Made a typo on 'Perfectly Ordinary Library'. Four's diary entries from there were not written in 1804, they were written in 1806. My bad :)
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"Can we have this, too?"
"We don't need that, Ink. We already have chocolate in the cart."
"But this is caramel and chocolate!"
"We have caramel and chocolate cookies thanks to you, too."
Ink pouted at Error, waving the caramel chocolate bar in the air. "But Error..."
Error groaned, stepping aside to let Ink put it into the cart he'd been guarding from him.
"Yay! Thanks, baby!" He smiled and made his way down the aisle without so much as a hint as to where he was going.
"Uh, hello?" Error almost laughed.
"Hm?" He turned around, cocking his head to the side as he smiled.
"Where are you going now?" Error asked.
"To get soda! I'll grab the popcorn while I'm gone!" His sweet smile prevented Error from arguing further, but he sighed and tried to remember what it was he'd wanted to actually buy.
A few minutes later, as Error was just putting milk into the cart, Ink came running back, a multipack of Coke and two massive bags of popcorn in his arms. He dumped them in and looked at Error, who was staring with wide eyes. "I didn't know whether you preferred Coke or Pepsi, so I got Coke."
"I can see that," Error muttered.
"Right, what else?"
"I need ingredients to make dinner, and-"
"We should get candy."
"Ink, I-"
"Skittles!"
"We really don't need any more sugar..."
"But-!"
"No." Error insisted sharply, "We don't need it. You'll only feel like shit after you eat it, anyway." He walked off down the aisle with the cart, and Ink chased after him.
"Since when were you the fun police?" Ink pouted.
"I haven't got infinite money, and I-"
"I'm paying for the sugary stuff, Error! I told you that!"
"Did you?"
"Yes!"
"Oh. Still, that's not why I-"
"Error, you know we haven't had dinner yet, right?"
"Yes, thank you, I already said that I was going to buy-"
"It's almost nine PM."
"I know."
"We should just get McDonald's on the way home."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to." Error replied shortly.
"Then what are you making?"
"I'm not entirely sure yet..." Error paused, thinking.
"KFC?" Ink suggested.
"I was gonna cook..."
"You can cook tomorrow."
"Well, we gotta go home first, I'm not dragging all these groceries to KFC."
"Fine."
"We should just eat at home, Ink."
"No."
**
There was silence as Error avoided Fresh's eyes and Fresh continued to stare blankly.
"Nice to see that you're alive." Fresh muttered after a a few more moments, then turned to the screen in front of him, "What can I get you two?"
"What do you want, Error?" Ink asked cheerfully, looking up at Error.
"I don't care, anything."
As Ink ordered for both of them, Fresh seemed to keep his eyes on Error, only looking away to tap something on the screen when Ink spoke. Once he'd finished, Fresh asked them to wait as he served the next customer. After that one, he turned around and grabbed the arm of a colleague walking past him, apologizing as he asked, "Can you just cover me for two seconds? Thanks." He didn't wait for a response, his co-worker looking annoyed but still doing as he'd asked her.
Fresh burst out of the 'staff only' door, grabbed Error by the wrist, then pulled him back into where'd he'd come from. Ink blinked, only just processing that his boyfriend had been kidnapped into the staff only area at KFC.
"What happened, bro? I haven't seen you since you were in hospital! Where have you been? Geno said you told him you went on some sort of rescue mission!" Fresh interrogated, pulling them out of the way of his slightly confused colleagues.
"I don't wanna do this right now, Fresh, I'm exhausted..."
"You could have answered my texts!"
"You texted?"
"Yes!"
Error blinked. "Bro, I genuinely didn't see that..."
"Just..." Fresh sighed, adjusting his shades on his face, "Don't do it again. It stresses mom and Geno out." He pulled Error into a loose hug, which took Error by surprise slightly. The pair didn't often hug.
After about two seconds, both pulled away and said in unison, looking each other in the eye, "You smell like weed." They both looked at each other in surprise.
"Do I?" Fresh asked, "I can't, it must just be you."
"You sure? I'm sure I can smell it on you too."
"Nah, it's you."
"No, it's definitely you, Fresh."
"Bro, I don't even-"
"If you ever want any cheaper," Error lowered his voice, "I can get it for you."
A slight smile worked its way onto Fresh's face. "Thanks."
Error nodded, returning the smile and walking back out the door.
"What are you smiling about? I thought he was mad at you?" Ink asked, wrapping an arm around Error as he came and stood beside him again.
Instinctively, Error went to reply, 'nothing', but knew how much he'd done it to Ink today already. And then he remembered that Ink, too, was a pothead. "I just told Fresh I could get his weed cheaper for him."
"Oh, right." Ink giggled. The artist then put his head on Error's chest, hugging him. Error smiled and hugged back, kissing the top of his skull. Even though the pair were waiting away from the queue, a middle-aged human couple had been looking at them, and Error had just noticed. The woman was scowling, and the man looked somewhat angry too. Ink hadn't seen them, still happily nestled into his boyfriend. Error returned the glare, mouthing 'What?' They looked away.
After they had collected their order, and Error had agreed to call Fresh in future, Ink and Error went to leave. However, as they were walking out the door, the couple from before pushed past them. The man sent Ink into the door with a slam, and the artist cried out in both shock and mild pain. "W-What?" He looked around confusedly. He only registered he'd been pushed when he saw Error glaring furiously at the couple. Error took a few strides forwards, obviously going after the man, but Ink called out to him. "Error, no! It's fine!"
"No it's not!" Error yelled, making the couple turn around, "They were giving us looks inside, and then he does that? If he's got an issue, he can say it to our fucking faces!" He spat.
The man did not, just turning around and walking off with a chuckle.
"What's funny, dickhead?" Error called after him, making another attempt to follow him. Ink grabbed his wrist, and he turned around to look the artist in the eye.
"Leave it, baby." Ink pleaded.
"No!" Error yelled, "Why the hell should I? I'm not letting anyone do that to you-!"
This made Ink blush slightly. "Come on, I'm hungry, let's just go home..."
Error threw the couple one last furious look before taking the bag of food off Ink again, and intertwining his other hand with Ink's. "Are you okay?"
"Mhm." Ink hummed back.
