The Bloody Night Calls

Chapter Fifteen

Nightmare walked into Error's room with a wide smile on his face. If he had been a regular Sans, you would have also been able to discern that he had massive bags underneath his eyes, but his corruption prevented that fact from being noticeable. Still, Error could tell that something was a bit off.

"Good morning, Error," he said, sitting on the edge of the Destroyer's bed. "How are you feeling?"

Error shrugged. That was a loaded question, so he went with a rather easy default answer. "I'm okay."

He frowned, looking up at the other with worry in his eyes. "...Is Fresh okay?"

Nightmare sighed wearily, recalling the previous evening. "Fresh is fine. A few hairline fractures, bruises and the like, but nothing a good healthy dose of healing magic and food couldn't fix up rather easily. I'm just glad that I got there in time."

Error exhaled in relief. "That's... good. Really good. I don't think I could have handled Fresh being hurt badly and me not being able to help at all. I can't even move..."

Nightmare nodded. "Well, there's even more good news for today," he pointed out, eyelight shining with anticipation.

Error tilted his head to the side. "What?"

Nightmare smiled, a genuine smile, not a smirk or a grin, which was somewhat rare to begin with.

"We get to take off your leg cast today!"

Error blinked slowly, a smile growing across his face. "...Really? I can start walking again?"

"Well, you're going to have to be careful not to stress yourself," The tarry skeleton pointed out gently. "But short walks throughout the house should be fine now!"

Error's smile was so wide he was sure it was going to split his face in half. "We- I can take this thing off... finally...."

Nightmare sighed good naturedly. "It must have been very boring for you to have to stay in bed all the time... let me see your leg?"

Error brushed aside the covers on the bed, pulling up the octopus pajamas he was wearing to reveal a cast wrapped firmly around his bones. "How are we going to get it off, though-?"

"Just stay still," Nightmare affirmed, steadying Error's leg with a slow tendril and sharpening another, lowering it to the cast and carefully chipping away at the plaster. "It'll be over in a bit."

Nightmare worked quietly, and Error stayed still as he was asked, watching the uncomfortable cast slowly come apart as the black skeleton sitting on his bed lifted away the pieces.

"Right leg done," Nightmare said, eyes happy and somewhat dulled at the same time. "Left leg, if you would please?"

Error frowned slightly at Nightmare's demeanor, but raised up his left leg for Nightmare to chip the cast off.

"I can walk after this?" Error asked hesitantly, trying to think about what new possibilities this opened up.

"Short walks," Nightmare reminded him, lifting the halves of the cast away from Error's leg. "And magic use should be fine too, as long as you don't exhaust your reserves."

"Then I can destroy again!" Error brightened visibly. The voices wouldn't be in the back of his head anymore, and he could at least do SOMETHING to help out the gang. He wouldn't just be deadweight.

"Oh Error, no," Nightmare said, a concerned look on his face. "You'll deplete your reserves horribly that way. And your HP is still low after Ink ambushed you. It would be way too easy to ambush you."

"But you can't keep destroying FOR me, Nightmare!" Error protested, huffing. "You'll tire yourself out! Your magic wasn't made for destruction, you're not supposed to be destroying. You'll work yourself nearly to death!"

Nightmare's eyelight widened, and he glanced away, frowning. "...I can handle it."

Error looked closer at Nightmare's face, eyes narrowed.
Beneath the dark ooze coating his bones, the Guardian of Negativity had deep bags under his eye, barely visible to the naked eye. His posture was somewhat slumped, and his eyelight was dulled.

"...You're already halfway there," Error said quietly, watching as the other flinched, only affirming his hunch. "You're exhausted, Nightmare! When did you sleep last?? PROPER sleep, not a ten minute nap!"

"...I don't remember," Nightmare admitted quietly. "I haven't had time."

Error sighed, upset. Nightmare shouldn't be working himself to the bone like this! Especially not for him....

"Can't you kill everyone in the AU, and then let me actually destroy it?" Error tried. "That way I won't be in any danger, and your magic won't be further depleted?"

Nightmare sighed.

"...I don't like it," He admitted, blinking wearily. "But if you insist, I guess that would be acceptable."

Error yawned, already tired again. Curse his magic levels. His body compelled him to get as much rest as possible to conserve energy, which was quite annoying.

Nightmare turned to leave Error to his nap, and Error looked after him pleadingly.

"You need to get some rest, Nightmare," Error said quietly. "Please, take care of yourself!"

Nightmare turned around, smiling grimly.
"Alright, if only to make your mind easier. I don't need rest to live, Error."

"Neither do I!" Error could still see the reluctance in the older skeleton as he made his exclamation. "Promise me you'll get some sleep, Night. Please."

Nightmare walked back over to Error's side, pulling the blankets back over him and turning off the bedside lamp.

"...I promise, Error. Don't worry."
The tarlike skeleton exhaled slowly. "And I keep my promises. You know that."

Error relaxed, allowing Nightmare to tuck him in the covers. "...Thank you."

"No problem." Nightmare smiled down gently at the glitch as sleep slowly began to overtake Error.

...He really did worry too much. Nightmare knew how to take care of himself, and exactly how much his body could take. He would get some rest.

Eventually.

(((And then he went into his office and started working on more papers, reading up on physical therapy for skeleton Monsters)))