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Finally, it was finished. A bright, budding AU, brought to life from the meticulous and carefully thought out plans that took so many painstaking hours to perfect. Ink sat back in the zero gravity of the Doodle Sphere, wiping a hand across his brow as he awaited further instructions.
The creator of this brand new AU was absolutely delighted, at long last. They had been a particularly finicky creator and Ink had spent the last few… days fixing and altering the universe exactly as they saw fit, from the smallest, minute details, to complete overhauls as the creator was struck with a completely different idea that led them down a path that barely resembled the original.
“So… there’s nothing else you want to add or, uh, touch up? We’re done now?” Ink hoped his voice didn’t come across as too eager. He was just… really tired. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a good night’s rest. This particular creator was an early riser too and had been at the Doodle Sphere at the crack of dawn every day to begin work on their creation once again.
The creator refused and Ink winced as their squeals of joy were threatening a headache. Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but smile at their happiness. The unbridled enthusiasm some creators took in their work was contagious.
“Okay, great! Well, if that’s all, then you’re free to go! Just remember to give it a few days for all the people to get around and moving, Life might be a little busy too, so don’t stress yourself out too much about it,” Ink gave out his usual, rambling instructions to the departing creator, continuing on talking until he quit hearing their voice. He paused, tilting his head as he listened before confirming that the creator had left for sure.
Leaning back in the air, the skeleton groaned and let the happy mask briefly fall, “Finally. That’s one down. Not that I didn’t enjoy helping them! I most certainly did, I’m just… I’m so tired, man.”
Ink took Broomie out from behind him and looked at it through exhausted, lidded eyes, “So, how many do we have left, pal? Or… how long has the last one been waiting?” He figured if the next creator up on the list hadn’t been waiting a long time, then maybe he could take a quick nap before it was right back to work.
“Let’s see here… Nope, that’s it.” Broomie deadpanned, the realization that its statement desperately called for more clarification eluding it.
Scrambling up in the air, Ink gripped the paintbrush’s handle tighter, “W-what?! We’re done?! Seriously? That’s all, no more?”
“Yep. Looks like we finally cleared our backlog.” Broomie’s voice then shifted to something more snarky as it added, “Maybe you’ll think better next time than to let them all pile up like that again.”
Ink stuck his tongue out at his rude companion, “It wasn’t entirely my fault, Broomie! There was a whole surge, you saw it! I’m guessing some neat thing came out that just inspired a whole bunch of people or something…” The surge had happened multiple days ago at this point, Ink quit counting when it passed eight. Broomie did say it was nearing 22 days at this point, but Ink was far too busy to focus too much on how long it had been. That’s why he relegated keeping track to Broomie in the first place.
Giving a big stretch, Ink then twirled in the air as he let out a blissful sigh, “Finally! I have… time to myself. I’ve almost forgotten what that’s like. What do people do when they have free time?” Ink sunk into a thoughtful silence before shrugging and wrapping Broomie up in an embrace, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m taking a well deserved nap-!” He broke off when one end of a scarf floated up in front of his face, a worn, scribbled note written across its fabric.
“Bring Blue’s mixing bowl back- Ooooh, for crying out loud…” Ink read the note aloud and then tossed his head back with a long groan. He slapped a hand on his forehead and whined, “How long has he been waiting for that? I don’t even remember taking his mixing bowl.”
“It was a while ago… You wanted to make cupcakes for Dream’s birthday.”
Ink jolted, stammering, “D-Dream’s- That was so long ago, wasn’t it?!”
If Broomie could shrug, it would have, “Not really. That was a little bit before the surge of creators, so I’m guessing… close to five weeks ago now.”
“Hmm… I guess you’re right, it wasn’t that long ago.” Ink put a thoughtful hand on his chin before the realization hit, “But it is to a normal guy like Blue! We gotta remember, Broomie, mortals don’t think like we do-”
He kept mumbling to himself as he found the floating island with his house. He kicked open the door and made a beeline to his messy kitchen, digging through his pots and pans before he finally found the mixing bowl. Or, at least he was pretty sure it was Blue’s mixing bowl.
“Is this it?” Ink asked Broomie as it sat across his back, holding up the shiny mixing bowl, “I can’t remember if-”
“Check on the bottom.”
Following Broomie’s instructions, Ink turned the bowl upside down and let out a laugh as a heavy duty sticker was slapped across the bottom of it, the words Magnificent Sans’s trusty and powerful mixing bowl written on it with faded marker.
“Okay, then let’s head on over!” Ink declared before whipping Broomie out and creating a teleport puddle. He hopped in and before he knew it, was in the correct Underswap AU. He poked his head out of the puddle and saw his friend sitting there, completely unaware of his presence as he sipped from a chocolate milk at his kitchen counter.
“Hiya, Blue!” Ink gleefully chirped.
A high-pitched scream suddenly shook the previously quiet kitchen and Blue nearly fell off the high stool he was sitting on, “For the Queen’s sake, Ink!” He exclaimed once he could catch his breath.
Ink ignored the glare Blue was shooting him as he climbed out of the teleport puddle. He brushed himself off with one hand before thrusting the mixing bowl at its rightful owner, “I got done with that huge creator surge! I wanted to return you this before I went and took a nap.”
Blue didn’t even seem surprised that Ink was returning his bowl so much after the fact, as if it was such a common occurrence, he didn’t find it noteworthy. Rather, he just shifted his uncertain gaze up to him as he took the bowl, “Is that what made you gone for so long?”
Ink’s smile disappeared and he deflated, slumping forward with a heavy sigh, “Yes… I was so busy, Blue. It was crazy. There were so many of them. I think they all got inspired at the same time and wanted to create an AU right then, all at the exact same time and-”
“Oh… so that’s why.” Blue had this cringe across his face, gripping his mixing bowl rather tightly in his blue-gloved hands.
Ink’s previous train of thought was interrupted, “What’s with that look?”
Blue placed the bowl on the kitchen counter and awkwardly shuffled his hands, “It’s just…” He only looked at Ink from the corner of his eyes, a pained expression on his face as if he already knew the answer to his question, but didn’t want it confirmed, “So you haven’t seen anyone since you’ve been gone for these past four weeks?”
Ink pursed his mouth as he tried to remember, “No, I don’t think so. Wait, has it really been that long? I guess it has… Broomie said it was 22 days, but maybe it’s been a bit longer-”
Blue let out a long sigh, shaking his head. He took a sip out of his chocolate milk again, closing his eyes with such a forlorn expression, he looked more akin to a battle-hardened cowboy sitting at a rundown bar than the reality of a pajama-clad person drinking chocolate milk in their kitchen at two in the morning, “Error’s been looking for you.”
