Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 1 start~~

The faint sound of people chattering. Haunting, and yet comforting. The chattering, however, was currently being drowned out by a ringing sound, and sirens.

It felt… distant.

But it wasn't.

Someone yelled something incoherent. It was a familiar voice.

The voice grew louder.

“Ink…” It cried.

“Ink!”

Ink sat up, gasping for breath loudly as he looked around the room. Dream was sitting next to him with a worried look painted on his face.

“Ink?” Dream pat Ink's back as he caught his breath. “Sorry… you looked like you were having a nightmare.” He spoke sheepishly.

Ink shook his head. “No, it’s okay…” He mumbled, thinking about his dream.

Weird.

What was that all about?

Dream softly smiled. “Well, guess what?” He asked.

Ink perked up a bit. “What?”

“It’s time for you to get ready for school!” He spoke, pulling the blankets off of Ink.

“What? Nooo!” Ink whined, trying to pull the blankets back onto himself, but Dream was stronger and walked up to the curtains covering the window. He opened them, causing Ink to hiss at the light.

Ink and Dream had been living in the school dorms together during the summer. Dream had a house, his family was pretty wealthy. He just preferred to be with Ink, especially after the incident with his brother.

And Ink?

He was the complete opposite.

But no one asked.

“Come on, sleepy head! Get out of bed before you make us late!” Dream complained, tossing clothes out of Ink’s closet so he would take less time. “I’ll make pancakes for breakfast while you get dressed. And you have to eat this time!”

Ink pouted, sluggishly catching his clothes and standing up. “Dream, you’d be a terrible housewife.” He complained, causing Dream to chuckle.

“Says you, you act like you’re five.” He spoke with a small smirk as he walked out of the room. “You have ten minutes, if you’re not ready by then I’m going to drag you to class in your underwear!”

Ink looked at his clothes. His black slacks and white dress shirt were plain, but nice. He was probably overdressing, but whatever, he didn’t pick it out. He slipped them on, then struggled with a brown, checkered vest.

Something was missing though.

And it wasn’t the patch on his cheek, that was always there. He should change it, considering it's visibly dirty.

Later.

He’ll do it later.

Wait a minute... His scarf! His scarf was missing!

Ink looked around his room, probably making a bigger deal out of it than it was.

When he didn’t find it, he ran towards the door, ready to look in the laundry bin and by the front door and under the bathtub and-

SLIP-

THUMP!

“Ink!?” Dream called out, running towards his room. He opened it and found Ink face planted, a paper slowly falling to the ground.

Ink slowly raised his head, looking at Dream with teary eyes.

“Wh-“ Dream was frozen for a bit, trying to process the sight before him.

“I slipped.” Ink answered, knowing what he was going to ask. “I slipped on a paper.” He slowly sat up, rubbing his nose.

Dream looked at him, holding back a chuckle, then walked in and kneeled down in front of him. “Why were you running?” He asked. “What was the rush?”

Ink looked off to the side awkwardly. “Well, um, I couldn’t find my scarf…” He mumbled. Dream looked around the room.

“You mean that scarf?” He asked, pointing to a neatly hung cloth on the wall. Ink looked over to check.

It was a soft, dark brown, not too dark though. It had a gradient to a lighter yellow around the end of it. “Oh!” Ink got up and walked over to it rather quickly. He took it off the wall and embraced it, then put it on and braided the leftover scarf.

Dream sighed with a soft smile, walking out of the room.

About five minutes later, Ink was out of his room and ready to go to school. After eating breakfast. Which he didn’t want to do.

He walked into the small kitchen, the smell of fresh pancakes and syrup filling his nose as the warmth from the room embraced him.

Dream immediately greeted him. “Hey, you didn’t take as long as I thought you would!” He spoke, placing two plates on the small table. One of them noticeably had less food. Ink assumed that was his.

“Of course I didn’t, I’m not Lust.” Ink rolled his eyes, sitting down. Dream sat down next to him.

“You say that as if you didn’t take forever to get ready last year.” Dream teased, nudging his arm with his elbow. He then began cutting into his stack of pancakes, which had three.

Ink studied his own plate. “Oh, ha-ha.” He spoke sarcastically. He wasn’t upset though.

Dream sighed. “I only gave you one pancake so that you’d try to eat.” He explained, putting a slice in his mouth.

“Right.” Ink nodded, slowly cutting into it. He really wasn’t hungry.

Dream watched him, waiting for him to begin eating. Ink was cutting into the pancake slowly, making sure to only get a little.

“Oh, come on Ink! You didn’t eat dinner yesterday, can you at least eat half of the pancake?” Dream complained, sounding worried. Ink shrugged.

“I don’t really feel hungry…” He mumbled as he took a small bite. He rested one of his elbows on the table as he slightly slouched, causing Dream to frown at his poor table manners.

“I understand, but you need to eat.” Dream spoke, his frown softening. He took another bite of his own stack of pancakes.

Ink was slowly chewing on his pancake, looking slightly disgusted.

Dream sighed at this.

“Fine, never mind. Just… promise you’ll eat lunch?”

Ink nodded in response, avoiding eye contact. Instead, he studied the kitchen which he’d grown so familiar with. The walls were white tiles, some wooden shelves across it held spices and potted plants. The ground, in a similar manner, was a checkered pattern. The tiles for it were noticeably smaller though.

He didn’t bother turning around to look at the rest, instead looking at the white windowsill. They were on the 5^th floor of the dorm building, so they had a pretty good view of the city. It was rather dull. At least he didn’t have to be outside for too long when walking to school.

Dream finished his food eventually. “Hey, Ink?” He spoke up, grabbing Ink’s plate, then his own as he stacked them to put in the sink.

Ink looked at him, snapping back into his mind. “Huh?”

Dream let out a small chuckle in response. “Can you start taking your meds?” He asked, pushing his chair in.

“Oh, yeah.” Ink responded, standing up as he pushed his own chair in as well.

He walked over to the little basket with medicine, grabbing two pill bottles. He took two little pills out of the first one, and a big one out of the second one.

“Here.” Dream handed Ink a glass of water.

Ink took it. “Thank you.” He threw the pills inside his mouth, taking a sip of the water. Before he put it down, however, he realized Dream was staring at him. “Fineee…” He whined, chugging the rest of it.

Dream let out a content nod, then put the plates in the sink, taking Ink’s glass once he finished.

“Hey Dream?” Ink spoke up, walking out of the kitchen, Dream following him.

Dream hummed. “What’s wrong?” He asked, picking up his bag once they got to the doorway.

Ink picked up his own back. “Um, I’m… You know the, you know…” He stuttered, walking out of the door. Dream only looked confused as he walked out behind him. “I… nevermind.”

“You sure?” Dream put his hand on Ink’s shoulder as they walked to the elevator. “I’ll understand whatever you tell me.” He smiled, stopping when Ink did.

Ink pressed the button to call the elevator, nodding. “I’m sure. It’s… complicated.”

Ding!

Ink walked into the elevator, Dream following behind him. “If you change your mind, I’ll be here.” He smiled. Ink looked away, feeling a bit guilty.

By the end of the elevator ride, about 3 other people had stepped in from different floors.

The dorms didn’t have too many students, since most would rather live with their families or their parents didn’t let them move out. Most of the dorm populace were exchange students or students who are being funded by the school, and the ones who came from other cities. The rest are people trying to escape something or trying to have more freedom.

He knows because over the Summer only exchange students and students with dorm exceptions are allowed to stay. Dream told him all about it.

While he and Dream walked, Ink couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

No,

That he was being watched.

That’s how he knew that he was back.

The shadow man.

~~Chapter 1 end~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 2 start~~

“It’s all your fault!”

“I- I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!”

“I HATE YOU!”

“I’m sorry!!!”

Thump, thump, thump….

“INK! GET BACK HERE!”

“INK!”

“H-huh?” Ink looked at Dream. “What?”

Dream sighed. “You were spacing out and almost walked out into traffic. Are you okay?” He asked, looking worried yet again.

Ink looked at the cars moving quickly in front of him, before looking back at Dream. “S-sorry…”

Dream shook his head. “No, it’s okay… sorry for yelling at you to come back, I know you don’t like it.”

“So…” Ink looked back at the cars. “Remind me why we’re here? We were already on the school campus…” He asked.

“You have the memory of an old man.” Dream teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “We all agreed to meet here, remember? You, me, Blue, Lust, the usual group.”

Ink nodded. “Are Ccino and Outer joining us too?”

Dream thought for a second, before shrugging. “I think Outer isn’t cause of student council, but Ccino might.”

“Cool.” Ink hummed, looking around. Students were walking by and waiting on the crosswalk, a few others were talking loudly and laughing obnoxiously. There were a few people listening to music.

Ink looked back at Dream, who was distracted by his phone. He seemed like he was texting someone. His yellow eyelights were stuck on his phone, his yellow crown glistening in the morning sun.

His shirt was also yellow, but it was a bit lighter. It also had a childish-looking smiling sun, which was kind of cute. He wore khaki, skinny jeans and almost black shoes. It honestly fit him pretty well.

Dream was the type of person who could wear anything and look good in it. Ink only looked good in brown and black.

At least he wasn’t like that group of kids who dresses like they’re in the 90s… Baggy pants, weird hats, bright clothes… They’re a real eyesore.

Ink felt bad for Lust, since he shared a few classes with them last year and Lust absolutely despised the way they dress. He says that it’s just “not in style.”

Dream said to be nice to them, but honestly, it’s hard…

They were like clowns at this point, making fools of themselves. Not to be rude or anything, but they’re really not in the right era. So many clothing items were banned because of them too.

“So…” Dream spoke up, looking at Ink. “Think there’s any new students apart from freshmen?” He asked.

Ink stared at Dream. “I am a freshman, Dream, how would I know?” He raised a brow.

Dream chuckled. “Yeah, well, it’s not like it changed that much, you just moved buildings on campus. Surely you saw some of the older kids?”

“I dunno… Maybe there’s new students on freshman? I’ll probably be able to tell.” Ink shrugged. “Speaking of freshmen, where’s Blue? And the others?”

“Oh, um, well… about that-“ Dream sounded a bit nervous now. “Blue told me that while walking to school, he saw an old friend of his and they stopped to chat for a while.”

Ink groaned. “Why is Blue so extr—”

“BOO!”

“EEP!”

Ink leapt into Dream’s arms, looking behind himself with teary eyes.

The culprit had burst into a fit of giggles, and soon after, Dream did as well.

“Wh-“ Ink let go of Dream. “Luuust!” He complained, pouting angrily.

Lust wiped a tear from his eye, his long lashes fluttering a bit as he pushed up his star shaped glasses. “Okay, okay, sorry! I didn’t think you’d get that scared.”

Ink crossed his arms, looking away.

“Ink, don’t get mad at Lust-“ Dream spoke, the slightest hint of amusement tainting his voice.

Ink groaned again, before looking up at Lust.

“Sorry hon.” Lust smiled in a playfully apologetic way.

“It’s okayyy…” Ink’s pout faded as Lust pulled him into a hug. His perfume smelled sweet, like freshly baked cookies.

Ink returned the hug, looking up at the taller. “Did you hear from Ccino? I know you guys are really close.”

Lust nodded, his gaze on Ink. “He said his sophomore year will have to wait for his cats to let him get out of the front door.” He chuckled.

Dream smiled. “I see he still has the really clingy ones following him around.” He added in a teasing tone. Lust chuckled once more.

“Yep, no luck getting any of the older cats adopted this summer. Everyone wanted the newborns so much they had to put a sign out in front!” He spoke, laughing more. “Honestly, I thought his family had a cat café, not an animal shelter or whatever.” Ink rolled his eyes.

“Well,” Ink pulled away from the hug. “People love kitties, I guess?” He awkwardly said. “I mean, they’re really cute.”

Dream shook his head. “They wouldn’t love them if they saw how they looked straight out the womb.” He joked.

Ink hummed. “It’s a good thing that they’re not giving the kitties away.”

“Yeah, they’d die. Not only that, it’s illegal to separate them before they’re old enough.” Lust commented, looking around. He seemed like he was searching for something. Or someone.

Dream noticed, a playful smile crawling on his face. “I know that look~” He teased, crossing his arms. “Are you scared that one of those kids is going to come up to you and speak in their 90’s slang?”

Ink realized what Dream was doing and smiled a bit. “Ooh! I heard that they’ve started putting gold in their mouth! Like teeth!” He added.

Lust’s face immediately ‘ick’d. “Don’t remind me.” He grumbled, pinching his nose bridge.

“Oh?” Dream raised a brow. “Of what? The 90s nightmares?”

Lust glared at Dream, in a sassy diva way, and popped a piece of gum in his mouth. “What else?”

Suddenly, Ink gasped loudly. “Lust! They’re behind you!!!” He screamed.

Lust shrieked and ran to hide behind Ink, grabbing him by the arms from behind as he squatted down to his height.

Dream and Ink burst into laughter, leaving Lust to realize what had happened. “Oh, very funny guys!” Lust moaned, his face scrunching up into an annoyed stare.

“Yo, yo, yo! Wiggidy wiggidy wassup, y’all!” Someone spoke up from behind Dream.

They all froze.

The person continued, “See yo, I was won’drin’ if ya know where mah lil brah went, we was suppose ta walk ta school togetha, but he up an’ left me yo!” He complained.

Dream and Ink slowly turned to face the person, and shortly after, Lust did as well.

They all had to tilt their heads up to make eye contact with him, but he was wearing these… annoyingly square shades.

“Oh, my bad y’all, forgot ta describe him to ya radical dudez!” He chuckled. He had… a gold tooth… “He’s up about this tall, yo, like, 5’8, or sumthin, maybe 5’9. He was all up an’ wearin’ this jacket he got from da school for being in a sport, n stuffs. It’s like, black an’ yellaw an’ red, or sumthin. Y’all seen him, little dudes?” He tipped his hat a bit.

Lust slowly moved to hide behind Ink. Dream cleared his throat. “Ah, um… Where did you… lose him?” He asked sheepishly.

The tall man seemed expressive, as he was showing a lot of body language. Like, he was moving a lot. He rubbed his chin, before shrugging at Dream. “Ion kno’… Like, ‘round town? Some lil’ dude round y’alls size ran up to him an’ all, an’ he was up on his face, screamin’ excitedly, like a chile.”

Dream blinked twice. “And you didn’t think to… stay with them?”

“SEE YO! Here’s da thin’! They ditched me! They was all up in ‘ere like… ‘Hey bro, look over there.’ An’ I look’d. An’ next thing Ah knew, they was completely outta site!” The man ranted.

Lust silently groaned, whispering in Ink’s ear. “I can barely understand him… I bet the author writes his dialogue wrong on purpose.”

Ink blinked twice, staring at Lust. “What?” He asked.

Lust stared back. “What?” He echoed.

“Wabbaut y’all?” The man asked, walking up to Lust and Ink. “Ya seen a grumpy guy an’ a kid full’a energy?”

Ink stared up at the man. It hurt his neck, considering this guy was probably like, over 2 feet taller than Ink.

“U-um… us?” Lust stuttered. “Not really.” He shook his head.

Ink coughed a bit. “We’re, uh, actually waiting for our friends, so we’ve been looking for them instead.” He spoke, trying to sound as normal as he could.

Dream stared at them, a small smile cracking on his face. He seemed to have noticed the height difference. Greaaat.

“Dam brah, allavas seem ta be lookin fur sumone, mind if I wait with y’all radical dudez?” The man asked, turning to Dream.

Dream shook his head. “N-not at all!” He spoke nervously. He was clearly being polite.

Ink rubbed the back of his head, looking anywhere BUT at the 90’s  skyscraper in front of him. However, he could see man things out of his peripheral vision. Like, the huge smile he had. And um… his really thick eyebrows…

Normally, Ink wouldn’t mind those, but like, this kid was, uh, well, a skeleton?

Why did a skeleton have such thick eyebrows???

Ink looked at Lust, knowing that he also noticed. Except, he was probably more weirded out than Ink. Then again, everything from these kids weirded Lust out.

But, one thing’s for sure, Ink had been joking when he said they had gold on their teeth. He didn’t expect one of them to actually have any.

When are Blue and Ccino going to get here?

“Oh-?” Dream squawked, looking around. He was holding his phone in his hand, which could only mean one thing.

Ink poked Lust.

“What?” Lust asked, raising a brow. Ink pointed at Dream. “Fuck-“ Lust grunted, pulling out his phone quickly.

Just as he thought.

Someone sent a picture of the group standing there in the chat they shared.

Ink and Lust also began looking around, the 90s nightmare looking around as well with a confused smile.

“Wut we lookin’ fur?” He asked, still looking.

“One of our friends.” Dream responded, fully turning now.

Ink frowned. “Wait- Lemme see that.” He said, snatching the phone from Lust’s hands.

He stared at the picture, before looking across the sidewalk.

And sure enough, hiding behind a tree, was the ‘culprit’.

~~Chapter 2 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 3 Start~~

[30 Minutes Earlier, Blue’s POV]

Blue walked into the room, hands on his hips. “Hey bro!” He called. “Have you seen my lucky gloves? I really wanna wear them to school!”

The tall man sitting on the couch turned to face him. He had an orange hoodie on and green shorts, and he was reading some newspapers while sipping on coffee. “Your… lucky gloves?” He asked.

“Yeah! Don’t tell me you haven’t seen them! It’s the fingerless ones? They’re like… blue.” He explained. “You’ve seen em… right Stretch?”

His brother, Stretch, raised a brow. “Weren’t they in the laundry bin or something? I thought I saw them in there.” Stretch was a Papyrus, if you didn’t know, and he was like, almost 7 feet maybe? He didn’t care enough to keep track.

Blue’s gaze softened. “You sure?” He asked, backing up a bit. Stretch nodded at him, turning back to the newspaper in front of him. “Okay, thanks!”

He began running towards the space under the stairs. It was where they kept their washing machine and dirty clothes.

Since he wasn’t wearing his shoes, he slid right across the wooden floor, striking a pose before he began shamelessly digging into the bin like a raccoon searching for food in the trash.

Swap lived with his mother and brother, and was the youngest in his entire family. His mother worked nights in the hospital as a nurse, and Stretch worked dayshifts at a daycare whenever he didn’t have college classes. It helped keep them under a roof and they got to eat dinner together most of the time.

Swap had offered to work for his family multiple times, but they always told him to focus on his studies. He didn’t understand what potential they saw in him, but he had to admit it was kind of nice to not have the stress of both working and studying like his brother did.

Finally, after dumping out half the clothes in laundry basket, Blue yelled, “Ah-hah!” Holding up a pair of light, almost latex-looking, gloves. “Found them!” He called out to his brother, slipping them on.

He ran over to the door, putting on his dark blue boots. “Hey bro, what time is it?” Blue called.

After a second, Stretch responded. “You have time, it’s 8:25. Make sure to bring your umbrella with you, the forecast says it’s going to rain!” He peered out at Blue through the door hole connecting to the living room.

“Okayyy!” He stood up after tying his boots, adjusting his tank top before slipping on a jean jacket. His entire outfit gave off punk-vibes, but he liked it. He felt cool. He pulled up his black jeans and picked up his backpack, grabbing an umbrella from the rack.

His brother sighed with a smile. “Have fun at school.” He waved.

Blue opened the door, turning to face him. “See ya!” He waved back, twirling his fingers.

.

.

.

A few seconds later, the door opened again.

Stretch had an amused smirk on his face, his arms crossed.

“Forgot my keys.” Blue chuckled awkwardly as he grabbed them from the little table next to the front door.

“I know you did.” Stretch rolled his eyes playfully. “Bye bro.” He said again.

Blue stuck out his tongue, closing the door again. This time, he managed to lock it.

Golly! This is so exciting!!! He was finally going to be a freshman, and he was going to see his friends again, and he was going to live life like those high school movies, and it was going to be so cool!

Blue skipped down the sidewalk, clearly excited. He did not act how he looked. It was, somehow fitting?

The morning was dull, but it was pretty bright, and the closer he got to school, the more students he saw on the street.

Dream had suggested that they all meet up by the crosswalk closest to the school, since most people in the group had to pass through it each morning to get to school.

He had so many questions! Like, if they were still going to have those hangouts they had last year after school and on weekends, and how were Ccino’s newborn kitties, and if Outer was doing better with his anxiety, and if Dream had spoken to his brother, and if Lust had talked to his family about the thing, and if Ink-

Bump-!

“Ow-“ Blue groaned.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, punk!” The person in front of him complained.

Blue looked up at them. “Oh gosh, I’m so sor-” He apologized, but immediately stopped when he saw the person’s face.

The person looked as confused, and so did the taller walking with him. “Uh…”

“Error? Is that you?” Blue asked, his eyelights changing to cyan stars from excitement.

“…Blue?” He mumbled.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Blue pulled him into a tight hug. “Oh my god, it really is you!!!” He exclaimed in pure joy. “Where did you go!? You just left in the middle of third grade!”

Error hesitantly returned the hug, then pulled away. “Our parents... uh. We had to move away.” He explained.

“Yo brah, who diz lil dudeski dats huggin ya?” The man next to Error asked. He was huge, like a skyscraper. He was also dressed like the 90s, those kids that Lust hates.

“Oh, uh, Fresh, this is-“

“My name’s Blue! It’s s’well to meet’cha!” He took Fresh’s hand and shook it frantically.

Fresh chuckled. “Luv ya vibez, broski! I'm de freshest guy ‘round, so fresh dat my mama named me dat! Ya know my bro? Soundz like y’all have a past, yo!” He responded.

Blue nodded. “We’ve known each other since we were in kindergarten!” He smiled. Fresh smirked.

