~
Multicolored grains floated to the surface of the milk, swirling around with the swift motion of a silver spoon. Sugar-coated letters of the alphabet bathed in the soft white pool in the orange ceramic bowl.
Paperjam squinted as he leaned over his breakfast, attempting to spell words with the cereal letters. He wanted to spell his name, but the pour he got from the box this morning didn't give him an "m" and only one "a", though he needed two to meet his goal. Tough luck.
So there he sat, fishing for the last "h" he needed to complete his uncle's name. He knew it was in there somewhere, but the sugary purple letter wasn't making it easy for him.
He huffed, letting his back hit the back of his seat. His little pink eye sockets frowned at the unfinished "fres-" in his bowl, hoping that maybe the missing letter would float to the top, making his job easier.
"Good morning, squirt," said a less than familiar voice.
Paperjam gasped, whipping his tiny skull around to look for the newcomer in question.
Another skeleton stood behind his chair, pulling a white hood from his head. A red, lightning bolt looking scar sat below one of his discolored eyes.
"Whoops, did I scare you? Sorry about that."
He took the seat next to him, folding his arms on the tabletop. Paperjam studied him, clenching his tiny spoon in a just-as-tiny fist.
"Are you new here?" He asked, his words coming out more rude than he intended.
The new guy flinched at the sudden harshness, but what else did he expect from Error's kid?
"Well, yeah. I guess you could say that." He paused. "Your dad sent me down here to keep your company while your uncle's out this morning."
"Where did he go?"
The skeleton shrugged.
"Shopping, I suppose. Said he needed new gardening equipment... or something."
Paperjam snickered.
"New tools aren't gonna save that sorry thing," he said, turning back to his cereal. "Uncle Fresh doesn't have a very green thumb."
The skeleton laughed, putting his head in his hand.
"You've gotta lot of attitude in such a small body."
"I'm just being honest! I didn't mean it to be hurtful." Paperjam took a bite from his spoon, hiding his face.
"Oh no! You're good, little man." The skeleton held out his hand. "I'm Cross, by the way."
Paper put his small hand in his bigger one, giving it a small shake.
"Paperjam! Nice to make your acquaintances's."
Cross bit his tongue, trying not to laugh at his grammatical mistake. He was just as professional as his father, just in a first-grader's body.
"Nice to make yours." He peeked over the edge of his small bowl. "Whatcha got there?"
Paperjam looked into his bowl, giving the milk a good stir.
"Just practicing my spelling, I guess."
"I see. You look like you're doing a pretty good job, but your cereal looks a little soggy."
He looked back down, seeing the letters ripping apart and almost melting.
"That's okay, I'll just eat it later when I'm done!"
"OR You cOUlD eat IT nOw anD KeEP YOurSeLF ouT of ThE time-Out CORneR."
The two of them turned to look across the table where the king stood over them.
"But I'm doing my spelling!"
"YoU cAN do THAT lATeR, YoU HaVe yoUr claSsEs fOr THAt." He pat his son on the top of his head. "rIght NOW YOU NEed TO Eat YoUr BreAKfaST."
Error sat down in the chair across from his son, folding his hands together on the table, staring at him with a withering gaze.
Cross gulped. Was there a moment in the day this guy wasn't scary?
"anD yOu."
He jumped, looking to Error with wide eyes. He shivered, stress weighing on his shoulders.
Error's glare softened.
"HAvE YOu SEen nigHtMare? WE have pLANs To GO oveR WHIle The OtheR threE Are oUT."
Had he not been sitting right in front of him, Cross would have grabbed at his chest and sighed in relief.
"Not since last night, sorry."
"dAM-" He paused, his pupils flickering to Paper. "DarN iT. Let ME kNow IF YOu see him, OkAY?"
"Yessir," he saluted, then cringed at his awkward gesture.
Error snorted at his expression.
"thANK YOu. PapeRjAm, eAT yOUR BreakfASt, PlEaSE."
"Yes, dad," Paperjam sulked, hanging his head.
Error gave him a pleased smile, before nodding to Cross and walking off.
"Rats," the child cursed, scooping a green "v" out of the bowl and shoveling it into his mouth.
He looked back to Cross, batting his eyes.
"So what do you do, anyway?" He innocently asked, unaware of Cross's reasoning for working in the castle.
"Me? Oh... uh... I'm just here to help! Yeah..."
He didn't know for sure, but he didn't think Error would appreciate it if he told his kid he and his co-workers had been hired to take some poor girl hostage.
"Help with...?" Paperjam urged him on. He was smarter than he looked.
"Just 'around the castle' stuff! Nothing in particular."