Suddenly, rosy memories of Ink’s favorite person shot through his head. He let out a delighted gasp, throwing his hands to his cheeks, “Oh my gosh, Error! I almost forgot about him!” His expression contorted as he realized admitting you forgot about your boyfriend wasn’t generally looked favorably upon, “W-well, I mean- I didn’t forget about him l-like I didn’t care enough to think about him or anything! I’ve just been so busy, I just didn’t have time to, uh, do anything else. Like think or do things with- No, I have been thinking about him! Yes, of course, I’ve just-”
“You just haven’t talked to him. At all.” Blue deadpanned, giving Ink the blankest of looks.
“Well, no.” Ink fell into an awkward silence, mouth forming a thin line. However, it didn’t last long as his bubbly attitude returned, clasping his hands together as he daydreamed aloud, “But I’m finally done now! I can spend all the time with him! Maybe we can sit together and I can draw and he can knit, or maybe we can watch Undernovela! I know he’s been wanting to watch that with me. Oh, maybe we can even… snuggle up on the beanbag if he wants to…”
“I-I don’t think that’s a great idea, Ink…” Blue mumbled, his flighty gaze looking everywhere but Ink.
Ink’s tender expression dissolved into something offended, “And why not?! I think it sounds like a lovely idea.”
“Because he-” Blue took a deep breath to calm himself down. He then leaned in and whispered, expression almost frightened, “He’s acting different. He’s… not the same.”
“Oh really? How?” Ink just raised an eyebrow at his friend, slightly believing Blue was trying to pull a joke on him.
As Blue explained, it seemed less and less like he was pulling a joke. He seemed genuinely alarmed as he recounted the events of about a week before. Error had apparently thrown open the door to Blue’s house, loudly calling for him. And according to the… many accounts of upset civilians, he had also managed to scare practically every person on the block as he came barreling through, crying out and demanding for Blue to see him.
“I was scared something was really wrong, but he just… asked for you. He wanted to know where you were.” Blue mumbled, awkwardly fidgeting in his seat.
Blue had told him that no, he didn’t know where Ink was, and just like that, Error was gone, disappearing into a teleport window like he hadn’t just terrorized a peaceful neighborhood moments before.
“It was so weird! He was running around, screaming for me, but as soon as I came, he just. Became so weirdly calm? Just went ‘Where’s Ink?’ And then he just- Left right after!” Blue wailed, throwing his arms in the air.
“Ooh, Blue! That’s just Error! He’s just a little weird like that.” Ink laughed, tossing an arm around Blue’s shoulder. Ink felt his cheeks warm as he brought his scarf up in a vain attempt to hide them, “But he… was really asking about me? Aw, that’s… that’s so sweet and nice-”
Blue scrambled out of Ink’s hold. He waved his arms wildly and looked very distraught, which was honestly pretty funny in itself when contrasted against his cloud-speckled pajamas, “I know how Error is! No, he was-!” His voice darkened as he whispered, “He looked scary, Ink. He looked almost… unhinged. Deranged.”
Putting a hand to his mouth, Ink couldn’t help but giggle, “Well… I mean, more ‘deranged’ than usual? Or-”
Blue threw his hands on Ink’s shoulders and shook him, “INK! I’m being serious! I don’t think you seeing him by yourself is a good idea!”
“Blue, don’t be silly!” Ink laughed, removing Blue’s hands with some effort on his part. The short but sturdy skeleton was incredibly strong despite his stature, “He’s my boyfriend. It’ll be fine! Besides… he was asking about me. That’s so romantic, don’t you think?”
After a brief moment of wistfully gazing off into nothing, Ink shook his head and gave his friend a farewell salute, “Well, I’m off! It’s about high time I go see him. Sorry I bothered you so much at such a late hour!” Ink paid no mind to Blue’s frantic scrambling as he tried to reach him but to no avail, Ink sinking back into the teleport puddle. He thought he heard Blue call for him right before he left but… he couldn’t be sure. Ah, it was no matter. It was time for him to go see that sweet and loving boyfriend of his.
Ink popped out of the puddle into… possibly his least favorite place in the entire multiverse. The only reason he tolerated the Antivoid was because Error seemed to like it so much. He called it “relaxing.” A nice place to calm his mind if the voices weren’t bothering him too much. Ink didn’t understand it, he preferred color and… life. If he had the choice, he would have chosen a different place to meet up with Error. But having no way to really contact him other than simply finding him, Ink had to make the hard decision to check Error’s “home” first.
“Oh, Error~!” Ink spun on his heel and cupped his hands around his mouth as his voice took on a sing-song quality, “I’m sorry I’ve been gone for such a long time! I was really busy and I only now just… got the…” Ink fell to a stop, trailing off as he finally registered his surroundings, a muted feeling of alarm growing in his chest.
It was the Antivoid, but filled to the brim with Error’s signature blue strings. There were so many clinging to its ceiling, the blinding light of the Antivoid was actually darkened. No wonder his head hadn’t begun to hurt more from the light once he exited his teleport puddle.
Ink looked around at the forest of strings that hung to the floor all the way from their hanging point on the ceiling, mouth agape and slightly twitching from shock. They weren’t even really “strings” at this point, they were more like… ropes. Cords. So many of the strings woven together into such a tight mass, Ink wouldn’t have been surprised if some were as big around as his arm. In truth, it hardly seemed as if Ink had stepped into the Antivoid, but a forest made up of thick, blue cords instead of trees. He could catch snippets of the white of the Antivoid through the strings, but if he was being completely honest, it was as if he got shrunken down and thrown inside a giant, royal blue ball of yarn.
“Uh… E-Error? Where- Where are you?” Ink couldn’t keep the nervous chuckles out of his speech. Laughing when he was nervous or frightened was one of his, arguably poor, coping mechanisms for hiding his true emotions, “I, um, love what you did to the place! It’s, hehe, very… different! In a good way, I-I suppose, if you like it-” He gasped as he nearly tripped from his slow retreat backwards. He turned and saw thick ropes of blue strings were snaking across the ground, serving as a major tripping hazard.
“Although, you really should pick these up!” Ink called over his shoulder, grimacing as the rope on the ground nearly came all the way up to his ankle. Error was really lucky he hadn’t tripped and busted his skull open, “These could be really danger-”
Suddenly, the ropes on the ground sprung to life. They leaped up from the floor like sentient snakes and shot toward Ink, causing him to break off his statement into a terrified scream.
