Chapter Text
Error
It was funny.
Looking back.
There had been a point where he was so…
Determined.
So angry.
So lost.
But now,
He was nothing.
Laying atop the white floor the glitch stared up into the void. How long had he been here? Enough time for his bones to weaken to the density of sponges. For the mere act of walking to be the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. For the white ANTI-VOID to corrupt his code and glitch his body.
Not that it mattered.
Not that he cared.
For as his body weakened as did his memories and emotions numb.
He was fine like this; staring up into the nothingness. Though perhaps fine wasn't the right word, he was indifferent, lacking of the cognitive capacity and energy to muster up any ill will towards his situation.
He simply was and simply was not.
He was there, but not truly.
Just gazing peacefully, but not looking.
Though there were occasions where his attention would be drawn: a flicker of light, a twisted shadow, or perhaps a whisper in his nonexistent ear.
He could have sworn at one point these hallucinations were more vivid. At some period of time the whispers had words, and the flickers had shapes. Now, though, it seemed that with him, they faded too.
At least he was of that opinion until he was brashly proven wrong by a blotch of intense blaring… colors.
His visions rarely had colors. They were… horrifying. Vibrantly clashing against the white, drawing all the attention, and threatening their surroundings. Growing and shrinking, blurring and sharpening. Flashing and flaring. Like some vicious uncanny predator.
Eyelights attempting to focus for the first time in many years, the black skeleton stared, terrified, at the colors.
Then it happened;
They started approaching.
Fresh
Now a person might think that when a skeleton infesting parasite comes across a such a vulnerable skeleton, the first thing he would do is well… infest. At least that's what an absolute idiot might think. Fresh had no interest in taking over the body of a half-dead glitch. Waste of time and energy if you ask him.
So what does he do when he encounters such a skeleton in a strange white void, just lying on the floor? Well greet them of course! He's nothing if not polite, and very very curious.
The blackened skeleton's breath hitched at the sight of Fresh, yet he made no remark or action. Fresh could've sworn he saw blood seeping through his clothes. He had a feeling it was safe to approach.
It was interesting being feared so quickly by another, especially when all he had done is take a single step towards the glitch. Yet, immediately the skeleton gasped, his eyelights shrinking and his hands pressing against the ground in an attempt to push himself up. An attempt he immediately regretted, it seemed, as a loud crack could be heard from his elbow and the glitch immediately collapsed once more.
Seeing the skeleton now resorting to army crawling across the floor, Fresh gave a confused smile. He wished it was this easy to scare other monsters. But still, having the skeleton be so afraid served no benefit to Fresh.
"Hey," Fresh said softly. Stars, it felt strange trying to comfort someone. Very different than his usual care free or straight up terrifying persona.
"Ya know I'm not gonna hurt you," he continued.
The skeleton looked back at Fresh, his eyelights wide, yet his expression glazed over. Just staring, it didn't seem like the skeleton understood anything he said.
"Why don't ya take some deep breaths bro, if ya want I can up n' fix ya arm and… da rest of ya body," though looking over the skeleton, Fresh was no longer sure if he would be able to hold up to the statement. The glitch was coated in minor and larger fractures, his bones peeling back to show the marrow at some points.
"Y-yýYOų'Řee," The skeleton slowly rasped out in a glitched voice, clearly taking much effort, "ņŌttttttttttt řěÂl-L,"
That's when it clicked, and Fresh could have sworn he felt a tightening in his host's chest.
How long has this skeleton been here?
"I assure ya, mah radical broski, I'm very real," Fresh stated, his sunglasses switching from their usual 《YO - LO》to pure black.
The skeleton just shook his head and laid back down facing the ceiling, though it was blatantly obvious he was looking at Fresh from the corner of his sockets.
After a moment just looking at each other, Fresh once again began approaching the other.
Hyperventilating, the glitch lurched backwards. His hand landing at an awkward angle, one cracked causing the skeleton to yelp, but still hold himself up. Fresh watched in what could almost be described as horror as the skeleton slowly stood up, his entire body ripping as he did, only slight whimpers escaping him.
"Ğ-GOō âẂây," He hissed, though was not at all intimidating.
"If imma hallucination den I can't hurt ya brah, chillax!" Fresh reasoned.
