Chapter Text
Chapter 1
It was so dark. Wasn’t a familiar darkness. Not a comforting dark at all. Here, not a sound could be heard, and try as he might, not a thing could be seen. Error stopped walking, and looked up at the sky. He saw the glassy moonlight peek through the dense branches evenly from all angles, and couldn’t help but let out a frustrated sigh. He was in the middle of some random, massive expanse of trees, with no clue how he got there. Deep into the forest now, he gave a sniff to the air as he scanned his surroundings. Glancing around, he realized the only two things left to do were to portal out of the weird place or look at the AU codes. For a moment, he paused his panic, deliberating if the potential knowledge gain was worth the effort of pulling up the codes. Curiosity got the better of him. Option 2: AU Codes it is. Maybe they could help him find out why he’s here...
NAME AU: Morning Woodtale
DESCRIPTION AU: Ultimate ???? ????????? helps ?????????? with creating ????
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PREMISE AU: 11100010 10000000 10011101 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100110 01101001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101111 01110111 01101110 00100000 01110111 01100001 01111001 00101100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01101100 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101111 01110111 01101110 00100000 01110000 01100001 01110100 01101000 00101110 00100000 01000111 01100101 01110100 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100 00101110 11100010 10000000 10011101 00001010
AU Created by: Ink!Sans
AU Dedicated to: Dreamtale!Sans (PURE), Swaptale!Sans
The skeleton gave a curse under his breath. “D-d-damn it all.” His eyes rolled as he waved the code window away. It was more pointless than a youtube ukulele apology video. The window told him shit in comparison to what he already had figured out. It was clear that he would continue to have no clue what he would come across in these deep, dark woods. Even so, leaving didn’t seem like the right choice, but he had no idea why. A strange part of him, the part that had never before reared its head rebelled. Whatever. He’d take a look into his code later. The only option left now was to keep walking.
But, deeper into the woods, he saw a glowing object in the distance that wasn’t just another stupid plant. As Error walked towards it, the shiny dot became clearer and clearer, and finally started to take shape. An altar, it looked like, was carved into the trunk of a tree. The tree was massive, bigger than all the other trees there. A portion of the trunk was hollowed out, and inside was a small, glowing shapeless form. Error frowned. The more he looked at the peculiar thing, the more the world seemed to spin. The dizzying effect forced him to blink rapidly and stumble back.
“W-w-what in the wOrld-d?” He asked, into the darkness and the trees. They didn’t respond. No one did. So he approached.
He stepped forward and ran a hand across the delicate object, feeling a slightly grainy, and mostly smooth texture. It was small, something that would fit nicely in his hand. And, although the dark obstructed most of his vision, he recognized the shape with a quirk of his brow. A heart? A SOUL? Weird. Error ran his colorful fingers across its edges, feeling the curve of the surface, his fingers catching on the dips and bends.
Picking it up, the soul seemed to flicker, grow and pulse, and started beating like a human heart. With a gasp, he stepped back, feeling something powerful shoot through his strings, and as he dropped his hand the sensation was gone. Error blinked, staring at the place the soul used to be with a newfound curiosity.
“H-hello?” No response. He waved his hand around in the air like tentacles, trying to get the tiny, upside-down heart to reappear. Nothing. He opened a summoning portal, baiting the soul to come back, and got no indication that anything was happening. He gave another sigh, and lazily left that portal open as he turned around to make another one to leave. His strings were still tingling, and a sickening feeling of soul-crushing dread and slimy despair had started to infect the clean forest air. As if on queue, an irritatingly familiar voice erupted behind him.
“Positively delighted to see you again, Error.” The towering figure let out a dark chuckle. “How are you faring on this moonlit night?” (big alpha oh yumm) The gravelly voice purred. In response, Error let out a strangled noise and proceeded to jump at minimum five feet in the air. (Though Nightmare would later tell you that’s a gross underestimate.)
