'WORTHLESS GLITCH!!!'

I flinched. No. Not them.

'YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ALIVE!!!'

S-stop....

'You think we'd show mercy to a disgusting murderer like you?! Fat chance, bitch!'

Please....

'You don't deserve a second chance! You didn't give Inky a chance, so you don't deserve anything good in life!'

'YOU DESERVE TO DIE, YOU PATHETIC, USELESS, SELFISH BASTARD!!!'

Hands appeared. Dragged me away. Back to the fight. The one that drove me to throw myself into the Void. It hurt. I tried to scream. No sound left me. Inky was there. He looked sad. Disappointed. Blood dripped from his mouth. I could see where I had stabbed him. The world shifted suddenly. I was back in the white hell. I tried to open a portal. Nothing happened. I heard a cry behind me. Every bone in my body begged me not to turn around. I did anyway. My eyesockets widened. Bones shattered. Blood everywhere. Nula's dress lay tattered on the cold white floor. Vacía's headband covered in dust. I looked down at my hands. They were covered in blood. Their blood. I fell to my knees and cried. The white hell drowning my sobs out with ever increasing static.

... ... ...

"NO!!!" I jolted up from the bed, practically screaming as my eyelights adjusted to the dark of the room. I held my trembling hands to my ribcage, gulping in air as my head pounded. My gaze darted every direction, finally coming to rest on the starlit sky outside the window.

"Daddy?"

I jumped back in alarm, taking in a breath of relief when Nula crawled over to me. She lifted those wide, innocent eyelights of hers to mine, hugging my arm with a worried expression on her face. I gathered her up in my arms, desperately trying to focus my fear-crazed my mind on convincing myself I was awake and she was alive and well.

"Wh-what are you doing up, Nula?" I asked. "It's still dark. Aren't you tired?"

She shook her head, looking up at me. "I wanna stay up wif you. You're hurt again."

My brows furrowed a little in confusion, but then a tear trailed down my cheek. I reached up to wipe it away, then sighed. "I-I'm not hurt. I'm just- I couldn't sleep."

Nula yawned and snuggled closer to me, pressing up against a rib that was still healing. I winced and shifted so it was less painful, then looked up at the stars. They twinkled back cheerfully, as if they were assuring me I was awake, and they were awake too. I smiled faintly, appreciating the silent beauty of the night sky. I don't think I will ever get tired of this view.

... ... ...

For four hours, I sat holding Nula and watching as the sun rose. She had fallen asleep awhile ago, which left me alone with my thoughts. I stole a glance at Vacía, who still slept peacefully. They were both fine, they were alive, and we aren't in that white prison. And I had no intention of hurting them, ever, so why was I still so afraid? 

I knew the answer to that. I could have another meltdown, I could act out without thinking, and I'd hurt them. I could have no intention of hurting them, but if they are around when I'm not in control, they'll get hurt. The promise I made to myself last night entered my mind, and I felt the same surge of determination rush into me. I can't let this fear get to me, I can't! No matter what happens, I never want to fear being around them in case I hurt them. I'm responsible for them, they trust me, and I can't let them down. With one more glance at the first light of the sun peeking over the horizon, I turned over and drifted back to sleep, pulling both my girls closer as gently as I could.

... ... ...

Downstairs, Geno had gotten up and now sat wondering what he'd make for breakfast. He went through his pantry, looking for something easy and convenient. He sighed in frustration when he picked up his only box of pancake mix and finding it nearly empty.

'I wish I had gone shopping,' he thought, closing up the doors to his walk-in pantry. 'I am severely unprepared for guests.'

He slumped into a chair at the counter, resting his chin on it and focusing his irate gaze on the stove. He supposed he could try making pancakes from scratch, but if he remembered correctly, he didn't have flour left, either. Serves him right for not stocking up the last time he and Horrortale Papyrus, nicknamed Chef, baked an entire bakery's worth of cookies and muffins. Well, he reasoned, it was totally worth it, but he had to better at restocking after something that substantial.

