Aconitum

Friendship/A Fake

During that unspecified (Nightmare didn't know how long, and he was to afraid to ask) amount of time, there had been developments; some interesting, some mundane. Horror insisted on re- braiding Nightmares hair every so often, Core and Cross had begun joining them on game nights (Killer had invited Core and they had brought Cross), and they had been visited by Dream.

Nightmare luckily hadn't been home, but Dust had been. When Dream came Dust didn't know who he was, just that he claimed he was Nightmares brother. So of course when Dream asked to leave a letter Dust accepted.

Now that letter sat on Nightmares side table, taunting him. There was part of him who just wanted to throw it out, to not bother, but there was also a part of him who wanted to read it.

Nightmare was not going to just seep in his dilemma, that would be pointless suffering. So instead he chose to speak to Dust, who wasn't busy. In fact he seemed rather lonely.

"How are you?" Nightmare greeted awkwardly.

"Im alright, is something wrong?" Dust was sitting on the couch, a blanket resting on his shoulders and the TV playing the quiet garble of conversation.

'a lot.'

"Nothing. In a complex sense."

"Gonna explain or just gonna leave it at that?" Dust was not impressed with toeing around the subject.

"I'm thinking about my brother."

"What about him?"

"The letter." Dust did not follow the issue. That was clear in his expression, "I don't have much desire to open it. That gives the impression that I've let him win. At the same time I want to know what he has to say,"

"What's goin on between you two?"

"It's complicated." Dust patted empty sofa seat.

"I have all day." Nightmare sat down with some hesitation.

"My au was unkind to me in ways it was not to him. He was always loved by our people and he was not-"

"Wait, your people? What were you? Royalty? I thought the crown thingy your brother was wearing was for fun or something," Nightmare couldn't blame Dust for not knowing. He hadn't mentioned his past much. The most the others knew was that Nightmare was a god of negativity.

"We were. Our people are dead now though, so it doesn't matter anymore."

"I'll be asking you more about that later but for now, continue." Night was not excited for that.

"I wasn't treated well, that's the simplest way to put it. He was, and now that I tell him why I killed the residents of our au he insists I'm lying." Nightmare found himself staring at his lap to avoid Dusts gaze, "he's not a bad person, but I despise him regardless."

"Well at least now I get why your comfortable livin with a bunch of mass murderers," Dust didn't sounds judgemental, "but I do think you should read the letter. Maybe your brother has come around to the idea he might be wrong,"

Dust put his hand on Nightmares shoulder. Night really took what his friend said to heart, and he was going to read the letter like he said. No matter how badly he wanted to get rid of it. He was going to give Dream a chance.

That thought lasted about 30 seconds. See when everyone you know can teleport or wink or shortcut or whatever they liked to call it, there were some rules of hospitality. Such as 'don't appear right in someone else's house, appear outside and knock' but Error wasn't known for being hospital.

So the glitch stood in their living room. With Dust cozy under his blanket and Nightmare in his original form. He could shift back, but when all his roommates, Core, and Cross already knew what he looked like he saw no point in shifting at home.

He really did not want Error to see him in such a pathetic state.

"You. Anomaly." Error had such warm greetings.

"What do you want Error?" Nightmare shifting now would look like he was trying to hide this. It was make a weakness clear. Nightmare chose to act the same as usual to hide this weakness.

"Where has Ink been?" Night laughed at his oblivious nature, "I don't appreciate that."

Nightmare stood up and smirked arrogantly.

"You're so out of the loop Error. You really need to get out more." Error barely hide his shame

"He's been gone for 3 months. It's getting boring without him."

"Aww, did your creators not tell you?" Nightmare may or may not have just been imitating the villagers. He'd unpack that later, "he's been reset."

"You know about them??" Error stepped towards Nightmare, trying to be threatening. (It didn't work.)

"Ink told me alllll about them. Strange they didn't tell you though." Nightmare turned as if he was going to leave (he was not).

"Wait! Jesus- how long till he gets replaced."

"Beats me. I'd go asking your gods." Nightmare hand waved in a dismissing way, "live in your cave or whatever."

"You're useless."

"Why thank you."

"Fuck off." Error teleported off to do whatever he does in his spare time.

Nightmare sat back down on the couch next to a confused Dust.

"What was that about?" He asked almost immediately.

"If Error thinks I am a threat when provoked he won't waste his time bothering me." Nightmare shrugged.

"Okay, but 'live in your cave'?"

"I was referring to Plato's cave, but Error seemed to have think I was referring to his home. Either way he left."

"Plato's cave?" Dust echoed emptily

"Well, see it's this metaphor for stupidity that-"

Dust followed along to the best of his ability (which sadly wasn't much)

~~~

Imagine thinking you'll write a Dust chapter just to accidentally make it a Error chapter.

It was gonna be more indepth about how Error feels about all this but why would he open up to Nightmare of all people?

So here's my words on it. He feels unchallenged and powerful, but he also feels like he's lost some meaning. Like Ink was an obstacle in a course (and maybe a bit of a punching bag) but now the obstacle is gone and it's all suddely to easy. Hes also mad he's been left out of the loop. So basically meaningless because he got a easy win.