Back at Error's apartment, Ink had already chosen a movie, despite asking Error to chose (the dark skeleton just said he didn't mind). He'd chosen something he wouldn't normally have chosen: A horror movie.
"Are you trying to just find an excuse to cuddle up to me the whole time? Because we don't have to watch a horror movie for me to let you do that." Error smiled as he ate his fries.
"No, I just know you wanted to see it." Ink returned the grin.
"I can watch it on my own at some point."
"Watching a horror movie on your own?" Ink repeated as if it was a completely foreign concept.
"Well, yeah. Why not?"
"...Just, no." Ink coughed, pressing play on the movie, snuggling up to Error as he started eating his chicken burger. "And for the record, I still think you're a psychopath for eating the fries before the burger." He commented, gazing at the untouched burger box by Error's side. This caused Error to burst out laughing, reaching for his soda as he started choking.
After he'd finished eating, Error had inevitably started to fall asleep.
"Error... we're only half an hour into the movie..."
"You're not even watching it..." Error slurred, his eyes half-open.
"I am! Just... not the scary parts!"
"Hm."
Ink snuggled into Error's side. "I'm not watching them if you're not awake. I'm bad with horror movies."
"Then why'd you choose it...?" Error asked after a few seconds, still very much half-asleep.
"I thought it might keep you awake."
"Nope."
There was silence for a few moments, apart from a sudden scream that came from the TV. Error groaned and winced at the high-pitched voice.
Ink sat up, hesitating before asking his question. "So what's going on with Dream and Nightmare?" He abandoned his playful tone he'd been using the whole night, looking solemn.
"I don't know..." Error muttered sleepily.
"Come on, I know you know." Ink saw that he was quickly going to get on Error's nerves, but continued. He knew what he was doing. Or at least, he thought he did.
"Ink. I'm tired, not drunk. This isn't going to work." Error said more sharply, sitting up and rubbing his face.
"Worth a try." Ink muttered, sighing as he folded his arms and leant back against the sofa.
"Is that why you've been so overly-cheerful this evening?" Error looked disappointed.
"I mean... Not entirely. I was genuinely happy to be spending time with you... Can we forget I asked about the twins?"
"Mhm." Error smiled and pulled him back into a hug, closing his eyes again.
"I don't deserve you," Ink muttered.
"I could say the same. I don't deserve-"
"Yes, you do."
"Alright, then we deserve each other."
"Okay."
The pair giggled.
"Look, neither of us are even watching this," Ink sighed, grabbing the TV remote and turning off the TV, "And you clearly need to go to bed."
"No, I don't wanna ruin it!" Error whined.
"Baby, I don't really want to watch it either. I just thought you might."
"I do want to watch it. Just...not while I'm half asleep..."
"So not today, then?" Ink smiled.
"No. Let's just go to bed."
"Yeah, I'm kind of tired myself." Ink muttered.
"I'm gonna go have a quick shower," Error stated, standing up and stretching.
"Can I join you?" Ink grinned, only half-joking.
Error blinked. "Um..."
"Error, we've already had sex."
"Yeah, but... I don't remember a thing about it." Error blushed, looking away with an embarrassed smile on his face.
"I was actually joking, but..." Ink broke off, blushing too.
"Alright, come on," Error grinned, grabbing Ink by the hand and dragging the giggling skeleton out of the room.
**
Nightmare checked his wrist watch nervously. He hoped he hadn't misunderstood Cross when he'd said when they'd meet. He'd ordered a drink to look slightly less awkward as he sat at the table alone. And he didn't like it either; it was far too sweet for him. Being at a cocktail bar, he'd ordered one but even with his past experience of being a bartender he'd never seen half of these drinks before.
Then again, the names of the drinks were mostly all in Spanish.
He waited a few more moments, starting to conjure ideas in his head. One being that Cross had changed his mind and stood him up, and another being that he'd never intended to show, only arranging this to make a fool of Nightmare, and a third being that-
"Hey! I'm sorry I'm so late!" Nightmare felt someone put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and smiled in relief at seeing Cross sitting down beside him, "I got stuck talking to my mom..."
"That's okay." Nightmare smiled back faintly.
"You already got a drink?" Cross asked, nodding at Nightmare's glass.
"Yeah."
"Do you like it?"
"Uhh..."
Cross took the glass and sipped it. "Mm, I don't mind this one, but I've always found it to be a little too sweet. It's okay if you have like, one glass, but it gets gross after that."
"I hate it." Nightmare felt a bit more confident to share his views on the beverage at hearing Cross' negative opinion.
"I thought you might. Do you like licorice?" Cross hummed.
"Actually, yeah. Black licorice."
"They do a vodka and licorice cocktail."
"Do they?" Nightmare asked, glancing at the bar.
"Mhm. I'll order."
"No, I'll-!" Nightmare reached for his wallet, but Cross pushed his hand back down and walked to the bar. When Cross reached the woman standing at the bar, she gasped and called his name, and the two started talking excitedly in Spanish. Nightmare blinked, trying to make out something, but failed.
Cross returned with a jet black liquid in one glass, giving it to Nightmare, and a clear liquid with lots of ice and a lime on the side of the glass for himself. "Here you are. Personally I think it's a disgusting, mistake of a cocktail, but you might like it."
"Thanks." Nightmare smiled. He went to take a sip, but noticed that Cross was watching him intently. He lowered the glass. "What?"
Cross chuckled. "I just want to see if you like it."
"You've not...done anything to it, right?"
Cross' smile faded. "No, in all seriousness, I haven't. And I'm a little bit insulted that you'd think that, but..." He shrugged, sipping his own drink.
Nightmare silently raised his glass, letting the black liquid slip into his mouth. He paused for a moment. He could definitely taste the vodka, but even stronger was the taste of the licorice. And yet he didn't find it overpowering. It was somewhat sweet, but not to much that he disliked it, but even stranger still was the consistency; it was thicker than vodka on its own, and he wasn't used to the almost slightly sticky texture. It wasn't hard to swallow, but he could see why Cross didn't like it.
"I like it." He responded simply after his complicated mental examination of the beverage.
"Psychopath." Cross scoffed, smiling as he returned to his own drink, "This place does some really unique drinks. They make candy cocktails-and they do candy cane vodka all year round, too, since people liked it that much! Oh, and if they have the ingredients, they'll do whatever custom cocktails you ask for, too."
