"And I think I know a very special lady who can bring him back." Palette smiled confidently, his glance was met by looks of indescribable frustration.
".. Please tell us you're joking." Paperjam narrowed his eyes towards Palette, whose face crunked up in confusion.
".. Why would I be joking?" He responded, only to get a quick response from Goth.
"Oh jeez. Let's think for a moment. You got us in trouble, a world of trouble and you got your dann legs snapped?! Think Palette!" The reaper's voice snapped harshly. He waved his hands in frustration.
Palette looked over at his youngest brother, Blueprint, who looked as unimpressed as his big brother and friend.
"If you're looking at me for support, you ain't getting it." The smaller one shrugged, Palette sighed.
"But, I-I failed! I didn't get to return the crown to Nim." Palette's legs were fine anyways! Dream healed them and with some of Blue's horrific cooking.. He was as good as new.
"Who?"
"My grandmother." Palette explained to PJ who shook his head, crossing his arms.
"Absolutely not. Your life is worth so much more than some stupid crown."
"- it's not stupid!" It was now Palette's turn to raise his voice. Paperjam's expression was unmoving and cold.
"It's stupid if you're gonna die for it! It's not worth it Palette, just forget about it!" Paperjam yelled back.
"Hey, stop fighting you two!" Goth hissed, standing up slightly.
Silence fell amongst the quartet.. Palette sighed and shook his head slightly. Blueprint lowered his eyes.
".. Pal, you gotta understand why we're worried. You went missing for a good while and.. And we didn't know if you were going to be okay. I mean.. We believed in you, of course, but you came back with your legs broken and a shaking mess." The voice of reason explained, the leader's eyes softened.
"And.. We saw what it did to Dream and.. And Dad and papa.. We hated seeing them so stressed." Blueprint continued, he gently tugged on his gloves.
"Palette, what if you just.. Don't.. Push this any further? We get it.. You want to save Nightmare for more than just Dream now, but.. Maybe he's happy that way. Maybe you shouldn't poke the hibernating bear." Blueprint's voice was gentle. He had a better grip on Palette's mindset than anyone else in the group as a fellow child of two 'goods'.
Palette's jaw tightened with a sense of guilt chewing at his soul. The way Blueprint explained it… Had he truly been so selfish throughout this whole ordeal? Yeah.. He probably had. In order to do one good deed, he did a million bad deeds..
".. What do you think Broomie? You wan-" Palette was interrupted by a sharp knock to the head by the brush. Broomie's opinions were as clear as ever and it seemed that it was not going to risk it's life for Palette's family issues again.
"What Print said.. Palette we're all really worried about you. You really shouldn't even be fathoming the idea about.. Continuing this whole thing." Goth's cold voice was now warm as he hesitated taking the friend of his hand, but did gently.
"Seriously. Your hero complex is bad, man." Paperjam rolled his eyes, looking away slightly and out of the open square window of the treehouse, gazing out into the stars.
Palette sighed, taking one candy out of the pile.
"It's just.. There's no way he's entire gone.. Right?.. Even his mother has faith that he's still in there. I-"
"I'm not going to be having this discussion with you Palette! We get it. You've never seen the AUs before, you're experiencing so many new things.. But use that thing inside your skull called a brain and think!" PJ snapped again, slamming his hand down on the table slightly.
"I'm not putting up with this. Goth, talk some sense into him. I don't care if it's been a few weeks since the happening, Palette, we're not gonna let you throw away your life for someone who doesn't care." Paperiam ended the conversation by standing up, glaring at his brother. He began to the back of the treehouse, to the opening and climbed down.
Paperjam's disgruntled emotions ran through to the top of his skull to the tips of his finger tips. Palette watch his brother storm off, opening a portal.
"We can't blame Jammy for how he's feeling. You've.. Kinda upset everyone, Palette. One honest deed shouldn't outshine a million others." Blueprint sighed, watching his older brother form an inky portal.
"... I'm sorry." Palette muttered, clutching his sleeves.
[...]
Paperjam leapt through the portal, skidding harshly out the other side. He seriously had to get better and perfecting those landings…
"Paperjam? Or is that Gradient?" A glitchy voice sounded from behind a blue bean bag.
"It's PJ." Paperjam responded with a sigh, getting up slightly. Error didn't respond, he didn't really seem to bother to. He sat with his glasses, watching the most recent episode of Undernovela, sewing a stitch into one of his many dolls.
Silence fell between the father and son as Paperjam joined him. He didn't sit on the bean bag, but rather beside it. He couldn't ever really get into Undernovela.. But Error seemed to like it, so.. Maybe this time he could try and enjoy it.
"Some of my work colleagues are coming over…" Error muttered lowly as he finished the doll. It seemed to be a doll which looked similar to Palette.
"I thought you hated having people over." Paperjam spoke, raising his eye in confusion. Error gave a small groan. This anti-void was the perfect place for him. It was empty, he had space, it was quiet and no one bothered him there.. Well, scratch that. Apparently the anti-void was the perfect place to bother him. Ink did it.. His teammates did it.. His sons did it..
