~Together: A DystopianTale Errink prequel~

*Chapter 1: So... who are you?*

Ink: age 10
Error: age 11

"Remember, you need to stay on our street, honey."
Ink looked up from tying his shoes; a wide smile was plastered across his round face, the gap between his two front teeth in full view for anyone to see, "I know mommy! I won't forget!"
The young skeleton's mother gently rubbed the top of his head, smiling warmly. "Come home right away if someone starts acting weird, ok? We don't want something bad to happen.."
"I'll be fine, mom! I'm 10 years old, I can play outside on my own now!"
"I know.. I know." Winter Agate, Ink's mom, laughed gently and kneeled in front of her son. "But you're still my little boy, and I want you to be safe." Placing a hand on Ink's face, she rubbed his cheek with her thumb in a comforting manner.
The skeleton pushed his mother's hand away, a pout on his 'lips'. He was a big boy now, he didn't need to be treated like a baby! "Can I go now?"
It was a sunny Thursday in BlightView and Ink, having gotten home about half an hour ago from school, was antsy to get outside and play; even if he'd be doing it alone.
Winter laughed softly again, adjusting her son's backpack straps on his shoulders. "Alright, go have fun my little goof-ball."
Ink gave a small hop of excitement, his left eye shifting into a yellow star. He happily skipped to the door and gave his mother a small wave before leaving the house.
A slight breeze hit him as he walked outside and he smiled up at the blue sky. Just as the small skeleton was about to walk down the steps of his home, he noticed a blur of movement in the corner of his eye.
Kneeling beside the house next to Ink's was another skeleton. He appeared to be a bit bigger than Ink, but they were probably close to the same age. What really stood out to Ink was the colour of his bones and his eyes. His bones were a deep ebony, and he had light blue stripes starting at the bottom of his red eye sockets that ran to the bottom of his face; and then there were his eyes; both were yellow, but his left eye had a small blue pupil in the middle. Ink wondered briefly if this skeleton's eyes could change like his own. He was holding a small stick in one of his fists, and he was staring up at Ink intently.
Now, usually Ink was fine with talking to people - not many of his classmates talked to him in the first place - but there was something about this monster that made him feel nervous. It was a weird feeling, and a part of him was scared of it.
He decided he'd worry about the weird feeling when he was older; until then, he'd just ignore it.
"What are you doing?" He meant to ask who the boy was, but blurted out the other question, referring to the stick in the boy's hand, instead.
The skeleton - who Ink was realizing looked oddly familiar - stood up, frowning. "It's none of your business!"
Ink pouted, hopping down the stairs to get a better look at the monster; he'd been right about the black skeleton being bigger. There was a small band aid on the bridge of the skeleton's 'nose' and there was something so familiar about him...
Ink suddenly gasped, shocking the ebony skeleton to the point of making him take a step back. "I know you!!" Ink exclaimed, his left eye changing into an exclamation mark. "You're the new kid in my class! Your name is... ummm... Error! Your name is error, right?"
The boy, Error, stared at Ink with a shocked expression. Ink could probably guess why; Error was always very quiet in class and Ink couldn't think of a time where he'd heard Error talk in class. Except for maybe that first day he came, when their teacher made him introduce himself to the class. They didn't sit near each other: Ink was near the back, while Error was at the front due to eyesight issues (if Ink was remembering correctly). Much like him, Error also appeared to not have any friends. He was always alone during recess or lunch time - if you asked Ink, it almost looked like the monster was actively avoiding talking to anyone. "I... Yeah, how do you know that?!"
"We're in the same class! I sit at the back though, and we've never actually talked so.. That's probably why you don't recognize me!" The small monster let out a chuckle, and Error briskly looked him up and down, eyebrows furrowing.
"Hm...now that you say it; you do look familiar. Ink, right?"
A burst of joy shot through Ink's chest - Error remembered his name! Maybe this means they could be friends! "Yes! That's me!"
