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“Sans…? What do you think DETERMINATION is made from?” Gaster asks, swinging minutely on his swivel chair.
“Oh, uh…hmm. Not sure.”
Gaster sighs, “Insightful, as always.”
With a grin, Sans replies, “Hey, just to throw the idea out there, maybe it’s not made from anything.”
“So it just…is?” He replies, moving his gaze to where Sans was stood.
“Yep.” Sans said, standing up straight from the various test tubes he had been pouring over.
“Hmm. Do any of those formulas even resemble DETERMINATION?”
“Not even the break-up of DETERMINATION. Though, this one seems to be glowing, and this one floats a little.” Sans says, writing down his observations on his clip board. Turning to Gaster, he smiles. “We’ll get it…one day.”
“Ha!” Gaster laughs, “We will figure out time travel before we figure out what that is.” He gestures to the glowing golden tube on the middle of his table. The DETERMINATION looks like liquid gold, he thinks.
“Until then, how we go get something to eat, we’ve been working for-”
“It’s been 2 hours since your last “break”. In which you slept for an hour.” Gaster reminds Sans, who grins even wider.
“I’m a busy guy, ya know?”
“You only seem to be busy when you are researching organic chemistry with me.” Gaster points out.
That’s because you distract me. Sans thinks, but out loud he replies, “Organic chemistry is difficult. People who study it have alkynes a’ trouble.” He tries to stifle a snicker, fails miserably, but is pretty happy when Gaster turns away with a smile on his face.
“That was a good one, I will give you that much.”
Sans shrugs, “I’m serious about that break though. You need to take things easier.”
“But this DETERMINATION…I need to know everything about it.” Gaster says, leaning his elbows on his desk to rest his face in his cupped hands.
“You said that about your portable black holes.” Sans mentions, walking over to sit on the desk.
“Well, I got one to work in the end!”
“You mean the black mole?” Sans asks, leaning back on his hands.
Oh please, Sans.That one…that was a bad one.” Gaster mutters.Oh please, Sans.
“Hmm? What can I say? All the good chemistry puns Argon.” Sans says with a wink, giving out a short laugh when Gaster groans.
“Why, oh why do I put up with you?”
“Because I’m the best scientist around of course.”
*Second best. Gaster corrects with a smile. *Second best.
Sans pauses to figure out what Gaster said, then he gasps and places a hand on his forehead. “I'm wounded”
Gaster only smiles. “Let us go have lunch, you won’t stop pestering me otherwise.”
“Aww c’mon, I don’t pester you at all. In fact, I think you love talking to me.” Sans says.
“I would beg to differ.” Gaster replies. It’s a lie of course, and they both know it.
“Ah well, maybe I’ll just have to eat on my own.” Sans said, slipping down off the desk to walk to their lab’s kitchen.
“If I let you do that I doubt you would come back to work again.” Gaster says, standing to follow him down the hallway.
“Heh. Probably true. Would be better if we went to Grillby’s.”
“Then neither of us would come back down here to work.” Gaster says, shrugging of his lab coat and tossing it on the kitchen’s sofa.
Now, now, Sans, keep your eyes to yourself. Sans berates internally, but even so his eyes wander over to Gaster. Who turns to him with a question. Sans whips his head to the side, hoping that it will hide his blush.
Sans?Sans?
“Y-yeah?”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Eh-uh, um just a burger.” Sans replies, stuttering over his words.
“Of course.” Gaster hums. “I think I will just have soup.”
Sans tries to calm himself, and puts his lab coat with Gaster’s. Sitting at the table in the middle of the room, Sans idly swing his legs and thinks about Gaster. How could he not really. As he hums to himself, Sans thinks about how close they would sometimes work together, sometimes their arms brushed against each other’s. Sometimes, they would both have worked so hard on something they would fall asleep on the sofa together! Those, Sans thought, are the best moments of my life so far. Even if they didn’t hug while they slept, which would result in Sans not sleeping at all, it was still worth it sometimes to see if Gaster would let Sans rest his legs in his lap.
“Are you spacing out again, Sans?”
“W-what? No, no I’m not.” Sans said quickly, folding his arms on the table while keeping his face neutral.
Gaster sighs, with a resigned smile. “As I was asking…I have never seen you battle someone.” Gaster then brings their food to the table, and sits down. “Are you just too lazy?”
“Heh…uh, yeah. Probably.”
“Or, maybe you’re not confident fighting?”
“Uhh…”
“An incredible pacifist?” Gaster asks again, watching as Sans gets more and more flustered with each question.
“I-uh…don’t um..well…” Sans mumbles, sure that his answer will result in a laughing fit. And not from him.
“Hmm. You are mumbling, care to speak a little louder?”
“Are you gonna laugh if I answer?” Sans asks carefully, not looking at Gaster.
“I promise that I will not laugh.”
“Ah…okay. Well, it’s pretty simple really.” Sans says. He looks up with a forced smile and a wink. “I don’t know how to.”
Gaster blinks, then slowly a smile spread on his face, and he chuckles a little.
“Aww c’mon you said you wouldn’t laugh.”
“I am not!”
“If I had a heart it’d be so broken right now.” Sans sighs. He pushes his food around on his plate, knowing full well his cheeks are on fire.
“I am sorry, Sans. In that case, let me help you.”
“Uhh…”
“Well, I know how to fight. And I have a great special trick up my sleeve.” Gaster said, taking a sip of his soup.”
