(I am attempting to write angst. The ending was rushed because I didn't have any ideas left. This is unedited, I don't look back once I'm done.)

Ink dragged his feet along as he walked through the Doodle Sphere.

They had finally done it. The Balance of the Multiverse was finally appeased, this time around supposedly forever. Everything in the Multiverse was finally peaceful. The final Truce had been made, so now there would never be another war like that. Ink was supposed to be happy. And he was happy! He was happy to see the looks of joy on Dream and Blue's faces and he was happy that Error, Nightmare, and Reaper had some more time to do whatever they wanted. He was supposed to be happy and yet he only felt empty.

He knew the reason behind it. It wasn't because he had no SOUL and no real emotions of his own, but because of what this meant for him. The Multiverse had only kept him alive because it needed him, because it had a purpose for him. Now that the Balance was appeased, there wasn't a purpose for him anymore. And when the Multiverse didn't have a need for something, it got rid of whatever that thing was.

Ink knew he didn't have that much longer. He knew that there were three ways he could go about it now. The first way was by letting the Multiverse run its own course and eliminating him in its own will, but that would take too long and could ruin everything they'd worked so hard for. He could explain everything to Error and have him use the force of destruction to kill him, but he could never burden him with doing that. Besides, he'd probably take it as him wanting attention or some other crap. The final way was his best bet.

Suicide.

Ink calculated how much time he had left before he was forced to make his decision. He estimated about seven days-- a week-- until he was forced to do it. He'd already made his decision about what he would do, but he still had to make the most of what time he had left. Each day he would spend with a different person who meant something to him.

The first day was with Nightmare and his gang. They'd never really been close and most of their interactions were tense, but with the new peace things were relatively calm between them. He sparred with Killer, helped Horror learn some actual recipes for actual food, and consoled Dust after he had an episode related to the events of his AU. He even made amends with Cross after so long, something he'd always wanted to do.

The second day was with CORE!Frisk. He and the monochromatic child had always been close. With Ink having no AU of his own and CORE!Frisk being unable to return to theirs, they'd bonded over that fact. He helped them get survivors from Genocide Timelines when they needed his help and helped out others in the Omega Timeline. He couldn't help them with his powers of creation, of course, because of the Balance's stability. Error would kick his ass.

Speaking of Error, he had the third day. It was a bit rough to spend the day with him. Not because Ink didn't want to, but because Error was one of the more difficult ones. They mostly just watched Undernovela, went around Outertale, and stole chocolate from Underfell. Error did ask him a few questions, however, and he'd gotten dangerously close to asking what Ink had planned for the future. So he'd have to be a little better at acting.

Reaper was next. The two of them had always considered each other as brothers. Ink found him in his AU-- Reapertale. They spent time with the other Gods and, of course, their Frisk. The day went by surprisingly fast. It had ended with them going to the Save Screen of Aftertale and chatting up Geno, who was surprisingly calm this time around. Geno said it was because Ink was there, but he knew that wasn't it. Ink was the one who would cause the greatest chaos known so far if he stuck around.

The fifth day he spent with his kid, Paperjam. The two of them had never really been close, but he did try. Their time together had been rather short, mainly because Paperjam had said that they wanted to be alone after a bit. Then he ran into Fresh and they hung out for a while.

The sixth day he spent with Blue. He made tacos with him, helped him make some design choices to his usual outfit, and they played together. He sat through his endless barrage of puns and word searches, and went with him to train with Alphys.

The final day he dedicated to Dream. Out of everyone he knew and everyone he spent time with during the week, Dream was the one he was closest to. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. They drew together, chased each other through the various AUs, and just spent time together. At the end of the day, Dream asked if he could have a sleepover with Ink in the Doodle Sphere. He really didn't want to say yes due to what he had planned, but he couldn't bring himself to say no either. So he caved in and agreed.

When they went to bed, they shared the bed. It was normal for the two of them. Ink had his arms around Dream and his face buried into his chest, embracing his presence. But Ink never fell asleep. He couldn't risk missing the deadline. Hours passed and there were many times he'd almost fallen asleep.

Ink. It's time.

His eyes opened slowly as one of the creators spoke to him. He pulled away from Dream, being careful so he didn't accidentally wake him up. The time was irrelevant to him. He didn't even bother grabbing Broomie. He knew Dream would give the paintbrush a better home once he was gone. He didn't bother grabbing his vials, either. He wouldn't need them. Once he was certain that Dream wasn't going to wake up and he was ready, he made the portal and went through.

