Daemons
Chapter 3

Error didn’t like this.

They were too exposed, too out in the open. His fears weren’t helped by the fact that Nightmare was still refusing to drop his daemon form. What if someone saw them? What if a hunter saw them? The glitched skeleton paced back and forth, clenching and unclenching his fists as he waited for their leader’s brother to show up. Why did they have to meet in a park of all places? Sure, they were towards the outskirts and hidden in the shadows of a cluster of trees, but all it would take is one person sticking their nose where they shouldn’t and they’d be found.

The only reason they’d chosen to meet him here is because Nightmare’s brother had said he was already there, and it was conveniently close to where they had been when they called, so Nightmare had decided to meet there.

“Would you stop that? If you keep pacing like that I’m going to have to strangle you!” Nightmare glared at him from the shadows, his powers allowing him to practically melt into the surrounding darkness. A single blue eye was the only indication of his presence.

“Honestly, if you’re worried about someone noticing us, all they’re going to see is some crazy skeleton walking back and forth talking to himself.” Reaper appeared from the shadows right behind Error, his smug grin never leaving his face as his sudden voice startled the other.

Error glared over his shoulder, his face twisted into a perpetual frown. “Do you ever stop being creepy?”

“What can I say? It’s one of my many charms.” The taller skeleton did a mock bow before smirking up at his friend. “Just like how one of yours is being perpetually paranoid and grouchy.”

Error went to retort until Nightmare’s icy voice cut him off. “Four tentacles, two skeletons. You do the math. Now shut up and watch out for my brother.” The two gave each other hesitant looks, remaining silent as neither really wanted to incur their leader’s wrath. Each resumed their initial positions, on the lookout for a skeleton bearing a vague resemblance to Nightmare.

Reaper was the first to spot him and point him out. “So, does your twin look like you, except mixed with a miniature sun?” The only response was the movement of a shadowy figure towards the edge of the tree line. The small skeleton that Reaper had pointed out was running quickly in their direction, his eyes scanning the trees, clearly looking for them. Just before he was about to run past their hiding place, two black tentacles darted out and wrapped around him. One grabbed him by the waist, the other wrapping around his mouth to stifle his inevitable scream.

The two other skeletons watched the brotherly reunion with mild curiosity, neither having blood brothers of their own. Despite being twins, Dream was the exact opposite of his brother, immediately bringing the goopy skeleton into a hug when he calmed down from his initial panic. Nightmare looked completely uncomfortable as he tried to calm the crying skeleton down, clearly having no idea on how to deal with the situation.

Nightmare noticed as the two started snickering at his predicament. He sent a scowl their way, raising his tentacles as if to spear right through them. Both got the hint and quickly left the two brothers alone, wandering out into the park.

The more paranoid of the two kept looking over his shoulder at every sound, while Reaper seemed to not have a care in the world. “Dude seriously, relax. No one, not even a hunter, would dare try something in a place like this. Too many eyes that would only see two innocent skeletons getting attacked by some freak.” Error shot him an ‘are you serious’ look, but the other only shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t even stand out that bad, both of us look pretty normal right now.”

It was true for the most part. They’d all changed their clothes to blend in better. Most of them needed modified clothes to accommodate their daemon form. For Reaper, that meant no shoes or gloves, as his talons often made quick work of them, and his loose cloak didn’t restrict the movement of his wings. Reaper hand abandoned his signature look for a jet black hoodie and a pair of ripped jeans. He was even wearing sneakers and walking for once instead of flying right above the ground. Since Error rarely used his daemon form he hadn’t needed the same modified clothing that the others had. He’d stuck with his outfit for the most part, only updating his sweater and pants to look a little less ragged.

“How is it that your idea of normal still makes you look like some wannabe emo death lord?” Error shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to force himself to relax and not draw attention to himself. As much as he hated to admit it, Reaper was right. Stressing out was only going to draw more attention to them.

“Better that than some wannabe hobo.” Error’s scowl deepened at the comment, earning a laugh from his companion as they continued down the path.

He was about to fire off an insult in response, only to turn and notice Reaper had stopped moving. His mouth was slightly agape as he stared off into space, seemingly in a trance. Just as the glitched skeleton was about to ask if he was okay, his counterpart’s grin returned and he bolted down the pathway, not even bothering to wait for Error to follow.