“Nah, it’s cool, you don’t have to.” Sans replies. “’Sides, Papyrus already tried to help.”
“Not even for…are you sure?” Gaster asks again, knowing that any kind of secret would tempt Sans into agreeing.
“Not…even for…what exactly, G?”
“These.” Gaster says simply, and with just a little magic from his Soul, he feels the familiar existence of what he’d dubbed, “Gaster Blasters”.
“H-hey! What are you- oh my god-!” Sans sputters, obviously seeing the giant skulls floating behind Gaster. He moved back from the table, shaking a little.
“Uh, Gaster?”
“Don’t worry Sans, I can control them. I can teach you. I don’t want you to be defenceless, you know.”
“Awww, you care about me?” Sans says shakily, but he still sends a wink at Gaster.
“Hmm.” But inside, Gaster glows somewhat. “Maybe we should finish up in the lab first.”
“But I wanna see how good of a Gaster Blaster Caster you are now.” Sans says with a grin.
“Please, Sans.”
“I wonder if it would be-”
“Sans.”
“A Gaster Blaster Caster-”
Sans! Sans!
“Disaster.” He finishes, laughing as Gaster grumbles.
“Why-ever I put up with you…” He mutters, then takes his now empty soup bowl to the sink. “And put your plate away too, Sans.”
“Nah.”
“In that case-”
But a chilling CRASH resonated from down the corridor, echoing down the hall and sending a shock through the floor.
“Uh, G?”
“We should go.”
The two realised that at the same time, both rushing down the hall which looked to be splattered with a white dust.
“What did you say those…test tubes…” Gaster started to say…but he trailed off as he entered the lab room. Heavens... Heavens...
“What…is that?” Sans asks, repulsion evident in his voice.
By an overturned table and many smashed test tubes, there was what could only be described as an ivory coloured writhing lump, with glowing specks of yellow eyes moving around its form.
“I..do not know what…to do about this.” Gaster mutters, “But I do not think it has noticed us yet.”
“Whatever it is,” Sans whispers, shivering, “It feels like it’s in pain.”
Gaster kept his eyes on the writhing lump, and edged slowly towards it. “You feel it too. Interesting.”
Knowing better, Sans stayed by the door and watched in horror as Gaster moved towards it. It was only just bigger than Sans.
Do you feel anything? Gaster asks in a quiet voice, like if he was talking to a lost child. Do you feel anything?
“Don’t think it would understand that.” Sans mentions.
“I have its attention so it worked.” Gaster replies quietly.
“I-um, it’s shaking- is it laughing?” Sans gasps, stepping forward to look around Gaster at the lump. It was now shrieking, and convulsing, if it even could, and growing immensely in size.
“Uh, G, you should probably get away from it…” Sans whispers, watching on in shock while Gaster moves slowly backwards.
“This is a predicament...” Gaster hums, “I wonder how we should-”
“Watch out!”
“Wha-” Gaster gasps, but he was flung to the side by what could only be called an invisible force. Ahh!And then to the other side. And then into a wall. Ahh!
“H-hey!” Sans shouts, running into the middle of the room. “Pick on someone your own size!”
“Sans, that does not really work right now-”
“Gaster.” Sans almost growls, shrinking a little as the lump leans towards him.
“What?”
“Could you be my knight in shining armour and save me?”
“I am not your knight.”
“But I’m your princess.” Sans can’t help but say back, with a short laugh. The lump quivers and shrieks again, moving towards Sans.
“I am not flirting with you.” Gaster mumbles, but he feels his face heat up anyhow. With a sigh, he summons a Gaster Blaster and easily fries whatever the lump had been into a smoking pile of glowing ash.
“T-thanks.” Sans says quietly.
“Do not mention it.” Gaster replies, looking mournfully at the ruined tiles. “Maybe we did something wrong?”
“Don’t see how we could have.” Sans says bitterly, which makes Gaster stop for a second, and look at Sans. He had a light blue dust across his cheeks, and was looking at the floor. In fact, he was looking anywhere but Gaster.
“You know…” Gaster starts, walking towards Sans. “I believe you have 11 protons.”
“What?” Sans asks, looking up at Gaster in confusion.
Gaster smiles, sticks his hands in his pockets and, again, feels his cheeks heat up. “I mean, you must have 11 protons because you are sodium fine.”
Sans practically giggles, his cheeks get a little brighter, and Gaster almost feels like everything is right again. Apart from one more thing.
“Sans, would you like to go to Grillby’s?”
“Oh sure why not.” Sans agrees, starting to walk to the lab door.
“Maybe I should rephrase that, I’m taking you to Grillby’s.”
“Isn’t that the same thing.” Sans turns around with a questioning smirk.
On a date, Sans. Gaster mumbles, a shy grin on his face. On a date, Sans.
“Uh, Gaster, I still have no clue what you say when you speak like that. Still learning.”
“I meant, on …a uh…well, um, a…date, perchance.” Gaster mumbles, rocking on his heels a little.
“Oh.” Sans says blankly. Date. A date! “Yes!” He says, enthusiastically, then he stutters in embarrassment, “I mean, uh, yeah…that’d be cool.”
“Then, we should go. I think we can clean this mess up…later.”
“So, you mean never?” Sans says with a laugh.
“Let us go, Sans.” Gaster sighs, but he still has a smile on his face.
When they walk down the corridor, they silently hold hands. Both were still blushing, but smiling all the same.