bunnsie

To state my point clearly I'd like to first define what makes you, yes you dear reader, you.

If your body completely changed would you still be you? Yes, because you are not your body. You wouldn't say that 5 year old you and today's you aren't the same person despite your body changing completely since then.

If your mind and beliefs completely changed, would you still be you? Yes, because those are meant to change, we grow, we learn. If we forever stay the same, it's the same as death. My point is that past you is still and forever will be you.

And that's what exactly makes you who you are: your past. Your memories and experiences shaped your mind and body. If there was a clone of you, they would be exactly you until they are created, because from that point on they'd have different memories and experiences from you.

Which brings me back to my original point, Passive is Nightmare's past. He has his memories, remembers his experiences, knows his feelings, understands who he cared for. The apple had none of those. Making it not its own being that consumed Nightmare but a catalyst for Nightmare's change.

Nightmare might reject being Passive the same way people say they are not that weak kid anymore. But they were still that weak kid, they simply got stronger and rejected the parts that got them hurt.

Two glitching hands moved gracefully with strings attached to them, but today those strings were bringing no destruction or pain, on this day, the blue threats were attached to two puppets. The puppeteer’s mind was uncommonly calm. One puppet of himself and the other of the guardian of negativity, he hummed a melody as he moved the puppets so they could dance together. 

It's something Error always wished to do, but couldn't, so much touching sounds like hell and yet, he saw it in so many novels, the two lovers dancing together, it was always so incredibly beautiful, they were in beautiful outfits, with loving smiles on their faces. 

“What are you doing, love?” 

“AHH!!” Despite Nightmare speaking in his gentlest voice, he still got trapped in the strings of his beloved. “What the fuck, Nightmare?!?”

“I meant not to scare you but to inform you of my presence. You get startled no matter the approach I take.” Nightmare said with a smile as he turned to goo and back solid to escape the strings. “Now, will my question be answered?”

“... we're dancing.” Error answered, his cheeks turned a bit more colourful. What an embarrassing thing to be caught doing. “Why are you even here?! Without a notice too! I didn't teach you how to use a phone for you to ignore it!!”

“Error…” Nightmare spoke softly once again, smiling almost sheepishly as his tentacle offered Error a bouquet of flowers, made of red roses and blue delphiniums, decorated with dead and dried branches. “Will you be my valentine?”

Error was stunned for a long moment, gently taking the bouquet and looking at it, before hugging the flowers. “Oh yeah… sure…”

“Really? You look… upset?” Nightmare asked, worried, his partner didn't look happy, more like he's about to cry…

“I didn't prepare anything.” Error responded while touching the petals of the roses, his eyes starting to glitch from distress.

“Well, of course you didn't!! This was a surprise I didn't inform you about. I didn't expect- no uh… I wouldn't want you to prepare anything, this is… for you, from me. My gift is being able to prepare this all for you.” Nightmare tried to word his sentences in the best way not to make his lover more guilty. He took Error plushie and pressed the puppet’s forehead to his smile. “So all I want from you is to be happy.”

Error blushed even more as he saw Nightmare basically kiss the miniature version of him. “... I'm happy, I'm very happy.”

“Then dress up beautifully for the 14th, alright? And if you truly want to prepare something in return, then choose my garments for me, so we can match on the day of love.” 

Error smiled at that and also rolled his eyes. “You're so cheesy, mi amor.” 

“Oh ho ho, look who's talking while calling me his amor.”

“Shut it!” Error said with a laugh, as he pulled the strings taking the puppet of himself from Nightmare’s hands and bringing it to Nightmare's teeth.

Nightmare smiled and caressed the little guy. “I’ll come pick you up on 14th… mi amor” Quickly snatching puppet Error from the strings, he disappeared, stealing away the little guy.

“Hey!! Come back, that’s… mine…” Error tried to take the puppet back, but only got his hands in goo, shaking it off, he grumbled, it’s whatever, he had other things to focus on, after all, Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, and he’ll be damned if he makes a boring outfit.

