Daemons
Chapter 20

Ink looked at the half-finished painting in front of him, sighing as he contemplated whether it was truly up to his standards. While the artist knew that he typically was a perfectionist when it came to his art, this time was a special case where his usual nitpicking was actually warranted. The painting was a portrait of Dream, meant to be a gift for his best friend after he got back from spending some time with his... boyfriend? He knew those two were complicated, and that Dream was still hung up on Cross, but they were honestly so cute together and acted more like a couple than friends.

The point was though, the golden skeleton was currently out of the apartment for an indefinite amount of time, having left earlier in the day to go on some sort of mental health retreat with Killer. That made this the perfect chance to finish his little project that he’d been working on in secret for the past couple weeks. It was the first thing he could think of after Dream’s suicide scare, wanting to give him something that would show just how much he was valued and loved. Even if it didn’t speak for the others, it would at least hopefully speak for him.

He couldn’t help the pout that worked its way across his face, holding up his brush to use as a straight line for comparison, only to groan. “No Ink, no! This isn’t acceptable! The crown is freaking cockeyed for crying out loud! You’re gonna mess up the one detail that he meticulously fusses over every morning?! Might as well make his eyes all dull and... wait a minute.” Taking another look at the portrait, the paint-covered skeleton proceeded to spread more of the substance over his face as he facepalmed in response to his own comment. “Are you kidding me Ink?! You’re supposed to make him look all bright and happy! He doesn’t need to look depressed in a painting too! That’s it! You’ve messed it up! It’s not good enough!”

A knock at the door interrupted his self-hating rambling, drawing his attention away from the easel for the first time in hours. “Was I expecting company? I mean, it’s not Dream... oh! Ruru!” The realization hit him as he remembered that his boyfriend was coming by to see him and check up on how he was doing. Setting down his supplies, the artist flung himself over towards the door, not even bothering to clean himself up and smearing paint all over the doorknob as he ripped the obstacle out of his way.

On the other side stood a very familiar glitchy skeleton, his bored expression easing up to a gentle smile once he locked eyes with the smaller. “Heya Inky,” he greeted, stepping closer now that the door was open. “Sorry I took longer than I said I would, I-”

“Never mind that, I need your help right now!” Ink blurted out, cutting him off and yanking his boyfriend into the apartment. Ignoring the cries of protest, he dragged him over to the easel he’d been at moments before, plopping him right in front of the picture. “Okay, tell me what you think of this, and be completely, brutally honest!”

“Um... it’s fine?” Error responded, clearly unsure as to what he was supposed to say.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite the right answer as Ink let out a wail. “Fine?! Just fine?! I knew it! I messed it up! It’s not good enough and I can’t fix it! I might as well just throw this failure out and start all over again from scratch!”

Just as he went to reach out and grab the canvas, a tricolored hand grabbed his own and stilled his movements. “Wow... okay, not what I was expecting for a response,” Error grumbled, sighing as he intertwined their fingers. “Kiki, I’ve told you over and over again not to doubt yourself. You’re an amazing and talented artist, and every piece you make shows your brilliance. Even your little doodles are better than anything I’d ever be able to make.” The taller paused, looking to the painting with a critical gaze. “Well, guess this is clearly supposed to be your roommate. Um... it definitely looks like him... what exactly were you aiming for?”

Encouraged by his boyfriend’s pep talk, the artist turned back to his creation with a neutral expression. “Dream and I have been friends forever, he’s always been there for me and I owe the life I have now to him... in more ways than you could imagine. He’s... the kind of person to always put others before himself, which hasn’t been easy on him mentally. I’m sure you know about what happened to him... what he almost did. When I got the news... well, you saw how crushed I was. It made me realize that I’d gotten so sucked into our relationship that I’d forgotten about the other most important person in my life. You both mean everything to me, and I wanted to make Dream a gift that would show him that. I just... I want it to be perfect, like the best thing I’ve ever created, but every time I look at it, I keep finding all these little imperfections and it leaves me feeling like it’ll never be good enough. I wanted to paint the Dream I see, my hero. A skeleton with a heart of gold that can smile no matter how bad things get, always there to offer advice or a shoulder to cry on.”

He paused to let Error digest his wishes for the piece, watching him take another look at the painting and shifting anxiously as he awaited feedback. “Hmm... Well, if I had to say anything, and bear in mind that I’m far from an expert, I’d say the background is off. What you describe sounds all warm and inviting, but the atmosphere of the background seems kind of cold... if that makes any sense. I dunno, it probably doesn’t and I’m just grasping at straws.”

“No... no you’re right,” Ink murmured, taking a look at the overly formal background he’d started on. Sure, Dream seemed like someone with such a regal and powerful atmosphere to him, but there was nothing to brighten up the fancy chair or the empty end table next to it. There was Dream, beaming such a bright smile, and yet the cold environment sucked all the warmth out of him. “Maybe... I could add a fireplace over on this side... some flowers and maybe a picture to the table... the floor looks kind of bare too...” The artist mumbled to himself as the mental image came to him, scribbling hastily over a nearby notepad to make sure that it would work. The warm light of the fire reflecting off him, flowers just like the ones Killer had gifted him the day before, and the golden skeleton had spoken of puppies and kittens as well, so maybe a few of those could be littering the floor to add a reason for his best friend to be smiling.

