"I have called this meeting for one reason, and one reason only."

Ink put his hands emphatically on the table, almost jumping out of his chair. Most of the Sanses there, used to Ink's enthusiasm, hardly opened their eyes despite the reasonably late morning hours. Blue watched him worriedly, gaze flicking between Ink and the councilmembers around them. He already knew what this meeting would be about, or rather who.

Ink spoke his next words darkly, confirming Blue's suspicions. "The Destroyer."

That certainly got everyone's attention.

Dream shuddered as the room filled with hatred and fear. He never had the stomach for battles, pun intended, but even he knew this one was necessary. Mutters rose up as the Sanses began talking to each other, telling their neighbors how many of their copies had been destroyed in the past month alone.

Classic stood up as well, hands in his pockets in false relaxation. "what about him? the guy's got a skele-ton of problems with AUs, but even if we do knock him outta commission, he comes back destroying twice as much. it's like he's makin' up for lost time or something." The easygoing grin slipped off his face for a second as his sockets went dark. "he's been targeting copies for a while now. we don't want him to decide he's got a bone to pick with Originals, too."

Several of the Sanses nodded, but Ink remained undeterred. "Good point, Classic, but I have a plan that is guaranteed to make Error stop destroying!" Ink held up a finger triumphantly. "If he always recovers after he leaves the battle, then we'll just have to make sure he doesn't leave the battle at all!"

He beamed, looking proud of himself. The hall went silent. Blue's sockets widened as he stared at Ink. "You mean... d-dust him?"

Ink blinked like that hadn't occurred to him. "I guess there isn't any other way to do it," he murmured, brows drawn together. "I wouldn't-"

"The bastard deserves it," Fell called out. "You know how many people he's killed?"

Ink's softly stated number was drowned out by shouting. He held a hand up for silence.

"All in favor?" he asked quietly.

Blue's non-literal heart sunk as a chorus of 'aye's went across the room. Ink swallowed nervously, looking for all the world like someone who wished they hadn't woken up this morning.

"If that's the only way to stop the Destroyer..." His voice wavered, uncharacteristically hesitant. Determination pierced through his words like an oath. "Then we'll do it."

Ink's fatal flaw, Blue thought, sharing a distressed glance with Dream, was that he never backed out of a plan.

------

Click click click. Click click click. Click click click click click.

The sound of knitting needles seemed to echo in the silence. The skeleton holding them abruptly stopped, raising one hand to point threateningly at the ceiling. "$t0p Th4t," he told the white expanse peeking through the strings.

There was no reply. The Anti-Void was as quiet and echoless as it should be.

After a moment he glanced down, realizing his movement had shifted everything out of place. He huffed, redoing the dropped stitches hurriedly, and settled back into a rhythm.

Click. Click. Click. Click.

Click click. Click click. Click click click click click.

"1 L1k3d iT b3tT3r Wh3n YoU w3r3 sCr3aMiNg," he muttered, smacking the needles together with a little more force than necessary.

Click click click, they echoed spitefully. Click click click click-

"4rGh!"

Instead of finding a way to murder nothingness itself, he ran his phalanges over the scarf he was knitting, making sure every stitch was perfect. It was a gift for Blue, mimicking the color and fabric of his beloved bandanna. It had been a while since Error did something special for their friendiversary.

He wasn't sure if Blue would wear it, but scarves could be used for other things. The one next to his beanbag, for example, had pouches of chocolate sewn into it. It could be a bag, it could be a sling, it could be-

His thoughts were cut off by a portal opening. He flung the half-finished present towards the ceiling as Blue rushed through, half-tripping and half-flinging himself towards Error in his haste.

"BlUe- OoF!"

"You're gonna die!" Blue sobbed, clinging to him like a large piece of saran wrap.

"3v3rYoNe Di3s 3v3nTuaLly," Error said mildly, before realizing that wouldn't reassure him. "Wh4t HaPp3n3d?"

Blue pulled back from his chest enough to take a deep breath. "Ink called a Council meeting today," he choked out.