“Shut up!!!” He yelled at no one that he could hear again now that his mind isn’t calm, and he is left alone.

After a lot of thinking, some very legal and definitely peaceful robberies of his favourite au for fabrics, Error sat in the antivoid sketching out matching outfits for them. Of course, he had to call for backup. He ripped off another page and threw it away.

Ink picked it up as he sat near his best friend. “What’s wrong with this one?”

“I don’t like the shoes.”

“And you’re scapping the entire gorgeous design because of it?” Ink gave Error a judging glance, he wasn’t going to let Error throw away any of these, so he folded the design and put it near all the others that he will take with him.

“You said that the design was gorgeous for every scrapped trash I threw.”

“Because they ARE gorgeous. And it’s Nightmare we are talking about, he would wear a potato bag if you told him he’d look good in it”

“No, he wouldn’t.”

“Yes, he would.”

“He has standards.”

“Are you sure? He’s dating you.”

“WHAT DOES THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?” Error’s eyes glitched out as he threw whatever he could find blindly at Ink, completely missing, making Ink laugh more.

“I’m kidding!! I’m kidding!!! Jeez… he’s happy with you, that much is clear.”

“He’s a walking grumpy octo plushie, happiness is not a thing for him”

“And yet he allows you to call him that, not many can call him that and survive, yet when you call him that, he does what?”

“Oh shut up.”

“He smiles. Smileeeessssss”

“Shut up and tell me what you think”, Error grumbled and handed Ink another sketch.

“It’s gorgeous.” Ink didn’t even look at it and just gave Error his most encouraging smile.

“Will you say ANYTHING else?!?” Ink’s smile instantly disappeared after that, he is so tired of this.

“Gosh!! Just make yours red and his turquoise.”

“But turquoise is not a Valentine’s colour.”

“Well, red is not his colour.”

“True… now get out, you were useless as always”

“Awwww I love you too”

Ink got swiftly kicked out of the antivoid as Error started sewing. 

He put on his glasses and smiled as he began working with a heavy, shiny wine-red fabric. He cut out large pieces to make big, puffed-out sleeves and a high-collared shirt. For the front of the chest, he added a long, flowing ruffle made of that same shiny red material. He carefully sewed tiny frills onto the collar and the wrists.

“See? I didn't even prick myself once.”

…

“I'm amazing. Thank you, thank you, I know, but by all means keep the praise coming.” Error said arrogantly to the white void, smiling with pride after finishing the top. But he was tired and decided to call it a day for now, falling on his beanbag as he imagined him and Nightmare in matching outfits, leaving the antivoid a mess with sewing equipment all around him as he dozed off. 

“Alright, let's do this.” He said to the white nothingness around him after a short 15 hour long nap.

For the pants, he used a sturdy black suit fabric and added a high cut. The best part, however, was the bright red, see-through fabric he used, he showed it off to the void, looking smug as if he was hearing many compliments. He folded yards of it into small pleats and tucked them into the side seams of the pants so the red fabric would flutter and fan out whenever the person moved. To finish the outfit, he added a stiff black corset, pulling the laces tight to make the waist look small and sharp.

“Do you think he'll like it?” Error asked while looking at his side, where there was nothing, before nodding. “I agree. But what?” Error paced around the mannequin, listening attentively to the ones in his head. 

“Valentine’s Day is soon, I don’t have time to waste.” In the end, he sighed and started doing Nightmare’s outfit in the same style, but without the high cut on the pants and shirt. Of course, he also changed the colour from red to turquoise.

As he looked at the finished product, he pouted. “I don’t know, guys… This doesn’t speak Valentine’s Day to me.” Error explained as he played with the sleeve of Nightmare’s blouse.

…

“Oh my god, you’re right, I can’t believe I forgot… well, what do we do now? If the colour doesn’t matter… the rule of fashion goes that if it’s not interesting through colour, it should be interesting through shape!!” Error explained with his finger up in the air. “Let’s go shopping, everyone.”

He opened the portal to some AU with jewellery, walking through it to see scared faces.