It only took him a moment to sketch everything out, but the earlier anxiety was almost completely gone as he set the pencil down and stood back up to examine it. A smile cut its way across his face the more he looked at it, now certain that this would fix the void he’d been feeling from the piece. “That’s gonna be perfect! You’re the best Ruru!” The smaller giggled as he flung himself at his boyfriend to hug him, only for the laughter to catch in his throat as a wet sound echoed upon them making contact. “... Oops.”

“I’m covered in paint now, aren’t I?”

“Maybe?” A sigh came from the glitchy skeleton as he pried Ink off of him, frowning at the colorful paint splatters that had gotten all over his trench coat thanks to the smaller not cleaning himself off before getting touchy. “I’m sorry Error, I kind of... forgot that I was still wearing my painting clothes.”

“You are so lucky you’re cute,” Error grumbled, looking to his hands only to find them with drying paint on as well from when Ink had grabbed him earlier. “Guess it’s a good thing I was planning on staying the night. I’m gonna wash my hands and then throw this in with your laundry. Thankfully you managed to miss my shirt.”

“So... if I were to touch your shirt...”

“Don’t even think about it,” the taller growled, already heading to the kitchen to wash his hands off before carefully slipping his coat off and revealing the red tank top beneath. He left the artist giggling in the main room before Ink decided that it was best to change clothes and clean up his supplies to avoid actually upsetting his boyfriend. While Error seemed to have plenty of patience for his playful shenanigans, he didn’t want to ever push him to his absolute limits and make him truly mad.

The glitchy skeleton came back out in the middle of Ink’s cleanup, the shorter skeleton feeling his mismatched eyes watch him as he worked. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he called out teasingly, snickering at the flustered noises that somewhat resembled words he got in response. “If you wanted to take a picture, I wouldn’t mind! I think I’d actually be flattered!”

“Ink, I-I’m not taking a p-picture of your ass!”

“Oh, so that’s what you’ve been staring at! I thought you were merely admiring me as a whole and not just one part of me.” To add insult to injury, he waved his hips around in the air a bit as he bent over a little more, deciding to end his fun when the glitched noises started sounding pretty bad. “In all seriousness though, what did you wanna do? You said you were staying the night?” It wouldn’t be the first time that Error crashed on the couch so he wasn’t really fazed by the claim, more curious on what his boyfriend had in mind.

A slight stutter preceded the taller’s words, indicating that he was still calming down from all the suggestive teasing. “W-Well... I-I just wanted to hang out with you... m-movies and cuddles sound good?”

It only took a second of thought for him to agree, nodding his head before a loud growl caught his attention. Initially he looked over at Error, used to the glitchy skeleton occasionally forgetting to eat, but the taller just raised his hands defensively as he stopped leaning on the back of the nearby couch. “Wasn’t me this time Inky. When did you last eat?”

“Um... what time is it?”

“Seriously?” His boyfriend glared at the sheepish smile he gave, sighing as he pulled out his phone to check. “You really need to get a wall-mounted clock for when your hands are too covered in art crap to check your phone. It’s quarter to four.”

“Then I haven’t eaten in...” The artist paused to count off the hours on his fingers, too focused on his task to notice the worry seeping into Error’s glare. “I... had some pop tarts at 8...”

“Ink, that’s nearly 8 hours! Dammit, no wonder your stomach is grumbling, considering pop tarts don’t count as real food. Please tell me you ate something more substantial.”

“Of course I did! For dinner last night.”

His name was groaned out once more, the artist’s hand moving to scratch his skull only for him to then remember the drying paint coating them. “That’s it, first thing we’re doing is I’m making you something to eat,” Error sighed, already heading off to the kitchen to raid the fridge while Ink quickly cleaned his hands of the colorful gobs stuck to it. Yet the taller skeleton stopped upon opening the door, hanging his head as yet another sigh escaped him. “Ink... why is there a half-rotten cabbage in the fridge?”

“There is?” Skipping over to look, he was met with the sight of a cabbage with sticky note eyes on it... well, the one had fallen off, and the other one had fallen a bit, but the effect was still there. “Oh yeah! Mister Stinky! Dream can’t stand the sight of him, so it helps keep him from forgetting which fridge was mine!” Their apartment conveniently had two fridges on opposite sides of the kitchen, giving the two of them ample space for all of their different foods. Though with both of them being easily distracted or forgettable, there had been frequent occurrences in the past where they’d mistakenly gone to each other’s fridge and eaten something they really shouldn’t have.

Their initial solution had been for Ink to do up some drawings to tape to the respective fridges, allowing the artist to know at a glance which one was his, but it hadn’t worked as well for Dream. And through some weird projects and a stroke of crazy brilliance, Mister Stinky was born to forever keep the two fridges apart. He of course kept the cabbage sealed properly to limit the stench as well as further decay, and it didn’t affect the quality of his own food, so he saw nothing wrong with it.

Bubbling with pride at his bizarre creation, the smaller was shocked as his boyfriend’s hand aggressively clamped onto the cabbage and ripped it from its home. “No! Error, what are you doing?!”

“Mister Stinky has to die,” was all he got in response before the glitchy skeleton moved over to the garbage chute and chucked everything down. The artist let out a wail as the cabbage disappeared behind the metal chute, looking at Error with big, teary eyes. “What? Inky, don’t look at me like that! You were literally keeping rotten produce in your fridge as if it were a pet! Hell, you even named it!”

“But... b-but Mister Stinky...” Ink’s childishness was showing itself in a much more somber light than his earlier pestering, though it wasn’t uncommon for him to act up like this to get his way.