That wasn't so much a lie. Cross wasn't stealthy enough to go stalk the princess like the others, according to Nightmare. So to keep him busy, his boss had made him into his and Error's personal assistant, just doing whatever extra work needed to be done.
Like babysitting.
"Whatever you say," Paperjam teased, giggling to himself.
Ugh. How he hated children. It wasn't like he wasn't trying, but this kid had some nerve. If this kid wasn't higher on the food chain then him, he would've already lost his patience with him. It wasn't any use, though. If he had even so much as tried to tell him off, Paper would have snitched on him to his father.
Error yelling at him was the last thing he needed.
Cross's eye twitched.
"Right. What do you like to do for fun around here, Jammy?"
Paperjam tapped his spoon to his chin.
"I like to color!"
Cross hummed, amused at his harmless response. He was halfway expecting him to say "overthrow empires" or something sadistic like that.
"Oh, yeah? Are you a good artist?"
"The best, pretty much," the little boy smirked, rolling his eyes at him.
Okay, he wasn't evil. Maybe a little cocky, but he was royalty. It must've been an inherited trait.
"Well, when you're done eating, maybe we could go color together?"
Paperjam inspected him again, looking him up and down.
"Hm, fine. Just don't tell anyone else about my charity work, 'kay?" He grinned, almost like he was doing this to please him.
Cross forced a smile onto his face, laughing in his throat.
"Wonderful."
~
The glass in the conservatory was cold to the touch today. The few days of warmth had passed over, and the spring's typical cloudy, grey skies had returned to blanketing themselves over the kingdom.
(Y/N) held a warm cup of tea in her hands, looking out the window into the training grounds. Blue and the twins had been up for hours, running through obstacles courses and pelting dummies with magic and other spells.
From what she had observed, Dream was very gifted with a bow in his hand, and the paintbrush Ink had used to summon his weapon in the garden nights before was good for more than just that.
In their time outside, he had created multiple weapons, a shield, and other things needed for combat.
She tilted her head, wondering where he had attained such a paintbrush. It was clear it was how he performed his magical attacks, but she had never seen such a thing before.
A loud sip interrupted her thoughts. She turned to Papyrus, who had been sitting alongside her almost the whole time she had been there, acting as a bodyguard.
"How's your tea, Sir Papyrus?"
"IT'S GOOD! TASTES AN AWFUL LOT LIKE FLOWERS, WHICH I WOULD NEVER THINK TO PUT IN A DRINK. BUT I FIND IT GOOD, NONETHELESS! NYEHEHEH."
(Y/N) took a sip from her teacup, nodding in agreement.
"Rose tea. It's very good for when you're feeling stressed."
Papyrus knitted his brow bones.
"I'VE NOTICED YOU DRINK THIS 'ROSE TEA' QUITE OFTEN..."
"It's a stressful time." She took another sip from her cup. "Sorry, that was unwarranted of me to say."
Papyrus winced.
"NOT AT ALL! I..." His voice lowered. "I Just Hope You're Feeling Better Now That Things Are Looking Brighter Than Before."
"Hm? Oh, of course." She pressed her teacup to her chest. "Better than before..."
It wasn't the prophecy that was upsetting her. In honesty, it was more herself. She felt like such a burden on everyone, especially Ink. Heck, she couldn't have a conversation with him without throwing her predicament into it.
It didn't make sense. She had already talked to Dream a few times, just about themselves and about normal life. Their friendship was growing, regardless of the situation.
But with Ink? It was like she couldn't shut up about it. Sure, there was the library with him last night. But even then, she couldn't help but grimace when she thought about what she had said about the fairytale.
She related to the main character because he was stolen away? Really? There was more to her than that, so why didn't she say another story?
Did she really only want him to think of her as an object of his pity?
At least he had played along with it.
"They manage to get away. Together."
(Y/N) felt herself grow warm and red again, raising her teacup to hide herself from Papyrus.
Together.
Maybe he liked her more than she thought. Maybe, just maybe, he had already seen in her what she wanted to prove was there.
She desperately hoped that was the case.
"YOUR MAJESTY?"
(Y/N) jumped, looking up to Papyrus.
"Yea- Yeah? Huh?" she stammered.
"IT'S ONE O' CLOCK," he said, knowing she knew what he had meant by telling her the time.
(Y/N) groaned.
"Does Sci really think now is the time for a science lesson?"
"Not today." Sci said, walking in through the door as if on cue. "I actually wanted to take today to make sure you were feeling better."
(Y/N) stood from her armchair, setting down her tea on an end table.
