Dysfunction to Refunction

Chapter 27

[The chapter in which Error learns the hard way what kidnap feels like and Cross misses being an only child but gets over it.]

A pounding head ache filled his head with loud painful thuds. Everything felt heavy and his wrists were sore. He felt water- no, sweat drip from his head. What was going on? Where was he? As painful as it was to move, he opened a single eye weakly, the world still as blurry as usual but someone was here.

"Oh! You're finally awake, Error!"

That accursed voice could only be from one skeleton. That stupid artist had something to do with this and when he got free, he's gonna break his neck a second time.

A groan weakly escaped him as he realized that he was strapped to a chair, ropes binding his pine, wrists, and ankles. His neck was sore from being bent forward for so long while passed out.

"What...?"

"Chill out, Err, I'm not doing anything. Sorry for the chair, I know you don't like being strapped down and stuff but I can't have yo just walking off, you know? That's just good kidnapping etiquette-"

"Do you ever shut up?" Error growled out coarsely.

That made the artist pause before pouting.

"Well that's rude, I'm just making small talk."

"Well, don't."

Ink shrugged.

"Sure, whatever. That's Nightmare's fault, anyway."

Error stared at the blurry white that was ink in stunned wonder.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Ink turned back to Error with a grin.

"Oh, you mean Nightmare? Yeah, he could've been a bit gentler with knocking you out. I totally didn't expect him to take you to me with half your skull broken off."

The headache dulled a bit but still stung.

"Why would Nightmare...?"

"I asked him to! He was sooooo happy when I told him he could have half the multiverse. So... I guess you can thank him for that."

He shook his head.

"But enough about him. Now that I have you, I can finally get rid of you! One second~!"

He walked happily out of the dim room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Unnecessary but this WAS the destroyer we were talking about.

Error's mind was racing with the new information. Nightmare was the one who did this? Yeah... He could vaguely remember someone... calling him(?) to meet with someone... And then nothing. It could be Nightmare who called him since, let's face it, he didn't have a lot of friends to give his number to. 

'Psh, former friend, more like. The douchebag.'

Then again, maybe Ink was lying. For all he knew, Ink could have jumped him while he was working and lied to his face. He'd done it before, trying to get him to 'become good'. He didn't know what to think anymore. And he was much too weak to escape anyway. All he could do was wait.

It wasn't long until Ink came back with a mockingly annoyed face, as if he could feel anything but the emptiness of his soulless body.

"Looks like our plans got postponed, Erry. Someone took my stuff."

"You sure you didn't just forget it somewhere, moron?", Error groused, grumpy as always.

Ink fixed him with a tight smile.

"Maybe. but till I find it, looks like you're staying here a bit longer."

He pulled a drawer out to grab a collar-like object.

"And we wouldn't want you getting lost, huh?"

With some difficulty and pain, Error was forced to wear it. Upon the clasp clicking closed, he felt his headache come back tenfold and all his magic depleted till it was hard to even stay awake or form eyelights.

"See ya later~!"

And the world went dark.

   Meanwhile...

Killer had finally awoken, much to Cross's dismay. It was almost made up for when Nightmare praised his good work but there was that horrible sticky feeling he got when he was near Killer that dampened his mood. Not to mention the fact that nightmare had asked Killer to his study to have a private conversation. Why wasn't he allowed in?

Dust looked over to Cross and snorts.

"Aw, is the puppy lost without his master~?"

Cross blushed but instantly replaced it with anger.

"Dust, quit it. You know how high the guy's LV is. I don't trust him."

Dust dropped the joking grin and frowned.

"'Course I know. Makes me wanna mangle him. No doubt he felt the same way after seeing me. But Nightmare does what he wants. Not our business."

Cross folded his arms.

"It's just weird that he brought someone in so suddenly like that."

Dust merely shrugged.

"Hey, if you wanna go snooping around, be my guest. Just don't come crying to me when things go wrong."

"Tch, stupid."

"Annoying."

"Bit-"

"Language!"

"Make me, grandma!"

Cross and Dust lunge at each other and tussled playfully on the ground till Horror came in and broke them up, picking the skeletons by the back of their shirt collar easily.

"I'm hungry."

Cross and Dust roll their eyes and silently agree to go make lunch for the three of them.