He turned to the doorway as Maple walked in with Honey. They were usually up the earliest, since the kids woke up earlier than the adults. And judging from the sounds of boisterous, inconsiderately loud voices emanating from the living room, he guessed they were up and ready for breakfast. Problem is, he didn't know what he was going to feed his guests.

"Let me guess," Maple drawled, winking at Geno. "We're eating air for breakfast?"

Unamused, Geno rolled his eyelight and sat up from the counter. "I don't have pancake mix, and I don't have the ingredients to make some from scratch. What are supposed to make for a group this big?!"

Honey looked in the fridge, lighting up with a smile when he saw what he was looking for. "What about egg sandwiches? You've got a ton of eggs and crescent rolls in here."

"I do?" Geno walked over and looked inside, a smile working its way up his face. "I do! I must've overlooked these! Thanks, Honey."

Together, they began baking the crescent rolls and cooking the eggs. Honey started cooking bacon, and Maple stacked cooked eggs, bacon, and slices of cheese on the rolls. Geno went in to call the kids for breakfast, stopping in surprise when he found Tiberius being dogpiled by all the kids. He stood staring for a moment, then snickered when she glared at him.

"Don't you dare tell Alphys about this," she growled. "I'll never hear the end of it, and she'll never let me take her place again for being so unprofessional!"

Geno scratched the back of his head. "Wouldn't dream of it, Tiberius. Where is she, anyway?"

Tiberius crawled out from underneath the heap of children, who laughed as they tumbled onto each other. She stretched out as Lieutenant and Crackle tried to tackle her to the ground, but were simply ignored. "She had some important business to attend to. Somethin' about some street rats stealing some records for a, uh, well... can't really say. Confidential. Point is, she's out huntin' them down, and I'm pretty sure I know who she's lookin' for. They look a lot like Comic and his brother."

She gave him a glare and a toothy grin, and he returned it with a nervous one. He didn't know much about her AU, but he knew Undynes, no matter what AU they came from, were not to be messed with. He nodded politely to her, then gestured for her to join him.

"Welp, maybe we'll see her later. Right now, Maple, Honey and I have breakfast on. C'mon, kids, breakfast's getting cold."

He pressed himself to the wall as the stampede of kids rushed past him, then continued to the kitchen. Some of the adults had begun filing into the kitchen as well, grabbing sandwiches as they were stacked up on a huge plate. It wasn't long before everyone was downstairs eating, minus Error and his kids.

"Hey," Ash said between bites. "Where're the new guys? It's like nine-thirty."

Umbra, who was sitting across from him, paused and nodded. "It might be a good idea to check on them. If anything, it'll ensure Error hasn't sneaked off with those girls."

Lumen sighed as he set his cup of coffee down in front of him. "Must you be so unbearably mistrusting, Umbra?"

The negative king gave his brother a severe look. "You can't fault me for thinking the worst of someone who's capable of destroying AUs, Lumen. If he can kill hundreds of millions of people without a second thought, what makes you think he won't turn that kind of power on us?"

"The least you could do is try and reason with him," Lumen countered. "He hasn't hurt any of us, and he hasn't made a move to destroy anything yet. The only thing he cares about at the moment is protecting those little girls, and from Comic's description, the only time he's ever gotten hostile is when someone threatens them. As long as they aren't in danger, it stands to reason that Error won't have to turn his abilities on us if we aren't a threat to them. Even if he perceives us as threats to them, there's still a chance he'll listen if we try to talk him out of attacking."

Umbra growled. "Ugh, I hate when you're right. Fine. We'll go with that theory. Still, someone should go and tell them the food's getting cold."

"I'll go!" TK yelled, rushing out of his chair and running off in the direction of the bedrooms. Omission sighed as Tick followed, getting up from his chair and trailing after them.

