Haphephobia.

A condition in which one is afraid of being touched.

This was a rare phobia, as a majority off the population isn't even aware of the existence of this fear, and most will live their whole lives without meeting someone with such a condition.

Now, there is a difference between having Haphephobia and feeling a sense of aversion towards touching people, which is what some don't understand. A person with an aversion to touch wouldn't enjoy handshakes or hugs, but would be able to tolerate it to a certain extent. A person with Haphephobia would most likely have an anxiety attack, should someone shake their hand or hug them.

The difference between an aversion and a phobia is the extent of which your fear affects you. People with phobias tend to have physical reactions, which vary from person to person, though some examples may include freezing, hyperventilating, heart palpitations, panic attacks, or even fainting. It tends to severely affect their everyday lives. People with aversions don't commonly have such strong reactions, and instead might complain internally as to why that irritating kid on the bus keeps poking your arm, and would probably just move to a further seat.

Now, with this in mind, we are able to identify the fact that our destroyer did not have an aversion to touch, but instead, a phobia.

At the moment, the glitched skeleton lay in a hammock of string, set up  in the corner of the living room on the opposite side of the television, flicking through the channels. The string had somehow managed to latch onto the flat surface of the wall, despite that seeming rather impossible.

The male sighed as he searched, as he had been looking for about 5 minutes so far, which was quite a long time to do something that should take 10 seconds, at the maximum. Unfortunately, it seemed that the only channels currently broadcasting their programs were news outlets.

Geez, why does everyone want to hear about the latest medical information?

Error huffed, before giving up and throwing the remote down at the couch, where it would hit you upside the head. You winced, rubbing your face lightly, as having a blunt object thrown at you wasn't a pleasant experience.

"FiNd sOmEThiNg." He demanded.

You pout, but comply nonetheless, proceeding to flip through the channels under the watch of the skeleton.

Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Geez, you could've just asked, ya didn't need to throw it at me." You complained, scanning over the rapidly passing channels in search of something for him to watch.

Error smirked, his string immediately darting out of his fingertips and at the fridge, yanking the door open and grabbing a bar of chocolate, before slamming the door shut and bringing it to the hands of the chocoholic.

"BuT tHaT wOULDn'T hAVe BeEn aS fuN."

. . .

Nevermind, he didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed, he must have woken up on the floor.

You shake your head at his words, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response, continuing your hunt for something entertaining to watch. This was a surprisingly difficult task, as none of the programs seem to catch his eye, aside from soap operas of course. But those wouldn't be on 'till half past noon, and it was still early in the morning.

You pause, realizing that you had browsed through all 1,761 TV channels that the u.s had to offer, flicking the remote's off button, before placing it on the coffee table.

"Yeah, sorry, you're gonna have to find something else to do, nothing good is on at the moment." You trailed off, glancing to the side as an uncomfortable silence began to settle.

He nodded, rocking lightly in the hammock, looking around in search of something to entertain himself. He didn't mind the hush that encompassed the room, as he had grown used to it, afterall.

But what to do, what to do . . .

Well, the TV was already out of the equation, which was and still is his go-to form of amusement. What about the books on the small shelf below the TV? No, reading is boring, he wouldn't like that. Find something to eat? No, he had just had a bar of chocolate, that's enough sustenance to fill him up for another six hours or so.

Huh, now that he thought about it, he sure was picky with how he spent his time.

The skeleton leaned back in his seat, allowing his eyelights to wander, searching the room. The living room, despite being the area you spent a large portion of your time in, happened to be one that he hadn't cared much about. There were so many things he hadn't quite investigated in here, mainly because he would either be experiencing something new that your world had to offer, exploring the house, or keeping to himself in his room.

There wasn't much variety.

On the plus side, this was a good opportunity to break that habit, now wasn't it? Yes, perhaps it was.

As his pinpricks scanned the array of neatly placed material items, something peculiar caught his gaze, his cables once again coming to his aid and grabbing a rectangular shaped object that had been resting on the highest shelf of a bookcase near the corner. 