Sighing at the distraught state of his boyfriend, the glitchy skeleton reached over and pulled him into a hug. “Ink, I’m sorry. But keeping rotting food in your fridge isn’t a good idea, it even might make you sick one day. Tell you what? Why don’t I help you come up with a different way to keep Dream out of your fridge? My brother Horror is notorious for trying to steal everyone else’s food, so I’m sure I’ve got a few ideas that should work.”

“Will it be something I can name?”

“What? Um... sure?” While the taller clearly wasn’t expecting such a question or certain if he’d given the right answer, Ink was quick to cheer as he squeezed back, giggling as he gave a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek to thank him. “God, how does Dream put up with your childishness sometimes?”

The question caught the smaller off guard a bit, frowning as he backed off to think of his response. Error took that chance to continue looking for ingredients, eventually pulling out a variety of vegetables and some chicken breasts that he had gotten simply because they were on sale... and to make jokes with Dream by holding two of them up at his chest. “Um... he’s never really minded it, in fact he’s kind of encouraged it. It’s fun, and it lets me get a feel for what it’s like to be a normal kid.”

“And what exactly does that mean?” The glitchy skeleton asked, his tone more confused than anything as he skillfully cut up the vegetables.

“Well... I guess the best way to explain it is that I didn’t really have a childhood, so Dream lets me experience it now. I only act like this with him and you though, I’m not sure if my other friends would take my goofing around so well.” That’s when a thought hit him, prompting another question that was far more hesitant as he thought back on how they got onto this topic. “What about you? Do you... mind me acting like this?”

“Yeah,” Error answered without thinking, only snapping out of his food-prepping trance after he heard what he said. “I-I mean I don’t mind it totally! It’s j-just... um... a bit much sometimes. Like, you’re cute and all, but I...” The taller paused as he tried to recover, clearly seeing the look of hurt on Ink’s face. “Sorry Inky, I’m used to my brothers acting like idiots, half of them act like giant babies and I get tired of bailing them out of all the stupid trouble they get in. That sort of short-tempered response is more... something I would use for them, not you.”

The artist sighed, the response a confusing set of mixed signals as he tried to figure out exactly what Error’s true thoughts were on the subject. The immediate answer he got made it clear that it got on his boyfriend’s nerves at least a bit, but it was also obvious that Error didn’t want to upset him by asking him to stop. “I... can tone it down a bit if you want? I mean I get you not wanting to deal with it if your brothers are just as bad as me...”

“Oh, trust me, they’re way worse,” the taller chuckled, rubbing his skull a bit before turning back to the food. “Let’s see... I already told you about Dust and the ceiling fan... Oh, speaking of Dust! Dust absolutely loves to climb; it doesn’t matter what it is. He also loves to piss off and taunt the others, and his victim one time was Horror. Both Killer and Fell can climb pretty well, but Horror’s feet rarely leave the ground. Dust pissed him off so bad though that the idiot clawed his way up a tree after him, only to get stuck up there with nobody but Dust knowing for several hours. At one point I think Fell went looking for him, found him screaming his head off in the tree while clinging to a branch for dear life. Took almost all of us to get the dumbass out without him falling out of the tree.”

As the story finished, Ink couldn’t help but burst out laughing, having to wipe a tear from his one eye at the hilarious story. “Okay... okay I swear I’m not that bad... Whew... I just like teasing people, making dumb jokes, and-”

“And treating rotten cabbages like pets,” Error finished, rolling his eyes at the immediate agreement he got. “Like I said, you’re not as bad as my idiots, and you’re at least cute most of the time. But if you could ease up on acting like a five-year-old even just a little bit, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Ugh, how dare you assume my mental age? I’m eight, not five! Get it right!” Another eyeroll greeted his laughter, though he did offer a smile and a more serious response once his giggles died down. “Okay, I’ll try to act even just a bit more mature. I mean, how hard can that be? I act mature around the others all the time! Easy peasy shampoo squeasy!”

“Did... did you seriously just say that?”

“Hmm? Would you prefer lemon squeasy instead?”

“No, I... whatever, you do what makes you happy.”

For the moment, there was a bit of peace as the smaller decided to focus on what his boyfriend making, watching the meat and vegetables get added to a hot pan before some sauces were mixed in. “Where did you learn to cook?” He asked to break the silence, finding Error to not be someone he’d expect to have such a skill.

The glitchy skeleton didn’t even look up from his work as some noodles were added to another pot that he’d brought to boiling, focusing on both the conversation and the food. “My brothers and I have travelled a lot, so we’ve all had to learn how to get creative with whatever supplies we’ve got. Each of us took turns cooking meals... though some of us ended up cooking more often once we realized which of us could cook the best. Horror might be a dumbass that thinks with his stomach, but he’s a surprisingly good cook... when he doesn’t eat half his ingredients beforehand. I’d consider myself more average among my brothers, what I make is edible and has some flavor, but it’s nothing special.”

“You talk about your brothers a lot you know,” Ink pointed out, having noticed that Error was always bringing up stories about them or referring to them in some way. “You must really care about them a lot.”

“Yeah, I do. I mean they’re all I’ve got, so why wouldn’t I?”

“If they’re all you’ve got, then what happened to your real family?” The question caused the taller to stiffen and finally look away from the food, turning to Ink with a look of shock. “I might act childish, but I’m not dense Ruru. It’s kind of obvious that you treat those guys as family in the same way I see Dream as my family. Doesn’t help that one of your ‘brothers’ is Dream’s biological twin.”