“AAaa-Aaa-HHHHhhHHHHHH GgGGRRRRRrrr-Rrr–rrr g-GET AWAaY FROM mM- ... o-Oh. Nightmare. I-it’s only y-you. Ww-w-hat is y0ur actuaa-al pr0blem?” Error groaned, and proceeded to let out a slight hiss as the alpha (and his big dick energy) emerged fully out of his left opened portal. That was not the anomaly I meant to summon. To add insult to injury, Error’s portal shut behind the guardian, having done its job by summoning something strange.
Evil, unpredictable, and overall really dangerous, the taller skeleton was covered head to toe in glistening black goop. The one stepping out of his summoner portal was the guardian of negativity himself, his bones dripping with oily black goop that blended him into the shadows of the trees. He entered and suddenly, it was like he had personally taken over the forest, despite never having been here before.
Error roamed his eyes up and down the figure. Nightmare’s broad shoulder bones filled out the tailored blazer of his suit perfectly, the fabric hugging his physique in all the right places.The suit itself is dark, almost like obsidian, sharp and sleek just like him. “ Perfectly cut to emphasize the curved and more angular lines of his body… huh.” The crisp, freshly pressed out white shirt beneath contrasts sharply with the black suit, its collar flopping in a way that is both refined and effortless, while a loose black silk tie adds an air of elegance and control. Going further down, Error takes note that every detail on the skeleton is impeccable, from the well-polished shoes that shine even in the dim lighting to the white peeking at the end of his suit’s sleeves that catches the light.
Glancing up to Nightmare’s face, and - of course - it’s obviously handsome in an universally agreed-upon way, all sharp angles, chiseled in a very defining way. Figures. His mug is the kind that looks like it was sculpted rather than naturally grown like all of ours, and there's a mysterious spark in his deep-set eyes that flickers between charming and something darker. Something harder to define, something that appears at the mere mention of an adventure, or a challenge.
His smile is one of his many lethal weapons, not too wide or thin, always perfectly controlled. It’s cold, inviting, and just the right amount of mischievous. That’s the type of smile that makes an omega feel singled out when directed towards them. Like even if he was theoretically surrounded by dozens of other monsters, Error would still be the only skeleton in the room. He knows how to play the game, overly cocky about always winning it too, and the smaller skeleton warily watches the subtle tilt of his skull, the slight bit of width quickly added to his grin, all the small gestures that add to Nightmare’s allure.
But it's not just his appearance; it’s also the way he carries himself. Every move he makes is deliberate, almost magnetic in an odd way. One simply cannot take their eyes off him. When he walks, there's a cool rhythm to his confident stride, his tentacles swish and jerk about as though he owns the space he’s in, as though the world should just step aside for him to glide through. Nightmare never has to try too hard, because as an alpha he already exudes an aura of superiority, one that’s downright impossible for the destroyer to ignore. He doesn’t need to speak to dominate the area. His presence does all the talking. Yes, Nightmare moves with the precision of someone who knows exactly what he's doing.
In that damn suit too… It's as though he was made for the suit and not the other way around, as though he was created for this kind of elegance and poise, the kind that only a few are able to pull off without breaking a sweat or their soul. Nightmare’s the embodiment of effortless charm, yes that’s it exactly, someone who doesn’t need to be loud to be noticed, who wears his confidence like a second skin. Maybe Error is simping. Just a tad.
The being of negativity was here, in all his glory. Nightmare stalked closer, coming face to face with Error. Angling his head slightly upwards, Error could see those piercing eyes look down at him, ready for whichever one of the four F’s came next. Annoyingly, he didn’t quite make out what Nightmare said next as he couldn’t help but hyper-focus on the stray tentacle that Nightmare had forgotten to pay due attention to, breathing turning erratic as it started to poke and prod at his lower… arm.
“Yeah ok, ignore boundaries and trigger my haphephobia, because why not.”
To make matters worse, the two were still standing in the middle of the woods.
“Alone… but with him.”
One Alpha..
“Kinda hot.”
..and a single, lone Omega.
