Two weeks later, Error adjusted his outfit before scooping up Pic, whom Stain had helped dress in a little suit. “Hi poof, are you excited?”
Pic looked up at him with a little nod.
Error grinned and kissed his son's head. “It’s not a lot today, but I get to marry your dad,”
Pic stayed quiet, resting his head against Error's chest.
Error rubbed his back.
“I'm gonna hand you to PJ now but you’ll see me soon,” Error gently handed his son to PJ.
In another room, Stain was currently adjusting his dad's bandages before pulling his coat on. “Ready?”
Ink nodded, "I am..."
Stain looped his arm through Inks and grinned
Ink smiled a bit. He was hyped up on painkillers but honestly didn't care.
Stain began to walk with his dad around the same time Gradient and Error were. There wasn’t much of a ceremony. Error had just wanted to do it as soon as they could because things weren’t safe and he wanted to go into the future with his husband.
Ink didn't mind either way, just excited to marry Error.
Error was as well and as soon as he saw Ink, he grinned wider
Ink smiled at him, rather excited, and it was a miracle he didn't decide to run over.
Error fidgeted with his hands and it was obvious he WOULD run over to ink if he could
Ink let Stain guide him over, knowing that he would probably get too excited if he didn't.
Gradient was leading Error too and the boys grinned at each other once they met up, handing Error and ink to each other.
Ink happily switched to hold Error's hands, very excited.
Error smiled at him. He listened faintly to whoever was marrying them, but he focused more on Ink.
Ink did, too, more focused on Error than anything else.
Soon, the I do’s came, and Error said it with speed.
Ink happily said it back, not even waiting for a cue.
Error pulled him into a kiss before pulling away and laughing as the children all echoed, ‘Ewww’
Ink chuckled a bit, tucking his head under Error's.
Error wrapped his arms around Ink.
”I love you,” Error whispered
"I love you too, Ruru," Ink was still smiling.
Error turned to face the kids. Cross was in the small crowd too, grinning at the couple.
”I’m going to let you two have your time, kids, inside!” Cross called.
Ink nodded, letting them go while he moved to squeeze Error in a hug.
Error took Ink's hand and led him just beyond the dome so they could have an uninterrupted view of the stars, just for a moment. He didn’t even see the portal that opened behind him.
Ink was content following Error and looking up with him. He was rather proud of the sky he'd made.
“Well, well, well. Look at the happy couple,” Malevolence hissed and Error turned, pulling Ink behind him
Ink was a little surprised, not expecting to see Malevolence, but also a little pissed.
“Oh calm yourselves. I’m not here to take another wing or your kid,” Malevolence huffed
"But you're still here for something-" Ink moved to stand next to Error. There was no way he'd just stay behind him.
Error still had an arm braced in front of Ink.
“Just your husband, since Nightmare has decided my play toys are now off limits,” Malevolence reached out and attempted to knock Ink out before reaching to wrap Error in his tentacles.
Ink wasn't exactly going to go down without a fight, however, and he didn't have a weapon, so he did the next best thing and summoned a gaster blaster.
Malevolence scowled and reached to attack Ink, leaving Error mostly unharmed although at some point he’d knocked Error out instead of Ink
Ink quickly fired his blaster at Malevolence before summoning another to set off too.
Malevolence dodged and dodged, getting a bit tired out but he wasn’t about to give in
Ink wasn't either, but he only had so much magic on hand, even for someone as strong as him
Malevolence took his time to keep attacking Ink, a tentacle wrapping around the unconscious Error in case he needed to just snatch him and run
And he might've, but that would leave a pissed Ink that would try to follow. Ink was, however, not really guarding his right side, or even paying attention to it.
Malevolence noticed that and attacked on his right side
Ink tried to guard it, but easily failed, and was knocked out pretty easily.
Malevolence grinned and scooped up Error before opening a portal back home, ignoring Ink's body behind him and the scream from Stain, who’d peaked out the door to check on his dads just to see this
~~~
By the time Ink would have woken up, was on the couch. Stain was panicking and yelling somewhere else while PJ sat beside Ink, curled around Pic.
Ink quickly sat up and looked around, trying to figure out if it was just a nightmare that Error had been taken.
“Cross is sending us to live with Uncle Geno…”
PJ whispered, “Stains pissed… papas gone and we aren’t even being allowed to do anything,”
Ink quickly buried his face in his hands, then pulled them away after a minute, "I need to save Ruru-"
“I knew you’d say that… Cross says he’s not letting you go until you’re healed more.” PJ sounded robotic, broken.
"PJ, I can't just leave him-" Ink stood up.
“I know but what help are you to Papa if you’re still really hurt… I don’t want to lose both my parents in one day!”
"I'm barely injured-" Ink seemed distressed, for obvious reasons.
“You lost your wing two weeks ago and you’re still not healed from that,”
"But still- I don't need my wing-"
“But you need just a bit more… I want to save Papa too but not at risk of you… I don’t want to be alone again,”
"PJ, please-"
“Dad. You have nine kids who need you right now… please… at least stay to see us off,” PJ whimpered
Ink took a breath and a moment to rub at his face then nodded, "Alright..."
PJ was crying softly. This was a lot on them, they were the third oldest, and with Stain pissed, and Gradient packing, they’d been left in charge of their six younger siblings.