Nightmare blinked. "I never knew this place existed..." He looked around. The place actually looked extremely comfortable now that he looked around properly. The bar had stools with cushioned, velvety backs; colourful LEDs lit up the otherwise dark room,; the walls were plastered with pictures of the sea, of the sky, of landmarks Nightmare had never seen before; the staff all chatted with genuine smiles to their customers; some sort of indie band playing in the background (the lyrics were, as everything else was, in Spanish) and posters of bands Nightmare had also never heard of hung on the walls at the back. At first, the only band he recognised was Arctic Monkeys- though he'd never liked their music- and this was because it was in English. He quickly noticed other bands he knew like Oasis and The Killers. "It's very...Indie."
"Mhm." Cross nodded and sipped his drink again, stretching and sinking back down into the cushioned sofa they were sitting at in the corner of the room. "Do you like it here?"
"I like aesthetic, yeah," And Nightmare wasn't lying; in a way the lighting made it appear similar to his own home, "I mean, indie isn't really my scene, but the actual place looks really nice."
Cross hummed. Nightmare turned back around to see Cross lighting a joint.
"Can you do that in here?" Nightmare asked sceptically.
"Yep." Cross responded, smiling and taking a puff of it, then grinning as he offered it to Nightmare.
"No." He responded quickly.
The Monochrome skeleton smirked and waved the blunt at him again. "C'mon, just try it!"
"No." The God repeated firmly in a final tone, throwing Cross a sharp look.
"Alright, alright..." He inhaled smoke again before asking, "So, what is your scene? What music do you like?"
Nightmare took another sip of his drink, as if avoiding the question, but with Cross looking intently at him he cleared his throat, "Kind of, like..."
"Favourite band?" Cross offered.
"Uh... Marilyn Manson, I guess. I mean, I listen to other stuff, but-"
"Manson? I was half-expecting to hear MCR or something." Cross chuckled.
"No," Nightmare replied hastily, "No."
Cross laughed, picking up his drink again, "Right, so. Industrial metal?"
"I guess..."
"General metal, or..?"
"I don't like the bands that just scream about the same shit on repeat. At least Manson makes a point. Bands like Slipknot and Mudvayne get can get fucked. Metallica's so fucking overrated, it's absolute shit, and why Reaper listens to Disturbed is absolutely fucking beyond me." He punctuated his speech by letting his hand fall dramatically back onto the table, hitting his knuckles in the process. He was silent for about three seconds before he winced and shook his hand, muttering "Ow."
Cross had been watching the monologue with raised eyebrows until he'd hurt himself. He choked on his cocktail and started laughing hysterically, making Nightmare smile slightly too. "You seem very... passionate." He spluttered.
"I guess?"
"Well, anyway," Cross cleared his throat, "I'm extremely hungry, I didn't even have time to eat dinner. They do food here too, if you want any when I order?"
"They do food too? What doesn't this place do?" Nightmare joked, "And yeah, I haven't eaten either, but let me pay for the food. You payed for the drinks."
"No, I-"
"Shut up."
**
Dream put the pizza box on the side, feeling immensely guilty. He'd promised himself he'd make something healthy after the past few days of eating nothing but junk, but he just hadn't had enough time in the end.
He was worn out to say the least, even if he hadn't been at work that day. And he had work the next night, so he figured he'd go to bed early since he felt so tired. However, his phone chimed from the other side of the kitchen, and he spun around and took it off the side.
Unknown Number: Is this Dream?
Dream frowned and replied.
D: Yes, and you are..?
Expecting to wait for at least a few moments before getting a response, Dream put the phone back down and went to reach for a glass from his cupboard. As he was filling it with water, his phone chimed yet again.
Unknown Number: Oh, right! You didn't get my number, oops. I'm Killer, if you remember me?
"Oooh..." Dream muttered to himself in realization.
D: Should have known, and of course I remember you, I only saw you today :)
K: Haha, yeah... Sorry, I know it's late, would you rather I text you tomorrow? Or not at all???
D: No, it's fine, I'm not going to bed yet! And if I didn't want you to text me, I wouldn't have given you my number :)
K: Okay :D
K: Anyway, how was your day?
D: Nothing too special.. and yours? Did the interview go well?
K: I got the contract!! :DDD
D: omg, that's amazing! Well done! :D
K: I don't think I'd of had the confidence to even show up in the end without you...
Dream blinked. He didn't know how to respond; he'd only known Killer for a day, and he was already trying to flatter him?
D: Aw, I'm sure that's not true!
K: Well, no one else supported my career choice before...
D: Can't see why not. My brother makes decent money from it. Maybe he could give you some advice some time... But then, Nightmare's not the most... helpful person in the world.
K: By the way, your brother wouldn't happen to be Nightmare Joku, would he..?
D: Actually, yeah! Have you heard of him? :)
K: Yeah! I actually used some of his literature notes for a few of my assignments in uni! He's honestly such a great writer, I can't believe he's your brother!
D: I'll call him later, see if he'd be willing to help you out a little!
K: wliorufheouqrghiurtnboiurlhtrghatwivjsks yes please
Dream chuckled at his eagerness.
D: Oki! Well, I gotta work tomorrow, so I should probably get some sleep. It was nice talking to you again, I'll text you tomorrow after I've asked Nightmare about some tips :)
K: Alright! Niiiight!
D: Night :)
**
"GENO!" Reaper continued to knock violently on Geno's front door.
After a few more moments, the door opened slightly and Geno looked at him through the crack. "What do you want?" His voice reflected his exhaustion but Reaper took little notice.
"I just wanted to, y'know, apologize for... well, bringing a homeless cat round your house last night..."
Geno stared at him with a blank expression for a few moments. "Okay."
"So, I, uh... I got you... this?" He produced a bottle of red wine from inside his cloak, holding it out for the other to take.
Geno glanced at Reaper and then to the bottle, and back to Reaper again. "What's that supposed to be?"
"It's... I don't know, actually. An apology, I guess."
Geno just looked at him.
Reaper put it on the floor by the door. "Right. I'm sorry. I'll go."
"How's the cat?" Geno asked as Reaper turned to leave.