There was a minute of silence where both boys just looked at each other. Error didn't seem like the type who liked talking... No matter! Ink had plenty he could share! And many Questions!
"Why don't you talk to anyone at school?" He debated asking about the stick his new almost-friend was still holding, but this ultimately seemed like the better choice: perhaps the other kids didn't like Error either, maybe they were going through similar situations!
Unfortunately, Error didn't seem very pleased by the question. He glared at the smaller skeleton. "Why do you care? It's not like you talk to anyone either."
"W-well, That's not really my choice, and I thought maybe... you felt the same way.." Ink's voice faded away, and he stared down at his feet. He had a feeling he'd already messed this up.
"What do you mean it's not your choice? Just talk to other kids, it's not that hard."
"I've tried that, no one likes me." A strained smile appeared on his face as he looked back up to Error. "I thought you would have figured that out by now." It wasn't as if the other kids tried to hide their distaste for Ink, if anything they were incredibly vocal about it. Error had been at their school for a few weeks now, surely he'd have noticed something
... Or not, if the blank look on his face was any hint. "Oh, um, ok, so... you're going to find out sooner or later, so i guess i might as well tell you now-"
"Tell me what?"
Ink took a deep breath. "I... don't actually have real feelings?" Error gave him a bewildered look, so he continued: "So.. You know how souls will create a special kind of magic that lets people feel emotions? My soul can't make that magic. No one really knows why.. I have to take medicine every morning that helps my soul create that magic."
Ink waited for the disgust to cross Error's face: he'd seen it before on the faces of his classmates, teachers, and even his own father before he'd disappeared. But the disgust never came. Instead, there was... interest, covered by a thin veil of confusion. "Really? Why doesn't it? I've never heard of something like that happening?" He paused, thinking, then added: "Why does that make people not like you?"
"Um well. SOme people avoid me because they think it's contagious, while other think i'm a freak, since I'm basically soulless. They don't like my birthmarks either.. I don't know why though." He pointed to the back markings that covered most of his body.
"Oh.. That's what those are?" He clucked his tongue, and sat down on the grass, patting the spot next to him. Ink sat next to him. "So you don't have any friends?"
"No, not really." He was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable; why couldn't they just talk about Error? Why did it have to be about him?
"That's stupid." Error grunted, looking down at his stick, brows furrowed in concentration. "I'll be your friend."
Ink's body perked up from his hunched position. "Really?!"
The ebony skeleton just shrugged, giving Ink a small smile. "Sure. You seem like the only kid in our class worth knowing anyway."
Ink clapped excitedly, practically jumping on the spot, making Error laugh, sending another wave of glee though the smaller monster. "Oh! So why do you have a stick?"
His new friend hesitated for a moment before saying: "I was going to practice my magic. Dad doesn't like it when I do it inside so I usually go to the backyard."
"You're allowed to do it alone? Mommy says i need supervision."
"My parents don't care." He said this in a way that made it obvious that he did not want to talk about his parents at all. "You wanna come with me?"
"Well..."
"I could help you with your own powers." A mischievous smile spread across his face, his eyes twinkling.
Ink knew he should say no, but.. He did like the idea of learning new things, and his mom didn't seem too keen on letting him use magic, fearing he'd hurt himself.
"Ok!!"
*****
"You have to really concentrate if you want to make something like a bone."
Ink nodded, pursing his lips as the magic 'bone' wavered in his hands,before completely dispersering. The skeleton huffed in annoyance.
Error had led them both to the back of his house. There wasn't much in the backyard; just a table and a few chairs. The two boys were gathered around the large tree that sprouted in the center of the yard; Error had tied up multiple sticks and a few empty bottles to one of the lower branches with some strings that he'd somehow made.
Ink hoped he'd teach him how he did the strings thing.
"You almost got it that time." Error was tossing the bone he managed to create - within a matter of seconds, much to Ink's displeasure.
"How are you so good at that?"
"At what? Magic?" He shrugged, looking at the conjured bone in his hand, letting it fade away. "I don't know. I've had a lot more time to practice than you. Plus, I'm older, so..."