“I... Damn, I really wasn’t expecting that,” Error muttered under his breath, one hand leaning against the counter while the other grabbed hold of his blue scarf. “... They’re dead. My dad died when I was really young, a hunting trip gone wrong. My mom and brothers were... they were murdered when I was fourteen. I barely escaped with my life, and shortly after is when I met Nightmare. We’d both lost our family recently, so we helped each other out, slowly met the others, and the rest is kind of history.” It was clear that the subject was an uncomfortable one for the taller, but before Ink could even try to comfort him, the artist was met with a question of his own. “What about you? You said that you’ve been with Dream for years now, does that mean you don’t have a family?”

“Not really.” The subject wasn’t nearly as painful for him, allowing him to take over the conversation and give his boyfriend a chance to rest from such a hard question. “I used to have... I guess you could call him my dad, but I don’t even remember him anymore. He left me on my own long before I met Dream because I was a failure in his eyes. But Dream wanted me around, so I stayed and... yeah, he hasn’t gotten rid of me yet so I’m still here!”

“So wait, he just abandoned you? What kind of parent does that?! And who calls their own child a failure?!” The shorter skeleton merely shrugged, not nearly as worked up as Error was. “I’m surprised you’re not more upset about this!”

“Well... not much point in being upset. I don’t even really remember him, and I wasn’t what he wanted so I kind of was a failure-”

He didn’t get to finish his comment, feeling a set of familiar arms tightly wrap around his smaller frame. “Ink, you are many things, but I don’t ever want to hear you refer to yourself as a failure. You’re not, you’re a success in so many ways, and if he couldn’t see that then he didn’t deserve you.”

The subject of family was clearly a touchy one for his boyfriend, even if it held little meaning to him personally. Not wanting to upset him by discussing the topic further, the artist deemed this a good point to find something else for them to talk about. Thankfully, his easily distractable nature made this a simple task, causing him to take note of a set of holes in Error’s top that he could just barely feel below his arms. “Owo, what’s this?” He asked in a playful voice, now growing curious as to why someone who could sew had holes in his clothes.

As he started poking and prodding though, it was clear that the holes weren’t some accident, they were far too symmetrical and clean to be anything but a deliberate modification to the shirt. “Ink, what are you doi-IIIIIIIIIII!” Error’s glitched scream effectively stole his attention away from his investigation, right at the moment that he’d decided to stick his fingers inside the hole. The taller skeleton quickly withdrew and pushed him away, yellow plastered across his face while his hands moved to hide the holes. “D-Don’t touch my ribs like that!” He hissed, though his vibrant blush and closed-off body language made it clear that he was more embarrassed and startled than actually mad. “Also did you actually just say ‘owo’?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with owo? It’s fun to say! And uwu too!”

“Oh my god you actually are a child,” Error sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re not supposed to say them out loud! Hell, I don’t think they should even be a thing in texts! It’s so... cringy!”

“Okay one, I told you that I had the mental age of an eight-year-old, not my fault that you didn’t take me seriously. And two, I think we can safely establish that I’m the fun one in the relationship and you’re the boring old geezer!” When Error went to argue that last one, Ink saw it as another chance to make jokes and keep the mood light. He proceeded to hunch over and act like an old man, even using his best ‘old man’ voice. “Oh, I’m Error and I’m a boring old geezer! Kids these days can’t use uwu and owo in conversation because I’m so old that I don’t see how much fun it is!”

So devoted to his act, the smaller skeleton didn’t see the look his boyfriend was giving him... or the piece of chicken flying at his face. And as it landed right in his eye socket, he quickly started screaming and flailing about as he tried to get it out. “You wanted childish, you got childish,” Error snickered, turning back to their meal while ignoring the cries of ‘gross’ and ‘help’. “Food’s done by the way, so whenever you’re done freaking out, we can eat.”

It took him a minute, but Ink was eventually able to tilt his skull the correct way to get the piece of chicken out, only to immediately stick it in his mouth. “Mmm, that’s good chicken! What did you make with it?” The smaller looked into the bowls that Error was preparing, cocking his head to the side at their meal. “Fried veggies and noodles with chicken? Okay then.”

“Pfft, you act like you’ve never heard of a stir fry.”

“What? No, that can’t be a stir fry, stir fry is made with beef! I’m just gonna call it veggie noodles with chicken.”

“Wh- Ink. It’s a stir fry, just with chicken instead of beef.”

“Veggie noodles with chicken.”

“Making it with chicken is pretty norm-”

“Veggie noodles with chicken.”

All attempts to keep up a straight face went out the window at the frown the artist got, giggles escaping him as the glitchy skeleton sighed and gave up. “I don’t know why I bother sometimes; nothing is normal whenever you’re around,” he grumbled, moving to grab some forks from the cutlery drawer.

That is when Ink finally took issue with things, gently slapping his hand away before lecturing him. “Ruru, you can’t use a fork on a st- dish like this! This is something that clearly deserves chopsticks!”

“Okay... but you don’t have any chopsticks,” the taller pointed out, purposefully glossing over the slip up that was almost made to avoid starting another pointless debate.

