At first, keeping Ink in the void wasn't easy. And it wasn't because I hated him as my enemy or was awkward with socializing. No, no, no. And it wasn't because of my phobia. No. I had that still but I no longer hated him as much. I had talked with him before making the decision after all. It was because Ink was losing his emotions that he had left since I didn't give him the vials yet. Also Ink thought I was planning something.
But, after I gave him his vials back and he waited a while with nothing done or no sign of Nightmare and his gang, Ink decided to trust me again. At least that's what it seemed. We talked and talked for what seemed like hours without end. He used his newly fixed broomie, which I had used my strings to put together, to refill his vials, but surprisingly, never to attack. I showed him my puppets, which he actually understood and didn't call them dolls like Blue's done. He showed me his drawings and I even watched him draw sometimes. We actually got along. It hardly seemed to me like we were enemies anymore, but I denied it. He soon dozed and I took this as a chance.
I open a portal and tied him with my strings, softly cocooning him. I look at the gateway I've made. Gotta keep doing my job. Nightmare and his gang may get suspicious. The Star Sanses may as well. I may get suspicious of myself. I'm not called an AU destroyer for nothing. I step through the gateway and begin my work.
After destroying at least 8 AUs, I returned just in time for Ink to wake up. I lower him and untangle him before he was fully awake, making him clueless to any of my actions. He looks at me and smiles. He then noticed something and narrows his eyes.
"WhAt's WR0ng, InK?" I ask
"Your hood is torn. It wasn't like that before. Did you destroy some AUs?"Ink replies
"OnLy oNe 0r tWo..."I lie
Surprisingly, he didn't get mad or give me some hero rant. He simply sat up, holding his healing arm carefully and sighs, then smiles.
"That's fine. I kinda expected you to do that at some point. I bet you have an urge to destroy just like I have an urge to create."Ink says
I was silent. He was right. But I couldn't let him know he verbally won. I then came up with something.
"SAys THe 0ne wh0 I sAw eRaseD a cHarActEr's EYe At One p0int in a do0DlE. ThAt's deSTr0yiNg in A wAy. S0 mUch f0r hAVinG aN uRge t0 cREate, sh0rTie.~"I tease
Ink frowns. His eyeholes went dark, no eye lights. Then his usual yellow star and teal oval eye-lights appeared.
"One, I recreated after it, though you're right. Two, you're one to talk. You destroy AUs, take souls or characters with your strings. Yet, you make puppets. You create. Third, I'm average height, excuse you. I'm not a shortie! I'm as tall as any normal Sans! What do you have to say now?"Ink cleverly states as a comeback.
"Pfft. Hahahaha! Okay, okay. You'rE rIgHt. BUt y0u s0uNd s0 mUch lIKe BlUe. If y0u're avErage hEight, h0w COme i'm taALler tHan yoU?"I ask
"Fair enough. Let's agree to disagree on the height topic."Ink states
"0kaA, Fine....sh0rTie."I say jokingly
Ink shakes his brush at me, threatening to whack my face, which I knew he wouldn't. Besides, his healing wound caused him to lower it. I walk a little bit away from him and open a peekhole into one of my favorite AUs to watch after destroying others. UnderNovela. I basically let him do whatever while watching a new UnderNovela timeline unfold. After a bit, I forgot about Ink, hooked on the timeline. I was soon reminded of his presence, though.
"Hey, Error?"Ink says, with a teasing tone that I didn't feel was a good thing.
"WhAt?"I ask
I shut the peekhole and turn my skull to look at him. I froze. My eye lights shrank.
"How come you never showed me this one?"Ink says, holding a puppet of him that I made in his hand.
I had made that puppet while searching for him, so it was very recent. I didn't know why I did, but now that we're bonding from friends, I don't want him to know either. I don't want to show weakness. I don't want to show how I feel like we're friends. But instead of saying anything, I crash. I crash like the glitchy idiot I am. Why'd I even make that one?
When I finished rebooting, Ink was sitting in front of me, curiously looking at me.
"WhAt?"I ask defensively
"Oh! You're back! I'm not used to you crashing. You've never done it in battle. But would you care to explain this?"Ink says
"I..uh...MAde thAt wHiLe BlUe ANd I wEre trYing T0 fInd yA. i fOrgOT i HaD iT."I explain
"I see. Okay. Strange, yet interesting."Ink says
He sat beside me and got this expression on that showed he was nervous. He kept opening his mouth as if to say something, but wouldn't. I then notice a paper slipping out from under his sash. I snatch it and unfold it. Ink covers my eyeholes, but before he did, I could've sworn I saw from his cheekbones across his face, a rainbow appear.
"No! Don't look!"Ink pleas
"GeT Y-Y0ur haNds 0fF mE! I haVe HApHePH0bIa, you idiot!"I snap, glitching out and whacking his hands off me.
"S-Sorry, just please don't look."Ink says
"I'lL d0 WhaTeVeR I wAnT!"I say with a laugh.
I finish unfolding it and gaze at the sketch on the paper. It was a sketch of him and I, smiling and looking all buddy-like. Almost like now, as if we weren't even enemies. Was he thinking that too?