"I'll go keep an eyesocket on them," he muttered. It's too early for this shit. He needed a coffee before he could deal with these two. But it's too late now, and he's better off not fueling his addiction, as Sumi calls it. He's always scolding him for having too many cups of coffee throughout the day, but he didn't care. It made him feel more awake for a few hours, at least until the inevitable caffeine crash at about 3 pm. Then he regrets it, but he can never learn his lesson. Oh well.

The kids had stopped at the spare room, where the new people were. TK raised his hand to knock, but Tick beat him to it. "Hey! I wanted to knock!"

Tick rolled his eyelight. "You were taking too long."

"Why, you wanna-be clock!"

"Babyface."

"That is quite enough out of you!" Omission hissed. He listened for any sound from beyond the door, hoping the two quarrelsome boys hadn't woke up their guests. "You've probably disturbed them with your incessant bickering."

I stirred from my sleep, hearing a commotion outside the door. I thought the nightmares were coming back, but the voices in the hall sounded more muted than the ones in my dreams. Grateful to be awake and free from dealing with more visions of death and destruction, I sat up and faced the door.

"Wh-who's there?"

"Er, I don't mean to disturb you, Error," a staticky voice I assumed was Omission's called back, "but I am here to inform you that breakfast is waiting downstairs if you would like to join us."

"S-sure," I replied hoarsely, clearing my throat to sound less tired. "We'll be right down."

I heard footsteps retreat, indicating he had left, then swung my legs over the side of the bed. I looked over to find Vacía had awoken. She yawned and hiccupped, smiling up at me, then crawled over her sister to get to me. Nula woke up as well, and Vacía giggled at her. She raised her hands and bounced up and down, clearly wanting me to pick her up.

"Dada!"

I smiled at her antics, then pulled her into my lap. "Morning, you two. Are you hungry? Breakfast is ready downstairs."

They both nodded, and I set to work getting them dressed for the day. Some instinct inside me felt proud doing this, taking care of them, and it left a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest. I put the nightgowns into our duffle bag, hesitating before zipping it back up. I'll leave the bag, at least for now. I will know where it is if I need to get something from it, anyway. I threw on my coat, then picked up the girls. Before heading downstairs, Vacía let out a little cry, making grabbing motions at the duffle bag. In one of the pockets, her pink monkey peeked out, and I grabbed it and gave it to her. She laughed and hugged it, cooing at the sewn black smile on its face and the shiny, colorful eyes twinkling back at her.

We made our way downstairs, and I sniffed the air as we entered the dining room. The aroma of something cooking in the oven wafted in from the kitchen, and the warmth of the baked goods floated in the air like a blanket of comfort and relaxed peace. I didn't realize I was smiling until Lumen approached me, and my smile quickly dropped to a suspicious frown.

"Good morning," he greeted me, leading me over to a chair. "I trust you slept well."

Out of a desire to avoid discussing what I had dreamt about, I nodded and sat down. I had caught a look of concern from him when I entered the room, and I guessed that he suspects I was lying. His comment was merely a formality, and we could both sense it. Before I could entertain those thoughts any further, Geno generously placed some sandwiches before me and the girls.

"Here you are!" he said cheerfully. "I hope you like them!"

I nodded to him, watching him walk back to the stove to continue making eggs and bacon. I turned my attention to the sandwiches in front of me, gulping at the third sandwich. I didn't need food, but Geno had made these for us. Just the thought of bringing the sandwich up to my mouth and attempting to take a bite made my nonexistent stomach twist in a strange way, but I shook my head and helped the girls eat their food. I eyed the untouched sandwich a bit sadly, hoping Geno wouldn't be mad that I didn't eat it. I wasn't hungry, anyway.

My head snapped up when Umbra cleared his throat. "I'm going to get straight to the point, Error. We checked your soul yesterday-"

"How did you do that, anyway?" I interrupted him, giving him a glare.

