~Y/n's POV~
Traveling through the portal felt like it took longer than normal, this was usually the case when going to faraway universes. I wonder where Dream was living now that everyone had moved out of the infinity house. I wonder if Nightmare is there too... he probably is considering they haven't seen each other in a very long time.
After what felt like eons, my feet landed on the ground and I took a few deep breaths. I always had difficulty breathing when going through Error's portals, the air felt very thick in there. Once I recollected my breath, I looked upwards at the towering structure before me.
Wait a second... this was Nightmare's old castle from when he was that weird goop thing. They were living here? I suppose it makes some sense, I just wonder how it doesn't bring back bad memories. It already has for me. I subconsciously reached for the scar that was left by Dust's torturing and shivered.
"Don't worry, they completely changed the inside of it so it doesn't look as evil. They plan to change the outside too." Error reassured me after seeing my traumatized expression.
I nodded in response, feeling slightly calmer about going inside. Error saw that I still looked scared and sighed before putting a hand on my shoulder. I still had to get used to that... but it did make me feel better.
We walked up to the grand front gate, it towered over both of us. Error used his magic to lift the gate and led me through. I tried to stay focused on the present, but I kept getting old awful memories.
We had reached the front entrance that looked a lot more friendly than the gate. Error glanced at me for a moment and saw I still looked a bit scared.
"Trust me, it looks nothing like it used to." He once again tried to console me. I only nodded in response, trying to fight back the memories of my clothes being torn off my body.
Error glanced at me one more time before knocking loudly on the door. I wondered how he didn't hurt his knuckles from how hard he hit it. The sound echoed across the empty plain, making the silence afterward deafening.
"Do they know we're coming?" I asked Error after around a minute of waiting in nervous silence. I wondered if they were even home.
"Nah, but they'll be glad to see you. And they hardly leave the house so I'm curious as to what's taking them so long." He answered me before knocking even louder on the door again.
"Coming!" We heard a muffled excited voice shout from the inside. Definitely has to be Dream, unless Nightmare's voice had gotten a lot more high pitched than when I last saw him.
After a few more long seconds, the door opened quite quickly. It was indeed Dream who had called out before. He looked extraordinarily happy today, more so than usual.
"Oh! Error, what brings you by? And- Y/N!" Dream suddenly brought me into a super tight hug once he caught sight of me. I nearly fell to the ground from the force and unexpectedness from it but I was quite used to this from Blue. I gave him an equally strong hug after I regained my balance.
"It's so good to see you! Please, come inside you two!" Dream invited us after letting go from the hug. He pushed the doors wide open and I could see the lavish inside.
It looked straight out of a movie or a dream.
"Dream... this place is gorgeous." I gawked in amazement, spinning in a circle to examine every little detail. What I loved most was the combination of the gold and black, Dream and Nightmare's favorite colors. It really made the castle feel united between the two brothers.
"Don't be complimenting me, Ink is the one who designed it for us. Speaking of, where is he? He's usually following you around like a lost puppy." Dream peeked around outside to see if Ink might of been hiding. Wow, he said the exact same thing Error did. I suppose he is a little clingy...
Dream must've noticed my shift in mood and looked at me in concern. "Is everything alright? Come on, let's all go into the living room and talk."
"I'm not stayin, I was just her ride here. I'll talk to you later, Y/n." Error replied before making a portal behind him. Before he left, he leaned somewhat close to me. "Tug on your SOUL if you need me." He muttered into my ear before backing into his portal.
I couldn't help but smile to myself about his consideration. I figured the reason we felt so close despite not really having that many moments together was because of our shared SOULs. Somehow I could understand him better than anyone else, and I know he felt the same way. That's another perk about sharing a SOUL, I can always tell what he's feeling even if I don't realize it.
"So! How come you're here instead of at your parents?" Dream questioned me, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He had definitely regained the bounce in his step.
"Oh, um, well... maybe we should sit down." I faltered, beginning to feel down again. Dream definitely noticed the mood shift this time and put his hand on my shoulder. "It's right down this way."
Dream led me down the hallway that was centered between the two spiraling staircases. There was a pleasant smell wafting through the air that reminded me of both Dream and Nightmare at the same time. It was incredible that two extremely different people could coexist so well together. I suppose they were brothers, but it still seemed impressive.
The living room was just as gorgeous as the entrance hall. There was an ornate fireplace, two long lavish couches, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a giant HDMI TV on the wall above the fireplace. It was all extremely impressive. How long did Ink take to make this place?
"Here, sit down. Make yourself comfortable!" Dream beamed, sitting down on one of the couches. I honestly felt out of place here, it was all so... fancy. I suppose Dream and Night were princes so they were used to this kind of thing. I didn't want to make Dream upset though, so I sat down on the couch across from him.
