Chapter Text
Geno thumbed through the sudden burst of comments populating on his phone with a tired sigh. He hadn’t asked for the surprise influx of votes as the sexy sans of the year but… it was flattering. Glancing up, Geno watched his younger brother’s shoulders boiling with barely contained energy. Error, strangely, hadn’t said anything yet or made any loud exclamations after his third sweeping victory. And it was even over last year’s winner to. What was his name? X… no Cross. That was it. Cute kid.
Turning off his phone with an exhausted sigh, Geno casually stashed it in his inventory before cautiously approaching his younger brother.
“Hey Error, great job again this year.”
Geno reached out to tap his bro on the shoulder but Error pulled away before contact could be made. When Error turned to face him, Error’s expression was one of drawn seriousness as he narrowed his sockets at Geno. Oh boy… this was going to be a long forty eight hours.
“Good job defeating Cross. Knew you’d get him this year,” Geno said, trying to sound encouraging about it.
Error gave him a look that Geno figured meant he was torn on how and if to respond but, before he could decide, a puddle of ink formed practically under Error’s foot. Confused as to why such a thing would be appearing, Geno raised a brow ridge. That mystery was solved as, from the murky depths, a slender, tattooed arm emerged. The hand shot up to grab hold of Error’s leg.
Error promptly gave a startled shriek, heavy glitches springing up across his body, and moved jerkily to try and destroy the offending hand but by the time a dark, soulless smile bled through the inky surface of the puddle, Error froze in a full crash. One complete with a load bar Geno noted sardonically.
Geno sighed again, knowing Error would be even more grumpy with the Protector here even though he was not facing off against the small skeleton for first place. Geno watched Ink pull himself out of the puddle into a high airborne summersault. He was tempted to ask if that had been entirely necessary but, before he could, Ink had landed beside Geno and was already leaning against his shoulder.
“Hey Geno!” Ink chirped before pausing to look at his scarf and search the item for exactly why he had stopped by in the first place. “Uhmm…okay. It says congratulate Geno, so…”
Ink drew out the last words as he leaned closer to the illegible scribbles that apparently were already fading away into the cloth. Seemingly satisfied with what he found, Ink finally turned to give Geno his largest, most exuberant smile.
“Congratulations!” Then he glanced away, eye lights spinning through shapes before stopping on a curious orange question mark and a bright teal diamond. “…what happened to Error?”
Unsure if Ink had already forgotten the contest or if he had just lost interest in it now that he was not competing, Geno shrugged. Not that it seemed to matter as, in the next instant, Ink’s eye lights switched again as his sockets widened with delight.
“Oh! I can vote on the next sexy sans now!” Ink cheered as he pulled out his phone and started tapping away.
“Oh, yeah, Geno, did you know it’s you versus Error for the crown?” Ink asked, grin stretching into a smirk Geno knew meant trouble.
“Hey, Error! Second place is looking good for… you… aww! He’s paused.”
Ink quickly gathered up the dangling end up his scarf to jot down a note. Likely to tease Error about getting second place in the years before yet again. Geno could already feel a migraine coming on as he walked away from the pair.