…
“Fuck.”
He had to act before the other did. When recounting the story later, Error would swear that he had never thrown open a portal faster in his life. At the present moment, he effectively turned tail and ran, leaving behind nothing, except an irked guardian at the scene.
Damn. Nightmare had blinked, and the destroyer had seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. If it weren't for the sound effect of the portal opening, there would be virtually no indication of the smaller skeleton ever being there.
“The omega must find delight in overtesting my limited amount of patience.” Pushing down the annoyance, the monster proceeded to walk around, breathing in deeply as he enjoyed the fleeting moment of solitude. In his opinion, these woods were quite peaceful. The air waved through the dark landscape, the wind making an egregiously creepy sound that Nightmare found slightly comforting. Other than the wind, and the sound of his own breathing, there was not another sound.
Might as well enjoy it while he can. After all, upon returning to the castle he would find a massive headache waiting for him. He could hear the stupid quips and quotes of his lackeys even now, echoing through his mind:
Cross, XChara (male & alpha, non-bin & alpha, respectively): His seconds in command. See, the weird thing is that “seconds” shouldn’t have been plural in the previous sentence, as Cross and X shared a soul, and therefore a body and a life by definition. Whatever. Get the two (one?) their chocolate and Nightmare usually had no problem with either of them. Their knife skills were unparalleled in battle, and the guardian would bet good money that XChara could take down at least half of Ink’s council on their own. Yes, Cross wasn’t very talkative, and even a little shy. Yes, XChara was still a little shit whenever they did open their month. Nightmare was glad that the two really only talked when absolutely necessary, when trying to stop the other members from killing themselves, or when fighting for control of their shared body. "-sigh-Yes boss. -snicker-Sure, tentacles."
Murder Time Trio: Three terrible toddler-like entities as individuals, but much worse when they ganged up on him as a group. They delighted in telling those god-awful puns and playing loud, annoying card games that he would inevitably end up having to stop after a fight broke out. Nightmare actively avoided putting the three together alone for extended periods of time. Honestly, they were all competing for the most room temperature IQ at all times, with the intended unit of measurement in degrees Celsius. “Killer: Vegetable oil is made from vegetables… Horror: Coconut oil is made from coconuts… Dust: so BABY OIL- Nightmare: CAN'T WE PARTAKE IN A PEACEFUL DINNER JUST ONCE?!”
Dust (male, alpha): MVP in the difficult to deal with category. The floating Papyrus (male, omega) didn’t help his case either, although it did make Dust more accepted by the rest of the murder time trio. Not much else to say. A bit lacking in the personality department. Murder!Sans was… arrogant and brutish on a good day. “ Tch. ‘I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy’ I would. Pussy. ‘I’m not gonna sink to their level” I will. Coward. Get some balls.”
Horror (male, omega): Key member in the difficult to deal with category. Loves cooking, doesn’t always make edible things. The nests the skeleton makes are weird, usually far too big in comparison to the actual amount of people that his little group had. Nightmare had to deal with his trauma in some unique ways, most of which involved assuring the omega that they would never starve him. It was rough. “I'm so tired of this life. I want to be a roomba. I want knives taped to me. And I want to be set loose.”
Killer (male, omega): VIP member in the difficult to deal with category. Makes really good food, and even better drinks. Issue: Prone to burning down the kitchen when he gets even slightly ticked off. Very friendly, could be a good potential mate if no one else manages to catch his eye. Gets along with anyone, really, but has a special affinity towards the rest of the murder time trio because of their shared murderous tendencies. “I’ve been described as a ‘heartless villain’ and a 'little shit’, but I prefer… 'has alternative ways of having fun’.”
