Chapter Text
Sometimes Ink doesn't talk about certain aspects of his life.
Error has always known Ink to be a mysterious protector. An overseer of the AUs who has been careful enough to never show himself to others. It was surprisingly impressive once Error got to know him. Ink is chaos in physical form, the opposite of what people always praised him to be. He's extremely private to the point it was a major surprise to Error when Ink broke his walls down when they started dating.
It wasn't an easy feat to achieve. Error didn't trust any monster that managed to get close to him. He's terrible at socializing; it was an achievement to actually have Swap as a friend. So there couldn't be any blame when Error would flee from Ink and ignore his advances to being friends.
It was strange to hear that Ink didn't have a clue about Error's existence. Hearing that for the first time had made Error angry. He still feels guilty for his outburst; it isn't pretty to look at. But being in the Anti-Void had made him prone to mood swings. He was quite unstable. With his ego hurt, he had a few quiet moments with Ink.
It was very apparent that he was a manbaby.
Ink was very insistent on talking with Error. He'd come by every day, talking Error's ear off with his endless rambles and snorty laugh. It went on for weeks. By each day, Error had gradually begun to tolerate Ink's presence.
He was quite surprised when the protector held the same interest in sewing. It sounds silly when his whole aesthetic is all about art. Error didn't think much about it at the time, he took every chance to prove his skill in creating his own puppets and cat's cradle. He was quite prideful when Ink had struggled with it at first. He was an okay person in Error's book.
But instead of being friends, Ink experienced feelings.
It was out of character for such a bold and confident protector who always viewed others as nothing but characters. He was interested in Error as entertainment; he told Error his intentions right off the bat. His bluntness was jarring. Ink had realized the tension that grew over time, but he had disappeared for a few days. It frankly confused Error. However, he didn't put much thought into it when Ink came back, more cheerful than the last time he had seen him. Ink's goals got out of proportion, and it was downhill from there.
From that day on, Ink seemed happier, free. His walls he had built around Error had crumbled. He refrained from talking about monsters and humans as nothing but characters. He opened up about having no SOUL, including his vials. He started to trust Error.
Error was whipped, has been whipped.
Many would think a destroyer wouldn't dare act on affection. Error had been alone for a long time, not used to socializing and didn't want to be near anyone. It's a small characteristic of Error, but he is quite clingy to those he grows close to. It's a tie between clinginess and detachment.
Tame feels like a word to describe it. Error went from avoiding Ink's touches to practically melting into his palms. Error would rather die than let anyone see him be so devoted, so attached to someone like Ink. But there's another part of him that absolutely envies others that gets Ink's attention. He can't seem to make up his mind.
So then, how did that lead up to Error, the destroyer of AUs, to become a husband and a father to two very chaotic children?
He stares longingly at the coffee maker, watching as the liquid slowly fills up his cup. The steam hits his face with the strong aroma of rich and warm roasted beans. Error dislikes mornings. He never had to follow a routine in the Anti-Void. With the forever white space, you could never tell whether it was day or night.
A whine erupts in his peaceful moment with the smell. Not a lot of peace around here anymore. Well, there hasn't been for years. He hears footsteps in the living room and a high-pitched groan.
“Gray! That's mine!”
Error sighs to himself, taking hold of the mug and sipping the hot liquid despite its temperature. How does life lead up to this? How does a skeleton like him settle down? Who convinced him to this point?
An airy laugh envelopes the space. “Paper, that isn't food.”
Oh. That's who.
He suppresses a smile. He sips from his mug once more before he saunters to the living room.
Ink wears an amused look, holding Gradient on his lap on the couch as Paperjam puffs their cheeks. Gradient is crying itty-bitty tears, clinging onto Ink. The three surround the coffee table, the surface filled with an array of papers and a bunch of crayons and pencils. A couple of papers have captivating pencil drawings, along with messy strokes of pink and yellow all around them that were obviously made by a kid. Paperjam holds the green crayon, looking lost and annoyed as they stand.
“But he doesn't even like crayons,” PJ mutters.
Ink chuckles. “We're testing him out on what tools he likes. He's a babybones.”