In a matter of only a second, the thick cords of strings wrapped themselves around Ink in bands. Ink’s arms were pinned to his sides and he let out a gasp as the strings then lifted up, yanking him from the safety of the ground. Broomie clattered noisily to the floor and the two were separated. Ink hung there, suspended in the air, breathing heavily as he slowly spun around in narrow circles, his mind still lagging far behind his body.
Multiple seconds passed of nothing happening. Ink’s fear gradually changed to annoyance as his mind finally caught back up. With a grunt, Ink squirmed, but the cords were wrapped tightly around him, not allowing him to budge even a centimeter from his bound confinement. His struggle caused his slow spinning to increase and he finally stopped moving, giving up. He glowered ahead of him as he slowly spun around in the air, suddenly not all too eager to see Error anymore.
“Wow, Error, this is… really fun. I’m having a great time here,” Ink didn’t even bother hiding the irritation from his voice, “I am actually so glad I came to see you. My bad for thinking we could have done something nice together.”
No response. Ink just hung there in the forest of blue strings all alone.
“I’m beginning to think he’s not here.” Broomie grumbled from the floor.
Ink tossed his head up and ignored Broomie, raising his voice as he sarcastically laughed, “Oh, no, I was wrong! It’s actually so sweet of you; you went out of your way to do my favorite activity!”
He started thrashing around violently as he furiously roared, “Being tied up in strings! Oh yes, my most favorite activity in the whole wide world! This is so fun-!” Ink broke off into a whole slew of outraged screams and he kicked and thrashed as best as he could. The blue rope around him didn’t even budge and Ink finally tired himself out, slumping over in defeat as he panted in exhaustion.
“You done throwing your little temper tantrum now?” Broomie asked in a condescending manner.
Ink just glared at the stupid paintbrush, turning his head to maintain the glare as he was still pathetically spinning against his will, “Oh, shut up, Broomie. You can’t say squat when you’re all the way down there. How’d you like to be spinning up here? Once I get down, I can have that arranged.”
“Hmmm.” Broomie hummed in consideration. It then let out an infuriatingly blissful sigh, “Nah, I’m good. I wouldn’t want to take from your fun.”
Ink just glared at the floor of the Antivoid as he slowly spun around so that he couldn’t see Broomie anymore, the usually white floor appearing more gray from the forest of strings blocking out a lot of the light, “Har har. Don’t worry, pal, there’s a lot of fun to go around, I could definitely share it with you.”
“That assuming you find a way out of your… ‘entanglement.’” Broomie snickered.
Ink fumed and he gave a few brief struggles against the cords before he snarled, “Oh, I will, and I’m going to make you regret freaking bullying me. Watch, I’ll wrap you up and then give you the spin of your lousy life-” Ink’s tirade suddenly got broken off as his eyes fell upon a new sight from his slow spinning around. Instead of gray Antivoid floor, a familiar trench coat and cozy red shirt greeted him, standing above a pair of feet he’d recognize anywhere clad in black flip-flops.
Throwing his head up with a gasp, Ink’s irritation with the skeleton in question dissolved in a heartbeat, “Error! Oh my goodness, am I glad to see you! Help me get down, will-” Ink’s words suddenly caught in his throat when a pair of mismatched eyes were staring directly into his own.
Those mesmerizing eyes Ink usually found himself getting lost in were… indeed different. Only tiny pinpricks in the chasm of crimson red that were the rest of his eyes. A slow, unnerving smile spread across the entirety of Error’s face as he let out a weird, whispery chuckle, “Found you.”
Ink reeled back with a scream from Error’s face that was barely a few centimeters away from his, “E-Error?! What- What the heck?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”
Error’s borderline creepy facial expression thankfully returned to something Ink was more familiar with. It dissolved to his characteristic grumpiness and he reached up a hand toward Ink before dragging it back behind him. Ink suddenly shot forward and toward Error again. Ink’s gasp cut off as Error hooked a tri-colored finger around one of the many cords wrapped around him and he forced him to face him until they were staring into each other’s eyes again, “Now… Where the hell have you been?”
Ink was stunned into silence. A tremble overtook his body from the dark tone in Error’s voice and the way he was glaring at him. He didn’t even want to think about it, but the way Error’s entire demeanor so drastically changed really… frightened him, “U-uh, I- I-” Ink stammered, trembling too harshly to find the words to speak. Even though a large part of him wanted to turn and hide, he couldn’t look away from the frightening eyelights boring into him.
As if someone simply flicked a light switch, Error’s entire demeanor changed again. His terrifyingly low voice raised up to a much lighter tone and he leaned back with a dismissive hand wave, “Because I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” His hands then flew up and cupped Ink’s cheeks. Ink could barely let out a surprised squeak before Error pressed their foreheads together, gazing directly into his eyes, “Ink. Do you have,” he slightly shook Ink’s face as he held it in his hands, “even the slightest idea of how many universes I looked in for you? Of how many timelines I combed through?”
“Uh…” Ink was dazed as Error let go of his firm, yet surprisingly gentle, hold of his cheeks. He just stared at Error as he continued right on with his rambling, mind still reeling in confused circles.
“There were so many timelines. Dozens upon dozens for each goddamn AU.” Error dragged his hands down his face. He then whipped toward Ink, startling him as he shook a finger, “I wanted to destroy some of them. If anything but to clean up that fucking eyesore of a mess. But no, no, I thought of you and our bargain. I couldn’t destroy anymore, I already hit the quota for this month. Gotta keep the balance and yadda, yadda, yadda.” He stuck his hands on his hips and an adorable, prideful smirk flashed across his face, “So there, aren’t you proud of me? I was practicing good ol’ willpower and self-control.”
It took multiple seconds for Ink to respond, his mind having to wade through so much confusion, it took that long for him to register anything that was being said to him. Finally, he broke into a smile and laughed, “Oh, yes, great job, Ruru! I’m so very proud of you.”
“Good, that’s what I thought.” Error snorted with a self-satisfied grin. He leaned closer to Ink, his cheek almost touching his as he purred, “So, that’s me… What have you been doing?”
Memory flashed through Ink’s head and he giggled, “Oh yeah! Sorry I’ve been gone so long! I had a massive surge of inspired creators and I’ve been stuck helping them create for all this time.”
