#gaster went where no scientist should ever go

[feathers-feathers]

So I just learned that the Goner Maker background in Deltarune is four images of the ocean in a trench coat. All this Darkness and Ocean and themes regarding fiction and the act of creation using that darkness and entities trapped beyond that darkness affecting reality is giving me major Alan Wake vibes.

Decided to slap these two poems from Alan Wake 2 onto the goner maker background. I feel like they fit in Deltarune pretty well.

[circus4apsycho8]

could you do like,,,,gaster x reader maybe :O like if the reader was a scientist with him and they scolded eachother for not sleeping at good times and took breaks together or sum-

Hello! Sure thing! Also, sorry that the ending is a bit rushed. I may go back through later and polish it up a bit, but I think it will do for the time being. I hope you enjoy! Thank you for the request; I absolutely adore writing for Gaster. Gaster x Reader fics are so underrated!!

Pairing: Gaster x Reader

Warnings: mild cussing

...

The Fifth Phalange Promise

Your brain is dying.

Okay, so that might be an exaggeration, but it sure as hell feels like it. You rest your head on the table, a cup of your preferred hot beverage next to you.

It’s break time. Your favorite time of day right now – half an hour of doing absolutely nothing.

“Tired?”

You lift your head from its resting place, seeing one of your coworkers standing across from you. It’s none other than W.D. Gaster, standing there in his lab coat bearing a cup of monster-brewed coffee.

“A little,” you say with a soft sigh. “Nothing I can’t handle, though.”

He’s quiet for a moment as he studies you with his piercing gaze. “May I sit with you?”

“With…me?” you question, a bit of color dusting your cheeks. Gaster never sat with anyone – like you, he had never taken breaks previously until Asgore found out and forced you both to start doing so. When that happened, he only ever sat in his office, where he probably was sneaking some paperwork in rather than resting.

“That’s what I said.”

“Uh, sure,” you say, gesturing to the chair. He takes a seat and sets his mug on the table.

Wow. This feels odd. Sure, you work with Gaster on a bunch of projects, but it never went beyond a professional level. This feels…weird. More personal. You decide that you simultaneously hate it and love it.

And by the looks of it, you’re not the only one who finds this odd of Gaster. You notice that coworkers passing through are glancing at the two of you strangely.

“How long did you sleep last night?” Gaster questions suddenly. Short, and to the point. At least he’s not totally out of character.

“Enough,” you reply.

“If you slept enough, you wouldn’t have bags underneath your eyes.”

You huff an unamused laugh. “How long did you sleep, hm?”

That shuts him up. He averts his gaze, scoffing a bit.

“Very well.”

You chuckle, an idea forming. “That’s what I thought. But I think I have an idea of how long.”

“Do you really?” he challenges, leaning back in his chair.

You nod. “We were both working on the chain of custody processing until about midnight last night. It was a very sudden and large crime, so it took us a while to get it all done. Then, you went to go help the forensics unit analyze the evidence afterhours. Then, I saw you leaving at about three in the morning. And you got here today at five. So that puts you at less than two hours.”

“Observant, aren’t you?” he mumbles. “But you’re not much better. Because I happened to see you leaving at that time as well.”

“I’m really not,” you admit with a chuckle. You sip on your drink before realizing it’s gone cold, causing a frown to appear on your face.

“What is the matter?”

“Cold drink,” you say, tossing the disposable cup in the trash.

“I could use a refill. Care for a trip to Muffet’s bakery? We should have enough time.”

Your eyes widen. Gaster?! Asking you to go get coffee?! What?! Fuck it, you’re in.

“I’d like that,” you reply, smiling as you stand. Gaster offers a small smile in return. The two of you proceed to exit the building.

The day is overcast, but the temperature is just right. You sigh, inhaling the fresh air. You forgot how refreshing that was.

“It’s a nice day,” Gaster says.

“It is. It’s good to have some fresh air,” you note. A bit of movement catches your attention, as you notice Gaster is holding his arm out to you. It takes you a second to realize that he’s offering to link arms.

Wait wHAT-

You smile, sliding your arm against his. The cloth of his jacket rubs against your skin, but it’s not a bad feeling. You can feel his bones underneath too.

“To Muffet’s!” you declare, marching in the café’s direction. You’re quickly stopped when Gaster doesn’t budge.

“It’s this way,” he replies, smirking a bit as he points in the other direction.

“Oh,” you say, blushing as you chuckle nervously. “Right. I suck with directions.”

“I can tell.”

“Shut up,” you say jokingly. He smiles before the two of you quietly walk alongside each other on the sidewalk, your mind and heart racing the entire time.

This is insane. What is happening?!?!?!?!

Thankfully, Muffet’s isn’t far away, and the two of you are there in no time.

The bell above the door jingles, catching Muffet’s attention. Her eyes widen once she sees the two of you and your linked arms. You sigh, knowing you’d be grilled about this since you’re a regular here. Her gaze immediately flickers to you. You respond to her questioning gaze with an “I’ll-tell-you-later” look.

“Good morning, dearie. Gaster, it’s been a while,” she greets.

“Hey, Muffet!”

“Good morning. It has indeed. I trust you’ve been well?”

“I sure have. What can I get for you two?”

…

After the two of you have ordered and received your drinks, you settle down at a table together.

“Muffet’s coffee is way better than the crap we have at the lab,” you say.

“I agree. Hers is not as bland.”

“We should ask Asgore to replace ours with Muffet’s brand,” you note, taking another sip.

“Or we could just come here on break from now on,” Gaster suggests with a small simper.

You nearly choke on your coffee before you regain your composure. You return his smirk. “Only if you get a healthy amount of sleep tonight.”

“I will only if you do as well.”

You scoff, but sigh in defeat. “Alright. Pinky promise?”

“What?”

“Pinky promise,” you say, sticking out your pinky. “It’s the ultimate form of trust that you will fulfill your promise.”

“I don’t understand. What do I do to fulfill my end?”

“Just wrap your pinky around mine. Like this!” You demonstrate with your other hand.

“Ah. Very well then. It’s a fifth phalange and metacarpal promise.” Gaster then wraps his pinky bone around your hand, and the deal is sealed.

“Epic,” you reply, grinning.

You two decide to stay for a few minutes, and chat for a while. That is, until Muffet comes to collect your trash.

“Don’t you two have to return to work?”

Your eyes widen as you scramble for your phone.

“We’re late!”

[the-river-person]

Falling Down Around You

Sans had been helping the Guard. His shortcuts were one of the most useful things he could provide to the Underground. It was why he’d kept his job as a messenger and mail carrier despite being the Judge, despite being a practicing psychiatrist. He could jump around the Underground in a few minutes, a journey which might take several days depending on which areas you needed to go through. The fastest road might take you from Old Home to the Castle in New Home in a few hours if you ran the whole way and didn’t stop to talk to anyone. But even the Human had originally taken a few weeks to make the whole trip, because they’d been stopped by numerous puzzles, Monsters who wanted to fight them, and even things like buying things at a shop or getting a room at the Inn. A closed down elevator or a blocked tunnel could delay you even longer, and what if you kept being forced down side routes? So if someone needed a message delivered right then and there, they could either send a text or call. But what happened when you needed to deliver something? Or someone? What happened when the person you’re trying to reach wouldn’t answer? The answer was simple. Call someone who can go there in a flash. And of course he’d been happy enough to do it all. Kept things interesting, let him hear news. Occasionally important things would go through from Gaster or the Royals. He’d be the first to hear about Mettaton’s newest shows. It was he who’d been able to congratulate Undyne on her first ever action film even before Alphys could. All the best Undertube videos, the most interesting articles on the Undernet, even plans for new puzzles. He heard about all of it as he zipped back and forth. Tonight however, he’d taken more shortcuts than ever before. First the King and Queen to Snowdin for Isa, then he’d taken them back to the Palace and immediately began transporting to the furthest areas of the Underground. Looking for the most obscure and hidden Monsters to let them know about the King’s order for evacuation. And he’d even helped special cases out for the guard, transporting fire Monsters who couldn’t enter in through the Waterfall Area, or various Monsters from Old Home who couldn’t easily pass through Snowdin Caverns. Then a Guard had asked him to go down to the Lower Waterfall City in the Cliffs and the Outpost below in the Depths to help transport people out so the elevators would be freed up a little. He had to pause and crouch down, his skull nearly level with his knees. Dizziness was making his head feel fuzzy, but he didn’t want to spend too long recovering from it. A real break would be needed soon or he’d regret it. When he had enough strength back he took a shortcut to Gaster’s cave. Asgore and Toriel were up on the platform with Gaster. He headed that way. “Hey Tori,” he said, and she turned with...well... not quite a smile, but more of a flicker of polite recognition. “Have you seen Papyrus?” She shook her head. “I haven’t, but Gaster said he went to inspect the ship, I think he is still on board.” Sans gave a small sigh of relief. Really there hadn’t been too much to worry about. They were trying to hurry with the evacuation because they wanted as much time as possible in case something went wrong or some Monster was missing. And there wasn’t anyone that could really do his bro any harm, or would even want to. But he’d still felt the icy chill of panic throughout this whole thing. Over near the catwalk, Seamus was packing up the last of the recording equipment, with his husband Evan helping him. Mettaton was nowhere to be seen, and Sans decided that the robot had probably either already boarded the ship or was in line somewhere. Or maybe searching for Napstablook. Over the years the two had had a strange friendship, though neither had ever really said how it came about. And the ghost had become somewhat less self depreciating and a little more confident in their abilities. Really their music had been in the top musical hits chart for over a hundred years now, even the newer albums were popular. Even so, Napstablook was still somewhat gloomy, and that was alright. Nobody could ever match the constant energy that Papyrus had. If Napstablook wanted to be a little gloomy and enjoy long periods of solitude, that was their right. Still working at the computers in the section of the cave that served as Gaster’s lab was one of his assistants. Tertia, who was bird-like and hunched over. She poked at the keys in manner that might have seemed like boredom to anyone else, but Sans knew it was just her way. All four of Gaster’s assistants were very strange Monsters. Suddenly the cave shook.  Lights flickered as the very roof of the cave trembled, screams and gasps came from the lines of Monsters waiting to board the ships. Alarms began blaring loudly and little red lights began flashing all over the cave. Gaster whirled round. “What is it? What’s happening?” he demanded of his assistant who was now typing frantically away at the keyboard, trying to find the source. Down below the Monsters were beginning to panic and the Guard was having to step in to keep things from getting out of hand. Tertia gasped, her grey eyes going wide, the most expressive face he’d ever seen on any of the assistants. “It’s the Core! It’s experiencing an overload! It’ll go down in just a few minutes!” Gaster’s mouth fell open in shock. It was only for half a second that he stood there, but with everyone staring at him, waiting for him to carefully explain to them what that meant exactly and what they should do, it seemed like an eternity of waiting. When he finally did move it was neither carefully nor calmly. The scientist threw himself forward towards the ledge looking down on the ship, grabbing the rails to push himself up so that he was right above where the Guards were. “GET EVERYONE ON THE SHIP NOW! DON’T COUNT THEM! JUST BOARD!” Pandemonium ensued. Monsters surged towards the doors of the ship, climbing aboard with the assistance of the Royal Guards, who were doing their best to keep smaller Monsters from being trampled in the chaos. Gaster was halted by Toriel and Asgore who were demanding to know what was happening. But he had no patience for careful explanations. He dove past them and started grabbing files and notebooks off his desk and stuffing everything haphazardly into a briefcase. “It’s the core!” he screeched, almost in hysterics. “If it falls the entire grid will go down. It won’t be enough to kill anyone as long as they aren’t in the machine itself, but the shock wave will be enough to reach this cave. The ship is programmed to open a Rift in the event of an apocalyptic emergency, and it will think this is one!” Glancing behind and seeing their blank expressions he growled in frustration. “Don’t you get it?! If we don’t get on board the ship will leave without us!” That did it, horrified understanding dawned in the eyes of the two Monarchs and they ran for the stairways along with the rest of the crowds. But the lines still stretched out through Waterfall, there were still over 600 Monsters who hadn’t gotten the chance to board yet. Feeling sick to his stomach, Sans wondered for a second what he should do. Shortcuts. He could save some people. Seamus and Evan were making for the stairs as well and he ran to catch up with them. Grabbing their arms he used a shortcut to tear all three of them from their current position in space and onto the ship, where he left them confused and disoriented, and took a shortcut back. Next was Tertia, who was sitting, not moving, in her chair, staring blankly at the computer screen in shock. She didn’t thank him as he handed her over to the Guards in the ship’s hold. He’d gone back for Gaster when he spotted Realis enter the cave looking frantic. Running that way instead he brought the prince into the ship as well. Monsters outside were desperately pushing relatives, especially younger ones, forward. Though there were no real children left after three hundred years, many still appeared to be children, and their parents lifted them high, ignoring their protests, and practically handed them to the Guards, who took them into the ship. Cousins, lovers, and friends were shoved forward, and other Monsters who only had themselves to worry about pushed their way to the front. He saw Papyrus pull a Froggit as well as both Bratty and Catty into the ship all at the same time. Even Monster Kid had leaned back as far as he could to take the tiny Cinnamon with the curl of his tail while Goner helped Cinnamon’s older Sister, Lapina, climb up using his tail.  A tiny yellow bird who had once carried people across a disproportionately small gap was clinging to her fur, terrified out of its mind. Where had Gaster gone to? He spotted Gaster fiddling with the computers, Sans appeared behind him and saw the little storage chip he’d plugged into slot. The Scientist was trying to copy over his research. “Doc! Come on! There’s no time!” And there wasn’t time. The surge from the collapsing Core hit and the cavern shook again and the lights went out, leaving only the ship and it’s power system separate from the main grid still lighting the space. Screaming and panicked shouting rang out and the Monsters nearest to the ship were forced back. The Rift had begun to open up underneath the floor of the cave. Papyrus was looking frantically around the cave, pushing against his own guards as they tried to close the doors for their fall into the Void. “SANS!!!” he screamed. Sans was only a few steps from the edge of the platform, right over the ship. He didn’t think, he only moved. He was already in the air when he realized that Gaster was with him,  having tried to stop him from making the jump and fallen with him. To all those still in the cave it appeared as if a gigantic flat disk of nothingness you couldn’t describe that had no color to speak of but wasn’t black or white and could be seen even in the dark despite not giving off any light had opened up where the floor was supposed to be. The Ship and the pair of falling Monsters seemed to slow and freeze in place, then slowly... without moving, they simply began to fade away as if they had never been. And with them went the strange grey disk that made up the Rift. From San’s point of view the world around him began to warp and twist as if it were being turned inside out. He could still see the Monsters in Gaster’s cave, but instead of the cave being all around him, it was as if the space around him had been turned inside out and shaped into an orb, leaving only the Void around him as he fell away from the orb. It got smaller and smaller until it was gone, and so was the ship. He and Gaster were adrift in the Void.

[skellfamily]

this is SUPER rambly and basically just speculating upon wild speculation upon more speculation, but I had to type out my thoughts on this

Sans and Papyrus are implied to be from another universe. Their home is apparently a place they can’t easily return to, with people who arent found in the Underground, and Sans eventually gives up on seeing the people he knew there ever again. It’s probably not just the surface, either, as Sans seems to view going to the surface as a separate thing from “going back” to his home (also Papyrus doesnt recognize the sun, so unless he was a baby when they came or he has serious amnesia, it wouldnt make much sense for them to be from the surface)

Sans and Papyrus are also implied to be connected to Gaster. so if they’re from another world, then the Gaster they knew logically wouldnt be UT Gaster.

But. this bothers me. the game gives us precious little info about Gaster...why would it then turn out there are actually TWO Gasters, one of whom we havent been told anything about?? The stuff we learn about Gaster is about UT Gaster - he lived underground, he built the CORE, he was Asgore’s royal scientist, his experiments went wrong and led to his demise. 

Gaster’s relation to the skelebros is obviously supposed to be important. They’re some of the only characters in the game he’s implied to have a connection to. so where does UT!Gaster fit into things then, if he’s NOT the one who knew them - and yet is the Gaster we have been told all about? what would be the point of having UT!Gaster? what would be the point of having the skelebros be connected to Gaster? it doesn’t make much sense to me.

(i suppose it’s possible they met Gaster after arriving in the Undertale timeline but it seems unlikely to me. The machine in their basement was likely a creation of Gaster’s, given the blueprints. that machine is also implied to be related to how the skelebros ended up in Undertale in the first place, which is why Sans wanted to fix it so badly. I also assume the reason Sans met Alphys is cause he sought out the Royal Scientist’s help in fixing the machine, which if correct would mean Gaster was long gone by the time he came around. on that note, there used to be a tweet from Toby where he says: “Neither of them could fix the machine, no matter how hard they tried”)

There are some things that just make sense when looking at in terms of building a story - why are these things there, what purpose do they serve? how are they supposed to connect together? For example, the biggest reason I think Gaster is closely related to the skelebros isn’t because there’s some smoking gun that proves anything - there isn’t, in fact we only have a few subtle hints showing a connection (like the fact they both can use Gaster Blasters). it’s because: why would Toby make a mysterious skeleton character, and give us hints that he is connected to two other mysterious skeleton characters who have a super vague backstory...and then not have them be related somehow?

So while it would be perfectly sensible for there to simply be an alternate dimension Gaster from whatever universe Sans and Papyrus came from (I’ve made a post wondering about this before actually), I dont feel it makes much sense from a narrative standpoint. what’s the purpose of having multiple Gasters? what’s the purpose of Undertale Gaster, and why do we learn just about him, when the Gaster who is tied to Sans&Papyrus should be more important to the story? 

but maybe i’m looking at it the wrong way. maybe UT!Gaster and the skelebros’ Gaster can be one and the same. what if Gaster left the Undertale universe, and was able to have kids elsewhere? either his ultimate fate - being shattered across time & space - actually happened later, after he arrived in the other dimension

or perhaps that did happen while he was in Undertale, but a piece of him was able to make a life in another world? after all, Gaster doesn’t seem dead-dead despite the incident or the fact that the Gaster Followers talk about him like he perished. he’s alive enough to reach out on Twitter, talk to us during the vessel creator scene, and to make the “SURVEY_PROGRAM” that is Deltarune. 

if I’m right about this, I think Entry Number Seventeen might take place shortly before the event which brought the skelebros into Undertale, and the “YOU TWO” are in fact Sans and Papyrus. Gaster’s text in the entry is shaking heavily, which is indicative of pain or a strong emotional state. considering that and the dangerous sounding nature of the experiment he’s describing, it seems likely that whatever followed probably wasnt good - for him or the ones present.

idk, i definitely could be thinking about this way too hard. alternate universes do complicate matters, and i have a tendency to turn thoughts over in my head a million times. but this has been on my mind for awhile and i just had to talk about it!!