“He's obviously not going to eat it.” Error voices, trying not to react as his SOUL skips a beat at Ink's smile. Thankfully, PJ releases a groan, prompting Ink to snort.
“He'll forget about it, see?” Ink hovers a finger in front of Gradient, before the small skeleton grabs it and sticks it in his mouth. Ink glances at Error, looking amused. “Morning, grumpy face. Happy now with your morning coffee?” He inquires.
“I guess.” Error replies. He watches as Paperjam lays the crayon on the coffee table and picks up a pencil to draw on one of the papers. “How long have you three been up?”
“You were deep in sleep when I heard Gradient.” Ink supplies. He squints as he goes in thought. “I'm guessing that was around an hour ago. PJ woke up once I put the TV on for Gray.”
That seems to be a regular thing for Error now. He finds himself naturally being grumpy in the morning. And if it wasn't embarrassing enough, he's been snoring more often. He complained about this to Ink before, but it wasn't very helpful when Ink thought it was cute and adorable. Error knows he is, he can't lie it made him smug.
“What show did you put on this time?” Error questions.
Ink ponders. “Swap recommended Bear in the Big Blue House.”
Error glances at the TV. The bear currently talks with the moon, and the subtitles repeat the events that went on in the episode.
Not a bad recommendation. There's too many high-stimulation shows lately. However, Gradient seems to fixate on the shows that are purely animated rather than puppets on screen. Paperjam adored them, still does, and it's really apparent. The skelinkton taps Ink's shoulder, prompting Ink to look at PJ as they show the paper with a near blank expression.
“Tutter.” They say.
It's a simple pencil drawing of a mouse shaded in blue pencil colouring. Its ears are big and it has giant round eyes, but the character is easily recognizable. A few stars drawn in a single line surround the blue mouse. It's a drawing made by a kid. Error would trash on it but PJ would obviously bite back and he couldn't afford that in the morning. Ink's face lights up at the drawing, he vocalizes his astonishment and Paperjam visibly perks up at it.
“Oh, that's wonderful, PJ.” Ink says.
‘Wonderfully shit.’ Error thought, lovingly.
PJ happily lays the drawing back down, whilst Ink makes a questioning hum. “I don't think I ever taught you how to draw stars.” He murmurs.
Gradient coos softly, drawing Ink and Error's attention to the babybones. Gradient gnaws at Ink's finger. He's growing teeth, similar to Ink's fangs. The observation makes Ink squeal.
“You think he'd like spaghetti?” Ink asks his husband. His eyelights lock on the babybones as he watches Gradient chew on his finger. Then, he smiles big as he looks up at Error. He's excited, but not to the point where he'd throw up. “That would be so cute! He's around that age, right?”
Error hums. “Probably, if he can stomach spaghetti at this age.”
“Black holes can stretch you like spaghetti.”
The two blink at PJ. The skelinkton messes around with Gradient's puppet that resembles a Temmie. They grab the sunglasses from the coffee table and promptly place it over the Temmie's eyes.
Error squints, hesitantly bringing his coffee mug to his mouth. “Yeah, they can.” He says, taking a sip. “How do you know that?”
PJ shrugs. “Spaghettification.”
Okay, what the hell?
Ink snorts. “What a silly concept.” He bounces Gradient on his knee as he says, “I find it fascinating that your body can stretch from gravitational tidal forces.”
Did Error miss out on something? Last thing he remembered, Ink didn't really have knowledge in physics, neither did Paperjam. Error knows much more on matters involving quantum physics, but it is still physics nonetheless.
Hey, isn't it nearly the time for Undernovela to air?
Gradient whines. Ink frowns softly as he stands up, cooing at the sight of Gradient rubbing his eyes. “He's tired.” Ink says, then he looks at Error and Paperjam with a smile. “I'll be right back.”
Paperjam leans to look at Ink's form going down the hallway for Gradient's first nap before promptly taking a bite out of the green crayon. They munch for a bit before sighing in bliss.
Error rolls his eyes, taking a seat on the couch as the commercials on the TV begin. “You could've said you were hungry.” He points out.
PJ scrunches their face at him. “I like green.” They reply, although slightly muffled as they chew.