Error’s smile dropped and he leaned back and just stared at Ink with the most furious, blank expression he had ever seen. It continued long enough, Ink grew uncomfortable, shifting awkwardly in his strung up confinement. Finally, Ink looked away while letting out a nervous chuckle, “W-what’s wrong-”
“Are you fucking kidding me.” Error didn’t even end his question like a question, ending it like a blunt statement. Before Ink could even ask what that meant, Error threw his arms into the air as he exploded, “So while I’ve been out here, containing myself, practicing self-control and not cleaning that absolute, god awful mess of timelines upon timelines, you’re out there creating MORE-?!”
“I couldn’t help it, Error!” Ink cried, “There were so many of them! They all needed help and I- Besides! How was I supposed to know what you were struggling with?! I haven’t seen you in, what, four weeks?!”
Error suddenly gripped the cords wrapped around Ink and glared at him, before harshly shaking the smaller skeleton, “Exactly. We haven’t even spoken to each other in four. Goddamn. Weeks.” He groaned and let his head fall, Ink leaning back in surprise when Error’s head smacked against the top cord wrapped around Ink. His voice was slightly muffled due to the cord and Ink’s shirt when he spoke, “Now I know where you’ve been all this time, but… couldn’t you have at least popped in and said hi or… you know, actually tell me what you were doing. Didn’t even have to be much,” Ink’s face twisted in an expression half-between amusement and annoyance when Error’s muffled voice switched to a faux, higher pitch in some poor attempt to imitate him, “just, ‘Oh, hi, Error, love and light of my life, I’m going to be busy for a couple of days, or you know, weeks, ‘cus the pesky creators won’t leave me alone again. So, just don’t worry if you can’t get a hold of me, I’m fine, just a bit busy! Alright, that’s all, see ya, love you, bye-’ See? Not hard, easy peasy-”
“Error! I couldn’t, I told you it was a surge! I had no way to know they were coming!” Ink dissolved into laughter when Error didn’t even look up, just keeping his head buried against his shirt and the rope of strings tied around him. He was grumbling something, as if in a half-hearted attempt at arguing back, but Ink couldn’t even tell what he was saying. Ink laughed and leaned his head down to nudge him since his arms were still tied to his sides, “Error… Glitchy. Ruru, come on.”
Error finally turned his head over and gave him a grumpy glare. Ink gave him a tender smile and murmured, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to disappear with no warning. Next time, I’ll try and take a break to at least tell you, okay?”
Error looked away and didn’t respond for a long moment. Finally, he let out a deep and irritated growl, “Good.”
Ink laughed and pecked a kiss on his forehead, “Thank you! Now, let me down, will ya? I came to see you because I’m finally free and I-”
Error shot up like a board, “Wait, you are?”
Ink’s face contorted with confusion, “Uh… yeah? What-”
“And you came here to see me?” Error was staring directly into Ink’s eyes.
Ink glanced away, mouth twisting into an uneasy grin, “Yes…?”
Strong hands suddenly gripped both sides of the ropes bound around Ink, “So you can make it up to me?”
Ink’s cheeks felt like they were on fire and he quickly snapped his gaze away again, “Um… sure, I suppose so-” He broke off into nervous and embarrassed laughter, really not sure what Error was implying by that.
“Great. Come on, I have something to show you.” Error turned on his heel and led the way through the forest of strings.
Ink just stared after him, eyebrows furrowed and mouth slightly agape in confusion as he was still left hanging there. He jolted as he suddenly began moving, gliding along seamlessly as the strings suspending him in the air trailed after Error. He helplessly twisted his head over his shoulder, watching Broomie get further and further away, “W-Wait! Error, I- We left Broomie!”
“Broomie will be fine. It’s not going anywhere.”
“Well, yeah, but…” Ink trailed off, craning his neck up as he watched the forest of thick blue cords pass by as they walked through. Or, more accurately, Error walked through and Ink glided behind him wrapped up in strings. He looked back down and at the back of Error’s head as his expression switched to something more off-put, “Uh, Glitchy? I was meaning to ask… What did you do to the place?”
Ink recoiled as Error turned to look at him, rolling his head over his shoulder with a creepy grin and eyelights the size of dots, “Oh, don’t you like it, Squid? I made it up just for you.”
For a long moment, Ink couldn’t respond, just staring at Error in horrified shock. Finally, he found the ability to speak, but couldn’t prevent his voice from being several octaves higher in fright, “What?!”
“That’s not all,” Error had an unnerving chuckle, “I decorated everything. You don’t like how white and empty the Antivoid is, right? Well, you don’t have to worry anymore, Inky. It’s all nice and cluttered now.”
This… was so strange. Ink began to cough at how hard he started to laugh, his body rattling with nerves. This wasn’t right, “B-but! You hate clutter, Ruru! You hate messes and… too much color and… You’re always telling me how I keep it so messy! I-I thought the Antivoid was… your safe, quiet place to relax.”
“It was. But it quit being relaxing.”
“Well, duh! Of course, with you making it so cluttered! No wonder; messes always stressed you out-!”
“No, you don’t understand, Ink.” Error whirled around and gave him a wide, almost unnatural grin, “I did it like this to attract you. You like messes and color and everything so piled up together, you can’t even think straight, right? Right? So, I just- That’s all I had to do, make an absolute eyesore of a mess and eventually, you’d come back. Then… Then the Antivoid could be relaxing again. It could become home again. It quit being a place to relax a long time ago, but now it can go back to normal.”
Concern flickered inside Ink’s chest and he tilted his head as he gazed at his boyfriend. Suddenly, he noticed how wrinkled and disheveled Error’s clothes really were, and how there appeared to be large bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept well in days. Even though Error was really beginning to scare him with how he was acting, he couldn’t help but be very worried for him, “Ruru…” Ink began, making sure his voice had a gentle tone to it, “Why did the Antivoid quit being relaxing? I thought you loved its empty quietness.”
“I couldn’t relax because I couldn’t find you.” Error stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He faced forward again and was gesturing sporadically with his hands, “I didn’t know where you were, what you doing, if you were even okay-”
“I was in the Doodle Sphere! You could have come checked on me there, you know! It’s not just a one way street all the time!”
“Oh, I would have loved to, but someone didn’t approve of me entering.” Error growled, shooting a glare over his shoulder. His face then contorted into a pout as he added, “It really hurts, Ink, it really does. I thought after all this time, you’d trust me enough.”
Ink’s face fell as suddenly flashes of memory shot through his head. He had meant to add Error’s name to the list of the few, select individuals with the privilege of entering the Doodle Sphere a long time ago. But because of his… affinity for getting distracted, Ink had long since forgotten and never actually did add him to the list. As such… his own boyfriend was locked from even entering his home, “Oh, stars, I’m so sorry, Error! I forgot! I didn’t mean to- Why didn’t you tell me?! I had no idea you could never come in, I thought you just- refused to ever come meet me for all this time-!”