“Yo, yo, yo! I din’t knuw dat a grumpy guy like yew could be palz wit dis cool lil dude!” Fresh teased his brother, nudging his elbow. Error blushed a bit.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He responded, clearly embarrassed.

Blue turned to face Error. “We oughta catch up!” He said excitedly. Error stared at him, before turning back to face his brother.

He cleared his throat. “Fresh, I think someone is smoking over there!” Error exclaimed, pointing somewhere behind him.

Fresh turned quickly. “Wut! Whear!?” He yelled, scanning the area.

Blue leaned over to search as well, before he felt someone tug at his arm and drag him away.

“Shhhh.” They shushed, covering his mouth. Blue looked up. It was Error. He probably just wanted to get away from his brother.

After a few seconds, Fresh turned around, speaking. “Yo, my rad brotato chip, I don see nuthn. Ya forget ya gla-“ He stopped. “Uh, Error? Broski? Where ya go? Ma said she wanted us ta walk 2getha!” He called.

After scanning the area, he kicked the ground and kept walking in the direction to school.

Once out of sight, Error and Blue stepped out of the bush.

“Sorry, if he was around while we talked, all he’d do is tease us.” Error explained, rubbing the back of his head with a bit of blush on his face.

Blue shook his head. “It’s fine, I understand!” He smiled. “My friends do that too-“ He spoke, then heard his phone ding.

He pulled it out. It was Dream.

—

D: Hey, when are you coming? Me and Ink are bored to death!

L: Yeah! Sneaking up behind Ink, don’t tell him.😈

D: Okay, haha!

—

He smiled, then began typing.

—

B: I bumped into an old friend while walking! Literally! I’ll be a while, we’re going to catch up on stuff. 😄

D: Aww! Don’t take too long! We’ll leave if you're gonna make us late!

—

Blue put his phone away, before looking up at Error. “Sorry, some friends asked me a question.” He apologized.

“It’s fine.” Error shrugged. He began walking in the general direction to school, but definitely at a slower pace than before. “So, how’ve you been?”

“Me? I’ve been good! My parents finally got a much needed divorce after my father threw a flower vase at my mother. He almost hit her in the face. It’s a good thing Stretch told me to call the cops while he tried to break them up.” Blue spoke, a small smile on his face as he looked forwards. “You?”

“Oh, uh, I’ve been good. We found a doctor that could help Geno.” Error sighed in relief. “My dad is always on business, though I guess we do get more freedom. We also have a way nicer house.”

Blue perked up a bit, curiosity taking over. “Oh, really? Do you live at the end of a cul de sac or something?” He joked.

Error playfully pushed him. “I wish. The house I’d always wanted was off the market.” He responded, sounding a bit whiny.

“So, why’d you come back?” Blue asked.

Error, looked up, then back at Blue’s face. “Well, we found treatment for Geno, and my dad wanted to find a nice place for us to settle down again, even if he’s never home. He’s a good guy.” He shrugged. “I suggested here, since it’s where we were all born and we had a pretty calm life. He listened. And now we’re here.”

Blue smiled. “I’m glad you’re back. I’m also glad you’re as open as you used to be.” He teased.

“Tsss- Only reason I’m telling you this is because we left in such a rush that I didn’t have a chance to explain myself.” Error teased back, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, sure~” Blue said in a singy-song voice. “So what, you’re into sports now?” He tugged at Error’s sweater.

Error moved his arm away. “What’s it to you?” He raised a brow.

Blue looked smug. “Well, when we were younger, you used to hate sports. You hated everything, actually.”

Error scoffed. “Oh please, I didn’t hate everything!” He retorted.

“Oh, right! You loved chocolate!” Blue teased, poking his arm repeatedly with both hands. “You would always ask for chocolate for Christmas and for your birthday and for everything!”

Error chuckled. “That’s not true!” He said swatting Blue’s hands away. He felt his cheeks warming up a bit, before shaking it off.

“Sure it wasn’t.” Blue agreed sarcastically. Error rolled his eyes once again, and began walking faster. “Hey- wait!” Blue called, jogging to catch up to him.

“What?” Error raised a brow. “Can’t keep up with those tiny legs of yours?” He teased.

Blue pouted. “I’ll have you know I'm one of the fastest runners in the school’s Cross Country team!” He bragged.

Error acted like he thought for a second, then turned to face Blue again. “Let me guess,” He began. “The people who are faster are taller than you, aren’t they?”

“Wh- That has nothing to do with it!” He spoke defensively.

“But they are, aren't they?” Error asked again, knowing he was right.

Blue sighed. “Yes, but-”

Error poked his friend. “Bet you’re the shortest in our grade.” He smirked.

For once, Blue was able to hold a proud smile. “Actually, I’m not. And I know that because the shortest person in the grade is my friend.” He responded, his smug tone crawling back into his voice.

The taller stared in disbelief. “Sure, whatever you say.”

“It’s true!” He argued.

Error smiled “Okay, whatever.” He responded, then quickly stopped smiling. He didn’t want to be seen smiling. Blue noticed, but didn’t say anything about it.

The rest of the walk to school was mostly silent, as Error was looking around the town he’d grown up in. Blue did ask why he’d been studying it if he was in a sport since there was summer practice for all of them.

Error’s response was vague.

“I just haven’t actually taken the time to look around yet.”

Blue doubted that, especially since he seemed to know the way to school pretty well. He wasn’t going to press him on it though.

.

.

.

“Wait.” Blue grabbed Error’s hand, stopping him from walking any further. For a second, he could’ve sworn he saw Error blush a bit, but it was probably something else.

“What?” Error asked, looking anywhere but the direction Blue was in. “Something happen?”

Blue shook his head. “No. I just need to do something.” He said.

Error finally turned to face him, tilting his head curiously. “Huh?”

The shorter smirked. “You see that group of 4 people across the street?” He asked. “Uh, the 3 short people that Fresh is standing with for some reason.”

Error nodded hesitantly.

Without explaining anything further, Blue took put his phone, and took a picture of them. Error watched him, the look on his face pure confusion.

—

B: Friendly neighbourhood stalker😊

B: Image

—

Blue then put his phone away, a satisfied look on his face. Error raised a brow, wondering what he did.

He turned to the group across the road, noticing that they were all freaking out and looking around.

“Hey you,” He turned to Blue, a small smile on his face. “You’re just as mischievous as I remember.”

Blue shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve always liked causing trouble.” He responded, before looking across the road again and smiling widely. He began waving frantically.

And with that, they were at school.

~~Chapter 3 end~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 4 start~~

“You little rascal! C’mere!”

“S-stop! Hehehe! I give up, I give up!”

“Too late now! Ya little troublemaker!”

.

Blue was kicking his arms and legs, trying to get out of Dream’s arms. He was being held down while Lust tickled him. Ink had been put on picture duty.

Why?

Dream and Lust liked taking pictures to preserve memories, but if they were both doing something, then they had to get someone else to do it.

90s nightmare was standing next to them, giggling.

But now there was someone else.

He wasn’t taller than the 90s kid, but he was definitely taller than everyone else.

Ink couldn’t help but stare at him as he studied his physical appearance.

Tall skeleton, except his bones were black, red and yellow. He had some blue things falling from his eyes, kind of like tears. They weren’t actively falling though, it was more like… Just, there. Stationary? It was from his eyes to the bottom of his cheeks.

He had weird eyes. Instead of his eye sockets being black, they were red. One of them had a small, white eyelight, while the other one had a bigger one. It was blue and had a yellow circle inside it. His nose hole was also red.

“What’re you staring at?” He growled, glaring at Ink.

Ink flinched a bit, clearing his throat silently. “Um… nothing.” He dismissed.

The man scoffed. “Whatever.” He turned to face the group again.

How rude. Ink rolled his eyes, looking at the group as well. Blue was still begging for mercy from his friends. He was probably one of the most ticklish people, which was always used against him.

Blue let out a little snort. “L-let go!” He squealed, still squirming in Dream’s arms.

“I think he’s had enough.” Someone spoke, putting their hand on Dream’s shoulder. Their voice was soft, like they chugged honey every day to soothe their throat. “You’ve been tickling him like this for a while now, haven’t you?”

Ink looked towards the speaker. It was Ccino.

“Ccino! My hero! Make them let go of me!” Blue cried like a princess in need of saving.

Ccino chuckled, then gave Lust a knowing look. “Okay, I’ll stop.” Lust surrendered, putting his hands up. He had a small smile on his face.

Dream also let go of Blue, shooting him a little smirk. “You haven’t learned a single thing from that, have you?” He asked sarcastically, his arms crossed.

Blue shook his head. “Nothing at all!” He confirmed proudly. Lust playfully punched him in the arm.

“So, who’re the two new people?” Ccino asked, pointing towards the two taller ones. Ink handed Lust his phone back, listening intently now.

He was pretty curious.

Blue smiled. “This is, uuuh, Fresh, was it?” He spoke, pointing at the 90s kid.

“Yup-yup! Wiggidy wiggidy wasgood y’all?” He greeted. Ink could almost see a ‘radical’ aura radiating off of him as he posed. Ccino chuckled at his introduction.

“And this is Error!” Blue trotted up to the other, less tall skeleton, and showed him off. “He was my first best friend up until third grade!” He explained.

Dream took a step forward. “Is he the one you were catchi-”

“YO!!! ERROR-BRAH!” Fresh exclaimed, trotting up to Error. “WHEAR DIDYA GO B4 YA ALL UP N LEFT ME?”

Error sighed. “You walked off on your own while I was looking at something. I told you to wait.” He explained.

“NAW! YOU AN’ LIL DUDESKI OVE HEAR TOLD ME SUMWUN WAS ALL UP N SMOKIN BRAH! THEN YA POOFED!”

“I did not-”

“YA DID!”

“Fresh-”

“I THOUGHT YA WERE MY TOTES RAD BROTATO CHIP! MY BROSEPH! MY BROSKI, EVEN!” Fresh cried.

Error crossed his arms, glaring at Fresh.

Ccino cleared his throat. “It’s okay, I’m sure he meant no harm.” He said, trying to calm him down.

“No, I meant all the harm.” Error rolled his eyes.

Ink stifled a snort, receiving a glare from Dream.

Fresh let out a dramatic groan, walking off on his own as he complained about how his little brother didn’t love him and how he was going to get replaced.

Error watched him walk off, staying silent.

“Sooooo!” Blue began, “Wanna meet my friends?” He offered Error.

“Not really.” He responded. “I don’t have a choice though, do I?”

Blue smiled mischievously. “Correct!”

Ccino took another step forward, now in front of Error. Dream did the same. “My name is Ccino.” He introduced.

“And I’m Dream.” Dream held out his hand for a handshake. Error just looked back and forth between his face and his hand.

Blue stepped in. “Sorry, he’s not big on physical stuff.” He apologized.

Dream shook his head. “That’s fine. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Lust.” He greeted, stepping up as well. “And that’s Ink.” Lust added, pointing behind himself.

Ink took a small step forward, awkwardly waving. “…hi.” He mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

“He’s shy.” Blue whispered towards Error.

Ink frowned. “Am not!” He argued. Dream chuckled.

“Well, shy or not, I’m sure you’ll be great friends!” Blue spoke excitedly.

Error shook his head. “I want to focus on my studies.” He lied.

Blue was visibly disappointed. He obviously didn’t realize he didn’t want to be friends. “Oh… That’s okay too, I guess.” He shrugged it off.

This caused Ink to frown. Why was Blue even friends with this punk?

Whatever.

“Let’s start heading inside.” Dream spoke, almost as if suggesting it based on his tone. Ccino nodded.

And with that, the group was heading into the school.

~~Chapter 4 end~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 5 start~~

“Are you excited about your first day at school?”

“Yes! I hope to make soooo many new friends!”

“Oh you, always wanting to talk to people. C’mere, lets take a picture!”

 “By the way, merci maman.”

“Don’t touch me!” Someone exclaimed.

Another person chimed in shorty after. “I ain’t touchin’, I ain’t touchin’!”

A third person was giggling at the two, tugging on Ink’s arm.

Blue, Error, and Fresh.

Ink knew Blue was trying to cheer him up, but it wasn’t working. Especially since he didn’t know what was wrong in the first place.

He, Dream and Ccino always tried doing that. They’re fixer-uppers, that’s how they found each other. Even with that one huge argument they had once, they’re still great friends.

Ink never did get to find out what the argument was about, but any time he asked they’d start tearing up about it. Clearly it hurt more than they’d let on.

Suddenly, the little skeleton realized. “H-hey, um… where are we even going…?” He spoke up, looking over to Dream.

Dream shrugged. “We need to bring you lot to the assembly hall.” He responded, grabbing onto Ink’s hand.

Ink smiled softly. “Well, uh, later can I… like, speak with you?” He mumbled. It had been bugging him for weeks. He always felt like he was being watched. He knew he was back, he’d known for a while. How to bring it up? Unknown.

The taller nodded at him. “Yes, of course… if you want, we can step off to the side now? I am sure the others will not mind.” Dream’s entire demeanor and tone changed to a more serious one, this being his way of showing concern.

Ink shook his head. “I’m sure it can wait. I also don’t… want to talk about it here.” He muttered. Dream tightened his grasp on the other’s hand, giving him an understanding look.

Lust joined in, grabbing onto the other two as well. “Mind if we join the conversation?” He asked, gesturing towards Ccino and himself. Dream shook his head.

“I do not mind,” he spoke, smiling once again. “Ccino, how are your kittens?” He asked. Ink looked at them, before looking up ahead. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of that… black skeleton guy thing. He didn’t even know if he was a skeleton, he’d never seen one come in a different color. Dream says his brother got corrupted and that’s why he looks like that, maybe that’s what happened to this one??

Suddenly the group came to a harsh halt, causing Ink to almost bump into that guy. Almost.

“Here we are.” Dream spoke, signaling to the auditorium. It was huge.

“Holy fucking shitballs…” Ink mumbled to himself, causing a few in the group to chuckle.

They didn’t understand the hype though. The auditorium was beautifully built! Then again, maybe they reacted the same way when they first arrived. Or not, they’re not that into art.

Ink, however, loved art a lot. He came from a family of artists. His mother was a painter, and his father an architect. Well, his mother had taught him a lot of art stuff, she was kind of all around, but she mainly painted--not that you care, you’re only here for the ships.

He didn’t pay mind to his past though. The hall was beautiful, and that’s all he cared about.

After a while, it was almost as if everyone around him disappeared, feeling himself squeezing through empty spaces just to see more of it. Ink always loved fancy areas like these. It was shocking how big the difference between a middle and high school could be.

Eventually, someone came over a speaker, snapping Ink to reality. “Will all students take a seat, please?” Spoke a female voice on the stage. She seemed to be some sort of student council member or teacher.

Ink felt Dream tugging on his arm, indicating for him to sit down next to him.

.

.

.

            “That’s about all you need to know! Classes will be shown tomorrow, and you can have the rest of the day for yourselves. Feel free to use campus resources, and athletes, don’t forget to attend to your practices!” She spoke in a whimsical manner. “Let’s have a good school year!”

The auditorium cheered, which was… weird, to say the least. No way high schoolers were this excited over a school. Impossible. Then again, Dream, Ccino and Lust did hype up the school.

Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as middle school…?

Suddenly, he felt himself snapped out of his confusion by Blue. “Hey Ink, do you have any gymnastics practices this afternoon?”

“I don’t think so, why?” Ink responded, standing up with the rest of the group.

Blue grabbed onto his arm. “Well, I thought we could all go out for a walk! Maybe we can try to get Error to make some new friends too!” He suggested. Ink glanced over at Error. It was… frustrating.

This guy, he was visually appealing? He didn’t know how to word it, it was just… He dressed nicely, and despite how strange it was, his bones were interesting. Ink wanted to know more, but Error was unwilling to talk to him. That was a given.

Ink’s focus shifted back to Blue. Maybe he knew more. “Sure, I’m down.” He confirmed, stretching. Blue smiled, giggling.

Blue likes him, maybe he isn’t that bad. Like this school.

Dream grabbed onto Ink’s other arm, his gaze on Blue. Naturally, Ink questioned it. “Why’re you two grabbing onto me like that-?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Dream assured, Blue nodding in agreement. The others in the group seemed just as confused, but began walking as soon as Dream and Blue did.

Ink doubled down, tripping over himself. “I think, I think I will worry.” He stuttered out, his gaze down to try to keep himself from falling.

Suddenly, Ccino spoke up. “Oh, don’t tease Ink like that.” He scolded, seemingly catching on to what the other two were doing. “Ink’s they’re trying to lift you up until your feet can’t touch the floor. Dream and Lust did that to Blue yesterday.”

As soon as Ccino said that, Ink began squirming to get out of their grasp. “Why are you guys so mean to your own friends!?” Ink whined, knowing he was just as bad, or worse.

Okay, maybe not worse, there was no topping Blue. Once, he tried to use Ink as a fucking basketball. Sure, it was at a jumping park where the fall would’ve been softened, but still!

Ink felt his full weight again, listening to the other two giggling to themselves. They were outside now, which caught him a little off guard. Was the distance between the auditorium and the main entrance that small? How did they take so long to get there in the morning?

Before being able to think more to himself, he heard an unfamiliar voice. He turned around, and sure enough, Error was holding up a conversation with Ccino.

Ccino could talk to anyone, just like Blue. It was admirable.

“So your family owns a cat café?” Error asked, His eyes seemed to light up at that thought. “What kind of cats do you have? Where is it located?”

Ccino chuckled. “We have many kinds of cats, they’re all adoptable once they’re of age.” He smiled. “You should definitely drop by, maybe we can get everyone to walk there?”

Error nodded, turning to face Blue. Ink noticed his gaze landed on him instead, and he quickly looked away.

That’s… kind of awkward. He was making such a bad first impression compared to everyone else.

Ink wanted to be friends, he really did. Any friend of Blue’s was a friend of his. But this guy… he was scary. Appealing, but scary. Just like those humans. They were interesting creatures, but they were scary.

Ink shook himself out of his thoughts. He had to stop getting caught up in his head. It wasn’t safe to do so in the streets, outside of home.

He just, really didn’t know what to do.

Eventually, the feeling of being watched came back, and he began looking around nervously, grabbing onto the nearest person so he wouldn’t trip.

That nearest person turned out to be Dream, unsurprisingly enough. Ink and Dream were very close, since they both had problems with their family. Dream was like a brother to Ink, and he could only assume the other saw him the same.

Ink felt his hand be gently squeezed, seemingly out of reassurance. Dream hadn’t even turned to look at him, he was still talking with Lust. Those two had gotten closer as well lately.

Blue had joined the conversation with Ccino and Error. As always, Ink didn’t know how to join the conversation. There were two, and both were occupied and seemingly full. He couldn’t just… randomly join the conversation, could he?? That would be rude.

He figured he would just stay alert, try to figure out where that feeling of being watched was coming from.

In the past, Ink had been stalked by someone. They never figured out his name. That person had gotten arrested before, but no restraining order was ever put in place, so they could start all over again if they wanted.

And that’s what Ink felt like was happening.

This person already knew everything there was to know about Ink, and probably more. It was infuriating. What was he supposed to do about it? If only he’d pressed the authorities for a name in the past, the feeling wouldn’t be back.

God, he was such a fucking idiot.

And how was he supposed to tell anyone? Just interrupt Dream and Lust and tell them that “the shadow man is back”? What about that Error guy? This was personal information that Ink was not willing to give out like that.

Though… maybe he’d know how to help?

No! Ink, don’t drag Blue’s friend into this! You already have your friends involved, no need to bring in more people.

Though, that was last time… maybe since the authorities didn’t work last time, he could get some ideas from scary-looking people… who most likely are delinquents?

M-maybe not… without even knowing this guy’s appearance, it would be really hard to fight him… even then, it’s not like Ink had any muscle to even fight in the first place. He was a skeleton, and a small and slender one at that.

This is so frustrating!!! What is he supposed to do!?

Not even a day of being back to school has passed, and he’s already-

...

“There!” Ink yelled, stopping in his tracks and pointing.

The whole group stopped as well, looking in that direction. There was quick movement into the area Ink was pointing to, which was an alleyway.

Dream looked down at Ink, raising a brow. “I-Ink…? What happened?” He asked, clearly startled by the other’s initial exclamation.

“The shadow man! He was right there! He was there I’m telling you! I knew we were being watched!” Ink rambled, his voice louder than usual.

Ccino hushed him. “Keep it down, Ink. Are you sure you saw him? I thought he was in jail for a few more months…?” He mumbled, leaning down to Ink’s height.

Ink frowned at the doubt, and maybe at the fact that he crouched, but just maybe. “Yes, I’m sure! I felt like we were being watched the moment we stepped outside the school! Heck, since this morning!”

Blue and Lust walked next to Ink, before the group started chatting amongst themselves.

[Error’s POV]

‘Okay… what the FUCK is wrong with this little dwarf?? He’s been staring at me nonstop, and now he’s yelling at the top of his lungs! Is he fucking schizo? How did Blue even find this guy!?’

Error scoffed, watching them all form some sort of protective bubble around the freak. They were all chatting amongst themselves about some weird ass shit.

No way in hell someone would chose to stalk that… thing. No way! Error refused to believe it. Of all the pretty boys and girls and whatever else, it chose him.

That’s just unreal.

It’s probably some sort of fucked up prank being played on him. There’s no fucking way.

Error focused his eyes on that alleyway. His vision was so fucking blurry… But he’d rather run into oncoming traffic than wear his glasses.

Whatever. That Ccino guy mentioned his cats, he had to see them. If there was something Error liked, it was cats.

Well, obviously he liked chocolate or whatever. But cats, now that’s something.

