Error's POV three weeks later

I slowly blink as I open my eyes, yawning. I see Paps sleepily walk past my doorway as he heads downstairs, probably to speak to the chefs to ask if he can cook again. He isn't used to being cooked for and this castle has a whole team, so it's something he hasn't adjusted to yet. He's been kicked out or rejected a few times depending on the staff on-shift while others have learned from his skills much like the librarians learning from his book making or sorting skills. I glance to my left, seeing the crown that appeared on my head after the blast...Dream's gift that he hasn't allowed me to take off. Especially now that he sent a small part of himself here who has been watching our every move...my every move. It feels a bit strange having him follow me around looking like a child or lost all those years that passed. He makes a few strange comments and reminds me to squeeze the doll whenever I'm upset. The crown shines with the bits of sunlight leaking through the window. Then I feel the bed dip beside me. I turn over, seeing the little version of him staring at me. His golden eyes are fixed on me, twinkling brightly. His gaze trails to where my hands rest, then back at me. His fingers twist and intertwine randomly as if he's playing with them nervously.

"Error....Did you sleep well?"He asks as usual, his voice softer than ever as if trying to avoid disturbing anything.

I smile at him wider. I have to admit that he is adorable even now. I nod, starting to sit up as I notice his cheeks turning yellow. He nervously glances away, seeming to consider something very carefully.

"What did you dream about?"He asks

Now it's my turn for my face to burn, knowing that I dreamed about him last night...Back with all of him and free from all this Fate and Destiny crap. He already knows the answer...He even looks sad for some reason as he sits in front of me.

"I bEt yOu kNoW tHe aNsWeR tO tHaT. WhY dO yOu lOoK uPsEt?"

"I'm not...Okay, maybe I am. I just know that won't happen for a while and it tells me that this place hasn't satisfied you."He says, crossing his arms with an adorable pout.

"ThiS pLaCe dOeSn'T hAvE yOu...aLl oF yOu, I meAn..."

He hums, glancing at me again.

"I see...I believe I still owe you something."He says, reaching for the doll of him.

"Hm?"

"Do you remember what you said before the prophecy forced us apart?"He asks

Then it clicks and I grin. We're finally  going to cuddle!

"YeS...I dO."

"And you're sure you can handle it? It won't cause you to crash?"

I nod and he hums, seeming to consider it.

"I hope you have fun then, Erry."He says

Huh?

He squeezes the doll but instead of saying "I love you" like it usually does, the eyes start flashing and then I hear a portal open. I drop through it, landing on a large desk. I glance around, amazed that I can actually see my surroundings. I can feel that the air is heavier in a way that only Fate's realm is. Usually I don't get to have my vision while I'm here...I'm the size of a crayon on this desk, it's gigantic...I see papers piled high on both side of me as the portal shuts. I glance up, seeing two dolls on a shelf. A doll of me and Nightmare except the one of me has flashing eyes like the one of Dream was...Then it stops flashing. I glance around at the large room, seeing that it had all the parts of a bedroom except a bed. I hear a door creak open and freeze up, seeing Dream walk in looking just like the tapestry Nightmare showed me on his phone. Huge wings flapping and an extra set of arms writing on a notepad it holds while another set of hands set aside his spear. He has four eyes now with the extra two stacked vertically above each other in line with his nose. Two seem focused on his notes, a third is shut and the fourth is fixed on me. The door quickly shuts behind him and he sighs.

"Now I see that C hasn't accepted my proposal yet...Fate's probably holding them back which means more discussions with them...And I have to ask Mom for help regarding that new guy Will...Hmmm...Now that tinge of doubt and dejection that I felt makes sense...Feels strange to be jealous of myself...Welcome, Error. I hope you can find satisfaction here."He says, walking closer.

I didn't know where to begin with the questions that sprang to my mind. What did any of that mean?

"WhAt aRe yOu tAlKinG aBoUt?"

"Oh, just work stuff here. It gets so busy here trying to achieve the best results to protect you all. Now a new entity named Will has joined us and he's quite nice...I've been helping him adjust and he seems set to resist Fate as well...Gets so busy that there's a disconnect with my other half. Whatever you've done or told that half is stuff I'm aware of, I only know the feelings they cause. That and how many times you all squeeze the dolls I sent you. Each of them have a matching doll that echoes the message when one of you squeezes them."He says, gesturing around the room filled with papers and dolls of our loved ones.

I glance around as I process his words. Will...A new guy with that name...I wonder what Will represents or will be in charge of. And given what he said, there really is a disconnect between the two halves of his soul.