Sci walked to her side, setting down a tray of crackers, cheese, and red grapes.
"Science and math are important things for a future leader to know, but mental health always comes first, I always say!" He beamed, motioning for her to sit back in her seat.
"Papyrus, would you like to stay? I'm sure we wouldn't mind your company," he asked, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses.
"WELL, IF YOU'RE SURE I WOULDN'T BE A BOTHER, MY ONLY ASSIGNMENT IS TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE PRINCESS!" Papyrus said, an orange hue coating his cheeks as he put a gloved hand to his mouth.
(Y/N) could almost see the sparkles and flowers swirling around him like a cartoon character. She stifled a giggle, "aww"ing in the back of her head
"Splendid! There are plenty of snacks for the three of us, so don't be afraid to help yourself," Sci said, gesturing to the tray on the table.
(Y/N) shimmied into her seat, pulling a blanket over her shoulders.
Sci sat on the chair to her right, while papyrus sat on a couch to her left.
"How have you been today, dear?" Asked Sci, who was already helping himself to a handful of grapes.
Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders from the inside, (Y/N) nodded with a swiftness that said: "I'm fine! Nothing to see here!"
Sci exhaled, seeing right past her.
"(Y/N), I'm making this time for you to really talk about your feelings and let loose. What's on your mind?"
"Well..." she started, fiddling with the end of the blanket. "I'm not all that scared of Error anymore. I've processed and come to terms with the fact that he's coming and none of us can stop him."
"That's a start!" muffled Sci, his cheekbones stuffed with grapes. He gulped them down, holding his mouth sheepishly.
"Heh... pardon me."
"YOU'RE ALRIGHT!"
Sci nodded to him with a closed-eye smile.
"Any negatives?" He asked, looking back to (Y/N).
(Y/N) pulled the blanket over her mouth, hiding like a turtle in its shell.
Was it appropriate to tell Sci about Ink? Sure, it was appropriate! She just... wasn't sure how he'd react. He's expecting something serious, not a story about how she embarrassed herself in front of some guy, no matter how cute he is!
She blinked. What? (Y/N) shook her head. No, not cute... nice.
Yeah.
"I have something, but I don't think it's something you're expecting me to say," she murmured, reaching forward for a cracker and some cheese.
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Sci. "It can be anything, all of your troubles are valid to this."
(Y/N) popped a chunk of cheese into her mouth, chewing to herself. She took a deep breath.
"Okay...here goes nothing. I guess... well. I feel like I'm burdening everyone with my problems, with the prophecy? I feel like I'm always making this all about me," she explained.
Sci held back a chuckle.
"Well, that's because it is all about you."
"No, it's not! I know I'm the one in danger, but everyone is being affected by all of this!"
She gestured to Papyrus.
"It creates more work for the guard."
She looked to Sci.
"It causes you so much stress and worry..."
Her head turned to the window, looking out to Ink and Dream, who were currently struggling through a ladder of ropes. Without a second of warning, Dream let go, collapsing into the dirt below him with a yelp.
"And it's putting their lives in danger! And all I can seem to talk about is myself."
Sci crossed his legs up on the seat, hunching over as he looked at her with interest.
"I don't feel you've done that at all, princess. As a matter of fact, you've been great at staying calm with everything going on around you," he said.
"I AGREE!" said Papyrus, smiling widely. "IF I WERE A PRINCESS AND I KNEW MY FUTURE LOOKED SO... BLEAK, I'D BE A MESS!"
"I feel like a mess," snorted (Y/N), curling up into the blanket. "I even told Ink I relate to a storybook character because of it."
Sci shrugged.
"So? If it's the truth, then it is! You don't have to be ashamed about it."
"But it's like with him, I can't just be normal! If there's anything he thinks about me right now, it's that I'm nothing more than a variable in the prophecy. Just... the princess."
Sci took another grape into his hands, rolling one between his fingers. He squinted at her, turning his head as if to read her.
"Are you?" he asked, putting the grape in his mouth.
"Sorry?"
"Are you just 'the princess'?" He asked again, giving her more to work with.
"I don't think so."
"Then there you have it! (Y/N), it doesn't matter what some guy thinks of you. You are (Y/N) (M/N) (L/N), and you know it. Who cares if anyone else thinks otherwise?"
"I care if he does, Sci!"
Sci froze. A sly smile crept up onto his face. He folded his hands in front of his chest, leaning back into the chair with a hum.
"Oh, I see."
(Y/N) blinked.
"See what?"
Sci let out a quiet, evil laugh, raising a mischievous eyebrow at her.
"You like him, don't you?"