Error doesn't bother to comment. He simply picks up the remote and changes the channel. His body relaxes as the theme of Undernovela envelopes the space. He doesn't bat an eye when Paperjam comes to sit on the couch as well, nibbling on the crayon like a rabbit.
The scene starts on a beach. Error recognizes it immediately, and it feels incredibly nostalgic. Old episodes from the very first few seasons always had the best plots, and the arc of the mafia had the best storyline. It's best purely because of the screentime Asgoro gets.
“There's more stars than grains of sand on beaches.” PJ says, mostly to themselves as they stare at the screen.
Yeah, well, okay. Whatever. That's cool.
Toriel comes on screen and Asgoro has her to his chest. Sin has his gun pointed at Asgoro. They have interrupted a beach wedding from the last episode, and many guests are surrounding the three with looks of alarm and shock. The bride and groom are nowhere to be found. From Sin's sluggish form, it's apparent he is drunk.
This is one of Undernovela's most dramatic episodes. It went into the themes of the failed marriage between Toriel and Asgoro and Sin's heartbreak.
Error feels Paperjam lay their head on his shoulder as faint glitches fizzled along his arm. The skelinkton's eyes are locked on the screen, watching and eyes flickering to the subtitles as the characters talk in Spanish. PJ supposedly isn't allowed to watch Undernovela until they are older. But Error and Ink don't really care unless it gets too graphic, which is half of the time.
The two watch the episode with very short commentary, trying to quiet their surprised reactions as to not wake up Gradient down in the hallway. Usually, they would both burst into chatter about the episode or a certain character, but they don't want to come face to face with an annoyed Ink. Gradient—being a babybones and not a skelinkton—needs a ton of sleep.
Near the end of the episode, Error has downed his cup of coffee. He registers that PJ has leaned away from him and has taken an interest in the leftover watercolour pan from yesterday underneath the coffee table. Well, it looks like it's time to start the day, whatever it could be is beyond Error.
He stands up from the couch, cracking his back a bit. He's getting older. When will he get wiser? Error heads back to the kitchen, planning on placing his cup in the sink until his eyes lay on the calendar on the wall.
He might as well read it, Ink could have forgotten.
There isn't much going on this month, but there are little notes left over from Ink to provide a better scheduling for himself. Past dates were crossed out by PJ with flimsy writing. Everything looks relatively normal before Error spots a square with words written in purple marker.
Error squints at the messy written date. “Grandparents’ anniversary?” He murmurs.
Who had grandparents? Did Ink lie about Gradient being his son or something? Error never recalled having a father, well, as far as he could remember.
There's a sigh from the other room.
“Hi, Daddy.” Paperjam greets.
“Hi, Paper.” Ink replies, sounding exasperated. “Did you eat the crayon?”
“No.”
“Sure.” Ink says. He makes a questioning hum. “What's on the calendar for today?”
Error has taken a while to respond. He realizes and doesn't have enough time to speak before Paperjam walks into the kitchen and stares at the calendar blankly, now chewing on an orange watercolour cake. They simply blink at it, before throwing their head back towards the living room.
“Grandfather and Grandpa's Anniversary!” They answer, and then they chomp on the watercolour cake. It sounds dry.
“Oh! Is it really today?” Ink comes inside the kitchen as well, practically skipping towards the calendar. He smiles as he skims over it.
PJ tugs his overall pants. “Can I circle it?” They ask.
Ink chuckles. “Sure.” He picks up Paperjam and holds them against his hip. He grabs the marker from the counter and gives it to the skelinkton, allowing them to circle the date around in black marker.
“Is this real?” Error manages to say.
Ink tilts his head, letting PJ down as he saunters close to his husband. Paperjam's feet pad out of the kitchen to the living room. “What do you mean?”
Error can't help but stutter. “Don't act stupid! You have parents?!”
Ink just blinks. “Did I not tell you?”
Sometimes Error forgets he married an idiot.
“No? Ink, what the hell—!” He jumps as Ink clamps a hand over his mouth. He grimaces just as Ink gives him a stern look.