It was, as earlier mentioned, a wooden rectangle, with a smaller rectangle inside. The smaller rectangle was glossy and colorful, and portrayed the image of a tiny little boy hugging an even tinier little girl, both of their faces lit up with wide, toothy grins, standing in front of a ferris wheel.

Well.

That was certainly interesting.

"y/N, whO aRe THeY?" Error called, unable to pry his eyelights away from the photograph, staring intently at the picture. It truly was a sight to behold, and for some reason, the girl looked extremely familiar.

"Who are who?" You asked, looking up from your phone, standing up and walking to the side of the hammock, looking over at the photo in his hands.

Oh.

The girl was you.

How curious.

He could now see the resemblance clearly, comparing your face to that of the young girl, noting that your appearance hadn't changed much. God, did he feel stupid for not realizing it sooner. Guess that already answers part of his question, but what about the other person beside you?

"WhO's hE?" The destroyer inquired, revising his initial question, gesturing at the boy.

You smiled softly, the photo bringing on a slight sense of nostalgia, barely present.

"Oh, him. That was an old friend, my best friend, actually. Haven't seen him in a while, it's been a few years." You spoke fondly, as a few pleasant memories washed over, causing your smile to widen ever so slightly.

Error grimaced, looking back at the photograph, studying the way you had so eagerly encompassed the other child in a hug. He shuddered, jerking a finger at the action, clearly disapproving.

"HuH. HOw CaN yOu beAr tO dO tHaT?"

You tilted your head, trying to get a better look at what he was pointing at, before realizing what he had been reffering to.

"What do you mean, that? We're just hugging. Why don't you like hugs?" You asked, playing dumb. Alerting him that you were aware of his fear would arouse suspicion, wouldn't it? Especially due to the fact that he had never formally told you.

The skeleton scoffed, glancing away, as if he suddenly found the ceiling to be very interesting.

"AnD whY sHoULd I tELl yOu?"

You shrunk back a bit, sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck, grinning uneasily.

"Well, I was just curious. Most people like hugs, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I don't want you to tell me." You uttered softly.

The male shifted in his hammock, not having expected such a considerate response. Most people would've tried to force an answer out of him, though your kindness was touching.

Maybe he could trust you with this information.

Just maybe.

"I dOn'T lIKe pHysICaL coNTaCt. I hAVe hAPHepHObIa." He stated blatantly, before quickly tacking on a threat.

"I swEaR, iF yOu tELl anYOne, oR uSe tHat agAiNSt mE,  i'Ll stRaNGle yOu iN yOuR slEep." He spat, venom lacing his voice, expecting you to grab at him.

It wasn't uncommon for others to intentionally touch him after learning on his fear, so you understood his skepticism. You offered a warm smile, taking a step back, causing his face to twist in confusion.

"Oh, alright. Thanks for telling me, I wouldn't want to purposefully upset you." You beamed, your tone soft and smooth, trying to calm his nerves.

He was only more confused.

"WHaT? tHaT sIMpLe? nO grAbbInG mY aRM, oR pOkInG mY fAce: nOthInG?" He interrogated, though who he was questioning remained unclear. He could've been asking you, or himself, there was no indication as to whom he was talking to. You offered a response nonetheless.

"Of course not, that's terrible! Why would I intentionally set you off? That's just rude. I could try to help, but only if you want me to, otherwise I'll try my best to steer clear of physical contact." You explained gently, about to turn your attention back to your phone, expecting the answer to be a cold, hard no.

But expectations are meant to be broken.

To your amazement, the glitched skeleton hesitated for a moment, before nodding slowly, eyeing you out with a cautious gaze.

" . . . SuRe. WhAt dO i Do?" He grunted, crossing his arms. His phobia was a problem, to be fair. Ridding himself of it would be beneficial, as it would close one less window of vulnerability to his enemies.

Your eyes widened slightly, before shaking your head and snapping yourself out of your stupor, gesturing to the floor in front of you.