"It's basic magic here in our multiverse," he answered, trying to stay patient. "You don't know about it either because you've never seen it out of pure luck, or it simply doesn't exist where you come from. Either way, it allowed us to learn what we needed to know about you without forcing you to give that information up. That being said, there may be some things we couldn't get from your check box that even you were unaware of, so anything else you can tell us will be helpful, especially if you want to go back."

"Back where?" I asked slowly, a sense of dread crawling over me.

"To your original multiverse, of course."

"M-my... what?" I sat frozen, staring blankly at Umbra. What was he talking about? He wasn't making any sense!

"Your multiverse," Umbra repeated. "You're not from this one. We don't know how you got here, but this isn't the same as the one you were made in. Judging by what your check box said, you were created to maintain another multiverse, though I don't agree with the methods by which you do so. I digress, but the point is, whoever these entities are, this Fate and Destiny, they made you to do something important. It's a terrible excuse, but if the job they gave you is so essential an entire multiverse hinges on it, then I can see why you would be needed. As well as why you seemed to be... forced, into such a role."

I blinked rapidly, looking down at the table and trying to make sense of this. "I-I don't understand. W-wasn't everything destroyed? Didn't the multiverse collapse without me?"

Umbra shrugged. "We would have no way of knowing, even if that were the case. Universes collapsing out of nowhere wouldn't leave any trace behind, would they? It would likely be too dangerous to try and follow whatever trail they left behind, anyway. Regardless, there is no need to destroy any of our universes, so your job is no longer a concern, here."

I felt a weight lift from my shoulders at the same time panic rose in my chest. I... wasn't in the same multiverse? So all this time, assuming that everyone I have met up to this point was going to recognize me as a threat and try to kill me like before... was false. And everyone was a stranger, everyone I've met has never seen or heard of me before. It felt almost... nice, not to have enemies. But what will they do with me now? Will they lock me up to ensure I can't destroy ever again? Will they try to kill me?! That thought escalated my panic, and I stood up quickly. Nula and Vacía clung to me as I backed away from the table, errors suddenly clogging my vision. I had to get out of here. I needed to get as far away as I could before they could trap me.

"Ya alright dere, broski?" Neon asked tentatively. Sensing the tension rising, Lumen tried to step in.

"I understand this might be upsetting for you, Error-"

"No! Stay away from me!"

The positive king reached out, but I flinched and ran in the direction I thought the door was. I felt for the handle and turned it, suddenly finding myself outside. I breathed in the fresh air, trying to calm my quickened soulbeat, and finally heard the sound of childish laughter. The girls were enjoying the ride as I walked, and the same protective instinct was soothed by the sound of their joy and delight as I lifted them into the air with each step. The error signs in my vision began to clear the longer I walked, and I looked around at the scattered trees dotting the landscape. I counted to ten as I walked, remembering that it usually helped to calm me down.

One, two, three....

Step, step, step....

Four. Five. Six....

Step. Step. Step....

Seven.... Eight.... Nine....

Step.... Step.... Step....

Ten.

I opened my eyesockets. In front of me was a pond, around which grew flowers of the deepest shade of purple. It was so... quiet. Calm, and peaceful. After how rough the start of today was, I really needed this. Somewhere silent to sit down and think for awhile. To try and make sense of what happened to me. Nula gasped when she saw the flowers, and let go of my leg to go look at them. Vacía followed her sister, crawling after her with her monkey in her hands and laughing. I took a deep breath, then sat down and watched them, making sure they didn't get too close to the water.

Meanwhile....

Lumen slowly sat back down, staring out where Error had just left. That could've gone better. He exchanged glances with his brother, who rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Well," Lumen started, "at least things didn't get that much worse."

"Hmph," Umbra scoffed. "Thank you, brother, for not blaming me for this outburst."