The other just stared at Fresh unmoving.
Fresh sighed, this wasn't getting him anywhere.
POOF!
Teleporting behind the glitched skeleton, Fresh scooped him up in his arms. Stars, he weighed nothing. Glitches erupting around the skeleton at the contact, he made a pathetically weak attempt to escape Fresh's grip.
After a moment of struggling, the skeleton went limp in Fresh's arms. Frowning, he looked down at the smaller, something about seeing him in so much pain… discomforted Fresh. Which was odd. Last he checked he didn't feel things.
But that wasn't where the oddness ended. Holding the bundle of bones in his arm, he felt something in him glitch, something in him clicked and he realized he never wanted to let go. Fresh cared for nothing, and desired nothing, yet for the first time in his life he really wanted something.
Shrugging it off, Fresh created a portal to his rainbow decorated house and carefully set down the skeleton upon his sofa. After all, it was in Fresh's best interest to keep him alive. The skeleton was no threat, and could have useful magic or information.
POOF ing some bandages and medicines in his hands, Fresh began the slow and delicate process of healing him. And after a few hours passed a loading bar and sign showed up above the glitch's skull:
REBOOTING…
Error
Slowly waking up, Error noticed two things. Firstly his injuries hurt far less and secondly someone was touching him. Quick strokes of delicate fingers like a paintbrush across paper. It was unfamiliar. It was dangerous.
Jerking away from the touch, his sockets opened to a sight he couldn't understand: swirling colors consuming one another. Bright and blinding he couldn't recognize any of them.
What sort of hallucination was this? Had he truly lost it? He desperately tried to clear his mind, but the brightness wouldn't go away and without realizing it, Error's breath was quickening by each second.
What was he looking at?!
Feeling his soul tighten in panic, he felt himself gasping for breath. Clawing at his sockets, he began opening old wounds, blood trickling down his face. That is until a hand grasped at his wrists pulling them down, while another hand quickly wrapped something around his sockets, plunging Error into darkness.
Almost immediately, Error let out a sigh of relief, before remembering his wrists were still being held. Quickly pulling his arms back, the hands let them loose.
"Sorry broski! Shoulda realized you'd be afraid!"
"I'm nOt scARed of You, stUPid rainBow bloB," Error groaned.
"Dats a new one," Stupid Rainbow Blob noted quietly, before asking, "So what's ya name, ma radical dude?"
"UhHh…"
A name, he could've sworn he had one. But the only word he had seen in a very long time was the one that hovered around his bones.
"ERROR."
The other snickered, "Totes original."
" FUNK yoU," sockets scrunched in confusion, Error shut his mouth closed. He hadn't meant to say that. Of course Error was aware his voice was hoarse and glitched, but surely that didn't have a correlation.
It's him, Error realized, glaring, though he couldn't see, at the other.
Not seeming to care or notice Error's death glare, Stupid Rainbow Blob continued, "Ma name's Fresh, Error-bro!"
"WheRe Am I?"
"None other than ma rad crib!"
"Ha! HalLUcINations don'T hAVe… whatevER the FUNK a criB is supPosed To bE."
Fresh chuckled for a moment, before going silent, "We both no I'm not a hallucination."
Of course Error knew it. Hallucinations don't blindfold you. They don't lift you up and bandage you.
Of course Error didn't know it. Hallucinations are all there are. There is only empty white space.
He'd risked believing visions before. He wasn't getting hurt again.
Error simply shook his head and Fresh sighed.
"Imma take off dat fabric now."
Shoving his hands to his face, Error jerked away from Fresh's voice, "D-don't!"
"Ya plannin' on bein' blind for the rest of ya life?"
"J-just taKE Me baCk!" He hated how broken he sounded.
"No."
Error froze at the stern tone of the other's voice. Then, sighing, the voice held his hand, a shivering running down Error's body.
POOF!
The fabric being ripped from his sockets, Error was left gaping up a star strewn sky. He was somewhere else now. A place of deep blue cliffsides overlooking a black abyss of gas clouds and planets. The colours were so unfamiliar, yet the emptiness was not.
Sitting down, Error just stared. After a moment he fumbled through his sweater, his fingers feeling the smooth surface of his red rimmed glasses, he put them on.
