Chapter Text
It was dark.
It was so, so dark.
You were floating in nothingness.
Then you felt it. You felt the horrible, gnawing sensation you felt so often in your dreams;
When you looked down at your body, you saw the glowing rectangles again, eating away at your data.
You couldn’t move, you couldn’t cry out for help.
You were trapped.
The black stream of data was sneaking up on you again, and you could only think one thing.
Stop
~
You sat up with a start, sending the book on your lap and clattering to the floor. When you looked around and realized you were still in your home, you relaxed into your armchair, exhaling heavily.
That nightmare again.
You'd been having it with increasing frequency lately, and although Error had asked you about it on more than one occasion, for some reason you couldn't bring yourself to tell him about it; Instead, you would tell him they were about the nightmarish glitches the two of you had been forced to face so long ago. Thankfully, he would nod understandingly and drop the subject.
You shifted in your chair, stretching a little, and you noticed you had a blanket covering you. You smiled to yourself, squeezing the soft fabric between your fingers; Error must have been home when you'd fallen asleep, and covered you up.
Life with Error wasn't quite as domestic as you'd thought being with someone would be; While he did spend a lot of time in your home, he was often working for sporadic periods of time, and he never actually slept. He would sit in the bed if you asked, but... he'd never fully relax.
It wasn't a normal life, it wasn't perfect, but... that was okay. He was here with you, and there wasn't anything that would change that.
You stood from your chair, heading to the kitchen to get a drink when you heard a knock at the front door. You frowned to yourself and curiously approached it, hesitating to open it. Error never knocked when he came to the house, he just sort of 'appeared' in it, but that said... who else could it possibly be? As far as you knew, the only way to enter the void was through tears, and so far Error was the only one you knew who could open them, other than...
You opened the door cautiously. "Hello...?"
"XXXXX, X/X." A familiar voice answered, and with your suspicion confirmed, you threw open the door.
"Gaster!" You embraced the tall monster, your arms sinking into him a little. Though he seemed initially thrown off by your immediate intimacy, he gently wrapped his arms around you and returned the hug. "I was starting to think I wouldn't see you anymore!"
"XX XXXXXXXXX, X XXX XXXXXXXX XX XXXXX-"
"Woah, woah, hang on a second!" You pulled away and waved your hands, signalling for him to stop. "I can't understand you. Let me see if I can..." You trailed off, and focused on the data surrounding Gaster. If you could just re-arrange it so it could translate Gaster's speech files to something understandable, even temporarily, it would make this visit so much easier. Luckily, you managed to patch something together while Gaster waited politely. "There! Try that!"
"Ah, hello?" He spoke, and you smiled happily.
"Perfect! So, what brings you here, Gaster?" You stood aside, inviting him into your house.
"How fascinating..." He remarked, entering your house curiously. "You seem to have quite a good grasp on your abilities."
You laughed embarrassedly. "Yeah... when my memories came back, I remembered a lot about what I can do. Plus, Error has been helping me practice using them." He'd been more than happy to help you figure them out, even though you'd been very concerned at first.
"Has he..." Gaster spoke quietly. "F/n, may I ask you a few questions? I have been looking into a particularly interesting occurrence, and I believe you may be able to help me."
"Sure, if you think it will help." You sat in your chair, and gestured for Gaster to take a seat as well.
"Thank you." He sat down and continued to study your house with interest. "I was wondering, can you recall everything about your past?"
"Well... no." You admitted softly, staring at your lap. "I can remember as far back as seeing the Underground for the very first time, but... there's nothing before that."
"I see. I am sorry to hear that."
"But I mean, it's not like I know if there even was anything before. Maybe that moment was when I was... created? I guess." You quickly added, not wanting Gaster to feel sorry for you.
He nodded thoughtfully. "Have you spent much time outside the void?"
"Sort of. Sometimes Error and I go to different Universes, but other than that, I usually stay home." You explained. "I really don't mind, though. I just..." Your face flushed lightly. "I like being wherever Error is."
Gaster smiled knowingly. "I see. May I ask if you know where he goes, when he is not with you?"
You frowned a little, becoming worried at the direction of the conversation. For some reason, the thought of somebody not trusting Error bothered you. "He doesn't tell me specifically where, but I know he's going to work..." You sat up in your chair. "Gaster, is something wrong?"
He hesitated a moment, seemingly debating on what to say. "Though it is nothing to be concerned with..." His tone was firm, re-assuring. "I have noticed a strange 'anomaly' has occurred. However, beyond that, nothing of note has happened."
"I see... and so you thought..." You bit your lip. "I'm sorry, Gaster. Neither Error or I have done anything unusual lately. Besides..." You shifted in your seat, and gave Gaster a stern look. "I trust Error. I know he wouldn't do anything to damage this World."
To his credit, Gaster looked a little ashamed at your tone. "I did not intend to imply anything, F/n. I am sorry if it seemed otherwise."
It was your turn to feel bad now. Of course Gaster meant nothing by it; After all, he had been there when Error helped you free yourself from the world you had created. "N-no, it's okay. It's just..." You trailed off a little, not really sure how to properly vocalize your feelings. "Um, anyways, what did you mean by 'anomaly', exactly?"
"Well..." He seemed unsure of telling you about it, but at the insistent look you gave him, he caved. "It appears that something, somewhere, has been altered." You frowned to yourself. "However, as I said before, there does not seem to be any real changes because of it."
"Then there isn't really anything to worry about, right?" You concluded. After all, programs changed. If Undertale was just a massive program, it would stand to reason that small changes could occur.
"Perhaps conventionally, there would be nothing to worry about. But..." He looked disconcerted. "It would seem something was added. Yet, I am unable to figure out what."
"Added...?" You stared at your lap. Something was added, something that Gaster couldn't find. "What do you think it was?"
"I have no idea." He reiterated. "That is the part that concerns me the most."
"Well, Error and I will keep an eye out too, okay?" You cheered yourself a little, trying not to let the new information bother you too much. After all, if nothing else had happened, it really wasn't that concerning.
"But... you must realize, F/n." Gaster stood from his chair, giving you a very serious look. "There are many things you likely do not know about Error. Caution should be exercised when dealing with the unknown."
You wanted to say something, wanted to defend Error, but... there was nothing you could say. You didn't know a lot about Error's life, and he never expressed any interest in sharing with you.
Your fingers curled in your lap, and as Gaster bid you a farewell and turned to leave, you said the only thing you could think of.
"...There's a lot I don't know about me, too."