The subsiding strength of a Swap Sans

Chapter 9: Home

"What kind of questions would you even want from me? I'm sure you know I'd never give anything away of Dream and Ink." I let out a huff before wincing at the motion, god, if I'd just died I wouldn't be in this situation!

Nightmare just shakes his head, "Swap, have you ever heard the rumors surrounding yourself?" He asks and I tilt my head to the side slightly, the motion also being painful but I manage.

"No, I tend not to let myself sink into gossip." I mumble sheepishly, it was true, but only to extension to myself, quite frankly I was a coward.

By some saving grace, Nightmare does not comment on it. "Then you wouldn't be aware that it is being tossed around you are not loyal to Dream?" At that I freeze, who the hell would even suggest that? Let alone let it get so big it's become adressible by the Guardian of Negativity?!

So, I voice how I feel about that, "I would rather deal with a thousand genocide resets in a row than betray Dream in any way." I state simply, it was the truth. Despite my - surely annoying - dependance on him he still dealt with me, I would say a similar thing about Ink.

That seems to startle the room slightly, I know the monsters here are all quite familiar with that idea but I didn't really think through what I was saying. Oh well, it was still true.

"...I see. Can I ask you another question then?" Nightmare asks, I debate joking that he just did but decide to scrap that idea. I wasn't stupid.

"Sure." I say, I didn't have much of a reason to decline anyway.

"Do you know a monster by the name of Error?" Nightmare asks and I blink in confusion, of course I knew who Error was... 

I mean, we've gotten much more personal than Nightmare should know but everyone knows the God of Destruction. 

I shake my head up and down in an affirmative motion, "Of course I do." I let out before sighing slightly, I was in an incredible amount of pain.

"There has been videos and other such media going around of you two together, now nobody is sure it's you because of the sheer amount of Swap replicas there are." Nightmare elaborates and I startle, Error and I haven't met up in a long time...

"Woah, is it really you then?" Killer asks, his face displayed something of confusion and awe. "How'd you get on the good side of the destroyer?"

I shrug and look off to the side before speaking, "Error and I... Have a complicated relationship."

"May I ask...?" Nightmare presses, I suppose he has saved my life twice now, despite it being unsolicited.

"Error is the reason I know of the multiverse," I begin, pausing for a moment before continuing. "back before the Stars were created the multiverse was a mess, Error and Ink would occasionally fight but it used to be more of a friendly competition before they were both introduced to the idea of morality." At this point they all had a... look of interest is what I can say, I shook my head, I shouldn't get too far into that. "Anyway, Error basically kidnapped me at one point it's complicated but then we kind of became friends and he let me go and I would like, go back to hang out with him? Yeah and then I met Ink and he introduced me to Dream and that's lowkey how The Stars were formed." I didn't want to go into detail about all of that, especially with monsters who are supposed to be my enemies, even if they did save my life.

The room was quiet as I spoke and after a moment Killer starts to giggle, Cross smacks him in the back of the head which makes him laugh way harder and Nightmare puts his face in his hands and lets out a long sigh.

"... So basically you two never stopped hanging out then?" Dust asks, and Killer stops his laughter but Cross doesn't stop staring bullets into him.

"Kind of, we haven't been in touch recently at all though." I say, looking off to the side for a moment. "None of what you've said really explains to me why you would save your enemy twice though."