"Guess dat explains the blob comment," Fresh smiled, sitting down next to the other.
Now examining his kidnapper, he saw they were a skeleton wearing a red baseball cap, colourful jacket, and shades reading 《YO - LO》
"You're still a stupid rainbow blob," Error assessed, "NOw Take Me bAck."
"No. Stop asking," Fresh growled.
《DO - N'T》
As his glasses changed, Fresh quickly grinned once more, "'sides ya obviously don't wanna go back there!"
Jumping to his feet, Error wobbly glowered at the colorful skeleton, glitches appearing around him, "YOU THINK YOUR SO SMART?! YOU'RE JUST SOME FUNK ING IDIOT! TAKE ME BACK!!!"
Standing up as well, Fresh looked down at him, with a frustrated expression, "Why!?"
Sockets widening, Error made no response.
Leaning down, the colorful skeleton's expression darkened, "Tell. Me. Why."
Gulping Error muttered, "becausethisplaceisscary."
"What?"
"I'M SCARED!" Error yelled, angrily.
Immediately, the other's expression softened and Fresh smiled, "Well ya don't gotta worry brah, I'll keep ya safe!"
Hesitantly Error reached out, his hand grasping at the colorful cloth of the other's jacket. As he felt the fabric shift between his phalanges he looked up at Fresh with an uncertain look, "You'rE REal?"
With a gentle smile Fresh nodded.
But for some reason that was even more terrifying.
He just couldn't process it.
So he didn't.
Turning around, Error sprinted away, channeling magic through his healed body and opening a portal. He heard yelling behind him, but didn't bother to listen.
***
Sights flashed before his eyes, as Error ran through portal after portal, waiting for him to return to the white. Desperately swinging his arms in front of him, the void never came.
He ran through rivers, fields, snow, and fire.
Colors flashing before his eyelights, he just kept running, leaving behind a trail of portals closing behind him.
Glitches sparking around him, Error's sight began to blur.
SLAM!
Falling back into a pile of snow he winced, rubbing his skull. Looking up, he saw he had ran straight into a large door, luckily his glasses had survived the crash.
The large purple door looked so familiar. Tracing a finger along its delicate carvings, he jumped when the door began to slowly open. Teleporting behind a tree, he watched as a small child dressed in a dirty tootoo stepped out and began walking through the snow.
Carefully following the child, Error quickly noticed he wasn't the only one. As a twig snapped nearby a figure appeared a disappeared behind distant trees.
Then as the child came to a halt in front of a bridge, the shadowy figure revealed himself to them, hand outstretched, Error's sockets widened. It was Error… but not? There, behind the human stood a skeleton who looked just like Error, but without glitches or darkened bones.
As Error stumbled in surprise, the skeleton's head snapped in Error's direction, dark sockets staring into his red ones. Panicked, Error portalled away, only to find himself in the exact same spot.
But now the sky was red and the skeleton wielded a golden tooth and red eyelights and the child held a flower.
"H U M A N…" The skeleton spoke, not seeming to notice Error.
Squinting in confusion, Error traveled through another portal.
"D O N ' T Y O U K N O W," The skeleton in a purple fuzzy sweater said and Error portalled once more.
"H O W T O-"
He portalled away.
"-G R E E T A N E W F R I E N D.-"
"-T U R N A R O U N D-"
"-A N D -"
"-ShaKE My hANd," Error finished, and the skeleton with a gaping hole in his skull looked at Error in surprise, and Error portalled away once more. This time, landing at an isolated bench, he sat down.
So this was what was waiting for Error outside his ANTI-VOID.
All these worlds were just…
Copies.
All these places just…
Twisted codes.
It was all so…
Wrong.
So…
Disgusting.
Such…
ÂƁØMĪŇÃȚÏŌŊ§.
Everything just like his void.
Just like the voices.
Just like the hallucinations.
Fake…
…except for Fresh.
"A-are you okay?" A tall skeleton in a suit asked nervously "You're shaking."
Not responding, Error slowly looked up at the other, and in his glitchy voice responded, "I'm FiNe."
"G-good to hear!" The skeleton smiled, beginning to sit down next to the glitch, "I'm Papyrus, by the way."
