~Together: A DystopianTale Errink prequel~

Trigger Warning: If suicidal thought, self harm, physical or verbal abuse are a trigger to you, please skip over the part of the chapter I have marked out

Ink: Age 16
Error: Age 17

    Ink sighed, leaning back against the large oak tree behind him. Error, who sat beside him, looked up from his own math textbook, adjusting his red framed glasses. "You good?"
    "My brain hurts."
    Error hummed, closing his book and tossing it aside. "We don't have brains."
    Ink groaned and rolled his eyes, earning a snort from his friend. "Since when have you cared if something was accurate or not?"
    "Since just now." The taller skeleton took off his glasses, placing them into their special case. "The sun's gonna go down soon. We should probably head back."
    The two boys were about half an hour out of town, at a small hill with a tree at the top; they found out about the place when they were younger, when Winter had taken them out for a picnic. Once they had gotten their driver's license, it became one of their regular hangout spots; along with Ink's room.
    ... Speaking of which, it suddenly occurred to Ink that he'd never actually been in Error's room. Or his house in general.
"Hey, earth-to-shorty." Error gave him a gentle push, Ink blew a raspberry.
"Don't call me that, you jerk."
Error snorted again, leaning over to rest his arms on his knees. He gave Ink a wink, making the smaller skeleton's 'stomach' do a flip, and his cheeks to flush. "It's not my fault you're only 4 feet tall"
Ink sank into his turtleneck sweater, efficiently hiding his ever growing blush. "I'm 4'11, not 4 feet."
Error scooted closer to him, poking his cheek. "Aw, come on. Don't be mad, I was only teasing you."
That's the problem, you idiot...
Ink had known for a while now that he had feelings for his taller friend. When they first started grade nine he started noticing he enjoyed being with Error more than just a friend would, and he'd get moments where he just wanted to hug him, or cuddle him and fall asleep curled up to his chest, or hold hands as they walked together.
Or kiss him.
He really, really wanted to kiss him.
Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts, he pushed Error's hand away and stuck his tongue out. "Not all of us were blessed with incredible height"
."Awe, you think I'm incredible?" Error wiggled his eyebrows as Ink's blush darkened.
"Screw you!"
The ebony skeleton erupted into laughter, rocking backward. "You're like an angry kitten, oh my god!"
Ink huffed, throwing a pencil at his friend, and gathered up the rest of his stuff into his bag. "Oh, whatever. Let's head back, you big Glitch."
Error gave a weak chuckle at his nickname, standing up to follow Ink to their car - since the two of them were almost always together, they decided they would buy the car together, and take turns driving.
"Do you want to hang out at my place for a bit? I think my mom was planning on baking cookies today."
"Oh hell yeah, her baking is the fucking best."
Ink slid into the car's passenger seat, laughing and rolling his eyes. "Didn't you say you were going to work on not swearing so much?
Error started the engine, and it made a whirring noise as it came to life. "I lied. I'm here for a fun time, not a long time, so I'll say whatever shit I want to." Ink giggled quietly, but there was a part of that sentence that made a lump form in his throat.
The ebony skeleton switched on the radio, an upbeat song suddenly filling the silence. Ink felt his worries wash away; things were good, they only had one more year of high school after this, and nothing bad was really happening in the world.
And he had Error.
The small monster felt himself relax, singing loudly and happily to the songs on the radio.n Eventually he got his friend to sing as well which only made his cheeks bloom with colour once again.

    Error grabbed another one of the still warm cookies off the plate in the middle on Ink's bed, listening to the smaller monster ramble from the other end of the bed.. He always enjoyed being with Ink in his room; obviously not only because he was with his friend, but because the room was so colourful, cozy, and so very 'Ink".
    The walls were painted baby blue with a soft gray carpet covering the floor. Above his plush bed - that was easily big enough for the both of them to sit (or lay) on at the same time - was Ink's rainbow flag. In grade ten, during their school's pride day, all the students were encouraged to wear rainbow items, or anything that supported the LGBTQ+ community. Ink managed to get Error to wear two buttons- one with the pan flag, and the other one with a rainbow - since he didn't own any pride items himself, and the smaller skeleton has decided to tie his flag around his neck and wear it like a cape all day.
    The poor monster had been bullied ruthlessly by a lot of their classmates because of it, and it came to the point that Error debated beating the shit out of them. He didn't though, per Ink's requests.
    Now the flag stayed in his home, behind closed doors.
    It pissed Error off to no end. He could still remember the way Ink's eyes had drained of their sparkle when the flag idea backfired.
    At least Winter was accepting of her son.
