Work Text:
"WHY DID THAT NOT WORK."
Before anyone could begin to formulate a response, the sound of a fist slamming against a hard surface rang throughout the room.
"YOU TOLD ME THAT WOULD WORK."
A sudden chill engulfed the room as the being spoke.
"Perhaps you made a mistake."
"I NEVER MAKE MISTAKES."
The reply was quick, rehearsed, causing the being to hum in what could only be described as amusement. It made its way across the room with movements that were precise and calculated. It was eyed warily as it walked. The machinery behind it sparked and crackled.
"...I AM STARTING TO THINK—"
With a raised hand, the child achieved silence.
"I did not ask you to think, did I?"
An annoyed grumble from one party, a satisfied murmur from the other. This was a waste of everyone's time.
"WHY DID IT NOT WORK," the scientist tried, once again finding himself glancing at the crumpled pile in one of the holding tubes.
There was no reply, although that was not unexpected. Two pairs of legs began moving towards the chamber that held the pile. Two pairs of eyes stared at the sight before them.
"It was a sincere attempt, at least." That was the last thing it spoke before it abruptly departed from this plane of existence. Temporarily, of course. It would be back.
Wingdings exhaled a long, exhausted sigh as he returned to his mess of a desk. The wheels of the chair squealed as they were moved, the seat itself creaking as it endured the weight of the monster. It was going to be a long night.
~~
The king's laugh was just as big and warm as he was. Sunlight poured through the windows, illuminating both their faces.
"You are very bright, Dr. Gaster ," his large paws seemed to drown the teacup he was holding.
The man in question brought the teacup to his mouth to hide his pride and embarrassment. The liquid inside shook with the tremors in his hands.
There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere. The tea tasted cold.
"So, tell me…" the rays of sunlight remain in place despite everything, "What is this new project you have been working on?"
~~
Another slow night. Little progress was being made. Seems that sitting at his desk and staring at numbers on a screen solved nothing.
"What do you wish to accomplish with this?" The being stood a few feet away, its presence a weight on the other's back.
He did not dignify it with a response. The immeasurable disappointment that radiated off the other nearly suffocated him, too.
~~
"Are you quite alright, Dr. Gaster ?" If most people looked at him with such concern the way the king did, he's sure he'd have crumbled. "You seem very tired lately."
'I Am Fine,' He dismissed the topic with the wave of his hand. He would not let Asgore hold the burden of his problems atop of everything else.
Although nothing had been resolved, the two did not speak of anything more during their walk back to New Home.
~~
Alarms blared from every possible direction. Warning lights flashed overhead, their glow coating almost every surface in the room. He called out its name as he scrambled to cross the room, trying to get to the off switch.
Turn it off, turn it off—
An unhelpful mantra in his head, like a particular part of a song stuck on loop after the record is damaged, only furthering his fright. The constant attack on his senses didn't cease.
A yelp escaped him as he knocked into one of the cabinets, quite harshly, in his frenzied state. Whatever had been laying on top of it was now, instead, laying on the floor. He didn't register the clattering over the sounds of the alarms.
Finally, he managed to reach the control panel. He all but threw himself onto it, frantically typing in the override command. He hit the 'enter' key.
Just as quickly as it had started, it all stopped.
Seconds passed with nothing but him panting for air he didn't need. He breathed out a final sigh of relief.
Before he finished exhaling, the machine exploded.
It was too sudden. The blast sent him backwards — so far that his back was close to hitting the wall behind him. He reared away from the blinding light emitted from the outburst, but failed to shield himself from the stray pieces of metal that were flung into the air.
The warning system flared up again, though for a different reason this time.
There was no time to process anything – he had to move quickly. He clumsily rushed forward, attempting to get back to the panel. Maybe, if he got there, he could try to regain some control…!
Suddenly, a light. Not just not the one from before, but a searing bright light, almost like a…
SAVE POINT.
Gaster stumbled backwards, but it was too late. The light soon swallowed anything he could see, and it - just as quickly - swallowed him.
Mere inches away, the being watched.
Silence. The room was empty. Even the warnings overhead had gone silent, no longer sensing a threat.
"Pity," the being watched as the star-shaped light decreased in size, before it promptly dissipated.