Ink shushes him, his skull quickly turning around to look back into the living room to check on Paperjam. He breathes out a sigh of relief once there is no repeat. Ink frowns at Error. “Glitchy, PJ can't learn that yet. Dream would kick my ass.” He whispers.
Error huffs, swatting Ink's hand away as he crosses his arms. “Ink, who are your parents?”
Ink leans against the counter, raising a brow. “Big Top and Aster.”
“AU names.” He emphasizes.
Ink furrows his brows for a moment in thought. “Undertop Gaster and Zephyrtale Gaster.”
His dads are Gasters? And they're from separate AUs?
Though, the names are pretty unfamiliar. He frowns as recognition fails him. “Doesn't ring a bell.” He says in response.
“Y'know, it's kind of funny.” Ink muses. “They were actually at our wedding.”
“How was I supposed to know? You invited like 50 people.”
Error doesn't dare remember what happened at the wedding. His memory is pretty vague upon it, and photos haven't really helped.
The wedding was supposed to be small and had a few friends and guests. Somehow, Ink forgot this and invited nearly every single person he had ever encountered.
“What? Aren't they friends?” Ink had questioned back then. No, they weren't friends. They were just mere acquaintances. And to no one's surprise, the grooms freaked out and anxiety flew through the roof.
Error mainly remembers the honeymoon because all he and Ink did was relax in the Anti-Void and watch a whole marathon of Undernovela. Maybe even snoop on a few characters in windows. It definitely was a better aftermath.
“Well, I guess we were both experiencing memory loss. I threw up half of the alcohol and you crashed 30 minutes into the ceremony.” Ink replies.
Error does not want to remember that. He chooses to change the topic. “When are you going?”
Ink pauses. “I guess after Gradient wakes up. My dads like to have breakfast every anniversary. But I want to pick up flowers first.” He blinks and one of his eyelights has changed to an orange question mark. “Are flowers good anniversary gifts?”
“We don’t care about anniversary gifts.” Error reminds him.
To be fair, both of their memories aren't the best. Error can't remember how long ago it was the last time they tried to do something for an anniversary. It looked simple enough in movies. But the reality was vastly different.
He could hear Ink's laughter when Error had tried to gift boxed chocolates once but failed immediately when he ate it all subconsciously. He can see Ink's embarrassed face when he had accidentally gifted Error an autograph from Sin. Yeah, they both weren't good at gifting.
“You wanna come?” Ink suddenly asks.
Error freezes. “Me?”
Ink snorts, eyes crinkling. “Who else would I be talking to?”
“I don’t know.” Error immediately says. Now he sounds stupid. “I mean, I'm not sure.”
“You can think about it. I'm not gonna force you or anything.” Ink says, waving a hand in the air as he leans away from the counter. “It’d be very cool if you met them formally this time.” He adds, taking his leave to the other room, but not without his hand brushing over Error's arm.
Meeting Ink's parents is something Error hadn't been prepared to be asked for. Many alternate versions don't even have Gasters as fathers, some had them as brothers, and a lot didn't have any relation.
Would there be a chance Ink's parents would recognize him? His reputation as a destroyer hasn't been easy for the past years, considering he and Ink had settled down. Would they freak out over figuring out who their son married?
There's only one way to figure it out.
***
Never in Error's life has he ever been this anxious.
The landscape of the AU is pretty normal than Error had expected it to be. It's similar to the Surface. The main difference is the sky, which is made up of many stars. It reminds Error of Outertale in a way. There's a circus tent in the distance, and the music from there is faint and soft as the three of them walk up to the house. Is that an observatory beside it?
Paperjam rambles away to Ink, saying some random stuff about how Aster promised something to them. Error can't really listen, but he can hear his SOUL hammering in his chest. The front door is so far yet so close.
Being anxious is normal when meeting new people. Error was pretty anxious when trying to befriend Swap, no matter how his methods were. He couldn't stop stuttering when he and Ink had met for the first time. Hell, Error was anxious when meeting his kids!
Maybe that was a different type of anxiety? PJ was a small one, and was pretty grumpy. And their body was liquid to the touch. On the other hand, Gradient was super whiny, and couldn't help but go quiet for hours. Parenthood has an effect on you.
