

Swap sighed, shaking his head as he turned back to Dream, trying to find the right words, "EH... ¿SABES QUÉ ES ElL MULTIVERSO?"

Dream nodded vigorously, " ¡Sí sí!"

"WELL AT LEASE HE KNOWS WHAT THE MULTIVERSE IS..."

"ask him why he was in haventale!" Ink exclaimed, shaking Swap.

"OKAY OKAY!" Swap exclaimed, holding Ink down. Looking back to Dream and asking to the best of his ability, "¿POR QUÉ EN HAVENTALE?"

Dream blinked, staring at Swap as if he was thinking before nodding, " ¡Me estaba teletransportando a una fuente de energía positiva!"

Swap blinked, trying to break down what exactly Dream had said.

"well? what did he say?" Ink questioned, clinging onto Swap. Error grimaced.

"I AM NOT TOO SURE, BUT HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT TELEPORTATION AND POSITIVITY?.." Swap informed, unsure of himself, putting a hand to his chin.

"positivity?" Error asked, "named Dream? now i get why the voices were screaming earlier."

"what?" Ink questioned, oblivious.

"you can literally look at code, why didn't you just look at his story? don't tell me you forgot."

"oops," Ink shrugged, before turning to Dream to read his code.

"HEY, NO! THAT IS AN INVASION OF PRIVACY!" Swap said, stepping between the two. Ink grumbled, Error turned to Ink, brow bone raised.

"when did you start listening to Swap?"

"uh, when did you start having friends?"

"wow, rude, was just asking a question."

Dream, sensing the tension, stood in between them, "¡No! ¡Luchar es malo!"

"uh, what?" Ink muttered as he batted his eyes at the skeleton.

"i watched enough undernovela to know one of the words is fighting, and one of the words is obviously no, put it together."

"when did you get so smart?" Ink questioned, leaning closer to Error as he backed away, face dusted slightly with blue.

"w-well , since forever!" Error exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

"WELL, WHO ARE THEY?" Swap questioned, pulling Dream away from the two.

"dream? positvity? what's the opposite of those two things?" Error questioned as he put his hands in his pockets. Swap blinked thinking, before eyes widened in surprise and turning his head to Dream.

"YOU DO NOT MEAN?"

"exactly what i mean," Error nodded, Ink blinked quizzically. Coincidentally one of his eyelights changed to a question mark.

"what? opposite of dream is nightmare and the opposite of positivity is negativity and- ohhh!" Ink nodded in understanding, "so... he's like... the guardian of positivity? then where has he been for the past hundred of years! why can he only speak spanish?!"

"Well, you could always teach them Spanish," Core!Frisk suggested.

The three reacted in various different ways

"0H CQ! WheN'D Y0U GET Here?" "oh, hey!" "POPCORN- HELLO, FRISK!"


After putting their skulls together, they decided it'd be best not to bring Dream to the Omega Timeline for fear of news spreading to Nightmare, however, they did bring a translator from the Omega Timeline. That led them to find out that Nightmare was their brother and the skeleton had been imprisoned in stone. When released, had been training to defeat their brother.

Swap decided to take Core!Frisk's advice and teach Dream English, improving his Spanish on the way. It helped that Dream learned languages sustainably faster than the average person. Ink decided it'd be funny to teach them, French, with no luck. Error suggested destroying the Guardian, but relented after the three annoyed him enough to say no.

They did however decide to bring Dream to Underswap as the Anti-Void was not a suitable place for living and the Doodlesphere was not a good fit for someone who seemed to be out of touch with the world.

They explained the situation to the Underswap residents, just twisting the story a tad bit. Of course, Swaprus had already figured it out as well as Swapster, they had promised not to tell. Swapdyne had been close to figuring it out.

Dream had stayed in Underswap, training with the Royal Guard per Core!Frisk's request. They had eventually become a resident of Underswap, the AU recognizing their code as a Swap!Sans. Ink had theorized it was because the Guardian had Swap's code in him.

Swap had learned a lot about Guardians during Dream's time living there, no doubt this would probably help Sci in his quest to discover what Guardians were. Maybe he'd tell Sci when Dream was out to the public. He learned that Guardians did not need to sleep or eat to sustain themselves and that Dream's soul was a golden apple. He had never seen Nightmare's personally, only hearing that it was a black apple from Error and Ink.

He was interested in why exactly they were apples but decided against it when he saw how jumpy Dream was around eating apples. He also had to stop Ink and Error from just reading the Guardian's code entirely, it was an invasion of privacy and those two could not keep their jaws shut for the life of them.

He also learned that Dream was very curious about things, but tried not to ask too many questions. It was to be expected, after all, Dream had been imprisoned in stone for at least a few centuries.  So it was only natural he was curious about modern things.

Swap was cooking in his house when Dream walked over to Swap covered in paint. Swap blinked, with only one answer he could possibly think of.

"LO QUE LE PASÓ?"

"Ink m'a aspergé de peinture!" Dream exclaimed in... French? Swap thought. He heard Ink somewhere in there so he could only guess that it was Ink's fault. He didn't know Ink's lessons in French were actually paying off!

"SUEÑO QUE ES FRANCÉS."

"Ah. Ink spill paint on me!" Dream exclaimed, clothes dripping paint onto the floor. Yep, it was Ink, he'd ask Ink later.

Swap turned the stove off, turning to Dream, "¿POR QUÉ NO TE BAÑAS Y YO TE COMPRO ROPA NUEVA?"

"B-Baña?" Dream questioned, cocking his head to the side. Swap frowned, did he not teach Dream what a bath was yet? Where was he bathing himself? Swap sighed, he supposed he also had to teach Dream what that was as well.

Notes:

* Dream has been cleaning himself in whatever the equivalent to Underswap Waterfall is.

* My Tumblr which is full of junk.

* An askblog to accompany the series.

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