His feet landed in the pure white expanse of the Anti-Void. He wasn't necessarily in Error's territory, but he had to keep an eye out for the glitch. He didn't have any excuses to use in case he did run into him, and he sure as hell wasn't ready to confess the truth. He started walking forward, following the directions that the creators gave him. It could be hours until he reached the destination, assuming he didn't stop moving, which he didn't plan on.

~~~~

The first thing he heard was the rapid buzzing of his phone.

Error groaned as he lifted his head up from his bean bag, grabbing his phone and bringing it closer. He didn't even bother to check the contact name as he answered the call. His phone was a special one made by Sci, so he didn't have to worry about spam.

"HeLlO?" Error grumbled deeply, rubbing his eyes.

"Error! Oh Error, please tell me that Ink is with you!" Dream's voice came from the phone. "I've looked for him everywhere--"

Error sat up, now more focused on the conversation. He didn't know Ink as well as Dream did, or even as well as Fresh did, but he knew that Ink didn't normally act like this. It wasn't unusual for him to go off running around, but without telling anyone? That wasn't like him. He looked around what he could see of the Anti-Void. Even if Ink wasn't near him, he'd be able to see the dot of his brown clothes from miles away in the infinite white space. If Ink ever entered the Anti-Void he stayed close to Error's area, mainly because of his phobia. 

"DrEaM, tRy To StAy CaLm," Error said. "InK iSn'T hErE wItH mE. HaVe YoU cAlLeD tHe OtHeRs?"

"Of course I have! I called Reaper, Nighty, Blue, Cross, even Fresh!" Dream replied, his voice frantic. "I know how much you hate your sleep being disturbed, but none of us can find him anywhere and--!"

"OkAy, OkAy. WhErE aRe YoU nOw?"

"We're all in the Doodle Sphere right now. I already checked here for any clues, he left Broomie, his vials, and his phone."

Error bit the inside of his cheek. This definitely wasn't Ink's normal behavior. He never went anywhere without three things; Broomie, his vials, and his scarf. Broomie was his weapon. His vials were what gave him emotions and feelings. Without them he was an empty husk.

"I'lL bE tHeRe In A fEw SeCoNdS. JuSt TrY tO sTaY cAlM."

The call ended after that. Error shoved his phone in his pocket and got up. He hastily put on his flip flops and opened up a portal to the Doodle Sphere. As Dream said, the others were there as well. Even Blue, Cross, and the Murder Trio had shown up. Dream was just as frantic as when he'd been on the phone, pacing back and forth and sputtering things out to Nightmare. Reaper noticed him as soon as he showed up.

"WhAt ThE hElL iS gOiNg On?" Error asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Reaper said. "Did anyone notice anything about Ink that was off recently?"

Everyone shook their heads. The only clues they had about what was going on was the fact that Ink had left three important things behind. Error couldn't see any of the vials missing from the sash Ink always wore. Dream had already gone through Ink's phone and couldn't find anything. They were at a complete loss.

A sharp pain started to tear through Error. It was so sudden and so powerful that it made him not only yelp, but fall to his knees and then on his hands. The others ran over to him instantly. He was struggling to hold himself up and he knew he was sweating.

"Error! Error, what's wrong!?" Blue asked, trying to help him back up. "Can you talk to us!?"

"It's the Balance," Nightmare said morbidly. "Something's either happening to Ink or is about to happen."

"So you're all aware."

The group turned their heads to the new voice that joined the conversation. CORE!Frisk was standing a short bit away from them, their pitch black eyes directed towards Error. The glitch struggled to look over at them, grunting in pain.

"Frisk!" Dream practically threw himself at the child. "Frisk, please tell me you know where Ink is!"

"I do. I came as soon as I found him," they responded with a nod. "I tried to talk to him, but he wasn't responding."

"Where is he!?" He asked, tears brimming. "Where's Ink!?"

~~~~

You're doing well, Ink. Just keep going forward.

The voice of one of the creators sounded nonchalant in his head. He supposed that didn't matter anymore. Once he was gone, they would find a new person to title as the Protector of the AUs. Someone who was more suitable for the job. Someone whose mere existence alone wouldn't threaten everything they were working so hard for.