[undertale-a1ien]

Okay but uh, what are the other characters in Crack's AU like? owo

I said quite a bit about Gaster, Papy (either way Im making a reference sheet for both of them in the near future), and Alphys so Ima skip them for now:

I'll get into details in a sec but most of them were devastated when Alphys told them that Sans "died" but they almost immediately turned their backs on him when he killed Alphys and Papyrus (since he refuses to talk to any of them and keeps himself locked up in his house)

The rest of it is pretty long so it'll be under the cut:

Undyne: A year or two before the whole escaping the lab thing went down she actually stepped down from her position as the leader of the Royal Guard to give it to Papyrus. During that time she was pretty much the same and maybe a little bit more "extra" so she can keep Papy's spirits up. After the escape took place she pretty much made it her life's mission to make Crack pay. She was the leader of the group of monsters that went to Crack's house to kill him. Of course that failed and Undyne walked away from that with a messed up arm (Crack blasted it because she was trying to summon a spear) and a couple more friends dead. That happening really messed her up emotionally and she defintaly dropped her "punk" and "overconfident" attitude and got more serious and overall less happy. She never does go back to being the Captain of the Royal Guard and ends up starting her own little group that's more or less an anti-Crack squad. They end up attacking Crack about 4 more times before he leaves the au for good (aka he finishes the machine that lets him do that)

Mettaton: Because Alphys never let Mettaton go into the secret lab, he truly believes that Crack killed Alphys for literally no reason. The last they heard of Crack was that Alphys tried to save his life and failed. So Mettaton truely thinks that Crack is some sort of vengeful spirit/demon (not in a religious way) that came back into the world to kill ~everyone who wronged him~ and that he’s using his old house as like a base of operations. He was one of the first people to join Undyne’s group and is pretty much her right-hand man. Mettaton totally dropped the whole “wanting to be a preformer” thing and he is *WAY* less overdramatic.

Asgore: He’s... not doing well,,, First he lost his two kids (Chara and Asriel), His wife left him, He ordered the entire underground to kill any human that falls and now has the weight of 6 child souls on his back, he “loses” his royal judge (Sans), the person he’s been training since she was little pretty much just left the royal guard, and THEN his royal scientist and the new royal guard captain just got killed by the person he thought was dead... (That was such a long sentence-) So yeah, he’s mostly become a recluse and spends all his time taking care of his garden and trying to pretend that his life isn’t crumbling around him.

Toriel: After Alphys first kidnapped Crack she just thought that the funny stranger that kept coming just got bored of her... Sure, it’s a bit of a bummer but she doesn’t have time to deal with that! She needs to be prepared if another child falls! She more or less drowns herself in making the Ruins as safe and welcoming as possible. At one point or another she just has nothing left to do... So she starts befriending the local monsters! Soon she knows all of them by name and has more friends than ever! All in all, whatever human that falls into the underground is in for a fun and welcoming time! ^u^ (Maybe this time the human wouldn’t want to leave...)

Flowey: He’s very, very confused... No other timeline has been like this one... When Papyrus first told him that Sans went missing he just thought that the comedian was just playing a prank on his brother or something. But after Alphys said that he was dead... He got suspicious... He would *know* if Sans died. Heck, Flowey also hangs out in waterfall which is ~supposedly~ where Sans died... So he follows Alphys back to the lab- Stuff just isn't lining up... Then he finds him. He sees Sans in Alphys lab and he sees what Alphys is doing to him. But he doesn’t try to fix. Sure, he tell Papyrus that he should join the guard to make sure this “doesn’t happen to anyone else” but he doesn’t tell anyone what he saw. In general, he acts a bit more openly self-aware because he *knows* that something is wrong with this timeline. Other than that he is just the same old Flowey that we know and love UuU

Welp that’s all I’ma do for now, These personalities aren’t really set in stone but there all I got for now ‘^u^. Sorry if there a bit all over the place- I’m not the best at formatting ;-;

[rin-tsukiyori-archive]

-Rin decided to sneak out of the house while Papyrus was occupied in his room, wanting to get a look around. Anytime she tried to get up he’d have her lay back down, wanting her to be resting as she recovered. But she didn’t feel comfortable with how things went with Sans. Making her way through Snowdin Forest she’d keep an eye out for him. Soon enough she heard a twig snap behind her, quickly turning her attention to where it was. The twig was there, but the person who broke it wasn’t there. Then she heard a voice from behind-

“you know... that isn’t exactly the kind of outfit you should be wearing in weather like this.”

-Turning back around there was Sans, standing in front of her. Looking down at her white dress she couldn’t help but chuckle a bit-

I suppose so... Not like I had much of a choice though...

-Sans’ eyelights narrowed as he scowled at her. Did he dislike Rin that much? Or at least the one he remembers...? -

“pops is probably gonna try to find some clothes for you once he’s done at the lab. but tell me... why are you impersonating a dead person?”

-The vampiress blinked a few times. Well it made sense why he thought that, but even Papyrus could see that she was the Rin he knew as a kid. Letting out a small sigh before answering-

I’m not impersonating a dead person. I AM her. Yes I know it sounds crazy, but I really am Rin Tsukiyori...

“prove it then. the rin i knew as a kid was one of the best singers i’ve ever heard. she could make her own music too after a few months of practicing with her magic. so can you do that?”

-She’d smile softly and take a few steps back from him. Closing her eyes she’d let her powers flow. It was pretty dangerous to do so considering how much magic she already used earlier, but she wanted him to believe her. Music filled the air and soon did her voice. The skeleton’s scowl started to fall, mesmerized by her song. When she started vocalizing that’s when Sans knew it was her. She was the Rin he met several hundred years ago. But how was this possible?! As the song came to an end she fell to her knees, covering her mouth with a hand as she coughed into it. The sentry ran over to her quickly, checking on her only for his eye sockets to widen upon seeing blood in her hand and dripping from her mouth.-

“shit. rin i’m so sorry. i-i’ll get you to dad’s lab. he’ll know what to do”

-holding onto her tightly he’d shortcut them into Gaster’s lab. Unfortunately their sudden appearance startled the poor scientist.

“Sans? Rin?? What are you both doing h-?!”

-seeing blood he quickly rushed over to the pair and knelt down in front of her-

“What in the world happened?!”

Just used a bit too much magic is all... I’ll be fine... you... should probably call Papyrus and let him know I’m here. I kinda snuck out of the house so he’s more than likely freaking out thinking that he lost me...

-Letting out a sigh Gaster picks her up and carries her over to a nearby bed-

“You’re somehow even more of a trouble maker than when you were as a kid. We’ll have to explain to them later why you look so young but for now you are going to rest here so I can monitor you.”

-The tall skeleton turns his attention over to his son after laying Rin down-

“Go ahead and give Papyrus a call. Tell him he can clean up the house if he wants to keep himself occupied.”

[kittysukagasterfics]

Skeleton Birthday

Note: People were asking about it so here it is! Gaster’s birthday! Also, I have an important message at the end so keep reading until then! Anyway, onto the fic!

Handplates belongs to: @zarla-s

Summary: It’s Gaster’s birthday! Yet the skeleton doesn’t seem to want to celebrate it when the day arrives. Can Sam convince him otherwise?

    “*You ask Gaster why he’s being so difficult about this!”

     Gaster sighed in annoyance as Sam gently started hitting their fists against his chest. He and Sam were relaxing on the living room couch while the brothers were napping. He had just casually mentioned that his birthday was in a couple days and suddenly that’s all Sam would talk about now. They’ve been asking about his plans for his birthday and weren’t satisfied when he said that he would rather not do anything. Now the Human won’t quit bothering him about it and it was getting annoying.

    “Sam, will you please let me work? I would actually like to finish a report without your nonsense interfering...”

    “*But he hasn’t told you what he wants for his birthday yet!”

    “-sigh- I already told you...I do not want anything for my birthday nor do I wish to celebrate it.”

     This apparently was not what Sam wanted to hear and started whining about it, well, at least whining in his opinion. They probably would’ve kept going had Gaster not threatened to take away their cookie jar privileges. The Human just huffed in defeat before laying down against the skeleton’s chest while sitting in his lap, deep in thought. They wanted to make their boyfriend happy with a birthday celebration but he wasn’t being very helpful. Maybe he just wanted a small party with all his loved ones? Whatever the case may be, Sam would make sure Gaster had the best birthday ever! Now they just needed to start planning it...

    ‘*You attempt to get up only to find yourself trapped in Gaster’s arms.’

     Sensing that Gaster probably wouldn’t allow them to leave anytime soon, Sam decided that a nap would probably help with their planning.

~~~~~~

    “*You ask Flowey if he knows what Gaster would like as a present...”

    “𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎. 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎.”

     Sam looked at the flower who was reading a book with a pout on their face. They were currently in Sans and Papyrus’ room trying to figure out what to do for Gaster’s birthday. Toby was too busy sleeping in their lap to help but at least the brothers were willing to help. The two skeletons were just suggesting things like cake and preferred presents though.

     The Human tapped the crayon they were using against the writing pad. Maybe they should try asking someone else for their opinion. Hopefully she wasn’t too busy at the moment. Grabbing their and the brothers’ coats, Sam carefully moved Toby off their lap and picked up Flowey’s flower pot despite his protest. Gaster was still working on his laptop when Sam told him that they’re going for a walk with everyone and that they’ll be back soon. The scientist nodded at them, telling Sam not to get into any trouble.

     Sam didn’t take everyone through Snowdin Forest like they usually would though. Instead, they immediately went towards Hotland where Alphys should be, hopefully not too busy to talk. The lizard didn’t hear any of them come in and got scared when Sam excitedly greeted her.

    “*You tell Alphys hi!” ‘*She yelps and jumps a bit before noticing you...’

    “Ggh-! O-Oh, hello there, S-Sam...D-Did you need anything?”

     Alphys nodded as Sam explained about them making plans for Gaster’s birthday but the skeleton didn’t seem to want anything, whether it be presents or even a party. The lizard wasn’t even surprised to hear this. She and the King always had a hard time getting Gaster to accept their gifts to him, let alone allow them to celebrate. She understood what Sam was going through right now. Although, Alphys was secretly hoping being with the Human would change that way of thinking. She was more than happy to give them some advice, or, as good as advice as she could muster.

    “M-Maybe you could um, do s-something romantic with him? L-Like a date? Then you two could share a piece of cake together while s-staring into each other’s eyes...”

    “*Ok...”

    “A-After that, you’ll be carried b-by Gaster to your dark, shared b-bedroom and-”

     Sam and the brothers just stared at Alphys in confusion when she began to ramble on about the birthday date, face turning a bright red. Flowey looked like he just wanted Alphys to stop talking. The Human decided it was probably time to get home to start making dinner. They told their friend goodbye although they weren’t if she heard them over her mumbles and left the Lab with the brothers and Flowey.

    “PARENTAL UNIT, WHAT ARE YOU AND DAD SUPPOSE TO DO IN YOUR ROOM? ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S DARK AND YOU BOTH CAN’T SEE?”

    “*Um, you’re not sure...Hopefully you’ll figure it out before his birthday comes though!”

~~~~~~

     Gaster sighed as he shifted through the many birthday letters he had gotten in the mail. He had also gotten a few presents, mostly from Alphys and the King. Sans and Papyrus had drawn him some birthday cards before he left for work that morning which was nice but the skeleton hadn’t received anything from Sam yet. Maybe they finally stopped being stubborn and just accepted that he didn’t want anything special for his birthday. Getting out his house key, Gaster unlocked the front door to a dark house, only to immediately notice a flickering light in the kitchen and someone moving around in there.

     He cautiously walked into the kitchen which revealed that the person was just Sam getting something out of the oven. Gaster sighed in relief but was confused about what exactly his lover was doing.

    “Sam? What are you doing? It’s too late for you to still be awake...”

    “*You smile and welcome Gaster home before motioning for him to sit down.”

     Although confused, the scientist complied and sat down at the kitchen table. After a few minutes, Sam set down a piece of chocolate cake with frosting in front of him. They explain that they just wanted to do something special for him and Alphys actually gave them a great idea. The Human invited Gaster to share the pastry with them, a flirty smile on their face. Gaster had to turn away to keep Sam from seeing the blush on his face. The two ate the cake in silence. Gaster had to admit how good the cake was though. It was a rich flavored cake combined with the sweetness from the frosting. The skeleton couldn’t contain a smile creeping onto his face. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to ask Sam to make this into a tradition for his next birthday...

    “*You ask Gaster what Alphys meant by doing things in his dark bedroom...”

     Sam ended up having to help Gaster when he started choking on his cake from their question. Looks like a visit to Alphys and having a talk about what not to say around Sam would have to come first though...

Note: Happy birthday, Gaster! Now for the announcement...I’m starting online college next week! Therefore, I will not have time to get a new fic out by Friday unfortunately. However, I will be posting incorrect quotes throughout the week so you guys aren’t left without some Sam shenanigans! Once I find some balance in my schedule, fanfics will return to normal. I hope you all enjoyed reading the fic! Thank you everyone so much for reading! I love all of you so much! Requests are always welcomed! Stay tuned for more.

[specialmindz]

“dad?”

CLATTER!

CRASH!

“UGH! DAMNIT!”

“Nyeh hee hee hee!”

“IT’S NOT FUNNY PAPYRUS!”

CA-THUMP!

The scientist continued to fumble about the lab, searching for the appropriate parts to fix the generator.

“Ki-et down Daddy, you wake up Boo Boo!”

“Oh no, don’t mind me…I’m just happy to be here…” The little spirit monster shifted a bit in Sans’ grasp, having been mistaken for a pillow in the dark.

“You aren’t SUPPOSED to be here! NO ONE is to visit the lab at this hour!” replied Gaster, still searching for a flashlight. He didn��t approve of his littlest scavenging at the Dump, but every once in a while, Papyrus would bring home something he could use and the flashlight was one of them.

Figures he couldn’t find it now of all times.

What on earth could have happened? The magic crystals still have power in them and the generator itself is in perfect repair! This blackout makes no sense!

He wasn’t used to something being broken without Papyrus having some sort of hand in it.

“Just in case however, did you touch the generator Papyrus?”

The baby bones nodded vigorously, “Yep! We’s out of ghost food, so I decided to make snacks for Boo Boo, but we was out of the veggie oil.”

“Veggie oil?”

A few moments went by before the elder skeleton jumped suddenly in alarm and rushed out of the workshop, running downstairs into the True Lab’s living quarters, apparently heading for their kitchen.

“hey uh bro? you didn’t use the oil from the generator-”

“YOU DUMB LITTLE SHIT!”

“Oh nooo…”

Hiding his face in Sans’ shirt, Napstablook shook in terror, unused to the family’s quarrels. Though the scientist’s anger was nostalgic and reminded him of one of his cousins, it had been awhile since he’d heard any yelling and he had heard from Papyrus that Gaster wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. The fact that this was probably the spirit’s fault, made things even worse as he had been hoping to make a good impression on the family.

So much for that.

“I’m sorry, this is all my fault…”

“naw, forget about it. you’re a guest, right? guests are supposed to get snacks. pap just made a mistake is all.”

“Heh heh heh…”

“hm? what’s so funny?”

“I like your accent.”

Papyrus looked up, grinning. “Me too, Snas from Boston, so he say stuff like 'fuhgeddaboudit' and ‘I’s hittin’ da’ bricks’ and ‘here’s lookin’ at you kid!”

“i don’t spell it like that! and what does that last one even mean?”

SHHHEERRAA!

Before the infant could answer, the elevator door opened and Gaster came rushing out. He didn’t stop to say anything to the children, he merely grabbed a vial of…something…and ran back in, keeping the door open with his wingdings.

Not that this was a good idea mind you, as he soon realized all too late that he wasn’t alone, just as the elevator closed and began its second descent.  

“I do hope you’s not planning on ruining mah new firepace stink Daddy,” said the baby, still wearing his smile from before.

“Huh? What the hell? How’d you get in here?!”

“I cuwalled.”

“Well when we get to the living quarters, you can CRAWL your miniature ass to your room! Do you know how difficult it is to put out an oil fire?”

“How this ellyvator work without da’ tricity? You learn Snas’ witchcraft?”

“Of course not. I’ve a second generator hidden downstairs…just in case you break the first one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t reach-”

“THERE A CWOSER BABY MASSAGER?!”

“Wh-what? ‘Baby Massager?’ Are you laying on the generator?”

“Yep! Is fun. I likes it better than the washy machine cause’ it always on. It feel nice on mah bones and it make me go UHUHUHUHUH…then I falls off.”

Gaster shook his head.

“What? What I do?”

“Though vibrations are good for bones and newborns alike, the generator is NOT the best tool to use because of the oil within it. THIS generator especially. This one, connected to the lab, is custom designed to keep running indefinitely…not something a normal generator should ever do. I haven’t a choice however, if I want to keep Mt. Ebott from erupting. The oil I use comes from a reservoir that’s FAR too close to the surface of Hotland. It needs to be depleted less there be an explosion, but no matter how much is used, there seems to be no end to it.”

“That sound like a solution to da’ power problem we gots dough. Why you not use it?” asked Papyrus curiously. He didn’t know much about oil, he assumed it was discovered and researched sometime after he was born. He hadn’t heard anyone else mention it before either…unless it had something to do with cooking. The stuff he had poured out of generator upstairs was a liquid, but liquids were supposed to put OUT fires, weren’t they? “The yellow made the oven a firepace. It cook mah food too good and now no one gets noms. It do other bad stuffs?”

“Yes it does…and that wasn’t vegetable oil Papyrus, it simply had the same color. That was generator oil and a result of refinement on my part. Unrefined oil, or Crude Oil, is a thick, black, eldritch sludge that kills all it touches. It’s made from the deceased bodies of creatures no one in recorded history has ever seen alive and has lied in wait within the earth’s crust for literally millions of years. That being said, it is unfortunately naturally occurring, and everyone aware of its existence is infatuated with it BECAUSE it’s such a huge power source. That’s why I’ve kept it a secret from the public and use it in my experiments as little as possible. It may grant us advanced technology almost immediately, but the things created with it also kill, albeit slowly, meaning you don’t have to come into contact with oil itself in order to become a victim. It’s not evil, but it will take some time before we can figure out a way to use it safely…and keep others from using it poorly.”

Gaster shuddered upon imagining the horror and chaos that would no doubt ensue if ever the monsters were to find out about his discovery. One small mistake is all it would take for Mt Ebott to erupt and annihilate everyone. Even the fire elementals would be destroyed, either drowned in lava or pushed into the barrier and rendered to dust.

“Papyrus, you must promise me that you will keep this a secret. I know it isn’t in your nature to do such a thing, but your life is at stake, along with everyone else’s. That includes Sans, you hear me? I don’t want him knowing about this reservoir less he be tempted to experiment with-PAPYRUS GET OFF THE GENERATOR! WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?!”

“UHUHUHUHUHUH!”

SHHHEERRAA!

“dad?”

CLACK!

The baby bones fell to the floor and crawled over to Sans.

“Hey Snas! SNAS!”

“hm?”

“DADDY FOUND OIL!”

“You son of a bitch.”

“cool. don’t play with it.”

“Why?”

“it’s like tar. it’ll make you smell bad and ruin your jammies.”

“Kay’.”

Papyrus used his wingdings to lay, once again, atop the generator.

“Sans, I must ask you to keep this oil reservoir a secret. Despite how desperate the power situation is, oil is not the answer for a civilization living within a volcano.”

“yeah i know about oil dad, i’m not dumb. i read more than space books ya’ know…”

“UHUHUHUHUHUHUH!”

“I’m well aware you know what oil is, I’m just SAYING-”

“NYEAH!”

CLACK!        

Gaster knocked Papyrus off the generator.

“I’m just saying, the temptation is there and it targets both the money-poisoned AND the lazy. There may come a time during an experiment where you feel oil will solve a particular problem, I assure you, it will cause more than it solves. We aren’t the only intelligent beings in the Underground, if you use oil to create something, it’s quite possible an individual will discover the usage through reverse engineering and in turn, wonder where exactly the oil CAME from.”

“NYEHHHHAAAHH!! SUCK-ASS DADDY! SEE THAT BOO BOO? DAT’S THAT BABY ABUSE I’S TALKIN’ BOUT’!”

“I-I didn’t s-see anything…also, what’s ‘oil?”

“ehh, don’t worry about it,” said Sans, thinking quickly. “you don’t eat our food right?”

“Oh, cooking oil…I remember that. It’s made from seeds…”

“Yep! I’s gonna make you something delicious, but I’s out of the cooking oil and baby oil be for baby food, so-”

“Baby oil is for skin,” said Gaster, rubbing his temples.

