To think, not that long ago, error had scared you. Beaten ink, thrown him about in such animalistic ways. With true intentions of hurting him. But now? He was calmly sitting close to your side munching on chocolate and staring out at the endless sky.

He was like a light switch, off and on constantly. But you don't think you're as scared anymore. Not like when he had lost it for a moment after ink vanished. You guessed he was keeping you around for the sake of waiting for ink but he wasn't being mean now. Not like he has been at least.

The silence was welcomed as you both munched on your chocolate together, it's so beautiful here you wished you could walk around. You wanted to walk around and see the differences this Ah had over your home. Plus, if you remembered what CORE frisk told you your code would corrupt slower here than back in the anti void.

You looked at error in silence, not bothering to ask for permission as you gazed intently at him wondering what was going on inside his head. He seemed lost in thought about something as he gazed at the twinkling stars.

"Stop staring, its creepy." His sudden words brought you back to reality making you jump. Ah he did have a point. You looked away at your chocolate, which was almost all gone by now, not uttering a word.

The silence continued and the wind swept past the two of you again adding more to the silence. Should you ask? You feel like you'd be pushing it if you did considering he did just open up to you slightly and got you chocolate.

"Error?" His name easily rolled off your tongue. But he seemed displeased you spoke looking at you now.
"Could I look around this au?"

Your question caught him off guard. Maybe it's because it was a brave one he wasn't expecting. He turned to fully look at you legs dangling over the cliff.

"What?" His tone was harsh as he put emphasis on the word. He couldn't believe you asked such a question. Asking him if you could look around? What did you think he was stupid? No you didn't but he could think of many ways this goes wrong. Still...

"I've just, never seen anywhere like this. I just thought maybe I could look around." You stared wistfully up at the sky. Maybe you were being selfish for it, or pushing your luck. But you wanted to stay here for a moment longer. If you were going to be stuck in the anti void for who knows how long until he got spontaneous like he was today then you wanted to at least enjoy this small taste of freedom.

All error did was stare at you. He didn't say anything to your explanation in favor of just gazing intensely. Almost like he was trying to find some darker purpose to your words. Darker meaning to what you really meant. After some time he found there wasn't any.

"There's not ever much to see in these places," error huffed looking away, "it's just the same thing but in different font. Why do you want to look around so badly? Don't you see the night sky up on the surface every night anyway?"

He didn't yell at you, you guessed that was a start of some kind. You didn't mind his cold tone favoring that much more over his shouting. He seemed reluctant to give into your request. You were his hostage after all you should have guessed he wasn't going to give you permission.

"I guess you're right," your gaze lingered still on the stars, "but it's still new to me. I don't know I guess I just wonder what other Au's do compared to what goes on in mine."

Then silence again. You wondered if he liked the silence or if he was too lost in thought to even properly say yes or no to you. You didn't really care now. What did it matter? You'd relish this for as long as you could then before being forced back into the endless white anti void.

"Why aren't you...scared of me?"

What? Did you hear error correctly? His voice seemed quite and his question was sincere. Why aren't you scared of him? Well you were and yet you weren't. It was difficult to describe. Actually you weren't just scared of him you were terrified. But somehow in this moment he wasn't so scary. It was like he was being well more himself than before.

"I-" you weren't sure how to answer. Sincerely say you didn't know, though you don't think he'd accept that, or not say anything more. Either way you had no proper response.

"UGH! Forget it." Error stood up suddenly seeming frustrated, you noticed each time he got upset or frustrated little error messages would pop up around him. (And when he's calm they'd go away leaving him as normal as he could be despite the glitched voice.)
"What do you care whether I'm scary or not."

Error stood up quickly now moving away from you hands back in his pockets as he kept his back to you. The change in mood startled you as you turned to look up at him still sitting feeling that breeze return. Why is he like this? Just when you think maybe you understand him somewhat he's completely different the next minute.

First time meeting him he was scary. A threat to your sibling's to your new friends and families lives. Then when he was boasting he was egotistical only cared about himself and ink's downfall. Then he was terrifying. He used you like a puppet threw you at ink and made you fight when you didn't want to. And now? He was almost quieter. Lonely. But it was like he didn't want you to see. Didn't want you to know he was.

Lonely.

Your eyes continued their stare, and while you knew your gaze was irritating him you couldn't look away.

Lonely.

He reminds you of...yourself when Chara had been missing. You were angry with the world, and you wanted to be alone and yet you craved company in your time of sorrow and desperation. But you weren't angry enough to hurt anyone. You could never fight. You've only ever acted upon kindness even if it was hard. Even if people were mean. You still tried so hard to be kind.

Error, was lonely. And you wondered if you're the first person in this moment who had been able to talk to him. Even if it wasn't much of a conversation. But not look at him like he was crazy or horrible or disgusting. To just look at him.

"You're lonely." You don't know why you spoke, your lips moving before your mind had any say over what you were to speak. Error stiffened turning his head but not his body to look at you from the side, jaw clenched teeth grinding against one another hands balled in fists. He made no effort to hurt you though as his eyes stared at you.