He stopped just at the edge of a steep cliff. It was a straight drop all the way down, into the depths of a black abyss. He was oddly familiar with this place. Much like the Anti-Void, no sound came from it. He couldn't see anything in it either, just pure blackness. But he knew there were some people-- consciousnesses, rather-- in there. The place where many Royal Scientists had been trapped for eternity.

The Void.

All you have to do is walk over the edge and fall. You can do this.

Do you want everything to be in vain?

This is for the Multiverse.

Guys... isn't there another way?

Ink took a deep breath. He didn't need to breathe because he didn't even have lungs, but it was something he'd grown familiar with and calmed himself down with. He closed his eyes as he leaned forward, feeling his feet lose contact with the ground of the Anti-Void. He could feel himself falling. He wondered what it would be like to become nothing and be consumed by the Void. Would it be painful?

I'd deserve the pain anyway. My pain in exchange for their safety and continued peace.

....

It didn't feel like he was falling anymore.

He opened his eyes slowly. All he saw was that pitch darkness. He turned his head and, in the corners of his vision, he saw the grayish tinge of where the Anti-Void and the true Void blended together. He tried to move his arms and legs, wondering if he'd gotten caught on something. But he couldn't move them, not even a bit, though his fingers and toes would move. He started to get pulled up and finally looked above him.

Shit. Shit shit shit! What's he doing here!?

Error hoisted Ink from the abyss and dropped him on the ground near him. He'd left the Doodle Sphere before CORE!Frisk had even told them where Ink was or where to go. His body had moved on its own and with every passing second that sharp pain got worse and worse. The Balance was pulling him along, like it was instructing his body on where to go.

"FoR tHe LoVe oF AsGoRo, InK, wHaT tHe HeLl!?" Error questioned, releasing his strings as he pulled Ink closer. "WhAt ThE fUcK aRe YoU tHiNkInG!?"

"Please... Error... just let me go..." Ink whimpered, trying to push away from him. "Just let me do it..."

"No WaY aM I lEtTiNg YoU gO nEaR tHaT cLiFf!"

"Then kill me."

Ink's words caught Error by surprise. He didn't even try to hide his shock as he looked down at Ink, whose eyes were brimming with tears that were falling. Ink must have understood that the words didn't register.

"Error. Error, please," Ink grabbed his arm. "Kill me."

"WhAt..." Error whispered, but soon raised his voice to the normal volume. "I.. InK. WhAt'S gOiNg On?"

"Kill me, Error. If you won't let me kill myself, then you have to do it," he begged him. "I didn't want any of you to know. You couldn't know because I knew this would happen!"

"YoU hAvE tO tAlK tO mE hErE, Ink. StOp SpEaKiNg In RiDdLeS," he replied. "I cAn'T hElP yOu If YoU dOn'T tElL mE wHaT's GoInG oN. NoNe Of Us CaN."

"You felt the pain, didn't you? Isn't that what brought you here? The Balance?" He questioned, starting to sob. "You have to kill me, Error. It's what the Multiverse wants."

That... didn't make any sense to Error. The Balance needed all of them. Even though the Balance had been appeased, if one of them died, it would get upset again because then it got disturbed. It had happened when Toriel from Reapertale died. Everything was out of order because a piece of the Balance had been killed.

Ink started to cling to his jacket, repeatedly asking him to end his life. His tears were soaking into the fabric of his shirt, making the red darker. Error didn't like physical contact. It triggered his haphephobia. But he had to work through it so he could make sure Ink didn't take advantage of it to throw himself over again.

"ERROR!"

Error turned his head to see the others rushing towards them. He placed his hands firmly on Ink so he didn't run away, but he was starting to struggle out of desperation now. Dream, Nightmare, Reaper, and CORE!Frisk had showed up. He assumed they'd left Blue, Cross, Killer, Dust, and Horror back in the Doodle Sphere.

"No no no," Ink sniffled, trying to push away from Error. "Let me go!! Let me do it!!"

"He'S tRyInG tO kIlL hImSeLf!" Error called out to them.

Tears immediately sprang to Dream's eyes, more than when he'd been so frantic in the Doodle Sphere. He was the first one to come over.

"Ink! Please, just listen to us!" Dream begged him. "What's wrong!?"

"You have to let me do it!" Ink argued, squirming more as Dream grabbed his arm. "I have to! It's the only way! I have to die!"