"Only By 6 months!!" Ink whined, sticking his tongue out at his friend.
Error snorted, and rolled his eyes playfully. "You'll get there eventually. We just gotta keep practicing."
Ink smiled widely and nodded. In the distance, he heard his mother call him.
"What was that?"
"My mom!" He rocked back on his heels. He couldn't wait to tell his mom about his new friend! She'd be so happy for him! "I have to go home now."
It was obvious to Ink that Error was trying to hide his disappointment: the way his smile twitched downwards for a second, and his eyes losing their happy shine were dead giveaways.
"Oh, ok." He shoved his hands into his sweater pockets. "I should probably go inside too."
"We'll see each other tomorrow, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Yay!" Winter called out to Ink again, her voice covered in worry. "See you tomorrow then!" With a small wave, Ink ran off to his own home, leaving Error alone in his backyard.
For the first time, Error missed having someone with him.
*****
Ink decided that School is a lot more enjoyable when you have a friend. Sure, he liked going to class before hand, but when you actually had someone to talk to, it got a whole lot better.
Error was also be a lot more social than Ink thought: once you got him going, he was almost as chatty as Ink was.
Last night, after Ink came home and told his mom about Error, she went over to his place and made arrangements for their first playdate after school. Ink was absolutely ecstatic. It was the end of the day now, and Winter would be picking them up soon; both boys were packing up their things, Ink talking a mile a minute.
"Error Sona?" Their teacher, Ms. Opis, called from her desk at the back of the room. "Can you come here?"
"Are you in trouble?" Ink whispered.
"Nah, it's probably just another 'catch-up' assignment. You know, since I wasn't here for like, half of the year." The small skeleton hummed, still a bit worried. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to get in trouble! "Geez, don't look so worried Ink, it's not going to be anything bad. Just wait for me outside, yeah? I won't be long."
"Um.. ok, i'll meet you out there then?" Error gave him a thumbs up. Ink wandered out of the school and into the sunlight. It was hot today, uncomfortably so. A group of kids, whom Ink recognized, were gathered around the entrance. All three of them had teased the poor boy about his soul and markings. The first one, Aria, was easily the calmest of the three - she'd still make fun of Ink, but really wasn't all that vicious. Next, there was Nessues, a large monster who, in Ink's opinon, was pretty stupid. And last there was the Bylk, the 'leader' of the group, and by far the worst out of them all. He was always the first to throw a punch if it came to it. It seemed as if he got some kind of sick joy from hurting others, especially if it was Ink.
"Well, looky who it is. The little freak has arrived!" Bylk called, his gang surrounding him, like a pack of wild animals hunting their prey.
"... What do you want?" Ink had managed to go all day without any teasing, and he'd been hoping to keep it that way.
"We're just trying to help you!" Aria chirped, her voice sickenly sweet.
All three of the kids held up markers, wicked grins on their face. Bylk sneered. "We wanted to give you these! Black's so boring, we figured you could at least brighten up those ugly marks this way!"
Markers were thrown at Ink from all around him, he yelped and shrank to his knees, covering his face. "What's that? Not even a little 'thank you'?" There was a swift kick to his left side, the skeleton cried out in pain, falling over to his side. "So it's ugly and ungrateful!"
One of them punched him, aiming for his head. He managed to protect his skull, but he'd definitely have a bruise on his arm.
Then there was a kick to his spine.
And one to his ribs.
Tears streamed from Ink's eye sockets as he begged the three monsters to stop.
And then it did.
There was a loud grunt - it sounding like it came from Nessues. Slowly, the skeleton moved his arms away from his head, uncurling himself from the ball he had made; his vision was blurry from his tears. Sniffing, he whipped them away. Blyk and Aria had their backs to Ink, and Nessues was a few feet away, sitting on the ground, rubbing the back of his head. Blue strings loosely hung off of him, and led in a trail to Error.
A very angry Error.
