Chapter Text
You awoke exactly three minutes before your alarm was supposed to go off, feeling well rested and refreshed- for once. Thank heaven for small favors. Despite this pleasant start to your day, you couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had been looming over you for the past week. Leaning over to grab your phone, you squinted groggily at the latest two text messages. They were from your best friend.
"Good luck at the new job!" it read. "You'll do just fine," read the next.
No matter your recently earned degree in Mechanical Engineering, you still didn't feel prepared for your impending responsibilities. The lab you'd be working at specialized in many fields of science, and took in people of all backgrounds and skill levels. Hopefully, they'd go easy on you at first.
You couldn't deny that there was some excitement hidden behind your anxiety. "All backgrounds" included all species. You'd surely be working with a few monsters, the race which had come flocking to the surface only a few months ago. You held none of the hostility towards monsterkind that some humans raged with, but you were definitely a little apprehensive. Sure, they seemed nice enough, but some of them looked downright...frightening.
It probably didn't help that your first impression of a monster had been particularly intimidating. Not in the way he acted- on the contrary, he was very polite. Perhaps even a bit shy. It was the way he looked that made you nervous. He was, to put it simply, huge. If you had to guess, you'd say he was around eight feet tall. His skin was ghostly pale, standing in great contrast to the black, jagged scars that splintered down from his left eye to the corner of his mouth and up from his right eye to the back of his head. The scleras of his eyes were pitch black, the irises a bright purple. If you had to choose one word to describe them, demonic would likely come to mind. Truthfully, your neighbor was not the most approachable looking person you'd ever seen.
However, you'd never been one to judge solely by appearance. He lived three apartments down the hall from yours. You'd watched him emerge weekday mornings with his oddly long fingers wrapped around the handle of a black briefcase, presumably to go to his place of work. You were reluctant to approach him at first but, in an attempt to both be nice and to satisfy your curiosity, you'd given him a timid smile and a quiet "Good morning," as you passed in the hallway one day. It took him a moment to respond, but when he'd realized the gesture was indeed directed towards him he returned it kindly, albeit awkwardly. His voice was deep, slightly raspy, and much quieter than you'd expected. It almost sounded hoarse from disuse. That was the extent of your your interaction. From that point on you weren't afraid of him, yet you couldn't think of anything else to do. You were never the greatest at making new friends. Your neighbor didn't seem likely to make any attempts either, though he never failed to return your greetings when you gave them. Maybe someday you'd get a chance to talk more. Though you weren't very concerned about it right now; the anxiety that came with this job took first priority.
After picking out a decent first-day outfit and forcing down some toast, you went through your mental checklist for what was possibly the millionth time. "Check in with the receptionist. Receive your nametag, and make sure you put it on right away. Meet up with your new lab-mates, and for fuck's sake don't say anything weird. Don't embarrass yourself. You can do this." With your willpower restored, you hurried out the door before it could fade. Your mysterious neighbor was nowhere to be seen. You were up much earlier than usual, after all. He probably wasn't even awake yet. Oh well. Once you exited the building, you got into your car and began the short drive to the lab.
Boy, was the building huge. Had it gotten bigger? It was a ridiculous thought, certainly brought on by your frazzled nerves, yet the imposing structure seemed to glare at you as you entered its doors. You did as you'd planned and got your name tag. The receptionist directed you to a room in the Engineering wing (duh) where you'd be working under a Doctor W. D. Gaster. Apparently, he was a renowned geothermal engineer and physicist. That sent a brief surge of panic through your chest. You didn't know anything about physics! Well, not that much. Seeming to smell your fear- like a blonde, cheerful bloodhound- the woman behind the counter offered some reassurance. "You're new here. All that's expected is that you contribute what you can," she said, smiling kindly. "I'm sure you'll learn a lot too. Education doesn't end after school, you know!"
"Right," you replied uncertainly. "Uh...thank you." With that, you shuffled away to room 237, your newly assigned lab. Sighing, you hoped you would be less uncomfortable with your new boss. Mentor? Whatever, this Doctor Gaster you'd be working under. You paused behind the closed door, steeling yourself, before gently pushing it open. Standing inside, scribbling away on a clipboard, was...your neighbor?
He looked up and froze. You both stared uncomfortably at each other for a few tense moments until you dared to break the silence. "...Doctor Gaster?"
He blinked in surprise before responding with a terse nod. He set his clipboard on the table before him. "I, ah, believe we've met before."
"Heh, sort of." You rubbed the back of your neck nervously. It had been difficult to tell from his one word responses in the hallway, but now you were certain of it: he had an English accent. How on earth does someone from the Underground sound European?
He suddenly looked away, an expression of shame flashing across his face. "You'll have to forgive me. All those times you've greeted me and I never even asked for your name."
"Oh- it's okay. I never really asked yours either." You fiddled with your badge for a moment, then stepped forward. "I'm _____. It's, uh, nice to meet you. Officially, I mean." You extended a hand. This is what people do when they meet, right?
To your relief, he shook it. You vaguely registered a strange texture where your hands met, like fabric, but didn't have time to look at them before he pulled away and clasped his hands behind his back. "Likewise." He smiled warmly. "I've heard great things about you from the department's interviewer. He said you were the top of your class. Engineering, correct?"
You flushed at the unexpected praise. "Oh, he did? And um...yeah."
"Wonderful! It's a fascinating field, one of my favorites. I look forward to our working together." He shifted from foot to foot in an endearingly childlike display of excitement. "Let me show you around the lab. It's important to know your workspace. Oh, and here-" He presented you with a neatly folded lab coat from a shelf beneath the table. "Allow me to give you your 'uniform' as it were. Since you're just starting, you aren't required to wear it, but it sure does make one feel official!"
Huh. He was...very friendly. You couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. You slipped the coat on and followed Gaster as he showed you the areas of the lab. As the day went on, your initial jitters began to subside. Maybe working here wouldn't be so bad after all.