Error watched Ink head back towards where they were before, keeping the other in sight to keep his focus from drifting off to the depths of his mind he didn’t want to visit again.
Even still, with each step Ink took away from him his mind tried to drift to something else that he knew would send his still partially in overdrive senses back off the edge he had only just got back on. So, he tried to focus on Ink's details, focusing on Inks voice and understanding the instructions the other was giving had worked before, why not try focusing on something else.
Error let his eyes flicker over the others cloths, which he was uncertain if the other had ever changed out since they had first met… how long ago was that?
Decades?
Centuries?
…
Maybe it was eons?
Error quickly stopped himself from pursuing that train of thought, he did not want to think about how long he had been doing this disgusting job.
He quickly refocused on Ink's clothes. Taking a particular interest in the other's brown fading to tan scarf that seemed to have black patches on it that if he squinted and closed one of his eyes he was fairly positive were notes, though he couldn’t read them. At least, not without his glasses.
Instinctively his good hand went down to where his pockets would be to grab his glasses, only to realize… he didn’t have his jacket…
He blinks as he looks down at his bare upper half… well, bare except for the cast covering the majority of his upper half.
How did he forget this?
He spent a bit staring at himself as the fact that his upper half was bare processed in his head, and seemingly in tune with his own realization, the adrenaline rush from his panic attack wore off letting the fact that that Outertale was cold register to his body. A shiver passed through his body as he curled in on himself from the cold, it always boggled his mind that he lived the coldest place in the multiverse and yet he had no immunity to it even after however long he had lived there. A mystery he hoped he never figured out because that would mean spending more time in that cursed, insufferable,
desolate,
Cold,
Hateful
Depriving
Mutilating!
HAUNTING!
“Hey I’m back w-,” Error's head shot up with a wide-eyed stare as he breathed heavily trying to get oxygen into his body he didn’t need.
He started at the shocked Creator who was holding a box and what looked to be two to-go coffee cups. Over the next minute or so Ink seemed to realize something wasn't exactly with him and kneeled down next to him slowly putting down the box and drinks he had gone to grab before asking “Error, are you ok?”
For a moment Error thought about not answering as he curled in on himself more. He didn’t want to trust the other with how out of it he felt, to let the other know that everything around him felt so overwhelming, that he felt like he was overwhelming himself.
But Ink had helped hadn’t he?
Ink pulled him out when he couldn’t.
Ink who could have killed him so many times within the last few minutes.
…
He didn’t know if he could ever fully trust the other…
But maybe he could start giving the benefit of the doubt.
+
Ink could only watch as the other curled up, still shivering, and looked down at the ground not saying a word.
He knew he shouldn’t be expecting any form of trust so soon after… well, a few days at most. Yet somehow it still felt… wrong. He was so use to almost ever monster he had ever met trusting them within seconds of meeting.
He knew that couldn’t happen with Error.
He knew that building trust with the anxious mess of a glitch would take ages.
Because there were no solid grounds for trust.
Because Error was so use to every monster he met hating him at first sight.
Because Ink had made himself out to be that same as the rest.
Because a sudden change of heart was something that didn’t happen in real life, and to Error his epiphany looked like it came out of nowhere.
He almost asked if Error wanted him to leave, but Error supplied him when he said still staring at the ground and shaking like a leaf “No… keep talking.”
He stared wide-eyed at Error for a moment before quickly reminding himself that this was not the time to get excited, he was trying to help Error finish calming down after his anxiety attack.
So, he took a step a few inches away from the Destroyer, close enough that Error could easily get his attention but far enough away that he wouldn’t accidentally bump into the other, and started talking.
He talked about the different little pockets of stuff he kept in the Doodle Sphere.
About his little sleeping nook he rarely used that was basically an sandbox filled with pillows and blankets.
About the mini floating island that formed out of no were one day after he had been thinking about wanting to go out and sit in nature, but also not wanting to leave Doodle Sphere.
About his misadventures when first figured out how to leave his awakening place.
About all the amazing places he had seen in his travels.
About the times he was attacked for gold he didn’t have.
About the one time he was almost married to a king for no reason other then his ability to create anything he could think of.
About the time he ended up stuck in a fishing net and had to be cut out by the local Sans.
That one in particular earned a breathy laugh from the broken skeleton sitting inches from him, still shaking like a leaf, then a look of confusion before the other away.
He eventually started talking about all his attempts at learning different forms of art.
About how he for some odd reason couldn’t play any installment besides the flute to save his life.
About how he had become a world-renown author in one world for a book about cats that taught people how to live better lives.
About how he had tried working with yarns but only managed to make a hole filled and lopsided scarf that was currently hidden somewhere in the Doodle Sphere.
He noticed the small amount of interest the other showed him when he had talked about the process.