A coo erupts his racing SOUL. Error looks down at the small skeleton in his arms. Gradient looks at him with curiosity, gripping his red turtleneck.
Error swears if his anxiety latches onto Gradient when he's older, he'll curse out the creators.
But Gradient's innocent and curious expression calms him a bit.
“Aren’t roses the ‘love’ flower?” Paperjam questions, brows furrowed at the bouquet in their father's arms.
“They are.” Ink responds, delicately holding the bouquet of purple flowers in his hands. “But flowers are a form of art. They can be super symbolic and have many meanings.”
Error squints at the flowers. “What do those mean?”
Ink looks cheeky. “These are asters.” Error almost let out a groan, but Gradient's watchful eye suppresses it. “And asters, typically purple asters, mean wisdom and admiration. It also shows respect.”
“I want to learn flower meanings.” PJ says. “Grandfather said that Grandpa likes flowers. I want to show how much Grandpa means to me.”
Ink grins. “That's good. I guess we can find an Asgore who knows about them, or catch up on books.”
Error releases a breath. They sound sweet enough. Ink hadn't said anything about them yet. Maybe it'll go well?
“Oh shoot, I almost forgot.” Ink says.
Great.
Ink's skull turns to Error with a smile. “Big Top knows about out-codes. I think there's a chance he might know you.”
Error frowns. “Normally I'd be upset about that, but what do you mean by that?”
Ink's smile turns a bit weak. “That's what I was going to tell you.” He looks hesitant before admitting it out loud. “Big Top's AU is controlled by him. He's the creator of it.”
Error's SOUL nearly drops to his ass. “What?”
Ink is sheepish. “I think I should've mentioned that.” He thinks? This should've been the first thing he told Error. “But yes, Big Top controls this AU. I mainly helped with assets and whatnot. So to say, it doesn't follow a script.” He explains.
Okay, there's a possibility Error will die by tonight.
First of all, Aster sounds like a sweet guy. But Big Top? There's no way he doesn't know who Error is. Being a creator makes you able to communicate with other creators. There had to be gossip about him already. Matter of fact, they might be gossiping right now!
“Go ring the doorbell, PJ.” Ink says.
The skelinkton doesn't complain about it, walking up to the house with a pep in their step.
Oh god, they're getting closer to the house. This feels like impending doom. What would Big Top even look like? Would he look the same as Ink? Would he be a painter or another occupation related to art? Would he be a stern critic?
But how would Ink come out as cheerful and so provocative? Does Aster play a part in that? Is that why Ink hadn't told Error about his parents because of how divided his family is? How long has Ink been taking the kids to meet these guys? Was he asleep?
Error flinches at Ink's nudge, turning his head to frown at him.
Ink's eyebrows are furrowed as he speaks, “Error, you're tense.”
Error swallows, mouth dry. “I'm not.”
Ink gives him a look. “Your jaw is clenched, your shoulders are hunched together and your eye is twitching.”
Way to call a man out. Error tries to calm himself under Ink's gaze, trying to keep himself busy by looking down at Gradient's still wide eyes.
“Error…”
Of course, Error has to fold under pressure.
He curses himself internally at how easy his skull turns to look at Ink.
Ink's eyes are unreadable as he looks up at Error. “You'd tell me if you're uncomfortable with this, right? And I mean any of this.”
Is he uncomfortable? He can’t really pinpoint what he’s feeling.
He's freaking out by the mere appearances of Ink's parents. His SOUL can't stop beating fast at the images he placed in his skull. He wouldn't say uncomfortable, really, but he's very anxious.
But he knows Ink is giving him an out. Like he can just pretend Error hadn't been here initially and he and the kids would do regular stuff inside the house.
The doorbell rings, and Error's mouth runs automatically.
“Yeah, don't even worry about it, idiot.”
Ink stares, until he relents with a shake of his head. He smiles as his eyes crinkle. “I won't then.” He glances at the front door. “Don't mind how eccentric he is. He's very happy on this day.” Ink whispers.
Before Error can question it, the door opens and a large skeleton in blue attire looks down at them before smiling down at the skelinkton.
“Why! If it isn't Paperjam!” He exclaims, bringing his arms out in greeting. The man's outfit is similar to that of a circus ringleader. His voice further promotes the theme.