Lust (female & alpha): Honorary mention in the difficult to deal with category. As the only female on the team, she lives in her own AU most of the time, only venturing out when necessary. All the better then, in Nightmare’s opinion. Sure, the girl has her … quirks, but she was an EXCELLENT spy. Lust’s skills were unparalleled when it came to gathering information for him and his gang. That liquid confidence and seductress nature of hers is what let her bounce back and forth between the two groups so well. Nightmare didn’t fully trust her, but Lust also knew when to keep her mouth shut about certain things. Not very talkative. Overall, still two out of five stars. And, if she ever tried to take his suit off again, they might be down a spy by the end of the day. Responds to most things with a sexual innuendo: “Hmm… Kinky.”
Nightmare chuckled. Imbeciles, the lot of them. Regardless, they were the closest thing he had to a family. On the other hand, that didn’t mean they weren’t still annoying as hell. He groaned at the very thought of dealing with his insolent subordinates, and decided to extend this little one-off adventure a while longer. Nightmare pressed onward, maneuvering his way through the thick forest with a natural calmness that eased his aching bones and trodden pride.
Error rubbed roughly at the spot on his ... arm (lmao still funny the second time) where Nightmare’s tentacle had prodded at, a heat in his cheeks that he attempted to push down with all his willpower. What was that jerk’s problem, anyway? He thought he was so high and mighty just because he was an alpha. Error slapped his hands over his eye sockets and attempted to peel the blush from his face instead of facing his feelings.
He fell back onto the plush cushion of his beanbag, in his Anti-Void, a comfort he sorely needed after his run in with the goopy guy. An array of blue strings descended down at his will and he fiercely snatched a half-stitched doll and brought it close to his face. Can’t really see. Forget it. Not about to go look for my glasses now. Sure, it might strain his eyes, but one perk of going potentially blind is that he won’t have to see anymore stupid and kinda hot alphas.
He commenced, and stitched quite aggressively. Force, fierceness, that was all he could handle, not feelings. He started sewing piece after piece together with harsh movements. It worked. Slowly, his pent up frustration eased, and he took a second to look down at the doll. He grimaced at the messy, too-tight stitches, and made quick work of replacing them with neat, nearly invisible ones. He smiled down at the doll, content with its finished base. Doll-making and anything of the sort always managed to ground him in a way nothing else ever had, giving him an escape from stuck up skeletons and annoying squids. Sighing, he summoned his strings to take the doll away, choosing instead to sit up and contemplate his life.
(Enter life contemplation)
Again, that same odd sensation rippled through him, a tick in his senses that reverberated in his soul like the ringing of a bell, brief and loud. As it passed, he was suddenly reminded of the strange soul-shaped object in the woods. Nightmare’s presence had distracted him from the magic, and remembering the events of the forest scene caught him off guard. That damned thing clearly infected me with some kind of curse, I swear.
He realized with suffocating dread that strange soul-like things that pulsed with energy and disappeared in a cryptic way in the woods probably WERE the start of some kind of curse. He also realized something like that would entirely fuck up his code. Great. Excess magic and things that are prone to disappearing randomly were the hallmarks of the start of some painfully annoying virus. Fresh would know. Sinking somehow further into his seat, he opened up his code and scanned through each line for any hint of malware. He was both surprised and skeptical when he found nothing out of place and no bugs. No glitches beyond my usual ones here.
Despite his disbelief, he pushed the issue to the side, and made a mental note to check over his code again when he got another chance.
However, much time had passed since the beginning of it all, and Error felt his eyelights starting to dim. Turns out a terrifying battle with a tree followed by a mental battle with an alpha followed by a bloody battle with a home-made doll takes a lot out of someone. The omega let out a sleepy yawn, seemingly more tired than he ever remembered feeling in his life. Once again, Error briefly wondered if his encounter in the woods fucked up his code. His little leftover energy, however, was wasted on trying to process what had happened, and Error slumped down further into the beanbag. He drifted off to sleep, safe in his white, soulless, colorless void, stress-free, relaxed, yet not alone.
(okAY BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT TAPEWERM’S ART 10/10 I’M IN LOOOOOOOOVE BROOO - Xx_CringyAria_xX)
(ahahhhhhhh ily poookkiiieiee ahhhhhh kmssssss - Tapewerm <33)