I look at him to find him hiding his face in his scarf, clutching his "broomie". I tuck the sketch away, but tear a blank sheet of paper to make it look like I tore it.
"AnD y0u cAlL mE sTraNge f0r ThE pUppET. ExPlAin ThE SkEtCh."I tease.
"Error, I want to thank you for what you've done. For helping Blue find me, for having me stay while I heal. Plus, I feel like we're getting along better. I've never been able to talk to someone so easily and be understood. I made that because I was thinking of becoming friends, Error. But I won't make you be good. I'll let you be you."Ink explains
"BuT w0uLdN't ThAt RaISe SuSpiCi0N? CrEaToR aNd DeStROyEr, EnEmIeS TUrnEd fRiEnDs? W0uLdN't iT sEeM 0dD?"I ask
"Well, we can stay enemies if you wish. We'll just...Make a truce! Ya, a truce. No creation if no destruction. We could just say we got tired of battling and made a truce. That way, it's not suspicious and we actually can get along! What do ya say?" Ink suggests
I thought for a moment. Ya, that could actually work. A truce could work. It's believable for Nightmare or Dream and their gangs to believe, which is just what we need. Plus, I can keep saying Ink is my enemy, which is kinda nice. It was fun fighting the shortie. But it's nice to have someone who understands me, someone to get along with. A friend. Ink.
"Alright. I'm in."I say
We shake on it. We sit again and he leans against me. Usually I'd crash or panic because of my Haphephobia. But surprisingly, I didn't. I even, hesitantly, reached my arm around him by his shoulder in a hugging sideways style. Ink looks at me, his eyes twinkling in shock and surprise. ⊙﹏⊙ I could tell that Ink puke like he usually does when he's surprised or nervous. His face went rainbow again, which surprised me. Why does that keep happening?
"Please don't puke. I'm trying to set my Haphephobia aside and be friend-like. If you puke, I may crash."I say, looking up to concentrate on not crashing or glitching out.
Ink looks away and pukes, a rainbow of color covering the floor. I just keep focusing on not crashing. Ink gathers it up with his brush. I take some breaths and calm myself. I didn't crash. Ink looks at me with an upset expression.
"I'm sorry, Error. I just didn't expect that."Ink says, nervously rubbing his skull.
"iT's fIne. I'M jUst g0nNa rEsT n0w."I say with a shrug before lifting myself into a hammock of strings.
I rest peacefully, softly swifting in the hammock from side to side. I then woke up suddenly, an idea coming to mind. I look down to see Ink had fallen asleep. This was my chance. If he was gonna stay here, now as friends, might as well make him feel welcome or have his own space, right? I steal his brush with my strings right out from under his sleepy hands. It was like stealing candy from a baby, too easy. Except, he was a shortie buddy, not a baby. I walk a good distance away, then get to work. I work harder than I have before. I've never used a brush, but I made every stroke count because of this.
Soon, I was finished and brought the brush back to Ink, sliding it back under his hands. I then used my strings to get back into my hammock and pretend to be asleep. I heard him awake and I open an eye(?). I watched him wander about and then go over to my creation.
"Error, what is this? Or did I make something an forget? I dunno and don't have the best memory."Ink says
I didn't respond. I pretend to be asleep.
"He must be asleep...wait there's a sign, what does it say?.....ERROR!"Ink says, yelling my name
"HmMMm?"I ask, pretending to be waking up, stretch with a yawn and all
"What is it and why does it say, from you, 'to my shortie buddy!'?"Ink demands
"BecAUse tHaT's wHaT y0u ARe, sH0rTIe. ThAt's a SpACe fOr yOu tO PaInt&sTuFf."I say teasingly, gesturing to the fenced area with the sign beside him that Ink was at down below
"For the last time, I'm average height! Not a shortie! But..thank you."Ink says
"AnYtImE, Sh0Rtie!"I say with a chuckle
Ink ignores me. He enters the fenced area and I could see his eyes light up. He began creating and sketching or doodling within the area quickly. I smile. It was interesting and fascinating to watch him work, when he isn't creating stuff to fight me, that is. It was nice and cool. Then, he looks up. I panick and quickly make it look like I was making a puppet. I wait before looking again. I saw he was working very hard on something, but kept erasing and reworking it. I see the Ink puppet hanging a few strings away from my position. I notice some inaccurate details on it, as well as the fact that the string was tearing at its arm. I grab it and begin to fix it while possibly making it accurate.
I look down after fixing the tear to see Ink was still working away, but had something beside him. Chocolate! Plus, there was a note on it saying it was for me. Ink looks up at me, I tuck the puppet away. He then looks at the chocolate and smirks. He picks it up and waves it to me teasingly. I smirk as he tried to throw it to me.
"AwW, sHorTie cAn'T rEAcH HiGh eN0ugH!"I tease
"ShUt uP!"Ink snaps, looking back at his work.
I use my strings to reach down and take it.
I smile as I bring the strings back up to retrieve it. I unwrap it and begin nibbling away. It was delicious. I smile, enjoying this taste. I could certainly get used to this and enjoy our "truce" for our friendship.