“They never shut up, you know.” Error interrupted Ink’s rambled apology, not even addressing it and changing the subject. Ink tilted his head in confusion at Error’s calm, strange statement. As if he knew he was confused, Error looked over his shoulder and continued, his pinprick eyes shaking in his sockets in some borderline, deranged manner, “The voices. You know, our good ol’ pals, our buddies. They said such horrible things had happened to you. That you were never coming back. They told me… over and over again… that I would never find you. Well, guess what?” Error whirled around and threw his arms to the sides, letting out a maniacal laugh that Ink hadn’t heard since the days they were sworn enemies, “But I found you! Didn’t I?! Didn’t I?! They were wrong, weren’t they?!”
Ink just stared at Error, too shocked and… scared to speak. He knew Error’s voices, the voices that would speak beyond the realm of tangible existence that they knew. Even Ink couldn’t hear them. At first, he had assumed they were the same as the creators that would speak to him in much the same manner. He never could see the creators, so he didn’t even know what they looked like. He could only hear them as they spoke from a plane of existence none of them could meaningfully interact with, helping them bring to life the beloved creations they didn’t have the ability to make by themselves.
However, Error’s voices were… meaner. Ink had a generally positive relationship with the creators. Most of them were genuinely grateful for his help and considered him a friend. It wasn’t their fault that Ink was a bit of a… workaholic. A “self-sacrificing martyr,” if Dream’s definition was accurate. It was Ink’s own responsibility that he kept pushing off his own care and interests in serving his friends. He was… still trying to work on prioritizing himself more often.
Error on the other hand, did not have a good relationship to these voices. Over the years, Ink had begun to separate the two in his head. He just couldn’t believe these cruel voices that would say the most horrible of things were the same entities as the creators that treated him so kindly. He didn’t even know most of the things the voices would tell Error since he would refuse to tell him the majority of the time. However, the very few things Error did eventually reveal to Ink with such an uncharacteristically quiet voice, Ink could still remember, even with his terrible memory. Some of the things still managed to send a stark shiver down his spine or make him want to burst into tears.
A sharp pain ripped through Ink’s heart as he gazed at Error, still laughing as if he was some evil genius instead of the mentally abused victim he really was. He didn’t even know what to say. He had no idea the kind of stuff he was going through. He didn’t think not saying anything to Error would really be that bad. He was only gone for about four weeks, he never imagined something that bad would happen in that amount of time. He figured he’d just see him after he quit being so busy and it’d be okay. They had gone through extended periods of time not interacting before, why would this time be any different? Then again… Ink had usually told someone what he was doing, so if Error had marched through the multiverse and asked about Ink’s whereabouts previously, there was a good chance he would have gotten his question answered eventually. But because Ink neglected to tell anyone this time…
Ink bit his lip as he started to feel horrible. It sounded like Error had gone through a personal kind of hell these last few weeks, “Uh, y-yeah, you found me! You sure showed them up…” Ink didn’t have the heart to break Error’s belief that he really was some sort of evil mastermind, instead deciding to play along with forced laughter.
“I knew it, I knew you were out there, just somewhere I hadn’t looked yet.” Error snickered with glee that was just barely on the cusp of insanity. He turned back around and gestured to the thick cords surrounding them on all sides, “That’s why I made this. I figured if you came here while I was out looking for you, then they’d be here to keep you safe.”
“Keep… me safe?” Ink echoed. He wouldn’t exactly call… thick cords springing up from the ground to ensnare him… “safe.”
“Yeah, keep you here until I could find you. Keep you where it’s safe. All those things they were so sure saying would happen to you won’t ever happen. Especially now. Now that you’re here. Safe with me.” Error’s smile was perhaps a little too wide as he gazed at Ink with eyes that probably should have blinked a long time ago. Suddenly, the forest of blue strings seemed to end and Error whirled around, voice raised in excitement as he ran out into the open Antivoid, “Come on, here it is!”
Ink couldn’t really choose whether to follow him or not, the strings wrapped around him forcing him after Error regardless of either option he would have chosen. He squinted his eyes as the brightness of the Antivoid returned and it took a moment for him to adjust. When he did, he couldn’t help his sharp gasp of emotions he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Shock? Alarm? Horror? Ink didn’t know, he just knew whatever he was looking at was wrong.
Buildings. Houses, street lamps, bakeries, libraries, practically an entire town sat right in front of him. The only evidence that this was indeed the Antivoid was the little of the white ground that wasn’t covered up and the completely white “sky.” At the very end of the crude street, which was only a street in the simplest sense of the word because it looked as if Error had taken chunks of road and scattered them around on the ground before giving up, was possibly Error’s most prized possession. A castle. A complete, fully built castle, with the towers that scrapped the sky and the elegant, long staircases to boot.
Ink just stared in abject shock, almost feeling like his bottom jaw was going to pop off his face if he didn’t shut it soon. Movement flickered in his peripheral vision and Ink snapped his gaze over to Error, who was waving his hands as he had both arms thrown out towards the castle, as if he were presenting it.
“Ta-dah! What do you think?” Error’s voice was perhaps a little too eager, even more so when paired with his wide eyes and twitching grin that spanned the entirety of his face, “You like it, right?”
“Uh-” Ink couldn’t even form a response before Error clicked his foot against the ground, directing his attention downward.
“I tried to cover up all the white, but that’s really hard to do, as I’m sure you can see-” Error was seeming to explain the… mess on the ground. The chunks of road, the splatters of several different colors that looked like Error had gotten paint buckets and just poured them out to dry, the scribbles of marker, colored pencil, crayon, and practically every art material Ink could think of that suggested he had tried covering it up by hand and… what looked like glitter, like if Error had taken little bottles of glitter and just dumped them out here and there on the ground, “You can still see some of the white, but it’s much less than, ya know, normal.”
He spread out some golden glitter under his foot before looking up with an unsettling grin, “But I did a pretty good job, huh? I thought you’d like it, since you like messes and color and… unnecessary things like this.”
Ink glanced around wildly, trembling as he tried to catch a glance of any movement in the town Error had created, “It’s… uh, nice! Great, lovely, hehe… U-um, Error? Where- Where’d you get all this?”
Error’s unnatural smile didn’t even falter, “Don’t worry about it.” He then whisked up to Ink’s side, making him lean back as far as he could in fright as Error only leaned closer, seeming oblivious to how unnerving he was acting, “So, do you like it?”