Surprised by his interest, Reaper paused before answering. "Okay, I think. He's at the vets, I'm going to pick him up tomorrow. No idea what the hell I'm going to do with him, I..." He lowered his voice, looking down, "I don't think I can afford to keep him, so..."
"You gonna put him back on the streets?"
"I..." Reaper shrugged, looking guilty.
"Look, I'll keep him until you can figure something out." He sighed.
This made Reaper's face light up, "Really? Thank you!"
"It's fine, I don't really want him out there either..." Gazing past Reaper and at the dark streets, Geno hated to imagine the thought of the fluffy animal out there alone.
"Should I just bring him round tomorrow, then?"
"I'll be at work. You'll have to come later."
"Ah. Do you ever get a day off? Even Dream does."
"Dream's working nights. I'm not. And his shifts are longer than mine. I get Sundays off, though. Saturdays if I'm lucky."
"In that case... I couldn't, maybe..." Tugging at his sleeve, the God of Death looked back up at the nurse, "Take you to dinner one Sunday?"
He seemed to be considering it as he gazed down at the bottle of wine. "Maybe."
Again, Reaper's expression was full of excitement. "Really?"
"You act so surprised every time I agree to do something."
"That's because you never agree to do anything for or with me."
Geno paused. "Okay, fair point."
"What made you change your mind about me, anyway?"
"Oh, I haven't. And if you keep acting so weird about this, I'm not going anywhere with you," He grabbed the bottle of wine, "Did you ask Error what my favourite wine was?"
"No, I just guessed... I mean, I knew you preferred red, so I went from there, and then I-"
"Yeah, I don't care. But thanks." Geno stepped back inside and slammed the door.
"Bye then!" Reaper called.
There was no response, but Reaper was more than willing to call the interaction a win.
**
Ink had been gazing at the wall, one hand playing aimlessly with the drawstrings on the oversized black hoodie Error had given him, the other hand flipping his phone absent-mindedly. He was lying in Error's bed, waiting for his boyfriend to return from brushing his teeth.
As much as he was now trying to hide it, he was far too interested in what Error was keeping from him to just drop it. That book Error had been reading... what was it? He sat up, quickly scanning the room. Where could it be...?
"I should probably go into work tomorrow," Error's voice called as he entered the room. Ink jumped and flopped back down, eyes wide. Error gave him a questioning look, "You okay?"
"Yeah, just... lost my phone..."
"It's right next to you." Error nodded at it, next to Ink on the blanket.
"Oh, right!" Ink giggled, faking surprise.
"Idiot." Error smiled, slipping under the bedcovers. Ink copied him.
Error felt something hard under his skull. He narrowed his eyes and stuck a hand under his pillow, grabbing a rectangular shape. He froze. "Oh." He mouthed. Thankfully, Ink wasn't watching, now lying with his back facing Error, scrolling through some form of social media. He kept his eyes on the back of Ink's skull in case he turned around, slowly pulling the diary out from under the pillow. Once he had it in his hand, he panicked, dropping it on the carpet with a dull thud. Ink thankfully seemed to block out the noise, so Error slid it under the bed. Aware of how badly he kept hiding it, he made a mental note to find a better place for it in the morning.
"So, you're working tomorrow?" Ink asked.
"Well, I'm going to work. Can't guarantee I won't be fired."
"If you are, who cares? It's not like you want to be there, and KM says you can get money off Four."
"Yeah, but..." Error shrugged.
"You don't even have a reason not to quit, do you?" Ink said amusedly.
"I don't want to have to rely on other people..."
"No one does, but..." Ink flipped over, so that they were lying with their faces inches apart, "Sometimes you can't do everything on your own."
"Well, I can."
"What you have to remember," Ink sighed, putting a hand on Error's cheek, "Is that you have to look after yourself. Not just physically, but mentally too."
"And again, I can, but-"
"It's not showing weakness to ask for help. Not mentally, financially-"
"Oh, God, please. Not now, Inky." Error flipped over, turning his back on him.
"I'm just saying..."
"I'm coping. Let's just leave it at that."
"At least your haphephobia seems a little better." Ink also flipped over, so that they were back to back.
Error didn't dare point out that it wasn't, and that the only reason it appeared fine to Ink was because of the level of trust he had for him. "Yeah."
There was now silence as Ink returned to his phone, and Error shut his eyes. This went on for about three minutes until Error flipped back over, pulling Ink into him and hugging him from behind. "C'mere. I love you."
Ink smiled, moving his head to the side to allow Error to kiss his neck gently. "I love you too." Putting his phone down on the bedside cabinet, he closed his eyes and purred while Error cuddled him.
He quickly became lost in thought. If Error knew he was still going to try and get the information being kept from him, he might be mad- No, he would be mad. 'He's already given me so many chances...' He thought. And it was true; Error had forgiven him many more times than Ink had to forgive him for anything. Guilt rapidly consumed him, and he was thankful neither of the twins were nearby to detect it.
No, he didn't want to push Error. Despite what his lover said, Ink knew Error was struggling. With the idea of becoming depend on other people, with the prospect of going back to his routine of killing and destroying, with the knowledge of whatever it was he was keeping from Ink... And he knew Error was protecting both his boyfriend and whoever the information concerned, yet he was still curious.
Error's slow, deep breaths and loosened grip around his boyfriend indicated he'd already fallen asleep. Ink gently moved Error's arms from around his waist and slipped out of bed, wrapping the covers back around Error.
He was now in the centre of the room, looking around. Where would Error have hidden it? He knew it was in this room...
He started by scanning Error's desk, and hesitantly pulling out the drawer attached to it. Inside there were various cables, some random pens, different notepads, a phone with a cracked screen, and a few different bottles of medications. No book to be seen.
Closing it, Ink continued his search. The next place he'd try was the closet. Some clothes and shoes later, his hand brushed against something that felt like a box at the very back. Slowly, he pulled it out, but it was no book. It wasn't even a box. It was a black ukulele case. Ink glanced back at Error's sleeping form. He played the ukulele too? He cautiously unzipped the case and took out the instrument. It was dark blue and in places it was worn down to its original colour, a dark brown. The strings looked worn, but at the same time like they hadn't been played in a while.
