Chapter Text
It'd been a few hours since you sat down and were wholly consumed by your work. The world consisted of your laptop, your music, and your drink. Nothing else mattered. Not the other patrons of the cafe. Not the phone sitting next to you. Not even your growing hunger.
Nothing mattered, which is exactly why you didn't notice the person across from you. Glancing up to rest your eyes for a moment, they immediately landed on him. You had to do a double take.
He was a skeletal man, with long cracks extending under one eye and over the other. The disks of light that acted as his pupils were the lightest of purples, and fuzzy on their rims. While put together, in his sweater, slacks, and coat, his posture screamed exhaustion. His stare was expectant and mildly irritated, but that wasn't so unusual for him.
You knew this, of course, because he was your best friend.
"Dings?" you questioned. Scrambling to take off your headphones, you looked him over. "What're you doing here?"
He scoffed, reached across the table, and took a sip from your drink. "You weren't at your apartment."
"You went to my..." you shook your head. "I haven't seen you in months! If you'd called I would've-"
"I did call," he interrupted. You checked your phone and frowned. You must've missed the vibrations.
"Huh, well, what's up?" you asked after a moment. Grabbing back your drink, you gulped the rest of it down. You'd probably need the caffeine.
He gave you a serious look. "I require your assistance."
"Oh!" you smiled, then frowned. "Oh. I'm totally up for the work, but my rates changed. Sorry dude, rent was upped again."
"Again?" he questioned, irritation clear in his voice. "Is that legal?"
"Even if it wasn't, I couldn't do anything about it," you replied with a shrug. "Anyways, I'll still give you a friendship-discount, it'll just be a bit more. Sorry."
"It is no issue," Gaster assured you before looking away. "While I do actually have that sort of work for you, I came here to request a different sort of assistance."
You perked up and grinned. It wasn't often that Wingdings asked for favors. "Oooh, of the friendship kind?"
Gaster shifted uncomfortably. "In part."
You shut your laptop and leaned forward in your seat. "Do tell."
"Hm. It partially involves why I haven't been available for so long," he began. As he spoke, he traced one of the holes in his hands.
"Your family emergency," you filled in. "I didn't even know you had family."
"It is… complicated," he replied. "After an accident of sorts, eight of my… cousins required a place to stay. Needless to say, my apartment couldn't fit them. This last month I have spent transferring us to larger accommodations."
You let out a breath. "Wow that… that really is an emergency. Sorry for annoying you with texts so often. You must've been busy."
"On the contrary, your texts provided a bit of solace in the chaos my life has become," he replied with a rare half smile. It quickly dropped. "Which brings me to why I need your help. You are reasonably good at housework, correct?"
You laughed. "Uh, yeah. Most people are beside you, Dings."
He waved away your insult. "Yes, but you enjoy it."
"Sure. Where is this going?"
Gaster went back to rubbing his hands. "I did not anticipate the mess that having so many people live in one space could cause."
"So hire a housekeeper," you replied with a smile.
He gave you dry look. "I am trying to."
Your eyes widened. "Wait, you want… me to be your housekeeper? Dings, I'm flattered, but I dunno if I'm qualified or comfortable with that. Why don't you go to an agency?"
"Eight relative strangers at present live in my home. I don't particularly want to invite another one in."
Wow, he and his cousins must not be close. "But-"
"I know you don't like working under people," he interrupted. "And that's not what I'm looking to do to you. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I merely require a bit of help handing it. Please, I am at my wit's end."
Gaster never says please. It was one of those things you had to get used to with him. He was a very straightforward guy and didn't much care for social norms. You sighed and leaned your face into your palm. "Fine, I'll help you."
His good eye widened. "I… did not expect you to agree."
"What're friends for?" you replied with a small smile. "Do you think weekends would work? I could try for weekends, but you know how much I work-"
"I was hoping more for a live-in arrangement," Gaster said.
You looked up at him in surprise. "What?"
He scoffed. "You didn't think I'd ask for so much without doing something for you, did you? My new accommodations have more than enough room. Rent-free, of course. No more dealing with your frankly atrocious living arrangements."
Biting your lip, you tried again. "Gaster, I couldn't intrude on you like that-"
"You wouldn't be. Not only would you help significantly with the cooking situation, but having someone familiar in the space would be reassuring," he replied flippantly. You smiled. That was probably the sweetest thing he had ever said to you.
Still, you were nervous. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden on you."
"The idea that your presence could make even a dent in my savings is ridiculous."
There was that familiar arrogance.
You sighed and gave him a thankful smile. "I'm trusting you on this Gast, you know how much I hate relying on people."
"Indeed, I do."
"So," you put your laptop away. "When can I move in?"
Looking at your pile of things, you couldn't help but feel a weight fall off you. Sure, technically you had paid to rent the room for the whole month, but Dings apparently needed you ASAP. You couldn't help but wonder about those cousins of his again.
"My cousins are very… particular. I will email you important information."
You thought he was going to send over cleaning specifications, not a character study. Pictures were attached, along with names and quirks. The number of his cousins with irritable listed as a personality trait was... concerning.
"If any of them cause you any trouble, inform me immediately. I will take care of it."
You sighed and taped up the last box. It didn't take long to pack, given your sparse belongings. You didn't know if that made you frugal or poor.
Probably both.
Your phone rang, and you hurried to pick it up. It was Gaster. "Hello?"
"I am in front of your building."
You looked out the window and there he was… with two others. "Are those…"
"My cousins, yes. Pascal and Atlas. They offered their assistance when I informed the group of our arrangement. That is why I called, to inform you of their presence. You read my email, correct?"
"Uh, yeah. It was… informative. You guys can come on up, all my stuff is ready."
He hung up and you straightened your clothes. Good impressions and all that.
There was a loud knock on the door that you rushed to answer. Before you could introduce yourself, you hand was grabbed and shaken rapidly.
"HELLO, HUMAN! IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU. I AM PASCAL THE GREAT!"
It was one of the sticks. Gaster's cousins were either stick-ish or round, so you had divided them into two groups. Pascal was very tall and exuberant. For how traditional his skull was, it was surprisingly expressive. His smile seemed genuine.
Your other hand was taken. "AND I AM ATLAS THE MAGNIFICENT!"
The cutest of the round ones, Atlas, was maybe an inch or two taller than you if you were being generous. Rather than being anatomically correct like Pascal, Atlas's skull was almost cartoonish. With how wide his eye sockets were, you could clearly see his baby blue pupil-disks.
Taken off guard, you smiled hesitantly. "Nice to meet you both."
"Quit crowding." Gaster cut in between his cousins and into your ex-home. He eyed your belongings. "I knew you didn't have much, but this is a bit extreme. Where is your bed frame?"
"Had to sell it to make last months rent," you replied, pointing at your mattress. "Luckily, beds work just as well without them."
Gaster gave you an incredulous look. "You are joking, surely."
"Not everyone has a steady job, Dings," you responded with a teasing grin. "Or heaping piles of gold."
He grunted in recognition. After a small gesture, four phantom hands appeared and lifted some of your things. "Let us get started."
"RIGHT!" Pascal and Atlas said in unison, grabbing as many boxes as they could. They seemed to make up some sort of competition on the fly and were soon running down the stairs.
You winced. "They won't break anything, right?"
"Despite appearances, they are self-aware," Gaster said in answer before exiting as well.
Taking his words as truth, you grabbed your share and started on the long walk downstairs.