#queerplatonic errorink

“Wait, did I fall asleep again?”

Error swatted his sweater off of his stomach, and flattened out the shirt between it. He looked through the door into the anti-void and noticed that the radiant yellow of the Doodle Sphere that he had last remembered had started to fade to more of a mustard color, less vibrant than before.

“I guess I did.” He huffed, reaching over to his side to grab an unfinished doll of Underswap Sans that he made with his strings. The lookalike was fully constructed up until the torso, at which he had tied together the ends and called it a day. But now that his mind was fully refreshed, he thought that it would be better to continue working on it to give him something to do rather than just sit around for another few hours.

As he grabbed his strings out from his eye sockets and started working, he found that his fingers were slightly stiff from vehemently weaving and constructing. He was no stranger to overworked fingers, as he had dozens of dolls of various anomalies strung up around the anti-void. But on this day he had no tolerance for anything that would burden him more than his empty world was already burdening him today.

Error had practically done all he could to wreck the AUs. But every time he thought that his work was done, Ink would swoop in out of nowhere and fix everything instantly. That got his gears grinding for a couple of weeks, but now he was simply too burnt out. Plus, the crushing feeling of failure and disappointment had started to hit him too. So here he was, sitting in the anti-void for 24 hours of the day, contemplating whether or not it was worth it to even live.

He was amazed at how Ink was able to keep pressing on and keep doing good, considering the things that he had to deal with every day too. Ink has no soul, so he has to try and make up for that by being the most selfless and well-rounded person he could be. Even though he was still an asshole, Error had to admit that he was doing better at accomplishing that than the normal outcode would. If it had not been for him being able to catch his drugs so he can have them whenever he needs them, he would not be the “hero” that he is today. None of his charades would have started and he would have just been a nobody.

Error was set up to be a nobody, just an anomaly Sans that got glitched out of his AU. But because he was able to get his strings when he fully glitched out, he was able to gain the power and control he needed to be able to bring order and eliminate anomalies that had nothing of what he had. He saw in others what people saw of him. Just a regular person, who has no capability of doing anything worthwhile. If that is the case, then they need to make way for something that would actually make a difference. Ink thought that everything in the multiverse deserved to live a happy life and make their mark. Error scoffed at the thought of this.

“Well then why do you treat people like they’re just background characters in your story?” He said, almost bending his finger a little too far back. He relaxed slightly, his back slouching slightly and going a little slower in his work. He needed to clear all thoughts of Ink from his head to be able to stay calm.

A faint voice soon came within earshot:

“Oh, Broomy! You’re too much!”

Error turned his head to the door to see Ink sitting in the middle of the Doodle Sphere, clutching his brush next to him and smiling widely. Ink threw his head back, chuckling loudly.

Error’s busy fingers came to a halt as he looked down at the ground. Then he got an idea. An awful idea. An absolutely wonderful, awful idea. Maybe, he thought, I could play with him a little bit. Poke some fun at him. He’s obviously got nothing to do, just like me.

But, he had to come up with an excuse for conversation. He didn’t want Ink to be suspicious of him and he didn’t want Ink to think that he actually wanted to have a friendly chat. He tossed and turned ideas in his mind when he finally came up with the idea of using Ink as a reference for a doll for him he was creating. He stood up, dropped the blueberry doll, and stepped into the light.

“Hey, Ink,” a choppy voice said. Ink turned his head around to see Error standing not quite over him, but a couple of feet away so that he wasn’t too close to him.

“Yeah?” Ink said, getting up as Error asked his question.

“I need a reference for a doll I’m making—“

Without skipping a beat, Ink deadpanned, “Is it me?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Why would you make another one of me?” Ink raised an eyebrow.

“Uh…” Error tugged at his scarf, trying to think of something sensible to say. “…I lost my old one.”

Even though it sounded very forced and nervous, Ink bought it enough for the subject to be dropped.

“Okay. Well, I’ll do it!”

As soon as Ink stepped into the anti-void, he realized he had forgotten why he never went there.

He jerked his head around the landscape to find that there was absolutely nothing in the area. The barrenness of the place started to pound at his head, closing in on every side. The seemingly endless white started to stretch and shrink, and he finally dropped his brush in panic.

He was sweating heavily, and he was breathing hard. “It’s COMPLETELY EMPTY!” He curled up into a ball on the ground, tucking his head into his knees. If anything was to move forward, Error would need to give him his brush again.

Error tried to pick up Ink’s brush, but he almost dropped it. It felt like he was competing in a lifting championship, and he was losing. Badly.

Error soon enough was able to set the brush on the ground next to Ink, and Ink quickly snapped out of his trance. He swept up his brush with a swish of his arm, and turned to Error. “Is it okay if I do a little decorating?”

Error was watching the AUs in the anti-void, as he always did before he went on a destroying spree. 

He would survey each AU, determining whether it was useful or not. If it was a waste, he would make a note to destroy it when he had the time (which he had today). Since Ink was busy, Error could sneak out without getting caught. Then he could really have his fun.

So far, this one was nothing good. He jotted it down in his notebook and snapped his fingers. The screen switched to the next AU, showing Underswap Sans hugging his brother. Error scoffed. 