This is Big Top?
“Hi, Grandfather!” PJ greets, pushing themselves into Big Top's embrace as the man laughs cheerfully. The difference from what Error expected is quite jarring.
Though, his SOUL still beats aggressively as the skeleton pulls away from Paperjam and straightens. He's very tall.
Big Top's face softens at Ink. “Welcome back, Inkling.”
This is some cultural whiplash.
“Hey, Big Top.” Ink says, and then he holds Error's hand firmly. He clears his throat, his head gesturing to his husband. “You remember Error, right?”
The ringleader looks at Error, and he can't help but tense over Big Top's gaze as recognition washes over his features.
“Right.” He confirms as he bows his head in greeting. “Pleasure to meet you face to face. You can call me Gaster.”
Is that a good thing?
Error swallows, nodding as he grips Ink's hand. His SOUL slows its quick pace after a reassuring squeeze back. “Good to meet you too, sir.”
Ink quickly pipes in. “We hope we didn't interrupt anything.”
Gaster smiles. “You four came at the perfect time! I was just in the middle of making breakfast for Aster.”
A softer voice erupts from inside the house, inching closer. “Darling, who's at the door?”
Holy shit.
The other large skeleton has giant black feathered wings and a large bone tail, he even has scales poking through his covered arms.
He's half blaster.
The man wears a smile with slightly faded eyebags. “Good morning, everyone.”
“Morning, Grandpa.” PJ happily chirps.
“Heya Aster!” Ink exclaims as he hands out the bouquet. “We just wanted to drop by for your guys' anniversary.”
Aster looks at the bouquet of, well, his namesakes and hugs them to his chest. “They're beautiful.” He says, giving Ink a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“We might as well get you four inside.” Gaster says, then gives Aster a winsome smile. “Shall we, love?”
Aster lets out a soft laugh, nudging Gaster's side. “Oh, stop it. That's your son, for crying out loud.”
“And your grandchildren.” Gaster replies, teasingly.
Aster rolls his eyes at his husband as everyone goes to walk inside, just as PJ runs in with a mischievous giggle.
Error quickly stops Ink by grabbing him by his wrist. Ink's face is perplexed as he raises a brow at him. “You didn't tell me about Aster being a blaster!” He whispers sharply.
Ink tilts his skull. “Yeah, he experimented on himself and fused his biology with a gaster blaster.” He says.
Error pauses at his bluntness. His stillness makes Ink walk away and walk inside. Right. He told him not to worry. Is it possible to turn back time?
He takes a breath, looking down at Gradient's little face as the babybones rubs his eyes. “Papa's getting tired too.” He murmurs. Bracing himself, he walks inside the house.
The group has settled in the living room. And Error can't stop looking at the decor.
It's exactly how he pictured a house suited for grandparents. The living room is clean, cleaner than Error has ever seen. The walls are simple and beige, similar to Toriel's house. There are a few indoor plants, some are hanging above and there's two or three on one of the corner tables next to the couch. The couch is a soft grey, and it has two white throw pillows on each side.
The TV stand is decorated with pictures and miscellaneous items. Error can faintly see Ink's smiling face and his parents in several of them and a Sans and Papyrus he doesn't recognize, but their outfits are a bit strange. Throughout it all, the place is surprisingly homey.
Aster then takes notice of the babybones in Error's arms. He holds a hand to his chest with a fond look on his face. “Oh goodness, Gradient. He's getting bigger.” He looks at Gaster softly and hands out the bouquet. “Would you put these in a vase for me, dear?”
Gaster blinks, chuckling as he takes hold of the bouquet. “Of course.” He replies, as he lifts a hand. Error watches in shock as a vase materializes in the ringleader's palm. It's practically the same magic Ink wields.
He manages to see Gaster leave the room before Aster blocks his vision and comes closer, cooing at Gradient's wide eyes staring back. Gradient softly babbles something incoherent as his hands outstretch for the man.
“Hello, little starling.” Aster whispers, lifting a finger for Gradient to grasp onto. The man's eyes glance up at Error. “May I?”
