Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There were too many things you didn't know.

The things you heard. The things you've seen. All of it was different, and the only word that repeated was 'experiment'. Hands, time, space, core...None of it made sense. The entry number you found you could not read. It was only legible to him who wrote it.

You watched the man in front of you shuffle through pots and pans. Ingredients were laid out on the counter, and a pot of boiling water sat on the stove. In front of you were piles of plates and utensils. It was a lot like back at home; setting the table before dinner and cleaning up afterwards. But things were different now.

Alphys didn't know, and Asgore was far from knowing what had happened. The only one who knew was him, and he could not speak. Papyrus knew little of him, and Sans said nothing about him. Anyone else who knew had vanished.

You looked up from the plates and saw that he was standing there, staring at the pot. He looked over in your direction, and gave you a smile. Well, at least the one that was scarred on his face widened. You took the plates and walked over to the table in the other room. You set it as you did back at home; plates in the middle, napkin to the right, and utensils on top of it. Instead of setting regularly for 2, you set for 4.

When you walked back into the kitchen, Gaster was preparing to set the noodles in. You sat back in your seat and continued to watch him. He turned to you and gave you gestures.

Thank you for setting the table, Frisk.

For the first time in ages, you actually understood. Enduring a few months of lessons given by Papyrus, you learned how to communicate with Gaster. It seemed a lot more simpler now that you knew it.

You nodded. "Anytime."

He turned back to the stove and stirred the noodles in. His movements were gentle, and the words he chose were kind. From what you knew, he was a lot like this before. The only time he hurt anything was Papyrus' feelings when he once suggested they'd skip pasta one night. Why would anyone tell you to beware of him?

At that moment, Sans walked in with a bag of chips in his hand. He turned to you and gave you a nod. "'Sup, Kid."

You waved, a bit unsure on how to respond. It was rhetorical, anyway, because Sans passed you without a word and crumbled his trash up. He aimed and threw it towards the trash can, making it in. The skeleton wore a smug smile and sat down beside you. You saw Gaster roll his eyes.

"You makin' some grub, pops?"

He ignored Sans' question and gestured. Where is your brother?

"He's out with Undyne, I think," Sans picked at his teeth. "Probably training."

Gaster didn't say anything before turning back to work on the pasta-in-progress. Sans' eyes wandered around the room before looking at you. He asked, "How did Toriel let you come over for dinner?"

You explained that she went out to a restaurant earlier to study their pie recipes. His eye sockets widened in surprise, and he leaned back in his chair to rub the back of his skull.

"Oh, right. I saw her there...Haha, woops."

Gaster suddenly turned back towards you two, gesturing: Frisk, can you please call Papyrus? Dinner is almost ready.

You nodded, getting out your cell phone and dialing his number and putting the receiver next to your ear. It took a couple of rings before a response was heard.

"YES? THIS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS SPEAKING!"

Things didn't really change within the months. Papyrus nearly responded to every one of your calls, and it only took him about a few seconds to. In fact, you were so used to talking to him that you didn't have to cringe upon hearing his yelling across the receiver.

You explained that dinner was nearly ready and that he was asked to come home.

"Really? What are we having?"

Sans leaned in near the speaker and said, "Your favorite, bro."

The sound of the front door being kicked down made all of you jump. Papyrus' voice rang through the house: "I'M HERE FOR MY SPAGHETTI!"

The skeleton walked into the kitchen, and you could see several blue spears penetrated through his costume. His scarf was a little worn down, and his leggings were scratched up. Gaster set some things aside and gestured to him.

Get yourself clothed, Papyrus, and come down when you're done. You'll be serving everyone dinner tonight.

"YES!" He exclaimed, pumping up his gloved hands into fists. He ran out of the room and you could hear his footsteps running up the stairs. Sans got out of his seat and stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching Gaster.

He asked, "Do I have to do anything?"

No.

Immediately, Sans stretched and yawned. He said, "Well, I'm gonna' take a nap. Wake me when dinner's ready."