Eventually, Ink moved on, putting the ukulele away and returning to his search. He searched Error's drawers, cupboards, anything that could contain the item. Error had a shelf of books, too, but they were all seemingly normal.
At last, he gave up. With Error in the room he couldn't do much more in case he woke up. Defeated, he went to climb back into the bed. But his toe collided with something hard, making him gasp in pain and hiss a swear under his breath, glancing back at Error with wide eyes. He hadn't stirred. Ink found himself appreciating his boyfriend's exhaustion. He peered down to see what had hurt him. The corner of something plastic poked out from under the bed. Ink pulled it out slowly and carefully.
It was a broken PS4. It was literally split down the middle, the plastic looking sharp and dangerous. Why Error would keep a broken game console was beyond Ink, and even more confusing was how it got so badly damaged. And he couldn't even ask Error about it, because then it would become obvious that he'd been snooping around.
As he was returning it, he noticed another thing that had been just beside it under the bed. It was... a book! A rush of excitement took over as he hastily pulled it out. Why would Error hide it instead of just putting it with his other books? It had to mean something!
He flipped over, looking at the front cover, and he froze, open-mouthed.
Four Astral.
"Astral...?" Ink muttered in confusion. He knew it was Four, and he could assume that 'Astral' was his last name, but what he failed to comprehend was why Error would have a book with his name written on. There wasn't even anything else on there. He opened it to a random page.
"There's a fine line between confidence and stupidity. I'm pretty sure Death crossed that line today.
"I spend an entire day carefully making a list of people for Death to reap. Once they're moved to a new universe with their memories wiped, I'll go in and do my job as usual. Kill the unlucky.
"Life is still recovering from the 'Divinity Seekers'- as they've now started to call themselves- last attack. Thankfully, Death and I took the least damage, with Alpha and Life caught off guard.
"I'm fine with working extra while they heal. But for Death to waltz in, ignore my list and reap EVERYONE? And that confident smile he gave me, saying the King would let him off, and that he was allowed to do what he wanted...
Well, we'll see."
4th January, 1807
"A diary...?" Ink muttered, glancing back at Error. He was still unmoving, so the artist decided to continue reading the next entry.
This one, however, was much shorter than the last.
"He got away with it."
5th January, 1807
In places, the ink was blotted, like it had been written by a shaky hand.
"I think Alpha's very mad at Death. He hasn't said anything, but being the God of Mercy, he's not best pleased with Death's recent increase in genocidal tendencies."
7th January, 1807
"Mercy?!" Ink could of laughed if he wasn't trying to be quiet.
"Life's back.
"The only person who still has any faith in Death is King Multiverse. Perhaps he's starting to realize how badly the pre-war system had affected him. I don't think I'm in a position to tell the King how to do his job, though."
8th January, 1807
Was Four not part of the Trinity back then? Was it even a thing? Ink hadn't even paid attention to the dates at the bottom, he'd just assumed it had been a while ago. Now, however, his eyes wondered down to the bottom of the last entry.... "1807?" He mouthed, shocked. He'd figured they'd been around for a while, but...
"Babe?"
Ink jumped, dropping the diary. "Error?"
Error's eyes were half open, and he was looking confusedly down at Ink, lying on his side with his face resting on one hand. "What are you doing down there?"
"Oh, I..." Ink hoped Error would be tired enough to accept a terrible excuse, "...Was just looking for my phone. Dropped it." He smiled, trying to reassure him.
"That excuse again?" Error's expression didn't change as he blindly reached behind him on the bed, then held up Ink's phone. He blinked a few times, trying to wake himself up a bit more. "What's that in front of you?"
Ink looked down at the book. There was no way out of this one. He held it up silently for Error to take.
Error rubbed his eyes and flipped the book open. He swallowed. "The fact that you actually waited for me to fall asleep and then you searched my room for something you're not even supposed to see..."
"I'm sorry," Ink's throat seemed to close up, "I...I'm really sorry..."
"And after earlier, too... I genuinely thought you were going to drop it..."
"I was- am! I will, now!"
"Yeah, yeah," Error sighed, standing up and grabbing a lighter that lay on the cabinet beside him, "I'm going for a smoke."
"Error," Ink hurried after him, grabbing his wrist in the doorway, "I love you, but I can't take all the secrets! I'm sorry, but I did what I had to!"
"You don't want to get tangled up in this." Error muttered, shaking him off, "Believe me." He stalked off down the hall.
**
"D'ya want another drink?" Cross slurred, standing up. There were now glasses covering both Nightmare and Cross' sides of the table.
"No, I..." Nightmare blinked, finding his vision slightly blurry, "I think I've had about as many cocktails as I can take... They're all starting to taste gross..."
"What about a shot?" Cross asked, "Just a straight shot?"
"No, I shouldn't..."
"Okay, well, I'm gonna get another one..."
"Is that...a good idea?"
"Yeah, 'm not even that drunk..." His slurred speech made Nightmare raise his eyebrows.
"Hold up, are you drunker than me?"
Cross laughed, "No! Course not! I don't- I don't even get drunk!"
"You sure about that?"
"Yep, positive! I never... I never... I don't..." Cross broke off, "Man, this room is, like... iss' movin'..."
"...No, Cross...You're just drunk..." Admittedly he was a bit dizzy himself, and he certainly regretted drinking so much so quickly. The only thing he felt he'd done right was allow Cross to buy them some cheesy nachos, just so that they weren't drinking on an empty stomach. If they even had stomachs.
"Ana! I need another shot of tequila!" Cross yelled as he stumbled over.
The barmaid looked amused. "No, you need to go home, Cross." She replied with a smile in her thick Dominican accent.
"Nooo, gimmie another shot!"
"Ve a casa, estás borracho." She continued, grinning.
"No, no soy... no soy borracho..."
"Cuál es tu nombre?" The girl, Ana, asked Nightmare.
"Uh...my name's Nightmare, but I don't speak Spanish...Sorry..."
She nodded. "Okay. Are you taking him home?"
"I..." Nightmare glanced at Cross, who was still muttering something about tequila. "I guess."
"I haven't seen him drunk like this since last year..." Ana winced.
"Oh." Nightmare clicked his tongue.
"Okay, you'd better get him home." Ana smiled.
"Right, come on... Let's go..." Nightmare grabbed Cross' arm, pulling him towards the door.