"Brother doesn't squeeze his anymore and neither does Palette so they must be satisfied. Swap and Nightmare squeeze it every now and then so I must be doing well but you...you've squeezed it constantly. You must be really dissatisfied there, even with....my other half there. He must've recognized that and sent you here to be satisfied. We know not all of you have been completely pleased or accepting of his presence there. Brother says that some of you have been dismissive of his explanations and don't recognize him as Dream. It's alright, I'm sure that this whole situation is hard to understand or accept. Most duties here don't even recognize my other half as anything other than a temporary solution."He says, taking his seat behind a desk.

I gaze up at him and he laughs as he can obviously see my confusion.

"You and a few others don't believe half of what he says, do you? Too busy thinking he's cute and clueless? Obscuro knows the truth. I'm just surprised my other half sent you here first as I can tell he, er, I am getting tired of being treated like a kid. Nightmare can be really annoying apparently when he's acting like an older brother. He doesn't seem to completely understand that my past self wasn't sent down to you...well, not in the way he thinks. I may look like my childhood self there but that doesn't mean I am. It's not like I was turned into my childhood self with the memories of everything else. I'm sure I'll be seeing Nightmare soon to correct him on that if he keeps that up."

Oookayy, I'm guilty of that...But can he blame me? He DOES look cute.

"WhErE iS yOuR bEd? WoN'T it bE cOmfiEr tO dIsCuSs tHiS tHeRe? AnD y0u cAn't pOsSiBlY bE maD aT m3 f0r thiNkInG tHaT y0u aR3 cUt3! ThAT iS aLl oN yOu!"I say, crossing my arms.

"I don't have a bed, Error. I don't need sleep here. At least not this part of me. Although I do appreciate the affectionate accusations."He says, gently stroking my head with a finger.

"WhAt aRe yOu tAlKinG aBoUt? Of cOuRsE yOu nEeD sLeEp!"

"No, not this part of me. Perhaps the part of me that has been watching you and caring for you, but not me. There's a reason my tapestry has two sides."

"WhAt?"

"You didn't know? I'm sure Destiny showed Nightmare the tapestries and he would've shown it off...Destiny said Nightmare took pictures...Perhaps he isn't in denial but clueless. Perhaps I should show you...Then these jolts of jealousy that I sense from my other half can end."

"WhAt jEaLouSy?"

"Like I said, Error, my other half may look younger but not clueless. He can sense how each of you feel about him and how dismissive some of you can be about him. He hears things you think he doesn't in your conversations. Nightmare and you only recognize him as a small part of Dream but not him...not the Dream you want. You're dissatisfied and just waiting for the rest of me to walk in the door. You and Nightmare make no secret of it in how you talk by saying the rest of you or all of you and the real you. You both view him as nothing more than a kid as if you're babysitting a kid until the parents come. You look up and desire this part of me, waiting for me to come not realizing that you already do. He recognizes this and it can hurt at times. Feels weird to be jealous of myself but it's what keeps happening. My other half can feel upset that his presence isn't good enough to satisfy our loved ones and that this half of my soul is considered more desirable than his...And yes, I know you dreamt of me last night, specifically imagining that half of me that's been with you fade away in it."

I frown, recalling the dream after realizing how dismissive the wording we've used must be. I specifically dreamed of coming to this realm when they found a way to return Dream entirely to us and when we returned to the multiverse, everything along with his kid self that has followed me around faded away. I meant it to have just us and our happiness but if he saw...it's still upsetting...I must seem so ungrateful to want to be rid of everything he made for me to be happy. I don't want to upset him...I love him...This whole situation I so confusing...I feel the finger shift to my cheek and start stroking me gently.

"It's alright, all of me knows that this complicated situation is confusing. That's why the half that you were with gave you space and backed off when his attempts to explain didn't work. He has wanted to be closer to you but not without you having a proper understanding of the situation and proper comfort. He didn't see it as fair if you were clueless, uncomfortable and unsatisfied when he gets what he wanted. You'd gladly give Dream the cuddles he desired and he'd gladly give you the cuddles you claimed you were owed, but you clearly wouldn't be completely satisfied if you didn't think that he was Dream or that you weren't cuddling all of Dream...Hence why you were sent here, to check off all those boxes and be satisfied."He explains, slipping his finger under my chin.

I glance up, seeing all his eyes fixed on me and the aura in the air feels heavy as he radiates it stronger than ever. His words sink in and it makes sense now why his other half looked so sad with my words even as I got excited for cuddles. That's why his gaze was shifting to my hands and why his fingers were nervously fiddling together...He has been so patient and trying to make me happy...He wanted cuddles between us, not his kid self and I like I would've thought...

"Let's show you the tapestry. All this discussion may be confusing so maybe it will be easier to show you."

He lifts me into his hand and a second shields me from sight. He soars through the hallways to a large room with a seemingly endless ceiling. Two looms are working away quickly and I spot a few tapestries of our loved ones like Paps or Obscuro and Nim. Then he approaches the one Nightmare took a picture of. It still has its radiant label in bold letters reading POSITIVITY.