“Nobody panic, I’m not here to destroy you all. Although that being said… this is a robbery.”

A few annoying minutes later, Error wiped off the dust on his coat. “Man, they really don’t listen… oh well, let’s go, everyone, we need to choose the jewels that would suit my elegant, gorgeous self!!!”

…

“Hm? Yeah, and Nightmare too, I guess.”

Once back in the antivoid, Error went back to work, smiling brightly as he finally understood what was missing. He added heart-shaped patches all around his sleeves, decorating them with realistic heart-shaped jewellery.

“So since hearts wouldn’t really suit my bel- Nightmare… I thought that if I am a heart than he can be something else that’s associated with Valentine’s Day. Can you guess what it is?”

…

“That’s right! An arrow.” Error exclaimed happily as he first added an arrow-shaped necklace that wrapped around the next, and then sat down and started carefully embroidering arrows along Nightmare’s sleeves.

...

“No, I don’t care that you already saw it when I was robbing the place, can’t you let me have my moment?”

He took one last look at the finished product, smiling warmly. “I hope you like it.” Error whispered and went to start folding it all carefully. From the same store he robbed, he got a really cute black box with red hearts, where he put the clothes. Opening a portal to Nightmare’s bedroom, he looked around, no one was there, but then again, the guardian was never in his bedroom. Error put the box on the bed. And as his greatest show of affection, he put a heart-shaped chocolate on the box too.

He returned to the antivoid and sighed. His glitching getting worse by the second. Why was he nervous? It’s Nightmare. Nightmare will like it. Right? Right…? He didn’t have all this anxiety while sewing. Oh lord, what if he remembered the measurements wrong?!?

…

“AH!!” Error screamed and jumped, grumbling as he turned around to look at nothing. “I forget you can read my mind sometimes. But… you’re right. Okay. Let’s just… knit. What do you guys want me to knit today?”

Error’s voice echoed into the void, but by the looks of it, he got the response he wanted. Calming down, settling on his beloved beanbag and starting to knit.

“Really? You too?” Ink asked, unimpressed as Nightmare told him to come.

“Stop whining and tell me if this is too much.” Nightmare demanded as he gestured to the castle, decorated with roses and delphiniums, the same ones he used for the bouquet. Along with his lackeys in suits, looking uncomfortable.

“Error would like solitude and quiet, but not too quiet, so get some music.”

“Music is covered, don't worry, I thought of that.”

“Then why am I here?!? You know Error better than I do!!” Ink yelled out, his eye lights turning into exclamation marks. 

“You shall be my scapegoat, if Error doesn't find something to his liking, the blame will be placed on you.”

“... I hate you.”

“Yeah yeah, you are dismissed now, feel free to spend your Valentine's Day all alone.”

“Mind you, I'll happily do that!!” Ink yelled out before teleporting away

After watching him for a second, Nightmare turned to his subordinates and chuckled, “... also, you three won't get needed on the date.”

“WHAT?! Then why did you put us in these stupid ass suits?!” Killer screamed, Horror and Dust stayed silent, but definitely not pleased.

“To make you look stupid for my own pleasure.” 

“Really? Couldn't you at least lie?”

“Why would I? We've been acquainted long enough for you to know my nature. Even asking your question was unnecessary as I'm certain you knew the answer anyhow.”

“How can Error stand you is beyond me.”

“Easily, I'd never torment my lover for my own pleasure. My pleasure is, in fact, making him happy.” Nightmare spoke with pride as he turned to look around at the big portrait of Error and himself at the very center main hall of his castle. Just seeing them two made him smile, stupid fool, told himself he'd never be like those lovestruck fools and then fell in love. It's an ugly yet pretty feeling for him all at once, for once, seeing someone smile didn't disgust him. For once, seeing him upset didn't make him happy.

Nightmare snapped out of his thoughts and went to his room to see a box on his bed. Despite himself, his sadistic smirk melted into a genuine smile as he took it.