"Wh-, oh... okay.... Adiós, Ana!"
"Adiós, Cross!"
As soon as Nightmare had Cross out on the street, he realised he had no idea how to get home from here.
"Um, Cross?"
"Mmm?"
"Do you know how to get home to yours from here?"
"Course I do..." He spun around, marching off, "Follow me! I got vodka back at mine! And tequila!"
"We don't need-"
"Shhh."
Again, Nightmare felt a bit dizzy himself, but tried to act sober for Cross' sake. The drinks at this bar were a lot stronger than the ones from last night and Nightmare assumed this was the place he wanted to take them all. He'd also drank more than last night, while Nightmare had drank less. After a while, the high content of alcohol in seemingly every drink had made him lightheaded and he'd decided to slow down, unlike Cross, who just kept ordering new drinks.
After ten minutes of letting Cross drag him down multiple streets, Nightmare decided that everything around was unfamiliar and Cross had got them lost. "Cross, where are we?"
"We're..." He narrowed his eyes, looking around, "We're by... We're by..."
"You don't know, do you?"
"We're by KFC."
They were indeed by KFC. They discovered this less than two minutes later when they stumbled upon it.
"See? I know my shit!" Cross giggled, walking towards the door of KFC.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm getting some fuckin' chicken." He replied in a tone that informed Nightmare that yes, he was going to get some fucking chicken, and no, there was nothing he could do to stop him.
"Hello again." Fresh called, smirking as he spotted Cross stumbling in.
"Hi!" Cross replied in an overly-cheery voice, "Can I get... chicken?"
"You certainly can, but what kind of chicken?"
"Fried."
"Right." Fresh snickered. Suddenly he noticed Nightmare behind Cross. "Oh, hey!"
"Hi..."
"Error and Ink were here earlier too."
Nightmare nodded, disinterested.
"Well, Cross didn't specify what he wanted, so..." Fresh coughed.
"Just get us a bucket, I'm hungry too."
"Okay."
The walk back to Cross' was mostly uneventful. Cross was mostly quiet, eating most of the way (having made Nightmare carry the bucket of chicken). Just as they were walking up the stairs in Cross' apartment complex, Cross asked him, "D'ya wanna stay for a bit?"
Nightmare smiled. "Sure."
And once inside, Cross wasted no time in grabbing Nightmare as soon as he'd set aside the chicken, throwing them against the door and pressing their mouths together. Nightmare, shocked, pulled away. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, fuck off, we both know that was a date!" Cross laughed. He pulled Nightmare closer again, "And we both know you want to kiss me."
"Cross, you're so much drunker than I am... It wouldn't be fair.. You'd never normally do this, I'm not gonna let you do something you'll regret."
Cross poked Nightmare's chest playfully. "If it mattered that much to you, you would have tried to keep up with me!"
"I did, but... I had to slow down, I just can't drink as fast as you do..."
Cross pulled away, stumbling off into the kitchen, where he pulled a bottle of vodka out. He sipped it straight from the bottle, making Nightmare consider confiscating it, but decided he'd rather like to keep his own limbs. After Cross put the bottle down, he looked up at him, smiling over the counter at him. "I got drunk on purpose. I wanted you tonight. But, I mean, with all the shit going on between us, and in life generally at the moment..." His smile faded slightly and Nightmare noticed how he'd seemingly- in a matter of seconds- sobered up slightly, "Well, I knew nothing was going to happen if we didn't get drunk. And somehow, still, we're both... too sober, or... this just isn't going to happen."
Nightmare said nothing, so Cross laughed to himself before continuing, "Alright. This is gonna sounds really selfish." He took the bottle of vodka again, taking a sip, "With Chara being in a coma, my mom hating me... It's fair to say I've been stressed. And I guess I thought that you'd've made me feel better, because... well. You don't give me the same shit as Dream and Ink." His smile became slightly strained and a small sigh escaped him. "As much as I love those two, I... I can't listen to them telling me how to fix it. This isn't something I can fix. I can't bring him out of a coma. And my mom, well, until that happens, she's unreachable."
Nightmare watched Cross stare at the vodka, a sad smile on his face. He had a feeling Cross wasn't done, so just decided to bite his tongue and wait. After maybe ten more seconds, Cross inhaled and looked up at him.
"The point is, you're realistic, Nightmare, and you understand when a situation or person just needs to be left- I mean, there have been instances where you've contradicted that, but...the way they close in on me when I'm upset- I know they mean well, but- I can't cope with that. If I can deal with something myself, I'd rather do that, or if a problem will fix itself, I can wait. Dream and Ink might be open with their emotions, they might like talking, but it makes me feel... uncomfortable in a way that no other topic makes me." The skeleton's words were becoming faster and seemed to merge together and Nightmare had to concentrate to comprehend what he was actually saying.
"And that's why I wanted you. But I couldn't have you, because I'd already built up such a high wall between you and I... So I had Dream. But now I just feel guilty, because I used him. I used him last night to make myself feel better, and I know he knows that." Cross shrugged, looking down in shame. "He knows why I had sex with him. And I don't know why he's okay with that. Did he fuck me out of pity? Maybe.
"Tonight... This was about me, too. I just...I wanted to someone to make me feel better." Cross' throat finally closed up and he looked down. "I don't know, I'm sorry."
Negativity clouded the room for Nightmare, and though some part of him was feeling that addictive rush, another part made him guilty for enjoying it. He opened his mouth, but it took a few moments for him to actually say something.
"I don't think there's anything I can say that will make you feel better."
Cross looked up and smiled. His eyes were sparkly, indicating tears building up in them. "No, there isn't."
"Look, for what it's worth-" Nightmare cut himself off.
"No, go on. You might as well."
"I understand that you're upset and angry. And it's normal for a person to feel like that with such stressful events as the ones you're experiencing-"
"You sound like a fucking psychologist."
"Try being the God of Negativity, you kind of become a twisted sort of reverse psychologist."
Cross laughed shakily, a tear sliding down his face.
Nightmare stepped forwards opening his arms to offer a hug. Cross pushed aside the bottle and practically flung himself at Nightmare, making him stumble backwards. Now up close, Nightmare felt the negativity grow, rolling off Cross in waves. His soul greedily absorbed it, and there was nothing Nightmare could do to stop it from doing so. He instead tried to focus on comforting the other skeleton in his arms, rubbing his back and allowing him to snuggle into him.