As he struggled to catch up, Error called out, “What the hell?! Since when do you run?!” His lack of a response started to worry Error, his tone reflecting this. “What’s got into you all of a sudden?”

“I can feel them, my soulmate! They’re close!” Reaper’s pace seemed to quicken and his grin somehow got even wider as he raced towards something only he was aware of. Not wanting to potentially lose the other skeleton, Error chased after him.

The pair booked it across to the other side of the park, only to stop as they came face to face with the street at the end. Reaper was looking around frantically, while Error had collapsed against a nearby tree, struggling to catch his breath. The glitched skeleton watched the other go running off in some random direction, but he was too tired to care less. Error never thought he’d appreciate how lazy Reaper normally was, now realizing how fast the guy could run if he was motivated.

A few moments passed where the only thing Error was aware of was the sound of his own labored breathing. That was, until he felt a sharp tug at his soul, like there was one of his strings tied around it, pulling him away from his current resting spot. He groaned as he slowly got to his feet, only to feel his fatigue melt away as the sensation grew stronger. He was only vaguely aware of the direction he was going as he blindly followed the feeling, the sensation growing stronger with every passing moment.

He only stopped when he felt the invisible force try to pull him across the road, having just enough control to fight this unexplainable urge. Instead he followed the force with his eyes, trying to pinpoint its origin. Time seemed to practically slow down around him as his gaze landed on a petite skeleton. Their long scarf billowed behind them gracefully, the beige fabric fluttering in the light breeze. Their slender frame moved across the nearby crosswalk, mismatched eyes seemingly lost in thought. God, those eyes... Error felt himself become entranced by their beauty. Their blue right eye seemed deeper than any ocean, and the starry left one seemed to glow brighter than all the stars in the sky.

Without thinking his feet moved closer to this stranger, almost as if his body was being drawn towards them. This feeling in his soul was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It only grew stronger when the other skeleton looked up, their eyes connecting across the way. Both stopped moving, doing nothing but staring at the other with their mouths slightly agape. The passage of time was a foreign concept at this point, all that mattered was them. Could they be...?

Error didn’t get a chance to finish his thought as the sound of a horn dragged him back to reality. Both skeletons turned to the direction it came from, only to freeze in horror as a vehicle could be seen skidding down the roadway. The vehicle was sliding uncontrollably, heading straight for the skeleton currently stopped in the middle of the road. Error went to scream at them to run, but all words he might’ve yelled were caught in his throat as he watched helplessly from the sidelines.

Or, maybe he wasn’t so helpless. He could barely process what he was doing, his body seemingly acting on its own without conscious thought. Blue strings shot out from his one hand, wrapping around the frozen skeleton as the car inched ever closer. Error yanked his arm back, the strings going taut and ripping their target out of the speeding vehicle’s path mere seconds before collision.

The sound of the driver’s horn faded into the distance as Error’s arms caught the skeleton flying towards him, wrapping around their shaking frame protectively. Only when he was certain the danger was gone did the taller skeleton realize he was practically hyperventilating and shaking as much as the stranger in his arms. A few silent moments passed as both tried to get their breathing under control, the smaller of the two clinging to his savior. Some random pedestrians came to ask if they were okay, to which Error would numbly nod his head and shoo them away.

In the back of his mind, Error could vaguely register the thought that being touched was bad, that he should let go. Yet another part of him was screaming at him how right this was, how he should never let go. The other made no effort to pull away, their forehead resting against his chest, and Error certainly wasn’t going to ruin the moment.

Unfortunately, Reaper did it for him. The sudden appearance of his friend behind him caused both skeletons to jump, hastily pushing apart from each other in embarrassment. The skeleton in black simply looked between his blushing companion and the shy newcomer, a wide smirk dawning on his face as he gave Error a light shove forward. He stumbled a bit at the sudden motion, but caught himself before he could have even more reasons to be embarrassed.

“Um... A-are you ok-kay?” His glitching voice trembled slightly, lacking the confidence it normally held.

The other’s voice wobbled as well as they replied. “Y-yeah, I think s-so. T-thanks... um...”