That was worrying on its own, but Error had been able to walk, or at least crawl, away from every other one of Ink's traps. He was confident he'd walk away from this one, too, and said as much.

"They voted to dust you," Blue said, in a tone of voice like he was already kneeling by the unmarked grave Error's sure to get.

Error jolted, surprised. "Th3y WeReN't TrYiNg To BeFoRe?" Those had been some pretty hard hits for 'non-lethal force'.

Blue hesitated. "Ink wasn't," he decided, remembering his friend's face when he realized what his suggestion entailed. "Or Dream." He remembered the cacophony of agreements after Fell said Error deserved to die, SOUL growing cold. But not everyone had spoken, and not everyone was there. He was sure some people didn't agree with this.

Error laughed lightly. "1 kNoW dRe4m Wa$n'T. h3 n3v3r 4im3d FoR mY S0UL. i DoN't Th1nK h3 eVeN w4nTs To Ma1m Me."

Blue's arms tightened around Error.

"1'm $tRoNg, BlUe," he promised. "1 c4n TaKe 4 l0t."

"You'll still be injured," Blue whispered. "Badly." I don't want you to get hurt either, is what went unsaid.

Error glanced away. "MaYb3 tHeY'lL sPaRe Me 1f 1 sUrReNd3r3d. Th3y CoULd Br1nG m3 t0 a HoLd1nG c3LL aNd 1'd t3ll Th3m 4b0ut Th3 BaLaNc3s."

But there was a reason Ink had never learned of them, in all the time Error had been his nemesis. Error knew this reason better than anyone in the multiverse, perhaps even Ink himself.

"They're all Judges," Blue pointed out the other flaw in his argument. "And this is their Hall. To them, you're like the Sans version of Frisk." He paused. "Chara. You know what they'd do if you asked them to spare you."

Error blinked, a bit startled by his tone. "Th4t'$... pReTtY p3sSiMisTiC," he noted, though he didn't dispute it. He had no doubt that some of the Sanses would attack him regardless, and equally little doubt that no one would stop them.

"I don't see a way out of this," Blue admitted morosely, curling against him. "If you somehow find a way to escape, they'll just come up with a better plan."

"Th4t'$ s1mPl3," Error said, power welling in his sockets as his grin turned sharp. "1'll m4k3 iT cLe4r Th4t No MaTt3r Wh4t Th3y Do, 1 w1ll 4Lw4y$ w1n."

"...Even with nine hundred Sanses attacking you?"

"1 c0uLd Be4t Th3 wHoLe MuLt1v3r$e 1f 1 tRi3d," Error vowed.

Blue chuckled. "No you can't," he said, but a wobbly smile found its way onto his mouth. He gave Error one last hug before pulling away.

"4lRe4dY?" Error asked.

"I came here right from the meeting. Papy will wonder if I take too long." Blue looked around to make sure he didn't leave anything, even though he didn't bring much. He double-checked his phone was in his pocket. He glanced down at his boots to see if they needed to be tied.

Error flicked a portal open when Blue didn't seem to be willing to leave. "1'll Be HeRe ToMoRr0w."

He hesitated as he stepped through, glancing back. "Do you promise?"

"Th4t 1'll Be HeRe?"

"That you'll be alright."

Error hesitated, so Blue amended, "That you'll stay alive."

"...1 pRoMi$e," Error said, more solemn than Blue's ever heard him, and Blue met his gaze for a moment because he didn't quite believe it.

"Okay," he said softly, and then Error was alone.

He glanced at the scarf hanging above his head. Their friendiversary was in ten days. The battle was in seven.

"1'll $t4y 4l1ve, BlUeBiRd," he promised again, and pretended he wouldn't break it.

----------

Sorry if this is a little choppy, i wrote it all in one sitting and about 9 hours. Inspiration strikes, you know?

Hopefully this is a bit of a better introduction to my fic than the previous chapter one.

Gonna try to catch up on rewrites over summer since i think i need to know where i stand (plotwise and characterwise) before i can confidently write more.

1368 words