A few days later, Error's POV

"What's that book about?"

I glance over with a frown. This is the fifth time he asked the last few days. I shut the book.

"It looks different from the last three. Is that the UnderNovela one I hear about?"He asks

"OkAy iF y0u'rE hErE t0 rEc0vEr, y0u'r3 g0iNg t0 leArN h0w t0 r3ad s0 y0u st0p aSkInG."I say, getting a kid's book through a portal.

I hand him it, spending a good amount of time teaching him so I don't hear him struggling to pronounce words while I read.

"What genres are there? I hear that there's a variety to read. Ooo! Are there how to books? I want to learn how to make stuff like the lovely puppets you have here."He says

"JuSt f0cuS 0n leArNiNg t0 reAd, tHeN wE wiLl diScUsS gEnReS."I say, rolling my eyes.

"Were you reading UnderNovela?"He asks

"UndErNoVeLa iS aN AU, iDi0t."I say

"Do you like it?"He asks

"Do3s tHaT mAtTeR?"

"I'm just curious about your opinion on AUs. You never seem to attack or destroy any versions of OuterTale. If anything, you chase Ink out of it before he can bother that AU."He says

"KeEp tHaT cUri0siTy t0 y0urSeLf."

"Does that mean you hate it? Ink does say that Asgoro is overrated."He says, turning the page.

"ThAt liTtlE sHiT d0eSn't kn0w wHaT hE iS tAlKiNg ab0uT. ThAt iNkfAc3 iS oVeRraTeD."I growl, clenching my fists.

I see him smile and I frown.

"Given his memory, I can't deny that."He says, focusing on reading.

I shake my head, returning to my hammock to read. He starts to hum, seeming happy with reading.

Eventually I removed the strings once sure that they're no longer needed, dropping him into Swap's AU to be rid of him. It was strange having another guest staying here. The entire time he was friendly to me, openly talking to me. As if there wasn't any consideration for our opposing sides in his head. Then there's my voices constantly asking about him or how I'm doing near him. I ignore them for the most part, not wanting Dream to get any clues to their questions. It's so dumb since they hardly stayed quiet, making me regret making the deal to help Dream for them. They didn't keep up their end of it. Yet he didn't make a mess of my place either so I guess I can appreciate that. And the fact that he knows when to shut up, going quiet whenever I got annoyed by him is nice. Very respectful of my boundaries.

Now I can watch some UnderNovela. I sit down happily on the bean bag and open a view to the AU so that I can catch up on it. I grin, finally able to relax.

A week later, Dream's POV

"Dream! Help me out here!"Ink shouts

"Oh for star's sake, Ink! You did not piss Error off again!"I groan in annoyance

"IiIiInNnnkK!"I hear a glitching voice shout as Ink runs to me.

"Well...."He says, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't say anything else, Ink."I say, shaking my head.

"So does this mean you'll cover me?"

"I-"

"You're the best! Thanks buddy!"He says, running past me.

I glance over my shoulder, seeing him disappear with his brush into a puddle.

Ugghh...This is just great....

"IiInK! GeT bAcK hErE yOu liTtLe sHiT!"

I glance up, seeing Error swing into sight with some of Ink's paint on his clothes and face. No wonder he is pissed. He narrows his eyes with a frown, his fists clenching.

"WhErE'D tHaT aSsHoLe gO?"He asks

"He's already gone, Error."I say with a shrug.

"YoU bEtTeR nOt bE cOvErIng fOr hIM."He growls

I grin, part of me relieved with how hostile he is towards me. Usually anyone near me starts acting all cheery and living off of the positivity I give them. Many act much friendlier to me than they really are and part of me was concerned that days spent near Error would affect him. But no, he hasn't changed a bit. Is he even affected around me? I don't know. But at least he seems genuine. It's better than seeing a change in him. It can get tough to tell how true people are being around me or if it's just my aura affecting them and in some cases, what they're feeding off of from me. So it's weird to feel relief that he's mad at me but it's a clear indication of genuine emotions instead of what my presence may cause. And that's so much better than ingenuine feelings.

"I'm not. He sank through a puddle behind me to who knows where...He has done this at least seven times in the last few days. I'm as sick of it as you are. Here, let me help."I say

I take a bottled mixture into my hand and lift it up to him from my bag.

"This is what Swap and I use to get rid of his paint."

"YoU'Re jOkInG, rIgHt?"

"You're not the only one that gets caught in his messes. It's just water and soaps. Nothing harmful but you should use it before it stains."

He looks at me with a doubtful but also confused look. His strings hesitantly grab it and I grin, glad that I could help. He squirts it onto his clothes and wipes the paint off his face with his hands. It comes off his clothes just like I said it would and his strings return the bottle to me. Then I see him glance at me with an almost analytic gaze, narrowing them. He often did that when he thought I wasn't looking, wandering his antivoid, or reading. It's like he was trying to examine me and learn something without asking with words. I always brushed it off though.

"WhaT aRe yOu dOiNg oUt hErE?"

"Just wandering. Brought a bag in case anything was needed with the routine and expected scenarios. Especially Ink's pattern...It's what I usually start out doing in new AUs."I say, closing my bag again.

"WhEn wAs tHe lAsT tImE yOu SlEpT, dReAm?"He asks

"Huh?"I say

"SlEeP. WhEn dId yOu lAsT d0 iT?"He asks sternly

"Hmm...I'd say the last time I slept was when I was reading that book you gave me to learn with."I say

He picks me up in his strings, binding me by the hands again.

"I lEfT yOu wItH sWaP!"He snaps, looking exasperated.

"Ink has been busy causing messes so free time to rest hasn't been a thing. And Swap's brother doesn't want me around after Ink caused trouble and claiming it was a Star Sans thing. It would've been rude to disobey and overstay my welcome. Can I be put down? Please?"I say, shrugging the most I could.

He frowns, clenching his fists. Then with a sway of his arms, him and the AU are fading from my sight as the strings toss me through a portal into a bed. The strings zip away after releasing me and the portal quickly shuts. I glance around, seeing that I'm in an empty bedroom...on a warm, cozy bed.

Why send me here...? What is going on? These blankets are so soft and the pillows feel nice but I certainly don't do enough for this. There are others who deserve this more than me...others who need this cozy bed more than me. Why would he do this? What could he stand to gain?

Then a rock hits me on the head with a note tied to it.

Go to fucking sleep or I'm throwing you out of the next battle and it won't be comfy-Error

I sigh, shaking my head as I take off my crown to rest.

I guess I don't have a choice. Error is certainly a contradiction to the multiverse and how it works...A powerful one...

Before I knew it, I'm dozing off for the first time in what felt like weeks.

TBC