“E-Error.” His hand quickly shot out, the other rubbing the back of his skull.

“I-Ink.” They tentatively reached out, briskly shaking the outstretched hand before them. Awkward silence filled the gap between the two, neither seeming sure what to do. “W-well, I should p-probably go. I t-think my friends m-might start getting wo-worried if I take too m-much longer. It was n-nice meeting you. Oh, and t-thanks again... for...um...” The small skeleton’s words died out, an uncomfortable silence overtaking the two again. They turned to leave with a small wave, making a voice in Error’s mind scream at him to stop them, to do something other than stand there and look like a complete fool. Noticing his friend’s struggle, Reaper intervened.

“Aw, leaving so soon?” He cooed, his voice halting the other skeleton in his tracks. Reaper waited for Ink to turn around as he wrapped an arm around Error’s shoulders, who was currently too stunned to shake him off. The look of confusion he received from the pair spurred him on. “And after my friend here saved your life, tsk. Shouldn’t he get some kind of reward?” Error went to butt in and shut him up, but Reaper spoke up again before he could. “You know what? I know the perfect thing! How about a date?”

Both skeletons froze at his suggestion, their faces exploding in blush and both stuttering protest, all the while the tall skeleton merely grinned at the ensuing chaos, watching his plan unfold.

“Dammit Reaper, get the hell off me!” Error finally regained his senses enough to shove the cocky bastard off of him, before his focus returned to Ink. His face was still covered in an adorable rainbow blush as he tried his hardest not to look at the glitched skeleton before him. Swallowing his fears, Error succeeded as he tried his hardest to speak without stuttering. “Just ignore that idiot, you don’t have to go out with me just because you feel like you owe me something. Though, I have to say I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.” His face practically felt like it was on fire. It was taking every ounce of courage he had to not bury his face in his scarf and run off. God, he’d rather be anywhere right now instead of stuck in this uncomfortable conversation. He’d even take dealing with hunters over this.

Ink didn’t seem to be faring much better, especially after his last sentence. The smaller skeleton tried desperately to formulate his thoughts into words, though his nerves were clearly getting to him. “I m-mean... w-well... I...y-you did s-save me... and I...” He gave up looking at the other, instead replaceing his shoes suddenly very interesting.

Error felt a light tap on his shoulder, turning his head in annoyance to see Reaper shaking his cell phone and mouthing the word ‘number’. Once it clicked, Error quickly tried to salvage the awkward situation. “How about your number then?” A set of mismatched eyes darted up to meet his, causing Error’s soul to beat faster as he began stumbling over his words again. “I-I mean, t-that way there’s n-no real commitment, right? I-if you decide y-you don’t want to h-hear from me, a-all you do is b-block the number and poof, gone!” As he said the word ‘poof’ he unconsciously made a poofing gesture with his hands. Once he realized he began mentally cursing himself for his stupidity, until a beautiful laugh snapped him out of it.

“Um... sure, I guess that isn’t that bad of an idea. Here, give me your phone.” He wordlessly handed the device over as Ink quickly added a new contact. Once it was in, he sent a quick message saying ‘hi’ so that Ink would have his number as well. “Well, it really was nice to meet you, look forward to hearing from you!” He waved the phone as he sped off down the sidewalk, leaving Error grinning like an idiot and waving at his retreating form.

He didn’t stop looking until Reaper placed his hand on the other’s shoulder, snapping him out of his trance as he jumped from the sudden contact. “Come on dude, we should probably go. Pretty sure Nightmare thinks we’re dead right now.”

Error took a moment to process what just happened as Reaper led him back through the park, following the way they originally came. He mentally replayed the conversation, only for the yellow on his cheeks to continue growing more opaque. “Oh my god, that was so awkward!” He groaned, rubbing both of his hands against his face as if he could wipe away his embarrassment.

His friend merely chuckled at the reaction. “Yeah that was pretty bad. But hey, at least you did save it in the end. Managed to get your soulmate’s number, congrats bro!”

That last part caused Error to stop completely in his tracks. He stared at his friend with a blank look on his face, before looking back the way they came. “You mean... they were... he was... I did... I have...” His brain was too muddled to even finish a single thought.