“Yes I do, they just aren’t in the cutlery drawer! I like to keep them in my bag in case I need a utensil to go because they’re way less likely to poke holes in something than a fork. They’re also way more fun to eat with.” He quickly scampered off to rummage in his nearby bag, shifting through the many items crammed inside without really looking. Once the familiar feel of the wooden utensils brushed his hand, he yanked them out and waved them in Error’s face, promptly diving back in for another set. It took a little more concentration to get a second set, but the small skeleton was quite proud of himself once he had them. “Nice and clean, just like I left them!”

Taking the set held out to him, Error eyed the utensils suspiciously. “I’m less confused over how they’re still clean after being in there for who knows how long and more surprised that you were able to find something so small in that mess. Like seriously, how many things do you have crammed in there?”

It took him a moment to think of some of the items in there, proceeding to rattle off a sizeable list. “Well I’ve got a change of clothes, and a set of art clothes so I don’t get paint on anything. Oh! I’ve got a bunch of paints and pencils and other art supplies. Got some basic supplies too like a first-aid kit, the chopsticks, I think Broomy’s in there somewhere-”

“Broomy? Ink, there’s no way you have a broom in there unless it’s just one of those tiny ones.”

“Oh no silly, Broomy’s not a broom! He’s a paintbrush the size of a broom. Well, maybe a bit smaller, but he’s my favorite paintbrush and has never let me down when I need him!”

The dark-boned skeleton eyed the bag in disbelief before turning back to his boyfriend. “I once again don’t know whether to wonder how you fit a supposedly broom-sized paintbrush in a bag that size or wonder why you named it. That thing’s not even bulging, how can it fit so much?!”

“Magic~” Ink responded teasingly, giggling as he rifled through and listed a few more items he could see. “Let’s see... some textbooks too... I think that’s a rock I thought looked pretty, glitter in case I ever need to glitter bomb someone, I think that’s one of my crystals for en-”

A hand on his shoulder silenced him, causing him to look up at a very overwhelmed Error pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know what? I’m not so curious anymore. I’m just gonna go with your ‘magic’ answer and call it a day. Come on, let’s just eat before the food gets too cold.”

The two of them migrated over to the couch, at Ink’s insistence of course so that they could watch shows on the tv while eating. Once settled and with something on in the background, the couple snuggled up together to enjoy their meal. Every so often, the smaller of the two would look over to see his boyfriend struggling a bit with the chopsticks, prompting a few giggles and sassy comments before he would ultimately offer a mouthful to Error with a huge grin. It felt nice to do normal couple stuff like this, just cuddling together and feeding each other, a nice change of pace from the usual chaos that pervaded his life due to his own disorganized and crazy tendencies. Error was someone that made him feel... almost normal in a way, like not every aspect of him had to be weird. The glitchy skeleton made him feel accepted even more than Dream did. The circumstances between him and his best friend were... well weird was a mild way of putting it, and most of his friends only met him because of Dream. And then there was Error, the first person to seek him out without anything involving Dream, the only person to accept him the way he was without such a convoluted history to explain his unique behavior.

Never in his life did he think he’d have the gift of experiencing love, and yet here he was. He loved Error, with every part of his soul. Yet his inexperience with romance led to him relying on the honestly bad rom com that they were now watching for guidance, the now empty bowls from their meals sitting on the table in front of them so that they were free to cuddle together. As the pair on screen grew closer, Ink found himself analyzing their signals and advances, wondering if it would be normal or acceptable for him to copy them. Then again, if it wasn’t, the childish skeleton could easily play it off as a joke to tease the taller, so there likely wouldn’t be any serious risks of a harsh rejection.

With that logic in mind, the artist experimentally moved one of his hands to rest on Error’s femur, innocently glancing up when he felt those mismatched eyes on him. Just as they’d done in the movie, his hand slid further up, a myriad of colors beginning to stain his cheeks. A soft yellow was beginning to show on the other’s skull, clearly starting to get the hint as the hand drifted up to his waist. Nothing was said as the smaller slowly advanced, hand moving up to gently dance along his ribs. He knew that Error wasn’t the hugest fan of physical contact with most, so it was a good sign to him when his hand wasn’t removed. Instead, a set of tricolored phalanges started to pull him closer and mirror his actions.

The pair’s breathing was the only sound to break the silence as they progressively moved closer together, the smaller of the two being practically pulled onto his boyfriend’s lap as his fingers drifted up Error’s shoulder and spine to gently cup his cheek. “Your yellow reminds me of the sun, so warm and bright and inviting,” he murmured under his breath, not wanting to ruin the moment by speaking too loudly. His thumb brushed against his warm cheekbone, allowing him to admire the beautiful shade consuming the darkness of his skull.

“Sh-Shut up,” the taller grumbled, averting his eyes as the yellow flared up even brighter. “Y-Your blush is way cuter... p-pretty too, like a rainbow.” Smiling softly, the artist gently tilted the dark skull back to face him, popping up to place an experimental peck on his lips. Before he could offer another one though, both of his hands were gently pulled away so that a small amount of distance between the two of them would exist. “Are you sure Ink?”

While it was sweet of the other to make sure that he had consent, it only brought a slight chuckle out of him as Ink pulled his hands free and toyed with his ‘lips’ with one thumb. “Pretty sure I wouldn’t have started this if I didn’t want it. Now just shut up and kiss me.”

That seemed to be all Error needed for assurance, the glitchy skeleton immediately closing the distance between them before offering a gentle kiss. Ink immediately kissed back, his arms moving to wrap around Error’s neck in order to pull them even closer together. Error mirrored the action, wrapping his long arms around the smaller’s waist and hugging him close, not an ounce of space between the two as their innocent kiss slowly began to deepen.