"Well, like a fears, you can't overcome it until you face it head on. Don't worry, I won't go overboard, and if you ever feel too uncomfortable to continue, let me know and I'll stop immediately." You spoke, barely stopping yourself from stuttering as you contemplated your choices.

What was yet to come was nerve wracking, to say the least.

This didn't calm Error down in the very least, though it did provide him with a slight sense of reassurance in knowing that it could all be over as soon as he said so.

But boy, this wasn't going to be easy, now was it?

He slowly climbed down from his hammock, sittung cross legged before you, sweating in anxiety. You grabbed a nearby bar of chocolate, of which immediately caught his attention, instantaneously making him forget about his fear.

Mostly.

"Here. I know you'll do well, have a bar of chocolate. Kind of like a reward in advance." You grinned, holding it out for him, of which he eagerly accepted.

As you had expected, your fingers had briefly grazed his whilst handing the dessert over, barely fazing him. He ripped open the wrapper quickly, eating the whole thing faster than the average human could, licking his teeth once he finished.

"Good job! You already made some progress, that was very quick!" You encouraged, giving him a small thumbs up.

"WhAt?"

The male's eyesockets widened, looking down at his hand, studying it as if it were foreign.

"ThAt . . . WaS eaSy."

You nodded, before slowly reaching out a hand, stopping a few inches away from his.

"See? That wasn't too bad. Here, try touching one of my fingers, this time without the chocolate." You trailed off, your voice growing progressively quieter toward the end of your sentence.

Geez, this was growing awkward quick.

Hesitantly, the skeleton reached forward, hovering his hand above yours. With a deep inhale, he closed his eyesockets, before lightly poking your index finger.

His body reacted immediately, his glitching escalating, as five new Error signs popped into existence, dashing rapidly across his face, torso, and legs.  He slowly reopened his eyesockets, looking at the minor physical contact between the two of you, his expression made up of a mixture of fear, discomfort, and curiosity.

Your face began to heat up, as the only other time you could recall touching the male had been when taking care of him. This time, however, felt a bit different, as it was him initiating, on his own accords.

You shook your head slightly, a bit disappointed in yourself, chiding yourself internally. You were doing this to help him get over his phobia, not for your own personal enjoyment.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself, before beaming encouragingly at the male before you.

"Wow, you're doing so well! I'm proud of you! We can stop now, if you like, progress doesn't come quickly, and this should be good enough for today. Whatcha want to do?" You asked politely.

Error seemed surprised, not having expected such a reply, shocked that you were willing to allow him to stop due to his discomfort. He didn't verbally respond yet, his eyes trailing back to your hands, gazing intently at them.

Before you could react, he shook his skull, grabbing your hand. Slowly, he intertwined his fingers with yours, giving your hand a gentle squeeze and tugging you just a tad bit closer.

"I wAnT . . ." He trailed off.

He trembled lightly, the feeling of holding the hand of another being strange and foriegn, though for the time being, he refused to let go. A few Error signs appeared in his eyesockets, partially clouding his vision, his mixed emotions taking a toll on his physicality. His cheekbones were turning a light shade of royal blue, and he trembled a bit, though held on.

". .  YoU. tO sTay. J-jUSt StAy. HeRe. WiTH mE. iF OnLy fOr a lITtle BIt." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, glancing to the side as his face heated up further.

As much as you would've liked to say you remained calm, you couldn't. Your face turned bright red, your heart rate accelerating to a speed that made it felt like you just ran a marathon. You forced a straight face and turned to the side, unable to meet his gaze.

"I- . . . O-okay."

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Hello, friendos! Hope you're all doing well!

Ahhh, this chapter was fun to write, fluff is nice. I remember having Haphephobia, so I tried to make this as accurate as possible, based on some personal experience. Whatcha think? Is it alright? :3

Anyways, more updates coming your way! (Also, should I do something special for christmas?) I'll see you lovlies again soon! Take care!