Lumen returned his brother's resentful look with a sharp glare. "There is no need to be so sarcastic, brother. After what he's just learned, I feel Error handled that quite a lot better than I had anticipated."

"Aha! So you admit you're just as wary of him as I am!"

"Don't be so quick to judgement, Umbra. I am sure I would've been overwhelmed by the notion I was far from home, just as Error was."

"Now the question is," Hearts spoke up. "Does he actually want to go back? There might be a reason he was brought here."

Teddy nodded. "I agree. Those scars don't look self-inflicted, not from this angle. If he's so important to his multiverse's survival, why was he just... allowed to leave?"

Fell huffed. "Probably cuz he was too much of a wuss to handle the pressure of his role." Everyone started either glaring at him or looking at him weird, and he ducked his head. "What?! He's scared of his own shadow! Anyone with half a braincell can see that!"

"Kinda makes sense, honestly," Slash shrugged. "I'm pretty intimidating if I do say so myself~"

Ash burst out laughing. "Bahahah! You? Intimidating?! Puh-lease! King Umbra chose you as his second in command because you're the least intimidating!"

Slash growled and drew his knife. Ash grinned cheekily, summoning a bone, but before either of them could throw a punch, Geno glared at them. They froze in place, petrified by the blue and red glow in Geno's singular eyelight, which guaranteed their deaths if they chose to continue with their bickering. They instantly stood down, and Ash sat back down.

"Maybe Umbra should've made Geno his second in command," he muttered jokingly as Slash sat next to Umbra.

A portal opened up a few minutes later, and out stepped Death. 

"Sorry I'm late," he mumbled resignedly. He looked around, his brows furrowing. "I had a few unruly souls to deal with. What did I miss?"

"Death!" Sumi suddenly jumped up and greeted him eagerly. A little too eagerly. "Great job! I'd pat you on the back for your hard work, buuuut y'know, deathly face touch."

He awkwardly slid away, and Omission facepalmed as Sumi slipped into his seat next to his friend. He really needed more coffee for this.

"No seriously," Death turned to Lumen, his expression growing worried. "What happened? Where are the new people?"

"We told Error he wasn't from this multiverse, and he took it well, considering the circumstances," Lumen answered. "However, the information was still distressing to him, and he left. I can only guess where he's gone, but-"

"Which way did he go? I can go find him."

"Not sure that's a good idea," Umbra put in. "Last time we told him something crazy, he snapped and almost killed those kids. If somebody were to push him over the edge with those kids around-"

"They could get caught in the crossfire," Lumen finished for him. Death shook his head.

"Still, we should at least know where he went. To be sure he and his girls are ok."

Before anyone could raise objections, he left the house. He spread his wings and flew up into the air, hovering above the house as he focused on sensing the souls in the Multi-Void. He knew each one by heart, knowing which one belonged to whom without trying to guess. He could feel them all pulse with life, the shifting of magic below him growing more intense as they buzzed with what he guessed was worry. He stretched out his senses farther across the sparse landscape, searching for any other form of life. He knew instantly he had found his targets when he sensed the telltale pulse of magic from two monster souls.

But the third one....

He began flying in the direction of those three souls, the strange third soul he sensed fascinating him. It pulsed dimly, yet erratically, as if it didn't want to live but couldn't help itself. The shift of magic from it felt incredibly powerful, but the power didn't come from the soul itself. It came from whatever was holding it together. He could feel that this power was stronger than any he'd ever felt, and it was responsible for keeping the soul alive. Without it, the call to reap it would've been so intoxicating, he could swear it would've possessed him to mindlessly drive his scythe through its owner, unable to stop himself. 

Before he knew it, the three souls were almost directly below him, and he quickly descended to a pond overgrown with lavenders and cattails. He slowly and hesitantly made his way over, finding Error sitting a few feet away from the pond.