They took their time, neither wanting to overwhelm the other, and with how sensitive Error could be to touch, Ink was letting his boyfriend take the lead in terms of their pace. He didn’t care so long as he could continue to enjoy the lovely, tingling sensation thrumming through his bones. It felt electric and yet soothing at the same time, a hum escaping him as the glitchy skeleton began to press against his ‘lips’ with more urgency and need. The second he felt a tongue slither out, his teeth parted almost instinctually as the artist simply gave all the control to the one who clearly wanted it.

It came as a bit of a shock to him though when he felt four separate tongues swish about inside his mouth, his eyes going wide at the surprise and causing him to pull away on instinct a little. This clearly wasn’t the sign that Error wanted though, the taller retreating almost entirely and looking to him in concern. “I-I’m sorry, d-did I do something wrong?”

“You... have four tongues?” It sounded so stupid out loud, but it was really all he could think to say in this situation.

Apparently the glitchy skeleton wasn’t expecting such a question, blinking a couple times before stuttering out a response. “W-What? F-Four? W-Who has four tongues?” The chuckle he gave following his words only cast further doubt on what he was saying, but the artist was forced to admit defeat when his boyfriend made a show of opening his mouth. True to what he was saying and in direct contradiction of what Ink had felt, there was only a single tongue present, only confusing him further. “M-Maybe I’m just so good y-ya thought I had four?”

Ink knew a secret when he saw one, but there was no denying what was currently right in front of him. So even if Error’s lie was pretty bad, it was at least good enough for him to roll with. “I guess so!” He giggled, easily playing off his earlier suspicion as he leaned forward once again. “Care to show me how good you are again?”

“Glady~” Error chuckled, the distance between them vanishing again as they picked up where they left off. The smaller had to hold back from commenting on how it was different than last time, instead allowing himself to get lost in how it was somehow just as good despite the difference. He let his boyfriend explore as much as he wanted, closing his eyes with full intent on just enjoying this moment.

His attempts to do so were ruined however as a phone went off, the unfamiliar ringtone hinting that it was Error’s. It honestly reminded him of a horror movie track, all dark and ominous as it filled the otherwise quiet apartment. A groan signified the end of their kiss as the glitchy skeleton pulled away, mumbling an apology before getting up and wandering to a nearby room. A trail of audible grumbling followed the taller, Ink peering over the couch as he disappeared before silencing the ringtone by answering the call.

For most people, heading to another room to take a call would be a clear hint that the conversation was private, but the colorful little skeleton was never one to take such a hint. Besides, Error hadn’t closed the door, it was Ink’s apartment, and he was just curious about what was being talked about. So, he didn’t hesitate to slink around the couch and down the hall, pausing just outside the room to where he wouldn’t be seen eavesdropping.

“Geez, you just won’t leave me alone today! Ink and I were just about to make out, thanks for interrupting that, you jackass!” A small period of silence followed the annoyed greeting, a blush involuntarily working its ay across Ink’s face as their earlier session was brought up. “Horror, are you there? I swear to god, if you butt-dialed me without even having an ass-”

Horror... the small skeleton recalled that was one of Error’s brothers, and the name did explain the ringtone. The sudden silence from his boyfriend signified that Horror had finally said something, though the silence wasn’t nearly as satisfying for Ink. Remembering his own phone in his pocket, he pulled it out and brought up the selfie camera to use as a mirror so that he could catch Error’s reactions. And the look of pure fear he saw was not what he was expecting.

“What the fuck do you mean, they tracked you?!” Error screeched, his volume loud enough that the smaller likely would’ve heard had he still been back in the living room. The glitchy skeleton quickly caught this as he cleared his throat, speaking in a much lower volume as he continued. “Explain. And I swear to god if you’re joking-”

Ink watched as his boyfriend was cut off again, frowning at the extremely serious expression he saw. Sure, he usually pushed Error’s buttons a bit, but he’d never looked so scary or dangerous. If looks could kill, Ink wouldn’t want anyone to be in the room with him right now. There was just such an intensity to his stare, one he wouldn’t normally associate with his relaxed and mature Ruru. Guess he wasn’t the only one that acted differently when it was just them.

The sound of Error’s glitchy voice speaking up again forced his focus back on the conversation, seeing him begin to pace around the room with his phone. “Fuck... why does everything have to go wrong today? Just when I thought I finally had a plan that would keep us and our soulmates safe.” ... “No, don’t apologize, I know it’s not your fault. I’m just... really fucking frustrated.” The taller skeleton’s spare hand drifted down to his scarf, the bones clenching and unclenching around the fabric in a way that clearly indicated that it was a tick of his when emotional. He’d done the exact same thing during their earlier talk about family, though all thoughts of that moment slipped from his mind as another two arms suddenly appeared just below the first. They swiftly pulled a note pad and pen out of one of the glitchy skeleton’s pockets, beginning to scribble away as he held the phone up to his head.

It was almost mesmerizing to see four arms work together in such a way, and now Ink was positive that he hadn’t imagined those four tongues. After a couple minutes of quiet note-taking, the occasional affirmative or follow-up question being offered, Error sighed as he pulled the pen away and looked at his notes. “Looks like they likely tagged ya when that brat snagged your hat, it’s about the only time they got close enough to you to place it there. As for the thing, that’s definitely a hunter’s tracker. I’ve seen them before, but I don’t know a ton about how they work.” The word ‘hunter’ definitely caught the artist’s attention, and he had a sneaking suspicion that they weren’t talking about someone chasing after wild animals.