"Nightmare?"
"Mm?"
Cross pulled away, "Can you come to the hospital with me tomorrow? I... can't going with my mom, and I don't want to..."
Nightmare gathered that the last words to that sentence would have been along the lines of 'be alone'. "Of course."
"Thank you."
**
Slam.
Ink's eyes opened hesitantly. He'd been slowly trying to wake up, but his night hadn't been particularly restful- the way Error had silently got back into bed after a while, smelling strongly of weed and not even acknowledging Ink for the rest of the night had made Ink feel uncomfortable and guilty. He'd had hardly any sleep.
Looking around, he noticed his boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. And what was that noise that had woken him up? To Ink, it had sounded like a door.
"Error?" He called, sitting up. His eyes were a little blurry, having only just woken up. He noticed a sweet smell... And then he saw the source: next to him on the bedside cabinet, the plate of pancakes covered in syrup and slices of banana, the steaming cup of tea, and a paper note beside the breakfast. Ink was shocked... did Error do this? He picked up the note.
You were half asleep when I made this, figured you'd probably wake up on time for it to still be warm. If not, sorry, I had to leave. I'll have left for work by the time you read this.
I guess this is an apology for last night. Maybe we can talk about it when I get home? I'll call you :)
Love you,
-Error
"Aww..." Sipping the tea, he noticed it was exactly how he liked it. He'd only mentioned to Error that he drank tea in a passing conversation on one of their first dates, and if he'd shared how he liked it, he was astonished that Error had remembered.
And still, the artist felt bad. Even more so than before. Wasn't he the one in the wrong? Why was Error making him an apology breakfast?
Despite the pit of guilt growing in his non-existent stomach, Ink could still feel a smile working its way onto his face. The gesture was something no partner had ever done for him before. "I really am lucky to have you," He sighed.
The pancakes tasted just as good as they looked. Error didn't seem like the type to opt for something so sweet first thing in the morning, so it was clear he'd gone out of his way to cook for him. The detail of the banana slices, too... How did he have the time to make breakfast for two people when one of them was this nice?
Unless...Error hadn't made himself breakfast?
The colourful skeleton slowly worked his way through the meal, enjoying every bite. As he ate, he decided he certainly owed Error one hell of an apology. Maybe he could cook dinner for him...? "But I really can't cook..." He muttered to himself, taking a thoughtful sip of his tea when he'd finished the pancakes.
He wanted to curl back up under the covers, but decided if Error had already got up and done so much, he should probably get ready for work too. He started at nine, and now it was... He checked his phone. 07:56.
Suddenly a text came through on his phone.
Cross: Omfg I feel horrible, is there any chance I can take 1 sick day? I know we said no, but...
I: Are you okay? What's up?
C: I've got an awful headache and I feel really nauseous
I: Aw, shit :/ If you're sick you should probably stay home for everyone's sake... Or at least that's what I'd normally say...
C: Oops, should have probably mentioned that I'm not ill. I'm hungover.
I: Oh. Yeah, I have less sympathy for you now.
I: I mean, it still sucks, but... you brought it upon yourself, amigo. Forgot you decided to go drinking with Nightamare... On a WORK NIGHT...
C: Yeeeep... istfg my alcohol tolerance is so much better than this wtf
I: How much did you drink?
C: Actually, I don't remember.
I: Yeah that usually means you've had too much.
C: So... I can't stay off?
I: No, Cross. I was hungover at work yesterday...
C: ok ngl I can work with the pain, but idk about the people. But yeah no stupid of me to ask when I'm one of the people who has actually seen how badly we need to be in.. See you at nine XD
I: XD Ok, take some painkillers and feel better, buddy.
C: Will do XD
**
"Ah, so you are alive! We were starting to wonder if you'd died without inviting us to your funeral!"
Error spun around on the staircase to see Dust walking towards him, smiling. He returned the expression and replied, "Oh, believe me, pal. Ninety-nine percent of the people here aren't allowed within one hundred metres of my funeral."
"Hope I'm part of the one percent." Dust grinned.
"You want to go to my funeral? That's a bit of a morbid way to start the day, but okay."
They chatted as they climbed the stairs, until they reached the accounting department where Dust worked. "Man, the boss couldn't cope. With you gone, and someone from the IT department's management finally quitting..."
"Wait, who?"
"I don't know. All I know is the whole IT department hates the boss. I'm sure you'll be welcomed back, what with your opinions on him."
"Oh, yeah." Error grinned.
"Right, well," Dust pushed open the door, "See you at lunch?"
"Sure."
Upon arriving at his own department, Error noticed that everyone's eyes were on him as he walked into the room. Maybe his colleagues had assumed he'd been fired. It would explain the tense atmosphere.
He ignored the stares, walking to his cubicle. He'd only been sat down a minute or so before he heard his boss' familiar, annoying voice.
"Error, I want a word."
He rolled his eyes (which were hidden from anyone else's' view) and stood up. "Of course."
It had surprised him that his boss had been at the IT department at the exact time he'd showed up back to work. Unless someone who'd seen him on the way in had told him, Error found this to be slightly strange.
"So..." He started as Error followed him down the hall, "I think you owe me an explanation."
"Yeah. I guess I do." Error muttered. When his boss glanced at him, unimpressed, he coughed and hastily added, "Yes, I do."
"And an apology."
"Yes," Error inhaled, "I'm sorry for not informing you of my absence. I should have called you sooner."
"You shouldn't have even informed me. You should have asked me if you could take time off."
"Respectfully, sir," Error fought to keep his voice level, "I had no say in the matter. I was in hospital."
"Why did you not tell me that?"
"I had other things to think about."
"What were you in the hospital for?"
"That's not really any of your business."
"It is when I have no proof you were even there."
"Well, I'll get a note from one of the doctors that treated me, okay?"
"What did they treat you for?"
"Right, well, if you're not going to stop asking," Error stopped walking and glared up at the boss, "I was stabbed. In the street."
The boss had no comment to make for at least five seconds.
"Why?" Was his final choice.