I turned slightly and jumped in surprise when I met the dark eyesockets of Death. He grinned and waved, but I only glared at him. If I remembered correctly, the Grim Reaper from my multiverse was a jackass who killed people, like me. Except nobody cared that he was killing people. He did it because it was his damn job. I did it to drown out the voices driving me into madness. I guess that's where we differed. One thing was for sure, though. The only reason Death could be here was that he was going to kill someone. And since he can't kill me, that could only mean one thing: he was here for the girls.

Death took an instinctive step back as Error stood up and began walking toward him. Before he could try to rationalize that Error was getting too close to him, the glitchy skeleton quickly brought down some strings from his face, wrapped them around Death, and pulled him towards him in a swift motion he could hardly keep up with. He flinched as Error grabbed him by his jacket, glaring angrily at him.

"If you dare lay one finger on Nula or Vacía," he growled lowly, "I will tear you limb from limb. You understand me?"

Death could only nod, completely speechless as Error let him go. He was terrified the new skeleton would soon turn to dust, since every creature he touched dies, and every plant wilts. But to his shock, Error was still there, still very much alive, and trying to look intimidating as he looked up at Death's wide eyesockets.

"You- you're not dead!"

I scoffed and rolled my eyelights, my burst of courage starting to falter as I glared up at him. "I can't die. If dying was as easy as touching the Grim Reaper, I wouldn't be here. It's not like he hasn't tried, either. The reaper from... where I come from tried, but obviously he didn't succeed."

I tried to give him a smug grin, but it felt forced and unconvincing. He blinked at me, then slowly lifted his hands to my cheeks. Inexplicably, my face grew warm, and I avoided his gaze as he gingerly placed one hand on my cheek, then the other on my other cheek.

"No way," he breathed out, a soft smile making its way onto his face as he stroked my cheeks. "Who would want to kill such a treasure?"

Something in me cracked when he said that, and I looked down. I slowly reached up and took his hands off my face, then turned away from him.

"I'm no treasure," I muttered. "I'm the destroyer of worlds. Everyone fears and hates me because I destroyed their homes and killed the people they cared about. You should hate me, too! Why don't you hate me?! Why doesn't anyone here want to kill me?! I don't understand why you aren't all treating me like the evil glitch I am!"

Death looked down at his hand, tracing his thumb over where he had touched my cheeks. He walked up to me and put his hands on my shoulders, turning me around to face him. I glared up at him weakly, tears beginning to form at the edges of my vision. I shouldn't be crying, I shouldn't show weakness! Not in front of a stranger, not in front of anyone! He'll use it against me, mock me, make me feel worse about myself. Instead, he put a gentle hand under my chin and made me face him.

"Maybe we see someone worth saving? Tell me, do you believe even the worst person can change?" I hesitated, and he continued. "I do. I watched as this multiverse was torn apart by a war between two brothers. Some of the gods of my universe believed one side over the other, and we couldn't really decide who was the worst between them. But what we could agree on, was that no matter who won the war, they would change for the better. And that's what happened. Umbra is, well... he's better than he once was. Not as short-tempered as he used to be. It's not by a whole lot, but he's done much to make amends for his mistakes. That's what is worth saving in the end, isn't it? The chance that someone will become a better person?"

I finally looked up at him. He was smiling gently, and I tried to find some motive, some reason for him to think I was worth a chance. "Why don't you hate me?"

He laughed softly. "I guess it's because... well, I would be a hypocrite if I decided to hate someone for doing a job they were forced into by fate. We're kind of... alike, in a way. I don't like my job, I don't like being who I am, but this is my life. This is what I was born to do. And I am sorry you have had to endure the same thing."

A tear ran down my face, and he wiped it away, smiling sadly. He was right. We were alike. And I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, too. He never asked to be the Grim Reaper of his multiverse, just like I didn't ask to be the destroyer in mine. My arms moved of their own accord, and I timidly pulled him into a hug. I held my breath, letting it go when he returned the hug and wrapped his arms around me.