“Well, I, uh-” Ink wasn’t sure what to think. He had always wanted to get Error to try out creating one day! Just… not like this. He didn’t like imagining Error scribbling on the Antivoid floor in some fool’s attempt at covering up the white all as the voices… tried their hardest to convince him that he’d never see him again. Ink shuddered, briefly closing his eyes as the mental image sent a sharp pain through his heart once again.
“You… don’t like it?”
Ink opened his eyes as Error’s voice sounded much quieter than normal. Looking over, Error had an almost sad expression as he just looked at him, red eyebrows lowered to give him a… pitiful look.
“No! No, I love it! It’s- Wow!” Ink desperately tried to cheer him back up, looking around as he played up his awe in a frantic attempt to disguise his ever growing concern, “Look at all this! You must have, I don’t even know, spent so long on this, didn’t you?”
Error closed his eyes and an expression of resigned anger that Ink was more familiar with briefly flashed across his face, “Stars, it took forever. First to find shit and then spread it around to try and cover up the white.” Glancing around at the different styles of buildings, Ink didn’t think it was a far stretch to assume Error had stolen them from a variety of different AUs.
“It’s- You did a great job! I-I see some elements of composition and, uh, you made some of those paint splatters go with… other colors that fit them!” Ink cringed at how forced his laughter sounded to his own ears, but hoped it was convincing enough to Error, “It’s very pretty! I… would love to take a look around! So, if you, uh, don’t mind…” He trailed off, squirming in his tight hold before raising an eyebrow in suggestion at Error.
“So you… do like it. Uh, good. Great. I’m glad.” Error wasn’t even looking at him, instead looking down at his hands as he awkwardly pushed his fingers together. Even though he was sort of mumbling into his scarf, Ink could see a sunny hue dusting his cheeks. It was as if the prideful and brash god Ink was so used to had suddenly gotten very embarrassed when Ink confirmed that he liked his attempt at being creative.
Ink couldn’t help but let out an audible coo at how adorable he found the skeleton a head taller than him, “Aww! It’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed! I love what you did, you worked so hard-!”
Error’s glitches spasmed and he turned on his heel, marching toward the castle as he huffed, “I’m not-! Shut up! I’m fine, just fucking shut your trap and come on-!”
Ink shook his head with a laugh as he noticed the blush on Error’s face had increased by tenfold before he had whirled around. His light mood fell once he noticed Error still hadn’t let him down, the strings wrapped around him gliding after him instead of letting him use his own two feet. He peered through the windows and through the alleys of the buildings they passed as they made their way to the castle. He didn’t see any sign of life or movement, so perhaps it was safe to assume Error hadn’t… abducted any people? “So, uh, Glitchy, did you… There aren’t any people in your lovely little castle town, right?” He asked in an uneasy chuckle just to confirm.
“What do you mean? Of course there’s people.” Error bluntly stated, having turned and giving him a blank look as he paused at the castle’s staircase leading inside.
Ink gawked at him, feeling his eye twitch as he struggled comprehending his words, “What?! No, no, you didn’t- You didn’t take people, did you?! You can’t do that, Error, I-!” He started kicking helplessly as he was dragged against his will into the castle behind Error, tossing his head back and wailing, “No, we gotta return them, Error! We can’t-! Oh no, oh stars, what do we do-?!”
“Squid!” Error threw his head back with a groan. He dragged his hands down his face before turning and addressing Ink, “Chill. Who do you take me for? I didn’t take shit.” His annoyed facial expression then contorted with what looked like realization, “Well, I mean, other than everything else that I…” He whirled around and cleared his throat, “Just-! I didn’t take people. They were already here.”
It took a moment for Ink to respond, just staring at the back of Error’s skull as he looked around the great hall they now found themselves in, not even seeming to be aware of how concerning what he just said was. Did… This was worse than he thought. Instead of abducting people, Error had already abducted them. How long ago? Ink had no clue. Finally, Ink found the ability to speak, throwing his head back and screeching, “WHAT-?!”
Error actually jumped, usually not being the type to be scared easily. He whipped around and threw his arms in the air after having thrown them over his ear cavities, “Void damn it, Ink! Why the hell are you screaming so much, what’s your deal?!”
Ink was breathless as he was beginning to hyperventilate, his head spinning on how he could possibly fix this insane situation, “What people- What do you mean-” He broke off momentarily as he was plopped on top of a plush, rosy pink chair Error had brought into the hall with his strings. His face contorted as he wondered why Error was setting up a seating area in the middle of a grand hall instead of just finding a suitable room but quickly shook his head and continued with what he was previously stammering about, “What do you mean about people already being here?! You- You mean to tell me you’ve already kidnapped people?! When?! No, G-Glitchy! We’ve talked about this-!”
“What?! No, I-!” Error broke off, just staring at Ink as he sat across from him in a matching chair. He had the most dumbfounded look on his face before shaking his head with a loud sigh. He placed his elbows on the table he set up between them, resting his head in his hands. He was grumbling to himself but Ink couldn’t make out what he was saying. Instead, Ink got distracted by the contents on top of the table. A pretty little tea set was in front of them, complete with the teapot and the lovely little cups and saucers.
What? This- Ink looked back up, noticing the trays with sweets also on the table next to the tea set, all set atop a crocheted doily. A loving smile crossed Ink’s face as he inwardly cooed at recognizing the handiwork, Awww, he made it! That’s so cute-! His face then contorted as he roughly shook his head, Wait, no, this is- It has to be-
Ink blankly stared ahead, mind warping as he finally came to terms with what was happening. Is this a… tea party?
“No, Ink-” Error began, head still buried in his hands as he was unaware of the mind warp Ink was currently going through, “I didn’t kidnap anybody. They were already here!” He then raised up and threw an open palm to their side, stating pointedly, “See?”
Ink glanced to where he pointed before doing a double-take. They were absolutely surrounded by Error’s dolls. His dolls that he had watched him make countless times before were all hanging by blue strings around them.
“The whole gang’s here!” Error declared, an almost childish sort of glee to his voice. He started placing some of the sweet treats onto two porcelain saucers, rolling his eyes as he added, “Even Dream and Nightmare are here together. It took a lot of convincing to get them to show up, but I was able to do it.” He finished off with one of his smug smirks and a wink, “Probably ‘cus of how charming I am, huh?”