He just had to figure out where this Cappuccino Cat Café was. If that was the name, maybe he remembered it wrong.

It probably was. It would shorten to CCC, so it only made sense. Right??

Didn’t matter, he’d rather be shown where it was. In all the summer he’d spent there, he hadn’t seen any of those gay little cafes, and he didn’t want to. Until he heard about the cats, that is. He’d love to see the cats. Call him a faggot all you want, Error’s getting his daily dosage of dopamine with those little furballs. And nothing, and he KNOWS nothing, is going to stop him from seeing them.

Eventually, he noticed the group dissipate slightly, but still standing around the midget protectively. Error rolled his eyes.

“We going?” He asked, his arms crossed.

Blue and Ccino, and the others, turned around. Those were the only names he remembered, if he was being honest. He wouldn’t even remember that Ccino if it weren’t for the cats.

That yellow one spoke up. “Yes, sorry, something came up. We’re still going to Ccino’s, but we’re going to have to walk at a quicker pace if you don’t mind.” He spoke.

His voice was gentle. It was nauseating.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever… I can probably outwalk you guys anyways.” Error mumbled, trailing behind the group. They were all quiet, clearly keeping watch of their surroundings.

What was so important about that guy anyways? So what if someone was stalking him. It’s not a big deal, just thug it out. From how they were all walking, you’d think Ink was someone famous. Error was behind them, keeping up their pace, and the rest were on his sides two of them holding his hands while the other two kept watch.

They kind of looked like a polycule. Now that’s something to laugh at.

Eventually, they all got to the café. Ink rushed in, followed by his now less rushed friends.

Error was the last one in.

He was also the first one to mutter, excitement poorly hidden in his tone. “Oh my gods…”

~~Chapter 5 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 6 Start~~

There are so. Many. CATS. And Error was not one to complain about cats. Quite the opposite, actually. Cats were probably the only living thing he could touch without his haphephobia acting up.

He’d try to suppress it when Blue tried touching him, but it still really hurt. With cats, however, it was like he didn’t have the disorder in the first place. He could pet them and not feel like a freak of nature for once.

Error wasn’t even upset about not being caught up on the situation at hand at all, he’d prefer to be with the cats than… dealing with whatever that little boy was troubled with.

Honestly, it still seemed kind of… hard to believe. He’d calmed down now, but uh… yeah. Even while trying to focus on the cats, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Yeah, the freak was a stranger, but he was Blue’s friend. If Blue were to get sad over him it would really fucking suck.

After a few minutes, he heard some footsteps, followed by a slightly familiar voice. “O-oh…” They mumbled, causing Error to turn around. It was that midget. “No wonder we couldn’t find you.” His voice was quiet, almost as if looking to not be heard.

Error stood, glaring down at him. “What did you say?” He asked, stepping closer. The other took a step backward, tilting his head down. Pathetic.

“I, um… D-Dream, and Blue… are looking for you.” He responded, his tone indicating he was clearly intimidated by Error’s presence. On second thought, no wonder it was him who was being targeted. What was he going to do to protect himself? Whimper?? Hah.

“Blue’s looking for me?” Error asked once again, tilting his head slightly to the side as he crossed his arms.

The smaller nodded. “And… Dream…” He clarified. Error scoffed.

“Who the fuck is Dream?”

[Ink POV]

Ugh!!! This guy’s a dickhead! Is there really no other options??

“Dream, he’s- uh. You’ll see…” Ink mumbled. There was no point in sharing, it’s not like the other cared anyways. Either way, if he agreed, then he would have to learn the names of his friends. Probably his own too.

Error (?) hummed. He was glaring daggers at Ink, but for what reason?? Whatever.

Ink turned around, walking downstairs. He could hear Error reluctantly following him. This guy really would rather spend his time with cats than make friends. I mean, same, but… it’s lame to see it actually happen as an outsider.

“Error! We’ve been looking for you! We thought you left?” Blue trotted up to him, grabbing his hand. This caused Error to flinch, Ink noticed. Weirdo.

Error pulled his hand from Blue’s, shaking his head. “N-no, no. I was with the cats.” He clarified. His tone wasn’t as harsh with Blue, but it still didn’t sound like he was that fond of him.

Blue hummed, turning to Ink, then Dream, then the rest of the group who happened to be sitting at a stall and playing with the cats. “You’re not the only one.” He chuckled, though the joke was a bit late. “Come sit with us.” He offered him, causing Ink to grimace. Are you serious… uuugh… whatever.

Ink walked over to the table, sitting next to Lust in a rather grumpy manner. Dream sat down next to him, and Blue and Error sat on the opposite side facing them. What a joyful get-together this would be if Mr. Meanie Weenie Pants weren’t here.

Error spoke up first, questioning the group. “So, uh, what’s going on??” He inquired, clearly wanting to know how he was involved.

Ink stared at him, though this time that stare of fascination for his bone patterns was more of… a glare? He couldn’t tell himself. He disliked Error. Blue told him he was unpleasant, but, this wasn’t just “unpleasant,” this was full on asshole.

“Well,” Dream spoke up, resting his hands on the table as he interlocked his fingers. “Ink here has a bit of a struggle with, I’m sure you can assume what but, a stalker. We’re unsure of why him, but, we have some theories.”

Ink nudged Dream, noticing he was running off into a different conversation. Dream looked down at him.

“R-right, sorry. We discussed, and we figured we could, well, how do I word it…” He mumbled, before smiling awkwardly. “Bluntly? We want someone to fake being his boyfriend. None of us would be able to do it well enough. I see Ink as a brother, and the rest of us just wouldn’t be believable.” He explained, glancing at Blue.

That was his cue. “So I suggested that maybe you could have a go at it?” Blue spoke up, his tone a bit shyer than usual. “I know I shouldn’t have, but, it’s worth a shot. I-I mean! It’s okay if not! Really! We just want someone who we can trust, and well,” He tilted his head slightly, “for me, that someone is you. And if I can trust you, then they can too.”

Lust, Dream and Ccino nodded along, but Ink simply closed his eyes and looked away. He was pretty sure Error might’ve caught that as well. Best that he knows that his presence is not wanted.

Ink heard Error hum.

“B-before you make up your mind,” Ccino spoke up, causing Ink to look over to him. “I did speak to my parents earlier. They would be alright with you coming here to spend time with the cats for free, whereas usually others would have to pay.” He added, as if that made a difference.

Instantly after that, Error gave a nod. “Sure.” He mumbled. He sounded just as excited as Ink himself. Great, so neither of them wanted to do this, that’s just… lovely.

[Error POV]

Holy fucking shit what did he just agree to. All for cats. CATS. And… Maybe Blue. Whatever, to all of them, it seems like it was cats that did it for him. This is so fucked up and evil.

“I wouldn’t want to see Blue upset, I guess..” Error added quickly, unhappy with how he came off. Though, this took away any intimidation he could’ve had over the others. Showing a weakness for a friend? Well, it wasn’t really that desirable.

Ccino smiled, nodding. “Of course! That’s great to hear.”

Error heard Ink mumble softly, but it was hard to understand what he said. It must’ve been bad, because yellow nudged him with a frown. “Thank you, Error.” He smiled up at him.

“It’s whatever.” Error muttered, feeling not great. What would Blue think of him? Would he be interested in him at all after this?  He’d had a crush on him for the longest time now. He had to, they were childhood friends. That’s how it works, right?

The group sat in an awkward silence, however, Ink and Error were practically glaring at each other.

“I’m going to use the restroom.” Ink mumbled, getting up and squeezing past the yellow guy. Dream?? Error watched as he walked off into the bathroom, before getting up and following him.

He was not going to get away with those fucking dirty looks.

Error leaned against the bathroom sink, waiting on him to get out of the stall. He was messaging someone on his phone. He’d met him through the basketball team. Why the basketball team started practices during the summer was unknown to him, considering it was a winter sport, but it was whatever. More practice meant they were better.

—

N: Wait, you’re going to try to beat up a kid??

E: Yes.

E: Also, he’s not a kid, just incredibly short??

N: I mean, good on you dude, but why do you feel the need to?

E: He’s been looking at me weird this entire fucking time dude, I’m tired of it.

N: Oh lmao-

N: Have you told him to cut it off??

E: No, but whatever, I’ve made it clear I don’t take this type of bullshit.

N: Alright dude, whatever.

N: Tell me about him, I guess?

E: Wait, later, he just flushed.

N: Good luck, I guess.

—

As soon as the door creaked open, Ink made eye contact with Error. “Wha-” He stuttered, before being pushed back into the stall by Error.

Error locked the door behind himself, pushing Ink against the wall.

[Ink’s POV]

WHAT IN THE YAOI WHAT IN THE YAOI WHAT IN THE YAOI WHAT IN THE YAOI WHAT

“G-get off??” Ink mumbled, pushing against Error. Error didn’t budge, however, simply glaring down at him. What does he want? It’s not like they’re actually dating; it’s just play pretend. That being said, WHAT THE FUUUCK….

Error scoffed. “You’re so fucking pathetic.” He spoke, hate dripping from his tone. Oh great. Did this guy have some sort of degradation kink too?

“I said get off!” Ink argued, pushing harder.

“I’ll get off when you stop giving me those pissy little looks, you hick.” Error spat, leaning down closer to Ink’s face.

Ink blinked twice, before frowning. He felt frozen. He wanted to fight back, but all he could do was… glare.

He heard the other let out a low grumble, likely muttering something, before pushing him down to the ground and towering over him. “If you keep fucking doing that, I’ll beat you to a pulp and call this whole boyfriend thing off. I’m only doing it for Blue, I could care less what happens to you, so show some respect.”

The shorter had his gaze up on the other, before looking down. He’d hit his head hard, but he wasn’t going to do anything. Not that he could, anyways. Any movement he attempted was denied by his body, as if it weren’t his own. His heartbeat was loud, to the point of echoing in his head. His throat was closed up as well, so a single breath felt like he’d just come up from the bottom of the pool after a minute.

He was, admittedly, afraid of Error. This wasn’t going to work. It wouldn’t work. But… just like Error, he cared about Blue. Calling it off without giving him a chance would likely not end well. At least, not with how Blue felt.

“Tch.”

The bathroom stall opened, and Error left. As soon as the door shut and Ink was sure he was alone, he felt his mind start to race. What the fuck just happened?? He couldn’t breathe. He had to breathe. He had to calm down. His “ears” were beating along with his heart. How was that even possible??

It’s loud.

It’s so loud.

I can’t breathe.

Why did I ever agree to have Error try it?

He clearly dislikes me.

He hates me.

I can’t trust him.

~~Chapter 6 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 7 Start~~

Ink shifted in his sleep, waking up in cold sweat. He could feel his heart beating in his eardrums, his throat closed up. This wasn’t unusual, though. He’d been having trouble sleeping ever since, uh… yeah.

He felt himself shiver a bit, likely from the wave of cool air that swept in through the slightly open window. It probably didn’t help that his bones were damp. Ink could hear Dream peacefully snoring in the bunk above him, making him wonder what time it was.

2:37 AM

Dang it…

The one time he actually managed to fall asleep early, it had to be interrupted. Errors actions earlier tod—well, technically yesterday—definitely followed the artist into his dreams.

Ink sighed quietly, getting up and opening the noisy bedroom door as quietly as possible. Might as well wash off this sweat if I can’t sleep. But, he uh… forgot the underwear. Turns out he just made that noise for nothing.

He crept back into the room, not worrying about his steps being too loud. Instead, he worried about the floorboards creaking. Everything in the school dorms was super loud. There was no quiet if you were moving.

I pulled open our underwear drawer, grabbing a pair from my side of it. I also grabbed an undershirt, not that I used them for anything other than sleeping. I could only wear them at the apartment around people who knew about my situation.

He walked back out the room, slowly closing the door trying to make the creak quieter. It only made it drag out for longer though… of course it did. What was Ink thinking? He felt so stressed. He glanced around the hall feeling a presence nearby, watching. He knew nobody was there but… he couldn’t help think something—or someone—was creeping around in the dark halls of the dorm.

He made his way to the bathroom with his eyes shut tightly, letting out a scared squeak as he quickly turned a light on. He hated mirrors in dark rooms. He hated them so much. He hesitantly looked in the mirror, expecting to see a tall black creature staring back behind him. But, of course, there was nothing.

The mirror beckoned him to step closer, threatening to warp his image the longer he dared to stare. Ink put his clothes on the toilet lid refusing to listen to its alluring song.

He ran the water for the shower, warming it up as he got undressed.

.

.

.

“Ink, why are you up?” Ink heard a voice call out. So much for the stealth he thought he had.

He slowly turned, clenching his jaw nervously. “Good morning, Dream…” Ink mumbled, not looking at him directly. He could feel Dream giving him that look. “Okay, listen. I just-”

Before he could even explain, Dream stood up. “Was it a nightmare again?” He asked, putting a hand on Ink’s shoulder. He nodded, a gesture so small it was barely noticed. “Listen, how about I make you a warm cup of honey milk, and we sleep on the same bed, hm? I’ll call in sick for you tomorrow so you can sleep more.” He spoke, squeezing his shoulder.

“That’d be nice…” Ink muttered softly, a smile growing on his face. He felt Dream’s other hand slip into his own as they walked through the dark hallway and into the tiny, yet cozily moonlit kitchen. The uncharming room was suddenly much more attractive when in a pleasant mood.

Dream began heating up some milk on the stove, the smell drifting off into the air and into Ink’s nose. He rested his head on the kitchen counter, looking out that window that always bothered him in the mornings due to the sun always getting in his eyes. The night breeze swept into the room once again, causing the curtains and plants to dance in a swirling motion.

After a few minutes, Dream put a cup in front of Ink as he sat down holding his own. “…Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, taking a small sip from his drink. Ink sat up, cradling his own cup with his hands.

He watched as the liquid sat still, inspecting the illusion caused by the light. “I’m not sure…” Ink responded, letting out a soft sigh. “I just… it’s not what it usually is…” He explained. “It’s… usually about, you know…”

Dream nodded, tilting his head a bit. “Your parents, right…?”

“Yeah.” Ink nodded. “This time though, I can barely even remember it. I was running through a long, dark hallway being chased by someone.” He paused to take a sip. “But then I got stuck in a bathroom stall, and the person was like… a silhouette of Error.” He looked out the window. “I just… he was threatening me like he did in the bathroom.”

Slam!

Oh.

Shit.

He forgot to tell Dream.

“What do you mean he threatened you?”

“D-dream, wait, it’s not—I just-” Ink stuttered, trying to salvage what he had said, but he knew Dream wouldn’t listen to his pleas. “Listen, y-yes, he did threaten me and get a bit physical in the bathroom, but, it’s—it’s okay!”

Dream raised his voice a little. “Ink, it’s not okay! He hit you!?” He argued, clearly upset. “He’s supposed to be protecting you!”

Ink put his hands up defensively, trying to calm Dream down. “Dream, please.”

“No!” He stood up and slammed his hands on the table as he yelled, before taking another look at Ink and instantly feeling his rage wash away.

He was curled up, scared.

“Oh, Ink… I didn’t mean to- I wasn’t-” He began, before stopping to think about his words. “I’m sorry.” He spoke, walking over to Ink and wrapping his arms around him. “I wasn’t trying to yell at you. I shouldn’t let myself loose like that knowing how it makes you feel.”

Ink Slowly returned the hug, keeping a bit of distance between himself and the other.

“Here… um… finish your milk, we’ll talk about this tomorrow with Blue… okay?” He comforted, letting go of the other and sitting down.

The shorter nodded, picking up his glass of milk once again. The uncomfortable silence that once was shortly replaced by the comfortable laughter of friends, as the conversation topic quickly shifted from the physical encounter with Error to Saturday group nights.

And eventually, it was time to go back to bed.

“Top or bottom bunk?” Dream asked, knowing Ink’s answer already.

Ink acted like he stopped to think about it, scratching his chin in an overly dramatic manner. “It’s a tough choice, it really is… I think I’ll have to go with the bottom bunk though as appealing as the top one is.”

Dream chuckled, walking over to the bottom bunk. “You’re laying down on the inside part of it so the monsters don’t get you, right?” He joked. They’d done this a thousand times before, he knew exactly how it all was meant to be.

The other stuck his tongue out at him. “Yeah, because you’re so whimsical they’ll get burnt by you the minute they try to get you, if they’re even dumb enough to try that.” He replied, climbing onto the right side of the bed.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m like a star, I get it.” Dream giggled, laying down on the left. “Cuddles or no cuddles?”

Ink held out his arms as a response, to which Dream wrapped his arms around Ink in a protective manner in return. Ink let himself get comfortable in the other’s arms, resting his entire body on top of him.

Before Ink could even ask him to, Dream began humming a comfortingly familiar song as he rubbed his back. The song was always the same, and it had been sung so much to Ink that if he wanted to he could sing along. He didn’t want to though. That would only ruin it for him.

He felt himself melting into the embrace as Dream rubbed his back, the warm milk taking effect quickly as he felt more tired than he had ever before. Ink always had trouble sleeping, but whenever Dream chose to put him to sleep like this, he fell asleep faster than a baby lamb.

All of his worries, troubles, and past experiences all washed away and were replaced by a wave of good memories. Memories of her. Dream was the one acting on this, but it was as if she were doing it through him.

It’s the closest Ink had to her.

~~Chapter 7 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 8 Start~~

“Blue, he’s late!” Dream complained, crossing his arms.

The other let his arms fall to his side, groaning. “I know, I know, it’s just by 5 minutes though! Give the guy a break, it’s way earlier than when any of us wake up!” He argued, putting his phone away.

The yellow skeleton frowned, lowering his voice slightly. “We need to talk them through it.”

“I know, just calm down! He already said he was coming!” Blue groaned once again, leaning back in his seat. “Stars…”

While they were arguing, another conversation was happening.

“You need to do at least some PDA, okay?” Lust spoke, tapping the table in an assertive manner. “Nobody believes a couple that doesn’t at least hold hands.”

Ink hummed, pouting. “I don’t wanna touch that guy…” He complained, his voice quiet.

The girl rolled her eyes. “Are we serious? You have to do something man.” He chuckled. “The more rumors you can stir up, the better.”

“But Luuuuuust...” Ink moaned, clearly unhappy with the situation. Lust rolled his eyes at the other.

Ccino walked over, placing five cups on the table, in front of everyone, before he sat down next to Lust. “Is Error still not here?” He asked, his voice soft as always.

The other four skeletons shook their heads, seemingly in sync.

The plan had been for all of them to meet in Ccino’s early in the morning before school, and before the café itself opened, to discuss how Ink and Error should go about their relationship—if you can even call it that.

It was currently 5 AM, that gave them two hours before they had to head over to school. Or, well, that was the plan, anyways. As of now, Error was 12 minutes late. He hadn’t given a heads up or a warning, all he said was “Omw” around 4:57. Since then, there had been no other messages from him, and calls were ignored.

Suddenly, there was the sound of bells coming from the door, causing everyone to turn to look. Speak of the devil.

“Error!” Blue called out, standing up and waving at him. Ccino gave him a soft smile, and Lust wiggled his fingers as a greeting. Ink glared at him—and Dream as well? That was new, Ink had never seen Dream glaring at anybody. Though, he kind of knew why.

Error walked over, taking the only open seat next to Ccino and in front of Ink. He got comfortable, leaning backwards on the chair. “You’re late.” Dream pointed out, maintaining eye contact with the other.

The darker skeleton rolled his eyes. “So what? I got lost.” He explained, clearly not enjoying the other’s expression or tone. “You got a problem with that?” Error tested, leaning forwards ever-so-slightly.

Dream sneered, causing Blue to nudge his arm. “Dream, what is up with you?” He whispered, seemingly a bit disappointed.

Instantly, the other’s expression softened from the eye contact with the other. He gave an apologetic nod, before turning to look at Error again. His gaze then shifted towards Lust, signaling for her to take the lead.

“Ahem.” The skeleton cleared his throat, leaning over the table so he could look at Error. The other barely bothered to move his head. “… Maybe this seating arrangement won’t work.”

Blue nodded, before an idea seemed to pop into his head. “Why don’t Error and Ink sit on this side, and we sit on that side?”

Ink and Error both grimaced, clearly not fond of the thought of having to sit near the other.

But alas, neither put up a fight.

And soon enough, the seating arrangement was carried out, with Ccino having gone back to the kitchen to fetch Error a drink and grab himself a chair.

Lust smiled, content with being in the middle of the booth seat. “Much better.” He gloated, before studying the two in front of him. A terrifying sight, really.

“I’ve already told Ink, but not you. The more rumors you can stir up about being with the other, the better.” She spoke, leaning to rest her hand on her chin. “High schoolers live for gossip. Do some PDA and act like it’s supposed to be secret, and it’ll spread like wildfire.

“Of course, that won’t do much at actually convincing anybody you’re in love. That’s just free publicity.” She pointed at Error. “You need to act like you’d kill for Ink.” Her finger slowly moved to point at the artist himself. “And you, you need to work on reciprocating.”

Error rolled his eyes, before speaking up. “I’m not going to touch him.” He spoke, arms crossed as he leaned backwards into a manspread. This guy really has no manners, does he? “I can barely touch Blue before whatever he’s touching starts hurting.” Lust seemed caught off guard by this.

She grabbed her cup, taking a sip out of it. He closed his eyes, before letting out a sigh. “Well, I have no ideas for that.” She admitted.

Ccino came back, placing a cup of his own in front of Error before sitting down on a chair he brought. “Why not give him an empty envelope? Like a confession.” He suggested, conveniently having brought an envelope—almost as if he knew he’d have to grab it either way. “They could stand in a relatively populated area and recite some lines to the other while acting all secretive about it.”