    Unlike some people Error knew...
    He shook his head, slipping back to the moment at hand.
    Next to Ink's bed was a side table with a glass of water and a lamp sitting on it. Next to the lamp was a framed photo of  Error and Ink taken when the where 10 and 11, during their first summer as friends. Error remembered once asking his shorter friend why he decided to frame that photo, and not one that was more recent. The white skeleton had smiled and explained that that photo was extra special because it was taken so soon after they met; and that it meant a lot to Ink that they became friends.
    Error didn't know why someone like Ink cared about him, but he was thankful nonetheless.
    "Error?"
    The ebony skeleton snapped his eyes away from the picture and focused back on his friend, his cheeks turning blue. He'd completely zoned out, and had no idea what Ink had been saying.
    The monster giggled, cheeks coming to life with a dusting of colour. "You got kinda distracted there, you ok?"
    "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Uh, sorry, can you repeat what you were saying?"
    Ink giggled again, making Error blush harder: it was such a soft sound... it made him want to hold the smaller monster close to him, to find other ways to make him make that sound.
    ... wait.
    What the hell has gotten into me?!
    It wasn't necessarily the first time he had thought something like that, and it always made him do a double take on himself.
He wondered what it meant.
" I was talking about how I get my braces off in a few months!" He smiled widely, showing off the brackets and wires that covered the surface of his teeth.
    Error hummed, then said, "I still don't understand why you wanted to get those in the first place. The teeth gap was cute."
    Ink's eyes widened, his blush darkening immensely. He covered his face, grumbling. "No it wasn't... it gave me a lisp when I started getting older, especially if i was talking fast. Besides, Bylk and his friends said-"
"You shouldn't listen to what those assholes say."
"COme on, Error, they're not that bad anymore..."
Oh, sure. They weren't 'that bad' because Bylk was absolutely terrified of Error, all because he beat his ass back in fifth grade. Truth be told, Bylk was also only 5'6, while Error was a towering 6'0. Not that he was complaining about it, he liked that Ink wasn't getting harassed as much anymore, but the griffin's little gang still took jabs at the small skeleton when he was alone (since Error and him only had two classes together this year).
At least they knew better than to actually lay a finger on the skeleton now.
"Whatever, they're assholes."
Ink huffed, leaning back against his pillows. "It's getting late." He said after a few minutes.
Error groaned, turning to his phone. Sure enough, it was almost 10:30.
Fuck
"Guess I should head home then."
"Mm... yeah, I guess so. Oh! That reminds me. I'm not going to be at school tomorrow morning!"
"What? Why not?"
"Another doctor appointment." Ink rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. For as long as Error knew him, Ink had always have to miss at least a day of school every two months for a 'doctor's' appointment. From what the small skeleton had explained, all they did was take a look at his soul, make sure his magic levels were good and somehow they checked to make sure he was feeling things normally.
... Error didn't really understand it.
"Do they bother you?"
"Eh, not really. They  used to make me kinda uncomfortable but, you know. I've had so many, they're normal now." He let out a small laugh. "That being said, they are pretty annoying."
The ebony skeleton couldn't help but wonder what that must be like for Ink; what goes through his head when he really thinks about it.
"I...should be going" Error stood up, grabbing his school bag off the floor.
Ink waved. "See ya, Error!" He called after him as he waved and left the room.
He gave a short goodbye to Ink's mother - who was sitting at the kitchen table, reading through some papers - and thanked her for the cookies before exiting out into the chilly night air. A wave a dread hit him as he stood at his front door.
Sucking in a breath, he unlocked the door, and pushed it open; praying his father was passed out.
Light from the TV in the living room eerily illuminated the dining room and front entrance. The stairs in front of Error looked like a tunnel, leading into a dark abyss. The seventeen-year-old pulled off his shoes and silently leaned into the living room. His father, Cyber Sona, sat spralled out on the reclining chair, empty beer cans and bottles littering the tables and some floor space around him: some were old, and others were new.
Error's nose scrunched up in disgust and he quickly left the room; trying to be as quiet as possible as he went upstairs to his room, careful not to wake up his dad. Closing the door, Error sighed, sinking down onto his bed and dropping his bag carelessly onto the floor.
His room wasn't anything like Ink's; while his friend's room was colourful and full of life, his was dark and gray. His bed was pressed against the wall next to the window and pointed towards Ink's room - there had been many nights where they'd both sit by their windows, talking to each other through their phones. On the wall adjacent to his bed, he had a wooden desk covered in grade school assignments and writing utensils with his laptop sitting on top of it all. He also had a closet for clothes and such, but that was about it.