Ink’s goofy smile from the reveal instantly fell. He looked from Error and then to the dolls, spotting the Dream and Nightmare doll next to each other in the crowd. He remembered watching him make them! Especially the Nightmare doll, he remembered the great fun he had teasing him as Error lamented about “how hard Lord Octopus’s stupid tentacles were.”
Alarm shooting through him, Ink whipped his head back to Error, ignoring the saucer of treats he set down in front of him. He didn’t like how he was referring to these non-sentient dolls of his, “Uh, E-Error? What do you mean? That’s not… Dream and Nightmare.”
Error balked, giving Ink a look as if he had just insulted his grandmother, “Of course it is! Look at them!” He directed Ink’s attention to the dolls. The Dream doll raised an arm from the strings holding it up, obviously “waving.” Ink opened his mouth to argue before freezing in horror when Error spoke in a pretend voice, in some awful attempt at imitating Dream.
“‘Hi, Ink! Nice to see you! Especially after all this time… You’ve been making sure to take care of yourself, right?’” Error was moving a finger as he controlled the Dream doll, his eyes closed as he did that awful voice to imitate him. He then opened his eyes and continued as himself, glancing off to the side as he murmured, “That’s a good point… You have been taking care of yourself, right?”
Ink just stared at him, mouth hanging open in shock, “Yeah, yeah, whatever, that’s not the point! Error! Those-” He looked at the dolls before back to Error as he cried, “Those are your dolls! Remember?! You making them and… They’re not real!”
“Ink, they are too! These are our friends! Why are you calling them ‘not real?’” Error gave him an accusatory glare, hands on his hips. He rolled his eyes and leaned forward as he whispered, “You better quit saying such things before you end up hurting their feelings.”
“B-but they’re-” Ink cut off as the cords restricting him shifted. He looked down, delighted at the thought of finally being free before sputtering as his bandolier of vials was pulled up and smacked him in the mouth as it was pulled over his head. He shook his head and spat, face twisted in confusion. His eyes fell onto his bandolier as Error set it on the table. The ebony skeleton pulled one vial out and suspiciously inspected it, turning and observing it in one hand as he held it to the light. Ink just stared at him with a weirded out expression, “Um… What… What are you doing?”
Error didn’t respond as he just kept looking at the vial, the green liquid sparkling from the magnificent chandelier overhead. He pulled out another vial, his yellow one, before eyeing that with the same skepticism. His mismatched gaze then snapped over to Ink as he answered Ink with his own question, “Have you been taking your vials?”
“I…” Ink’s face contorted as he wasn’t sure what Error’s point was, “Yeah? A while ago?”
“When?”
“I-I don’t know! A while ago! Before the creator surge at least…” Ink squirmed in the strings still tied around him, glaring down in irritation when it was clear the brief release he had was only so Error could pull off his bandolier. He then glared back up and snapped, “That’s not the point! Let me go, will ya?! I like your strings when, you know, it’s consensual, but I didn’t consent to being tied up forever-”
“So you haven’t taken them in over four weeks?” Error changed the subject right back to the previous one, giving Ink a look of disbelief and shock.
“Well… yeah.” Ink’s face shifted to a flat expression before twisting to a sheepish one, “It’s fine! I was just- going to take them when I felt, you know… blank again.”
Error let out a loud sigh, giving a great eye-roll, “Ink… you know you can’t wait until you feel ‘blank’ again. You don’t feel like doing anything when you get that way, remember?” He started pouring a little bit of each vial into a teacup as he tsked in a slightly humorous tone, “What would you ever do without me?”
Ink frowned, glaring off to the side as he felt his cheeks slightly warm against his will, “I don’t know, I’m sure… be a lot more lost and confused, but…” He sat up straighter and screwed his eyes shut as he tossed his head back, kicking his feet as he squirmed against the strings again, “But I’m not who we need to be talking about here! It’s you! You’re not-!”
“Of course you’re the one we need to be talking about here!” Error exclaimed rather indignantly. He finished stirring the concoction of all of Ink’s vials together, but set it to the side with a sort of melancholy expression, “Don’t worry, Squid, we don’t need to do it right now. I know you… have a rough time with it…” His quiet murmur trailed off for a few moments, as if he were caught in memories. Ink’s furious mood immediately dissolved as he bashfully gazed at Error, cheeks alight in color as his heart fluttered in his chest at the other god’s thoughtfulness.
The moment lasted only briefly, as movement to Ink’s side shook him out of his trance. A Fell doll had come up and was pouring tea into two cups from the delicately designed teapot.
“Here ya two lovebirds go. Ugh, you’re making me sick…” The Fell doll “said” as it set the two filled teacups in front of each of them.
Ink snapped his uneasy gaze back over to Error, weirded out at how accurately Error was pulling off their friend’s angry demeanor.
Error’s eyes were still closed from voicing the Fell puppet and he spoke again, however using his normal voice, “Ignore him. The asshole’s just jealous.” His eyes fluttered open again and Ink couldn’t help but scoot further back into the chair from how unnerving his pinprick eyes were. Error leaned forward on the table, clasping his hands in front of his face as a wide, unsettling grin crossed it, “So, what have you been up to? I want to hear all about it.”
Ink’s face twisted into a disturbed grin and he couldn’t help how his voice was broken apart by extremely nervous laughter, “You k-know how I’ve been! With the creators and everything…”
“I know that, but details, Inky.” Error tilted his head, his grin unwavering and eyes unblinking, “I want to hear from the very beginning.”
“I- H-how ‘bout you, sweetie?” Ink hoped that using harmless pet names would somehow placate Error’s creepiness, “How have you been?”
Error’s relentless stare briefly snapped away, his grin momentarily falling, “It… doesn’t really matter.”
“Sure it does! I… care about you so, so much and I want to know how you’ve been doing too!” Ink managed to laugh through his forced smile, “So, um…” His voice fell to a gentler tone, “Have you been doing okay, Ruru?”
“...I’ve been fine.” Error’s response was gruff as he glared off to the side. His demeanor then switched back to that unsettling one as his voice rose back higher, “Come on, take a sip! Tell me how it is.” He lifted his own teacup to take a drink too, shifting his gaze up to him over the rim.
Ink’s eyes flickered down to the teacup in front of him before back up to Error, “I… um. I would love to, I just-” He was cut off as the teacup was brought to his mouth from blue strings, struggling not to sputter as he had to quickly switch from talking to drinking as the sweet liquid was poured into his mouth without much of his say.
“So, how is it? I made it with extra sugar, just how you like it.” Error's smile was actually pleasant this time around instead of unnerving. It would have almost seemed like… a wonderful little date had they not been surrounded by dolls who Error claimed were the real people.