Error mumbles what he hopes is giving permission as Aster picks up Gradient from his arms. Aster smiles at the babybones, face in awe as he rubs his square cheekbones.
“They're starting to fade, how gorgeous.” The man says, trailing a finger down one of the squares that fade into black. He then looks back at Ink and Error. “I haven't seen you in a while, Error. How nice it is to see a familiar face. I figured Ink remembered this time?”
Error blinks. “Remembered what?”
Ink rubs the back of his skull. “Uhm, it just wasn't a conversation said.” He smiles sheepishly.
Aster sighs softly as he turns his head to Error. “I tried to remind him to ensure you can visit us, but he always seems to forget it.”
“Well, in my defense, you and Big Top do not know how to look after Paper and Gray.” Ink replies, folding his arms with a strained smile. “How many times have I heard you guys freak out over the kids just because you're ‘out of practice’?”
Aster chuckles. “But we are. We're in our forties.” He then waves a hand. “Nevermind, you're here now. That's all that matters.” He says as he smiles at Error.
Error nods in acknowledgement. He then realizes Paperjam's absence. “Where'd the other one go?”
“Likely with the blasters.” The man answers simply.
Error freezes. “The blasters?”
Aster sends Ink another look, prompting him to jump in. “Aster's old AU's theme was gaster blasters being dragons that they can ride.”
“The kid is playing with dragons?” The thought is alarming.
Aster releases a soft laugh. “Don't fret, Error. I raised these blasters around here. They won't harm Paperjam, not on Betelgeuse's watch.”
Ink takes hold of Error's arm as he smiles. “Come on, we can relax and eat together.”
Error does feel hungry, he had coffee on an empty stomach. Maybe that's why he's so anxious. He lets Ink drag him to the kitchen as Aster follows from behind.
The room is a kitchen-diner layout. Funnily enough, there's a table fitted for six people. Asters in a vase are kept in the middle of the table, it's filled with water and the ends of the stems are cut at an angle. There's a shelf in a corner that contains a large amount of board games. And of course, there's a large potted plant next to it. It's getting very obvious this house is keeping a clean and simple theme.
In the kitchen area, Gaster's back is facing them as sizzling erupts from the stovetop. It brings some sort of calmness to Error, knowing that there's less eyes on him. He follows Ink to sit together on the table, facing Aster as the man holds Gradient on his lap.
“It's a surprise to me how long it's been.” Aster remarks. “How long ago was the wedding?”
Oh god, the wedding.
“About six years ago.” Ink responds, then blinks as a question mark appears in one of his eyelights. “I think.”
Error scoffs. “You're impossible.” He says to his husband, before looking at Aster. “I don't remember either.”
The man wears an amused expression. “Six years then.” He rubs Gradient's skull in a soothing motion as he hums in thought. “That day was quite chaotic.”
“We don’t really remember it.” Ink says. True, but only because they chose to.
Aster raises a brow. “All of it?”
“It was bad.” Error replies.
Aster looks at the two of them like they grew two heads. “I don't recall it being terrible.” Oh, he doesn't know the horror. “I think it was a pretty wonderful wedding.”
Ink squints. “I invited multiple people.”
“Only half of them actually came.” Aster informs. “That man in the backwards baseball cap really took his job seriously.”
Sure, Fresh did kind of do his job with the guest list, but it wasn't helpful when he'd encourage the guests into doing intense activities. The only good thing he did was try to stop Ink from drinking any more alcohol. For some reason the damn parasite dislikes it.
“It went on for hours.” Error says.
Aster shrugs, smiling. “Naturally.”
It was one of the most painful hours of Error's life. The reception was long, and cutting the cake felt very pressuring in front of an audience. It was some good chocolate cake though. But the dancing was anxiety-inducing. Thankfully, they didn't do speeches. Error would've spent 10 minutes trying to get through it all.
“But the outfits were good.” Gaster says from the kitchen, prompting Aster to gasp.
“Oh, they were just lovely!” The man lays a palm against his cheekbone. “They were beautifully tailored. That jumpsuit was perfect on you, Ink.”