“The backpack!” Error suddenly blurted out, almost causing the smaller to drop his phone as he fumbled it from the sudden startle. “Your bag must’ve been just thick enough to disrupt the signal so that they couldn’t track you! It’s how they could follow you all the way to the mall, but lost you when you shoved your jacket in your bag.” ... “No, don’t put it back right away, they’ll know you’re on to them if they suddenly lose the signal again. Come up with some excuse to quickly head out with the jacket on, food should be a good one for you. Then you take that stupid tracker and you plant it on a taxi or bus, somewhere where someone else might get curious and grab it. They’ll go after someone else, and hopefully you two should be safe.” ... “Yes, I get you’re worried about Lust right now, but you need to trust me or he’ll be in even more danger. I know it’s not a perfect plan, but you’re not exactly giving much to work with.” Lust? What the hell kind of mess was one of his friends in?

That’s when he remembered the dance recital that he’d asked Error to bring a date for Lust to. And now that he thought about it, the weird guy in plaid had been named Horror. “So, Lust really ended up with a daemon too...” He muttered under his breath, trying to stay quiet so that he wouldn’t get caught.

Unfortunately, his volume wasn’t nearly low enough to avoid detection, his phone showing Error’s head whipping in his exact direction in horror. The extra arms disappeared, retracting back into the two holes cut into his tank top, the purpose of those holes now painfully clear. “I-I’ll call you back later,” he mumbled into the phone before heading for the door. The taller’s long strides put him there before Ink could even figure out what to do, resulting in him being caught red-handed with his phone out as he was pressed up next to the door frame. “Ink?! W-What are you doing here? I-I thought you were still in the living room waiting for me.”

“Well, it is my apartment, I should be free to go wherever I want,” he responded coolly, his tone only setting Error further on edge as he put away his phone and got to his feet. “So, what’s wrong with Lust?”

“You heard that?” The nod he gave left the taller running his hand down his face, his refusal to look Ink in the eyes hinting at how he was trying to avoid this mess. “I-It’s nothing, Horror was just freaking out about something stupid-”

“Since when are daemons so chill about being tracked by hunters?” Now that left the taller speechless, his mouth opening and closing several times despite nothing coming out. “By the way, when did you plan on telling me that you’re a daemon or the whole soulmate thing?”

It took him a minute, but eventually the daemon found his voice, albeit it betrayed how shaken he was by these questions. “H-How can you possibly know that?”

“Ruru, like I told you, I act childish but I’m not dense. You, Horror, Killer, Nightmare, I know you’re all daemons. And before you ask, Dream told me. He was so excited to tell me all about how his long-lost brother had finally come home, how he had others that were just like him to keep him company in the same way I was there for Dream. All it took was one question and he told me exactly what you are. That’s why I asked you to bring one of your brothers to meet Lust, because Dream explained to me that a group of bound daemons with multiple soulmates in close proximity to each other are all likely to find their soulmates close together. Between Dream and myself, that was already two that we knew of from our friend group, so odds were that the rest of us would end up being soulmates for you guys. I mean, you have six brothers, I have six friends, it’s kind of obvious that we’re all meant to get together when you look at things logically.”

His response was cold, logical, unlike how he normally would respond, and this fact seemed unnerving to the taller. Ink was rarely one to start spitting out facts, preferring to maintain his more whimsical approach to life as he didn’t like being so uncaring. And yet, this side of him somehow slipped out of him, showing itself to his boyfriend for the first time as a feeling of being numb washed over him. “Now then, tell me what’s going on with Lust.”

Error grit his teeth at the uncharacteristic behavior, a look of worry flashing across his face before the question about Lust changed it to anger. “You shouldn’t even know about that! If you hadn’t been eavesdropping on my private conversation, then we wouldn’t be discussing this and I’d still be thinking that I can trust you!”

“Your conversation didn’t appear to be private,” the artist calmly stated, his gaze level despite his partner’s anger. “If you wanted to be alone, then you should’ve closed the door, or told me, or even not shouted half of your responses. Even if I’d waited, I would’ve known that something was going on and would’ve asked you. That leads us right back here.”

“No, it doesn’t! Yeah, I wasn’t exactly discrete, but I could understand you being worried about me yelling about stuff like this over the phone! Instead, I feel like I’m being interrogated by my own soulmate!”

“I’m not interrogating you.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?! Because you’re sure as hell not acting like yourself! Since when the fuck are you this cold? You’re acting like you don’t give a damn about how hurt I am by you invading my privacy like this.”

“I... I do care,” Ink insisted, a bit of emotion slipping back into his tone. “What I don’t understand though is why you’re making such a big deal out of this. I was going to overhear parts of your conversation and grow curious whether I was here or stayed in the living room. The only thing that drove me to listen in was strictly that, my curiosity. I had no ulterior motive, no desire to blackmail or confront you; I just wanted to know what you were talking about. Is that such a bad thing?”

That clearly wasn’t the right response, as Error practically shoved him into the nearby wall. It sent a jolt through his system, almost as if it were shocking his soul and awakening it from some sort of bizarre slumber. His emotions came rushing back to him; guilt, regret, sadness, worry, and all were currently being drowned out by fear of the furious daemon looming over him. “Are you fucking serious, Ink?! How the fuck can you not see how your actions are like putting daggers into my trust for you?! I trust you, I love you, and this stupid act of yours is just making me wonder if you even feel the same way for me! Why can’t you ever just act fucking normal?!”