And if… I could actually move. Ink’s face twisted into a grimace as he vainly struggled against the blue cords wrapped around him. He turned his head away from the teacup hovering near his mouth, signaling that he had enough, “Y-yes, it’s… great. You did it just how I like it.”
He looked back over at Error once he was sure he wasn’t trying to force more tea down his throat. There he sat, hands clasped in front of him with a cute, closed-eye smile, patiently holding up Ink’s teacup with his strings as he supposedly waited for him to want another sip. Hmm, he seemed… less crazy at the moment, even though he had a habit of flipping on a dime. If he played his cards right, maybe he could finally get Error to release him.
Ink squirmed a bit in the rope tied around him before giving Error the sweetest smile he could muster, “This is all very thoughtful and nice of you, but… You do know I could drink the tea by myself, right? As long as, if you would be so kind,” he struggled against the blue rope entangling him to make his point, “to untie me…?”
“No, don’t worry, I can do it for you.” Error purred. Ink opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted as the teacup was shoved toward his mouth again, silencing him with more tea.
“You won’t ever have to struggle again.” Error continued right on, Ink forced to gulp down tea in order not to choke, “Not with me here. I can do everything for you! You don’t have to worry about doing things by yourself anymore. You’ll see, we’ll prove them wrong.” His smile became dark as he murmured, “I’ll keep you safe. You won’t have to be scared of being alone ever again.”
Ink broke into a series of coughs, roughly turning his head away as the teacup retreated from his mouth. He was so conflicted. On one hand, a part of his heart swelled at hearing those words come from Error. He didn’t want to be alone… and now, he basically had it confirmed. It was just… it shouldn’t have been like this. He turned back to Error, a muted, warm feeling sparking in his chest at the concern written over his face, probably because he almost drowned him. This was it, he had to make his move. Dial up the adorable factor to 100.
“I know you can, Ruru. And you’re so very sweet for that, but…” Ink trailed off, looking off to the side as he let his head tilt down. He never felt more glad for the warmth collecting on his cheeks, no doubt aiding him in his plot. Without lifting his head, he shifted his gaze upward in a shy manner. Finally, he did the act that he knew worked like a charm against Error and batted his eyes up at him, just slightly sticking his bottom lip out for even extra leverage, “What if I want to hug you? What if we wanted to cuddle, remember? Snuggle up together on your beanbag…” He gave one feeble struggle against the cords and then gave Error the most pitiful expression he ever pulled off, “It’s kind of hard to do those things if you never let me go, isn’t it?”
Error just stared at Ink. For a long moment, he just stared, not doing anything. Finally, he moved, but only to stare through the table with a thoughtful hand on his chin. For a moment, Ink’s heart soared in pride and joy. His little act worked! Error most certainly saw the issue now. It would be a matter of no time before he would let him go and then Ink could get to work getting him the help he so desperately needed-
“We’ll worry about that when we come to it.” Error shrugged, Ink’s elation immediately plummeting to the ground. He leaned forward on the table again and hummed, “Now, start from the beginning. When exactly did those creators show-”
“Error!” Ink wailed, throwing his head back against the chair, “No, this isn’t about me, it’s about you!” He threw himself forward against the table, shaking the entire thing. He ignored the clatter of delicate porcelain or the startled look across Error’s face as he just gazed up at him helplessly, “You’re not okay! I know you’re not!”
Error opened his mouth, Ink knowing he meant to argue, but he interrupted him, shaking his head with a shout, “No! Don’t! Look at this place!”
Ink directed their attention to the castle around them and the dozens of dolls as they hung in the air and stared at them with their button eyes. He then snapped his head back to Error, a desperate plea in his voice, “You are not okay! This isn’t like you, Error! Just- Trust me. Let me go and I’ll help you! I’m fine, whatever those voices said won’t ever happen. What we need to do is get you help!”
Error screwed his eyes shut and leaned back with a scoff, “Help? I don’t need ‘help.’ I’m fine. Could a mentally ill person make this?” He threw his arms out, bringing attention back to the castle and the dozens of silent, hanging dolls. Then, crossing his arms, he sank back in his chair with a huff, “I think not.”
Ink just gave him a dumbfounded look, “Yes. Yes, they could.”
Error just gave him a blank glare. After a few silent moments, he grumbled, “Well, that was rude-”
“Just, listen! Glitchy, you are not well! And I know, I know, that’s a lot coming from me, but…” Ink stopped himself as he fought against his own doubt as it whispered at him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he knew it didn’t matter, Error needed to hear the words, even if it was hard for him to say. He opened his eyes and gazed at him, pleading, “I love you and I want to help you. Just let me go and we’ll go get you help, okay? Asking for help isn’t weak. I’m here now. I’ll never leave you. Do you trust me?”
For a moment, the two just looked at each other. Error with a slightly off-put facial expression and Ink gazing at him earnestly. He meant every word he said. Now, it was just up to Error to trust him and to let him go.
Error’s face shifted to a smile, and for the briefest of moments, Ink thought he had believed him. But his smile was wrong, it kept growing and growing until it was the same unhinged grin Ink had been desperately fighting to correct the entire day, “Exactly,” Error breathed, “you’ll never leave me again.”
The chair underneath Ink rapidly shook and then flew around the table. Ink’s yelp broke off as his chair collided into Error’s. He would have fallen off if it weren’t for the strong arms that wrapped around him and prevented the fall. Ink was frozen in one of the embraces he usually treasured, terror and concern for the person he cared most about robbing it of the love it usually held.
Ink began to tremble as he felt Error snuggle his skull on top of his. He couldn’t see his face, but could hear the soft smile in his voice as he murmured, “They’ll never be right, Inky. We’ll prove them wrong together. I promise, no one will ever hurt you. Never again. You can stay here with me… in the Antivoid, where it’s safe…” The tender murmur twisted into something that Ink knew wasn’t natural for Error, a deranged sort of chuckle as the embrace around him tightened, locking him securely in his arms, “Forever.”
The arms Ink usually felt so safe in no longer felt secure or warm. They were tight, threatening to squeeze the air out of his body. They were unyielding, just as the blue cords as they were wrapped around him. Ink trembled as he fought the terrified tears that wanted to gather in his eyes. The castle, the dolls as they lifelessly hung all around them, and the tea set so carefully laid out in front of them provided no comfort to the small skeleton as he was ensnared in a twisted act of love that would never let him go.
These arms were no longer his sanctuary. They were his prison.