~
"WELP, I'M SORRY TO SAY IT, BOYS. BUT I THINK WE'VE TRAINED PLENTY TODAY! WE SHOULD CALL IT A DAY. I KNOW HOW MUCH FUN YOU TWO ARE HAVING..."
The twins let out a collective groan, laying like corpses against the grass.
Blue giggled. He bid them farewell, then returned to the castle to go fulfill the rest of his daily duties, and relieve Papyrus of his.
Dream was the first to sit up.
"Man, for a little guy he sure is brutal," he said, rubbing his skull with the palm of his hand.
Ink stayed laying out on the ground, staring up at the gloomy sky. A low rumble of thunder roared nearby, warning the civilians of an oncoming storm.
"I'm gonna head inside - it looks like it's about to rain out here," said Dream, standing to his feet. He stretched, popping his back as he let out a groan of relief.
He looked down at his brother, shaking his head.
"Hurry in, I wouldn't want you to get drenched out here! I know Princess (Y/N) would just hate it if you were to track mud in the castle-"
"Just go already," Ink growled, still sprawled out on the ground.
Dream chuckled, turning to leave for the castle.
Ink exhaled sharply, rolling his head to look to the conservatory window. She was in there. She had nearly all day, watching them with a cup of tea in her hands.
He already knew she was sitting there, judging him. She was thinking about how pathetic he was for dreaming of being with her, especially when he fights the way he does.
An awkward commoner who can't even fight? He must've been so entertaining.
Not that he'd hate her for it. He'd be thinking the same thing if he were in her shoes.
(Y/N) had even given him a shot at a normal, friendly conversation, and he still made a move on her! And they were talking about fairytales! Did he think he was being smooth?
Ink sat up, pouting to himself. How dare he think he was even remotely charming.
He lifted himself onto his feet, stumbling out of the grounds and back into the castle. The conservatory doors were wide open, letting Ink see inside as if it had nothing to hide from him.
Everyone had joined the princess and the others inside, circling around her chair and laughing at her as she buried herself in a thick blanket.
For a second, her head poked out of the top. Her face was red, a smile spread across her face.
Should he invite himself in? Everyone in there was undoubtedly a friend of hers, and his relationship with her was a bit harder to decipher.
Before he could decide for himself, Sci caught him lingering in the doorway.
"Well, speak of the devil!" He teased, looking back at (Y/N) with a wicked look in his eye. She looked up to him, her red face now pale and free of color.
"O-oh, Ink-!"
Sci bursted out laughing, hiding his face in his arms, which he had folded on an arm of his chair.
Ink winced. They had been making fun of him.
Blue was the first to stand, motioning for the others to follow him.
"COME ON, GUYS. LET'S GIVE THESE TWO SOME 'ALONE TIME'~!" he laughed, leading three other giggling skeletons out of the conservatory.
"Wait, guys!- Please!" (Y/N) was begging them not to leave her alone with him, holding onto Papyrus' arm and folding her hands in front of her chest as she asked them to show her mercy.
It was worse than he thought - she hated him so much that she didn't want to be left alone with him.
On their way out, he earned a wink from Dream, an elbow nudge from Blue, and a threat from Sci not to hurt her on their way out. Dang, these guys were sadistic.
Pushing him in, the four skeletons laughed obnoxiously amongst themselves as they slammed the doors shut, trapping them in.
Ink considered his options. He could sprint back out the doors, hoping (Y/N) wouldn't hate him even more for avoiding her and her criticism of him, or maybe he could apologize for making her so uncomfortable and beg for her mercy?
The latter of the two looked like his better choice.
He cleared his throat.
"(Y/N)-"
"Ink-"
They said in unison, taking the other back.
"Sorry, you go first," said Ink, watching as she stood from her chair.
"No, no. You first," she said. "I can wait."
Ink took a step back, his cheeks tingling as they burned a rainbow onto his face. With a deep breath, he continued.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior in the library last night. It was completely out of line, and I understand if you don't forgive me for how I acted."
He took a step forward, forcing himself to look into her eyes.
"I know my place, and that what I said to you was inappropriate."
She tilted her head.
"Ink..."
He flinched.
"...What on earth are you talking about?"
"The library. You wanted to talk with me as a friend, and I said something that implied way more than that. I just hope you don't think I don't know that I am below you-"
"Wait, you mean the 'working together' thing? Ink, I thought that was sweet," she interrupted, walking forward. "You have nothing to apologize for."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Actually, I was the one out of line. We were having a normal conversation before I brought my problems into the mix, and I shouldn't have done that." She let out a sigh.