As soon as I did sit down, I heard footsteps approaching the room. I turned my head to see the newcomer, wondering who it could be. Nightmare came strolling into the room looking behind him at the door, I didn't realize how glad I was to see him until just now. "Hey bro, I heard knocking on the door- oh hey Y/n." He said in happy surprise when he turned around to face us.
I sprang up from my seat quickly, rushing to give him a hug. It hadn't been that long since I've seen him but it felt like ages. I considered him my best friend after all that happened in the VOID. He knew exactly what was coming and spread his arms in anticipation. I engulfed him in quite a tight hug, I didn't know what came over me. I just... missed him. After seeing each other everyday for 5 years and then being apart for over a week felt strange
We eventually parted from the hug, and I suddenly felt a lot better. It was odd that the embodiment of negative emotions could bring so many positive ones. "Glad to see you, too." Nightmare chuckled, sensing the happiness inside me.
"Yeah... I missed you." I answered back, rubbing my neck sheepishly. What was coming over me? Was I the clingy one now? We had only been apart for over a week...
"What brings you by? And how come Ink isn't around? He's usually following you around like a lost puppy."
Wow. All the Sanses really did think the same, didn't they?
"Um... that's kind of why I'm over here. I wanted to talk to you two about Ink."
I walked back over towards the couch and flopped down with a sigh, I felt a lot more comfortable with Night here. Nightmare followed my lead and sat down next to me. "What's wrong? I can tell something really bad happened if he's not here."
"I agree, I don't think you've noticed how much time you guys spend together." Dream pitched in, his bone-brows furrowed in concern.
"Where to even start... You guys know how me and Ink were going to spend some time at my parent's house?" I questioned them, figuring that Ink would've told everyone where we were going. They both nodded in unison.
"Well, he was acting strange the whole time we were there. He just felt so... anxious. That isn't like him and it made me worried. I thought it was just because we were meeting my parents but I was wrong. Earlier today I was checking on him because he had slept in really late- which also isn't like him- and he was talking to either nobody or someone I couldn't see. He really freaked out when he saw I was in the room, like he was about to have a panic attack. I tried to get him to talk to me, like how we usually do... but he teleported away. It hurts... it really hurts."
I started to sob again, and both of the skeletons quickly rushed to comfort me. I was now sandwiched in a hug between the two of them, it felt nice. I could feel the pulses of their auras bouncing off in waves in the air. Dream was doing his best to give off positive vibes to me, to make me feel better. While Nightmare seemed to be trying to restrict his negative vibes, but it was difficult because my negative emotions were fueling his power. Despite that, it felt good to know how much he cared about me that he was trying to restrain himself from making me feel bad.
"Y/n... everything's going to be alright. We'll help you through this." Dream hugged onto me even tighter, fighting back his own tears at my sadness.
"Yeah, I'm gonna beat the shit out of him." Nightmare growled, I could feel his aura start to shift towards anger.
"Night! Don't say such things! Ink is our friend!" Dream scolded him, letting me go from his embrace to cross his arms and scowl at his brother's behavior.
"I'm joking... sort of." Night mumbled under his breath so only I could hear.
I couldn't help but chuckle at their sibling bickering, it was nice to see them together after so long. I wondered how long they've actually been apart, I never got the full details on when Nightmare became that goop thing. It must be weird on Night's part since he doesn't remember any time passing at all.
"Do you know what Ink was talking about specifically?" Night asked me curiously, putting a hand on my shoulder. I couldn't help but be reminded me of Error, he got straight to business.
"Night, now is not the time to be interviewing her. She needs support from her friends right now." Dream reprimanded him once again, pulling me towards his chest in another hug.
"That's what I'm trying to do! Wouldn't it make you feel better to know what Ink was up to, Y/n?"
I contemplated on that question for a moment before answering, "It would... I just want to know whats making him upset. Was it something I did...? What if he doesn't want to be with me anymore?! What if-" Dream cut me off by pulling my face directly in front of his. He had the most serious expression I have ever seen him wear.
"Y/n. I know you did nothing wrong. Ink seems to be going through a hard time right now and that is NOT your fault. You mean more to him than you realize, I see it in his dreams. He cares about you more than all the multiverses combined, don't ever doubt that. He loves you, and you love him. This isn't going to break that."
Just like that, I was in tears again. Dream looked worried that he had said the wrong thing but relaxed when I collapsed into his chest and wrapped my arms tightly around him. I didn't realize Ink cared that much... I knew he cared a lot but more than all the multiverses? That's quite a lot.
I felt Nightmare somewhat awkwardly start patting my back, not exactly sure what to do. He was exactly like Error in the fact they both weren't good with consoling. They would probably really get along if Error could forget what happened while he was working for him. I could feel some unpleasant memories fill my already overstimulated mind, memories of Nightmare before he became good...
I felt myself become lightheaded as more sobs escaped me. I thought I had gotten more control over timeline jumping... apparently not because the world was soon extremely different.
~~~