Blue turned to look at them, before adding his own thoughts. “Oh yeah, Ink does like improv, doesn’t he? Error has done his fair share of theatre in elementary school with me, so it might work!”

“Why not ask Outer to gather up some of the student council around the same area as well? Despite what they stand for, all of them are absolute suckers for gossip.” Dream chimed in, pulling out his phone.

The four of them began conspiring with each other, leaving Ink and Error completely out of the conversation. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ink could see Error pretty much glaring the shit out of Ink. Though, glare might not be the right word, as he seemed more confused than angry. Still had a frustrated undertone to his stare though.

Ink refused to make eye contact, looking down at his cup instead. He traced the top, focusing on the chatter in the background. They were discussing ways the conversation could go, folding up a piece of paper that had “I like you” scribbled on it and putting it inside the envelope, one of them was searching for heart shaped stickers in their purse, and another was on a call with Outer.

What about what we think-??

[School Grounds – 6:15 AM]

“Alright boys! Here’s the rundown. Outer will be bringing out the student council around 6:45—that gives us half an hour to rehearse this a little.” Lust spoke, clearly proud of herself for coming up with most of the plan. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. Error, you’ll be leaning against the tree, and Ink, you’ll be by the school gate. You can both be however you want up until Outer texts us that he’s coming outside, that’s when you take places.

“Once he comes outside, we’ll be over here gossiping about how Error asked you to meet with him.” She pointed down at the bench that she was standing on. “Ink, you’ll walk in—looking around, of course—until you spot Error, who pushed himself off the tree so you could see him.” Lust hopped off the bench, trotting up to Ccino. “You jog up to him, stopping a few feet in front of him.” He did what he described, looking up at Ccino in a sweet manner.

The other instantly caught on, pulling the envelope out of his bag. He handed it to Lust, who stood up straight and acted like he was opening it and reading it. He looked up at Ccino, the other rubbing the back of his head as he looked away. His expression shifted to more of a gentle look, a smile tugging at his lips. “And then, Ink asks Error out on a date, to the park maybe.” Ccino suggested, his expression shifting entirely as he made eye contact with the other.

“Say, Cc- ah- Error, want to go to the park later today?” He repeated, almost in a way that didn’t seem like acting anymore. Wow, he’s good at that.

Dream cleared his throat, causing the two to turn to face him. “Don’t drag it on, please.” He requested, seeming uncomfortable with something.

Lust chuckled nervously. “Right, ha-ha.” Ccino walked over to Error, handing him the letter. Error took it in a rather rowdy manner, causing the paper to crumple up a bit. “S-so, with that, you guys can do your own interpretation.” She spoke, dismissing the situation entirely.

Error walked off, seemingly towards the tree. Ink sighed, walking over to the gate as well.

Ink and Dream had been standing by the gate, watching as the alumni slowly filled in. The school’s doors opened at exactly 7 AM, so 15 minutes earlier was a perfect time. Alumni would be walking in looking for their friends, and it would be quiet enough to be able to eavesdrop on the conversation if any others than the targets were to hear.

Well, maybe targets weren’t the right word.

Ink leaned his head on Dream’s arm, feeling the other flinch slightly. He should’ve warned him. Whatever, it was too late now.

“Ink.” Dream spoke, his voice soft. The other perked up, looking at him. “Are you... sure… you want to do this with Error?”

… “Well, to be honest? I don’t even want to do this at all.” Ink mumbled in response, letting out a sigh. “I don’t know if I trust him, to be honest.” He continued, walking over to peek at Error through the entrance.

Dream did the same, before letting out a little groan. “I don’t trust him at all.” He complained, leaning back against the wall again. Ink looked up at his friend. “I just- I can’t believe he followed you into the bathroom—just to threaten you!”

The shorter grabbed the other’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“…I just wish I could’ve done something. I should’ve known to check in the bathroom when he went in- I should’ve- I should’ve checked after he came out and you didn’t-”

“Dream, it wasn’t your fault.” Ink assured, pulling on his arm a bit as he leaned on the taller. “You don’t have to protect me from everything.”

The other pushed himself off the wall, looking at him in the eyes. “I promised you, Ink. That day that you moved out, when I convinced my parents to let us stay in the school dorms together—I promised you that I wouldn’t let anybody hurt you ever again.” He justified, his voice slowly getting louder. “Ever since that day, I’ve been trying my best, Ink. And in the end, I just, I let it happen again.”

Ink’s gaze remained on Dream, watching his head tilt towards the floor. He clearly didn’t want to meet the other’s eye right now. “D-dream, I-”

Ding!

—

O: We’re on our way. We’ll be there in 5.

L: Oooh I’m getting excited~ I can’t wait to see!

C: Dream, are you and Ink ready? Remember to act like you just arrived and split up at the gate, you two always come together!

—

“...”

—

D: We’re ready.

~~Chapter 8 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 9 Start~~

Ink walked into the school grounds, waving goodbye at Dream as he walked towards the bench with their friends. Right. He tilted his head down, before looking around and letting his eyes land on Error, who was waving over at him.

The artist widened his eyes a little, making sure to fool himself into thinking he actually liked the person he was looking at. He put one hand over his heart, before walking over.

“Remember; the more dramatic, the more attention it will draw.”

As he stood in front of Error, he made sure to avoid eye contact. He could see that the other was looking down at his feet as well, before holding something out for the other to grab.

Ink acted surprised, hesitantly reaching towards the letter. He opened it, carefully taking out the paper. It was a bit crumpled from Error’s carelessness. Ugh.

He acted as though he read it, his gaze lingering on the note for a few seconds, before looking up at him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see some people staring. Good. He took on a shyer stance, attempting to make himself appear as lovestruck as possible as he once again gaped at the floor.

Error shifted, his arm falling to the side. “What do you think?” He spoke in a rather monotone voice. Ink held back a glare, instead meeting the other’s eyes with as much affection as he could. Though, it probably wasn’t much.

“I- I think, I like you too.” He stuttered. “…hey, do you- do you want to go to the park later today?” The words came out painfully. There only was one reason why Ink was getting embarrassed, and that was because he was the only one trying to put on a show.

The jock hummed, smirking as he crossed his arms. “Cool. See ya later, babe.” He waved, but before he could walk away, Ink grabbed his sleeve.

Error stopped in his tracks with a flinch, slowly turning around. “U-um…” The shorter stammered, letting go of his sleeve before the other could pull away. “Please, keep it a secret.” He spoke quietly, though making sure it was loud enough for the crowd to hear. Error seemed to catch on to what he was doing from how he looked around, before leaning down slightly to be eye level with Ink.

He did a little motion as if to signify that his lips were sealed, then threw that zipper. Okay, that was kind of clever—even Ink had to admit it was a good contribution. The artist smiled softly, before returning the gesture. Though, instead, he put the imaginary zipper in his pocket.

The darker skeleton stood up tall, looking behind himself. He seemingly spotted someone he recognized, walking away from Ink with a wave. Ink made sure to drag on his “longing” stare, his hand up to his chest once again as the other (hand) held the letter.

As soon as Error was out of his view, he let out a sigh. How annoying. He looked over at the bench where his friends were. They were all smiling and waving, beckoning for him to come over.

As he obliged, he noticed a few stares on himself. Looks like it’d worked, even if just on a few people.

[Error’s POV]

Holy fucking shit. Error walked away, hands in his pockets. He noticed a skeleton with a golden tiara and bandages covering half of their head, instantly recognizing him and deciding to go with him.

“Hey, Nightmare!” He called out, walking up to a group of skeletons. All of them turned around to look at Error, three immediately smiling in a rather sinister manner.

Nightmare sighed, giving Error a tired, yet soft smile. “Error, hello.” He greeted. He stood tall, almost like someone from the royal family. “I don’t believe you’ve met any of… my friends, have you?”

Error shook his head, a hand on his hip. “No, and I don’t know if I want to. They’re looking at me as if I were food.” He responded, the disdainful remark causing all of them—except Error and Nightmare—to burst out laughing. Error tilted his head, grimacing.

“They’re high.” Nightmare admitted with a deadpan expression. “This is Killer,” he pointed at the skeleton who’d had his arms wrapped around Nightmare the entire time, “this is Dust,” his finger moved to the shortest of the group, he had a hood on and was clearly still smoking, “and—Horror,” he spoke, quickly moving his finger away before the other tried taking a bite. “Don’t mind them, they lost a bet with each other and all smoked in the end.” He sighed, pinching his nose bridge.

Of course, Error thought to himself, rolling his eyes. “Introduce them to me when they’re sober, maybe then they’ll remember me.” He spoke, causing them to start giggling again.

From behind himself, Error suddenly felt a presence. It was someone slightly taller, though only by a few inches. “Oh—jeez. Did they really get high?” He complained, walking up to Nightmare and taking Killer off of his arms. Now that his face was lifted from Night’s neck, he could see that he kind of looked like himself. Well, meaning that, like, he had some black thing running from his eyes, just like Error, but his own was blue, and—whatever.

Nightmare helped get Killer off himself, giving the other a thankful nod. “Good morning, Cross.” He spoke, giving a small bow before signaling over at Error.

The skeleton perked up, as if he hadn’t even noticed Error was there. “Oh, sorry! My name is Cross, as you heard Night call me.” He chuckled, holding out his hand for the other to shake. Before Error could say or do anything, Nightmare grabbed his hand and pulled it down, shaking his head. “Oh, does he- does he not like handshakes…?” Cross questioned.

Error let out a soft sigh. “This one is sober?” He asked, though he already knew the answer. The other two chuckled.

“Yes, I’m sober. I don’t do drugs.” Cross clarified, awkwardly scratching his cheek. This caused the other to notice a very red scar on it. Huh.

Nightmare, noticing Error wasn’t introducing himself, spoke up for him. “This is Error, by the way. I met him at one of our parents foolish dinner meet-ups, but we started actually talking at Killer’s basketball practice.”

Cross tilted his head, looking down at Killer, before looking back up at Nightmare. There was a hint of jealousy in his gaze. “Why were you at his basketball practice?” He asked, clearly trying to play off his feelings.

“You know how Killer is.” He hummed, patting Killer’s back as he latched onto Cross.

Cross hummed, blushing the smallest amount. “Yeah…”

In the time that had been spent talking between the three sober of the group, there had ensued a… making out session …between the hooded one and the tall, creepy one. Error was the first to notice, grimacing once again.

The other three followed his stare, before a cackle came from Killer. “You fucking retards can never keep your hands off of each other.” He slurred, before bursting out laughing. The other two turned to look at him, glaring.

“What’d you fucking call me?” Dust spat, stomping over to Killer. Error noticed Cross instinctively pull the other away, before the black-teared skeleton simply pushed himself off of the taller to confront Dust.

Killer smiled, tilting his head in a catlike manner. “You heard me.” He giggled, standing in Dust’s personal space.

The other didn’t seem to mind—if anything he wanted that—because soon after Killer made that comment he began grinding his forehead against the others’ in a threatening manner. This notion was quickly reciprocated, some dumb growling coming from both of them as they had some unnecessary stare-off.

Suddenly, two tentacles wrapped around the two skeletons’ waists, lifting them up off the ground and apart from each other. This startled Error, his gawking causing his eyes to slowly trail up them to the source.

It was… Nightmare’s hands??

What.

The fuck.

???

Nightmare opened his mouth to speak up, before Cross cleared his throat. It was soft enough to not disrupt the other’s berating, but loud enough for Error to hear. He must’ve noticed how mortified the shorter looked—which Error himself hadn’t even realized, because he felt his jaw pick itself up from the floor as he turned towards Cross.

“He- uh, can do that.” Cross explained, his arms crossed as he glanced at Error with an empathetic side eye. “I got really startled the first time around too. We all do. It’s kinda just… something he’s been able to do.”

Error blinked twice, before turning his head to face the other. He watched as Nightmare borderline barked at the three—yes, Horror as well—before speaking up after a minute. “How does it work?” The question seemed to catch the other off guard.

“None of us know. He keeps it secret.” He hummed, before leaning towards Error and whispering. “Though between you and me, Dream has told me some things about it. Apparently he can shapeshift with it.” Cross got even quieter as he spoke, before backing back up. “But you didn’t hear it from me.”

Wow. What a gossip monster.

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! #schoolbellsIdkwhattheysoundlike

Oh thank god. “I’m gonna head to class.” Error spoke, waving them off without giving them a chance to respond. Damn, that was weird. He’d talk to Nightmare later when he wasn’t preoccupied with babysitting. That Cross guy wasn’t half bad though.

Eventually, Error got to his class. All the seats were full, except for one in the front. Fuck. He groaned internally, sliding his backpack off his shoulders as he walked towards it. With a huff, he dropped onto the chair and crossed his arms, before turning to check who was next to him.

Oh my fucking god.

[Dream POV]

Stars.

This can not be real. Was Dream truly stuck with this hooligan? Surely the teacher would assign actual seats soon. They have never allowed free seating before. How did a freshman end up in a sophomore class, anyway?

Do it for Ink… and Blue.

Swallowing his pride, Dream spoke up. His voice was bitter, a rather despicable contrast considering how sweet he usually sounded. Error, however, hadn’t spoken to Dream properly before. He didn’t need to know. “Hello, Error.”

Error looked him up and down, a glare in his stare. “Hey.” He greeted, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. He turned his head to the front, clearly not wanting to speak to the other.

Well, how rude! Had this man never heard of a pleasantry? He truly had no manners! Not only did he attempt to assault his friend, but he could barely spare Dream a look! Ink was like a brother to him, and he deserved much better than this… sorry excuse of a “boyfriend.”

Dream sighed, sitting up slightly taller as he turned to face the front as well. Two could play at that game! At least this way, he didn’t have to look at that face his poor mother was forced to love.

But soon after, he got bored. He could also hear a phone buzzing, which caught his attention since phones were not allowed. He turned towards the sound, which was in the direction of Error.

The other barely made eye contact before rolling his eyes and ignoring him. Dream kept staring, before clearing his throat.

“Do you mind?” He asked, pointing towards the obviously vibrating pocket on the other’s sports jacket. Error looked down at his pocket, before smirking maliciously.

He lifted up the pocket entirely. “Oh, this?” He teased, leaning towards the desk to rest his chin on his free hand. “I don’t know, it likes to do that sometimes. Maybe it’s scared of that killer glare you’ve got.”

Dream could feel his expression deadpan. “Is that so?” He questioned, venom seeping through his words.

Error nodded, letting the pocket rest on the chair again. “And so that is.” He responded, turning his head to look forward. “Y’know, Blue told me you were way more pleasant than this.” He mumbled, purposefully audible enough for Dream to pick up on.

Oh, the nerve!

“Pardon?” Dream leaned forwards the slightest bit, his head tilting downwards.

Error leered towards him. “Yeah. He said you were known in these schoolgrounds by the student body for your kindness.” He hummed, shifting and tilting his head as well. “Guess he’s not a man of his word.”

Dream gently slammed his hand on the desk. “Do not speak of Swap in such a manner!” He defended, his voice relatively tame—though definitely louder. The taller just cackled at him.

“Uh oh, struck a nerve~” He teased, his voice doing that dumb singy-songy thing.

The yellow-tinted skeleton simply leaned backwards, realizing he was falling for his trap. He had never wanted to argue with somebody in his entire life. Never. “You are but a sorry excuse of a man.” He spoke, before closing his eyes and sitting up tall and proper once again.

He could feel Error glaring at him. “Is that really how you thank me? Ouch.” He teased, clearly attempting to get the other to bite the bait once again. He was enjoying this, wasn’t he? Well, he wouldn’t get any more out of Dream today, or ever again!

Dream Joku, you are better than to fall into the immature cycle that is a rivalry. This man was the most miserable out of the Crayon bloodline. He likely didn’t even recognize that both of their parents were business partners. Why, Dream and Nightmare had been over to the Crayons for formal dinners previously.

This reminded Dream of Geno. He was a Junior this year, no? He wondered how he was. Was he still with that bothersome and needy raven he called his boyfriend? It was truly admirable; they had been dating since the 5^th grade! That had to have been like a relationship out of a movie.

Hum… relationships. The only relationship Dream had been in was—oh, how scandalous! He felt his cheeks blush a bit. He did not wish to remember that day, it couldn’t even be referred to as a relationship! Besides, he was interested in somebody else now, and he planned to get his parents approval before moving forwards with anything.

Dream was quickly snapped out of his train of thought by the teacher walking into the classroom and clearing her throat.

Ah, right.

He was still at school.

[Time Skip]

This man was truly preposterous! For one thing, he attempted to work Dream up by speaking ill of a shared friend, and then he chose to not even pay any mind to the subject which was being taught!

In fact… he was the first one out of the classroom due to the fact he didn’t even try to fake paying attention! How absurd. Was this the only candidate that had been? Could it not have been somebody who might not influence Ink negatively?

Ink already struggled with focusing in class due to his personal issues, all he did was draw. If Error somehow managed to tangle the aforementioned up in his wicked web of unpleasantries...

Oh, Dream couldn’t even begin to dread it!

He rushed over to his locker, quickly taking out his phone and messaging his friend.

—

D: Blue, we need to talk.

D: Whenever you are free, of course. However, the sooner, the better.

B: Dream? What happened?

D: It is urgent.

B: Oh stars… 🙁

—

And with that, he let out a sigh and put his phone back in his locker. Urgent matters call for drastic measures, such as breaking the school rules. Even though, he seemed to be the only one focused on following them properly.

The rest of the school day, Dream had been impatiently awaiting this meet up. He had already given their group chat a heads up, and now all he had to do was make his way to their meet up area. Let’s see, it was outside the school gym, correct?

Correct.

There was Blue, talking to Error. Ugh!! Whatever.

“Blue!” Dream called out, waving over at him. The other perked up, trotting over after seemingly sharing a short farewell.

“Dream!!!” Blue squealed, wrapping his arms around Dream and twirling him around. This caused him to giggle, returning the hug. “What did you want to talk about?” He asked, letting go and leaning against a locker. Oh stars… he looked so-

Not the time, Dream, stop blushing! “A-ahem. Yes, um.” He cleared his throat, standing in an awkwardly formal manner. “It’s about Error.” He admitted.

The other rolled his eyes at this. “What about him?” He inquired, crossing his arms. “I still don’t get the sudden change in opinion you had with him!”

“Swap,” The taller began, his expression changing into a more serious one. “He attempted to assault Ink.”

[Ink POV]

Ink walked over to the gym. Blue had decided on a meet-up spot for both he and Error so they could have their little “date” later in the day with no issues, since Ink had no phone. And that spot happened to be the gym.

The artist was to go into the gym and wait for the jock in there. He was to act interested in the ongoing sports, but he wouldn’t be doing that lmfao. He was going to draw, fuck Error.

Well, he was. Until he heard a familiar voice screaming.

“What!?”

The loud sound caused Ink to duck behind the wall in front of the gym doors, peering out to see who it was. It was Dream and Blue! Maybe he’d say hi before walking in.

“Swap Popcorn, calm down.” Dream shushed.

Maybe he wouldn’t go say hi yet. They seemed to be talking about something important.

“Sorry, I just. You know what? No!” Blue spoke up again, still having his voice raised. “You just accused Error of- of what? Assault?”

Dream groaned, leaning closer to him. “Please, Swap, calm down.” He repeated. He wasn’t even calling Blue by his nickname.

Blue shook his head, taking a deep breath, before speaking up again more quietly. “What did he do to Ink?”

The rest of their conversation was rather quiet, the words intelligible to Ink as they had started speaking in a way softer manner.

Ink leaned against the wall, sighing. He shouldn’t have told Dream. The fuss wasn’t worth it. It’s not like Error actually hurt him, he just—threatened, to hurt him.

Hah…

Ink took a peek over at them once again, they seemed much less argumentative, but they still seemed to be bickering. Or maybe bickering wasn’t the right word, it felt like a way more serious topic. He could understand a few words, but he couldn’t piece them together in the context.

He figured he’d probably just. Sneak by, and you know, get in the gym. His gaze shifted towards the door, then back towards his two friends.

Oh no.

Would they know he’d been eavesdropping if they saw him go in? The thought of them finding out made him tense up, a feeling of anxiety welling up inside him. He took his meds, right? Why was he so nervous?

I-it’s okay! It’s fine. They won’t know. If he just went in casually and they happened to spot him then what are the chances they would figure it out, well that is if they even saw him because they seem pretty wrapped up in their own conversation so they probably wouldn’t even see him but just in case they did though they wouldn’t jump to the conclusion right? Okay, yeah, he’s fine. He’ll be fine.

 Okay! Okay. Here goes. One foot in front of the other, hands adjacent to the opposite foot. Wait, no. Hold on- how- how do you walk?

Right as Ink was nearly at the door, it opened on its own and knocked him down. He let out a panicked squeal, falling on his ass with a thud.

This quickly caught the attention of his friends, as he heard them both let out a gasp and run towards him. He felt someone loosely wrap their arms around him, who the artist quickly identified as Dream through his scent.

“Ink, are you okay?” He heard blue ask, letting out a hum in response.

Of course he was okay, it wasn’t that bad. It just scared him a bit. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He assured, feeling Dream’s grip tighten around him.

Ink was about to look up to check who did it, before he heard a gasp and a camera shutter, followed by the source likely running away.  Fuck. Whatever. He looked up, identifying the person quickly.

~~Chapter 9 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 10 Start~~

A rather skeleton with black “tears” running from his eyes stood before the group of three. He was in a basketball uniform. “Oh, hey paint boy!” He teased, holding his hand out to help him up. Killer.

His gaze quickly shifted over to the skeleton behind him, seemingly fixating on him. He froze for a second before allowing himself to move again.

