Chapter Text
I sat down at the desk, crossing my arms behind my head and kicking my legs up onto the table. These university desks were anything but comfortable, what with the chair being stuck to the side of the table and too small for me. At least I had found a way to put my feet up somehow. One of the benefits to being small.
I glanced around, taking in the posters while I waited. Pretty lackluster, but a few had some decent puns. The walls of the classroom were pristine, scrubbed clean by the janitors daily. I could even smell the cleanser in the air. Not sure how, seeing as I didn’t have a nose. Maybe the cleaning stuff they used was just that strong. If I did have a nose though, it would be scrunched up in disgust.
I yawned as Asgore walked in, shaking the smell out of my skull. “How’s it goin’, Fluffybuns,” I asked casually.
He blushed very lightly before chuckling. “I'm never going to live that one down, am I? I am happy to see you accepted our invitation.”
“Wouldn't have missed it for the Underworld.”
With a smile as broad as his shoulders, the king moved to front of the room. He glanced at me, his eyes taking a more serious, kingly gleam. “Now, I know of your reputation as a comedian. However, I have called you here for a very serious reason, Mr... Er…”
“Sans is fine.”
Asgore looked relieved for some reason. “Sans, I trust you will be on best behavior when you meet the Royal Scientist?”
“I assure you I can be very serious, sir.” He nodded approvingly before taking a seat in the chair at the front. I couldn’t hold back the soft snicker of mine as he did.
PBFFFFPFBTTTTTTTtttttttfff…
My grin only went wider as Asgore’s face grew red. Classic. “Erm…”
“Sorry. Should’a warned you. Some weirdo keeps putting whoopee cushions on the chairs.” I wave my hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”
Asgore smiled lightly, eventually chuckling himself at my prank. “Alright, Sans. I believe you should keep such jokes to a minimum in the future - but, presently, I will admit that your prank was rather amusing.”
“The whoopee cushion trick never fails to amuse. Why should I stop the jokes, though? Who doesn't like a good prank?”
“The good doctor does not much care for practical jokes. He is very introverted. In fact, I am amazed at that he's requested to meet you at all.”
I took my feet off the desk, somewhat more interested now. “What happened that the royal scientist wants to meet me, of all people?”
“Simple. We require your help, Sans.” He stood again, walking to the window. A few spare rays of sunshine managed to drift through the cracks in the caverns above. The lights flickered. I glanced up and scowled at them as Asgore spoke. “As you must know by now, we’ve been having some troubles with the CORE.”
“Been kinda hard to miss.”
Asgore shut his eyes, shaking his head. “I'm afraid that we’ve encountered some problems with the population increasing. It is not bad now, but it will grow to be in the future. We’ve been… running some tests on the CORE recently, and it cannot keep its charge if more is added to the grid. The energy fluctuations you’ve been seeing are due to our tests.”
“So basically, more monsters means less power, and less power means a lot of unhappy monsters.”
“Bluntly put, Sans.”
I shrugged. “I’ve been known tibia blunt skeleton, sir.” I winked at him. He just rolled his eyes. I guess he was getting tired of my jokes already. “So what does the CORE have to do with me? I didn’t really get a P.h.D in geothermal physics.”
“We know. The problem is not solely with the energy output of the CORE. We’ve been having some… security issues recently. Your puzzle making skills are rather renowned in the Underworld. We were hoping you could help us with the security of the various floors, and, if you have knowledge on the subject, help us with the energy outputs as well. You’re certainly qualified for more than just… Apologies, but what was your field of study?”
“Quantum physics, I guess. More just quantum theorization.”
I thought about what he was suggesting. Not bad, but it must've been obvious I was on the fence. "The doctor requested you specifically," he added. "He looked at your thesis and told me you would be indispensable."
I chuckled and shrugged. “Alright, enough flattery. That thesis was rough. Probably just needs a new intern." That would be fine with me, but... "It doesn’t sound like too bad a job. What’s in it for me, though?”
Asgore looked back to me. “You would have a very large paycheck.”
I lit up a bit as he said that. I was always trying to find more money. Me and my brother might be staying in the Capital right now, but the city is no place for us. We’ve always wanted to move to Snowdin. Somewhere more secluded. With this job providing more money, I could easily help pay for a new house, one where we could train easily...
But how long term was this job supposed to be? If we moved that far away, it would be a bit of a hike to the lab. Not that I wouldn’t be able to do it. It would be a hassle, but I could do it. Still… did I want to be making puzzles for the rest of my life? They got pretty boring after a while. Puzzles were more Papyrus’s thing… It seemed worth it, though. “I’ll agree on two conditions.”