Reaper burst out laughing. “Yeah, that dude’s your soulmate. Didn’t you notice how your soul kept pulling you towards him? How you couldn’t look away and just wanted to be close to him?” The glitched skeleton could only nod numbly in response. Everything suddenly made sense. They were meant to be! A giant smile formed as he felt hope overflowing from his soul. He would’ve turned around and run after him right there if his companion didn’t stop him. “Easy there, tiger. Don’t go chasing after him just yet. You got his number, just wait a couple days then use it. Or if he messages you faster, even better.”

“B-but you just said we’re soulmates!”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he’ll instantly be obsessed over you. Sure, he’ll experience what others commonly refer to as ‘love at first sight’, but that’ll only give him a desire to see you again and get to know you. You’re gonna have to work for it a little bit if you want him to feel the same way.” That definitely wasn’t what he wanted to hear, his smile falling in response. “Aw come on, cheer up! The only reason you feel the way you do without even knowing him is because we have a much stronger connection to our souls compared to normal monsters. That way, the whole ‘soulmates’ thing is a lot stronger for us. Just give it a bit, I’m sure you two will be inseparable in no time!”

He looked up at his taller friend with a look of confusion. “Since when are you an expert at romance?”

Reaper shrugged. “I read a lot. Romance novels are surprisingly filled with a lot of good ideas, once you move past the often pretentious and cheesy plotlines.”

Error wasn’t quite sure what he should be feeling. All he knew was that the current focus on him was a bit overwhelming, so he felt it was time to shift gears in the conversation. “What about you? This all started because you felt your soulmate’s presence and went running off after them. You get their number too?”

His friend’s perpetual smirk vanished, clearly indicating that was not what happened. “Alas, the cruel machinations of fate intervened, thwarting my attempts to glimpse the face of my future beloved.”

Reaper had a habit of becoming overly dramatic when things didn’t go his way, making use of the fact that he read too much to suddenly sound like he was ripped from a bad modern play. “What?”

“They got on a bus and I wasn’t fast enough.”

Error snickered at the uncharacteristic lack of tone in his voice. “What, the mighty Reaper, giving up? You seemed so determined to catch them earlier.”

“I can’t run after a damn bus, Error!” he barked, causing the other to lose all restraint and burst out laughing while Reaper continued to grumble.

“There you two idiots are.” Both stopped and looked down the path to see a rare sight. Somehow Dream had convinced his brother to abandon his beloved tentacles and finally appear in his monster form. When he was like this, the resemblance between the twins was unmistakable, the two looking like color swapped versions of each other. Error had never really noticed just how much the inky coating he always had distorted the appearance underneath. Nightmare was noticeably shorter, though still taller than his twin brother. He possessed a golden crown similar in design to his brother’s, though with a moon symbol on it instead. While his pants were the same dark color as normal, he now had a purple shirt and boots, both accented in the same gold as his crown. Both of his eye lights were visible for once, the color now a soft lavender instead of a harsh icy blue. With the sudden change in appearance, Error couldn’t help but think that Nightmare actually looked somewhat adorable like this, though the scowl he still wore helped to remind the glitchy skeleton of just who that little skeleton really was. Nightmare must’ve noticed the two gawking, because he yelled at the two of them to move their asses as he trailed after his brother.

Error’s thoughts were currently split between wondering about his soulmate and realizing that Nightmare could somehow be terrifying and cute at the same time. Reaper’s thoughts on the other hand were on a completely different train as he stared intently at the golden skeleton happily chatting to their annoyed leader. Noticing this, the glitched skeleton elbowed the other for answers, watching his grin finally return.

They slowed their pace enough to ensure that the twins wouldn’t hear their conversation before Reaper explained, slipping back into his more dramatic speech pattern. “Fate is a truly twisted woman indeed. I wonder how our dear leader will react when he learns of how her invisible threads have bound his dear brother.”

Surprisingly, Error didn’t need a translation for this. “You mean... Dream is the soulmate for one of us?” A quick nod was given in reply before he asked, “Who?”

“Ah, my dear friend. I am not the one to ask, for I am not the master of this little puppet show. I am merely an observant member of the audience. I see the strings that dance around us all, yet must accept the fact that I can do nothing more than sit back and enjoy this drama as it unfolds.”