Error could have laughed. In fact, he had to stop himself from doing so. "I don't know, do you want me to go and ask the guy? Considering I don't even know who he was, and he wasn't caught."
"Why has this... not been.. on the internet? Or the news...? A local stabbing?"
"Because I didn't let them carry out an investigation."
"Why?"
"Oh my God, is that all you say?" Error snapped, "'Why'?" He hadn't planned on losing his patience quite so quickly back at work yet, but he found himself agitated and somewhat uncomfortable with the current topic.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry," Error took a breath to calm himself, "I'm sorry, I just don't want to talk about this any more than I have to. I'll get you proof from a doctor, and we can leave it at that."
"Right."
There was mostly silence now as Error followed the boss to his office. The fact that he was no longer talking indicated that he was saving whatever it was he truly wanted to say until they were alone, which Error did not take as a good sign.
"Sit down," He ordered of Error, who obeyed and sat on the opposite side of his boss' desk.
"Is this where you finally fire me?" Error laughed, only half-joking.
"No," He cleared his throat, "This is where I ask you to stay late for the next week, just so you're all caught up. We've had some stuff go down, and-"
"No."
The boss blinked. "What?"
"I said 'no'." Error repeated, locking eyes with the man opposite him. He stared back, until Error's glare defeated him and he sank back into his chair.
"What do you mean, 'no'?"
"I mean that I haven't got the physical or emotional energy to be here any longer than I have to."
"Please don't pull the mental health card on me."
"Oh, believe me, after the week I've had? I could. I really could." Error sighed, "But I won't. I'm just saying, I have to prioritize the things I've neglected in my personal life for a while."
"And I have to prioritize my entire business above one employee."
"So fire me."
Error couldn't believe his own nerve.
The boss blinked. "Unless you actually want me to do that, I suggest you stop being so rude."
There were many things Error could and wanted to have said, but as he was trying to refrain accepting Four's offer, he bit his tongue.
"You'll be working overtime, then?" The boss asked.
"Am I getting paid?"
"You owe me, Error, not the other way around."
"Actually," Error inhaled, "It is the other way around. I bet neither of us can count the amount of hours I've worked unpaid for you." As much as he tried to hold back, it felt good to stand up to him.
The boss had no response for a few solid seconds. "Well, you never said you minded."
The skeleton actually laughed to himself now. "So that makes everything okay? Because I didn't stand up to you?"
He coughed, cutting over Error. "They might need you down in accounting in a bit. One section reports having issues with the servers."
"Why me specifically?"
"Because they've been having the same issue for two days and IT are useless."
"Well, you employed them," Error shrugged standing up, "And you ignore everything we recommend anyway."
The boss did not comment on that. He instead replied, "I want you to read some of the complaints we've had from the other offices."
"I hope you realize I could take you to court for all you've done." Error commented, acting aloof.
This did catch his attention. "What? No, you couldn't."
Error just hummed, spun around and strode out of the room, slamming the door.
**
"All I'm asking for is what it means."
"You had no right to go through my files."
"I had every right!" Four yelled, slamming his hands on the table that the King sat at, glaring, "I can't believe that this is the second time I'm having to remind you of this in the space of two days, but the Trinity was formed for joint decision making!"
"Some parts you'll never have a say in. You'd do better to understand that."
"All I want to know is what you're planning with Dream."
"It doesn't matter anymore, that's all outdated," The King sighed, "I had to change the plan."
"What plan?" Four's voice raised further, and he waved his arms in the air, "I didn't even know there was a plan! And now you're telling me we have to change it!"
"No," King Multiverse's expression remained blank as he responded, "I have to change it. You don't need to worry about it."
"I have so many questions, and you won't let me ask any of them!"
"Oh, you can ask whatever you like. I just can't guarantee an answer."
"If the information is so outdated, why are you going to train Dream and Nightmare to have an ability they'll literally never need for their jobs?"
"They'll need it." The King replied shortly.
"When?"
"You'll see."
"I'm so, so over the whole 'vague, mysterious answers' bullshit."
The King smiled slightly. "I have to be vague, in case this doesn't work. I need to have a plan C ready if plan B fails."
"I didn't even know there was a plan A!" Four was becoming more and more agitated, now pacing around the room, "Surely I should have been told we were doing something?"
"The thing is, I'm not quite sure what 'something' is yet. I didn't want to tell you until I at least had that figured out."
"I... you...I'm so confused..."
"Well, that's okay. All you need to know is that I'm formulating a plan to get rid of Divinity Seekers for good."
"We can't do that. We can't possibly know every one of them out there."
"No, we can't. But we can sure as hell make them know we're out here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to Rubez and everyone else involved in picking the chapter's name XD
Right you absolute madlads, we got some plot coming soon
and by that
i mean
plot for the neXT BOOK
which will happen at...
some pooooooiiint?
when I get off my ass and finish this one...???
:DDD
but yeah no, poor Crocs omg wait no that's too perfect, I typed Crocs instead of Cross and I REFUSE TO CHANGE IT
frjrvbljetn
ok
get in my discord
right now
or ill collect your ankles better than DPD
(ALSO THANKS FOR 100+ MEMBERS HJSUAHSAH)
even if you don't have discord, m a k e o n e a n d j o i n o u r c̷u̷l̷t̷ *cough* server.
i mean ngl if you're not in the server I would recommend it because we have some good shit there if I do say so myself.
My discord: EmoTrash360 #5972
My server: https://discord.gg/cMCSYzRsyw
You may need to type that into a browser if the link doesn't work haSahahahAhsDSAFDFF
ALSO
DO YOU LIKE THIS BOOK?
DO YOU LIKE CRACK BOOKS?
IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO EITHER OF THESE QUESTIONS, yOU'LL Be sUrE To LoVe 'CReation bEGiNs wiTH a BeeR, dESTructioN BeGiNS wIth a wEed' by simp4len
It's legit a book where:
- Alpha does the cha cha slide and KM's disappointment is immeasurable and his day is ruined
-Four and Alpha kidnap kids in the pedo wagon
-Cross rickrolls the dark Gods
-Squidward on a chair
-Something about falling down the stairs
Read it.
Just go to her profile and read it.
-Brooke
it's the Casper slide part 2
and this time
we're gonna get
f u n k y .
c h a c h a r e a l sm o o t h