Eventually he got to talking sewing projects, generally he was making random costumes that only the Doodle Sphere but as of late he had been obsessed with adding to the pillow and blanket pile of his sleeping nook. It was as he was trying to explain a particularly hard patchwork quilt that he was trying to make that kept fighting his because of the absurd number of shapes he was using to make his squares that he fairly overheard the other say “I wish I had a quilt or something.”
He stopped mid-explanation as he worked to process the comment. Why would the other want a quilt? Sure they were really cool, but they weren’t really helpful unless…
Unless you were cold…
Like Error probably was without anything covering the upper half of his body except for a cast.
By the void he was an idiot sometimes.
He quickly flicked open his inventory cursing himself aloud for his stupidity and not noticing sooner, earning a confused look from Error who was sitting there still shivering from the cold.
It took Ink much longer then he was hoping for, but he eventually found the emergency blanket he kept in his inventor for when he was dealing with victims of extreme trauma, sure this wasn’t exactly what it was supposed to be used for but it would work.
Without touching Error, Ink wrapped the destroyer up in the blanket and grabbed the cups of coffee which despite all logic were somehow still warm and offered one to Error saying “here, drink this, it should help warm you up.”
-
Error was confused when Ink suddenly stopped talking in the middle of his explanation on the quilt, it actually reminded him of his attempts at doing similar projects… they always ended up missing due to the Anti-void seemingly resolving out of existence or something. He didn’t understand why the other had stopped though, sure he had said he wished he had a quilt but he was fairly sure he hadn't said it loud enough to be heard.
He was even more confused when Ink started randomly searching through his inventory curing himself out for being stupid and not noticing something, though Error just ran with it and just started looking at the items in Ink's inventory wondering exactly what the creator kept in his inventory. The absurd amount of painting supplies the creator kept in his inventory made Error wonder how Ink found anything… though he couldn’t really say anything since he didn’t have an inventory and kept everything important in his jacket pockets.
He flinched a bit when Ink suddenly pulled something out of his inventory, quickly checking his magic to see if he had enough to form an attack if need be as his unimpeded hand goes to grip the sash that rested on his chest in preparation of crushing the vials if he felt he was in danger. His fears were thrown out the window though when he found himself wrapped up in a thin but surprisingly warm blanket. He relaxed a small bit and closed his eyes in relief as his body warmed up, he was pulled out his little bliss party though when a to-go coffee was suddenly in front of him as Ink said “here, drink this, it should help warm you up.”
He started at the coffee for a good minute or two with nausea mounting at just the thought of the drink, but a pulse from his soul reminded him how empty it was and how badly it wanted magic. So, he took the cup carefully from his counterpart while making sure he didn’t tough the others hand around the cup. Once the cup was in his hands he stared at it in delighted confusion at how warm it was, hadn't it been sitting in the cold for a good few minutes?
Deciding to ignore the fact that the coffee had defined the laws of thermodynamics he took a sip of his coffee.
It was bitter.
He cringed a bit at the bitterness, but also relaxed as the heavy amount of magic in the coffee entered his system.
It was amazing.
He was pulled out of his small magic euphoria by Ink asking “Not a fan of coffee?” While drinking his own coffee and opening the box next to him full of… muffins? Or at least, that is what Error thought they were.
Error stayed quiet for a moment thinking on what to say before deciding on saying “it’s too bitter,” Before taking another sip and continuing by saying “ but I like the magic buzz…”
He decided to keep the horrible nausea he was feeling just drinking this to himself. The other didn’t need to know that it felt like there was dust in the drink to him even though Error was positive there wasn't.
He watched Ink shrug out of the corner of his eye as his counterpart pulled out a muffin from the box. He took peak at the muffin the other was holding almost running away when he saw the flakes of red in it that reminded of him of blood and determination, before realizing it was just some sort of red fruit that had been backed into the confectionery. He took a moment to breathe through the nausea trying to make him puke back up the coffee before taking a look at the food items in the box.
He was intrigued by one muffin in particular that was a deep brown and seemed to have solid spots of a darker substance. Cautiously he pointed the muffin out to Ink and asked “what that one?”
Instead of replying right away Ink picked up the muffin and handed it over to the Destroyer saying “it's chocolate, try it out.”
Error didn’t try it out instantly instead he took a moment to look it over more closely while trying to determine if his stomach would be able to keep down the food. After a minute two he just decided he wouldn't know still he tried it, so with a shrug he took a bite of the muffin.
His first though is dust… it feels like there is dust on it… he leans forward covering his mouth as he closes his eyes. By the void he felt sick just having it in his mouth… he felt like he was just about to throw up everything he had just taken in. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Ink again who had leaned over next to him asking “whow, are you ok?”
He shivered for a moment as he worked to repress his desire to throw up as he as he forced himself to swallow down the piece of muffin. Once it was down and he was sure it was going to stay down he shakily replied “I hate food… I really hate food.”