Blue strings shooting from Error's sockets, he tied up the skeleton, preventing him from sitting down.
"W-what a-are y-you-?"
"-No yOu're nOT." Error's face stretched to a grin.
"Wha-"
But he died before he could finish.
And he wasn't the only one to be killed by Error's strings. No. Just the first.
The first of many.
Two Months Later
"Since when do you mess around with AUs Error?" Ink asked quizzically, interrupting Error mid child-decapitation.
Quickly snapping the Frisk's neck instead, Error rolled his eyelights at the AU protector, and tossed the child's soul through a portal, "It's caLled taKIng out The trash DIp shit."
Ink laughed, "Well you're getting worse at it then."
"THD FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?! YOU SQUID-ABOMINATION?!"
"Squid-abomination?" Ink raised a bony brow.
"WeLl… becaUSe Tou use ink and aRE an uGly fucKIng pieCe Of TRash," Error explained.
"That's not very creative…"
"YoU!-"
"-I mean," Ink continued, "That would be like if I called you Glitchy!"
"You Do caLL Me GlitChy," Error deadpanned.
"I do?" Ink's eyelights shifted to question marks.
Error groaned. Honestly this guy's memory was worse than a goldfish.
"No YOu Don't, aNd dON't ever calL me tHAt."
"Right…" Ink glanced around the dust and blood strewn universe, then looked at the dead child in front of him and muttered, "Too late for this one."
Error opened up the code of the world preparing to destroy it only to be interrupted by Ink's annoying voice, "Can you at least stop killing random Sanses?"
"WhA-"
"Bye Glitchy!" And the artist was gone.
Sighing, Error finished off the AU, then portalled to his ANTI-VOID. Collapsing onto his bean bag chair, Error opened up a portal to Undernovela, stitching an Ink puppet as he watched.
"KilLIng rANdom SaNses…" he grumbled, "Why would I do that!?.
Puffing out his chest, Error stated, "I aLWays fiNish the Job! I'm nOT some half-asS frAUd!"
Error looked down at the puppet then threw it across the white void, "HONESTLY! THE AUDACITY!"
Continuing to grumble angerly, Error eventually managed to calm himself to the soothing sound of Asgoro's voice, as he commanded his servants to prepare for his final encounter with that world's Sans, Sin.
Error leaned forward as Asgoro approached the dark alley only to find it was… empty?!
That wasn't right! Sin was supposed to be sitting utop a trashcan, smoking a comically large cigar, before snapping his fingers and summoning a full dozen henchmen.
Error would know! He'd been paying very close attention to the story and build up. There was no way the alley would just be empty, unless…
The Sans Killer!
Oh, that asshole was in for it now.
Without hesitation, Error opened a portal to Sin's hideout.
"WHOEVER THE FUNK YOU ARE, YOU BETTER FUNK ING LEAVE MY FAVORITE AU RIGHT THIS FUNK ING SECOND, YOU FUNK Ing…" Error trailed off as he noticed the censoring.
Looking around the empty hideout, Error saw a taller skeleton looming in a dark corner overtop a pile of dust, "...FreSh?"
The skeleton's head snapped up at the name, shades glowing dully through the darkness, a strange purple hue wrapping around them. For a moment the two just stared at each other.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, a colorful grinning skeleton stepped out of the shadows, "Error bro! Long time, no see, dawg!"
《DU - DE!》
"Uhhh… yEaH…" Error said awkwardly, "Wellllllllll… I'll jusT leave…"
But just as Error was about to walk through a glitchy portal, a hand tightly gripped his shoulder. Sockets widening and glitches sparking from the contact, Error looked around to see Fresh towering over him, shades blank.
At Error's nervous look, Fresh's grin widened, "You're not getting away again."
Gulping, Error tried to hold his glitches back, and glared at the other taller "LeT. Go."
Shifting his grip, the colorful skeleton pinned the glitch against the wall, then leaned downwards, looking directly into Error's eyelights, "Then don't run away."
Looking away from Fresh's burning gaze, Error shifted under the grip uncomfortably, blushing slightly from the compromising position. When he saw that the struggle was useless, he muttered, "F-fine you s-stupid rainbow blob."