"Me? Lonely?" He laughed looking away, a fake laugh.
"Please! I'm the destroyer of au's! The mention of my name makes these stupid glitches scream out in fear for their precious creator!"

Error threw his hands up towards the sky, out extended like he was wielding his soul strings once more. (Though they were vacant from his fingers.) But the more he spoke the sadder he sounded. You stood up now rising to your full height gazing at him from behind as he let out a jagged exhale.

You wondered, gazing at him still, if CORE frisk had a safe haven for people and monsters alike who had been stripped of their au and had no where to go. Why didn't they save error?

Why did error get casted out to the side like this? Is that the root to all his desire to destroy? Is that why he's the way that he is? For a moment, your mind forgot about your predicament. Forgot about how he's your captor how you're his hostage how Chara and everyone else were worried sick about you. In this moment all you could think about was...

Poor error.

You found yourself saddened for him. Sad he has to be so alone. Sad he pretends he's okay. You felt sorry for him. Sorry for the monster in front of you. Sorry for the skeleton in front of you.

"Why-why are you so quite?! Why are you staring at me?!" Error turned violently towards you now arms lowered but his figure was braced like he thought he was going to have to fight you.
"Stop that! Stop looking at me like that!"

His words sounded almost panicked, like he was scared. A scared cornered animal. You made no effort to come closer all you did was just gaze at him. But you're heart hurt for him. You felt sorry for him. He doesn't need your pity but you felt bad for him regardless.

"I'm so sorry-" you gasped suddenly tears beginning to prick the edges of your eyes.
"I'm so sorry for what ever you've gone through that's made you this way."

Error was taken back, would appalled be a better word for him? Regardless he was shocked in some manner at the tears that flooded down your face. You didn't cry when he stole you away from your home. You didn't cry when he used you to fight ink. You didn't cry at the idea of death. But you were crying for him. Crying because of his loneliness. It just didn't make sense.

You really must belong in underswap, because you reminded error of that sans for a moment. Not that you were as naive, or innocent, but that you genuinely felt sorry for him despite your situation.

"Stop crying! I-I don't need your pity!" Error gasped, taking a step back. No he didn't need your pity, but there was some part of him that wanted it. Wanted to have some kind of attention. Was that selfish? To want someone to pay attention to his screaming efforts of being heard?

You hiccuped and looked away closing your eyes unable to stop the tears trying to wipe them from your face. You said nothing to him though just trying to stop the flow of tears.

"I-...Ugh! Stop crying! Don't cry!" Error didn't know what to do, what to say himself, but somehow he didn't want you crying. Maybe it's because you've been a good listener so far and while you did ask some annoying questions at times you actually listened to him.

You couldn't just stop though. Your heart hurt so much for him. So much for his suffering that you didn't even know the full extent of. Not to mention it may of been pent up tears from this whole situation. You cried. You cried and you cried for him for yourself for chara for your friends. You wept.

Error was stunned in silence, watching as you slowly sunk to your knees covering your face crying. The sound was bound to attract unwanted attention but you didn't care. You couldn't care. You felt so much sadness for him. For yourself.

Error looked away, seeming to look behind himself as if to make sure no one was around or coming around to catch a glimpse of what was happening before he looked back at you. He was frozen stiff unsure what to do to make you stop, even if he wanted you to stop, until he made a rash decision.

You felt something thrown over you're shoulders making you sniffle, looking up with tears glazed in your eyes blurring your vision. Error was missing his scarf. Did he?

Instinctively you reached out to what was placed on your shoulders feeling the fabric thrown around them in a manner that caused the least amount of touch for him. He gave you his scarf? Why?

Error was looking away pointedly arms crossed and eyes closed like he was trying not to look at you. His face seemed to be a tinge shade of blue but in this light and the tears still obscuring your vision you couldn't tell.

"W-why did you?" You hiccuped between your words hands gently holding the blue scarf as it rested loosely around your neck now.

"Don't ask so many questions just accept it for now. I'll want it back! But...you can wear it for now." Error refused to look at you keeping his eyes closed as he kept a firm frown against his lips. (Or your guesses teeth.)

You didn't care though, your mind wondering why he gave it to you and what it meant to him. But regardless you accepted it. Accepted his kindness. It was soft anyway and reminded you of Chara's sweater in texture. In a way it reminded you of home.

"Thank you." You muttered softly sniffling once more as you stood for a second time wobbling in place from the burst of emotion.

Error didn't say anything to your gratefulness instead just opened his eyes and glanced at you from the corner of them. Intently gazing upon you before he huffed once again having his back to you.

"Come on." He marched forward not bothering to look back to see if you were following.

"Where are we going now?" Your voice was weak as you followed him.

"Didn't you say you wanted to look around? If you don't I'll just take you back to the anti void and sting you up again." Error scoffed but there was an unusual softness to it.

"No no! I want to look around!" You gasped in defense rushing to walk beside error now. You both walked in silence down the hill together, somethings changed. You're not sure what but somethings changed. Maybe this was good. Maybe acting upon this change was good. This felt like a new beginning. Your gaze wandered around looking at the sights of buildings as you two began to pass them by.

This vast new au, and the events that just happened, filled you with determination.