“Nyeh?”

“Baby oil. It’s for skin. It’s called baby oil because it supposedly makes your skin feel soft like an infant’s.”

What exactly is Sans DOING while I’m busy working? He’s not telling him this stuff as a joke, is he...?

“Nuh-uh Daddy, daz baby lotion! You confused. BABY OIL be for cooking, like baby powder and-”

“Baby powder is also for skin. It is not a type of baking powder NOR is it a baking soda of any sort. You have no business in the kitchen Papyrus.”

“What Baby’s Breath then?”

“Not parsley.”

“Baby spice?”

“That’s a person.”

“Baby fat?”

“Well it’s lard, but-”

“why don’t you just stick with baby potatoes and baby carrots bro?”

“Why don’t you just stay out of the kitchen period? The oven is not a toy and I believe I’ve told you as such already.”

“NO!” cried the baby bones indignantly. “I’s a genius baby and I deserves the best of edgy-cations! LOOK! Look what dis baby has right here!” Papyrus pulled a page, seemingly torn from an old magazine, out of his onesie and presented it to his family. It showed a young human in overalls, a toddler by the looks of it, pretending to cook on a toy kitchen set, plastic spatula in hand.

“aww, duude!”

That human’s so cute! Is that really a baby one? I wanna pet it soo bad! It’d probably bite the shit out of me though…

“hey, napstablook! c’mere and look at this human!”

Shyly, Napstablook floated over to the group and peered over Sans’ shoulder.

“Heh…”

“cute right?”

“It’s got a spatula…it thinks it’s cooking…”

“They not cooking, they’s modeling. They saying ‘look what I has and you doesn’t! Don’t you wish you had a nice baby-kitchen like me?’ They’s mocking!”

“nobody’s mocking you pappy.”

“THEY’S LAUGHING AT ME!”

“i guarantee this baby doesn’t know you exist.”

“Your brother’s right. What’s happening here is you’ve created a personal fantasy out of boredom and forgotten it was a fantasy. Something you need to learn not to do while you’re daydreaming-”

“All I needs to do is show dis baby that I’S the superior bae! Imma be the best cook ever and I’ll use the big people oven to do it! I don’t need their stink rainbow kitchen!”

“…Or perhaps you merely want an excuse to use the oven even though I JUST said no.”  

I asked him to stay out of the Parent magazines to begin with…

Papyrus had an annoying habit of using those particular publications to come up with ideas for ���brother-time” with Sans. A time where he would (sometimes quite literally) pick Sans up out of bed and have him do an arts and crafts activity with him, usually involving copious amounts of glue and chemicals Gaster wasn’t sure how he even got ahold of.

Not that the messes were the most obnoxious thing about it, THOSE he could handle. He was used to his smallest making messes.

No, no It was the MIMICRY that the scientist couldn’t stand. Those magazines were to inform parents of why their babies behaved the way they did, but Papyrus would use them as guidelines on “how to be a better baby.”

 “Give me the markers Papyrus!”

“NO! These are MY paint-sticks! I keeps the markers cause’ I saw them first.”

“That’s not how that works, where did you even get that ide-no. Do not. Do not pull out that magazine again, god-DAMNIT Papyrus!”

“It say right here, ‘baes between two and four beweave that da’ person who gets an object first is the rightful owner, even if someone else gets hold of it later’ This be what babies do and I’s a baby, so these markers are mine now.”

“Give me that FUCKING magazine.”

“Is my ucking maggy-zeen.”

“Papyrus…”

“I sawed it first. Is the law.”

Gaster reached for the hated literature, causing the infant to quickly shove it back into his onesie. He then clacked his teeth together twice, a signal that meant any further attempts to get closer would result in a bite.

Because that’s what babies did.

They bit people.

“SANS, WHERE ARE YOU?! COME GET YOUR BROTHER!

“You’re not using the oven Papyrus.”

“*Sigh* Fine, I gots a solution for dis.” Crawling out of the kitchen, Papyrus headed into the Nursery and towards his toybox. He didn’t have to rummage long, as he was a very organized baby, and soon he found what he was looking for; an only slightly grimy multicolored maraca. He didn’t know why such a gem had been thrown away, but it made the most wonderful sound…

“What is that?” asked Gaster upon seeing his two-year-old reenter the room. The baby held the maraca by the handle with both hands and shook it.

CHACA-CHACA!

“…”

“Is a big-person rattle! I finded it at the Dump and is the bestest treasure ever! I’s gonna save it for when I does something really bad, but I needs that oven, so we trade. I gets to use the oven and you can pay wit mah rattle!”  

“I don’t-”

“Pay not keep.”

“…I don’t need a rattle Papyrus.”

CHACA-CHACA!

CHACA-CHACA!

“Heh heh, your brother swings it like a sledgehammer…”

“well yeah, he’s small.”

CHACA-CHACA!

CHACA-CHACA!

“Stop that.”

“Be mesmerized.”

“I’m not interested Papyrus.”

“HOW YOU NOT INTERESTED IN DIS BIG PERSON RATTLE?” yelled Papyrus, completely baffled. “YOUR BRAIN BROKE!”

“not everyone likes rattles pappy.”

“Your brain broke…or maybe you’s planning to steal mah treasure while I’s napping so you doesn’t have to give up da’ oven!”

“No.”

“I bet you are! You’s gonna wait till I’s asweep in my widdle cwib and then you gonna take my toy and blame it on Snas!”

“No.”

“I bets you’s lying about the oil too! Baby oil be a cooking ingredient for babies, but you don’t likes it when I’s better at things than you, so you try to get baby to use fake cwap like ‘sugar’ and ‘spice.” The infant glared at the wall, remembering the disappointment he felt when he tried to get free sugar from Undyne. He had heard girls were made from sugar and spice, but what he managed to collect (along with a few new cracks in his skull) were scales.

Not delicious.

“You know full well I’m not lying…or you would if you were paying attention-”

“YOU DOESN’T LET ME EAT AT DA’ DUMP AND YOU DOESN’T LET ME EAT WITH THE OVEN! HOW I SUPPOSED TO GET NUTRIENTS?”

“Just drink your formula, it has everything you need.”

“NO! I needs solids…like these fintstone yummies.” Papyrus pulled out a bottle labeled Flintstone Vitamins. “They looks like rocks, but they shaped like peoples!”

“hmm…” curiously, Sans popped one into his mouth and began to chew. “this one tastes like an orange.”

“Nyeh hee hee hee! Silly Snas, orange be a color, not a food!”

Silly Sans.

“Hmph, It’s a condensed version of Vitamin C most likely. Vitamin C is essential to the formation of collagen, so it should increase one’s bone density, but I doubt you’ll get much out of them.”

“it says vitamin d on it.”

“What? Vitamin D? Give me that bottle!”

“NYEH!”

Gaster snatched up the bottle in one quick motion and studied the label. If Sans hadn’t misread anything, then this was an extraordinary find indeed. Very few foods in nature contained Vitamin D and nature was what everyone depended on in the Underground. The people’s only source of it was found in fish and within the eggs of birds who had accidently flown into Mt. Ebott. Because they were so rare and important as a food source, the security around the areas in which they were bred was even tighter than at the castle. It was rationed carefully and NO ONE got special privileges that allowed more than their fair share due to overpopulation. That meant Gaster couldn’t add as much Vitamin D into Papyrus’s baby formula as he would like.

Eventually something’s going to go wrong and we’ll end up eating nothing but magic supplements.

Magic food wasn’t particularly healthy, not for Horror Fonts anyway. If there was any problem that breed of skeleton had, it was finding the right balance of magic AND basic nutrients. The magic kept their ectoplasm as strong as human muscle so their bones would stay together, but they needed the same vitamins as humans in order to keep those bones from cracking and splintering in the first place. Normal Fonts like he and Sans weren’t fighters, so it wasn’t as important for their bones to be sturdy, but Papyrus was a hunter, which meant tough fights awaited the baby bones when he got older.

He needs more than magic, and we’ve a limited supply as is. Perhaps though, with these, I can find a supplement for the vitamin itself and a way to reproduce it effectively.

“I trade the rock-peoples for da’ oven.”

“N-”    

“And some more baby oil. I’s out of greedy-ants.”

“No. No more using the oven and no more ‘baby ingredients.’ You’re going to destroy this lab along with our kitchen!”

“I dis-gree.”

“bro-”

“You know what I needs? What every baby needs? Ah-structions. I needs a cookie-book. Fetch me a cookie-book, THEN I will succeeds in life.”

Gaster was about to say something, but quickly decided against it. An idea began to form in his mind as he reread the ingredients on the vitamin bottle.

Perhaps this request is a blessing in disguise...

“Papyrus, if I found you a cookbook would you follow the instructions to the letter?” “Course I would!” said the baby bones confidently. “What’s da’ point of ah-structions if I doesn’t follow them? I follow the ah-structions and make good food that Snas will eat.” Papyrus smiled at Napstablook. “You too Boo Boo! I make yummies for eryone!”

The scientist put the bottle in his coat. “Alright then, I will provide for you, a cookbook.”

“YAAAASS!”

“uhh dad, that sounds like a terrible idea,” said Sans, eyeing the ruined oven. “papyrus tends to-”

“Shu up Snas. I happily agwee to yo’ terms, beloved father figure!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Baby will reward your rare act of rationality.”

“Please don’t.”

“I assist! I learned in one of the maggyzines that if you rewards good be-have-ior, peoples will repeat it. This time I find you REAL booger sugar, not baby powder.”

“papyrus-”

“Actually, that would be great. My experiment with the ‘cocaine’ you originally gave me was a complete disaster. Had it worked, I could have created something to reduce hunger in the Underground’s citizens months ago, but you ruined that for everyone. This time I’d like to succeed.”

“ohhh, so that’s what it was for.”

“Of course child, why else would I purchase it? Drugs are for science and science alone!”

“Um…” Napstablook looked behind him nervously.

Should I tell someone about this?

“Remember Papyrus, if you can’t follow a recipe, then you can’t cook that recipe, otherwise it will come out wrong.”

“Kay’.”

Gaster handed a cookbook to his youngest who took it with both hands excitedly and began to flip through it.

“Waz ‘pepper?”

“It’s a type of spice. We don’t have it.”

“What’s ‘vinny-ger?”

“It doesn’t matter, we don’t have that either.”

“i think that’s in urine pa-”

“Really Sans?”

“Ewww, I not using that! Waz ‘rice?”

“It’s a type of grain, we don’t have it in the Underground.”

The baby bones glared at the scientist who was now busy flipping through the pages of his clipboard; the situation beginning to dawn on him.

“We gots onion?”

“No, unfortunately.”

“We gots yeast?”

“*pfft!* i think that’s an infection pappy, are you sure you’re reading that right?”

“I want to see your books Sans.”

“We gots gween beans?”

“Nope, it’s too cold up where they’d need to fall into Mt. Ebott. They need a temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit to grow.”

“Does we has ANYTHING?”

“If you can’t find a recipe with ingredients we have, perhaps you should search for another cookbook?”

“NYEH!”

Papyrus threw the book.

“…Scu you stink Daddy.”

SHEERRAHH!

Reentering the elevator, Gaster headed up to the main floor. Hopefully he had some refined oil in reserve at the workshop…

“…”

“mm…this may not be a good time bro, but about that cocaine thing. earlier, you called it ‘booger sugar.”

“…”

“you don’t…actually think it’s sugar do you? you didn’t put any in our food?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…pap?”

“Oh noooo…”

Sorry for the wait, I’m renovating my house to move if you recall.

[mrfunnybone]

anniversary.

It had been a year. 

Time was sort of a funny thing, Sans thought. In some ways, it was a natural and undeniable aspect of their world. In others, it was a societal concept given broad measurements like a minute, an hour, a year, with values assigned to each. Societies ruled that time moved forward constantly. Nature agreed— except for when it didn't, and then time could do whatever it damn well wanted. Sometimes it went backward. Sometimes it skipped forward. Sometimes it didn't move at all. Sans wasn't sure what a year was supposed to feel like. He heard folks call it quick or slow and agreed with both sides. It did go fast, in a dragging sort of way. Regardless, a year had arrived, and so Sans bought a case of beer. He had almost splurged on whiskey and thought that maybe the day deserved it, but that felt a bit like a treat, and today wasn't about him. He told Papyrus that he'd be out working late that night and suggested that maybe his bro have dinner with Toriel and the kid. Papyrus thought that was a fantastic idea and offered to make them spaghetti but, Toriel politely informed him that she had already planned on Snail Casserole, so spaghetti would have to wait for another time. They got on well, those two. Sans supposed it was one of the many things he'd grown thankful for. That and a sunset. "heh, lookit that," Sans spoke despite no one being around to listen, "we got the best seat in the house." The old Underground entrance had long since been boarded up now that monsterkind was free, but the mountainside where it rested was still the best place to watch the sun set beneath hills and trees. Sans chose a spot close by and set down his beer, then began unpacking a large bag of various things. The first was a pair of worn-out rollerblades with stickers along the edge. The second was a hand-made coffee cup that looked a little lumpy but had the words, "Best Dad" lovingly and messily carved into the side. The third was a storybook about pirates, princesses, sword-fighting, and true love. The last was a case of pencils worn almost down to the nub. Sans moved them very carefully so as not to disturb the layer of dust upon each item. He popped open a can of beer and took a long, long drink. It had been a year. A year since the barrier broke and The Void was breached. Sans had, after many failed attempts, finally gotten his old teammates from the Royal Laboratory back from the great unknown where they had been trapped. The original Royal Scientist and his crew were back. Only Gaster survived. They suspected it was because of the DETERMINATION that the old scientist had injected himself with far before being trapped in another plane of existence, stuck between realms and time. His body was able to handle the transfer back to their world, but for the others, they became dust before their eyes even trailed toward the sky. All bitter feelings aside, Sans had been worried that Gaster would join them, his form huddled over the larger monster, willing him to survive. After some stabilization, Gaster was just fine. The two exchanged a few words. They looked at the dust of their old teammates and mourned. They put to rest the fight that had divided them and left each so entirely alone. They did not speak to one another afterward except on rare occasions. Sans took a deep breath as a golden wash of light warmed his bones. The sun never seemed to set very fast, except for the very end, and then it was as though it happened far too quickly to enjoy thoroughly. He went through three beers by the time the light had taken on a reddish hue, partially dipped behind the mountain as it eased out of the way for nightfall. When he heard footsteps behind him, they were recognizable in a way that was almost frustrating. All the years and all the forward and backward nonsense of time and Sans could still tell the sound of Gaster's footsteps anywhere. "hey, g," he said without turning around, eye lights focused on the sun. "Hello, Sans." Responded Gaster's voice. There was the sound of fabric moving in the wind, and Sans suspected that the old scientist was wearing his favored long coat. He stood silently for what felt like a long moment. 

Finally, Sans grabbed another beer and turned to look at him, offering up a can, little droplets of dew still sliding down the side. "want a beer? still cold." Gaster stared at it. As suspected, he was indeed wearing his black coat, hands stuffed inside its pockets. "I...don't particularly care for beer," he said. "i know," Sans replied, the can of beer still hanging between them. Gaster stood for another second before accepting the drink. He sat down, legs dangling over the edge of the cliff far longer than Sans's did. It seemed as though they should say something, and every once in awhile, Sans would open his mouth to try, but nothing ever came out so he just took another gulp of beer instead. Gaster breathed as though preparing to speak, but he never did, either. Memories of their team drifted silently between them, reflecting on their companionship and the sacrifices they had made for a sky they never got to see. Sans remembered when they'd gotten drunk while trying to solve a particularly difficult equation and instead created a toaster that made pizza— kind of. Depending on your definition of "pizza." The thought made him smile. He glanced over to Gaster and thought he saw a hint of a nostalgic smile as well. Sans wondered which memory he was thinking of. He didn't ask. There seemed to be so much to say, and none of the many useless words he knew were enough to convey them. Eventually, the sky gave one last trickle light, and one by one, little specks of stars became visible. Sans reached for the items to place them back in the bag, but Gaster held out a hand to stop him. "I'll take care of it," he said. "I would prefer to stay a bit longer." "s'long train ride back," Sans pointed out. "I am aware. If I have nothing else, I certainly have the time." Sans stared at him. He thought of a year and of time, and of forward and backward and the social measurements that defined them. He let out a small huff of breath. "heh. yeah," Sans laid back against the grass and dirt, folding his arms beneath his head as he looked up at the night sky filling with starlight, "guess so." For how long they stayed there, Sans honestly couldn't say.

[northwind4]

Dearest WingDings（15）

*It's a story about HandPlates! Gaster and Wing! Gaster

*I’ll appreciate it very much if you point out the mistakes I made in the translation, all kinds of help are welcomed!

*previous & next

*Handplates by @zarla-s

Wing!Gaster by me

————————————————

Chapter15

“It took me so long to understand”

257

Wing held Sans on his lap.

W: I feel much better now, thank you, kid.

W: Maybe now I should go and prepare things for you next...?

The little skeleton held his face and looked at him.

S: after the...experiences like THAT, i seem to have more things that i understand and don’t understand.

S: i mean, i think you can tell me about what just happened.

258

P: LET ME TELL YOU

P: I THINK YOU ARE A GREAT PERSON

P: ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE DONE A LOT OF BAD THINGS BEFORE

P: A LOT A LOT OF BAD THINGS

P: BUT NOW YOU HAVE ALREADY BECOME GOOD

P: SO, ALTHOUGH THINGS DID NOT DO WELL THIS TIME...

P: WE CAN ALWAYS FIX IT, RIGHT?

P: YOU JUST NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE GOOD

259

W: This is not good.

W: ...

He sighed lightly.

W: Sometimes I think, maybe he is right.

W: I wandered among all kinds of worlds before, and I could only watched what happened, whether it was good or bad, I could do nothing.

W: Maybe it’s the same in this world, everything will follow the “destiny”, whether I am here or not

W: All I have done doesn’t make any sense. I still can’t change anything.

260

P: YOU HAVE CHANGED SO MANY THINGS!

P: FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MADE SPAGHETTI WITH US LAST TIME

P: IT WAS A SUPER HAPPY DAY!

P: AND REMEMBER WHEN YOU TAUGHT ME TO USE...BLUE MAGIC, AT FIRST I WAS SCARED AND KEPT CRYING, BUT YOU NEVER GOT ANGRY

P: YOU EVER ALLOW ME TO USE IT ON YOU...

P: YOU ALSO HELPED ME SEE MORE CLEARLY WITH THIS, UH, THIS...

G: Glasses.

P: YES! GLASSES! IT MADE MY WHOLE WORLD SO BRIGHT!

P: HMM...AND...OH! AND MY BROTHER!

261

S: take my brother as an example, after all, i haven’t seen so many places

S: he is really...persistent.

S: maybe he seems to listen to me, but...

S: no matter what i do i can’t change him

S: his kindness, regardless of what he is facing...i always fear that it would get him in dangerous one day.

S: we’ve argued so much about it, but he...ugh, that’s him

S: sometimes i felt very tired, i thought, since i couldn’t do anything, it would be easier if i just let it go.

S: ...

S: but...if some day, something really bad happens because of my indifference...if i could have saved him but i didn’t...

S: i will never forgive myself

262

P: YOU SAVED HIM, REMEMBER?

P: IN THE LAB, HE BROKE A BOTTLE OF...SOMETHING

P: YOU RUSHED OVER AND PROTECT HIM IN YOUR ARMS JUST THE SECOND BEFORE THE EXPLOSION!

P: WOW!

P: ALTHOUGH THE ACCIDENT MADE YOU LOOK A LITTLE TERRIBLE(´ ･ _ ･ `)

P: YOU ARE STILL THE COOLEST!