《LM - AO》
Snickering, he released Error from his death grip. Sitting down cross-legged, he smiled up at Error, "So what brings ya here, bro?"
Remembering his reason, Error growled, "YOU KILLED SIN!!!!"
Fresh shrugged, "And you're innocent?"
"Y-yoU kNoW?" Error whispered.
Fresh snickered darkly, "'course."
Stiffening slightly, Error suddenly felt very afraid of the skeleton sitting casually in front of him.
But Fresh just smirked, "Why so scared brah?"
"W-wHat D-dO yOU WaNt‽" Error growled.
But Fresh's smile just seemed to grow the more vicious Error got, "Come with me."
Error blinked, "wHaT¿"
"Last I've checked ya didn't have a place, so ya can have da spare room in mah radical crib."
Raising a bony eyebrow, Error questioned, "FreSh, I've kIllEd millIOns Of peoPle."
Grinning wickedly, Fresh stood, looking down at the other, "I know."
《CU - TE》
Error glitched in confusion, a slight heat rising in his face. Suppressing his surprise, he glared up at the other, "wHaT dO I hAvE tO GaIN fRoM aN AboMinATiOn LiKe YOu?"
Looking down at the glitch gleefully, he said, "Dats where ya mistaken, I ain't like da peeps ya kill, I'm way more rad and totes original!"
He continued to speak as he slowly lowered his shades, revealing a yellow and red ringed eye hidden deep within the left socket, a purple mist flowing from it.
"As for da gains I've got food, a rad crib, healin' supplies, and mah totes rad self."
Now that he thought about it, Error couldn't read this creature's code like he could for other monsters. Not to mention he didn't exactly have allies lining up at his nonexistent front door.
"...FiNe… BuT… wHy?"
"Because I want you, and no one else."
Fresh
He watched from the shadows as they fought. He did this often when he was bored. There was something about watching the glitchy skeleton ripping apart his prey, watching him stain in blood and dust.
God, it was adorable.
But all good things come to an end.
Fresh leaned forward from his hiding spot, as the artist stepped out of his painted portal.
"UGghhHh gO AwaY," Error groaned.
"Wow. Rude," Ink stated.
Before the artist could say another word, ten glitchy blaster fired towards him.
"Very rude," he commented, weaving his way towards Error and lifting his brush over his head.
Jumping out of the way from the spraying paint, the ground cracked around Error and his bones lurched up from the earth.
A misplaced step and a bone shot right through Ink's arm, causing him to drop his brush.
In unison both Error's and Fresh's grins widened. As Ink stumbled back another bone shot through his ribs and a glitchy laugh filled the air.
"Error we can talk this through," Ink gave a pained smile.
"I mEaN sUrE-" Error shrugged and Fresh frowned.
He wasn't here to watch Error talk.
"-iF yOu CaN tALk bEtWEeN yOuR ScREaMs."
Now that's more like it.
And so Fresh watched in ecstasy as his little glitch tore Ink apart. He grinned wickedly as blood and dust laced its way aesthetically across the smaller's black bones.
But as Error viciously stabbed a sharpened bone into the artist's chest, he didn't notice Ink slowly reaching towards his brush.
But Fresh did.
POOF!
Teleporting next to Ink, he pulled the brush away from his outstretched hand and broke it in half. Then he opened a portal underneath the bloodied Protector of AUs and watched him fall through. After all Ink couldn't die, and he wanted Error for himself.
"I hAD tHaT CovErEd," He growled, as blood dripped down his neck.
"Of course ya did~" Fresh whispered, lowering his head to the other's level and traced his tongue along the other's neck, before pulling back and swallowing the blood.
"F-fReSh-" he whimpered, shivering at the cold touch.
Seeing a deep blush rise in the Error' face, Fresh couldn't help but smirk. There was something so… delicious about seeing his ferocious glitch reduced to such a state.
Did he love Error?
He really couldn't say.
The smaller's glitches triggered something in him no one else had.
And to Error, despite Fresh being a parasite, he was the only real person there was.
The only one who wasn't some copy.
Some abomination.
The first one he met who wasn't a hallucination.
Call it what you will:
Lust,
Love,
Desperation,
Confusion,
But no matter what it was, the fact remained; what these two murderers had was real .