He gave Gaster a firm pat on the back before turning to you and giving you a nod. He stretched another time before walking out of the kitchen, lazily hitting his arm on the wall. Gaster shook his head, and you smiled.

--

When dinner WAS ready, Papyrus was all to happy to run downstairs and nearly break his ankle getting hold of the pasta first. Instead of wearing his costume, he had on a casual attire. This must be a rarity because even Sans was surprised to see him like this.

Papyrus huffed out his chest proudly and grabbed the bowl of noodles along with the bowl of sauce in each of his hands. He leaned down and served you first, a good portion of noodles with sauce formally poured on top. He repeated this pattern with Gaster and Sans before standing in front of the table.

He said, "Before we eat tonight, I would like to engage in this, what humans call, 'prayer'."

"Bro," Sans gave him a confused look. "We don't have a religion?"

"Then we'll just name things we're thankful for!" Papyrus slammed the bowl on the table. "Humans do that, right?"

He turned to you with an expectant look. You gave him a thumbs up and nodded. At this, he stood back up straight with a smug smile. You neglected to tell him that it was only February.

He put a good amount of spaghetti on his plate before putting the bowls aside and sitting up straight. He exclaimed, "I'll go first!"

Instead of downright yelling about how much he loved pasta(like he usually did at dinner), Papyrus placed a thoughtful hand to his chin. He said, "Well, for one, I'm thankful that we're having spaghetti again. I'm also thankful for...my friends....house....lazy brother."

He glared at Sans. The skeleton grinned and said, "C'mon, bro. You know I've been working hard. Down to the-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT!"

Papyrus stood up straight and slammed his gloved fists on the table. Sans' hand paused midair, and you could tell he was about to finish the pun. Before he could, though, Gaster clinked his glass with a fork and motioned for the two to eat. And, just like that, they complied. Papyrus plopped back in his chair and immediately went to stuffing his face with the spaghetti. You looked down at your plate and took a bite. It was actually pretty good. A lot better than what you last tasted...

"Gee, Dad!" Papyrus cleaned his plate. "This is really good! How'd you make it?"

"Like every normal person would." Sans shrugged. "10 spears mixed in with 400 degree-cooked sauce. How else would he do it?"

You looked at Gaster, and saw that he was currently resting his face in his palm. Papyrus slammed his fist on the table in excitement.

"SANS, YOU'RE A GENIUS! I've only been cooking to 399 degrees! Maybe 400 would work?"

Gaster leaned forward and gestured. Papyrus, no.

This, of course, resulted in him throwing a fit. You watched the back-and-forth between them two, and Sans was all too happy but to watch them bicker. The scene reminded you of a typical family. Then your eyes landed on Gaster. He gave up on arguing with Papyrus, whom was busy scooping out seconds. Gaster wasn't eating much, but, then again, you weren't quite sure if he could move his mouth at all.

"Hey, kid."

You looked up and saw Sans staring at you. He asked, "You gonna' finish that?"

You looked down at the plate of spaghetti placed in front of you. You weren't that hungry, so you slid down your plate to him and he gave you a smile.

"Thanks."

You watched the two brothers pig out on the food and you looked at Gaster again. He was staring at his plate. His eyes traveled up to you, and you nervously looked away. Why did his stare suddenly alarm you?

You heard something tap on the table. Gaster was looking at you, and he gestured: Would you like something to drink?

There it was again. That formality. Was he like this before? You shook your head, nonetheless. "No thank you."

He gave you a nod, turning back to his food. You felt yourself stare. Was he really that dangerous? If anything, he seemed like a good person. Why was everyone so hesitant on talking about what happened?

You tap the table with your fork. Gaster looks up, and you hesitate. Papyrus taught you a bit on speaking sign language, but you didn't want to risk it with such a formal question. So you asked, "Can I fight you?"

The table fell silent.

Chapter Text

You looked around the table and noticed that everyone was staring at you. Even Papyrus, whom would NEVER let anything get in the way of his spaghetti, stopped eating. You looked at Sans, and saw that his smile was fading. Gaster tilted his head at you, and gestured:

Why do you want to fight, Frisk?