P: IT WAS DANGEROUS AT THAT TIME, YOU WERE ALSO AFRAID OF EXPLOSIONS, RIGHT? BUT YOU JUST RAN TOWARDS HIM.

P: THAT WAS WHAT YOU WANTED IN YOUR HEART, RIGHT?

263

W: ...you’re right.

He softly petted the little skeleton on the head.

W: You’re much more mature than I thought...though I don’t really hope so.

S: it’s hard to be still like a kid after that kind of things, probably

S: at the same time i still have too many things that i don’t understand

S: HE said we could hurt him back at will. is it some sort of...revenge?

S: uh, then i punched him

S: ...

S: i thought it would make me feel better

S: but not at all.

S: i had the same feeling when we finally went out. i thought about letting everyone know what HE did to us.

S: but i found that i would not be happy about it...

S: i don’t know why

264

P: I THINK THIS IS BECAUSE YOU ARE A KIND PERSON DEEP INSIDE

P: YOU DECIDED TO BE GOOD

P: SO YOU NO LONGER HURT US

P: HMM...

P: AND YOU DO CARE ABOUT US

P: JUST LIKE WE CARE ABOUT YOU

P: SO DOES BLACKY

265

S: you got mad because you care

S: last time you were so angry because HE was hurting us, and we reminded you of your children. you love your sans and papyrus, so you love us

S: then this time it was because...he was hurting himself?

S: i think that means you are concerned about him too

266

G: I don’t deserve these concerns.

P: (♯｀∧´)HEY!

P: WHAT I WANT IS NOT HEARING YOUR RESPONSE LIKE THIS AFTER I TALKED SO MUCH!

P: LET ME TEACH YOU WHAT TO SAY! “I DESERVE ALL THE LOVE AND I LOVE YOU TOO”!

P: AT LEAST YOU SHOULD GET UP AND DO SOMETHING

The angry little skeleton tried to pull Gaster up, after failing he even used the blue magic.

G: ...I think it’s time for you to go back to your room and sleep.

At least he stood up.

267

Wing held Sans’ hand and left the small room.

W: Hmm...

W: You are really smart, little one.

W: But it seems like it’s bedtime?

W: Go and have a good sleep, I’ll handle the rest.

S: fine...good night

He quickly ran towards his room.

268

The bone in the machine had been taken away. When Wing wanted to leave, he saw Gaster walking to the door.

W: Well, uh, good evening?

W: Haven’t you gone to rest...? I mean, ugh, I...

W: ...

He covered his face.

W: Terrible greetings, right?

269

G: ...

G: Probably...?

It looked like he wanted to walk over but he didn’t move.

G: I...I’m fine.

G: It’s getting late...then I think I—

His soul suddenly turned blue, the magic quickly pushed him towards Wing before he could react, then a small bone popped on the ground and tripped him.

G: Watch out—!

He knocked into Wing, and they fell into the piles of research records, the rising papers flew like snow flakes.

270

G: Uh...

G: Are you okay?

He wanted to get up from Wing, but failed—not because of the blue magic or the bones, but two hands on his back.

W: There is a saying that if you want to keep something

W: Just hug him tight.

271

Gaster sighed, just like when he was hugged before.

He quietly leaned on Wing’s chest. The skeleton had no blood or skin, but he felt inexplicably warm.

272

W: I think...we both said some stupid things to each other

W: This even almost wavered our determination.

W: But, uh, like the kids said

W: Argument can happen over various things

W: But we will always make up, right?

273

W: In the past, I mean before I created Sans and Papyrus, I cared about my body even less than you did

W: My colleagues always said that thanks to them I could survive

W: This lasted a long time even after I had the kids...Until one day. As usual, I got injured while doing some research. When I went home, the children saw it.

W: They...I’ve never seen them crying so bitterly.

274

W: I felt confused. I asked myself, I was the one who got hurt, but why were they crying?

W: Then I understood

W: The feeling they got when they saw me hurt, was the same as the feeling I got when Sans fell, when Papyrus got sick.

W: At that moment I suddenly realized that if I continued to treat myself like this

W: I would deeply hurt those people who love me.

275

W: So please

W: Stop saying that you are not worth it, okay?

W: Stop refusing the love from us

W: Stop denying that you are alive.

276

The trembling bones made a slight sound.

Gaster sobbed quietly, with the tears dropping on the other one’s shirt.

“I want to be a scientist,”

There was a tiny sound deep in his soul.

“so I can help people!”

277

Wing patted the crying skeleton on the back softly.

W: There, there

W: Hmm...let me see your hand? It seems to be some cracks on it

W: Or, uh

W: Would you like me to cook something for you...?

W: I can use the crucible to-ah, no, of course not

W: ...

W: Forget it

His language ability seemed to have a bug.

278

Gaster rubbed his eyes and then looked up at Wing.

G: Now where is the “common skill of Gasters”?

The pale skeleton looked so tired, but Wing was sure that Gaster was actually smiling, although it was only in his eyes.

W: I don’t know where it have gone(´Д`)!

279

The little skeletons hid outside the door.

P: (* ｀ ω´)WOWIE!

P: WE DID SOMETHING REALLY COOL, RIGHT?

S: (￣v￣) obviously

[whereiswere]

Undertale Deltarune Prehistory AU

Before the War:

Humans and Monsters used to get along, although now humans are becoming afraid of monsters  due to the recent monster caused deaths and soul absorption.

Humans, once divided but now formed into a kingdom for several hundred years, realized that with mages, they had the ability to win a war with the monsters. The king reached out and found seven mages; the Red Soul of Determination that was a human known as Hapstablook; the Orange Soul of Bravery that was a human known as Papyrus; the Yellow Soul of Justice that was a human known as Sans; the Green Soul of Kindness that was a human known as Mint; the Light Blue Soul of Patience that was a human known as Napstablook; the Dark Blue Soul of Integrity that was a human known as Wing Dings; and the Purple Soul of Perseverance that was a human known as Violet.

The Seven Mages:

Hapstablook and their cousin, Napstablook, both came from a farm, neither were skilled with their magic, but Haps was eager to learn. Their parents let them go easily, as they had many other helpers, though none with magic.

The three souls of Bravery,  Justice, and Integrity were a father-sons unit. Wing Dings was Papyrus’ and Sans’ father. Their mother argued with them about going somewhere  dangerous  for nothing, but  WD eventually left with his sons to aid the king.

Mint and Violet tend to be lost in  history’s jumble, but it is known that  they eventually ended up  together  as the only survivors of the Mage Unit.

During the War:

The humans attacked the monster’s  capital in  broad  daylight, intending  to start a war, and that they did. The monster king; a large  goat  boss  monster  known as Asgore the First declared war right then and  there, the humans that attacked the castle barely managed to  get out with life threatening wounds, if at all. Asgore the First absorbed three  of the human souls; quickly becoming more powerful  then the humans thought possible. But with the help of the mages, they tore  the souls  from the monster king’s body, killing him in the process. The next in line was a kind monster known as Tutu, Asgore’s first born daughter. While she refused to fuse with any human souls; she allowed her subjects to do so. In the end, it was her kindness that brought the downfall of monsters. She  and her husband and  their son, Asgore the Second, were tired of the war.  Tutu only wanted a safe place  for her son to grow up and for her to grow old.

They invited human ambassadors over to try and stop the war peacefully, which had gone on for over twenty years. The mages went with the ambassadors, for safety said  their king. But they had  orders to seal  the monsters under the mountain with  a spell that would claim almost all of their lives. But here is  where the timeline takes a huge split;  WD Gaster, the soul of integrity, had an idea. One that would rip the very world in two. WD Gaster was going  to banish magic to a place known only as  The Dark  World.

The Timeline Split:

In the more prominent timeline; WD Gaster does  indeed  banish  magic; at the cost of his and nearly everyone  else’s humanity. He manages to banish magic to the Dark World, thus causing the  war  to  end abruptly. Humans no longer had their mages. In fact, they  had  turned into monsters themselves. The Gaster family turned into skeletons, while the Blook family turned into ghosts, while Mint and Violet remained mostly humanish, with the addition of cat ears for Mint  and  rabbit features for Violet. The war was forced to end peacefully, as the mages weren't the  only ones to become monster in appearance. The royal family ended up stepping down, and letting City  States rule the continent. Though there would be many small wars between the City States, the world was at peace. Mint and Violet have a child; a shockingly  completely human child they name Kris. As a sign of peace, they gave their child up  to the ex-prince and his  new wife; Asgore and Toriel, while  they traveled the land in hopes of completing peace. It is only fate that  Kris  would fall  into  the Dark World...but that’s a story for another day.

In the lesser timeline; WD Gaster’s spell gets found out. He is set to be executed by  the king for  treachery. But Gaster refuses. He warps himself and sacrifices himself to magic. He and his two  sons, now skeletons, join the monsters in being banished. Hapstablook and Napstablook go with them for reasons unknown to the world. But they seal the barrier from the inside, claiming their lives. Their memory lives on, if only by others, in two ghost cousins  who the human cousins became, although their memories were incomplete and they couldn’t remember being humans at all, they opened up a snail farm in Waterfall. Papyrus and Sans, whose memories were altered by their father, went to sleep until awoken hundreds of years later by a being made of fire; Grillby. They hardly remember being human, Papyrus more so then Sans, so they  embraced their new lives as Snowdin’s skeleton brothers. WD Gaster ends up an apprentice to a scientist known as Alphys, though his apprenticeship is short because he disappears shortly after he started. In the void, WD Gaster is free to roam between the two timelines, and learned a mindbreaking truth. Their world was nothing but a video game. He shared this with a Dark World fellow, who then went insane. Hundreds of years later, his sons awaken, but WD Gaster is too detached from reality and finds he doesn’t want to ruin their lives with his stories. So he just sits and waits. A human falls down, actually the seventh(eighth?) one to fall. This human is filled with determination.

Timeline 2, Freedom:

After the true pacifist route, which took only two resets to fulfill, WD Gaster reluctantly returns to his sons. Alphys recognizes him and realizes that Sans and Papyrus are the Sans and Papyrus. She tells them their story, with the help of Gaster filling in some details.

Hapstablook, now  Mettaton, realizes that he recognizes the world around him. He talks to his  cousin and they confirm it. They go to Asgore, who tells them of their past and their appearance as ghosts. Mettaton ends up saying stuff to Alphys, who in turn tells him that he should talk to Sans and Papyrus.

Confused, Mettaton does. After a bit of fanboying from Papyrus, Mettaton  gets the truth out of Papyrus, how he used to be a human, a mage in fact. Mettaton tells his side of the story, or well what he remembers anyways. Sans suddenly pipes up and tells them they should finally get married, though he isn’t sure why he says it because he remembers less then Papyrus. Like an instinct, Mettaton and Papyrus get all flusher and tell Sans to shush. As it turns out, Hapstablook and Papyrus had had crushed on each other, even flirting playfully sometimes. Their wedding is wonderful, and they finally have their happily ever after, even if some things were unexpected.

Timeline 1, the Dark World:

Kris, the child of Mint and Violet, falls with his soon-to-be-friend Susie into the Dark World. Although being controlled by some unseen force, Kris manages to peacefully end the situation. Kris and Susie often go back to the Dark World, where Lancer is having fun  as king.

But someday, they know, that the two  worlds will collide. What they don’t know, is that it isn’t two worlds that will combine, its three.

[proxylynn]

Underfell: File Name not Edgy Enough #24

Chapter 24: Drama

WARNING: I WANT NO RESPONSIBILITY OVER SPOILING THINGS FOR OTHERS. THAT BEING SAID, THIS IS HOW FILE NAME NOT FOUND WOULD FUNCTION IN THE AU OF UNDERFELL. BEFORE YOU READ THIS, UNLIKE THE NICE TIME OF UNDERTALE, THIS WORLD IS KILL OR BE KILLED. THIS STORY WILL BE GRAPHIC, GORY, USE SWEARS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS, AND DEAL WITH SENSITIVE SUBJECT MATTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THE FILE NAME RELOCATED SPOOF WILL KNOW HOW I PICTURE THIS VERSION OF LYNSIE COMING TO THE UNDERGROUND. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING DUMB. IT IS BECAUSE SHE CHOOSES TO END HER LIFE. SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I MADE IT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO LET SOME OF THIS EDGINESS OUT OF MYSELF. WHICH I GUESS MAKES UNDERFELL LYNSIE EVEN MORE TRUE TO WHO I REALLY AM. ANYWAY, ENJOY. ^_^

You know...I used to love darkness. It was the one element that felt the most kind to me. Now it's a different story. At this point I hate it. Nothing good comes when I'm in darkness anymore. If I'm not dreaming then I'm being used by a maniacal scientist as his personal experiment.

{What are you doing here?}

Or this crap happens.

"Seeing as I don't get a choice in these matters, I should be asking you that. So...Why am I here, Chara?"

{Go away.}

"Why so serious? You've been avoiding me like the plague."

{You've been listening to Gaster behind my back.}

I sigh.

"Are we really about to do this?"

{Do what?}

"A childish back and forth of 'how could you do this' b.s."

{I warned you not to trust him. And what do you do? You cut deals with him.}

"You've been rummaging in my head. Not very nice of you, bro."

{Don't call me bro. Family doesn't backstab family.}

"Heh...You've been dead so long you forget what humanity is like. And I didn't backstab anyone."

{Yes you did!}

"How? How does seeking aid from the best source of soul knowledge so I don't go kill-crazy backstab you or the family?"

{That's not the point! You didn't listen to me! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?!}

Where is this coming from?

"Dude, calm down. You're a kid. A dead kid. You should be used to no one listening."

The darkness rumbles with thunder. Energy swirls around like wind or unseen water. A form begins to take shape, distinctly that of a male child. The boy is pale-skinned, has bright pink cheeks, piercing red eyes, as well as light brown hair, and dressed in a red sweater with a black stripe across the middle, black pants, and brown boots. This is Chara...at least...Chara pre-death. And oddly he's intimidating.

{I am so sick and tired of people not listening to me.}

"*scoff* Join the club, kid. You really think I ended up here because others heard what I had to say? You can't expect me to ignore help because you tell me no. It's MY soul. MY problems. And I will deal with them MY way. Not anyone else's."

The energy gets stronger. It's starting to become visible as it clashes around him.

{Not again...I won't let it happen again...}

I don't like the looks of this. But what can I do about it? It's not like I have power here.

"Look, I'm sorry if I piss you off. I have an annoying tendency to do that. It's not intentional. I..."

{I won't let you kill Asriel again!}

Confusion seems to be my normal state of mind these days. Does he actually mean me? Is he having a moment like Sans and thinks I'm Frisk? Could he even be thinking of Gaster? Or is he calling out all the other past humans to fall before me? Either way, I'm not going to get through to him. The look in those eyes of his gives me the message loud and clear. Talking is pointless. Now I'm left to do the one move I've done all my life...brace for impact.

{Not again! NEVER AGAIN!}

As expected, his rage causes the energy to lash out at me and all I can do block. Damn things cut like knives. I can't tell if bleeding is possible here but it feels like it.

"*mutter* Geez...And I thought I had issues. *grunt* No one is out to kill Asriel! Calm down!"

He doesn't say a word. Yet the energy intensifies. Hitting harder. Pushing back. Pushing me away.

"*strained* Do you think this solves anything? That lashing out at me keeps him safe? Harming me only puts him in more danger!"

Again, he's not in a mood to listen. The energy is cutting away at me more. I won't be able to take it much longer at this rate.

"*snarl* Damn it, Chara! Don't be like Toriel and put your problems on me like it's my fault!"

For only a moment there's a break in his attack and I think that maybe...just maybe...maybe he sees that this isn't the right way of handling the situation. This hope is dashed when he suddenly rushes me and grabs my shirt. The look he has. So spiteful. It breaks my guard.

{If we're really family...You won't come back here again.}

He blasts me at point-blank range and everything flashes from black, red, and then white.

"*gasp and cough*"

God, I hate this shit. Each time I wake up I feel closer to dying. Like one day, I'll open my eyes but be unable to breathe or I won't wake up at all.

"Bad dream?"

...Or I'll wake up in an unknown place with lord only knows who.

"With the wack you took, a little nightmare is the best outcome you could've gotten. Though we still can't rule out brain damage quiet yet."

I can't see anything apart from the ceiling. A brace of some sort is restraining my head. I can feel bands on my wrists and ankles. And something else...something cold.

"Hmmm...Vitals look stable. Then again, it's been a long time since I've had to human hooked to this thing. Oh well."

Great. From bad to worse.

"Not a big talker, huh? Or are you just slow to take in what's going on?"

I am in no mood for this crap.

"In any case, the short version is you're now in Hotland. No one knows you're here. And if you ever want to go home, it's best that you cooperate."

The sigh that leaves me is one oozing with boredom. I'm numb to this. I've been here too long to care.

"You're taking this oddly well, human."

"I'm in no position to care. I'm restrained in a place I don't know. You already have points on me I can't bounce back from. So why not skip the spiel and be blunt. It'll be easier on us both."

There's a scribbling noise.

"Subject is reasonable yet bitchy after having woken up."

Okay...Now I have some clue.

"You're Alphys, right?"

By the sudden startle that shakes her, she wasn't expecting me to know.

"H-H-How do you...?"

"People talk. It's not like there are others down here that know what a human is and have done things to them before. Makes for a very select list of names."

She huffs through her nose.

"Perhaps you'll be of more interest than your predecessors after all. Aside from your soul that is."

She taps on something and it makes me snarl in discomfort. No wild guess needed that it's my soul.

"You're a first. I've never seen a human soul infused with magic before. Though it is funny how it can be afflicted with something so common to growing children and you are...clearly not one."

I try to not think about that stupid issue of soul puberty.

"Yeah, well...What can do? Stuff happens."

"Lucky for you...it's a condition that is easily fixed with some stabilizing magic. You might be able to feel it. It's rather cold. Much like everything else in this world."

So that's another mystery solved. I'm basically getting the equivalent to hormone balancers. The question...Why?

"Seems a little odd."

"How so?"

"No offense, but experience has taught me that no one does something for someone else down here without there being a reason. So spill it, doc. What reason could you have for treating my condition?"

There's a sigh and a loud click before the slab I'm on begins to move, slanting me to almost stand. Now I can see the room better, the machinery, the odd patch on my exposed purple soul, and her. A slightly corpulent reptile-monster that appears smaller than she is due to slouching. She has yellow skin/scales, wears spiral-shaped glasses, a red and black striped sweater with a matching black skirt, and topped off with a classic white lab coat with a few frayed ends.

"If you must know...He insisted on you being fully healed. I swear things would be more interesting if I didn't fix you. But no...he was going to annoy the piss out of me. And frankly, I'm not in the mood to tear him apart for scrap."

He? Oh...Him.

"Ah, I see. Mettaton is a crafty guy. Must be his inner ghost."

She gives me a questionable look.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I know his cousin and he told me."

She groans and adjusts her glasses with her middle finger.

"That information is not for the public to know. You'd be wise not to spread any rumors about it."

"*scoff* Please. If I haven't blabbed by now than I ain't blabbing ever. Besides...There's no point telling anyone anyway."

She scribbles on a pad.

"You'd be wise to keep that mentality."

I roll my eyes.

"So where is he? Dude went so far as to have his flunky give me my second bat to skull injury and drag me here, the least he could do is show himself before overly explaining some elaborate plan."

She stops writing to look at me.

"HE is getting himself and I quote 'ready to shine like the star he was born to be' end quote."

If ego was hot air that metal body of his would be floating like a parade balloon.

"But what you said makes me wonder. You've watched his shows before, haven't you?"