“Oh?”
“First, I get my paycheck at the beginning of every month, not the end. That stuff will help me and my bro sort things out.” Asgore nodded - seemed it wouldn’t be an issue. “Second, I’ll help you with the CORE, and then I can do whatever I want. I can leave the job, or work on anything I want in the big old lab.”
Asgore’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded nonetheless. “Very well. So long as you promise no harm comes to anyone in your working, then I can assure you that these demands will be met.”
“I promise.” I smiled a bit brighter. “Though, I can't believe you don't trust me. Do I look like someone who could even hurt a fly?”
“Yes. You do.” I opened my mouth to reply, but Asgore held up his hand. “I am sorry to interrupt you, Sans, but the doctor did give me a request. He wants me to take you to the laboratory. I think he wants you to know everything about the lab as soon as possible.”
I tossed the idea around in my head for a few seconds. “Eh, I've got nothing better to do today. It’s either that, or suffer through Papyrus’s cooking.”
Asgore tilted his head. “I suppose Papyrus would be your brother, then?”
“Yeah. He’s a little bit… Uh… Let’s just say he needs his bro looking out for him.”
Together, we made our way out of the university and headed towards Hotland quickly. I was panting and huffing by the time we got there. Wish there was a shortcut or something. Asgore walked up to the door and it slid open. Fancy.
We both walked in. I sighed softly; everything was still squeaky clean. I hated places like this. The main laboratory should be swept up every so often, sure, but this level of cleanliness was downright unnatural. And didn’t this doctor guy live alone? What kind of guy can manage to keep things this clean while still living alone in this big lab?
I stood by the desk, glancing at the notes there. I would’ve raised an eyebrow if I had any. “Either this doc got his P.h.D in bad handwriting, or I’m going blind.” I squinted a tiny bit. It looked more like drawings or symbols than writing… I shook my head. Dizzying to look at.
“I forgot to mention. The doctor has a few idiosyncrasies. I believe you two will get along well together, though you might struggle at first.”
I looked over to Asgore, ready to ask him to clarify some things. Just then, the elevator doors opened. I shoved my hands in my pockets and watched the good doctor walk up.
The first thing I noticed was that he was a skeleton. Heh. We might be related. He was a little shorter than Papyrus, but despite his height, his jacket still swept the floor lightly. Maybe that's how he kept it so clean. He also wore glasses, taped to his head due to the lack of ears. But, the most noticeable part of the doctor was his scars. I'm not sure where he got them - most likely from experiments or a dangerous childhood - but his skull was cracked in places. Namely, around his eye sockets. This was clearly a man who had seen some things.
I offered up my hand. He nodded, taking my hand and shaking it. He felt almost frail through those white gloves he wore. “A-Are you the s-student,” he stuttered out softly. His voice was almost a whisper; it was hard to hear him.
I nodded, taking my hand back. It instantly went back to my pocket. “Yep. You must be Doctor Gaster. Call me Sans.”
He tilted his head lightly. “Yes...” He glanced at Asgore. “Thank you. I-I’ll take it f-from here.”
“Alright, Doctor. Shall I send you the terms of his employment later? It will be easier than discussing them.” Gaster just smiled and nodded. “Very well. I'll leave you two to it, then.” With a small smile, Asgore walked out.
I glanced around. “So, uh… Pretty nice place. Bit too clean, but eh, not bad.”
“T-tour?”
I nodded. “Sure.” Gaster walked back to the elevator, hitting the button to go downstairs. I supposed that the main lab was below us. Upstairs was probably just his bedroom. I took one last glance around the main hallway before the doors opened. With a sigh, I joined him in the elevator. “Boring place so far.”
Dr. Gaster didn’t respond, punching in a destination. I glanced over at him. He seemed pretty content to let us ride in silence. “Not much of a talker, eh?”
“B-bad with words.”
That explained the short sentences then. Made sense why Asgore had suggested sending my papers through the mail. “I can talk enough for the both of us then.” Gaster’s eyes narrowed slightly as he frowned - at least, the closest a skeleton could get to frowning. I laughed, patting him on the back, making him stumble. “Ah, it’s alright big guy. Ulna-torture you with jokes the entire time.” I just grinned as he sighed softly. This would be a good tour.
And it was. Looking back on it now, I miss it. It’s a little hard to remember after all this time, but I've burned the images into my mind. After everything that’s happened, all of the memories have come flooding back. Bound to happen at some point, I guess. Still… I'm not sure what else to do now but write it all out. So, if you’re reading this… don't judge me too hard. It was all my fault, but please, don't bring it up. I've already gotta live with the mistakes.