When did he become pleasant? When did the thought of him become safe? Maybe it was today. Or maybe it was a few days ago. Time was still irrelevant. But your feelings weren't.

He was a lot funnier than he led on. Witter too. He wasn't just absorbed in this fight he had with ink. He had other ambitions. (He was more than just destruction.)

Error was still a mystery to you. He was complicated and hard to understand. There were things he did that you just couldn't comprehend even if you tried. But, he was more human than any human you've ever met. (And better too, though you almost hate to say that.)

It's comfortable. Walking alongside him in silence. Admiring the beauty of the world around you both. Comfortable. (It still feels so strange to say that.)

"You asked me why I destroy au's a while ago." The silence was interrupted. Error had huffed
Out his words, walking along side you still as the two of you wandered along the path of another au's waterfall.

You looked at him keeping a friendly distance. For some reason now though you can't quite meet his gaze. Instead you dropped it, staring at the grass. The truth was that you had forgotten he does that. Forgotten all about how he killed innocent lives. But even still, you were still curious. Why did he? Why did he go through all those extremes? What was the goal? (To hurt people? He doesn't seem like he's the sort of person to take pleasure in that, unless it's ink.)

"Yeah, I do. Why?" You glanced back. Finding the courage to speak. Curiosity killed the cat.

"This might be hard for you to believe, but I don't actually enjoy the suffering of those worlds. I just want to set them free." Error stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully. He seemed like he was forced to carry a heavy burden. One only he could carry alone. (It reminded you of how papyrus looked sometimes when he thought no one was looking.)
"Not that they'd ever comprehend that."

You kept quite. Your mind had all sorts of questions mixed with pity. Set them free from what? Why wouldn't they comprehend that? Why does he look so sad? You wanted to keep asking, so many questions just wanting to rush out all at once, but you knew better. If hewas talking on his own accord it was safer to not mention anything else. (Even if you wanted to.)

"People won't listen to things they don't want to hear. That's a fact about human kind and monster kind." You continued to stare at him. That was the truth. There were things that people just didn't want to hear.

Like your parents. They never wanted to hear anything bad happening. If something was happening it was your fault. Because you're a kid and you should know better they raised you better. (You know they love you still, but lessons like that were too hard on a kid. Still the point was, people don't always listen to the facts.)

"Though, you aren't exactly good at communicating." You smiled, joking partially. Tone light hearted with no real malicious intent behind what you had said. It was just honest teasing. Error looked at you quickly, as if surprised you had even said that. He didn't seem quite happy about that crossing his arms.

"Please! I'm better at communication than anyone." He was pouting. He held his head up high turning his nose up towards you.
"I should honestly have an award for it. Clearly I am the best at anything you just don't understand a lot of things."

You laughed a little at his behavior.

"I'm only joking, you big baby." You snickered now. He brought his head back to turn towards you. Eyes staring at you for quite some time, then finally he grinned. He seemed amused.

"Well," error dragged out playfully nudging your shoulder with his not thinking much of it, "I suppose I'll forgive you. You're still learning."

"Good! I don't know if I'd ever recover from you hating me!" You gasped out dramatically stopping in your tracks to drape your arm over your eyes. You felt like an actress in a soap opera. Error laughed loudly. (You couldn't contain your own giggles now laughing along side him.)

This was good. No wait. This whole outing had been good. A nice breath of fresh air away from the anti void. You were bonding. He really did feel like your friend now. It was nice, getting to know him better.

He really wasn't all that bad. He was funny and sarcastic and in his own way charming. (But then again, you weren't sure if you were in your right mind. You easily could be making all these emotions up for the sake of survival. Stockholm syndrome was a real thing after all.)

The laughing had slowed down and by now the two of you were struggling to catch your breaths. It was one of those kinds of laughs. But after a while error finally calmed down, standing in front of you.

"Ready to go home?" He offered his hand to you suddenly. He didn't seem like he was thinking about his actions.

You reached instinctively for it. Opening your mouth to answer. But He was quick to retract his hand, looking away almost panicked with himself.

You frowned. Why did that hurt? The fact that he pulled away so suddenly. Maybe it's because you felt like you're finally getting somewhere and easily forgot how flighty he was

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired." You tried to hide your disappointment. You didn't want to feel disappointed. It was stupid of you to feel disappointed you couldn't hold his hand.

Error just nodded, not saying another word, opening up the portal to return home. He stepped through first, then watched as you did, finally returning to the anti void after a long day.

It's not like you had much to say either. You were still fighting the disappointment trying not to let it get to you too much. But it was easier said than done.

"Error!" A voice shouted through the silence. Loud. Heroic. Like a super hero in a tv show or a movie.

Neither you or error could take another step. Stuck standing close to one another as the owner of the voice got closer.

"Give us back our friend!" That voice was familiar. Your heart swelled, you were touched. Was that sans?

Error seemed confused, upset, standing there slightly shielding you from sight. And then you saw them. Ink, Dream, and Sans.

They were standing together, each ready to fight seeming determined. Were they here to rescue you? You glanced at error. He seemed to be thinking.