“Well would ya look at that? Hey princess~” He greeted, giving Dream a charismatic smile. It’s more than safe to say that the recipient was unamused.

Dream was holding onto Ink rather tightly actually, and Ink eventually returned the hug. See, believe it or not, Killer was notoriously known for being a jackass—but more so putting thumbtacks on people’s seats. Though something minor, it terrified both of them. It terrified most of the school, actually. Blue was indifferent to him though. Blue always got along with everybody though.

Killer tilted his head, a smirk on his face. “Tough crowd. ‘Sup Swap?” He turned to the other, which was quickly greeted with an ecstatic smile.

“Oh, hi!” Blue quickly stood, holding his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you! You seem to already know me!”

The other tilted his head, amused. Instead of shaking his hand, he held up his own for a high five. The shorter caught on and gave him the sickest five Ink had seen in years. If only somebody radical were here to appreciate it.

Killers’ gaze shifted over to the two on the floor, his white eyelights so dim they were barely visible. Dream shifted under Ink, clearly being the main focus of the other’s attention. This piqued a small interest inside him, but he ignored it.

“S-so, um… I n-need to go inside…” The artist spoke up awkwardly, not quite wanting to be in the middle of whatever strange thing was going on here. The basketball member hummed curiously.

He seemed to have a moment of enlightenment, rather dramatic as well. “Oh, right, aren’t you the newb’s girlfriend?” Killer asked, leaning down with a rather sinister smile plastered on his face.

Blue cleared his throat. “He’s a guy—but, um,” He corrected awkwardly, taking a step forward with a rather cartoony fluidity. “If you mean Error, then they are dating and soooo in-love~!” His friend’s eyelights quickly turned to stars while he hummed. “A little birdie told me they’re going to be the best couple in school.”

As Blue wiggled and fooled around, Killer tilted his head once again. His stare screamed that of dissatisfaction, as if that was any sort of inconvenience. Actually, looking closely at him? He seemed to be struggling to hold himself up. Almost as if not sober. Oh, hold on! Didn’t Ink see him smoking in front of the school earlier in the morning??

That would explain a bit about the situation.

Or, a lot, actually. Haha.

Ink stood up, feeling Dream doing the same thing and standing behind him. Which, honestly? Wouldn’t do anything to protect him considering they’re up against a stoned-up member of the basketball team—one known for physical violence, at that.

Killer quickly spoke up, throwing his arm around Ink’s neck. “I met your boyfriend today, little twink.” He pulled the other forwards. He was a bit sweaty despite being a sack of bones. “He was pissed the fuck awfff!” The taller cackled at his own words.

A giggle erupted from Blue, before receiving a glare from Dream. He cleared his throat once again, though this time more silently.

“Why don’t ya three come on in? That way you can watch us play!” Killer turned to face the door, angling his head backwards to simulate eye contact.

Ink squirmed out of the other’s grasp. “U-um, I was already going in.” He explained, smiling awkwardly and moving closer to Dream.

Suddenly, the door swung open. It bumped into Killer’s rear, causing him to stumble forward. Stars, what was with this door and making people fall to the floor?

This time it had been Error whom had opened the door. Ink thought to let out a sigh of relief, before he quickly remembered the hostile relationship he held with his so-called boyfriend.

Could you even… date someone while absolutely despising the other? That was a question to look up later. This was just like the hit webcomic Homestuck’s troll romance quadrants, specifically the spade; the concupiscent black romance quadrant. This would mean Error was his kismesis, even though neither had romantic feelings for the other.

Whatever, shut up Flynn. Nobody cares about Homestuck yo. Okay, sorry.

Error simply looked around the group of four with a judgmental grimace on his face. Gods knew what was running through his head seeing Killer’s ass sticking out like that while he lay on the floor.

“You fucking dick.” Killer chuckled, getting up. Error threw a basketball he’d been carrying at his teammate. The victim of the throw caught it instantly.

The black skeleton crossed his arms, holding the door open with his hips. “Coach wants you back inside. Stop slacking.” He spoke, his tone bitter. Seemed like this grump hated just about anybody he could see.

Except maybe Blue, who was clearly wanting to voice the situation. “Killer here was inviting us to watch your basketball practice after he accidentally bumped Ink with the door.” He explained. “We were just about to go and leave you three be. Right, Dream?”

The other caught on, ending the subtle glare he’d been giving Error. Ink hadn’t noticed his friend’s expression until the attention was brought to him. “Yes, we were just leaving.” Dream confirmed, stepping near his friend and grabbing his arm.

The two tallest seemed confused, and slightly disappointed—which was admittedly strange considering that outside of Blue and Error they were strangers and mostly on bad terms. There was a small hint of jealousy in Killer’s eye sockets as well. “That’s fine.” Error hummed, turning his back to them. “Let’s go in now before we get in trouble.”

“Sure~” Killer hummed, wiggling his fingers at the two. His gaze was specifically on Dream once again. Surely he knew his friend was afraid of him and he was terrorizing him. That had to be the case. Gods, he was evil.

“Bye Error and Ink! Enjoy your date at the park later!” Blue waved, saying the last part seemingly to remind the two. “And bye to you too, Killer.”

Dream didn’t bother speaking, simply waving at Ink before quickly turning around and dragging Blue away. Error was still holding the door open, getting impatient. “Cmon, babe.” He hissed, rushing Ink to go in.

Killer, however, took this as a chance. “I-I’m going sweetheart! Don’t rush me!!~” He whined, taking on a soft and feminine pose. Error, unamused, gave him a glare. “Oh alright, alright.” He waved his hand dismissively, walking inside with the ball under his other arm.

Ink rushed inside quickly after, not wanting to get in trouble with Error.

As soon as he stepped foot into the gym, the door closed behind him. Error ran past him, going onto the court with the others on the team. The first thing he noticed was the loud thuds from the basketballs being dribbled and the occasional sound of shoes squeaking on the hard wood floor.

The artist looked for the bleachers, noticing they were directly next to him. There was two other people already sitting on them, and Ink recognized them immediately. It was Dream’s brother; Nightmare, and one of the group’s old friends; Cross. There wasn’t really a given reason he didn’t hang out anymore, just kind of distanced himself. Guess now Ink did know.

He reluctantly walked over to the point in which he’d be furthest from the two skeletons, sitting on the edge of the bleacher bench. He wanted nothing to do with anybody in here. He was going to listen to music on his MP3 player and draw.

Sadly, his attempt at isolating himself failed rather quickly, as he saw two shadows being cast over him as rummaged through his bag. Fuck. “Ink, is that you?” Cross’ voice asked. It sounded deeper than he remembered. Seems like growing up was the best thing to happen to it, he used to sound like SpongeBob. “Oh, it is! Hey little dude!” He ruffled the shorter’s head, though there was no hair to mess up.

Cross sat down next to him, getting comfortable. Ink winced lightly, faking a smile. “Heyy…” He greeted awkwardly, his eyes slowly crawling over to Nightmare. He was staring at Ink with a rather… hungry expression. As if he could eat him alive. Worst part is he couldn’t tell if it was positive or negative—though it was more likely to be the latter. He quickly looked away, figuring it was better to avoid eye contact with him.

“How’ve you been? Wow, you haven’t grown at all since we last saw each other!” Cross commented, leaning backwards to lay on the bleacher seat that was behind the pair. It was higher than the other one.

A slight moue appeared on Ink’s face. “Really man?”  He suspired. “Well, puberty’s been treating you well—except for the fact that you stink!” The artist retorted in a playful manner, crossing his arms.

The other gasped with an expression that screamed fake distress, before lifting his arm near Ink’s head to reveal his oxter. His face quickly twisted up with disgust. “Take a whiff, this is the only chance you’ll get.” Cross teased.

“Eww Cross, it stinks!” Ink giggled as he pushed his arm down.

Nightmare cleared his throat, attempting to garner the pair’s attention. “You two are being disruptive.” He stated, not bothering to turn to even look at them. He stood tall, with his hands behind his back. You could tell his family was rich just based on his stance, but Ink’s confirmation came from Dream sharing in that wealth. His family had been extremely generous and kind enough to take Ink in after what happened, eventually separating he and Dream into the school dorms together so he didn’t have to live alone. Yes, they’d lived together throughout the summer, but it had been their living space since middle school.

“Oh, sorry Night.” Cross apologized, rubbing the back of his head. Nightmare spared him a glance, before sitting down next to him.

Nightmare said something in Spanish, something Ink couldn’t understand.

“Cross, dejame solo con el.”

“Por?”

He leaned towards the other, this simple action graceful when executed by him. Seriously, how did he manage to do that? Anyways, he whispered into Cross’ ear, not that he even needed to because Ink didn’t understand anyways.

All of a sudden, Cross shot up from his seat. “U-um! I just remembered!” His face was flushed as he bellowed. “I forgot! I forgot that I had to go do work! Yes, that is what I had to do.” He explained to Ink, throwing his hands around in a panicked manner. “I gotta go!”

Before Ink could even say goodbye, Cross ran away. Weirdo. Whatever Nightmare whispered probably got to him. At least he could draw. Or, probably? He’d be a bit creeped out, but uh… he’d be able to do his own thing.

Or so he thought. Man, people just loved bugging him. As soon as he decided to start rummaging in his bags Nightmare began another conversation. “I don’t believe we’ve formally met.” He spoke, holding out his hand for a handshake. This one was different from Blue’s, it felt way more formal—and fancy. “I am Nightmare. I briefly remember you being in our household as children, but we never spoke.”

Ink reached out to shake his hand, barely grabbing his fingers in a timid manner. “Um- yeah…” He felt the other move his manus as you typically would in a handshake—though it resulted in a very awkward gesture instead.

The other turned his head, facing forward once again. He kept talking, however. “What brings you here?” He inquired.

“I’m here to watch Error- my um. My boyfriend.” Ink responded. Gods, this was uncomfortable.

Nightmare hummed, narrowing his eyes. “Novio…” He muttered to himself, turning to watch one of the players with a hand on his chin. Almost as if he were thinking. Was this guy Spanish or something? He kept speaking in it.

Ink quickly went back to looking for his Mp3 player, eventually finding it. He took it out along with his sketchbook, putting his “earbuds” in quickly—however it worked. He didn’t really have ears, just earholes. In front of his face. He looked pretty dumb when he listened to music, actually. Who cared though, every skeleton did and the school was riddled with them.

The artist clicked play on the little device, before sketching away with his pencil. He drew the humans and vampires he’d seen in that one movie—Twilight. He thought it fascinating how they looked. He wondered how their skin textures differed. Did the vampires even have skin? What did skin feel like?

Every book and movie described it differently. Some described skin as slimy and gooey, others as fuzzy or furry, and some others rough and dry. Those humanverse fanfics always described them as soft, though. He supposed it wasn’t wrong as long as there was no medical or science-proved evidence recorded.

Ink’s sketches were messy, though in a clean way. You could make out the shape, even if the line art wasn’t the most refined. It wasn’t meant to be anyways, at this point he just wanted to seem busy so he wouldn’t be spoken to again.

Why did Nightmare even come near him? He hated his brother, why in the world would he tolerate Ink? Hell, he wasn’t just tolerating him, he was trying to talk to him! It was weird and off-putting.

Speaking of weird and off-putting… Ink could tell the other was staring at him. Whether it was his face or his hands, Nightmare was looking at him from the corner of his eyes.

Uh…

Whatever.

After an hour and a half, basketball practice was over. An hour and a half of being stared at. An hour and a half of discomfort. And it was going to be followed by more. Awesomeee…

Ink put his stuff away, watching Error jog up to him. He wiped some sweat from his forehead, his hand lingering up there. The player glanced at Dream’s brother, lifting an eyebrow. “You two friends?” He asked, the first hint of genuine curiosity coming from his voice.

Nightmare shook his head. “I was trying to get acquainted with your partner.” He responded. Liar! He was being a creep!! He didn’t even know about Ink and Error’s “relationship” up until Ink told him. Whatever!!!

“Cool.” Error hummed. He seemed at ease around him? He really knew how to pick his friends, didn’t he… That was sarcasm by the way. “Hey little squirt, I need to shower. It’s required by the school. Give me 15 minutes.”

The shorter blinked twice. Didn’t—oh stars!!! This guy was so confusing! “Um, okay…” Ink acknowledged, not believing that the other even gave him a heads up. He was being way nicer than he was the other day. It was weird.

Maybe he wasn’t as bad an actor as Ink thought? It was a rather short amount of time to display his skill this morning, was it not?

Seemingly out of nowhere, Killer ran up the bleachers. He seemed panicked. “Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!” He whined as he rushed over. He attempted to throw his arms around Nightmare, but the other dodged—causing Killer to face palm. It was kind of funny. “Ouch- Nightyyy!!!”

The other knelt down inquiring him. “What, Killer?” Killer held up his phone, handing it to Nightmare.

“Someone took a picture of me earlier and sent it in the school group chat… they’re spreading rumors about me!” He complained.

Nightmare’s look shifted to one of disbelief. “Oh, please. You do not actually care about this, do you?” He rebuked, glaring lightly. “You know it is untrue, and you have never taken any offense to rumors. I believed you enjoyed them, did you not?”

Killer began wiggling on the floor like a worm. Weirdo… “B-but!! Nighty!!! My crush is in that group chat!” He whined once again, before his expression flipped instantly. “Oh, wait! Nevermind!” He turned, laying on his back as he looked up at the other.

Error touched Killer’s head with his shoe. “School requires showers, let’s go.” He began walking away. The other stood up quickly.

“Sir, yes, sir!” He saluted, before jogging over to Error.

Ink began walking away as well, figuring he’d wait outside the gym doors. Nightmare followed him, for whatever reason. As soon as Error came back, Ink trotted over to seemingly hide behind him. “Heeey Error…” He greeted, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him away. The taller didn’t fight back, he simply waved goodbye to Nightmare.

“Let go.” Error asserted, still trailing behind Ink. “You don’t need to touch me.”

The artist let go, still walking. “What are you, allergic to touching people?” Ink taunted, walking up a set of stairs.

Error followed behind, rolling his eyes. “Only for you.” He retorted.

“We’re going to need to touch each other eventually if we want to convince people, you realize that right?” The other whispered, turning around as he went up the stairs.

The taller sighed. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Stop walking backwards, you’re going to fall.” He complained. “I didn’t agree to hospital trips.” Ink turned back around, opening the door to the building.

Error walked out after him. “But seriously, we need to get this guy off my ass. We’re not going to achieve that by just waltzing around and telling people we’re dating. We need to prove it.” Ink voiced, turning as he walked on the sidewalk.

The athlete was next to him. “Whatever.” He waved his hand dismissively.

When the two got to the park, they didn’t do much. They sat in silence on a bench next to each other, sort of doing their own thing. Error was on his phone; Ink was drawing in his sketchbook.

After roughly two hours, Error got a text from Blue. He showed Ink the conversation as well. Gods knew why, likely because it involved him. Blue was saved as Berry in his phone for whatever reason—likely a childhood nickname.

—

B: Hey Ru! How’s the park? How’s Ink?

E: Boring.

E: How much longer are we supposed to be here?

B: About that! Was wondering if you were gonna walk Ink home soon? He lives in the school dorms, Dream’ll get him at the school gate! :p

E: Okay, we’re going.

B: Thanks!

—

Error stood watching Ink as he put his sketchbook away. It was a boring walk home. Both of them were quiet, nothing to bicker about. Ink did feel like he was being watched at times, though. He subconsciously stepped closer to Error each time, to which the other responded by frowning.

Eventually, they reached the school gate. Ink was handed off to Dream, and there was a short glaring match between him and Error. Error was the first to walk away, leaving Dream’s gaze lingering on the ground. Ink pushed him into the school grounds.

And with that, the day was over.

~~Chapter 10 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 11 Start~~

[Earlier that day]

“Stars, Dream, they sure are peculiar hm?” Blue hummed as he walked down the hall waving at Ink and the other two. Dream hummed, the other turning to face him. “Say, why were we so afraid of Killer? He seemed kind!”

Dream took a glance behind himself, noticing Killer fooling around. He truly did seem harmless like this. “He’s known for physical encounters.” He mumbled looking down at the ground. He let go of the other’s arm, blushing a bit after realizing he was still grabbing onto him.

Blue began walking slower, leaning to see Dream’s face better. “Dream, are you okay?” He asked, reaching for the other’s hand. “You’re not worried for Ink, are you? He’ll be fine! Error will keep him safe.” Blue assured, squeezing his palm.

“Ahah, you caught me…” Dream smiled sheepishly, turning to face his friend. “I just can’t help but distrust him, he is much too rude for the family he has.” He scoffed.

Blue blinked twice, before his mouth gaped. “You know the Crayons!?” He exclaimed after a bit, his eyes lighting up.

The other blushed a bit. “A-ah, um… yes. My mother, she has worked with them so much that, u-um, well,” He scratched the back of his head, “well, our families have attended each other’s banquets. When we were younger, that is. I could never forget Geno…”

“Wow, that so SO COOL!! I remember wanting to go to those banquets so bad when I was little! What does it take to go to them?” Blue rambled.

“What does it take…?” The two returned to their normal walking pace as they took a turn. “Well, I’m not sure. I believe it is wealth or social status?” Dream tapped his chin. “I’d have to ask mother, but she is far too busy to be bothered with these silly questions—not that I think you’re silly by any means! They are good questions,  just-”

Blue cut him off before he could speak further, giggling. “Dream, I didn’t take it as that, don’t worry about it.” He nudged his arm. “Anyways, what are we doing today? You busy?”

Before Dream could answer, there sounded two dings from both their phones. Dream took his phone out, assuming Blue did as well out of view. The school group chat had become active.

It wasn’t really used too often aside from gossip and student news. Most of it went to school newspapers anyways, it was what many preferred—Dream included. “Hey, isn’t this totally not what happened?” Blue spoke up, pointing his phone at his friend.

Dream tilted his head. A message from a student read “Killer is bullying these poor students! What a meanie” followed by a few people talking about how cruel he was and bringing up past rumors. “It most definitely was not.” He confirmed, frowning.

If people jumped the gun like this with an accident, how many of those past rumors he had floating around were true? “We should tell them!” Blue spoke heroically, tapping away at the keys on his device. Dream chuckled, his cheeks warming a little.

“I’ll leave it to you, Magnificent Swap Sans.” He teased affectionately. I-in a friendly way!!! Not, romantically! Goodness no! Dream simply would not dare. “Also, to answer your earlier question, I do plan on doing something today sadly. I promised mother I would return home to run a few errands.”

Blue let out a whine. “Huuuuh?? But aren’t you totally rich? Why do you have to do it!” He complained, grabbing Dreams hands and looking up at him teary-eyed. “It’s so totally unfair! Today’s one of the only days I don’t have soccer!”

Dream chuckled, “Yes, well, isn’t soccer season ending soon anyways? I never understood how it worked.” He shifted slightly, feeling the other drop his hands abruptly.

“Uugh! I don’t know, I don’t get it either!” He complained. “They just have us go in willy nilly!” He threw his arms up in the air dramatically, which confused Dream. But it was okay, it did not have to make sense.

Something about Swap and Ink is that half of the things they said were nonsensical, it taught Dream that he did not need to understand everything. He turned his head to the side, before noticing a certain tall skeleton. An old friend. “Oh, is that Cross?”

“C-Cross!?” Swap exclaimed, jumping behind Dream. On further inspection—though he was still at a distance—his face was very, very purple. He was also trying to cover it. What a peculiar individual he had become, ha-ha! “Aah! Dream, do I look okay?”

Dream tilted his head, a soft smile on his face as he turned to gaze over his friend. “Yes, Swap, you look fine. Why are you suddenly worried about your looks?” He asked, noticing a blue tint on the other’s cheeks. Could he be running a fever? It was a possibility, though he seemed fine a few seconds before.

Cross caught up to the two, barely even realizing they were there. He shook his head twice, before waving at Dream—seemingly not realizing Blue was hiding. Which, he could not honestly be blamed for.

“Dream! Hey!” Cross sighed, before giving him a smile. “It’s been a while, huh?”

Dream nodded, “How has it been going with Nightmare? I hope well, he does not speak to me at all during any family meetings.” He hummed, “He is well, I hope?”

Cross let out a chuckle. “Yes, Nightmare’s fine. Still mean as ever, though!” He whined. Had Nightmare been teasing him again? “Was he always like that?” Dream shook his head.

“No, there was a time in life where he wasn’t as such, but I believe the only person we know today who has seen him as such was Ink?” He answered, jogging his own memory. It was rather foggy around that time period.

The taller let out a gasp. “Hey, wait a minute!” He leaned over, checking behind Dream. “Hey squirt!” He greeted, grabbing Blue by the arm and pulling him out. Dream looked over at him, frowning a little. “Still shy as always, are we?”

Blue’s face was rather flushed… of course it was. No matter how much he tried denying it to himself, Dream knew he had a crush on Cross. How stupid to think to let himself develop feelings on somebody whose heart had already been taken.

“Cross! H-hey!” Blue stuttered, before trying to recompose himself. “I was just—uh… waiting for the perfect chance to jump out! And um!” He stopped to think, before speaking louder than he’d already been. “Scare you!”

Cross snickered, but before he could say anything else, Dream cut in. He couldn’t stand seeing this, not today. “Um, if I may; I must go, please continue.” He spoke with a tene look in his eyes. The other two glanced at each other, before looking back at Dream and waving him goodbye. He returned the pleasantry and began walking off.

How frustrating.

[Present Time]

“Dream? Helloooo…?”

