Error was frozen in place, unable to move a single muscle. Not that he had muscles, not really, but still. He just couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him.
Fuck. Fuck this. This is what he got. This is what he got for letting someone in. This is what he got for letting himself fall for someone, to fucking fall in love--
He couldn't stop the half-sob that tore itself out of his throat. The figures on the bed in front of him stirred in response, and he finally found himself able to move, slamming the door as he practically ran from the room. He hurried down the hallway, feeling the prick of tears in his eyes. Shit, now he was crying. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
He heard the door open as he stumbled down the steps to the first floor, Lust's voice was trailing after him, telling him to wait. Like hell was he going to wait, wait for what? There was no way he would ever be able to explain that.
"Error! Please, please come back, I'm so--"
Error walked out the front door, slamming it behind him as hard as he could. Tears were streaming down his face for real now as he walked down the path. His nearsightedness combined with those damn tears were making it nearly impossible to see, but he just kept stumbling along as best as he could.
How could he have been so stupid? There was a reason he never let anyone in, a reason his only other friend was someone he had kidnapped. This is what happened when you trusted people. They found their way into your soul and then ripped you apart from the inside, just for their own amusement, no one could ever care about someone like--
He was pulled out of his thoughts all too suddenly by someone appearing on the path just ahead of him. Error couldn't tell who it was, but he didn't want to talk to anyone right now, especially anyone who could teleport.
"Error, please listen to me!" Lust's voice was as desperate as he'd ever heard him, also crying by the sound of it. Error didn't care, he didn't care, he couldn't care, fuck this, fuck him, fuck!
Lust was coming closer, until he was right in front of him. Error could feel his tears drying up as he came to an abrupt stop, replaced by a cold sort of emptiness. Lust didn't seem to know what to do or say for a moment, his hands hovering in the air for a moment before they fell to his sides. "Please, Error, I'm so sorry, I don't have any excuses"
Error didn't say anything, refusing to look at him, refusing to respond to him, because if he opened his mouth now, he wasn't sure what would come out.
"Error, that was a huge mistake, I was just not--"
He was cut off by a sudden and mirthless laugh from Error. A huge mistake. Yeah, that sounded about right. "No, Lust. I think I'm the one who made a mistake" he said numbly. He could feel the prickling of tears again, but he didn't want to cry here, to give him the satisfaction.
Error made as if to step around Lust and keep going. Lust, his voice growing increasingly desperate, said "No, Error, please don't go, we need to talk about this!" and then something was grabbing his arm, something was touching him and he needed it off, now.
Error's strings came out of nowhere and he had Lust strung up by his soul before he really even understood what he was doing. He heard Lust's cry of pain, and a grim sort of satisfaction flowed in to replace the emptiness. This was so much easier, this hurt so much less. Why had he ever stopped doing this?
Another laugh escaped him as he tightened the strings marginally. He could hear Lust breathing heavily, pleading with him to please stop, to please put him down and just talk to him.
"What the fuck do we even have to talk about, you little whore?" somehow he was still laughing, even as he could hear Lust crying.
Lust...was crying? Why was he...?
Error came back into himself all too suddenly, and his eyes widened in realization of what he was doing. He dropped Lust as suddenly as he had picked him up, the strings disappearing.
Lust just laid there for a moment, and Error almost worried that he had killed him before one of the voices in the back of his head asked him why he should care. He was almost ready to walk away and leave him to turn to dust before Lust groaned and propped himself up on his elbows.
"Error...please...please, let me fix this" he choked out.
Error just stared at him for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No..." he said. "No, I don't think so. I made a mistake, letting anyone in. And you made a mistake, thinking you could trick me"
"Tr-trick you?"
"I'm not falling for it again" he continued, ignoring Lust completely. "Consider yourself lucky I don't tear your entire universe apart"
He opened a portal beside him, turning away from the now sobbing figure on the ground.
He hesitated for a moment before he stepped through. "What was it you told me?" he said quietly, and he saw Lust's head lift to look at him. He couldn't make out the expression on his face but he was willing to bet there was hope present in his broken expression. Hope. Error could almost remember what that felt like. "'You're afraid of touch, of having friends, of all these things, because in the end, if you get attached... you're afraid that the same attachment won't be returned, or worse.' Or something like that, right, Lust?"
He could almost feel Lust's face fall as he continued. "'Or worse'. Isn't that funny? You know, despite everything, despite...your nature...I never even considered this"
Then he took a deep breath, pushing away the thoughts that were making him want to turn around and pick Lust up off the ground, to forgive him, to never let go of him...
He shook his head. No.
He stepped through the portal without a backwards glance, closing it as soon as he was through, cutting off Lust's scream for him to please come back.
He would never make that mistake again.