"I want us to be friends, and I feel like you only see me as some princess you have to risk your life for. If we're going through this, I want it to be together. Just like you said."
She laughed at herself.
"And here I am, going on about it again."
Ink frowned.
"But I do see you as more than a princess. You're so cool!"
He put a hand on her shoulder.
"When we first met, I actually thought it was so impressive how you handled Error by yourself. You knew you had people on the way and that you didn't have to fend for yourself, but you did. Anyone who let being a 'princess' make them who they are would've just let him do what he wanted and hoped someone would notice them in trouble."
(Y/N) sniffed, her eyes becoming glossier than they had been.
"But, I feel like I just talk about it so much-"
"You're going through a traumatic time, you have every right not to shut up about it," Ink joked, nudging her shoulder with a fist.
She giggled, sniffing away the would-be tears.
He held out his arms, asking her permission to hug her. Without warning, she threw herself onto his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Ink stood in shock, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist. When he fully realized what had just happened, he smiled, resting his head on top of hers.
"If you're ever having problems, any problems at all, you come find me. Because I wasn't kidding when I said we could get through this together."
She exhaled, nestling her head into his shoulder even more.
"Thank you, Ink. And you come to me, too, okay?"
"I dunno, I'm pretty tough. But I guess if I need a good hug, I know who to look for."
Her breath hitched, her head pulling away from his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, we've been doing this for a long time-"
"I thought we could last longer.~"
(Y/N)'s face grew red, as she looked up at him.
"Oh- only if you want to!" He sputtered, hoping he hadn't ruined the moment.
Fortunately, she only smiled and laid her head back onto his shoulder. Ink smiled back, wrapping his arms back around her firmly.
He could get used to this.
~
A pair of binoculars watched them hug and cuddle through the window, its owner hacking and making sick noises to himself.
"Gross! This peasant guy Error told us to look out for has more game than we thought..."
The binoculars lowered from his face, revealing his red and purple eye lights, shaded by the heather grey hood that sat upon his skull. He passed the binoculars over to Killer, who held them up to his own unique eye sockets.
"Yep. It's easy to see why. He looks like the debonair, princely type. Chicks love that stuff," he sneered, passing the binoculars over.
Horror took them in his big, claw-like hands.
"Uh, I'm good. 've met the guy b'fore," he said, passing them back to Killer.
"Suit yourself, it's quite the spectacle. Dust, are you taking those notes I told you to jot down?" Killer questioned.
"Sure am, boss," Dust spat, scribbling different observations onto a small yellow notepad.
"Don't be so cold. You're just jealous because Nightmare likes me best."
Dust grit his teeth, rolling his pencil in his clenched fist.
"Just because he 'put you in charge' doesn't mean he 'likes you best', you pet."
"Oh? Surely you aren't implying you're his favorite?" Killer pushed, feeding off of his colleagues' reaction.
"I know I'm not his favorite! That's because I don't kiss up to him like you."
Killer gasped.
"Take that back. Now."
"What are you gonna do if I don't? Tattle on me? 'Nightmaaaaare, Dust called me out for being a suck up to you!'"
Before he could take in what was going on, Killer tackled him out of the tree and onto the ground, the two hitting the grass with a loud thud!
Horror looked down to the ground where they were wrestling each other, groaning with exhaustion.
"We're only on day one 'nd this is provin' to be a bad idea."
Taking the binoculars back into his hands, he watched as Ink and Error's love interest hugged each other.
He smiled, finding their romantic gesture adorable.
How could he ever help Error tear them apart? He loved his friend, sure, but the two he was spying on were just too cute.
Horror's smile fell. This whole "kidnapping plot" felt even more wrong than ever, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Nothing, except keep (Y/N) safe the best he could.
~
Sixth draft. And this is the one I picked. Fluffy, a little angst, some comedy...It's basically all drafts crammed into one.
My top two original goals were to give (Y/N) more a pov and a moment that gives her some personality, have Ink and (Y/N) have some kind of "moment of clarity", and for Sci to be best dad again.
But then I debated whether I should write about the villains, too, so I put them in, too.
Did I make my own worries about (Y/N) apart of her personality? Did I just project that?
Maybe. I don't know how it reads, but I thought it fit her.
Um, I don't know how canon it is that Cross hates children, but there are some comics that interpret him as such and it kills me, so I added that in here.
Paper is only sweet and cute to his family! He acts like a spoiled brat around the castle staff, but he picked that up from his dad.
Also I wanted to include more Papyrus. He serves no consequence to the plot, but I think he's more wholesome than Blueberry can be, so I like adding him in.
That's all for now! It's late, so I'll make any edits I need to later.
See you soon!