"I-I'm sorry," I whispered, burying my face in his shoulder as sobs escaped me. I felt his wings encircle me, and I stood crying in his embrace for a long time. I felt... warm, safe even. He was safe.

He was safe.

I clung to those words, remembering the voice in the Void. They had told me not to turn away, and I couldn't bear to turn him away, now. He had been understanding, he had empathized with me when he could've condemned me, and he was comforting me when I'm vulnerable. I can't turn him away, not when he is probably the only one who could possibly understand what I've been through, not when he seems so genuine and honest. And safe. So very warm and safe.

Nula ran up to me, and I knelt down. "Wh-what is it, Nula?"

"Daddy, look!" she exclaimed, holding up a bunch of flowers. "Flowers!"

I let out a teary laugh and wiped away some stubborn tears. "They are very pretty, Nula."

"P-pretty?"

"Yeah. They look very pretty."

I heard Death yelp behind me, and I snapped my head up at him as he jerked back. Behind him was a laughing Vacía, who clapped in delight and attempted to tug at Death's wings again.

"I-I don't believe this!" Death said breathlessly, lowering his wing for Vacía to brush her little hands against. "She can touch me too! And she's not dying!"

Indeed, Vacía had gleefully latched onto Death's leg, giggling at him as he lifted her up. Death decided to check her, and we both stared in awe at what we saw.

[Vacía:] Daughter of Error
[HP: 84/84]
[program Soul_Bond.exe added]
[entities name_Error and name_Nula added to program Soul_Bond.exe]
[Immunity_to_Death.exe mod added from program Soul_Bond.exe]
[Information:] One of the daughters of former destroyer, Error. Loves shiny things. Lost her toy monkey in the bushes near the pond. Is bored.

Death and I exchanged glances, then he turned to Nula. He checked her too, and both our eyesockets widened in fascination.

[Nula:] Daughter of Error
[HP: 210/210]
[program Soul_Bond.exe added]
[entities name_Error and name_Vacía added]
[Immunity_to_Death.exe mod added to program Soul_Bond.exe]
[Information:] One of the daughters of former destroyer, Error. Loves flowers and her family. Wants to make Error proud, and protect her sister. Is still wary of Death.

Death laughed almost hysterically as he read the check boxes, wondering how this had happened. As I watched him use the check thing, an idea popped in my head.

"Hey, Death?" He hummed and turned to me, a smile on his face. "Um, c-could you teach me how to check people? I-I'll let you touch me as much as you want-"

Death suddenly snorted and burst out laughing, and I jerked back in alarm. "What?! What did I say?!"

Death had nearly doubled over in laughter, his face getting a darker shade of blue as he struggled to breathe. After a few moments of calming down, he turned to me. "Phew, that was the best laugh I've had in decades! I'll teach you how to check people, Error. Free of charge." He winked at me, and I gave him a confused look. "That being said, may I... hold your hand?"

He reached out his hand and I cautiously put mine in his, swallowing the jittery nervousness I felt. We sat down in the moss as Nula and Vacía went out to find the lost monkey, and I tried to focus on watching over them as my soul pounded like a drum. I was keenly aware that my hand rested in Death's, and though I tried to fight it down, my face heated up like a candle from just holding someone's hand. I didn't know why this was happening, I didn't understand what was even happening, but as long as it doesn't backfire on me and cause my girls harm, how bad can it be?

_______________________________________

Uh, hello-

I am back

Back again

Guess who's back?

It's-a me, Doryio

That was bad, please ignore that I am so sorry-

Anywho, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I've been meaning to get back into the swing of writing for a few weeks now, but with the holidays and the new year and figuring out school stuff, I couldn't bring myself to start writing until after my assignments were done for the week. Now I'll be transitioning into a period of nervous anticipation for the first semester of technical college, and I look forward to this new chapter of my life now that I'm not being consumed with anxiety about questions I hadn't gotten answers to until last week lol