Nightmare was surprised by the rage that filled him. It was extremely difficult to make him angry like this, partially because he was the embodiment of all negativity, partially because he'd lived so long that it'd somewhat numbed his ability to be angry easily. He was never close to Ink, but his brother was. It was odd, how he didn't like seeing Dream so upset right now. Usually he'd be basking in it.

"Dammit Ink, would you get a hold of yourself?" He grumbled. "You're not getting to do anything until you explain what's going on!"

Reaper flinched again as Ink begged for them to let him die. He knew what it was like to want to kill yourself. He'd had to reap the souls of people who had taken their own lives. It wasn't a pleasant feeling or sight to behold. He'd never thought that Ink, who was always bustling with such hyperactive energy and curiosity about what would come next, would fall victim to the same feelings.

"Ink, please just talk to us." He took Ink's other side, pulling the artist into his embrace and taking him from Error. "You don't want this. We want to help you."

"Ink. Just listen to us for even a few seconds," CORE!Frisk came over. "The creators told you to do this, didn't they?"

Ink's stammerings fell silent as CORE!Frisk mentioned the creators. Then he nodded, confirming what they asked. Error didn't know much about the creators aside from the fact that they were the voices that Ink heard, but despite his minimal knowledge of them, he didn't like them. And now they'd told Ink to kill himself.

"What did they say to you exactly?" Reaper asked. "You can tell us."

"They... they said that the Multiverse doesn't need me anymore," Ink sobbed. It was hard for him to get the words out, but they were patient with him. "They said that if I don't kill myself, the Multiverse will. It'll become active again and ruin the Balance's stability."

Error's hands tightened into fists, anger boiling up as Ink spoke. Similar reactions were coming from the others. Dream looked absolutely devastated and understandably so.

"T-They... they said that the Multiverse only kept me alive because it had a purpose for me... that I'm supposed to give stable forms to the AUs and fix whatever gets destroyed... they weren't happy about the Truce. They didn't like it-- they don't like it. They said that if I kill myself, the Multiverse will go back to normal."

"InK... tHeY'rE lYiNg. ThAt'S nOt WhAt'Ll HaPpEn," Error told him. Ink looked at him oddly. "YoU'rE pArT oF tHe BaLaNcE, sOuL oR nO sOuL. If YoU dIe, ThAt'S wHaT wIlL uPsEt ThE BaLaNcE."

"But that's... that's not possible... they told me that when they first gave me my vials, they said--"

"They were manipulating you. They saw you as vulnerable. Gullible. Controllable. They took advantage of you and filled you with lies."

It took what felt like forever for them to start to get through to Ink. Even now, he looked hesitant to believe them. It wasn't his fault and they all knew it. The creators had always been with Ink. They gave him the paints that let him feel anything but emptiness. They'd been with every step of the way. Of course it was hard for him to accept that they'd been lying to him the whole time. But they were all willing to stay there for as long as needed, just to keep him from jumping.

"Here, how about this," CORE!Frisk began. "You'll come with us back to the Doodle Sphere. You'll see for yourself that everything will be fine."

"... And if it isn't?" Ink asked, his voice weak. "What if it does start to go wrong?"

CORE!Frisk hesitated here. Error could tell by their facial expression that they knew what they had to say, but they lacked the strength to say it. Error cleared his voice.

"If It DoEs StArT tO gO wRoNg..." He swallowed thickly. "ThEn I'lL kIlL yOu In ThE lEaSt PaInFuL wAy PoSsIbLe."

Error ignored the burning glare of devastation on Dream's face. Ink considered the proposal for a moment, and then finally nodded. Reaper stood up with Ink, but picked him up to carry him back to the Doodle Sphere. They were quiet as they started to head back. Ink fell asleep soon after, though no one said anything about it. They were immediately drowned in questions and concerns when they got back to the Doodle Sphere, but they were expecting that.

"It says a deadline here on his scarf," Nightmare noted. "It's in a few minutes."

Everyone became tenser with each passing minute. Nightmare had used his magic to conjure up a clock, so they could keep track. Ink was still passed out in Reaper's arms, blissfully unaware of what was going on. When the clock struck the time written down on Ink's scarf, they all became still. As still as statues.

Which wasn't very hard for Dream to achieve.

(DREAM I'M SORRY I SAW THE OPPORTUNITY AND I TOOK IT I STILL LOVE YOU)

The next minute passed. So did another. Five minutes. Ten.

Nothing had happened at all.

(Heeeeeeey so how y'all feel about Dream dying?)