“Gracias, mi amor.” He whispered to himself before he caught himself. He coughed and pretended it didn't affect him at all. After carefully putting away the clothes he sat down on the bed and ate the little chocolate heart, Error had wonderful taste in sweets. Nightmare proceeded to lay down, he didn't need sleep, but it was a nice time to try and relax. 

He did not relax. Why was this date so nerve-racking for him? He isn't usually like this, he took Error on dates before, and they went fine. So what if this date has much more effort put into it than the previous ones? Maybe he’s a little nervous Error will be overwhelmed, maybe this was a bad idea. 

No. Since when does he doubt himself? A bad date won’t ruin their relationship.

Mentally gagging as he actually thought that he unironically referred to them as being in a relationship, he started carefully putting on the outfit Error prepared for him. Nightmare looked at the mirror, appreciating the colours even if his goo engulfed the clothes, making all the colour disappear.

Breathe in, breathe out. Did he breathe? No. But it still helped him calm down before he teleported into the antivoid. He expected Error to be still asleep, what he did not expect was Error already dressed, sitting on his beanbag with the same bouquet Nightmare had given him a week ago, it didn’t wilt, of course it didn’t. 

“Oh!! Hi- um- you’re here!” Error jumped nervously, and something in that sigh calmed Nightmare. He smiled softly. Yeah, he’s the calm one in this, he shouldn’t be nervous, as that would only make his love more nervous. 

“I am. How are you feeling? Would you accept my hand?” Nightmare asked gently while offering Error his hand. Error stared at it for a bit before reaching out to accept it, his hand trembled as he did.

“You are even more radiant than usual.” Nightmare complimented him, and if Nightmare saw himself right now, he’d punch himself for sure. 

“I know that.” Error paused, side eyeing his valentine. “But… you too.” Error mumbled as they just stood there, Error’s hand on Nightmare’s. The guardian didn’t squeeze, didn’t even hold it yet, waiting for the glitch to give him the green light.

“Why, thank you, the most talented tailor in the multiverse tailored this for me.”

“Will you compliment all day?”

“Are you against that?”

“... no, compliment me more.”

“Of course, after all, you are the only one worthy of my praise”

“Okay!! We can go now!” Error is always so cute when he’s flustered, but Nightmare kept that to himself.

“Are you sure? We can stay here until you are ready.”

“I said let’s go!!”

“Yes, of course, my apologies for the crime of trying to defy you.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” Nightmare said as he gently wrapped his fingers around Error’s hand, seeing no negative reaction, he decided to continue. “Could you open a portal to my castle?”

“Yeah…” Error opened the glitchy portal to the entrance of Nightmare’s palace.

Nightmare opened the door for Error. The main hall was decorated with flowers, string lights in forms of stars lightning the hall just enough so you could see everything, but still leaving it dim. Error’s favourite music playing softly in the background. Before Error could process everything, Nightmare gently tied a floating heart-shaped balloon to Error’s arm.

Error gasped, “Balloons?! I love balloons!!!”

“I know you do. There are also star balloons if you would like.”

“Oh, do I!!!” Error’s eyes glimmered with pure childish joy.

Nightmare didn’t need to be told twice as he started tying different balloons to Error’s hand.

“How many do you think would be needed for me to float?”

“More than we have.”

“Awwwh…”

“My apologies, please do not be saddened, I’ll organise that someday, but on this day I selfishly don’t want you flying away from me.”

“Pffft… okay okay.” Error laughed, and Nightmare couldn’t help smiling at such lovely sight.

“So what did you plan? Are we having like a dinner date?”

“On Valentine’s Day? With you? Not a chance, this is the day where it is socially accepted to give you mountains of chocolate.”

“CHOCOLATE?!?” Nightmare couldn’t help laughing at this partner’s reaction, oh what a cutie.

“Yes, but try not to eat too much. I also got you hot chocolate.” Nightmare gently took Error by his sleeve, leading them to the kitchen, where there was enough chocolate to give a human diabetes.

Error laughed with ecstatic joy as he looked through mountains of chocolates, dark, milk, white, cow spots, heart-shaped, rose-shaped, with alcohol, with nuts, bubbly, with jam fillings, with fruit bits. Is that a chocolate fountain? Error was in chocolate heaven, and Nightmare was just thinking how worth it all was.  

