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Horror is cutting up vegetables when the sound of static starts to fill the kitchen. Although he ignores it when no other sounds join it. He has an idea about what Error wants, and Horror knows that it’s easier on the glitch if he pretends to not notice what he’s doing. Which is why, when a shaky hand tentatively touches his spine, he doesn’t do anything besides reaching for a new potato to start peeling it.
The hand trembles against his spine as agitated glitches fill the air with static. However it doesn’t take long until both the glitches and trembles settle. Definitely not as long as it once took when Error and him first began this little ritual, and Horror feels secondhand pride swell up within him at the thought. He wonders if this is how the others felt when Horror worked himself up from a few bites of food a day to being able to eat three full meals.
Horror knows how hard it can be to work through the process of healing from starvation, and how much temptation there is to give up and go to either extreme. The desire to jump head first into a heavy meal because the luxury was always out of reach despite the fact it’ll wreck a weakened stomach, and the despair that eats away at the resolve to get better and makes every step toward progress feel like miles.
Error’s starvation may be less noticeable than Horror’s was, but the journey to recovery that Error walks is remarkably similar. Although, Horror can imagine the temptation to give up being harder to resist, especially with how long he’s gone without feeding this particular hunger.
Which is why Horror was glad when Error first began on his journey. Even with the hole in his skull, Horror can still vividly remember his confusion when Error began following him around the kitchen under the guise of making sure his food didn’t end up poisoned. A claim that Horror might have taken offense to if Error didn’t phrase it like any potential poisoning would be happening when Horror wasn’t looking, or if he didn’t happily eat Horror’s food plenty of times before without exhibiting any sign of that kind of paranoia.
So instead Horror took advantage of his sudden, and admittedly unwanted, assistant. He didn’t trust Error with the food, not by a long shot, but asking him to retrieve utensils or spices made things a bit easier. Even if he had to basically praise Error every time he graciously did what Horror asked. Not that he actually minded too much. Not when Error would light up and try to hide how happy each tiny bit of praise made him. Another craving that Horror is all too willing to provide for.
Regardless, it was during that time of having Error fetch things for him that Horror noticed Error’s starvation. He saw the way that every brush of their fingers initially made Error flinch back, but he also saw those same fingers twitch with the repressed desire to reach back out. Initially, Horror wasn’t sure how to help, but he knew that he wanted to in some way. After all, he couldn’t leave someone he cares about to suffer anything close to what he did.
It was a few days later that an idea struck. He knew that Error could rarely handle being lightly touched, but he’d seen him absentmindedly touch the others, if briefly. So all Horror had to do was set up a situation to let Error take the touch he hungered for at his own pace, and as it would happen Horror was done with a spice that needed to be put away but absolutely couldn’t look away from the stew on the stove. So, while holding out the container, he kindly asked Error to put it up.
Horror did make sure to leave room for Error to grab the container without making any contact, but he silently hoped that Error would take the chance to have a taste of what he craved. The pride that Horror felt in the moment that Error chose to brush against Horror’s fingers was immense, and it continued to grow as those fleeting brushes of contact began to linger as they continued their thinly veiled dance.
Of course, there were times when Error bit off more than he could chew. Like when he asked Horror to teach him how to dice vegetables and insisted that Horror do it by guiding Error’s hands. It ended up being too much for Error and they had to stop before he crashed, but Horror was proud of him for the attempt even if it didn’t work out.
They continued like that for a while. Each touch obscured under the illusion of helping Horror make food. That is, until suddenly the pattern changed.
To this day, Horror still doesn’t know why the change took place, but one day Error decided to forgo their usual exchange. Instead simply walking up to Horror when his back was turned and he was focused on his food prep and lightly placing his fingertips against Horror’s spine.
It was startling, but Horror was very careful to not react. Something in him telling him that if he did that he’d have to build back up the trust in him that Error was showcasing. Not that Horror had much time to react one way or another. The sound of static quickly building until Error’s shaky hand left his spine. It left Horror worried at first, thinking that he may have pushed himself too fast again, but the look of awe and satisfaction on his face as they worked together in the kitchen as if the interaction never happened eased Horror’s worries.
So a new routine developed, while Horror delt with the initial preparations Error would satisfy himself by touching—wether fleeting or lingering—Horror while Horror would pretend to be oblivious, and once Error had his fill they would indulge in fleeting brushes of fingers as they handed things back and forth.
That is where they are today, and Horror could not be prouder as the hand on his spine moves to his shoulder as a second hand grips his other shoulder. Except, that isn’t true as the pride and affection he feels for Error swells impossibly more inside of him as Error heaves himself onto Horror’s back. Error’s legs wrapping around him as the glitch places his head on the shoulder on Horror’s blind side.
It almost makes him laugh in exasperation that Error continues to hide his happiness and affection, but Horror’s always known Error has a hard time sharing his feelings. So instead Horror simply continues as he was except now it’s Error’s turn to play oblivious as Horror purrs for absolutely no reason in particular and subtly nuzzles against his skull under the pretense of moving his head.
Horror does have hope that eventually, one day Error can be open in feeding his hunger for the touch he craves instead of feeling the need to obfuscate his wants behind thin illusions. But until that day comes to pass, Horror is happy to help him on his journey.