Meanwhile, several clangs and crashes sounded from afar. One time Error swore he heard a cat yowling. He didn’t know what the heck Ink was doing, but he thought it would be better not to find out.

He sighed and continued working, trying to block out the noise behind him. But in a moment's time he couldn’t even hear his own thoughts over drilling sounds. Error snapped and stood up. He left the AU unmonitored as he stomped away to confront Ink. 

Ink had finished his grand creation and was sitting next to his brush. He patted it, giggling about what Error's reaction might be. He smirked when Error came to him less than a minute later. 

“What are you-“ Error started to shout, but then his voice lowered to a whisper.

Behind Ink stood a brown three-story house that had not been there before. It had aluminum sidings, a gable roof, and a front porch. Smoke was flowing out of the chimney and roses were blooming in the garden. 

Error dropped his jaw, conflicted on whether to scream or to gasp. He couldn’t deny it was nice, and Ink had spared him most of the work. The hardest part would be moving in, especially because he was used to living in a disorganized wasteland. 

“I—wh—how?!?!” He stammered as Ink’s smirk stretched even wider. “I was bored.”

Ink grabbed his brush and got up. “Whew! All that hard work made me hungry. Come inside! I started putting some snacks in the kitchen.”

Ink bounded towards the house, beckoning for Error to follow him. Error hesitated, still not sure what had just happened. Still, something in his head was pushing him to go inside.

He became curious about whether he should keep it or tear it down. If he didn’t like it, then why should it take up space?

He was led through the front door and into the living room. It didn’t have any furniture in it yet, but the walls rose 20 feet high and the wooden floor was neatly polished. The ceiling was perfect for hanging strings overhead, like he did in the anti-void. The room was also fairly big, so he would have a space for his dolls to live in.

The next room was the dining room, with a large limestone table and a chandelier above it. There were seven chairs on each side, and two on each end. Near the doorway was a shelf with assorted glasses. Error couldn't help but mumble to himself about how white stupid it looked.

The third room was a TV room, with a real TV at the end of the room and a bean bag. The TV rested on a low shelf, and under it was a cable and a DVR. With the DVR, Error would never have to throw a fit about missing Undernovela again. 

The last room on the first floor was the kitchen. There was a stove on top of an oven at the side of the room. On both sides of the room was a long, slender countertop. Above the stove was a microwave, along with some cabinets. Error opened the cabinet farthest to the right to see a box of Froot Loops and Thin Mints.

“There’s Cheez-its and Doritos in the other ones, if you want them.” Ink said. Ink paused, and then his eyes changed to exclamation points. “Oh! By the way…” He walked over to Error and whispered, “I got you your favorite. It’s in the next cabinet.”

He opened the cabinet next to the first one. Inside was a box of macaroni and cheese. Error squinted at it, then cracked a smile. Ink led Error upstairs. There were two bedrooms next to each other, and they each had full-sized beds with a dresser. Each also had a desk for so-called "organization purposes." 

Last but not least, there were two bathrooms at the end of the hallway, complete with a shower and bathtub. They had large cabinets for storing toiletries and came with towels and a rug. 

At the end of the tour, Ink asked eagerly, “So, do you like it?” Error stood there in silence, at a loss for words. “Actually…” he mumbled, avoiding Ink entirely. “…I think I’m hungry too.” 

Error made his way down the stairs and disappeared into the kitchen. Ink smiled subtly and glanced at the floor below. He noticed that he had left the front door open, giving a glimpse of the empty world.

Error needed a home, Ink thought. Sure, he had his own AU, but he never thought of it as a home. 

Would this make him happier?

He moved like a robot down the stairs while he was lost in thought. He asked himself questions that had never even crossed his mind before.

Why am I doing this? And why do I care about him so much? I never worry about other people like I do with Error.

He got back to his senses the moment he stepped into the kitchen. 

The first thing he saw was Error eating a box of macaroni and cheese near the countertop. He didn’t even notice Ink coming in with the huge spoonfuls he was shoving into his mouth.

Ink reached into a cabinet and took out a bag of Doritos. They were Cool Ranch, as Ink insisted they were the only good flavor. So there he was, standing in a house he made, with a snack he brought into said house, putting fistfuls of it into his mouth. 

Ink and Error stood in silence while inhaling their food. For several minutes, they weren't on edge by the presence of the other. And it was glorious. 

Ink was going through the notes on his scarf, as he always did when he had nothing to do. In a laid-back time like this, he thought it was best to catch up on current events. 

Error was the first one to move, walking towards the doorway before he had even finished eating. At that moment, something popped into Ink's head, pleading for an answer. 

“Wait!” Ink yelled. Error whipped his head around. 

“Um, didn’t you say you were gonna use me as a reference for new doll?" Ink raised an eyebrow. "Because I saw you were making Underswap Sans instead. Also, I saw your old doll of me strung up on the ceiling with the rest of them. What's up with that?"

Oh. Shit.

“Um…” Error wiped his forehead, staring down at the ground. He fumbled with his fingers until he dropped his spoon with a CLANG!