"Enough to notice predictable patterns. Sure, the first show is fresh. But then he repeats the same theme in every show the rest of the day. It's hard not to notice."

"Like he tries too hard and looks like a moron."

"I wouldn't say that. It's endearing that he tries when it comes to an idea he likes. Whether or not the audience likes that sort of thing is subjective. You can't please all the people all of the time. Only some people some times."

"Try none and ever. Ratings have been in the dumper. The only small increase to have happened was that time he tricked you into phoning in. Heh...I still can't believe that worked."

"I'm not heartless. I don't want to see anyone hurt or die if I can help it."

She goes back to scribbling.

"Subject is a bleeding heart idiot."

I struggle to shake my head.

"Not the first time I've heard that and it won't be the last. Yet you can't honestly tell yourself that there isn't at least one person you'd risk it all for."

She pauses. Her scribbling stops to tap the pad. But this is not a long pause before she resumes again.

"Side note...If the subject is this stupid, how has it lived this long and what does that mean for surface humans?"

I can't roll my eyes hard enough.

"So you'd do anything for that fire elemental, huh?"

This has my attention.

"It's one thing to associate with monsters. Most are ignorant of what a human is. Making it easy to blend in and not be killed. But to be romantic with a monster? And to have been so dumb as to do so in public no less? That's just begging for trouble."

My glare has her smirking.

"Be a real shame if something unfortunate were to happen to him."

"You do not want to go down this road. Not on those tires."

"You are in no position to stop me if I do."

"Trust me, doc. You don't want to make me angry. Bad things happen when I snap."

My seriousness is not taken seriously.

"I'll be sure to enjoy studying every moment of it."

I sneer daggers at her.

"Humans are such pathetic and pitiful creatures."

"And yet we won the war. Go figure."

That earns me a very nasty look.

"I think you need to learn your place, human."

"I'm strapped to a table. I think I know my place."

"Let's double-check that..."

She reaches into her pocket and suddenly I'm thrashing harshly as electricity is sent shooting into me. After the longest five seconds ever, it stops. I'm left panting through my teeth and smoking faintly.

"Seems your tolerance is stronger than expected. Still...that should be enough to remind you to behave. Right, human?"

I want to defy her. I know I can. But the situation is not favoring me. She holds the power and knows it.

"*huff* Whatever."

She smiles and heads for the doorway.

"This will be interesting. That much is sure."

The door closes behind her and I sigh. Is it wrong that I miss the days of Papyrus beating me? Fuck my life. Okay...Time to make a plan.

[Meanwhile: The Ruins]

Fear. Fear is laced on the wind. Paternal fear of a mother for her child. When Toriel's voice was met by silence alarms went off. When she found the doors open when last she had shut them panic sank in. Her child's belongings were left behind, including the flower called brother. And one look at the snow beyond the door only added to her worry. The pristine snow was a disheveled mess. Footprints. In every and all direction. The worst part is the snowfall beginning to fill in the indents.

Searching.

Screaming.

Scanning for any clues as to where her child was. Yet she was lost. Second-guessing which set of tracks were the human's and uncertain if the ones she first picked were indeed the right ones. Scrambling, she picked another set and stuck to it. Swerving and swiveling through trees like dogs along a pole line. These tracks seemed hopeful enough. Stretching further into the distance than previous sets. At the rate she was headed, she would find herself in town and the location of the child would then follow suit. Just a little more. Just a bit further and then the real path shall be clear.

Yet...Why were the trees still constant?

The environment the same?

Where was this going?

...

The bridge.

These tracks made her head back towards home. Never faltering as they beelined for the bottomless pit. No deviation. No hesitation. Just clear forward motion to death. Her heart stopped. Everything stopped. She just stood there. Staring into the abyss. Contemplating just how deep or where it led. Could the human...did she...was this her fate? No...NO! There...There had to be a way to check. The...Oh! The phone! If she was in that pit or not, the ringing of that simple phone will provide her with answers.

[RING...]

She held that object muffled in her paws. Listening to the wind and anything at all.

But there was nothing. Simply the sound of snow landing on the world.

This...gave her hope. Hope touched the monster's soul for the first time in ages. Yet this begged the real question...Where is she? Perhaps some aid to this situation will be necessary. Seems like a visit to the town is in order.

[A cold walk later]

The hour is late. No one is out and about. Except for one. One that has very limited options at her disposal. In all their talks and jokes, Toriel never learned what Sans's house looked like. With a nervous lump in her throat, she approaches the bar and trembles as she knocks on the door of the obviously closed establishment. As one would guess there is no response. So she continues to knock, pressing with her urgency. After about five minutes of the most polite pounding on a door ever, a faint light approaches.

"*grumble* We're closed. Can't you read the sign?"

She ignores the annoyance due to the situation.

"Please, I need your help."

There's a pause. The door clambers open enough to show part of Grillby's face.

"M-Mrs. Dreemurr?"

"Forgive my rudeness. But I must speak to you about Lynsie."

"I didn't mean for it to be so big! It's just a hickey! I didn't hurt her, I swear!"

His defensive words confuse her and this makes the panicked man of flame become shamefully aware.

"You didn't know about that...Did you?"

Her eyes squint in judgmental frustration.

"I did not."

A small snort of steam comes out of her snout. Grillby, feeling like shit is going to end badly, slams the door in fear. Her own fear, overwriting her motherly rage, has her pounding on the door.

"Open this door!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Please! My daughter is missing!"

"...What?"

He opens the door fully now, knowing well the former queen would not lie about such a thing.

"She's missing?"

"Yes. I can not find her. Only footprints from many bodies."

She is surprised by the real concern coming to Grillby's face. He is quick to go for his phone but she shakes her head.

"I have already tried. She does not respond."

"Hmmm...This is sounding like an abduction. Has there been any notice left for you? A note? A call?"

She mopes.

"No. Nothing. I was hoping you might have a clue. Was there anything odd you noticed on your way home?"

He shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, no."

Her heart sinks. Seeing this has Grillby goes into support mode.

"Don't lose hope. We don't have much left. You know her better than I. She's prone to getting into trouble. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I know someone that can help. Just...Let me bundle up. If you can imagine, the cold and I..."

"Understood."

Grillby shuts the door and Toriel waits outside.

[Elsewhere: the Ruins]

"Ugh...my head..."

A dazed and delirious Flowey stirs in the dark confines of a bag. Unzipping a pack from the inside is bad enough, but doing so with leaves for hands is fucking ridiculous. And while hungover to boot. After some time, mixed with muffled swearing, the great escape is complete! The flower is free! Yet...Something is amiss. The bag he was contained in was not in the bedroom as he would have expected and the doors leading outside are wide open. This isn't right. It is time to ditch the pot and sink his roots into the ground to do some stealthy investigating. Covert flower style.

[Meanwhile: in Snowdin]

"Are you certain we will not be bothering them at such a late hour?"

"Don't worry about that, Mrs. Dreemurr. It's part of their job to deal with stuff like this. Plus, you're the Queen and they are in charge of looking after her. If they don't want to go through hell, they'll help."

"I hope so."

Grillby guilds Toriel the out of place house on the edge of town. Of course, they lived in a place like this. Why she expected different she didn't know. The curtains were closed yet glowed with the light of activity still going on inside. Muffled chuckling could be heard behind the walls. She recognized it easily...Sans.

"Sounds like someone's having a good time."

"Is it normal for others to be up still at such an hour?"

"Depends."

"Depends?"

"You know. Reasons. Some can't get these kinds of moments during day hours. Others just can't fall asleep all that well. Him? I think his reason is therapeutic. Ending the day on a laugh to forget all the bad stuff. But that's just my guess."

She pouts as he knocks on the door. Sans's puns when behind the Ruins exit were always on the borderline of being sad, she never thought much of it other than guessing the outside was just terrible. Now, learning more and more, she couldn't dismiss it as easily as before. But such thoughts are broken with the movement of the curtain and door opening seconds later to show the confused skeleton.

"what happened?"

Even with no word said, Sans is smart enough to know that their being here means nothing good.

"She's gone."

Sans's sockets widen.

"...get inside."

Further goading wasn't needed and once inside the door was locked much to the former queen's concern.

"now what do ya mean she's gone?"

"Not getting Papyrus? You know how he gets."

Sans sighs.

"fine...hey, pap! get your ass down here!"

A loud thud bangs the inside of a door upstairs.

"*MUFFLED* I TOLD YOU NOT TO BUG ME!"

"the queen's here! the human's gone!"

Rampant scuffling rushes to a door that is flung wildly open.

"SHE'S WHAT?!"

Toriel fiddles with her fingers.

"My child is missing. I believe someone has taken her."

Now in serious guard mode, Papyrus joins the group.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT SOMEONE HAD THE GALL TO COMIT SUCH A BRAZEN ACT IN MY TERRITORY?!"

"what clues do you have that she didn't just pull a stupid stunt like last time?"

She swallows dryly.

"There were tracks. Lots of them. All scattered about the snow that were not there before. It looked like some person or persons were trying to make it as difficult as possible to distinguish what track lead where."

Papyrus growls lowly.

"SANS, CONFIRM THIS AND SEARCH FOR ANYTHING SHE MIGHT HAVE OVERLOOKED."

Sans nods and teleports out.

"Overlooked? I searched those woods for what felt like ages. I overlooked nothing."

"DO NOT TAKE IT AS AN INSULT. IN SITUATIONS OF PANIC, IT IS EASY TO MISS DETAILS. I AM MERELY CHECKING FOR THE BEST RESULTS. AND, AS LAZY AS MY BROTHER IS, HE HAS SHARP EYES. IF SOMETHING IS AMISS, HE WILL FIND IT."

"Awww..."

Grillby smirks.

"You actually complimented him. Shame he wasn't here to hear it."

Papyrus folds his arms and glares at the elemental.

"AND YOU'RE HERE, WHY?"

Grillby copies his pose except his expression is that of cocky smugness.

"I think any monster worth their dust would be man enough to care about what's happened to their girlfriend. Don't you?"

Papyrus opens his mouth to say a condescending remark but then doesn't due to his mind registering what was just said and putting things together now that it's clear.

"YOU...YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE HAVING THE INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENEMY!"

"If you want to put it that way, yes."

"YOU'RE SICK."

"And loving it. What's your point?"

A weird energy could be felt between them as if they had something to say yet weren't, and it was making Toriel feel rather uncomfortable. Though part of her was miffed at Grillby for being too blatant about being with her daughter while she is present.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING GOOD WILL COME FROM MAKING YOURSELF SO VULNERABLE."

Of all the things Papyrus could've said, no one saw that coming. Yet Grillby takes it well.

"I've been spurned before. If it happens again, it won't sting so much."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT."

This had the flaming man sneer and bite his tongue, holding back words that weren't ready to be said at this moment. Papyrus turns his attention to Toriel and she flinches.

"I NEED YOU TO TELL ME EVERYTHING."

She nods.

"Understood."

[Elsewhere: Snowdin forest]

The old lady wasn't kidding. The path outside of the Ruins looked like the frenzy made on kids the last day of school. The only difference was these tracks were randomly deliberate. Whoever made these wanted them to be seen. Not a thing normal folk do around here unless goading others into a trap. Following them would be pointless. They likely only go where they wanted them to go and covered up the real tracks. Bastard smugglers. They know what they're doing. Though someone was a little sloppy. A few stray drops of blood dot the tread of a couple of tracks. Who told them about a human being down here?

[RING]

Must be Papyrus. Maybe Toriel shared something helpful.

"sup."

"WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND SO FAR?"

Guess she didn't say much.

"not a lot. but from what's here, it looks like the work of the body snatchers."

"IN SNOWDIN? ARE YOU POSITIVE?"

Why would he not be?

"it's like the reports undyne briefed us on. a group goes about making distractions and cleans up the evidence made by the single soul doing the dirty work."

As if life down here isn't hard enough.

"ANY LEADS?"

Sans looks back towards the Ruins.

"her boot tread doesn't go past the exit door all that much and i found a few stray drops of blood. my guess is they laid her ass out with a sneak attack then carried her off. such active numbers couldn't have just got here all at once or it would be too noticeable."

"YES, IT'S POSSIBLE THEY WENT THERE ONE AT A TIME THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND HID TILL THE TIME WAS RIGHT."

"bet it helped that this was our worse day."

"TRUE. THESE PRICKS ARE CLEVER."

Is it really clever to take advantage of a missing worker and one too distracted to pay attention?

"don't praise them just yet. i might have an idea of where they come from."

"REALLY?"

"yeah. some moron decided to wear mtt brand shoes. you know? the expensive ones that have his likeness on the bottom."

"HMMM...MTT BRAND ITEMS AREN'T COMMON OUTSIDE OF HOTLAND. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF JOBS IN THE OTHER ZONES TO MAKE GOLD FROM."

"yeah. so either someone saved up for ages or we're looking at scum from hotland."

"YOU DON'T SUPPOSE ALPHYS IS INVOLVED?"

"Then what are you doing with the human? Because, frankly, it should've been sent to my lab by now."

"wouldn't surprise me. bitch knows about the human. and i've had the feeling she's been behind most of the reported disappearances. but you know undyne would never question it. thirsty fish bitch."

"IF TRUE, THEN THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET VERY DIFFICULT."

"so...they told ya anything?"

"BOTH OF THEM REPORT NOTHING UNUSUAL LEADING UP TO THE HUMAN'S ABDUCTION. THOUGH THE QUEEN MENTIONED THE GIRL RECEIVING A PHONE CALL BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED."

"a phone call?"

"THE QUEEN ALSO NOTES SHE HAS SEEN AN UNKNOWN NUMBER POP UP IN THE HUMAN'S PHONE. WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW ABOUT THIS?"

"can't say i do. it's not like she told me about..."

"Hell, you used Mettaton for that tile puzzle. The guy's been obsessive ever since seeing her. He hasn't stopped talking about being so close to the human since he came back from Snowdin Forest."

"It was Mettaton! He traced my phone number from the other night."

"It's Mettaton. He called me again. And you know that he knows what I am."

"*soft* BUT DID I JUST HEAR THAT SOMEONE IS LAYING THEIR NASTY HANDS ON MY HUMAN?"

The realization hits Sans like a brick to the skull.

"...*whisper* oh shit."

A faint ringing can be heard.

"HOLD ON. SOMETHING'S HAPPENING."

The soft voice of Toriel answers a random call, possibly from the kidnappers. But her worried tone quickly turns to excited hope and the word child is heard.

"COME HOME, SANS. YOU'LL BE NEEDED FOR RECOVERY EXTRACTION."

"got it. be there in a sec."

He hangs up and sighs. This was worse than he figured if Mettaton was indeed the culprit. Damn machine was the reason for a RESET on what was a peaceful timeline. Well, at least there are some things he can count on when it came to the human. The girl was no damsel in distress. He just hoped nothing triggered her soul to turn black. He teleports back home completely unaware of the flower spying on him the entire time and intends to follow to find out more.

[HOTLAND LAB: around the same time]

Alphys has left me alone for a good long time now. Letting me assess my surroundings and bonds. They're tight. While one of my wrists is slightly loose. It's a trap. A ploy. She wants me to try. To make an escape attempt. I can do it. The issue is what happens when I do. Probability is not on my side. A scientist of unknown IQ has my on their turf and has who knows what in the line of traps lined up for prey that it has studied for years. Mines. Turrets. Lasers. Gas. Flamethrowers. Swinging blades. Spike pits. Razor wire. Possibility is limitless. Yet the possibilities only worsen if I remain here. I hate double edge swords. Damned if do and don't. Argh...Fuck my life.

"*wince*"

Yanking my wrist through the restraint brings back memories of the skeleton's shed. Seems like this is my role in life. Getting taken and escape. So annoying. At least that damn thing didn't dislocate. I need to keep quiet. Though it's kinda pointless. I'm more than likely being monitored in some way. Still, my odds are better if I adhere to being paranoid and ninja my ass through this place. Belt restraints are effective but old fashioned and flawed, easy to get out of if you have a free hand. I'm free in less than a minute and rips the patch off. Medical or not, I don't like my soul being out. It makes this already messed up thing even more messed up. If my paranoia and overthinking brain are on point, then the door is most likely unlocked. There's probably even a set path I'll be forced on too. Drive the cattle to the slaughter, or so they say.

A light touch on the door has it open to a dimly lit hall. Totally giving off horror movie vibes. The air has a faint stale scent, this area most likely hasn't been active in a long time. The darkness makes the hall look exceptionally long. But down it I must travel and travel I do. My steps echo like I'm walking in an empty school. Giving me unease. Like, at any second, someone or something will pop out. I haven't felt so skittish since my middle school days dodging campus security to cut class and leave the building. I'm too on edge. A slight humming isn't helping my equilibrium either. Did she set up some sort of audio mind scrambler? Am I overthinking shit? It's a 50/50% on either at this point. So I change tactics. I run. If something happens it'll at least happen quickly.

Yet...I don't seem to be going anywhere. I pass countless doors without turning a corner. I must be going deeper into insanity or something isn't normal about it. It's almost like it's...

"Son of a whore!"

I stop and grab onto the edge of a door frame. Only for the floor and walls to pull me in two directions.

"A möbius strip? No...A treadmill. Very sneaky either way. Almost didn't catch on if it weren't for that humming getting louder when I ran. Heh...Willing to bet the motor is basic and can't push past its standard limits. Which means..."

I start running backward, the hum grinding loudly as momentum builds before stopping and allowing the convener to drag me in the direction I was headed before.

"You can't correct the way it moves until it slows down to the bare minimum speed."

I ride the out of control road up to where a door, unlike the rest, becomes noticeable, this thing has a knob. Flinging it open and jumping out saves me from that dumb endless hall. One annoying trap beat. Who knows how many more to go. At least this area looks normal enough. It's open, much like a normal living space, but it's not that exactly. The interior is faint red. There are two floors, the ground floor is what looks like a workplace and the second floor is a more personal space. I'm on the second floor.

"The hell...?"

The door behind me shuts itself, sealing to blend with the wall and its knob covered by a decorative mask of an angry looking cat-girl. Everything up here seems out of place and clearly belongs in some oddball bedroom. Beside me are five fully stocked bookcases containing all sorts of things. Alphys's obsessions and hobbies, comics, anime figures, an ice cream machine, unopened letters, etc. litter her room. It's honestly very creepy. Especially the wall posters of that same angry cat-girl that have eyes that follow you. I bumpy slide down the escalator handrail, not trusting the walkway to not be a trap, and feel instant unease once my feet touch the tile floor. On the ground floor, there is a large screen that's probably been used to monitor me, a fridge with a supply of instant noodles, a messy desk with her computer surrounded by odd instruments, and a washroom. This place is creepy. Where's the exit?

*RUMBLE*

The building shakes faintly though the sound was rather loud.

*RUMBLE*

It feels like it's moving...closer?

*RUMBLE*

*RUMBLE*

*RUMBLE*

*RUMBLE*

"The hell is going on?"

The lights suddenly go out. All is very still. Till...something explodes and sends into what I guess is a wall.

"SURPRISE!"

The lights come back on and reveal Mettaton, who is now posing after bursting through a different wall.

"SUCH A FABULOUS AND RANDOM ENTRANCE. DON'T YOU THINK SO, DARLING? HUH...DARLING?"

I am less than happy shoving rubble off of me.

"Unnecessary and overly flashy. Yep...That's a Mettaton entrance alright."

"TOO MUCH?"

I dust myself off.

"Just a tad. Though, I'll give you points for it being memorable."

"BUT IF GIVEN THE CHANCE TO RATE IT?"

"Um...7 out of 10."

"HMMM...NOTE TO SELF, NEXT TIME ADD FIREWORKS AND LASERS."