“Dream, snap out of it!” Somebody exclaimed, before a gentle pushing of his back began, dragging him in the direction of the dorms building. “What’s gotten into you, man?” They whined, pushing harder. A familiar voice…

Oh, right, Ink. Dream was picking Ink up from his date with Error… aha. Dream stood firmly, before moving away from Ink’s pushing. “Ahem, pardon.” He mumbled. “How did it go, Ink? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Ink made a face—seemingly of disbelief. “Seriously?” He crossed his arms, his eyebrows raised but frowning. “You space out and the first thing you ask is how I am? Gods, Dream, you’re helpless.” Ink sighed, grabbing his hand and beginning to walk. “No, Error didn’t do anything. It was a really boring ‘date,’ all we did was sit in the park doing our own things.” Dream let out a sigh of relief.

Thank stars, that was his biggest worry. “That’s good,” he mumbled, trailing behind the shorter. This was a strange change of page, typically Dream was the one leading Ink around. He really needed to figure his situation out.

“So? What happened?” Ink spoke up, not looking at him.

Dream furrowed his browns. “What?”

The other sighed. “I know something went down, you only get like this when you’re super upset.” He explained looking up. “Spacing out, trailing off, all of that ‘I’m troubled’ stuff. You’re doing it right now. Trust me, I’d know what it looks like.”

Dream chuckled. “I suppose… but it is not a big deal at all is the issue.” He muttered. “I just, let myself get carried away recently.”

“Carried away with what?” Asked Ink, turning to look back at him. Instantly, Dream felt heat rushing to his face, and a bit to his eyes. This instantly caused the other to panic. “W-wait, what’s with that look? Did I say something wrong?”

“Aha, no…” Dream assured, bringing a hand to his face as he began walking slower. “I’m not too sure why I am letting it affect me this much, we all knew.” Ink tilted his head. “Swap’s crush, on Cross. He’s had a crush for the longest time, remember?”

Ink tilted his head, before seemingly choking on air. “Y-you mean you had a crush on-mmph!!” Dream’s hand shot up to cover the other’s.

“Shhh!!!”

His hand went back to his side. “O-oops! Haha…” Ink tooted nervously. “But, seriously… did you really?” His face twisted up into a more worried, sympathetic frown.

Dream nodded reluctantly. “Before I knew it, I had caught a few feelings. I guess, I figured that since Cross wasn’t around anymore, Blue would move on… but I—I was wrong.” He sighed. “But, it is water under the bridge. Sure, it may upset me a little. Just the smallest bit. However, it was likely just a puppy crush. I will be over it soon.”

Ink squeezed Dream’s hand. “If um… you want to talk about it more, at any moment. Or if you need to cry, or anything. Let me know, okay?” He spoke rather softly. “I’ll always be here for you.”

Dream nodded, offering a bittersweet smile in return.

The rest of the short trip was spent in silence, even as they reached the dorms.

~~Chapter 11 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 12 Start~~

“Oh my gods, what time is it?” Geno groaned, sitting up on the bed he—wait, bed? When did he get to a bed? His head was thumping, the sharp pang of a migraine getting to him shortly after. His hand instantly shot up, cupping his right eye. Wait, where was he?

Everything was blindingly white. These were not the pearly gates, considering the lack of gates. And clouds. Okay Geno, you’re not funny. There were curtains hanging on metal bars, and a familiar window—oh. Oh no, again? He gaped down at his arms, and surely enough; there was an IV taped to it. A dark silhouette caught his attention just slightly above where his arm was, though it was further away from him than his arm. If that even made any sense? It likely didn’t, he felt disoriented.

Geno squinted his eyes, trying to make out what—or better said who—was in that corner. They were sleeping on the chair? Their body was limp, so they must’ve been.

Oh, wait.

It’s just Reaper.

What had Geno been doing with Reaper? Why did he bring him here? Last thing he remembered he felt fine, but that must not have been the case. He wanted to ask him so badly, but the other seemed to be fast asleep. His blurry vision didn’t help either, which was likely caused by the pain from a migraine. Actually, could it even be called a migraine? Sure, it was similar to one, but he doubted it was stemming from the same cause. Whatever, migraine or not, he didn’t want to give himself more of a headache.

He looked over at the table next to him, noticing his phone. Perfect. He wanted to check the date, and possibly go back to sleep to try and rid himself of the pain shortly after. What day had it even been before? He’d likely have to check his messages before concerning himself with the current date, just to see what day he’d made plans with Reaper.

Or, perhaps Reaper hadn’t even been the reason he got here. That was a variable he hadn’t thought up. Either way, soon as he booted up his phone, he was bombarded with notifications from his friends—and a low battery notification. Fuck. If it was this low, he had to have been in for at least a day.

The messages he’d gotten mostly were along the lines of “Get well soon,” which didn’t surprise him. He’d also noticed the school group chat had been active at some point, which sparked curiosity in him. Though, he figured he needn’t stress himself with the “retarded fuckery,” as Error would say. He checked the date of the first well wishes, comparing it to the current date. Of which amounted up to almost a week in the hospital. Good grief! He’d never been in this long. He figured he should call a nurse just to check in.

He reached over to the assistance button, it resting where it always did. Even through different rooms, they all looked and were made the same. It was kind of sad how he’d had enough time to come to that realization. Geno supposed he didn’t mind, he was used to it.

The door opened, in coming a young-looking nurse. She seemed new to the hospital staff team; he hadn’t seen her before. “Hello sir, how are you feeling?” She smiled, walking to the foot of his bed and grabbing the clipboard that was set there.

Geno shifted in the hospital bed, fiddling with his hands. “Good evening, I am well.” He responded out of habit, before realizing his setting. “Ah- I mean, my head hurts a little bit around my eye, but nothing out of the norm I suppose.” He joked, chuckling at his own remark. The girl nodded, skimming over the papers she’d picked up.

“I see, we’ll get you some meds.” She muttered, jotting something down in a little notepad that she’d pulled out of her shirt pocket. Her eyes wandered across the room for a second, before they locked onto the IV and she jotted something else down. She was one mysterious nurse.

Geno cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but do you happen to know anything about how I got here? I don’t usually remember anything when things like these happen, so…”

The woman shook her head. “I believe he would know, he’s been here every day that you have. Every hour that he could as well.” She pointed out Reaper. “It took some begging from him for us to allow him to stay overnight with you because of how worried he was.” She pressed her hand to her chin in a distressed manner. “We had to ring up your guardian because he kept babbling about how it was a travesty and that we were stepping in between a beautifully blooming young love story?” Geno let out an expecting sigh.

“Of course he did. Thank you very much.” He smiled softly at her.

She walked towards the door, opening it. “I will be back shortly with some water, a new IV, an ice pack and meds. Does that sound good?” Spoke the nurse. Geno nodded, waving goodbye at her.

“You’re awake.” Spoke a voice as soon as the door closed. Reaper. Geno turned his head, giving a nod. “You were out for longer this time.” He mumbled, sinking in on himself. His arms were crossed and he was pouting. He didn’t have his typical trad-goth appearance, he was simply in a black hoodie and long black jeans.

Geno’s gaze flickered back up to Reaper’s face. “Yes, I believe I was.” He confirmed, not really knowing what to say. He couldn’t read the expression on the other’s face, which was rather unusual. He only got like this when he was in extreme dismay. “I’m sorry.” He spoke softly, hoping to ease some nerves.

Reaper stood sluggishly, picking up his chair and carrying it over next to the bed. “You worry me, Geno.” He uttered with the slightest hint of desperation in his voice. He sat down, his face resting on one of his hands. Geno offered his hand to him, watching as he hesitantly took it.

“I promise you whatever this is, I won’t let it get to me. My mama’s paying for the best of the best.” Geno assured, squeezing his hand.

Reaper let out a sigh. “You always say that…” He chuntered.

Geno leaned over, pressing a timid kiss to his forehead. “Amor, please don’t worry. I hate seeing you like this.”

After the kiss, Reaper’s entire demeanor switched to a more bashful one, though still serious. “Fine…” He grumbled. The other chuckled.

“Tell me about what happened.”

[Ink POV]

“Maman s’en va. T’aime Ink, salut!”

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

Creeaaaak

“Excuse me…”

“…mister Comyet?”

“—huh?” Ink pulled back, turning to face the voice. It was a nurse. “O-oh, I’m sorry.”

The woman chuckled. She was the same senile nurse as always. “Don’t worry, hon. How’re you holding up?” She asked, her tone was sweet, per usual. Her hand had made its way to Ink’s shoulder at some point, though he hadn’t noticed until now.

He let out a soft hum, before speaking up. “I’m okay, I guess…” She narrowed her eyes, her face twisting up into a soft, worried frown.

“Are you sure? You’ve been coming more often as of recently.” Her hand slid down to his arm. He looked down, not responding. After a few seconds of silence, the nurse took her hand off and looked over to the bed. “She’s strong, you know.”

Ink felt a rush of painful warmth in his eyes, his vision blurring. He tried to answer, but his throat threatened to close up at the smallest peep.

The nurse turned to look at him. “But I think you’re just as strong—if not stronger than her.” She began, “Keep your chin up, kiddo. She’ll come up soon.” She pat his back, before walking over to the clipboard at the foot of her bed.

Right, Ink’s time was probably up, but he kept the nurse waiting by spacing out and starting to cry. Stupid. He wiped his eyes, before walking over to the hospital bed.

He grabbed the hand of the woman who lay in bed, careful not to touch any of the life support things hooked up to her—whatever they even were. “Ciao, maman.” He leaned down, giving a peck on her cheek. “T’aime.” He muttered.

Ink wanted to hug her—to be held by her. He could barely even remember her voice. His maman- no, his mom. It was all his fault she was in this situation. The stuffed animal wasn’t worth it. If only he’d known.

He let go of her hand, his own yearning for the feel of hers again. The nurse put the clipboard down, giving Ink a warm smile. “Ready, hon?” She asked, her voice smooth as if it’d been buttered.

Ink nodded.

~~Chapter 12 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 13 Start~~

Lust leaned forwards, pouting as her chin rested on her hand. She swished her coffee in her hand, her legs crossing. Now, where was this guy? Was Lust being stood up?? Shit. Maybe Ccino’s wasn’t a good place for a date? It was cheap, but… oh, whatever! She could find some other guy to seduce money out of. It’s not like she needed him specifically, just… some loser.

She brought the cardboard cup to her mouth, taking a long sip before glancing out the window. There were some leaves falling, with most trees being orange and yellow and brown already. Lust wondered why they hadn’t gotten the trees that don’t shed leaves every year, whatever they were called. It would likely be safer, but whatever. She looked at the people walking by, judging what they were wearing and wondering how desperate they would be… before she made eye contact with somebody. It took her a second to realize, but—oh god. It’s that Error’s brother. He was in a group of people dressed just like him. Eeeewwww…

He perked up, instantly giving the biggest smile and waving at her. She awkwardly returned the gesture before looking away. Out of the corner of her eye, Lust could see him say something to the group he was in and run off. He had to give them a boombox he’d been carrying to run of, oh gods… A little bell rang throughout the café, which typically indicated the door opening. The voices of Ccino’s family called out a familiar “Welcome!” as if to rub salt in the wound that him walking into the establishment caused. She covered her face, even though she already knew she stood out against everyone and everything. If only she’d picked a different day to dress tacky.

She heard footsteps approaching her. “Yo!” A male voice greeted. It was him, fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. “You’re Error’s lil pal, right?” His voice sounded affectionate, or friendly—she couldn’t quite tell. But it was. Totally radical in the lamest way.

Lust removed her hands from her face, smiling awkwardly at him. “Yeah.” She mumbled. The guy was leaning against the table, still smiling the biggest, toothy smile. Speaking of teeth, he had a gold tooth. The gold tooth in the 90s clique was such a cliché. “We’re not really friends, though. He’s just dating a friend of mine.”

The man’s smile dropped, before his entire jaw followed. “BIG BRO’S D8TING SOMEONE!?” He exclaimed, before quickly sitting on the chair and leaning on table. “Who’s dis mystery person…” He inquired, as he pointed his phone’s flashlight at her in an interrogative manner. Ugh! When did he even pull it out? It was instant!

Lust squinted at the light while glaring at him, which gave him a hint to turn it off. She took another sip of her drink with a huff. He sure was a character… reminded him of Blue. “Ink, the little one.” She replied, adjusting how her dress hugged her body. This was horrid shapewear work, she shouldn’t have chosen this one. Though, it wasn’t meant to be on for long anyway. “Hasn’t he told you?”

He shook his head, though quickly changed the topic. “Well, whateva, I won’t snitch on him to mom. His life, nawt mine.” He held his hands up as a form of surrender. “The name’s Fresh, by the way.” He held out his hand for a… fist bump. Sigh.

“Lust. I’m Lust.” She responded, giving a half-assed fist bump. He made a little “pchooooo” sound as he moved his hand away, wiggling his fingers as some sort of magical touch, or something. “It’s… nice to meet you.” What a horrible lie. She almost felt bad about it too. Almost.

Fresh smiled, crossing his arms and leaning back on the chair. “Aight rad! Nice to meet ya too!” He beamed, adjusting his glasses. “You doin’ anythin right now? Aside from all up n drinkin alone. You get stood up or sumthn?” He joked, causing the other to deadpan.

Wow. What a fucking asshole. “Yes, actually, I did get stood up.” She answered with a scowl on her face. “I was going to get paid for this, too.” Lust complained, chugging the rest of her drink and standing up. Fresh’s expression switched up, before he stood up as well.

“Woah, woah! Hey, I’m sorry miss!” He apologized, his hands up clasped together. “I ain’t know!” He sounded genuinely apologetic, but he seemed so rad that it felt ingenuine. Maybe it was just that Lust was prejudiced because of how he dressed. But could you blame her!? It was absolutely horrid!! It’s like the 90s cliché was made just to torture her.

She began packing up her things, sliding her blouse on. “It’s fine. I was already pissed off.” She lied, throwing her purse over her shoulder and putting her shades on. “I’ll be going now.”

Fresh quickly stood up and blocked her path, his glasses sliding off a little and allowing Lust to take a small peek at his eyes. Nothing special, one blacked out and the other heart-shaped like her own. His was white though. “Listen, I’ll be blunt here.” He began, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I think yer cute. If ya ain’t got nun else goin on, let me tag along. I prommy I’m fun!” He shot finger-guns at her, striking a radically lame pose. Ugh. So cool. She hated it.

The time on her phone read 1:28 PM, which was far too early to go home and not get bored. Ink had his gymnastics class today, Dream was off with his family again, Blue was in soccer, Ccino was working (obviously, otherwise Lust wouldn’t have stopped by at all), and stars knew where Outer was. Likely with his boyfriend or the student council. She let out an exasperated sigh, putting her phone in her purse and looking the boy in front of herself up and down. Maybe she could replace the guy from today with this sucker? But would he even want to do that? He probably didn’t even know Lust’s rep… how frustrating. She’d just have to see for herself. It was worth a shot, anyway, she needed that money. “Fine, whatever.” She uttered, closing her eyes for a hot second, before looking at his face.

Wow. He seemed ecstatic. “Booyeah!” He exclaimed, thrusting into the air as a form of a victory dance. Please, gods, don’t let this have been a mistake… “So, ya got anythin’ in mind?” Fresh asked, walking to stand next to her before offering his arm for her to grab. Oh? Well, at least he had good manners and knew how to treat a lady. That was definitely a first.

“No, not really.” Lust responded, wrapping a hand a little above his elbow. The guy didn’t look it but he was definitely tall, it was easy to tell when he stood near you. “Do you know any places?” She asked as if she hadn’t taken guys to almost every place in town.

Fresh scratched his chin, then began walking. “Yeah, got one in mind. Ya down fur sum ice cream?” He asked, adjusting his jacket.

Lust looked off to the side, before nodding. “Sounds good.”

The sound of heels clicking on the concrete as the two walked was soft, though still noticeable. A sweet scent was trailing behind the two, clearly coming from Lust. She made sure to walk in her typical, fashionable sense, but Fresh being there simply made the two look like a spectacle. She knew that no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn’t be able to save her appearance when it came to being courted by somebody who let a toddler pick the clothes they buy. Whatever. She’d walked next to worse guys, right? At least this one smelled good and behaved. He hadn’t tried bumping his arm into her chest at least once either, which was something the other guys always had done.

If it wasn’t obvious enough for the reader, Lust did sex work around the school. Both men and women alike came to her, completely disregarding her queer identity or her stature as a member of society just for a moment of pleasure. She wasn’t complaining, though. It made her feel normal. Nobody had told on her to the principal yet, either—which was rather shocking—and she always made a lot of money from it. Though, the older she got the harder it was to get customers. She’d started when she was 12, and now being 15 was rougher because she couldn’t just go fuck a 12 year old like she’d done when she was younger. The older kids had no shame having their way with her, though. She’d had people as old as 17 and 18 pay for an encounter, which… yeah. Obviously as a kid she hadn’t known it was wrong, but it was in the past. She wasn’t affected by it and they always tipped well so she’d keep her mouth shut, so she could help her mother out.

Yes, her mother. This had all started because of her mother. Not in the way you’d think, of course. Worded like that it sounds like her dearest and only parent had decided to sell her body off to make money.

No, her mother didn’t know. And she intended to keep it that way as well. There was no way in hell she’d tell her about any of this. She was already preoccupied enough with her work, day and night shifts back-to-back just to keep the shittiest roof over their heads. Lust loved her mom. She loved everything about her, the way she always tried her best and wanted nothing but happiness for her. She loved her so much that she was okay with doing all of this.

Which is why she needed to get money out of Fresh, so that this time wouldn’t be wasted. Yet, no matter how she’d tried to look appetizing to him, he just wasn’t taking the bait. It was frustrating, honestly.

“Look, there’s the gelato shop!” Fresh pointed out. It was a small establishment that went into the wall. “It’z got the best Smurf ice cream, ya gotta try it!” He advised, walking over to the door and opening it for Lust.

Lust thanked him, walking in. “I’ll think about it.” She replied, looking around the shop. Well…? It was refreshing. Surprisingly she’d never noticed it. Or, more like unsurprisingly. You could barely tell the difference between this and the alleyway next to it. It was cute though, it had a cozy 80s vibe.

Instead of walking back to Lust, Fresh went straight to the counter. “Yo! Nonna!” He hollered, grinning from ear to ear. “You here? Store says it’s open!” He leaned on the glass display of the gelato, a bit disrespectfully as it could get the glass dirty. The way he leaned against it made it seem like he was trying to come off as cool.

Lust stepped closer, curious about where he was looking at. “Si, si, vado! O dio…” A voice hooted back in Italian, sounding a bit angry. “Ma che cazzo, che schemo se urlando al—ou! Fresh!” Out from the door came an old lady with gray hair. She was also very wrinkly and very short. A bit pudgy too, but who was Lust to judge when she was far bigger? She had a charmingly heavy Italian accent as she spoke, greeting Fresh with a big smile on her face as she reached over the counter. “Ciao carino! How are you?”

“Ciao!” Fresh greeted back with a horrid accent in return. He leaned over the counter, giving her a hug with one arm and kissing the air next to her cheek while she returned the gesture. “I’m good, I’m fresh. How are ya? Is business good?” He asked. “It better be, ya got the best gelato in town!”

The lady pinched his cheek. “Sei un incantatore... Yes, the store is good. I am okay, my daughter, she coming back to town for visiting of college.” She spoke, before noticing Lust standing awkwardly in the back. She waved at the lady awkwardly, Fresh turning to look at her. “Allora, Fresh, chi e questa signorina?” The, um, nonna, asked. She had a sly tone to her voice?

Lust shifted a bit, watching the nonna lift a tab and step out of the counter. “Dat’s Lust, she ‘n’ I are hangin out.” Fresh explained (radically) with a hand gesture as if smoothing out a blanket, walking over to her with the old lady.

“E bellissima! You very beautiful girl.” She spoke, grabbing Lust’s hand. “My name is Lidia, but you call me nonna, fiore!” Lidia spoke, pulling her down to do the same she’d done with Fresh when she came out of the kitchen. Lust awkwardly returned the hug and kiss, flashing her a smile. “Lei non parla?” She joked in a teasing tone. Though, the joke flew over Lust’s head. Fresh chuckled though. Did he understand her, or was he laughing because it was obviously a joke.

“It is nice to meet you, nonna.” Lust said, totally butchering the Italian word. Lidia grinned at her, and Fresh flashed her a thumbs up as if that made her feel any better. This situation was strange altogether, it honestly wouldn’t matter who she was with in the first place.

Fresh walked over next to Lust, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and holding a hand up as if presenting her. “She’s a friend of my bro’s! Or—kinda! We bumped inta each other earlier ‘n’ I just had ta ask her to hang!” He boasted, almost as if he’d gained a confidence boost from Lust saying that she’d go out with him. That was… a first. Typically people were secretive and ashamed.

Lidia smiled, squeezing Fresh’s arm—presumably since she couldn’t reach his shoulder. She was very tiny, had Lust mentioned that yet? “I give you discount because you come here for dating, caro.” She spoke sweetly, turning around and walking behind the counter quickly. “Buy one and get two.” She gestured towards all the flavors in the rack, then looked up at Lust.

Lust blinked twice, looking at the other two before speaking up. “O-oh, me?” She pointed at herself, her face displaying her confusion. Lidia nodded, grabbing a cone and then an ice cream scooper. “Um, just…” The girl leaned down, studying the flavors. They all had fancy Italian names, all of which Lust couldn’t understand. She looked at the colors, searching for the familiar pink color of the strawberry flavor. Once she spotted it, she tapped on the glass and attempted to read it out loud, completely butchering it. “Fra- frag—this one.”