“The hot chocolate is in the pot on low fire to keep it warm.”

“You are the best!!” Error exclaimed happily, his hands in the air.

“I’m not, but I try for you.”

“You sap…” Error didn’t really mean it, he just stuffed his mouth with chocolate with a happy and content smile that Nightmare shamelessly admired.

Nightmare loved this rare feeling, one where he feels no negative emotions from his lover, his beautiful, glitchy, a bit unstable, but also so incredibly perfect lover. 

Error turned to look at Nightmare stare at him and suddenly felt flustered. “So um- if not dinner…” he took another bite from the cow spots chocolate he was enjoying, “Then what?”

“Well…” Nightmare once again felt nervous. “Would you… mind if we danced together?”

“Dance?” Error echoed back to Nightmare, before blushing as he remembered Nightmare catching Error playing with the puppets of them.

Seeing Error hesitate, Nightmare started panicking, “I sought not to burden thy spirit, for I have other delights prepared for thee beyond this. It was but my thought that as the glass runs low and thy frame grows weary, thou mightst find the laying on of hands a heaviness. Therefore, let us dispatch this first, that we may afterwards take our ease in such fellowship as requires no touch. Yet, if this mislikes thee, we shall speak of it no more and pass to other matters..” 

“You’re so cute when you panic and switch to Old English, even if I don’t get most of your words.”

“...excuse me?”

“We can try dancing, I’ve wanted to do that for… a while.”

Error stood up, offering Nightmare his hand, which Nightmare took carefully. 

“Is this alright?”

“It is.” Error stepped closed, a bit too confidently. It was dim, unlike the antivoid. The star string lights reminded him of Outertale. And the music was so different from the deafening silence. Maybe that’s why he felt so much calmer now… maybe it’s just because he trusts Nightmare. Maybe it’s all at once, but he just wanted to dance. Wait- “I don’t know how to dance though…”

“I do, don’t worry. Is Waltz suitable? It’s a slow dance and a fairly simple dance, but we will be pretty close the entire time.”

“Waltz? Sure. I am feeling fine, just expect me to step on your feet.”

“It is actually a common learning practice for the learning person, if they are light enough, to stand on their teacher’s feet so they move along and remember the movement.”

“I am not light, though.”

“You are.”

“Hey!” 

“So if that’s how you wish to dance, we can.” 

“... well… maybe that is how I want it.”

“Then stand on my feet.”

Error looked down and then stepped on Nightmare’s feet, flinching a bit as Nightmare put an arm on his waist to support him.

“Sorry…”

“Oh! It’s alright.” Error smiled at Nightmare, and Nightmare couldn’t help smiling back.

“You have no idea the things you do to me”, Nightmare whispered as his tentacle reached out to put on some slow dance music and started moving along to it. The balloons connected to Error’s hand, swinging with them.

Error looked at their feet, trying to understand the moves, surprisingly unaware of just how close they were.

“Are my feet more pleasant to look at than my face?”

“Wh- what?” Error looked back up to see his lover pouting. “... there's no way you're upset over me not looking at your face.”

“Yes, I am. It is the point of dancing to be close and enjoy the music together.”

“If you say so… but if I keep looking at you, I won't really learn to dance.”

“Do you plan to dance with someone else?”

“Well no-”

“Then do not worry your pretty head about it, we can dance like this each time.”

Error huffed in defeat and just relaxed into the dance, it wasn't as grand as it was in the movies. But that's probably for the best. He'd get overwhelmed, and it would be cut short. He didn't want it to be cut short. This touch was consistent, unmoving, and from someone he trusts most. Too much? Maybe.

“What are you thinking about?”

That snapped Error out of his thoughts, he looked in Nightmare's eyes. Did Nightmare always smile so much? Yes, he did… but this smile was not… his usual one.

“... I like this.” He confessed quietly. And that was enough to melt Nightmare’s metaphorical heart, his shoulders relaxed, he didn’t even know they were tense.