The house was deathly quiet, aside from the mindless chatter of the TV and occasional snore from the sleeping monster downstairs. Rolling over on his bed, the skeleton plucked his earphones off the cluttered side table next to his bed and plugged them into his phone.
He pressed play on a playlist, setting his phone down beside him, and stared up at the ceiling.
A recognizable numbness washed over him as the music made the house disappear around him, leaving only him...all alone. The feeling usually came when he got home from Ink's, though sometimes it wasn't so bad. Some days it was worse. Sometimes it lasted for days at a time, and he could barely bring himself to drag his ass out of bed.
Most days the numbness evolved into a deep and desperate sadness.
He rolled onto his side, pulling his comforter up and over top of him and burrowing his face into the pillow and blankets. He knew that sleep wouldn't come to him, not yet at least, but the warmth gave him at least a little comfort; like a leash, keeping him tied to the real world and protecting him from falling into his thoughts completely.
Things always got worse when that happens.

"Error!"
The skeleton looked up as his name was called, his eyes landing on Ink; who was running across their school's front lawn to where the ebony monster sat
"Hey."
Ink plopped down onto the grass beside him, huffing. "What are you doing out here? Aren't Basketball tryouts going on right now?" A breeze blew past them, kicking up a few of the yellow and red leaves that littered the ground; Error shivered, but he much preferred the cold to the heat of the summer. Besides, in fall, no one looked at you weird for always wearing sweaters.
"Last I heard, yeah. In the gym." He snorted, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "Why? You wanna join this year?"
"Oh gods no! I just... I figured you would tryout."
"Why?"
The white skeleton picked up a fallen leaf, idly ripping it up into small bits. "You were on the team in grade 9, and last year... you were really good too. It looked like you had a lot of fun."
Error pulled anxiously at the sleeves of his hoodie and  avoided looking at Ink. It was true, he had really enjoyed playing on the team and his height definitely gave him an advantage that made him feel... powerful. Useful. Or it had, at least. Now he couldn't find any motivation to try it again.
It doesn't make him excited anymore. Nothing really did.
So what was the point?
"I just... don't feel like doing it this year."
Ink hummed, reaching out and taking Error's hand. The larger skeleton stiffened. "I feel like you're not telling me something..."
Error pulled his hand away, stuffing it into his pocket. Why did Ink have to care?!
"You can talk to me about anything, you know..."
"Ink..."
He looked up, meeting his friend's gaze. Ink stared back at him, locking their eyes and not looking away for a second. "I really, really care about you Error... I'm here to help you... Is, um, is everything ok? At home and stuff?"
The bell rang, the sound all but piercing through the air. The taller of the two boys all but jumped up, grabbing his bag. "See you in fifth period."
Ink called after him as he quickly walked away, cursing himself. He rubbed his arms nervously, his mind wandering to the scars underneath. How did Ink know?!  He made sure to never bring up anything from his home life, made sure to never mention the secrets carved onto his ulna and radius.
Ink wasn't supposed to know.
He wasn't even supposed to suspect anything.
That was the whole fucking point!!
Error promised to protect him. He promised. If Ink knew what he'd done, what he thought.. it would hurt him. How the hell could he still says he'll protect him if he's the one who hurts him?!
Well, technically there was something he could do...
Error pushed the thought down. Now wasn't the time for that.
He'd continue to deny anything his friend threw at him. He'd act the same as he has for the past two years. Ink didn't really know. He was just worried. All Error had to do was squash that worry. As if it were a cockroach.
After all, he was fine.
Error sat down at his desk, pulling out his science papers, his eye lingering on his arm.
... He just needed for Ink to believe he was fine, whether or not that was true couldn't matter less.

"Are you doing anything for Halloween?"
Error glanced quickly at Ink who sat in the passenger side of the car. The white skeleton was staring out the window, his chin resting in his palm.
He looked relaxed.
Cute.
"Nah. Mom usually hands out the candy and dad does what he always does. You know neither of them really go out of their way to celebrate this sorta thing."
Ink giggled, eyes shifting toward his friend as he cheeks gained colour. "So you've said, multiple times." He sat back in the seat, arms crossed in front of him. "Anyways, my mom's going out to a party on Halloween night, leaving little ol' me to tend to  handing the candy out  all alone." The small skeleton dramatically wiped at fake tears, faux pouting. Error snorted. "And I thought, maybe a certain someone could come over that night to help me. We could even watch horror movies and binge eat some snacks!"