His fists were clenched, and his left eye shone a bright blue, and he was glaring daggers at the two kids still in front of Ink.
"Get away from him."
Silence hung in the air, thick with tension. Then Bylk laughed.
"Oh god, seriously?! You're the one hanging out with this freak?!"
Error took a step towards them, the air around him buzzed with his magic. Aria stepped away, and Nessues stood back up, taking his place next to the 'gang's' leader. "I said, get. Away. From. Him!"
"Or what?!" The bullies' magic buzzed to life. "You're outnumbered blackberry."
Error snapped. His hands rose swiftly, wrapping his strings around Bylk's arms and yanking him forward. The griffin-like monster stumbled, and Error took that time to come up to him, his fist colliding roughly against the side of the other's face. Bylk fell backwards, crashing against the concrete. Nessues took a swipe at the skeleton while he was focused on the griffin, hitting him against his nose. Error stumbled back, wiping at his now bloody nose. He was breathing heavily, and Ink could see the wrath in his eye sockets.
Error was good at magic, probably the best in the class. But he wouldn't be able to keep it up for a very long time, especially when it was one against two. "Stop it!" His voice cracked mid sentence, more tears forming in his eyes.
"SHUT UP!" Bylk screamed, turning to look at Ink who was still on the ground.
That was a bad idea.
Error slammed his body into Bylk's, knocking him onto his back with Error on top of him; his fists coming down on the monster, hard. The griffin clawed and smacked him, attempting anything to get the angry skeleton off of him. Nessues was quick to grab one of Error's arms, trying to pry him away, only to get pushed off as magic bones barely missed him. Ink was screaming at Error to stop, but he couldn't hear himself, everything was a blur.
It was too much.
Error was bleeding.
Bylk was sobbing.
Ink curled back up into a ball, breathing heavy, his eyes stinging from his tears.
He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, but he finally felt a hand gingerly touch his shoulder. Ink jolted, sitting up straight and scooting away. Error kneeled in front of him, worry covering his features.
His nose was still bleeding, and some of his blood was smeared along is upper 'lip', there were scratches along his cheeks, and he'd have a black eye in the morning. His clothes were dirty, but it didn't seem like anything was ripped. "Are you ok?" His voice was soft, the complete opposite of how it had sounded just a few minutes ago.
Tears overflowed Ink's eyes again, and he wrapped his arms around Error, knocking the other boy onto his butt. "Why did you do that?! You dummy!"
"They were hurting you?"
"SO?! LOok at yourself, Error! They could have really hurt you! Why didn't you just get a teacher or something?!"
"Dunno. I just reacted ... And I'm fine, don't worry about me." He pushed the other skeleton off of him, wiping his bloody nose against his sleeve.
"You're bleeding! You're not fine! WHat if they killed YOu?!"
"That's impossible."
Ink huffed, crossing his arms. "You make no sense... we need to get you to my mom, she'll help you, she's a nurse!" He stood, and wobbled on his legs, unsteady. Error was next to him almost instantly, helping him regain his balance.
"Ink?"
"What?" The younger of the two boys pulled on the older one's sleeve, eager to get him to his mother.
"I did it because you're my friend"
"... huh?"
"I did it because we're friends." He paused, talking Ink's hand. "And as your friend. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."
Why couldn't Error walk faster?! "You can't do that-"
"I just did."
Ink huffed, his mom's vehicle coming into view. "I don't want you getting hurt, dummy."
Error didn't respond to that as Winter came rushing to them, but later the ebony skeleton had whispered: "I don't mind getting hurt if it means you'll be safe. I promise to protect you."
Ink had no idea how much that promise meant to his friend.
But he'd figure it out.
Eventually.
*************************************
A/N: heya my dudes, hope ya like this. It'll have a total of 4 chapters, and I'll try to update regularly but uhhh I'm slow as heck.
Like I said, check out my tumblr or insta (you can find me on both with the name @ FandomArtist1273) to find out more about my AU.
Or don't, it's up to y'all.