Ink moved to pull PJ close, "I'm sorry..."
PJ buried their head against his shoulder, “I don’t wanna lose you too! We’re already being made to leave and I don’t wanna lose you!”
"I know, baby, I know..."
PJ just continued to cry as Cross came down the stairs and sighed.
“I’m sorry,” Cross whispered
Ink looked up at him, quietly rocking back and forth with PJ.
“I wish I could have gotten there on time… I’m… I'm coming up with a plan right now but when Error got taken, the dome fell… Geno’s is safer for the kids right now.”
Ink nodded, "I understand..."
“I swear, I will get Error back here,”
Ink nodded, still holding PJ, "I trust you..."
Cross nodded and sighed.
“PJ…” Cross whispered and PJ just shook their head
"If you need to go, baby... it's ok..."
“I don’t wanna leave you,” PJ whispered. “We aren’t leaving until tomorrow, but you need to pack,”
"Go pack, baby... I'll still be here..."
PJ softly nodded and got up, slowly trudging upstairs. Cross sighed and wiped away a few tears that had been constantly falling for a while now.
Ink let them go before quietly looking at the ground.
“I’m so sorry Ink, I should have been there… should have stopped him,” logically Cross couldn’t have been. He’d done amazing, taking control and getting the kids somewhere safe so they could go after Error without risking the kid's safety.
"You took care of the kids for us... that's all you needed to do..."
“But he’s my friend, you’re my friend, I should have saved him,”
"Cross..."
Cross put a hand over his mouth to keep from crying. “I told the council,”
"You did...? What did they say...?"
“I gave them cold damn proof of what Malevolence did but they need fucking witnesses before they’ll do shit… that shit includes a search party for Error,”
"A search party won't save him..."
“Their exact words over the phone were ‘a warned search party sent into suspicious territory’ which essentially would be them telling Malevolence they’re going and then searching his house… it’s all they’ll offer,”
"Which won't save Error... they're only trying to avoid it because Malevolence would kill them..."
“And by the rules, they have to do something so they’ll do the bare minimum,” Cross agreed
"Exactly..."
Cross sighed. “And the only protection the kids have is staying there so I’m taking matters into my own hands… once the kids are safe at Geno’s, I don’t care what you do as long as you stay safe,”
"I'll try, but... I want to get Error back."
“And I understand… just wait till tomorrow… except maybe not near the house since apparently, someone refused to leave claiming he’s old enough!”
“Cause I am!” Stain yelled down the stairs.
"You're 16, Stain, go with Geno."
“No,” Stain shook his head.
“He’s been like this since the Council made a dumb comment about Gradient taking Errors place on the council temporarily,” Cross whispered
"How about neither of them will do that because they're only 16."
Cross sighed, “For now we’ve denied that but you’re his dad and the only one who technically can tell the council no… but I’m just worried about everything because we know how they get.”
"What, do they need a handwritten note?"
“No clue… they’ve literally just fucking teleported people there for meetings before,”
Ink sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, "Miraculous that they can't just teleport Error out then."
“They give us the same bullshit every time,” he grumbled. “I just think they don’t care enough about Error,”
"They really don't, and that upsets me."
He nodded softly and sighed. “If you go after error. I won’t stop you… just try to come back for these kids. I can’t protect them from the council. Geno can try but if they make the boys take your place, all I can do is sit beside them during meetings…”
"I can try, but no promises, though I can go yell at the council to not make or let Stain and Gradient join."
“You can try but we both know they don’t listen,” he sighed and looked up to see Moku at the staircase. “Hi buddy,”
"I know they don't."
“We can’t find Scar… and usually Papa plays hide and seek to find her,” Moku whispered and Cross cursed
Ink moved to get up, "I can try to find her."
“Are you sure?” Cross asked
Ink nodded, heading upstairs.
Like always, Scarlet was hiding somewhere in her room.
Ink went up to her room, "Scarlet?"
There usually would be a little giggle in response but today there was just a tiny sniffle from under the bed.
Ink moved to get down on the floor to look for her, "Baby...?"
“Daddy,” Scarlet whispered, hiccuping. “tell Uncle Cross no. I don’t wanna go,”
"I'm sorry, baby, but you have to."
Scarlet whined a bit. “But there’s no stars at Uncle Geno’s.”
"I know, but it's only for a bit, baby."
“But…” Scarlet crawled back out from under the bed
"I know, I know, but it's for your safety..."
“But this is home… that’s not home, it’s uncle Geno’s home.’
"I know, but it's safer at Uncle Geno's."
“But…” Scarlet just hugged him.
Ink wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her back.
“We’ll come back right?”
"Of course..."
Scarlet nodded softly. “Gray packed my bag…”
"That's ok..."
Scarlet sighed and looked around as if checking that Gradient got everything
Ink let her, not minding that she did.
Scarlet moved when she spotted one thing he’d forgotten and held it up to show him. It was a puppet of Error that Error had made, “Here… cause you miss papa too,”
Ink very carefully took it, "Oh... thank you, baby..."
Scarlet nodded and gulped “I miss him too but I'm sure Moku can let me hug his plushie papa. You don’t have one,”
"I know, but it's your puppet. You keep it, baby."
“Are you sure?”
"I'm sure, baby. Don't worry."