He glances at me, pausing for a moment as I take in the magnificent detail put into it. Then he reaches out, holding it firmly.

"Got a good look at it? Saw all the important details?"

I nod and then he flips it over to reveal a different design entirely on the other side labeled DREAM. Nightmare said that Dream's tapestry was the only one without his name replacing his role but clearly he hasn't seen this...It shows Dream as his usual self, no extra arms or eyes and no wings...just him. His smile is clear as he stands outside his house with the tree for Nim fully grown beside him. He has a necklace made of gold and amethysts around his neck while he has a bracelet obviously made by Obscuro around his wrist and one of my blue strings is oddly depicted around his finger. Palette is visibly laughing in the house with Obscuro through one window while Nightmare and Swap work in the kitchen seen through another window. Even I'm depicted with my brother on the front porch reading. The scene depicted on this side looks so peaceful yet has us in it...He looks so happy in this scene...But why would the tapestry have two sides? One for him, one for his role? Wait...Is that why his aura is so strong and limitless here? Then...

"Do you get it now, Error?"He asks

I glance up at him as he watches me carefully with each eye.

"The hand you're currently in is just the manifestation of my aura and all of the pressures forced upon my soul. What you're currently looking at or speaking to is the half of me that belongs to my role. The aura, the overthinking, power, all the worries and concerns about work that can keep anyone up at night, the sleepless overworking that you and Swap disliked so much, all of it is what I am. I'm the task-oriented part that determined to complete everything that I'm assigned, the part that was so fixed on keeping the balance despite Swap's complaints. I'm just the task manager or embodiment of his aura. I don't have a close connection with any memories in particular, just what's good for everyone. And now I don't have the limits of a living being...Hmm, how else can I explain this..."

He hums a bit, thinking things over as the words sink in and a wave of shock washes over me. The rest of him is just a manifestation of his aura? And what does this mean? Not having the limits of a living being...?

"Think of it like this. Most people think they're divided in half by their head and soul...their logical and feeling parts. That could be similar to the current situation. I'm his logical part, focused on his role and only limited by what can and cannot be achieved. Ideas don't need sleep. Beliefs don't need to rest and facts don't need to be fed. The part that went to you is the feeling half, his soul while I'm his head you could say. He's the living part. The one that eats, sleeps, cries, laughs, and desires all the things that a person would want. He's the one interacting with you and making the memories that I constantly sort. He's the one that never gives up on anything or anyone even when logically it didn't benefit him nor his role to continue. He's the one that put his connections and loved ones as the priority...The selfless one that you hate being saved by. Every breath that he takes is his, not mine. An aura doesn't need air after all. We work together on common goals but I'm often the part of him existing subconsciously in the back of his head limiting him with worries yet always the part that people sense first with the soul radiating as if always declaring my existence. He also limits me when he chooses to follow his feelings instead of what the balance would want from him. Hence why we get two different sides of the tapestry. Two sides of the same person. The role and the soul of the person. I'm sure Nightmare's tapestry may change if his aura's conscious regains its strength and that will certainly be a concern to handle but that's a different story. I'm getting off-topic. Ahem, so if you're looking for the part of him that fell in love with you despite everything, who misses you, who loves seeing you smile, being near you and desires a future with you, and is the one who made a genuine connection with you, then you're speaking to the wrong side of the tapestry. You left the real part of him back in your room."

It takes a few moments for the weight of the words to hit me.

I....I've been dreaming of the embodiment of his aura? His role? This is just the side dedicated to the balance and his title...The real him is back home...I love all of him yet kept dismissing or being distant from the part that I fell in love with if I understand this right. I accept his role and his soul yet I focused on this grand side of him thinking that it was...And my dream erased....It didn't exactly show me desiring all of him in on piece, more like favoring one side over another even if that wasn't what my dream was for...And for him to know of that...To hear or see those intentions depicted like that...To have his aura and role favored or desired as the REAL HIM despite unintentionally must hurt since it's just like all those anomalies acting like his role is all that there is...Now the sad looks or mentioned jealousy makes sense...Certainly doesn't help his doubts or insecurities. It won't help him stop seeing his other qualities as just bonuses....Unless I do something about it...I need to fix this....

I glance up, seeing four eyes stare back at me.

"To bE cLeAr, I lOvE aLl oF yOu aNd jUst wAnT tO sEe DrEaM iN oNe piEcE aGaIn. I waNt hIm aNd hIs sOuL cOmPlEtE, nOt sPliT bEtWeEn reAlMs....I nEvEr mEaNt tO bE liKe-"

"Understood. You didn't know after all and both parts of me knew that. Both parts know that you love him. What do you desire to do?"

I pause, thinking carefully about my next move.

"WeLl..."

TBC