Is it cute that he's trying to be cool?

"So...Is being whacked with a bat your way of saying I was taking too long to get here? Or is that how you treat all your fans?"

His screen flashes.

"OH! NO. THAT WAS MORE OF AN IMPROVISATION ON BURGERPANTS'S PART. I DO HOPE YOU CAN OVERLOOK MY POOR JUDGEMENT IN HIS COMPETENCE."

I rub my head.

"I'll give you a pass this time. Mainly because I'm thick-skulled. But no more headshots. It sucks being unconscious so often."

"FAIR ENOUGH, DEAR."

"Well, you got me here. Caused a little trouble maybe? So now what? What does a bot like you want from little ol' me?"

"OH, DARLING...WHERE TO BEGIN?"

He rolls over to me and my creep vibes are tingling. Especially when two of his four hands start posing my arms and the other two cup my face.

"AMAZING. I'M ACTUALLY IN THE PRESENCE OF A REAL LIVING HUMAN. I'VE HEARD STORIES AND SEEN FOOTAGE, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT I'D EVER GET...TO TOUCH...YOU."

What the...? Why is he saying that in such a captivating tone of voice? And why is it making feel like a dumb cliché girl? I thought Alphys fixed my soul's emotional sensitivity? I shake it off. Now's not the time for this.

"Getting a bit handsy don't you think?"

I usually save that joke when talking about Gaster, but this fits the situation too. His screen blanks for a moment at my playful voice, though I feel stupid on the inside, before flickering randomly and he lets me go.

"MY APOLOGIES. I LET MY EXCITEMENT GET THE BETTER OF ME. PLEASE...FORGIVE MY ILL BEHAVIOR."

It's so hard to get a read on him. His TV self and off-camera self are like night and day. I don't know if I can drop my guard around him just yet. This isn't normal. I'm out of my element and still dealing with lots of unknowns. Better to play safe than end up sorry...or dead. I sigh and clap my hands.

"Be kind, let's rewind."

A "?" appears on his screen while I offer my hand to him.

"Howdy, Mettaton. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Lynsie."

He's confused, that much is certain. Though it's short-lived as he swoons dramatically and falls into my arms. Dear lord! He's heavy! Must be the junk needed to work those four arms.

"MY GOODNESS. AFTER BEING TREATED SO RUDELY, YOU CHARM ME WITH A SIMPLE GREETING? OH, WHAT MARVELOUS CHEMISTRY! I KNEW YOU'D BE PERFECT FOR THIS."

I knew there was something sketchy. I drop him.

"Once again, I encounter the creature known as selfish d-bag. I'm going home."

Not sure where the exit is but I walk away from him anyway. He, of course, scrambles to get us and zips in front to block my path.

"NO, NO, NO, DARLING. YOU HAVE IT ALL WRONG. PLEASE DON'T BE SO HASTY TO LEAVE."

"Then to prevent my irritated departure you must answer me these questions three. Doing so truthfully will have you see me remaining here with thee. But...if deception is sensed, then you shall be cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril. But since it's under renovations, I'll resort to smacking you instead."

God, I'm a nerd. Like he, or anyone else down here, knows Monty Python and the Holy Grail. However, the idea of a game seems to excite him.

"A Q&A? OH, DARLING, DO ASK AWAY. MY ANSWERS WILL SURELY BE THE STUFF YOU LONG TO HEAR."

I hold up a finger.

"First question...What are your plans for me since you have me here?"

His top set of hands twiddles their fingers while the bottom hands move as one does when dramatically speaking creatively.

"MY PLANS? OH, NOTHING MUCH REALLY."

I cock my eyes.

"Mind telling me what exactly what that is?"

"DO YOU WANT THAT TO BE YOUR SECOND QUESTION?"

I sneer.

"No. But you're not doing this right."

"HOW SO?"

"While you technically answered the question, you did so in the laziest and non-informative way."

"VERY WELL. I SHALL BE MORE INFORMATIVE WITH MY NEXT ANSWER."

"Thank you."

A second finger is put out.

"Second question...Nothing weird happened while I was unconscious, right?"

"*GASP* DARLING! THAT IS VULGAR OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE! WHILE I SHALL ADMIT..."

His hands cup my face and hold my shoulders.

"SEEING SUCH A HAPLESS FLOWER LIKE YOURSELF BE BROUGHT HERE. HURT AND UNRESPONSIVE. A LESSER MONSTER WOULD BE TEMPTED TO DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS. FORBIN THINGS. ANYTHING WOULD BE ON THE TABLE. LIMITED ONLY BY IMAGINATION..."

His voice is different. Completely monotone. All too personal. A shiver trembles down my neck. He lets the hands drop from my face but not the shoulders.

"BUT I AM NOT LIKE THOSE WEAKLINGS. I KNOW BETTER THAN TO PLUCK A FLOWER BEFORE IT BLOSSOMS. AND OURS IS ONE THAT IS JUST STARTING TO BUD."

I hate so much right now.

"DARLING?"

"Too much info."

"WELL, YOU DID ASK FOR MORE."

"Then...*sigh*...Never mind."

"AND YOUR THIRD QUESTION?"

My third? Oh! Oh shit!

"Yeah, my third question...Did you or your goon bother to inform Toriel of this impromptu adventure/kidnapping in a way that won't result in property damage/loss of life?"

"WELL..."

Big red flag warning! Fuck being nice! serious time!

"Where's my phone?"

"HUH?"

"I know it's not on me. Do you think I can't tell if there's suddenly no weight in my baggy pockets? Now if you want to escape death at her hands or mine, please...Hand it over."

He throws his hands up.

"DARLING I DON'T..."

*Bang*

He is surprised by the sudden strike.

"Don't make me do that again. Now, please, give me my phone."

"I PROMISE, DARLING, I DON'T HAVE IT."

I want to hit him again, but my throbbing hand is screaming. Change of plans.

"Give me your phone."

"W-WHAT? WHY?"

"Don't make me break my hand in repeating myself."

He rumbles and a phone shoots out of a port on his side.

"YOU ARE SCARY WHEN SERIOUS. HERE."

"Thank you."

I reach for it and he pulls back.

"AH AH AH. FIRST, A LITTLE PROMISE. YOU CAN USE THIS, BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING FOR ME."

I growl in building annoyance.

"WELL? THE CLOCK IS TICKING."

I don't have time for this crap.

"...Fine."

He giggles and hands it to me. I scroll through his past calls. My number appears under some others all marked as SLAVE #...I guess he fits in down here more than I thought. Metal boss from hell. My phone could be with any of the goons so I thank my lucky stars that Toriel's number is burned into my head. Time to brace for impact.

[Snowdin: Skeleton House in present time]

Sans returns home in the kitchen, needing a drink to replenish his magic if he's to teleport any more tonight. He steps into the room to see the other three all trying to listen to the small phone at once. Guessing they are too focused to remember phones have an intercom function.

"Child where are you? Are you hurt?"

"A little sore, but otherwise okay."

Oh...never mind then. They're just being weird.

"As for the where I assume this is the Lab in Hotland. *muffled* There are no other labs in the Underground, right?"

"*faint* THAT'S CORRECT, DARLING."

The electronic voice is recognized by all except Toriel.

"Young one, who is that with you?"

"Would you believe a robotic TV star?"

"*faint* OH, DARLING, YOU FLATTER ME."

"Make that a robotic TV star with an ego bigger than Papyrus's."

"FUCK YOU, HUMAN."

Papyrus interrupts.

"Oh wow. I expected this but had my doubts Nanny would actually do it. Who else is there?"

"You had us worried, pussycat."

There's a pause.

"Don't tell me you thought he took me?"

Toriel laughs nervously.

"*groan* Mom..."

"ENOUGH WITH THE CHIT CHAT. ARE YOU ABLE TO LEAVE ON YOUR OWN OR NOT?"

"Hmmm...As far as I know, I'm able to go. But I have to do something for Mettaton first."

"Why?"

"I had to promise to do a favor to use his phone. Mine might be in the hands of some goon."

"What is it you have to do?"

"That's a good question. *muffled* Yo, what's this thing I have to do?"

"*faint* NOTHING TOO DIFFICULT. I JUST NEED YOU TO BE YOURSELF FOR THE NEXT...OH...LET'S SAY TWO HOURS."

"*muffled* What?"

"*faint* I THINK IT WOULD BE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND IF YOU TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO TURN ON THE TELEVISION."

The mood shifts ominously.

"*muffled* You can't mean what I think you mean."

"*faint* GO ON. TELL THEM."

"Uh...Turn on the TV?"

Sans grabbed the remote before the other could scramble and with a heavy feeling in his soul hits the on the button. The screen comes alive to a timer counting down. The caption above reading "Live Once In a Lifetime Event Special". The timer has less than five minutes remaining. Panic strikes. Papyrus steals the phone.

"GET OUT OF THERE, HUMAN!"

"Okay, ow, my ears are bleeding."

Grillby snatches the phone.

"Lynsie, you need to get out of there. You're being set up to appear on TV."

The next sound the group hears is the phone clattering to the floor and sprinting feet hitting tile flooring. Other sounds can be heard. Mechanical and aggressive sounds. Then...the line goes dead.

"SANS, GO GET..."

"i can't."

"What? Why not?"

"all she said was she's at the lab. do you know how big that place is? i need to know exactly where or i'm just wasting magic."

"But, Sans, you promised me you would..."

"i know tori, i ain't forgetting it. i don't want her exposed to the underground either. trust me on that. but i can't just poof to a secured building. alphys is probably expecting interference. and trust me, it's not a good thing to just pop in with no quick plan to get out."

Suddenly the TV begins beeping. The timer clocking down the remaining ten seconds. And all they could do was watch and wait. At the timer's end, the screen darkens to black before a flashy title screen appears while glam-rock plays. The image then cuts to live footage in a weird game show looking room and then...

"GREETINGS ALL YOU BITCHES AND BASTARDS. WELCOME TO A VERY SPECIAL EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT. TO START THINGS OFF...A QUIZ SHOW!"

Mettaton flamboyantly parades around.

"BUT WAIT. WHAT MAKES THIS SPECIAL THAT IT WARRANTS LIVE BROADCASTING? WELL, YOU INGRATES, IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE A GUEST THAT'S GOING TO BE WORTH WATCHING. ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE OUR LEADING LADY...THE ONE THE ONLY..."

The camera jumps to a stand where a spotlight illuminates onto the bound and gagged human. Arms restrained behind her back and ankles cuffed to the floor.

"THE HUMAN!"

Her glare is full of rage and the beastly noises escaping the gag as she trashes in the binds make her look as dangerous as the humans of old.

"THAT'S RIGHT, A REAL LIVING HUMAN. YOU MIGHT BE QUESTIONING THE AUTHENTICITY OF THIS CLAIM. YET I ASSURE YOU, SHE IS THE REAL DEAL."

One of his hands stretches out towards her. She recoils from the grasping appendage but she can't move from the metal hand that proceeds to taser at the chest. The pain makes her screech and her light blue soul briefly emerges. Upon seeing the heart, Mettaton stops the attack.

"AS YOU CAN SEE, HER SOUL IS CLEARLY THAT OF A HUMAN'S. SHE IS 100% HUMAN AND NOT CGI OR SOMEONE IN CUSTOM. FOR NOT EVEN THE GREATEST ACTOR OR SPECIAL EFFECTS CAN MAKE A HUMAN SOUL. AND DEFINITELY NOT ONE SO LOVELY."

The assaulting hand tease touches where the soul came from and the human cringes. Though she's not the only one. Toriel is appalled and Grillby is fuming.

"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANT!"

All four of his hands clap as he moves over to podium across from her.

"I TAKE IT YOU'VE NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS?"

She huffs loudly through her nose.

"NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE. ANSWER CORRECTLY...OR YOU DIE!"

Mettaton laughs evilly yet the human rolls her eyes. The others look to Sans again.

"don't look at me. i have no clue where that room is."

Their attention goes back to the screen as the Fair Fight Field actives as if they were in battle.

[METAL CRUSHER begins to play in the background.]

[Mettaton attacks!]

"YOUR MOVE, DARLING. YOU GET ONE FREE TURN BEFORE WE START."

The girl weighs her limited options.

[FIGHT]

[ACT]

[̴͝SP͜͞E͡L̵͜L͟͠͏]͘͢

[ITEM]

[MERCY]

Her confusion is warranted. An unknown option could lead to bad things.

[ACT selected.]

[New options available.]

[CHECK]

[CRY]

She huffs and makes a choice.

[CHECK selected.]

[Mettaton – HP: 9999 ATK: 300 DEF: 999 – His metal body renders him invulnerable to attack.]

Her eyes nearly bug out of her head.

"NOT A BAD FIRST MOVE, DEAR. IT'S NEVER BAD TO CHECK ME OUT."

A screen mounted behind him blinks on.

"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!"

A question appears on the screen.

[What's the prize for answering correctly?]

A) Money

B) Death

C) Freedom

D) More questions

Four buttons pop up on her stand.

"CHOOSE CORRECTLY OR BE MET WITH TERRIBLE PAIN."

The look she has is one filled with hate. Yet she complies and presses the D button with her chin. A pleasant fanfare goes off.

"RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT! HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE!"

Her turn is skipped due and the screen puts up another question.

"What sort of crap is this?"

Grillby interjects.

"Her turn was skipped. How is that even possible?"

Toriel ponders.

"leave it to that quack to figure out a way to break the rules."

Sans says between drinks.

[What's the king's full name?]

A) Lord Deathbeard

B) Killer Killington

C) Asgore Dreemurr

D) Krampus

The human quickly presses the C button and the fanfare goes off again.

"CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER! ARE YOU SURE YOU'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE?"

She nods.

"ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET'S TALK ABOUT ME!"

She groans as the screen brings up another question.

[What are robots made of?]

A) Hopes&Dreams

B) Metal&Magic

C) Blood&Guts

D) Hate&Spite

She pops her neck and presses the B button. Once more the fanfare plays. This time Mettaton gets some attitude.

"TOO EASY FOR YOU, HUH?"

She shrugs.

"WELL THEN...HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU "

[Two trains, Train A, and Train B, simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Station A, and Station B are 252.5 miles apart from each other. Train A is moving at 124.7mph towards Station B, and Train B is moving at 253.5mph towards Station A. If both trains departed at 10:00 AM and it is now 10:08, how much longer until both trains pass each other?]

A) 31.054 minutes

B) 16.232 minutes

C) 32.049 minutes

D) 32.058 minutes

She's hesitant now. Her eyes hold uncertainty.

"Oh no..."

Toriel mutters.

"We have yet to go over such math lessons."

"THEN SHE BETTER BE A GOOD GUESSER."

The human's eyes dart from button to button. She has no clue. She picks one at random...A. A buzzer goes off.

"WRONG! WRONG! WROOOOOOOONG!"

Mettaton points at her and fires a laser blast into her left shoulder. If it weren't for the gag her cries would be excruciating.

[HP ██████████████████████████ 26/36]

She pants, biting the gag to brace some of the pain.

Toriel is understandably horrified and Grillby is worried. Though Sans and Papyrus are impressed.

"SHE'S GOTTEN TOUGHER."

"the is no pushover. the tin can is gonna learn that the hard way."

"SORRY, DARLING. BUT THE CORRECT ANSWER WAS D. MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE BETTER LUCK WITH THE NEXT QUESTION. THEN AGAIN...DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY."

The next question pops up.

[How many eyes are in this jar?]

An image appears for a split second.

A) 54

B) 53

C) 55

D) 52

Not given much time to study the image, she once more has to guess.

"What kind of game is this? She is not being given a fair play."

Toriel complains.

"ACTUALLY, AS WRONG AS IT LOOKS, HE IS FOLLOWING THE LAW."

Papyrus corrects.

"You must be joking."

"he's not. one of the laws enforced after you left the king was to stop humans at all costs while giving them some form of a chance. the tin can is giving her multiple choices and only inflicting minimal damage. if he wanted to, he could just off her right there."

Explains Sans.

"As much as I don't like it, it makes sense. With one soul remaining to break the barrier extremes are bound to be made to get it. For what is the life of one human when held next to the entire Underground?"

Grillby comments and Toriel frowns. Even she sees the point in that. But that does mean she likes it.

The human contemplates her choices and seems to do a mental coin flip before pressing the D button. This time, the buzzer sounds.

"COMPLETELY UTTERLY WRONG!"

Mettaton blasts her again in the right shoulder and her roar is bloodcurdling.

[HP ████████████████ 16/36]

The bloody gaping holes in her shoulders make her slump over against the stand. She won't last much longer if this keeps up.

"THE CORRECT ANSWER WAS A. YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY HARDER FROM HERE ON."

An annoyed groan was her reply.

"HMMM...MAYBE YOU NEED SOMETHING ELSE. LET'S PLAY A MEMORY GAME."

The screen produces a new question and image.

[What monster is this?]

The monster shown is half of a Froggit's face.

A) Froggit

B) Whimsun

C) Moldsmal

D) Mettaton

This one seems like a no-brainer yet the human seems unsure. Mostly because blood loss makes it hard to think.

"WHY IS SHE HESITATING? THE ANSWER IS CLEARLY A."

Papyrus bitches.

"Really? You think it's that easy?"

Grillby retorts.

"THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS?"

"I'm surprised you do see it. It's obviously D."

"BULL CRAP. I BET YOU 10G IT'S A."

"Fine. Just don't be upset when you're wrong."

After thinking long and hard about the question, the human presses the D button. The fanfare plays.

"I'M SO FLATTERED YOU REMEMBERED! LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE WHOLE IMAGE."

The picture unfolds to reveal Mettaton wearing a shirt with a Froggit's face on it.

Papyrus's jaw clenches as Grillby folds his hands behind his head with a smug attitude.

"You need to listen to pussycat more often. She did say he had an ego bigger than yours."

"FUCK YOU."

"Just pay me by week's end."

Papyrus grumbles while turning back to the TV.

"YOU'VE BEEN ON A ROLL SO FAR. BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE?"

The screen brings up a new and rather odd question.

[Would you smooch a ghost?]

A) Heck Yeah

B) Heck Yeah

C) Heck Yeah

D) Heck Yeah

The human and the watching group all share the say "what the fuck" look.

"GO ON. CONSIDER THIS AN ACT OF MERCY."

She sneers and reluctantly presses the B button. With no wrong choice to make, the fanfare plays.

"GREAT ANSWER! I LOVE IT!"

A steaming Grillby hates it.

"HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE."

The screen pops up the next question.

[How many letters in the name Mettaton?]

A) 11

B) 6

C) 8

D) 10

A relatively easy question except for the number of Ns at the name's end increases and eventually goes out of the screen with the numbers in the answers increasing accordingly.

"How in the world do you answer that?"

Toriel puzzles.

"it's c."

Sans says softly to the confusion of the others.

"for a second, the real numbers were there. c had eight, which is the right answer regardless of the increasing."

"Here's hoping she saw that too."

Says Grillby while adjusting his glasses.

The human is beginning to look paler than normal. The strain on her body and mind making things difficult. She wearily presses the C button, mainly due to landing on it after a slight dizzy spell, and the fanfare plays.

"OF COURSE THAT WAS EASY FOR YOU!"

She grunts against the stand, pushing herself to keep going even as her body wants her to stop.

"Come on, pussycat. You can hold out just a bit longer."

Grillby says to himself before flinching at the feel of Toriel's hand holding his. She gives him a motherly smile and it helps calm his nerves for now.

"YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS ONE!"

The screen pops up another random question.

[What's a pretzel's favorite color?]