"I do. But they didn't give me a choice and I can't exactly say no to them." Error lifted the doll up with his strings, making the small thing dance.
"Well why not? You're a respectable person… Sometimes." PJ asked, ignoring all the times this man has thrown an absolute tantrum when he didn't get his way, his attention or his needs met.
"You… you just can't.. I can show you why if you want." Error offered, looking over slightly.
"Are you inviting me to this.. Meet up?" PJ blinked.. His father wasn't exactly the "family bonding" type. In fact.. Error wasn't the type to have a family at all. He was pretty distant with Ink so… playing happy household wasn't always easy.
"Well, you're growing up.. You're nineteen. So, you'll be making your choice soon. Creation or destruction. I'm just trying to help you pick the right one." Error shrugged. Right…
Creation.. Destruction. He hated them both. He didn't want to be a savior and saint or villain and sinner.. The concept of simply being 'the son of Error' or.. 'The son of Ink'. It made Paperjam feel.. sick.
"I guess so." Despite everything, PJ accepted. No matter how he felt. The choice had to be made. Being forced to be someone you're not… it had to be done. He thought back to his brother. To his brothers and his friend. Palette was lucky.. Kind of. He didn't have these issues. But.. The idiot had his own issues, obviously.
"Cool. They won't bite.. Some of them at least." Error rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses as he threw the doll over to PJ. "Go play now." Paperjam looked down at the doll.
It looked like a Palette, sure. But it… didn't at the same time. It was different.
"What's this? Another AU?" Paperjam asked, lifting the doll's arm.
"I dunno. It felt right." Error shrugged, tuning his attention to Undernovela. PJ hummed in response. The doll wasn't coloured. Error hadn't used any coloured fabric at least.. Maybe he could paint it later.. If Error would approve of that anyways.
PJ lifted the doll onto his lap, waving the arm.
"Hello, Captain Palette." He murmured to himself.
[...]
Paperjam was snapped out of playing with the small, creepy Palette doll with a wired cloth scarf when mindless charter began to interrupt the Spanish from Error's glitched screen.
"Oh, Ro! We got snacks!" A voice called out. It was pitchy and gravelly, unpleasant to hear. Paperjam looked up to see strangers piling in.
One with a large hole in his head, a glowing eye.
Another with black tears stained down his cheekbones, his soul open and waiting to be struck through the target shape.
The third looking the most like a normal sans, despite the glowing red and blue eye from under his clocked hood.
A completely monochrome coloured skeleton, his style being littered with Xs and crosses.. Paperjam could've sworn he had seen that one before…
And the fourth struck the teenager still.
The tentacles.
The eye.
The goop..
Was that?...
"Error." Whispered Paperjam, over to his father who was sound asleep. He grunted a bit.
"Error, for stars sake.. Wake up." Paperjam knocked the bean bag slightly, shooting the glitchy skeleton awake.
"What?!" Error grunted at his son, before seeing his workmates.
"Oh why do they never knock…" he whispered under his breath, getting up.
"Glitch. Who's that?" The hooded one asked, pointing a pale finger bone to Paperjam.
"PJ. I'm letting him stay around and get a taste of what it's like to be normal." Error answered bluntly, gesturing for PJ to introduce himself.
".. I'm Paperjam." PJ spoke, not daring to look Nightmare in the eye. It couldn't be.. But it had to be. His blood boiled in rage.
"Another generation. It makes me wonder how many kids are wandering around that we don't know about." Cross-man mumbled.
"Well! I'm Killer, this is Horror and Dusty and Cross and-"
"You don't have to say his name." Paperjam rudely cut him off. Nightmare's face churned with.. an entertained smile.
"Oh? So you know who I am? Finally, a boy who knows respect." Nightmare was chuffed at Paperjam's gaul. Especially since he had such an unpleasant encounter with.. Someone.
"I assume Error has told you?"
Paperjam's anger burnt through his body. He would've said something to Nightmare if he had no self control. He looked away.
Although, he didn't have to.
".. No? I didn't tell him. PJ, how do you know about Nightmare?" Error's face scrunched up in confusion.
".. Someone else told me."
Paperjam's glare shut error up. Alright, fair enough. Although Paperjam was just barely able to hold himself together, Nightmare's smile didn't cease.
"Wonderful. Glad to have you on the team, Paperjam." The teenager suddenly began to regret giving him his name. Hearing their name come out of such a dirty mouth made Paperjam shiver.
"I'm not joining any team yet." He responded sharply, gripping his arms in an uncomfortable fashion.
"Oh but of course. How rude of me. Take a seat, we were just about to talk about something."
"Yeah! What to do with that Palette Roller kid who was dumb enough to challenge the king!"
Paperjam bit down harshly on his tongues.
Stay silent and maybe he could help his younger brother through this.