The monster driving snorted again as Ink awaited his response. He knew the ebony skeleton would say yes; they always hung out on Halloween. When they were younger, Winter would take them out Trick-or-Treating together and the two boys would have a sleepover afterwards; where they'd giggle and eat way too much junk food. But, seeing as both of the monsters had outgrown their candy hunting days, they preferred to stay in and watch bad horror movies while eating chips and popcorn; with Error occasionally making a crude joke about the film they were watching or something else that had happened during the day.
"Isn't it just a given that I'll come over now?"
"I mean, yeah. But I didn't want to assume anything." Ink winked, giggles erupting from him as Error stuck his tongue out in response.
"We could totally play a prank on the kids as they show up. Give 'em a little trick with their tre-"
Error stopped mid-sentence, his tongue becoming cement in his mouth. He was just pulling up to the sidewalk in front of their houses when his eyes had landed on his father, standing on the front steps of his home.
He was mad.
Actually, mad was an understatement. Cyber looked absolutely pissed.
Error swallowed hard, grip tightening on the steering wheel. What had happened to get his dad so mad? Nothing came to his mind when he tried to think of something he'd done: his room was pretty clean, his bed was bed made, the laundry put away. He hadn't done anything wrong so what-
His mind skidded to a stop like a train that was pushed off the tracks and ending with a loud, fiery crash.
The pins.
The pins Ink had gotten him a year ago. He'd made sure to keep them tucked away so his dad wouldn't see them, but this morning he had been in a rush trying to find where his extra pair of headphones had gone. He had pulled them out and left them on his desk. He had eventually found what he was looking for, but had forgotten to put those secret pins away (He had accidentally crushed his good pair of headphones the night prior, and had made a mental note to buy some new ones).
Now, if his father had been anyone else they wouldn't have thought twice about seeing the pins. Or maybe they wouldn't have cared. But this was Error's father, the man who'd take any opportunity he saw to harass his son; be that verbally, or - on the rare occasion - physically.
"Is that your dad?"
"Yup." His voice cracked and he cursed himself. He took a deep breath and blocked off his emotions to the best of his ability, isolating them from his voice.
"He looks mad... did something happen?"
"Dunno." He turned the car off, undoing his seatbelt. "You should head home. I'll call you later." His voice sounded distant and hollow, even to himself.
Ink hesitated, looking his tall friend up and down, checking for any signs that he wasn't ok. Once satisfied, he sighed and muttered a small 'ok' before leaving the car. Error exited after him, watching as the small monster walked solemnly to his home with Cyber glaring at him. Hatred boiled up in Error's soul, Ink hadn't done anything wrong. How dare his father look upon him with such  hateful and condescending feelings.
With his back straightened, he strutted up to his father who had turned his angry gaze to his son. Error met his eyes with the same loathing stare.
Error looked remarkably like his father: they had the same dark bones with the rare red and yellow bone along their bodies, they both had the same blue markings under their eyes (though Error only had three strips while Cyber had five.) The only things different between the two monsters were their eyes - Errors were a bright red, with one yellow eyelight and the other yellow with a blue pupil; while his father's eye sockets were black, like most skeletons, with yellow eyelights. The second difference was pretty obvious: their personalities. Cyber Sona was cruel and cold, someone who only really cared about himself. Someone who drank away his problems and solved conflicts with violence. And Error... well, he didn't know how to describe himself, but he knew he wasn't as bad as his dad.
... At least, that's what he hoped.
    As the seventeen year old walked up the steps, his father pushed open the door. "Get your ass in here now." His voice was deep, like a rumble in the Earth. It sent a shiver down Error's spine as he entered his home, skull hanging low.
    Cyber slammed the door after both of them were in the house. Error's mother was busying herself with cooking supper in the kitchen, completely ignoring what her husband was about to say to their son.
Error often wondered if his mom even cared or if she was in the same mindset as his father.
Either way, Error moved to stand on the other side of the kitchen table, closer to his mom. Considering she's never hit him, maybe it was just natural for him to feel at least a tiny bit safer near her.
Cyber tossed the two pins, the rainbow and pan ones, onto the table. They skidded to a stop near the center; Error winced and looked down.
"What the fuck are these?"
Cyber's voice sounded menacing, and Error shrank into his sweater, staring at his feet like a child who was caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
Cyber slammed his fist onto the table top, causing Error to flinch backwards. Mumbling, he answered, "They're just pins..."
"'Just pins'..." His father jabbed a finger at them. "They're part of that goddamn queer group." He crossed the table to stand in front of Error; they were nearly the same height, but Error was still a bit shorter than him. He wanted to scream at his father, tell him he wasn't, and never will be 'his' son, that it doesn't matter if he was gay or not. But he kept his mouth shut, the fear inside him extinguishing any confidence he had. "Do you really think you're gay."