“Fragola! Picked perfect, it is one of my gooder gelatos.” Lidia assured, waving her scooper at Lust playfully before sliding the glass open to serve her two scoops. She wrapped the ice cream cone in a napkin then handed it to Lust, who thanked her awkwardly. “And you, Fresh, want Puffo.” She spoke, absolutely sure about it. She rinsed her scooper before doing the same thing for Fresh.

The scooper clanked as Lidia put it down, leaning on the counter as she handed him his ice cream. “Grazie nonna!” He thanked, taking it carefully.

The elderly lady chuckled, speaking up once again. “You’re welcome, carino, come soon again! Nonna miss you.” Fresh smiled as he took out a solid $20. He handed it to her, and she gave him a knowing look before he nodded. That was way over the price! She said buy one get one free, did she not? And it was $5 for a cone and an extra dollar per scoop, so it would’ve just been $6! It said it right there…!

“We miss ya too, nonna. Geno said he’ll come by soon when he’s better! Don’t know ‘bout Error, but he’ll prolly come around with his pals!” He assured. Lidia’s hand took Fresh’s and gave it a squeeze, smiling at him. “I’ll make sure ta visit soon.”

Lidia let go of his hand, shooing him. “Ciao caro, go enjoy the fun from your date.” She spoke, waving her hand in a ‘go away’ kind of gesture, though not malicious.

Fresh waved goodbye—Lust doing the same—before offering his arm to his partner shortly after. She hesitantly took his arm, looking down in a pensively somber manner. He genuinely wasn’t that bad, was he… should she leave?

The two walked along the beach’s boardwalk, Lust lost in thought. She genuinely felt conflicted—which honestly was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. Not this kind of conflicted, anyways. She needed the money. She knew she needed it. She wasted two hours, most of them with awkward small talk or an off-putting silence. Though it was her fault, ever since the gelato shop she’d been feeling bad about this. Maybe she should’ve said no. Maybe she shouldn’t have decided to take advantage of him. She clearly misjudged him, as much as she hated to admit it. Fresh wasn’t bad at all, and Lust was just… an asshole. She was no better than anybody else, and it was starting to hit her. Gods, she felt so… disgusted with herself.

Once again, Lust was snapped out of her train of thought by Fresh attempting to make small talk. “Are you okay?” He asked. The question caught her off guard. “Ya kinda been spacin out… did I do sumthin wrong?” His voice sounded… hurt? Lust couldn’t tell. She felt so out of it. Gods, what was wrong with her.

She shook her head, slowing her pace down. “No, it’s…” She uttered, pursing her lips. She should just tell him, maybe she’d feel better. Not like they have to interact long-term, right? “Why are you being… so nice to me—you know what I do, don’t you?” She asked, stopping entirely and letting go of his arm. He turned around to look at her, presumably attempting to make eye contact but failing as Lust was looking to her left at the beach. The sun set to her right causing the sky she was looking at to have that comforting shade of a darker blue. Some street lights had flickered on already as well.

Fresh tilted his head, putting his other hand in his pocket. “What do ya mean?” He questioned, looking a bit nervous. He had stopped smiling as well, which was an odd sight. He looked strange when serious. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea... but no, she was already too far in. She shouldn’t have said anything if she was just going to chicken out.

This was despicable. “I sleep around the school for money. Everybody knows that. They all like to act like they didn’t stoop so low as to sleep with a queer, fat woman who is clearly desperate for cash, but that doesn’t stop them from knowing about it all.” Lust explained, struggling to find her words. She grimaced, her voice refusing to work.

She shifted, trying to think of how to say it without hurting his feelings. “I know dat, don’t see why that stops me from treatin ya with basic respect, yer a person too.” Fresh responded, not realizing she wasn’t finished. Lust sucked in a sharp breath, her frown growing. “Just cause you do stuff like that don’t mean you deserve any less reverence than the rest of us-”

“I was going to try to take money from you too! That was the only reason I agreed to go out in the first place.” Lust exclaimed, taking a step forward. “I saw you as nothing more than a client. Some easy cash grab. The way you approached me, I thought you were just one of those… those dirtbags.” She scowled, rubbing one of her arms as she looked down in shame. “But, you’re not. So I can’t keep doing this, I’m sorry.” She muttered.

Fresh stared at her, expression undecipherable through his shades. What had gotten into her? This felt so strange. Why did she yell? She shouldn’t have yelled. If only she could blame it on a monthly hormonal imbalance… but she couldn’t. Lust had no reason to yell at him. She tilted her head further down, closing her eyes. What a shameful situation. “Tell me more.” Fresh spoke, voice monotone.

Lust slightly raised a brow, looking up. At him. She met his gaze. Actually seeing eye-to-eye. His shades were off, resting on the neck of his shirt. “W-wha?” She stuttered, a clueless tone tainting her previously agitated voice.

She watched as the other walked over to the thick stone railings and plopped down on them, patting the spot next to him. “Tell me more.” Fresh repeated. Lust looked around, studying the scene. The boardwalk was surprisingly empty, likely because it was getting colder since the sun was setting. Though it was odd for it to ever be empty… whatever, was convenient.

She hesitantly obliged, sitting down with enough space for somebody else to fit in between the two. Lust dug into her purse, taking out a pack of cigarettes and popping one in her mouth. “You want one?” She offered, extending her hand. Fresh shook his head, putting up a hand as if to stop her. She shrugged, lighting the cig she had. She took a puff, before exhaling it. “Well, my piece of shit dad didn’t leave us any options.” Lust began, sliding her heels off. “He banged my mom up in a drunken one-night stand and she kept me. She’s been working her ass off since.” She flicked the excess ash off her cig. She didn’t even know why she was telling him.

Fresh hummed, his eyes on Lust that entire time. He opened his mouth to speak, before closing it. Lust looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, noticing how his expression softened as they made eye contact. “And you’re okay with that?” He inquired quietly.

“What’s there to do about it, really? Pure rage won’t take me anywhere.” She uttered, taking another puff. “Besides, it helps me feel normal.” Fresh raised a brow as she admitted this, urging her to go on in a way. She let out the smoke from her mouth, watching it rise up. “I’ve never really felt sexual attraction. Doing this, it feels normal. Like something your typical teenager might do. It’s the only time strangers look past me being a transgender woman, anyway. I present femininely all I can so people will forget about that meek little boy who they used to call a fag. Funny how that’s what they called me and now they think I want to rape women by using my gender identity to sneak into female-only spaces.” Lust chuckled bitterly, taking in a deep breath. The cold stabbed her nostrils, a punishment for smoking despite promising her mom she’d stop.

 The sound of waves crashing against the sand sounded off behind the pair as they sat in silence. Though, Lust coughing did interrupt it every once in a while. It seemed Lust had left Fresh speechless for a little while, but really, what did she expect? Though… it felt nice getting it off her chest to somebody who had actually asked. “…You’re strong.” Fresh spoke up eventually, his gaze studying the sky.

Lust chuckled, putting her cigarette out on where she sat and dropping it in front of her. “Thanks.” She turned to look at him, before redirecting her gaze up to the sky as well. “You’re not as bad as I thought, either.” She responded, a small smile crawling on her face. Despite having put out her cigarette, the cold air made it seem as though she was still smoking even if it wasn’t that cold. Maybe—no, she was too hot. Haha, get it, because vapor comes from hot- okay you get it sorry.

After a few minutes, Fresh got a notification. Lust turned to watch him as he took out his phone, reading something before he closed his eyes and put it away. Lust raised a brow, watching him stand up and stretch. “…let’s hang again, yeah?” Fresh said, digging in his pocket.

Lust put her heels back on, putting her things back in her purse. She put it around her neck, standing up and dusting her bottom. “I wouldn’t mind that-” She spoke as she turned around, her eyes widening. Fresh was holding out three $20 bills. How loaded was this guy?? “O-oh, no, I shouldn’t take that.” She spoke, holding her hand out in the way Fresh had when declining her offer earlier.

Fresh pushed it against her hand. “If ya won’t take it I’ll drop it like it’s hawt.” He threatened, tone more playful than anything else—though, she shook her head. “Take it, ya need it more than me.” He insisted, waving it a little bit. Lust looked back and forth between the money and Fresh, taking her sunglasses off of her head and shoving them in her purse.

She shook her head, pushing his arm down. “I like to work for my money.” Lust responded, putting her hands on her hips and leaning to the side. A streetlight flickered on above the pair with a buzz, it being the last light that needed to turn on in the area. It cast a shadow upon their faces, making the atmosphere feel eerie.

“But you did work for it, you went out on a date with me. Isn’t that technically a part of your job?” Fresh taunted smugly, crossing his arms. “I knew about your work, and I asked for your services—even if it wasn’t what you typically do.” He held out the $60 again, unwilling to take no for an answer.

Seems like he’s hell-bent on this. “Clever boy.” Lust commented, snatching the money out of his hands. “Next time you won’t get off easy as that.” She uttered, not realizing what she’d said entirely as she stuffed the money into her bra.

Fresh’s face lit up, a bit of blush dusting his cheeks. “Great, see ya next time then.” He spoke, grabbing her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of her palm. My, what a charmer that such a visually unappealing man could be. “I’ll contact you again soon.” Fresh spoke, walking past Lust without giving her a chance to say anything. He knelt down, picking up the cigar that she had dropped on the floor earlier and throwing it in the trash welded to the lamp post.

Maybe… he wasn’t that bad.

~~Chapter 13 End~~

Chapter Text

~~Chapter 14 Start~~

The streetlights were on, the sky dark. Very few cars had been passing by, making for an atypical night time city view. It was a rather peaceful night, the streets oddly empty despite only being 6 PM. The silence was quickly disrupted by the sound of rather hostile bickering.

“You piece of shit!” Exclaimed Error, squaring up to his older brother. “Don’t touch me! I can go by myself.” He grunted, slapping Fresh’s hands away from himself. There just was absolutely NO sense of personal space in this household, was there?

Fresh let out a whine, pouting at the shorter. “But bro! We all up ‘n’ alone so I got no mama or papa or Geno to hold onto…” He spoke, as if Error was meant to feel bad for him. “Ya know how I like ta grab onto my lovin’ family.” His hand reached out to the other again slowly, almost as if teasing his disorder.

Error growled. “I said stop touching me you failed abortion! And don’t lump me into that category, either!!” He reiterated, speed-walking up the slightly inclined sidewalk. “Gods, I wish mom never got diagnosed with you.” The radical skeleton gasped, a fake hurt (OBVIOUS by the way! Error wasn’t mentally stumped like Fresh.) expression on his face as he attempted to speak up. Error, however, wasn’t having it. “I don’t want to hear it! Mom told me to come get him, not us. How did you even find out?? I went out of my way to keep it from you.” He ranted, walking faster in an attempt to escape him.

The shorter had to stop at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green. This gave his older brother a chance to catch up. “I’m comin bcuz mama CQ told me to!” Fresh huffed, catching his breath as he spoke. “Now stop tryin ta get me away! She gave me certain papers that ya need for Geno’s discharge.” Error’s look softened a bit as he looked up at the other, before frowning again.

“Fine, yeah, whatever man.” He grumbled, feeling defeated. Did she really have to do that and not tell him. Was that really necessary. Oh whatever, whatever, whatEVER!!! Error didn’t care, he didn’t! Whatever. He tapped his foot on the sidewalk, waiting for the permission from those damn lights to step foot on the crosswalk. How dumb. Do you know how long it took me to find the word for crosswalk? Not only that, it took long to find it ONLY for it to be crosswalk. It’s RIDICULOUS. I hate that word. It’s so stupid. Crosswalk. Can you fucking believe it man. CROSSWALK. Whatever. I don’t even care. Whatever man. English is hands down the stupidest language I know.

As the light turned green, the pair began walking again at a normal pace—as Error saw no use in escaping Fresh if he had something he needed. Speaking of Fresh; he had just cleared his throat as they got to the other side of the road. As if… trying to bring up an awkward topic. “…how long you been gay?” His voice was really fucking lame, almost as lame as the conversation star—wait what? Gay? Error? What??

A car beeped as Error spoke up, almost as if the world was trying to censor his response. “I’m not a queer, Fresh!” He argued, getting himself worked up. Gay. Gay! Where did he get that from?? Error wasn’t gay! Error would never be gay! “Did someone tell you I was?” He inquired, the grimace on his face doing nothing but growing.

Fresh waved his hands in a downwards motion, attempting to calm the other down. “Chillax yo! Y’all r the talk of the school, are ya not?” He pointed out, before adding, “Besides, a chick I went out on a d8 with earlier today told me yer dating Ink.” Oh, that fucking pest. Great, just what he needed, Fresh thinking he was with Ink. Though, that was technically the entire point… Whatever!!!

“Suck it cunt, it’s not gay.” Error grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms. “It’s just… not platonic.” He crossed his arms as he looked up to the sky. It’s not like I’m with who I want to be, anyways… He thought to himself as he frowned a bit. I’m only doing this for him. “Anyways, who were you even out on a date with? That’s not typical of you. Thought you never wanted to date anyone or something.” He switched the subject, not wanting to allow Fresh to begin teasing him.

A bird chirped as Fresh hummed, creating a temporary harmony. “Yer gonna laugh brah, but I need ya to know I really like this gurl.” He prefaced, letting his hands make a radical horizontal gesture as they moved away from each other. Which, admittedly made no sense with what he was saying… but it wasn’t atypical of him to make random gestures. “It’z this stunning mare from school called Lust. I’m sure ya know ‘er?” Fresh’s face was lightly dusted with blush, his hands behind his back as he walked. His gaze had mimicked Error’s earlier, up to the sky. Though, his seemed to be in a more flustered manner. Or, enamored perchance? He couldn’t quite tell.

Lust, huh? Wasn’t that Ink’s friend or something… The super pink girl who was too flirty and mega bossy? Error couldn’t lie to himself, she lowkey ate. “You went on a date with someone like that? How did you manage that??” He spat bluntly, turning around to point at him. “Blue told me she’s always raving about hating how you and your friends dress!” Error added, resting a hand on his hip as he walked backwards cautiously.

The other held his hands up defensively letting them do a radical wave. Gods I hate it when he does that. “She sure didn’t seem ta care when we was all up ‘n’ gobblin’ down that gelato from nonna’s place~!” Fresh defended, offering an explanation right after. “Besides, I jus’ asked her, how else do ya think lil bro? Fur an honors student ya sure don’t use yer noggin.” He teased, wiggling- wiggling his butt??

Error scowled. “Don’t shake your ass at me you parasite. I’m surprised she didn’t say no to you, you’re a hideous pest.” He turned back around, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows into a deeper frown. He hated everything about this guy.

“Ouch brah, dat one hurt.” Fresh spoke in a mock-offended tone. Asshole. Error grumbled something intelligible even to himself as he began walking up ahead. No way in hell he wanted to be associated with this 90s nightmare right now. He took his phone out, opening his texting app and noting some text messages from acquaintances. I’ll answer later.

As the odd pair walked, Error briefly missed a brick being thrown at his head by some punk. He glanced down at the brick, noticing a note on it. “What in the…” He mumbled, leaning down and sliding the note off the brick. In messy and almost rushed handwriting it read, “alright buddy he aint tuff, youre so fucking obvious about being gay its a suprise you deny it so bad, YOURE LITERALLY DATING A MAN AND HAVE A CRUSH ON ANOTHER. YOURE NOT FOOLING NOBODY MAN.” Signed by a ‘paintpython45’. The first thing he did was pick apart the grammar and spelling, an odd wince tainting his face as it mixed with confusion and slight disgust. He looked around, looking for the author for a confrontation. Much to his dismay, however, the assailant was long gone by the time he deciphered what it read. “What the hell…” He muttered to himself, dropping the note.

Fresh stood near him, having witnessed the entire thing but shrugging and writing it off as a daily occurrence for his younger brother since he’d seemed so unbothered by it. Strange double-life that kids his age lived, he supposed despite only being roughly one year older than Error.

Eventually, the hospital was just around the corner from them. What a hassle it was to reach such an important building. You’d think the hospital is easily accessible considering it’s the only hospital in the city. Oh, it’s not like he even cared anyways, who was he kidding? The only reason it bugged him was because he had to go pick up Geno which meant he had to actually make his way there. Error let out a sigh as he waited for his brother to catch up, turning the corner with him as they approached the entrance.

“Go on.” Error uttered as he held the door open for his brother. Fresh’s face switched to a teasingly flattered one as he strode in with a ‘thank you’. The way he walked… it was as if he were making sure to embarrass his brother. Miserable prick. Error followed in after, glaring up ahead.

Fresh was already talking to the lady at the desk. Error chose to tune him out, not wanting to hear his annoying voice. He looked up at the clock behind her, acting as if he were reading the time as an excuse to think. He really did have to consider Ink his boyfriend now, didn’t he? Blue would be upset if he slipped up and claimed he wasn’t dating the art freak. “Yo Error, hand em over.” The older beckoned.

His gaze landed back on Fresh, his hand outstretched towards him as he raised an eyebrow. Oh, right. The papers. Error reached into his pocket and handed Fresh whatever the hell had been in the envelope his mom gave him. “Thanks lil bro!” Fresh thanked, snatching the envelope and handing it to the desk lady as their conversation resumed. Error began ignoring them again, crossing his arms. Only for Blue. He began pouting, not quite realizing he was.

Eventually, Fresh waved his hand in front of Error’s face. “What.” The ebony skeleton grumbled, glaring up at the other.

“Woah, chill out yo!” Fresh shot up his hands defensively, backing up as if not wanting to get punched. “We good ta go get Geno outta bed, hospital told me dat they warned ‘im earlier today so we ought to just waltz right in.” He explained as he began walking in the direction of the overnight stay area.

The other didn’t respond, simply following behind him as his thoughts quickly shifted to his eldest brother. Was Geno even going to get okay? Didn’t mom say that dad was always away because he was working on a cure for him? If that was true, then he would’ve found something already! It’d been years since dad left, he was starting to think it was just a sorry excuse to not reveal to the jock that he and his siblings had actually been abandoned and effectively left fatherless just to save his ego. Error didn’t need that, he needed answers.

It already felt like he had no father. Mom said they were still married and still in contact, but if so then where the hell was he? He’d have to ask Geno if dad bothered to even text him to check in. Error hoped he had, despite fully knowing he didn’t. He never did. Why would he suddenly change his mind?

In his frustrating train of thought, Error found he’d walked up ahead and was now in front of Geno’s door. He had also been holding out a few items? He had pulled out his phone and a sticky note, absent-mindedly having read it over. Right, the exact time Error was told Geno asked to be picked up. Well, whatever, not like being early would hurt at all. Fresh arrived a few seconds later as Error gripped the doorknob, prepping himself to open it for some reason. He opened the door, not bothering to knock since, well, it was his brother. As he peeked into the room, he dropped the things he’d been holding as a synchronized gasp escaped his and Fresh’s lips at the exact same time.

[Ink POV]

Well, Dream was going to be pissed. The artist skipped his gymnastics class again all in in favor of visiting his mother in the hospital for the third time this week. To add salt to the wound, he had been out walking alone after dark after being instructed not to. He, however, was too preoccupied trying to keep himself from crying—therefore not minding that fact too much despite the dread it brought him. Ink grumbled to himself, wiping at his eyes every few seconds. “Oh would you stop crying? You visit her all the time… it’s not a big deal.” As he uttered to himself, he heard a loud gasp from his left. Standing near a room door in front of him were Fresh and Error with their jaws dropped to the floor. Error had a grimace as he held the doorknob, and Fresh’s glasses had slid off half his face revealing a mix of a disgusted and shocked expression as if he witnessed a murder. His hands had also come up to the back of his head from the scare he was actively suffering from, tipping his hat slightly off. Ink noticed his knees had also been bent a little bit, effectively dramatizing himself in a comical manner. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t notice the snort he held back.

Wait, was it even okay for Ink to laugh? It’s not like they were particularly close. They were more like… business partners? Ink wanted nothing to do with him anyways, yeah. As soon as the shadow man was out of his life, so was Error. Though, for the time being it wouldn’t hurt to try to get along… But not here, not today. Not in a hospital where he was potentially interrupting something important, and definitely not after Ink had been crying uncontrollably. Well, he wasn’t even… crying? He wasn’t sad at all. No, he wasn’t. His eyes just refused to stop watering. Yeah.

…

Oh who was he fooling, he was crying. Everything was horrible right now. He didn’t want to be spotted like this. Maybe he’d sneak along the wall nice and slow and stealthy. If Error saw him he wouldn’t say anything right? He had that much trust in him—neither wanted anything with each other, so he could trust that. Right??? The only problem was Fresh. That damn guy was the worst. If Fresh spotted Ink then everything was over. He would be seen looking pathetic. It was way too early for whatever was going on over there to be revealed to the artist anyway! Maybe in a million years he’d be interested, but he sure as hell didn’t care in the present.

Ink moved quietly, pressing up against the wall to his right. C’mon Ink, you scare people because of how quiet you walk… don’t give yourself away. The artist began carefully sliding against the wall, an odd sight to anybody out of the loop. He synchronized his steps and his breathing, taking his sweet ass time as he moved which ended up sealing his fate. “Have a good day Mr. Comyet!” Called out that friendly voice from the nurse who took care of his mother. Shit. Shit shit shit. Ink quickly stood up, fixing his posture as he turned to wave at her with an awkward smile.

“Y-you too…!” He responded in the most cumbersome manner he could’ve. Nice going, Ink. Way to act casual. Ink grumbled to himself in his head, turning to look at the door. Much to his dismay, the two skeletons he’d been trying to avoid had turned around and were watching him with that same shocked look still on their face.