"Give us back (Y/N), error." Dream was the calmest. Seeming to want to avoid conflict as he pointed to you.
"There's no need for a fight."

Error was still quite, and then he laughed. He laughed and laughed shoulders moving to just how much he was laughing. He looked like he was loosing his mind. Sans exchanged a look with Dream and ink at the sight before seeing you.

"Eldest human! You're okay!" He was excited. But it was all short lived. That feeling of being drenched in ice cold water struck you again as something reached into your chest forcibly removing your soul from with in.

It was the strings again. Those blue ones. You gasped reaching for your chest in pain at how quickly it had been taken out looking at him in shock. Error didn't even look at you.

"You IDIOTS!" He was shouting, only to laugh again.
"No one is getting her back that easily! Do you really think I'm that dumb?"

The strings forced your body to propel up into the sky, dangling from the ceiling. Wait, you were safe up here. He wasn't going to use you as a puppet like he had done the last time he had seen ink. (Was he protecting you?)

"I mean maybe? Have you seen your outfit?" Ink seemed lost in thought as he placed a hand on his hip observing errors clothes.
"It's giving me hobo."

"I'll give you a concussion in a second!" Error roared in anger now immediately moving to attack ink. Watching their battle from this high was more breath taking now.

Colors flashed. Pinks and purples, blues and reds. All clashing together as error and ink danced in battle. You leaned forward. (Your heart secretly hoping error wins.)

"Psst." Someone spoke close to your ear causing you to jump turning your head. You gasped seeing dream so high holding on to one of the strings to keep level with you.
"I'm going to try and untangle these from your soul okay? It might tickle."

You didn't know what to say. Just watching as dream tried to free you of the strings. He was right it did tickle. You're not sure how it was so easy for him to pry error's soul strings off so easily. (It was almost odd really.) But in the end he did it.

He offered you his hand, which you took finding yourself floating for a moment. At least it felt like floating. But then you were back on ground level. You quickly released dream looking for the fight.

Where was he? You had to find error. To think in the short amount of time you've known him you wanted to make sure he was okay. Maybe you really were going crazy.

THUD!

There! You see him! You rushed, racing to get to him seeing him on the floor pushing himself up.

"Error!" You shouted rushing. You just wanted to make sure he was okay. He turned to look back at you, stunned. (For a couple of reasons. How did you get down from his soul strings? Why did you care so much about him?)

You didn't touch him. You didn't dare some part of you reminding you not to as you fell to the floor with him pressing your hands down against it to lean forward. You had so much to say. You wanted to make sure he was alright.

"Error! I think I win again!" Ink was gloating. But stopped seeing you so close to error. (And to the fact that error was letting you be that close.)
"Um."

Ink turned to look towards dream who was panicked looking for sans while paranoid about what you were doing. No one moved closer. No one said anything. Error looked at you. He frowned.

"This was worthless." He scoffed staring at the floor now.
"Taking you was worthless."

You bit your cheek. That hurt. But then, error sat up a bit, reaching for your hand only to lightly brush his fingers against your own. (Your heart sped up. Why was it doing that?)

"Leave." His voice was soft. He only wanted you to hear what he had to say.
"Go be with your sibling again, while you can. This was stupid, keeping you here. Go be happy back in your own pitiful AU."

His words were harsh. Sharp to the tongue. But they didn't hurt you in the way it would hurt most people hearing that. Because what you heard was him pushing you away, because he knows he's too close and he's afraid of being that close.

You wanted so badly to say something. But, not a single word came out. His hand moved away and error stood up pulling strings from his eyes looking angry.

"JUST LEAVE! ALL OF YOU BEFORE I TURN YOU TO DUST!" He was screaming. You've never heard him sound like that before. You've heard him scream. But this was like he was in pain. (Awful horrible pain.)

"Eldest human!" Sans's voice was loud as he grabbed you trying to urge you to stand up. Pull you away. You mindlessly complied staring at error being tugged to follow after the three skeletons who came to save you.

You wanted to cry. Your throat stung. Your eyes burned. Your head ached all from keeping in the tears. You hated to leave him. You just got to know him. Just got to see a glimpse of the real error.

You're free.

The concept felt so foreign. Freedom. It felt bitter sweet. You couldn't comprehend all that was happening. It was moving so fast. Going through another odd portal. Standing inside sans and papyrus's house.

"(Y/N)!" Papyrus gasped, and soon your sibling rushed to hug you. It all felt so far away.

Go be with your sibling again, while you can.

His words echoed inside your mind. You hugged chara sinking to your knees. You wanted to cry. (Chara was crying. Holding you tight.)

This felt like when you had finally found chara after they had gone missing. That familiar night of relief. You hid your face in their shoulder sharing in their tears. Holding on just as tight.

You're free.

You're back home.

So why? Why does it hurt so much? Why does freedom feel so sad? And why, why did you feel vulnerable here more than you were with error.

You felt a sense of dread. But you're free, back home with chara and the others. Isn't that all that matters? You're free.