His voice had suddenly changed, taking on a soft tone. Error hesitantly looked up to meet his father's eyes.
"I-"
~Trigger Warning~
He was suddenly grabbed by the front of his hoodie, his father pulling their faces close, expression becoming dark. "Are you really going to do that to your mother and I?!"
He let go of the fabric, pushing Error to the ground; he went without a fight, grunting as his body hit the hard floor.
Cyber knelt in front of him. "You're already such a fucking disappointment and burden to us... and now you're going to say you're a f*ggot as well?!"
He grabbed Error's wrist roughly. This time, the boy tried to pull away, yelping.
That yearned him a hard smack to his head. "What do you have to say for yourself, you piece of shit?!"
Rage filled Error as he looked up as his father. He didn't do anything wrong. It didn't make him any less of a person just because he could love another dude! He wanted to spit on him; tell him to go fuck himself. Cyber must have seen that spark of fight in Error's eye sockets as he painfully yanked his son's arm forward, causing him to call out in pain. The force of the pull caused Error's sweater sleeve to get pushed up on his arm, his cuts coming into full view.
Panic surged through the monster as he tried desperately to get his arm away from his father.
Cyber only laughed.
"You're a fucking pussy too? Can't handle all of life's problems can ya?" He leaned in close, a sick grin plastered on his face. Error wanted to cry, but refused to do so in front of this son of a bitch- "Grow up. Life isn't going to change just because you feel a little bummed out kiddo."
Error was trembling, Cyber finally let go of his arm and the younger monster pulled it close to him. His father burst into more laughter, making Error bristle. "Why don't you just go kill yourself then, huh? It'd make life so much easier for all of us... besides, no one's gonna love someone like you."
A sob escaped Error, his father snorting. "Go to your fucking room." He said, standing back up. When Error didn't get up, his father repeated himself; this time yelling.
The ebony monster shakily got up and scurried off to his room like a wounded animal.
He broke out into sobs once the door was safely shut behind him, sinking to the floor just inside his room.
He hated, absolutely despised his father.
He sobbed harder. Why the hell did the words he said have to affect him so much?! He knew his father was an asshole who was full of horse shit.
But it still hurt. It still hurt so badly to know he wasn't enough, that he'd never be 'good enough'.
He fumbled to his desk drawer, yanking it open and pulling out a small razor blade.
He knew he could just conjure up a knife with his magic, it would probably be easier than keeping these blades around. But, in a way, Error likes the feel of the cold metal. It was sick and he knew it.
He slid the blade along his wrist, another sob leaving him as a bead of blood slowly flowed out.
Usually when things got this bad it only took him three or five cuts to fully push the sadness away, to bring him into a state of cold numbness.
Five cuts came and passed.
As he got to ten, he was shaking roughly, letting the small razor slip from his fingers. A new wave of tears came crashing down on him, his hands coming up and gripping the side of his skull.
He was disgusting. All of this made him revolting.
Unlovable.
A disappointment.
If Ink knew... god, if he knew, he'd see Error as he really was: a grotesque shell of a monster, undeserving of any of the care he'd been given.
A light came on across from him. His head whipped upwards, soul dropping to his feet. His door, which he still sat in front of, was directly in front of his window; a perfect viewing point for anyone to see him if they looked from the house next door.
Exactly as Ink was now.
There was a look of shock on his face, then horror as Error jumped to his feet, stumbling to the blinds and shutting them hastily.
He'd seen the blood, Error knew he had.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck-
His phone began buzzing in his pocket; he pulled it out (if he hadn't been so distressed, he probably would have taken time to be surprised the screen wasn't cracked after his father's little 'display'). Ink was calling, of course it was him, who else would it be? But that confirmed that he'd seen what Error had done.
The skeleton pressed the red button, putting an end to the buzzing.
Ink knew.
Error flopped onto his bed. He'd tried so hard to keep this from Ink, and he still failed.
Ink probably hated him now. He had no reason to care anymore, he's seen what Error was really like.
"Why don't you just go kill yourself, huh?"
Error knew how to sneak out of his window, he'd done it before. But to do that, he'd have to see Ink.
His phone buzzed again.
Fuck it.
He pulled open the gray blinds. Ink's room was dark.
Error wondered briefly where he went as he opened the window and hopped onto the small ledge below it. Next, he carefully edged to the side, dropping down onto the ground.
He still had the car keys and he had a good place in mind where he wouldn't be found.
Well, hopefully he wouldn't be found.