A) Black

B) Yellow

C) Red

D) Dusk

This had to be one of the odder questions to be done though tame. The human wastes no time picking a button. Either to end it faster or knowing it, who's to say. But her head thuds onto the B button and the fanfare plays.

"CORRECT! YOU'RE SO LUCKY TODAY!"

The amount of blood pooling on the floor says otherwise.

"TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS! HERE IS YOUR FINAL QUESTION."

The screen shows the question.

[How bright is this text?]

A) 85% Bright

B) 84% Bright

C) 86% Bright

D) 83% Bright

This made little sense. The question text was the same color as all other questions. How was this even answerable to her when she can hardly even look up at the screen?

The group is just as confused. How do you tell the percentage of brightness to text?

Though after some time of no movement from the human, Mettaton rolls around his podium.

"DARLING? ARE YOU ABLE TO MAKE A CHOICE?"

A tired moan drones out of the gag.

"TELL YOU WHAT, I'LL BE NICE AND HELP YOU OUT."

Mettaton zips over to the slumped over human.

"MY MY. SUCH A MESS YOU'VE MADE BACK HERE. GOOD THING NO MESS IS TOO BIG FOR MTT BRAND INDUSTRIAL CLEANER. IN STORES NOW."

The robot plugs his latest product in the middle of a show...real classy.

"what a jackass."

Scoffs Sans.

The other soundly agree.

"OKAY, DEAR, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS STARE AT THE BUTTON YOU WANT TO ANSWER FOR AND I SHALL PUSH IT FOR YOU."

She tilts her head and stares.

"IS C YOU'RE FINAL ANSWER?"

She exhales long and loud through her nose.

"I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES."

He unnecessarily extends his arm in a twisty and bendy way before pushing the C button. However...Buzzer sounds.

"OH BOY, THAT'S EMBARRASSING, HUH?"

This time he blasts through her right leg making her buckle in pain to the crimson soaked floor.

[HP ██████ 06/36]

[Background music briefly pauses in silence]

"WELL WELL WELL. THAT SETTLES THAT, DOESN'T IT?"

To much befuddlement, Mettaton proceeds to remove the restraints and gag from the broken girl.

"*weak* W-What are you doing?"

"SUCH A SILLY QUESTION. IF YOU DIE THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS!"

She's in no position to fight this or wants to. He collects her from the ground and seems to gently hold her in two of his arms. So much red coats just about everything. He then addresses one of the many hidden cameras in the room.

"I KNOW WHAT YOU ALL MIGHT BE THINKING. BUT METTATON, WHY AREN'T YOU GOING TO KILL THE HUMAN? YOU CLEARLY HAVE THE CHANCE. TO THAT I SAY, NO. SHE WON THIS GAME. AND THEREFORE, SHE PROCEEDS TO THE NEXT ROUND OF OUR LITTLE GAME. THAT'S RIGHT! THIS WAS JUST THE FIRST ACT! NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE! MORE BLOODSHED! STAY TUNED, LOSERS...! NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME...THIS LOVELY LADY NEEDS TO HEAL. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THESE COMMERCIAL MESSAGES."

The broadcast fades into commercials. The four of them are left with more questions than answers. But at least one thing is going in their favor. Mettaton wants to keep her alive. Perhaps in the next show, she'll appear in a location that's more recognizable and rescue can be done before anyone else tries to get her. Though the four of them weren't the only ones watching the show. A small indent in the window and ground below were all the tells of the sneaky flower. His mission now clear. Save his sister.

[Hotland Lad: Medical Room]

Alphys finishes setting up life-support systems by the time Mettaton wheels in with the now very near dead human.

"Put her here."

He need not be told twice.

"Some first act. She's almost dead."

Less of a reprimand and more of a statement by Alphys while she begins plugging the human into the machines.

"I WAS WORRIED NEAR THE END. HAD SHE MISSED ANOTHER QUESTION I MIGHT HAVE NEEDED TO GO OFF SCRIPT. MAIN CHARACTERS CAN'T DIE SO EARLY IN THE SHOW."

"You're just lucky I can fix this."

"WILL SHE NEED LONG TO HEAL?"

Alphys sticks in an IV drip and taps it for bubbles.

"Don't rush this. Your blast, while clean, went through a lot of muscle and bone. Not to mention all the blood that'll need to refill. That kind of stuff will need longer to repair."

"BUT...WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE COMMERCIALS GOING TILL THEN."

The annoyed scientist shoots him a look.

"Then I guess you need some filler till then."

Mettaton cringes.

"FILLER?! SUCH A DIRTY WORD. WHAT WOULD IT EVEN BE?"

"How about you figure that out elsewhere? I need to work. Or do you want this to take longer?"

That had him speeding away as she then shouts.

"And clean up all this blood! This is a lab! Not a butcher shop!"

She was unsure he heard all that but focused on monitoring the human.

"*sigh* You are so lucky I'm bored or you'd be under my knife right now."

The human involuntarily twitches, earning a smirk from the spectacle-wearing lizard.

"Maybe you'll heal sooner than expected."

Oh, how she enjoyed her work.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Dadster #2 (Rules for Dating My Sons)

Notes: Couldn't resist adding on to it a little for Father's day! Tossing in some spicyhoney for flavor, come on, like I can resist?

Tags: Pre-Spicyhoney, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Found Family

~~~~

Sequel to: Dadster 

~~~~

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

"hey, pop, can you hand me the other spanner?"

Gaster looked up from the formula that was currently blurring before his eyes. There was an error in it somewhere and yet, the more he stared at the paper, the more the numbers floated in front of his vision defiantly.

A break was in order and this was a good excuse for one. He stood, pressing both hands into the cramped small of his back with a groan, then made his way to the other side of the lab. There was a hulking dropcloth-covered bulk in the furthest corner and around the backside, a skinny pair of legs poked out from under it. A tray was lying on the floor close by, tools lined up neatly, and Gaster crouched, considering them. A least three of them were spanners.

“Which one?” Gaster asked and when there wasn’t a reply, he sent two of his conjured hands beneath the…ah. The vehicle? He supposed that designation would do for now, deathtrap was likely closer, and he resigned himself to plenty of worries if and when Stretch got it working. He signed his question again beneath the troublesome thing and this time an answer floated out.

“three-eighths—” there was a loud clunking sound. “shit, no, seven-sixteenths.”

“Language,” Gaster said teasingly, even as he put the spanner into the grubby hand that appeared.

That hand vanished immediately, and scrabbling noises followed. “c’mon, pop, don’t you start. blue already has me by the balls, i don’t need you giving ‘em a squeeze.”

“I’ll thank you to spare me that mental imagery,” Gaster said dryly. But he didn’t bother to scold; Stretch was more engineer than scientist and there was a longstanding tradition of a certain amount of verbal vulgarity in that particular trade.

There was another clunking sound followed by an appropriately irritated curse. “sorry, sorry, this fu-friggin thing is stuck good.”

The loud bang of metal hitting metal was also traditional and Gaster shook his head. “Let me get you a lubricant, it may help.”

He ignored his son’s snicker, “sure, let’s lube it up, get it into a slippery situation, might be my saving grease.”

Gaster only shook his head, suppressing his own smile. To hear Stretch making puns and laughing warmed his soul, evaporating his frustrations over that silly equation. It didn’t seem that long ago that Stretch spoke only in biting sarcasm, mocking humor that never reached his eye lights. Little by little that tight shielding flaked away, cautiously revealing the gentle, vulnerable soul hidden beneath it and Gaster might tease, but he would never, ever do anything to take away Stretch’s little amusements.

Time and patience was all Gaster had on his side when it came to these boys, his boys. He should have been their father, wished fiercely that he could have been and spared them all the pain of their pasts. Lacking that, he’d do what he could and if a silly, vulgar pun helped, he’d listen to each and every one.

A light knock on the door halted him before he reached the cupboards. He paused, considering, then decided the lubricant could wait a moment.

"Come in," Gaster called. He already knew who it was, the only one of his boys who would ever knock.

Out of all of them, Edge was the one who resisted his overtures the most. Gaster didn't press, allowing him to find his own way and only hovered in the background, offering what meager encouragement that the thick armor of Edge’s pride would allow.

He stood in the doorway now, not quite passing the threshold. He couldn’t have been home for long, Edge’s sentry shift lasted well into the afternoon, but he’d taken the time to change out of his uniform and into a plain black t-shirt and jeans. Despite the more casual clothing, his speech was always formal, almost stilted, "Gaster, I was hoping to speak with you."

Edge was also the only one of the children who unironically called him by name. It was a step up, in a way. At least Edge stopped calling him 'sir'.

"Of course,” Gaster gestured to the chairs by the desk, settling into his own. “What can I do for you?"

Even sitting, Edge’s spine was ramrod straight and he folded his gloved hands into his lap as he said, bluntly. "It's about Stretch."

The silence from the far corner of the room was telling and Gaster very much hoped he wouldn't regret saying, "What about him?"

"It's just--" To Gaster’s astonishment, Edge faltered, looking down. There was none of his normal arrogant confidence on his twisting face and his hands knotted into his lap as he struggled for words. “He…that is…”

"Yes, I think you should ask him out," Gaster said baldly.

Bright crimson magic flooded Edge's face, settling high on his sharp cheekbones. When they’d first come to this world, Gaster had been privately worried for Edge and Red; their physiology was different than the other brothers and it was not an exaggeration to call their appearance fearsome. Never had he been more grateful for Asgore’s kindness than in those early days of their arrival when he not only agreed to allow Edge to join the guard, but introduced him personally around the Underground, particularly in Snowdin where Edge was stationed. As Gaster understood it, Edge was quite popular with the children there and protective as well.

The pride in his soul as he watched Edge slowly flourish was only diminished by one last concern and today it seemed to be coming to a head.

"I couldn’t,” Edge blurted. He did not fidget, but his crimson eye lights darted around. “I’ve always been grateful for your hospitality and—"

"You could," Gaster interrupted calmly. He left aside the comment about hospitality, pushed aside the faint frustration that came with it, "And I would approve. Stretch is a charming young man and handsome as well.”

One who did not lack for suitors and they both knew it. Stretch never lacked for company, although he’d never gone on more than one date with any of them. He still kept people outside of their family at arm’s length and was always clear about the casual nature of those relationships.

Gaster had his own suspicions on why that was.

"But I couldn’t,” Edge repeated doggedly, “it could ruin things for you, for all of us.” He looked up then, his eye lights imploring, “What if I ask and he turns me down, or if he didn't and things went terribly. It would change everything!”

"It could, that is true,” Gaster slouched back in his chair, lacing his hands over his middle, signing on with his conjured ones. “Life is change. My life changed when you and the others came here. Perhaps it will work out, perhaps it won't, but stagnation destroys growth. If you want to ask him out, then ask him, and if something comes of it, wonderful, and if it doesn’t, we’ll work past it.”

Edge nodded, swallowing hard. “Thank you, I appreciate your assurance. I didn’t want to presume.”

He stood abruptly and left without another word. Gaster idly wondered how much longer they’d all be waiting for him to ask. He hoped Edge at least waited until Sunday; that was his chosen day in the betting pool.

From the far corner of the room came words, no longer muffled by drop clothes and engines, "so do i really need to wait for him to ask or can i do it for him? ‘cause i've been waiting, he took forever to read the dating manual.”

Gaster looked over at his son, at his grease-covered clothes and the spanner in his filthy hand, the unrepentant grin on his dirty, delighted face.

"Stagnation is death, but patience is also a virtue," Gaster said dryly. "Wait for him, there’s time enough. And if you’re finished for today, I’ll thank you to clean up.”

"sir, yes, sir,” Stretch’s grin widened even as he turned back around, calling back slyly, “guess the lubricant will have to wait for another day.”

“Cheeky,” Gaster murmured, chuckling to himself and pulled his work back towards him. This time it took him less than a minute to find the error in the equation and he erased it, penciling in the correct number. Before he could finish, Stretch scooted around behind him and there was a light brush of teeth against the top of his skull.

“thanks, pop.” Soft, sincere words, and Gaster closed his sockets briefly, affection for this boy, for all his boys, swelling in his soul.

“You’re welcome. Now go get washed up for dinner.”

“uh huh, you better be heading up,” Stretch said, “blue’ll come drag you up if you don’t.”

“I’ll be right behind you,” Gaster assured him. He went back to work, absently hearing the door closing behind Stretch. He was almost finished and then he’d head upstairs, to what would surely be an interesting meal if nothing else, depending on who cooked today.

Either way, it would be a perfect dinner. So long as his boys were all there, it always was.

-finis-

[undertalethingies]

The Third Worst Day

Loosely inspired by the ninth chapter of @undertalethingems Unexpected Guests comic, and by the end of John Mulaney’s Delta Airlines bit. (“In fact, we’re gonna frame you for MURDER! [...] ~Because we’re Delta Airlines, and life is a fucking nightmare~”)

Sans was not having the shittiest day of his life, because everyone was on the surface and Frisk was being nice this timeline. 

The second shittiest day, though- well, no, not that either, technically speaking. Nothing was on fire except maybe Undyne’s house underground, and that just because no one could be bothered to put it out when everyone was moving to the surface anyway. (Please don’t ask about the second shittiest day of Sans’ life, he will not tell you and will instead have flashbacks)

Ugh, it was really indicative that this BS only ranked third.

So, the curtain opens on the third shittiest day of Sans’ life, and maybe, like, the eighth worst thing to ever happen to him.

What could be bad enough to rank on Sans’ top ten worst days list, though? (which is a list he actually made once, as a joke, and then he looked at it and kind of wanted to cry, before laughing instead because that’s just how Sans copes with things)

Well, you see, he was being framed for murder.

Flowey, specifically, was currently attempting to frame him for the death of the old royal scientist, W.D Gaster, who Sans had met maybe once in his entire life.

Admittedly, the fact that he actually remembered said meeting, and that there had been a previous royal scientist at all, was highly unusual.

He didn’t remember for anywhere close to the reasons Flowey was insinuating, though. No, the reason Sans remembered the old royal scientist had very little to do with the scientist himself and a lot more to do with how remembering across timelines was triggered in the first place.

Cross-timeline memory retention (which are the Official Science Words for it) was triggered by high levels of Determination. No more, no less. And Sans had very high DT levels for a monster. It was pretty much the only reason he’d managed to make it to adulthood with just a single point of HP to his name. (Undyne remembered a bit too, he suspected, though he’d never called her on it)

So the reason Sans remembered the existence of Gaster was the same reason he had what little knowledge he did of the RESETs, though he remembered far less of those, due to having fewer triggers for the memories to resurface. (The fact that no one knew who had built the CORE had been enough for Sans’ mind to fill in the blanks)

Flowey was saying that Sans remembered because he’d known the guy, which was just flat out wrong. The weed was insinuating that Sans couldn’t possibly due the things he did without being a scientist, which was partially true, and finally accusing him of killing Gaster, either to steal his research or because Sans was the Judge, (Nice of Flowey to out him, the little shit) which was blatant slander.

Sans could see that the others (excluding Alphys, who knew the story was bullshit) didn’t want to believe what Flowey was saying, but he could also see that, despite that fact, he was still convincing them.

Flowey, after all, was a very skilled liar. Especially when it came to convincing people of crazy backstories he’d concocted on the spot. It made sense, since he’d had rather a lot of practice.

As Flowey finished his story, Sans looked at Alphys. He texted her a question about an old promise he’d made to her that was suddenly not one he was sure he should keep. (He’d do it anyway, if she asked, but breaking it would make disproving Flowey’s allegations that much easier.)

“And that’s why- are you on your PHONE?” Flowey interrupted himself, looking hilariously offended for someone who was actively framing a guy for murder.

“Is that how little you care? You killed him and you can’t even be bothered to hear out the allegation?” Oh, so that’s how he was playing it. Sans narrowed his eyes, just a bit, before responding.

“eh, you looked like you were having fun. wouldn’t want to interrupt, ya know?” Earlier in the conversation, when Sans was still actively participating, Flowey had interrupted him several times. Alphys snickered at his jab, and hit the send button on her phone.

Sans checked the text, and inwardly sighed in relief. Seemed like he could take the easy way out here.

“Sans, please put away your phone. This is a serious conversation,” Toriel said. Sans supposed he had to agree to disagree on that one. This wasn’t much of a conversation at all as much as it was Flowey using his knowledge to manipulate the room in a way that allowed him to frame Sans for murder.

“yeah, don’t worry, tori. it was relevant,” She looked as if she doubted that, but she didn’t say anything. Sans sent Alphys a quick thank-you and stuck the offending device back in his pocket. He turned to look at Flowey, who probably would have shrunk from the ice in his gaze if Flowey had ever bothered to figure out how to read his expressions.

“so, you done, pal?” There were several winces around the room at the vitriol present in his tone, but none of them belonged to Flowey.

“Yeah, I think I’ve made my point pretty clear!” Flowey looked positively cheerful at the thought.

“good, ‘cause i’m getting pretty tired of hearing you speak. don’t want a repeat of the last time you tried something like this, right?” Last time Flowey had attempted something like this with Sans present, the weed had still been in control of the timeline. Sans had killed him before he could even finish his speech.

“Ha! You wouldn’t dare! Not when Frisk is-” Flowey cut himself off before he could dig all three of them (four of them?) into a hole they really wouldn’t be able to talk their way out of. Frisk shot him a glare, with an expression that said they’d probably kill Flowey themselves, if he didn’t shut his trap. The weed gulped audibly.

“A-anyway! Are you gonna explain yourself, trashbag?” Papyrus made the same pinched expression he always did when Flowey used that particular moniker.

“heh. sure, why not,” Sans’ grin turned predatory. 

“i’m not gonna bother asking you to back your claims with evidence, since we both know you don’t actually have any,” Flowey narrowed his eyes, probably thinking of a thousand ways to justify that, but Sans continued without giving a chance.

“you’re right that i used to be a scientist, so kudos for that, i guess. my leaving the field had nothing to do with gaster, though. it actually happened quite a while after that,” Sans preferred not to talk about this, but with Flowey forcing his hand, it seemed like the simplest solution.

“my leaving had nothing to do with gaster, and everything to do with the experiments that got alph fired,”

--

When Sans had been younger and more optimistic, he’d wanted to be a scientist more than anything in the world. He’d spend hours combing through the dump for old textbooks, and the few he found, he’d pore over until he had them practically memorized.

So when an ad went out saying that the new royal scientist was looking for an assistant, he’d jumped at the opportunity. Sans had spent hours studying for the required tests, barely even eating in his complete dedication to the task before him.

Sans didn’t know whether he’d had the highest score, or if he’d been selected for his blue magic, (a rare ability that was extremely useful for engineering) or if had simply been because he lived so close to the lab at the time, but he got the job. He’d celebrated for a day straight, and would probably have irritated the hell out of Papyrus if they’d been living together at the time. (Sans was in that young adult phase where he lived alone in a shitty apartment because he was trying to be independent)

When he’d first met Alphys, he was not ashamed to admit to having geeked out a bit. She was considered one of the greatest minds of their generation, after all. 

He’d tried to keep it to a minimum, though, (correctly) figuring that she wouldn’t have much use for him as an assistant if he was too busy with hero worship to contribute anything.

Though they’d been awkward together at first, they’d quickly warmed up to each other, and soon at least half of the new innovations exiting the lab had their roots in Sans’ ideas as much as Alph’s.

Quickly enough, they’d become best friends.

And then…

Then had come the Determination experiments.

Both Alphys and Sans had agreed it would be best not to allow the amalgamates out of the True Lab. Alphys had confined herself to her workplace, moving in a bed and her anime collection so she’d only have to leave for the occasional grocery run.