Fresh ran up to Ink, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “B-bro! He’s… bro!!!” He cried out in despair. “Error’s boyfriend! Yer gay, wut do I do!?” The shaking became more intense, stopping before a yelp came out from his mouth as he collapsed.

It seemed like Error had kicked the back of his knee, hands on his hips as he began scolding him. “Be quiet! Don’t just touch people like that you creep!!” He reprimanded with the nastiest scowl before redirecting his gaze at Ink. There was the slightest hint of disgust on his face as he greeted him. “Hey.”

Oh, Ink wasn’t that bad! “Hi.” Ink returned, fiddling with his sleeves as he avoided eye contact. What should he say? If only that nurse hadn’t spotted him… wait, hadn’t the nurse comforted Ink while he cried for a bit? And he’d been crying before that as well… stars, his eyes probably super red and puffy weren’t they? Dang it! He felt his vision blur, likely changing back into their resting white circles instead of the shape he knew they were. His suspicion was quickly confirmed as Error’s expression shifted to one of confusion and slight shock. He was pretty sure his eyes only ever changed whenever he felt strong emotions, though he never learned why. The artist always wondered if his dear mother had eyes like his own, unable to remember how they looked. Despite wanting to blame this on his bad memory… it had been 9 years since he’d seen her eyes open, of course he wouldn’t be able to.

Error pointed at his eyes, his mouth slightly agape as he kept eye contact with the other as if to question him. However, he quickly shook his head and chose not to ask. “Why are you here?” He inquired, crossing his arms as he looked down at him. Ink noticed Fresh begin to crawl back into the room, being greeted at the door with some tall guy in a black hoodie and an ankle length skirt torn at the edges. Oh, maybe it was rude of Ink to assume it was a man…

As Ink opened up his mouth to answer, he was distracted by the conversation in the background. “Fresh, calm down!” The… intersex person spoke. Their voice was deep, though slightly agitated. “It’s not what it looks like?” They shrugged. The mysterious person stumbled backwards as Fresh abruptly stood up.

“Ma eyes don’t lie! Ya were suckin’ face with my big bro!!” He yelled as he jabbed his finger towards the other, causing them to recoil. “Ya were suckin’ face with my big bro on that hospital bed!!! Is- Is that why ya were beggin’ to be here!? Ta take advantage!?” Fresh backed up as if he’d been physically assaulted by whatever it was he’d seen.

Another skeleton came into view shortly after, causing the one dressed in black to reveal what his face looked like as his hood shifted. “Fresh, he wasn’t taking advantage!” The slightly shorter pleaded, his arms held out cautiously as he approached. The most striking thing about his appearance was the scarlet scarf he was wearing as it swished from his movement. “I let him—no, I wanted him to do that!” He continued, his expression showing he felt slightly shameful. His voice was strikingly higher than the skeleton dressed in black, but not high enough to come off as feminine.

Fresh’s face twisted up, before relaxing entirely as he let himself fall across the floor. “Two of ma siblings are gay… and none of y’all told me…” He whined, resting his face on the hospital floor. Ick. “Totez not rad… why do ya not trust me?” Despite his words, his tone reeked of being hurt at the lack of communication.

“Fresh, get off the floor it’s dirty!” The shorter scolded, attempting to pick him up. The skeleton in black put a hand to his chest, signaling for him to back off as he himself picked Fresh up. “Thank you, Reaper.” He smiled, resting his hand on that Reaper’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. That warm look they shared quickly turned to one of disbelief as they raised a brow at each other, then glanced down at Fresh.

Reaper let go of Fresh, before he and the skeleton in the red—you know what? Ink wasn’t dumb. That was clearly Fresh’s older brother. He and the older brother spoke up in sync. “Two of your siblings are gay?” They quoted as their voices managed to harmonize momentarily.

All three of them suddenly turned to look at Error and Ink, causing the latter to notice that Error had long since turned his attention to the obnoxious display at hand. Ink looked at Error, noticing his cheeks slightly turn yellow as he began defending himself. “N-no, Geno it’s not… I’m not! I already told him!” He pathetically spouted, pointing at Fresh as he spoke. So his name is Geno… “It’s n-not romantic it’s just not platonic!”

Ink had to admit, Error’s bashfulness was more than amusing. Geno broke into a gentle smile, tilting his head as he shifted into welcoming body language. “Oh, Ruru! It’s okay to be homosexual.” He said as he stepped closer to his brother, spreading his arms. “Is this your boyfriend? Did you bring him here to introduce him?” The scarlet scarf once again caught Ink’s eye before he realized he was being addressed.

The artist’s face blushed a little, Geno’s demeanor making him feel loved. He noticed how Error let his eldest brother grab his arms and rest his head on his shoulder, incredibly grumpy as he looked away. He noted how there still seemed to be room in between the two based on the way their feet were positioned, before realizing he no longer was a spectator. “I- um. I’m Ink.” Ink quietly introduced himself, giving a small and frightful bow. He wanted to speak again, but he didn’t dare utter another word. Geno’s face twisted up into a bigger smile as he pushed himself off his brother.

A hand reached out to Ink, stopping in front of him for a handshake. “Ink, hm? That is a beautiful name. Reminds me of calligraphy. Say, Ink, do you practice it? What about poems? Do you write poems with feathers?” Geno rambled as Ink took his hand, clearly beginning to tease him. Ink opened his mouth, not quite knowing what to say. “I’m just joking, do not worry.” His face slightly twisted up with displeased shock. “Oh, well where are my manners? You must forgive me, I got excited.” The artist tilted his head.

Geno mimicked the bow Ink had given him, though he executed it much more gracefully. “My name is Geno. Geno Crayon.” He introduced, beckoning one of the three skeletons behind him. It seemed to be Reaper that stepped up. “I am assuming you already know Error and Fresh, considering… the situation.” He chuckled. Reaper rest his head on the hand Geno had used to beckon him, causing the other to blush slightly and turn to him with a small frown. The former gave him a teasing wink before standing up straight. “This is Reaper, he is dumb so don’t listen to a word he says.” He jabbed, watching the expression of the aforementioned instantly shatter into utter despair.

“Genitoooo~~!” Reaper whined, clearly upset as he tried wrapping his arms around Geno. He was stopped by the hand he formerly rested his head on, an act of betrayal that caused Ink to let out a snort.

Before anything else could be said, Error cleared his throat. The group faced the ebony skeleton, his serious expression causing the lighthearted mood to drop the slightest bit. “About Reaper…” He began, flashing a sharp look at the two as if he himself were the eldest brother. “…mind explaining?”

The actual eldest brother seemed to nervously fidget as what had initially mortified Error and Fresh was brought back up again. “Well, we were going to tell you guys soon…” Geno spoke softly, looking up at Reaper. “…maybe.” He uttered.

Error let out a sigh as he pinched his nose bridge. “Listen, we don’t care if you date a guy Geno. The issue is that you guys were making out on a hospital bed.” The statement caused the couple to blush simultaneously. “I mean, my fault for showing up sooner than expected I guess but…” He leaned his head to the side while scratching his forehead. For a second Ink could’ve sworn he saw sweat on the other’s cheek while he had an awkwardly guilty expression on his face.

“Well my issue is dat ya didn’t tell me ya were gay! Both of ya!!” Fresh reiterated, before Error wacked him with the first thing he pulled out of his pocket—which was a sticky note. Nice going Error. Ink snickered, noticing Geno and Reaper laughing as well.

The assailant let out a low growl. “Don’t make me repeat myself a third time crimson chin.” He glared, watching as Fresh reached toward his chin to check for pores or pimples. Reaper and Geno were attempting not to crack up, leaning on each other for support. After a solid 15 seconds, Fresh realized that he couldn’t actually get pimples since skeleton and human skin was different. The jock’s attention quickly turned to the artist, his glare feeling a lot more intimidating when it landed on him. “And you-”

Before he could even speak, Geno nudged him. “Show him some respect.” He reprimanded with a whisper.

Error rolled his eyes, tilting his head in a mocking manner before locking his eyes on Ink again. The look on his face was a lot more gentle, however. The shorter gave Geno a thankful glance, before turning his attention back to Error. The ebony skeleton cleared his throat, looking off to the side in an awkward manner. “Uh, babe,” he spoke, both of them cringing at the delivery of the pet name, “What brought you to the hospital?” He questioned, making eye contact—though this time far more awkward.

Right… Well, Ink sure as hell wasn’t telling him. “I was bringing something with a friend of family; Dream asked me to.” He lied straight through his teeth, noticing how Error narrowed his eyes.

“And you came alone?” The skeleton asked once again, this time poking a hole through his lie. “If he let you do that then he’s super irresponsible.” Error jabbed, looking off to the side with a victorious smirk. Seemed like he disliked Dream.

Before Ink could make an excuse for himself, Geno butted in the conversation once again. “Dream? As in Dream Joku?” He asked, his eyes practically sparkling as he stepped closer to Ink. The artist cautiously nodded, studying his expression. He knows Dream? “Oh, I didn’t know you knew him! Are you the adoptive brother he told me he has? I haven’t seen you at any of the family dinners before!” Geno grabbed Ink’s hand, startling him. Error felt the same confusion, clear as day as it tainted his expression.

Reaper stepped forwards, putting his hands on Geno’s shoulders as he leaned down. “How’s Dream, little guy?” He asked. The way they were posing was perfect for a drawing, their outfits and faces simply completing the look and making the perfect muse as a pair of one. If that even made sense? It did to Ink, that’s all that mattered. “Hope he’s alright, he seemed a bit stressed out last time we saw him.”

‘Last time we saw him?’ Ink raised a brow, voicing the question on his mind. “You know Dream?”

Geno and Reaper chuckled, nodding in unison. “Yes, our mother and his parents are business partners. We have had multiple dinners together. He always spoke of a ‘boy that my parents are taking care of’ and how he saw him ‘as a brother’—even going as far as to refer as him as his ‘adopted brother’—but he never really told us who it was.” He explained, before realizing he should expand on why he correctly assumed Ink was the ‘adopted brother’. “I-I wasn’t implying you seemed adopted by any means whatsoever! Just, the way Error said that made it a bit obvious he was overprotective of you, not to mention you referred to the person as a ‘family friend’.” He explained, waving a hand in the air before leaning backwards into Reaper subconsciously.

Ink noted how close and in-sync Geno and Reaper seemed, wondering to himself how they were able to keep it on the down low. He also was confused on why they’d given up on concealing it in a public area. Were they only keeping it from family? Or maybe this was how they naturally acted, Ink himself was very clingy with his friends he supposed. Well, not that it was his business anyways. “Yes, um. Dream lives with me in the school dorms, it’s not really his parents that take care of me anymore. But they did in the past, and still provide for us.” The artist explained in a timid tone. “But um- he’s okay.” He looked off to the side, tilting his head a bit. “M-maybe not doing that good, on second thought…”

His gaze flipped back in front of himself, noticing the worried expression on the two in front of him. “U-um! But he’s fine! I’ve made sure of it.” Ink waved his hands frantically in front of himself in a sorry attempt of dismissal. “Anyways, what- what time is it?” He asked, looking around. The topic of Dream being brought up reminded him he needed to go back to his class before it ended, if that even was an option anymore.

Error was the person who answered, surprisingly enough. “It’s past 6.” His voice seemed calm, but that didn't stop Ink from starting to panic. Past 6!? He got to the hospital around 4 and gymnastics ended at 5:30! The other saw how Ink's expression twisted up, taking a chance to tease him. “Hey man, don’t get your panties in a twist. It’s just a number.” Error’s tone was slightly mocking as he leaned down to Ink’s eye-level, trying to pass it off as a joke for the others there. Geno, however, seemed to know just what Error was doing and shot him a glare as if to tell him to back off.

“Were you in a rush, Ink?” Geno inquired as he reached out, placing a comforting hand on Ink’s shoulder. Something about him was very calming, normally Ink would’ve avoided that touch coming from a ‘stranger’. Could Ink call him that? He technically knew him now, but he just found out his name and all, so… Oh, whatever! No time to think on that, Dream’s going to kill him!!! “I’m sorry if we held you up. I should've asked if you were busy.” Geno bowed a little as a form of apology, Reaper looking down at him and following suit. Error grumbled something to himself quietly while crossing his arms, rolling his eyes as they landed back on Ink.

Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Ink shook his head. “It- don’t worry about it.” He assured the group, adjusting his clothes before looking around. “I need to go. Dream will get mad at me.” The artist began shuffling to his right, shooting everyone an awkward smile. “Um, yeah. Bye-“ He waved, not really thinking about how everyone but Error waved at Ink in a speechlessly uncomfortable manner as he turned around and began walking away. Situation successfully escaped, Ink thought to himself as he sluggishly moved, trying to think of an excuse to tell Dream when he eventually ran into him.

While he was a few feet away, he came to a full stop and turned when he heard his name be brought up. “Error, shouldn’t you walk Ink home?” Suggested Geno, raising a brow. “Be a good not-platonic not-romantic boyfriend.” The older huffed, resting his hands on his hips with what looked like a look of disbelief and disappointment.

Both Ink and Error began speaking over each other, vainly explaining how there was no need and how Ink would be fine on his own, etc.

.

.

.

“I can’t believe we’re stuck like this again.” Error growled, his arms crossed as the biggest pout rested on his face. After bickering with Geno for a while, he decided to threaten Error with not giving something that belonged to the black skeleton back, causing him to instantly cave in and agree to walk him home. Geno had also called him a ‘bad boyfriend’, to which Error had flipped him off. Surprisingly, Fresh had stayed quiet the entire interaction, likely taking in all the information as two of his brothers had practically come out as gay presumably at the same time based on what he’d claimed.

Ink wanted to think about that more, but preferred to respond to Error before they fell into an uncomfortable silence. “And after we pretty much begged, too…” The artist uttered in response, avoiding looking up at the jock. What in the world did he even have in common with Error? Aside from having found his bone pattern mesmerizing at first, there pretty much wasn’t anything that really settled chemistry in-between the pair.

Maybe Ink was looking at this wrong. They were both closed off out of spite, weren’t they? A form of rivalry on top of that. If the two just… switched their views to more progressive ones and actually opened up to the idea of getting along… just maybe, that would make this not only more fun, but easier. Perhaps he should bring this up to Error. The artist turned his head to the side, glancing at the ebony skeleton as he walked. His pout was mostly gone now, replaced with a neutral, yet slightly bothered expression. His eyes were lidded as well. Ink let out a quiet, perplexed hum as he looked back at the ground, bringing a hand to his chin. Would Error even be open to listening? He seemed to… really dislike Ink, to say the least.

Oh, whatever. It’s worth a shot. “Hey Error?” He began, waiting until he felt that grumpy gaze fall on him.

Error let out a grumble, before questioning the other. “What?” The two slowed down as Ink spoke, likely to be careful as they now partially faced each other.

Now was his chance. Ink cleared his throat. “I was just thinking-“ The artist responded, before being abruptly cut off.

“Good to know you can at least do that.” Error mumbled in a slightly smug manner, clearly trying to upset the other as a form of revenge.

With an exasperated sigh, Ink pinched his nose bridge as he resumed. “Uh huh. Well, I was thinking; what if we just tried to get along?” Suggested the shorter, using his hands to gesture at nothing. “I’m not saying we have to be… best friends or anything. It just—it would be nice to get along.” Ink explained, shifting his gaze up in front of him for a second as he could’ve sworn he saw something.

The other looked down, bringing a hand to his chin. If Ink didn’t know better, he’d jump to the conclusion that Error was actually considering him suggestion. The ebony skeleton let out a sigh, softly glaring at Ink through narrowed eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something before hesitating and clenching his jaw. The artist frowned. “Come on Error, give it a chance!” Ink pleaded, clasping his hands in a desperate manner. “I- I know I’m awkward, but I can’t be that bad.”

After a bit, Error finally spoke up. He was biting his thumb as if he were to voice his biggest worry about the situation, so Ink figured he should listen. “Does that mean I have to… treat- treat you nicely-?” He asked with a hint of disgust in his tone. Ink deadpanned, his shoulders slumping.

“Are you serious?” Questioned the shorter, his tone carrying a hint of offense to it. Error seemed to realize something, blinking back a frown as a result.

He shook a hand in the air, looking right at Ink. “No, I meant- like, I just… I don’t want my image tainted.” Error explained, using his hands as if that helped Ink understand anything at all. “I want to have my bad reputation. Keeps people off my back.” He looked up at the sky. “If people catch me suddenly being nice—even if to my… ‘boyfriend’—they’ll know I have a weakness.” The jock's gaze landed back on the artist to his right as he added, “Or whatever.”

Ink felt himself smirking a little. “Really? You care about your reputation like that?” He snorted, bringing a hand to cover his mouth. No way that was it! “Error Crayon cares about his reputation and wants to look like an asshole, who would’ve thought.” He spoke in between cackles. Error had a nasty scowl on his face.

The pair had to come to a stop, as Ink couldn’t stop laughing to himself. It really wasn’t that funny, but… something about it being Error made Ink lose himself. He normally wouldn’t have laughed at someone like that and simply nodded along silently. “Oh shut your fucking mouth you piece of shit!” Exclaimed Error, grabbing him by the back of his scarf and starting to walk ahead. It was like taking a dog on a walk—if Ink was a dog and his scarf was a leash.

The giggles erupting from the artist would suddenly change to vainly begging for mercy, telling the other to let go as he squirmed and tried to stop the motion while trying to free himself. “S-stop! My mom gave me this scarf!” Ink yelled as his feet skidded across the textured concrete floor. “Let me go-!“

How do I get him to let go? Would pissing him off work more? Or maybe I should just apologize… like hell! Ink kept trying to free himself, before he remembered what Geno called him earlier. “Let go, Ruru!” He tried, almost falling as the other stopped in his tracks.

Error turned to glare at Ink, a sudden tug at his scarf leading him right in front of the other. Ink gulped nervously as the jock leaned down, holding the excess scarf he’d had tightly above his head. They were roughly a few inches apart before Error threatened with a whisper. “Don’t call me that.” Ink nodded nervously, before feeling his waist get snatched from behind.

Panic rushed through his veins as he felt his entire body freeze, a familiar scent filling his nose as someone pressed against his back defensively. “Just what were you two doing?” Growled a typically gentle voice. Dream. Oh no, oh no oh no oh no-! “Is this what you played hooky for, Ink?” The artist felt his entire body be forced to turn, but not before spotting a maliciously smug grin on Error’s face.

A nervous chuckle erupted from Ink before he cleared his throat. “D-Dream! Hey!!” He greeted, faking innocence. “I was just… y-yeah! With my pal Error g-going home from gymnastics!” The artist rest his hands on his hips nervously as Dream crossed his arms, nothing but anger on the typically kind face.

Betrayal surged through Ink’s veins as Error suddenly ratted him out, side-eyeing him. “Yeah, no. We ran into each other at the hospital while I was picking up my brother. Ink said you sent him for an errand!” The ebony skeleton tapped his chin, looking off to the side. “But if you didn’t send him, then… he was lying.” As he stated the obvious, his gaze shifted back to Ink. He leaned down with an up-curved smirk, aware of his upper hand. “What was Ink doing at the hospital, and why did he lie about it?” Error tilted his head.

Dream cleared his throat through Ink’s sudden stutters, catching the attention of both. “If Ink lied, then he didn’t want to tell you.” He stated as he frowned, grabbing the artist’s wrist and pulling him to his side. “And what in the world were you two doing just now? Stars above, were you kissing?” Dream pinched his nose bridge before running the hand down his face. Ink could feel himself blush as he shook his head frantically.

“N-no, Dream! We weren’t kissing.” He clarified, grabbing his friend’s hand with the one that wasn’t being held captive. “We were just talking!” Error nodded along, a look of disgust on his face.

A force began pulling on Ink’s wrist, Dream’s sudden movement as he turned so quick it was barely visible. The artist felt himself being dragged down the street once again as if it were some cruel fate. If not by Error’s hand, then he was at Dream’s mercy. “Ink, you can’t keep skipping class.” Dream began, his voice gentler even if still frustrated. It sounded more… disappointed now. “I don’t care if you want to drop out; none of us do really. But don’t sign up just to not attend on a whim.” The artist looked down, their pace significantly slowing down as soon as they were far away enough from Error. “And for the love of Gaia, stop walking through the streets alone.”

Ink hummed, pouting to himself. He felt like a child being scolded by their parent. Believe it or not, being friends with Dream did have its cons, even if they were a small amount. “I’m sorry…” He uttered, guilt clawing away at the volume of his voice and threatening to take it out. “I was… forgetting her face.” The pair stopped walking altogether, Dream turning to face Ink.

Without a word, the taller wrapped his arms around the other. “Ink, I understand—but-“ Dream cut himself off wincing at how tightly Ink held onto him. “Time doesn’t stop for anyone.” Ink felt the breeze of a sigh caress his head as he buried his face into the older's shoulder. “You can’t put your life on hold like that.” Dream hesitated, sucking in air as he decided to not say the actual end of his sentence. Ink knew what it was though.

“Yeah, ‘not for her’, right?” He mumbled bitterly. Dream grabbed him by the shoulders, pushing him away a little as they made eye contact. He asked Ink to repeat, but the artist didn’t bother. “I said ‘you’re right’.” Ink lied, gripping the sides of Dream’s sweater.

There was a small look of doubt on Dream’s face, but Ink chose to ignore it as he looked past him. “I’m glad you understand…” He responded gingerly, his hands moving off the shorter’s shoulders. “Let’s go home… I’m exhausted.”

Ink nodded, letting Dream drag him along again in that gentle way he was so used to.

"By the way, Dream"

"Yes Ink?"

"Geno said hi."

~~Chapter 14 End~~