No doubt about it. It was partially the reason Error crashed during the ceremony. Ink had worn a white jumpsuit with pastel rainbow accents, making it look iridescent. Error's suit complemented it with its black fabric. They looked good, but the stares from people in the crowd made Error panic, and the last thing he saw before crashing was Ink walking down the aisle. Now that he remembers, the man leading Ink down the aisle looked very familiar.
“It was.” Gaster confirms. Error tenses. “It was a privilege to walk you down, Inkling.”
Ink simpers. “Okay, we're getting too sappy here.” He holds up his hands in the air. “We're not going to ignore the fact that I threw up copious amounts of alcohol.”
Aster chuckles. “Well, at least you weren't a runaway groom.”
Ink blinks. “That can't be the least of your worries.”
Aster hums. “I've thought about it.”
Gaster coughs in the kitchen. “You've thought about it?”
“How's breakfast going, dear?” Aster asks, looking over his shoulder.
“Oh! It's done in a few minutes.”
“We should get Paperjam back inside, I believe I have some leftover art supplies for them to eat with us.” Aster says as he gets up from his seat, shuffling his wings a bit. Gradient's eyes grow in size at the sight of them, his hands trying to grab the wings but to no avail. “I'll go get them. Some blasters tend to be quite clingy.”
Error watches as Aster heads to the back door, opening it as his form leaves their sight. His eyes quickly set on Gaster's back in the kitchen.
Okay, it's pretty obvious that Aster has little knowledge about Error. He didn't even know Fresh's name! If that's the case, then Gaster clearly knows about him and hasn't done the chance to confront him.
Why didn't he tell Aster about Error? Is Aster under the impression that Error is some alternate version Ink met on one of his journeys?
Does Gaster know about the amount of times he and Ink had fought? Does he know that Error was the one who frequently gave Ink burn marks from gaster blaster attacks? Does he know that Error destroyed hundreds of AUs, and he didn't feel any guilt in doing so?
“Error, what're you doing?” Ink whispers. From the corner of Error's eye, he can see Ink wearing a bewildered look.
“Your dad definitely knows who I am.” Error mutters, watching as Gaster flips a pancake on the stove. And it smells so damn good.
Ink furrows his brows, glancing back and forth between his husband and Gaster. “Okay? Is that a bad thing?”
Error turns his skull to Ink. Is he dense? “Well, yes, because he's likely gonna ask why a destroyer like me is married to his son!” He whispers back in a hiss. Not to mention, he might kill Error.
Ink does not look impressed. “Error, I think you're reaching. I don't think he's going to care. Plus, you haven't been a destroyer in years.” Then, he smirks as he scratches underneath Error's chin. “You're still my little destroyer, though.”
What a way to be unserious.
Error frowns, though it looks like a pout. “Ink, not here.” He takes Ink's wrist and pulls his hand away. He glances around the room before leaning in. “Later.”
Ink snorts. The back door opens once more. Aster lets Paperjam walk in first. The skelinkton looks lively, giggling as they hop on the chair next to Ink.
“What'd you do out there, Paper?” Ink questions, watching as PJ vibrates in their seat with amusement.
“Betelgeuse let me play with the blasters.” PJ answers, grinning. “They're growing! They're almost at my chest!”
“And they'll get even bigger.” Aster says, taking his seat as Gradient grips one of his scales. “These blasters will grow exceptionally large by the time they are adults.”
“Will I be able to ride them by then?” Paperjam asks.
“You gotta be close to one first.” Ink says.
PJ tilts their head. “Why don't you have one, Daddy?”
Ink raises a brow. “Why would I need one? I already have a blaster!”
Paperjam blinks, realization overcoming them. “Oh. That makes sense. I like your blaster, and Papa's, everyone else has boring ones.” They admit.
Error would boast about his blaster, but then Gaster releases a breath.
“Alright! Who wants a plate?” The ringleader asks.
As Error watches Aster and Ink answer the man, he takes a few breaths of his own. Who knows how much time he has left before the confrontation happens. Who knows how long his moments of peace will end. Will he say goodbye to chocolate forever?
He doesn't know, and that scares him the most.
It'd be nice to meet this Betelgeuse Paperjam's been talking about though.
Curiosity does kill the cat.