“Hearing that makes me incredibly happy”, Nightmar confessed too. “I was actually really worried you wouldn’t like the date.”

“Since when do you worry? And how could I ever not like it? You included almost everything I love.”

“What did I not include?”

“Things that would not fit Valentine’s Day.”

“I still wish to know.”

“Bubbles… you know the water ones.”

“I prepared them.”

“Oh- I guess then novels?”

“That was a backup plan if you got overwhelmed.”

“Damn… games?”

“Got all board games I could find across the multiverse.”

“How many backup plans did you make?”

“14.”

Error laughed at that, oh this is priceless. “Why would you ever make that many? We had like one failed date in our entire time being together.”

“I still feel bad about that one.”

“And I am the drama queen???”

“Yes, you are.”

“Yes, I am.” Error confirmed proudly. “But, I love your effort, you already put in so much of it- and I just…”

“You made these absolutely stunning matching garments.”

“And you prepared the entire castle for this date, probably kicked out everyone else, so we are alone.”

“Thought you would prefer it being just us.”

“And I do!! See? You always do everything so infuriatingly right…”

Nightmare stopped dancing at that, smiling as he connected his forehead with Error’s. Error blushed at that gesture, it was comforting…

“It’s such an unfamiliar feeling for me still, to be happy because you’re near.” Nightmare whispered.

“Don’t say things like that out of nowhere!!”

“It’s Valentine’s Day, if not today, when is the time to tell you this?”

“Is that why you were so nervous? Planning to say so many cheesy things?”

“I can stop if you don’t like them.”

“Who said I don’t like them?”

“You’re the cutest, Error.”

“I know I am. But… you’re second cutest.”

Nightmare was taken aback by that, blushing too now, “Whoa… is that how you feel when I hit you with compliments?”

Error giggled, “Pretty much.”

Nightmare suddenly started dancing again, with a smile even softer than before. And it was peaceful, like their own paradise, even if just for a moment.

“...” Error thought about something again. This is a very rare moment when he is feeling so safe in someone’s touch, such a weirdly relaxing feeling. He put his head on Nightmare’s shoulder as they danced. For a moment, it was almost too much, but Nightmare didn’t comment, just slowed down his steps, and the soft sounds of music led him to relax. He often daydreamed about something like this, and often started feeling sad thinking how his haphephobia would prevent him from enjoying it.

“Tired?” Nightmare whispered, his hands not moving even if he wanted to stroke Error’s chest.

“I might have not slept because I was waiting for this date.”

 “I figured.” Nightmare said as he stopped, and that jolted Error up.

“I didn’t say I want to end the date.”

“Even so, if we keep dancing like this, you will most likely fall asleep. So how about switching to something else?”

“Will you dance with me again sometime later?”

That question surprised Nightmare, but how could he ever refuse. “I will dance with you anytime, just ask.”

Error calmed after Nightmare comforted him. “Then can we play something?”

“Sounds fun, what game would you like?”

“I don’t feel like thinking so… snakes and ladders?”

“As you wish.”

Nightmare gently let go of Error, who went to sit down on the couch, before Nightmare brought the board game.

As they played, they fell into complete silence. Nightmare could see just how tired Error was, but Error was happy, and that’s what mattered most. Perhaps whenever Error rolled something bad, Nightmare would flick the dice so Error could win. He was usually very competitive, but seeing Error so happy every time he won was so much more precious.

And as Error finally fell asleep, Nightmare gathered the game and put it back in place. Coming back to untie balloons from Error’s hand, and finally putting a blanket over his lover.

He sat near Error as he slept, he sent his lackeys away for a while so they shouldn’t disturb Error’s sleep anytime soon. But he still sat near, he wasn’t named Nightmare for no reason. He could influence dreams. And right now, he was determined to make sure Error didn’t have a single nightmare. He should be the only nightmare Error has after all.

“You know Error…” Nightmare said quietly, and as he got no reaction, he continued. “I think… well, no, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Nightmare looked at his sleeping lover, sleeping peacefully.