Those words hit him impossibly hard, the negative emotions that had been effectively shut off all now threatening to drown him. Ink didn’t quite know how to respond, his body beginning to shake as his legs gave out and he slid down the wall. The tears came despite his best efforts to keep them bottled up, knowing that they would only cause Error to feel sorry for him. But he didn’t deserve that, not after upsetting him so much. “I-I’m sorry,” he sobbed, hiccupping as he tried to wipe away the tears. “I-I’m s-sorry Ruru... I’m s-so sorry... I-I d-didn’t know... I-I wish I could b-be normal f-for you...”

A moment of relative silence followed, filled with nothing but the smaller skeleton’s broken sobs as he refused to look up at his boyfriend. A gasp interrupted the flow of his tears though as he felt two familiar arms pull him close, allowing him to hug his boyfriend as he continued to mutter apologies. “No, I’m the one who should apologize Inky. Even if I was mad at you for invading my privacy like that, I never should’ve said the things I did. I shouldn’t doubt you, and I should never have told you to be normal. I mean, who am I to judge what’s normal? I have four arms after all.” The smaller felt those extra arms make themselves known, one hoisting him up into Error’s arms while the other began to rub his head. It was extremely comforting, and easily the best hug he’d ever had, helping to stifle the flow of tears enough that he could speak coherently.

He wasn’t quite sure what to say in response to the glitchy skeleton’s apology, instead taking a moment to think as he calmed down. “A-And four tongues,” he mumbled out, the response being the only thing he could come up with.

Error blinked a couple times before chuckling, a soft blush crossing his cheekbones as he nodded his head. “Yeah, I’ve got four tongues. Guess my lie earlier wasn’t that convincing?”

“No, it was honestly kind of horrible,” he admitted with a chuckle, feeling himself moving as the taller carried the two of them back to the living room. “I-I’m really sorry for upsetting you Error, I just... Dream’s never been one to keep secrets from me, and he’s the only person I’ve ever really lived with. It never occurred to me that other people might... y’know, have boundaries like that.”

“It’s alright, I was mostly taking the call in private because I still thought you didn’t know anything about daemons. I was holding off on telling you until it felt right, but... guess I don’t need to worry about that anymore if Dream’s already done the hard part.” Error let out a chuckle as they sat down, his four arms still cradling the smaller skeleton close to his chest. “I need you to promise me though, if I step away from you to take a call, or really to do anything for that matter, that you’ll respect my wish for some privacy and let me have a moment alone. If you know about daemons, then there’s no point in me keeping secrets about that stuff at least going forward, but even if we’re soulmates, I’m still gonna occasionally need to take care of things by myself.”

The artist was quick to nod, not wanting a repeat of their earlier argument to happen. “O-Okay, I-I promise.”

The two sat in silence for a moment longer, their abandoned movie still playing in the background as the two thought of what to say. Error broke the silence once again, tilting Ink’s head up to face him as he pulled away just enough that they wouldn’t have to crane their necks to see each other. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, are you okay? I’ve never seen you like that, all cold like you didn’t care about anything. Honestly, it scared me to see you act like that, it’s so unlike the you I know.”

It’s because you don’t know the real me, he wanted to tell him, but the words wouldn’t come to him. Instead, he offered a more understandable answer that was just as true as what he couldn’t say. “I... don’t deal with negative emotions very well. I-If I get too overwhelmed emotionally, then it’s almost as if my soul just... locks up. I get to a point where I can’t really... feel anything, I just get so disconnected from my emotions and overall numb. Dream said it was likely some defense mechanism or something, allowing me to keep going in a bad situation instead of breaking down.”

“That... god, that sounds awful, I’m sorry I pushed you to such a state, Kiki.”

He was quick to offer his boyfriend a smile, not wanting him to worry too much about it. “It’s alright, I just panicked when you caught me listening and got myself all worked up, so it’s not really your fault. I’m just glad you managed to knock me out of that state, I hate having no emotions...”

“Well, at least it’s only a temporary thing, right?” Ink didn’t know how to properly answer that question, only nodding so that he didn’t worry the glitchy skeleton even more. In all honestly, he didn’t know if he could ever snap himself out of that state. Dream had always been the one to knock sense into him, usually literally like Error had done. He didn’t know if it was only because he trusted the two of them that a hit from them was able to unlock his emotions again, and he honestly didn’t want to test it and risk losing the ability to feel. As if sensing how much the topic was depressing the smaller, Error was quick to offer a smile of his own as he resumed holding him close. “I don’t know if this will make you feel better at all, but no matter what happens, whether you can feel or not, I will always love you. You’re perfectly imperfect, and I’d never want you to change. Even if your emotions disappear one day because of this condition of yours, then I promise that I’ll do whatever it takes to get them back for you.”

There was no possible way the daemon could know just how much that meant to his smaller companion, a few tears managing to escape at the touching and heartfelt promise. “Thanks Error, that promise means the world to me, it really does. God, I love you so much. Even if I can’t express it sometimes, just know that I’ll always love you, and the Inky you know will always come back to you.” Even if he wasn’t sure whether he could truly make that promise, it seemed to put his boyfriend and himself at ease, the two of them relaxing and cuddling together with a newfound understanding of each other. At least if he ever lost himself, he wouldn’t be alone. Error would always be there to help him find his way back again.

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