Sans had kept his status as her assistant under wraps, though, so he didn’t have to worry about being cornered by the victims’ families like she did. Papyrus had mentioned recently that he was looking for someone to go in halfsies with him on a housing lease in Snowdin, so Sans did what he did best, and ran away from his problems, packing his stuff and moving just about as far from Hotland as it was possible to get without entering the Ruins.

He and Alph stayed friends, though. When you’re the only two people who know about a catastrophic disaster like that, it kinda brings you together.

--

Sans finished his explanation with a nod to Alphys, before saying,

“and as for gaster, the only connection i’ve got to the guy is that i named an attack after him in honor of his scientific prowess,”

The room was silent for a few moments as everyone thought through his words. Suddenly, Flowey said,

“Yeah, that’s all well and good, but how did you even know about him? Everyone else forgot he ever existed!” Sans smiled secretively.

“probably the same way you do, asriel,” Let no one say he couldn’t give as good as he got. If Sans had to share his backstory, well.

Might as well take the flower down with him.

[joeyshowy444]

The snow was falling, a brisk breeze in the air, a chill running down his spine. The sound of fresh snow being promptly destroyed could be heard as the lone figure walked the path, trees swaying on his right and left, snow falling from the branches. He looked up at the sky blankly, before realizing it was just an illusion created by the royal scientist to cheer them all up. He sighed, feeling the never ending exhaustion he always seemed to have. Moments later He stopped at a door, purple in color, faded but still bright as ever. Before the humans had thrown them down here, this used to be a cave entrance,before a door was made to keep them out, though a few over the years had still made it through, by unknown means. His bones rattled, having no skin resulted in this unnatural effect, and the skeleton stepped forward, knocking on the door. No response. He waited, a good while, before leaving, the only bit of true happiness he felt.. dispating. He didn’t feel much of anything anyway, though you could never tell. He was always joking, a smile on his face, playing his part. He knew he was a joy for other monsters, and so he joked, and laughed and smiled, hating his very existence, but always smiling for those that still had joy left in them. His brother hated his puns, much to his amusement. His brother was his support, without him..well he would have lost it. He was still walking, the snow getting heavier as he Mulled over all these things, lost in his head, per usual. But don’t let that fool you, his eyes scanned everything, nothing escaping his vision.

“SANS, I SWEAR TO GOD, YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK!”Papyrus said, as his brother walked into the house. “WHERE WERE YOU? I WAS JUST ABOUT TO COME LOOKING FOR YOU,BUT ALAS I THE GREAT PAPYRUS COULDNT ABANDON MY MAGNIFICENT SPEGGETTI.” The tall skeleton, who was in the kitchen said this with such pride that it made sans smile. “ITS 5:00 IN THE AFTERNOON SANS! WHERE WERE YOU?” Sans smirked, walking into the kitchen, “I guess you could say I lost track of time..” Papyrus breathed deeply,”SANS NOW IS NOT THE TIM”- he stopped realizing he almost fell into sans trap. Sans chuckled, before contenuing, “sorry paps, I noodle I should have told you, but unless I wanted to come back an extra time, it was pretty impastable.” Papyrus promptly yeeted sans Into the next room, making sure he landed on the couch. Sans chuckled, before promptly falling asleep midair.

Sans was dreaming, and it was strange. He was walking in the underground, making his way to to the ruins, as he tends to do most days. “Stupid human,”sans muttered, regrettably. “Should’ve stayed on the surface, but now you’ve been boned,” he muttered darkly, Events playing through his head. The human had come down here, and had attempted to kill him with a machete, before getting a sharp bone through the heart, ending his very life then in there.sans pulled a small container out of his pocket, a white human soul inside. He had only heard of these when he was a royal scientist, and had heard rumors they were more powerful then red souls if you were lucky, which contained determination, but in order for that to happen it was a trillion/1 chance. But this white soul was unique. Most white souls had no traits, they were malleable to the owners own desire. But this one, seemed different. It was odd, actually. It had the following traits: survival,destruction, loyalty and love... and hate? Most souls only had a few traits or even just one, but this one had five over all traits, and they all were equal. Their wasn’t one more dominant then the other, which was odd to say the least. And then there was the trait, love and hate. these were almost always fighting each other, struggling for dominance, but in this soul, they had somehow achieved a perfect harmony. He kept walking before making a detour through the wooded area. Unknown to a lot of monsters, it actually went on for ages, but thanks to the royal guard it was left uncharted. It was too dangerous in there, but there was also something else too. The dust of monsters lost in the Great War was buried in a cemetery deep in the forest. The king refused ro let anyone go there, because he believed it would cause unnecessary rage Towards humans. But sans didn’t care. His race was buried there, his people. *** Upon entering the cemetery, sans stopped infront of a granite wall. Each section of the graveyard had these, describing the types of monsters contained, and the versions the race produced. It read: Inthis section the race of the skeletons lay, the first who were willing to jump in the fray. Numerous they were, with untold skills in magic. And because of this they were fear and thus killed by the gencidel humans. There was one human, filled with determination, a manic a best, he killed our race, until only I remained. I devised a way to steal his soul, and contained it in this wall, as a warning to my last remaining kin. A human with determination is full of sin, and won’t give up until they achieve their win. -Gaster. Sans sighed. Gaster was a powerful monster, but a genius as well. He raised sans and papyrus after saving them from a human durning the war and seeing their mother die, he told them he was their father. Skeltons didn’t always stay together when they mates, due to lack of emotional attachment from the males. Gaster had killed so many humans, that his level exceeded 20. The skeltons were alike to humans, but they posssed magic. They could absorb humans souls, but they had to be high enough in their levels. But when Gaster had become a royal scientist, he made a mistake, he created the core, an unlimited source of power, and fell into it. After that, everyone stopped remembering him, except sans, who made an effort not to forget. He wrote things down, kept pictures, and used magic to save his memories. The world strangely adjusted to him vanishing, instead making it so the Aphys the current royal scientist, created the core, though she didn’t know how it worked. It really was strange, honestly. Sans kept reading, until he hit the next section explaining the types of monsters that existed in the skeleton race.



[morethanithoughtofficialblog]

Chapter 14: Isn’t that punderful?

In which puns and feelings hit you like a brick.

*Your POV*

Something that still surprises me is the simplicity that the Underground people had in their daily lives. It was like living in a small town, where everyone knew everybody. Kids would go walking from their home to school and return safely, never fearing to be attacked by anyone. Because they knew them perfectly, and they knew them as well.

I've been learning that recently, hearing Asgore's stories. And thanks to all those generations and all those hidden memories, we could finally create one of the projects I was more eager to make: the Underground history book.

I must say that I had a lot of support on this project by a lot of people, either monsters or humans. Gaster provided me his scientific researches, Alphys and (surprisingly) Sans did as well. The three of them had an important role in the lab, but Gaster was the main Royal Scientist. Still, they all contributed with some information, making me understand the concept of souls and magic better.

Toriel got to meet and protect the eight humans that fell into the Underground, and that was really useful to establish how The Barrier was broken and why it was needed to be that way.

And well, every civilian helped me to know a general idea of how the Underground was: awful but full of hopeful people.

The most interesting part, or should I say person, it's Gerson: monster-turtle that has been living for a ton of years, and that was an important warrior in the war. He was alive before Asgore was even born! And so I spent some good hours talking to him...

"What... what was the name of your King when the war happened?"

"Reynor. Reynor Dreemurr, the great-grandfather of Fluffybuns"

"Fluffybuns?"

"Oh, hahaha! I mean Asgore, it's just a silly nickname I gave him! Don't mind this old man, hahaha!"

I smiled remembering that talk we had, being full of charm and comedy (from Gerson's part, of course. I'm no good at jokes). Monsters normally have the same age structure as humans do (years have 365 days usually, they turn one year older after that specific amount of days, etc.). That means that one human year is equal to one monster year: there's no difference at all.

And just like turtles, Gerson has lived a lot of years. According to his exceptional memory (that surprises me a lot, mine being not able to remember what I ate yesterday), the war happened three hundred and twenty-one years ago, and it ended three hundred and nineteen years ago. He was just a young warrior when that happened, he being in his mid-twenties (just as I am right now, yay! ...I need to concentrate).

Reyson Dreemurr lived a ton of years as well and married at a very old age. That explains mostly why there hasn't been a lot of Dreemurr generations after the war. The interesting fact, though, is that the eight human children fell into the Underground during Asgore's commandment, none of them before him.

"Those eight buckos, including the Prince Chara, fell into the Underground probably because the legends were starting to fade, young lady"

"So you are insinuating that people took the story as a joke, especially the kids?"

"Yep, like a bedtime story... just like us, isn't that right? Hahaha!"

Gerson was right: monsters were almost recently taken as fantastic creatures, as myths, and nonexistent. In all honesty, I considered them that as well. But if I was living in Ebott City since I was a kid, maybe it would have been different.

...

Maybe.

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I was on the Prince Chara's place... and no, I don't mean in his current place, but to actually have Toriel and Asgore as parents and have a goat brother. I wonder how it could have been to go to school with the young monsters I know, or if I would ever babysit Papyrus and help him with homework. It...

It sounds like a good life, honestly.

Way better than mine, at least.

But I realize that, even if that would have happened, life wouldn't be full of roses and glitter (that idea doesn't sound appetizing either). And I know it's rude to talk like this, but Sans's case is a pure proof of what I'm trying to imply. But maybe there was something in his life that made him different...

After all, he has PTSD.

God, I sound like a jerk.

I mean, I have PTSD as well, so... there's no difference between his case and mine. The only important thing is that his painful past happened in the Underground, the "simple town" I was describing so cheerily five seconds ago. My painful past happened in the Surface, the place all of them cherished for years.

So even if we can go on and live in Perfection Land, our lives will never be perfect. Mine, for example, was shitty and uninteresting before they came. And I only have a general perspective of their lives, but I don't know them deeply...

And we return to why monsters are so similar to us: because they have a story behind that smile. And not all people will know that story. And that includes me.

Depression is an easy topic to talk about if you find a person with the same thing. However, the reasons behind it it's the difficult part since that's what actually shows your vulnerability. So yeah, when you already have it diagnosed it's easy to tell others "Hey, I have depression!", but to tell them why or when it started it's technically telling them your story.

And when you can't tell your story and neither can cry about it, then what's the matter in feeling like not saying it? Just scream that you have depression and, well, the rest will come later...

You: Hi Sans!

Sans: hello kid

Sans: how ya been?

You: Good good, how are you feeling?

Sans: eh, i guess i'm fine

Sans: not that i'm depressed or anything

Heh.

There's no difference between his case and mine.

You: Yeah, I know how it feels

Sans: to be depressed all the time?

You: Sans

You: I'm even depressed right now

Sans: huh

Sans: then u need someone raisin your spirits often?

And he just sent an image of a raisin.

Great.

You: Sans, you are awful

Sans: hey, whaddya mean?

Sans: i put my heart in it

You: Well

You: Thanks to you, I have no raisin to continue living

You: You jerk

Sans: oh my god, i'm sorry

Sans: i never meant to make your pain more...

Sans: unpearable

You: Nah, don't sweat it

You: My life was already a peach of shit

I laughed way too hard when I saw Sans calling me after that lame pun. It took me a while before gaining my breath and finally accepting his offer.

"Hello?" I asked in a fancy tone, like if I didn't know who was calling.

"hello, ma'am. may i have a word with you before i can let you live your slow death in peace?" he replied with the same fancy tone I used, and I instantly burst out in laughter, he following me immediately.

"Sans, why are you calling me?"

"to congratulate ya. you have my respects now"

"What are you even talking about?!"

"not everyone can joke about wanting to die, ya know" he let out a laugh, then continued "and less using puns"

Well, he's right, I guess.

"Sans, just end the call already"

"ok"

He just remained silent, but the call still continued. I stared at the phone with a silly smile on my face, then I groaned silently. I heard him chuckling at my reaction, then he said he will never hang up, which was bullshit since he hung up five seconds after saying that.

Sans: are u there?

You: No.

Sans: rude

Sans: i just wanted to say hi

You: That's the biggest lie I've heard in a while

Sans: what?

Sans: can't a skeleton cover his crippling depression?

You: Oh c' mon

You: Don't go all meloncholic over me

Sans: wow, another food pun?

Sans: please berry me alive before the world ends

You: Do you know what food I would be if I got to choose?

Sans: ?

You: A donut, 'cause I'm empty inside

Sans: same

Sans: i donut see the point in living anymore

Is it necessary to say I was having the time of my life? You can't tell depression jokes to everyone and having a partner to do so felt amazing. Medicine and therapy? More like jokes and puns!

Sans: do you want a tip to deal with depression?

You: I hear you

Sans: drink coffee

You: really?

Sans: yeah

Sans: expresso expresso, no more depresso!

And you bet I laughed, mostly because I drink coffee every day. Maybe I should start ordering expresso though.

You: Oh my God

You: PEMDAS

Sans: pemdas?

You: Please End My Depression And Suffering

And Sans called me again, only to hear him dying of laughter. We ended up telling more jokes all over the phone instead of chatting, him not caring about his brother hearing. Then we both went to tell darker jokes and really cruel stuff that a depressed person would joke about... just like us.

So I really don't understand why I take my problem as something humerus, but if one thing I've learned through all these years dealing with the same things is that crying is horribly useless. And people say that laughter is the best medicine, so I'm technically helping myself and, of course, Sans.

But hey, life hasn't been that bad lately. I was admitted to have a job interview (which I'll have tomorrow) in that small company, and I have more reasons to wake up and do things of my own. And I've been trying to put myself into drinking pills again, even if I don't like the fact that my mood depends on some medicines.

Talking about medicines...

"Hey Sans, do you have the pills you need already?"

"eh..." Oh he doesn't "crap, i forgot to go to the drug store yesterday"

Knew it.

"Well, I can gift you some if you want to. I have some spare pills here in my drawer, and I think I have the same medicaments the doctor prescribed you"

"that would be nice, but are you sure you want to bother yourself? besides, they are not that cheap, kid..." he had this slight hint of doubt in his voice, which made me smile gently.

"Eh, consider it as a present" I simply answered while I shrugged, even if he couldn't see me doing so.

"kid, if i'm gonna take the pills, then..." he made a long pause, then he sighed sadly "can you promise me something?"

Promise?

"It... depends"

"kid, you need to take care of yourself as well" he startled me a bit, and he somehow noticed how taken aback I was "if it wasn't for papyrus, i would probably have killed myself by now. so i just want to tell ya that you don't have to deal with this alone. it must suck being alone with the crap of your head all the time. so whenever you want to talk about, well, anything... you have me here, kid. and paps is more than open to help as well"

Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.

...

Shit.

"Hey, thank you. It means a lot to me"

"no probllama"

Seriously-

"An animal pun? Really?" I stopped right there, then I smiled "You've cat to be kitten me"

"i'm sorry, i didn't do it on porpoise"

"That's the sealiest joke I've ever heard"

"i never asked you to let minnow what you think"

"You're giraffing me crazy"

"nah, you're lion"

And so all seriousness disappeared and the puns were all over our conversation. I'm not that good on them, but Sans is clearly experienced with them. I'm better telling jokes of dark humor than silly animal puns. Still, I tried to keep 'em going.

"oh, by the way, papyrus says hi"

"Tell him I say hi as well"

"shore thing, (y/n)"

"I sea what you did there"

And after a few minutes, the call ended, me remembering that I had to give Sans the pills before the day was over. Or well, Papyrus remembering me all over the phone, screaming to his brother to go to the drug store before he dragged him himself (savage).

I took a skele-ton of pills and put them in my laptop's briefcase (since I'm too poor to buy a Gucci bag), then I ran to the bathroom to check myself in the mirror. Decent hair, no rests of make-up... perfect. I dragged a pink hoodie (because why not) that said: "Yes, I'm CUTE: Cringy Ugly Terrible Empty", some simple black shoes and I left my apartment behind... not before going back to grab my almost forgotten briefcase.

I took the subway and put my headphones on, forgetting the rest of the world while I heard some Nirvana music. Yep, this is who I've become: a young adult that takes the train every single day of her life and puts on music all the trip, trying to dismiss my problems.

What a good life.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Arial's POV*

I heard some lively and deep laughter coming from Sans's room, my older child. I wanted to go on and check on him, but... does he really wants me there with him? I haven't been the best mother for my two children, especially for him, so... I let it be.

Sighing desperately, I went over the kitchen to see if I could do something, anything, with my time. I wasn't at home often in the Underground, so cooking isn't my strength. But if I really want to become a normal mother for them, then I had to start making dinner. I sighed again, knowing this was never the life I wanted out in the Surface.

I know this is really selfish to say, but I genuinely preferred my life down there. I was part of the Royal Guard (as a secretary mostly) and one of the most important roles in the Kingdom. I'll always let the King now if there was any problem at the schools, or if there was any planning of a protest. On weekends, my husband and I would sometimes have fun like our teenager times, or I would casually (and awkwardly when Sans grew older) visit the kids.

...it would be pretty stupid for me not to know what I did wrong. Sans trusted us, and he once felt happy when he was around us. But we treated them as only a partial company, and now he's angry and almost mad. Now he doesn't trust us anymore, and Papyrus is trying. We were never parents to our smaller child... but to Sans, we once were. And that's why he's the most hurt.

I first became a mother when I was sixteen years old and Gaster eighteen. It's unnecessary to say it was an accident, but I was too scared to try this method called "abortion", which was recently adopted in the Underground at that time. Gaster was afraid that our new son could ruin our professional lives, but he recognized himself that the abortion wasn't secure. And so I gave birth to Sans, which I don't know if it was the best for him. I haven't given him the life he deserves, and I deeply regret being too young and too stupid to not understand how beautiful the role of a mother can be. I've seen how Toriel treated her boys and how now she treats her girl, and I can't help but admire her for being brave enough to sacrifice everything she dreamed of and decided to make THEIR dreams come true.

But instead, I choose to make my ideal life come true. Because I never wanted any children... not until Papyrus, I guess. That was seven years after being responsible for Sans, just when I told myself I should be a better mother, and so I felt forced to have another one to take care of.  

I, however... never got to be the responsible mom I wanted to be deep inside of me. And so Sans had another problem: taking care of his little brother...

There...

There was even some time that I COMPLETELY forgot about their existence...

I just remember that, after realizing I had children, Sans started to hate me. He was overprotective (and he still is) over Papyrus, and whenever I tried to make him understand, he would say "you should not waste your words into lies".

Can...

Can I have a chance to be a good mother, even if now my grown son is twenty-two years old?

I...

Before breaking down in tears in the kitchen, I heard Papyrus running unheavenly fast through the door, then I heard a familiar feminine voice. That voice was not more and not less than the one of our dear ambassador, (Y/N) (L/N). She greeted him as kind as she's ever been, and he exclaimed happily how honored he was to have her in our home. She laughed politely, then Sans teleported to the living room, talking in an enthusiastic tone I haven't heard from him in years. I should have felt good, but it wasn't for me who he was happy for. It was her.

I...

I mean, she could get his trust faster than I'll ever be capable of.

I...

I don't know what to think.

She waved at me discretely with a lovely smile, and I felt more like crying. She's young and making her dreams come true because she was smart enough. She planned her future perfectly, and here she is: healthy, a bright future reflected in her eyes, and a beautiful heart and energy that both the kids admire.

I saw how (Y/N) gave Sans some... medicaments, I think, and he thanked her with a smile he never gave me. They joked a bit and Papyrus groaned playfully, then all of them went into a fit full of laughter.

"OH (Y/N)! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ENJOYS YOUR COMPANY A LOT! AND I BET SANS DOES AS WELL! WE'RE TRULY HONORED TO HAVE YOU HERE, YOUNG LADY!"

Yes, he's a wonderful child, but I can't be proud of him.

Because I didn't raise him...

Sans did.