Why DID you? You dislike fighting; you've spared all your friends in the past. Never once have you raised a fist at someone or used a weapon on them. Still, it was the only way to see if Gaster was the man that people made him out to be. You would not hurt him. You said, "Beware of the man who speaks in hands."

Papyrus and Sans glanced at each other, then looked to their father. He was currently staring at you. After a few moments, he gestured again. Maybe tomorrow morning.

Sans stands up in his seat.

"Kid, I need to talk to you. In the hallway. Now."

You look at Gaster, and he gives you a dismissing nod. So you got up and followed Sans into the hallway. Once you guys were out of earshot, he turns to you. This was one of the few times you've heard him say something serious.

"Kid, don't fight him. Okay?"

"I'm not going to hurt him," You explain. "I'm just going to-"

"It's not that." Sans looks at you. "You just don't fight Gaster."

"Why?"

Sans paused. He opened his mouth to say something, but ended up shutting it and looking away from you. Was fighting Gaster REALLY bad enough that even Sans would tell you not to?

"Fine," He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Do you want, kid. But I'd suggest you'd avoid fighting him if you know what's best for you."

With that, he pat you on back and made his way upstairs into his room. You felt yourself stare at the door a bit longer than you needed to. Once you collected your thoughts together, you walked back into the dining room and saw that Papyrus was finishing the rest of the leftovers. When he saw you, he smiled.

"Frisk! Do you want any before it's all gone?"

You shake your head. Gaster got up from his seat and made his way towards you. He gestured, Do you need an escort home, Frisk?

"Actually," You say. "I was wondering if I could spend the night over?"

Immediately, Papyrus' skull looked up from the bowl. Gaster smiled and nodded. "A SLEEPOVER!?" Papyrus ran to you and picked you up. "I KNOW JUST THE THING! COME WITH ME!"

He carried you in one of his arms and headed up the stairs into his room. He plopped you down on his bed, and raced over to his closet. He dug around a bit before pulling something out. You saw that it was a miniature version of his racecar bed.

"I slept in this when I was just baby bones!" He exclaimed and turned to you. "I think it's big enough for you! Would you like to use it?"

You got off from his bed and walked over to the one sitting near his feet. You lay down in it, and, immediately, you sunk into the mattress. From above, you could see Papyrus' excited smile.

"Cozy, huh!?"

You nod.

--

Later that night, you called Toriel explaining that you were staying over. It didn't really matter to you if she disagreed with this or not. Because, even IF Gaster were a bad person, you knew that someone was looking out for you. Plenty of people were. You click off your phone and set it on Papyrus' table next to his action figures. He spins around in his chair before stopping to face your direction.

He said, "Gee, out first sleepover! I wonder what we should do?"

He taps his gloved finger on his chin before looking around. He asked, "Do you want to....um...read a...book?"

You shake your head and climb in your bed. Papyrus blinks in confusion.

"But it's too early to sleep!" He pauses. "Oh, well..you ARE fighting my dad in the morning....B-But still! We should at LEAST do something, right?"

You ignore the skeleton and turn the other away, pulling the blankets on you. Papyrus scoffs and gets out of his chair, sitting on his bed across from you and taking his boots off. He leans over to the lamp and looks in your direction.

He says, "Nighty-night, Frisk!"

You smile and reply, "Goodnight, Papyrus."

--

The following morning, you found Gaster in the kitchen making breakfast. You could hear Papyrus upstairs banging on the door and yelling about how long Sans was taking in the bathroom. Gaster smiles when he sees you, and offers you a plate of biscuits of gravy. You take it and gesture, Thank you.

It's not a problem. He replies. He quickly made the other plates and set them on the table. He turns to you and asks, Did you sleep well?

You nod, taking your fork out and starting to eat your breakfast. You had to admit....Gaster was a pretty good cook. But how exactly did he know about human foods? You hadn't seen any breakfast dishes like these around town. The closest you've seen is the spaghetti Papyrus fixes for himself in the morning.

You look up and watch him get something out of the fridge. You were going to learn everything today, and you were sure of it.

With more questions forming in your head, you turned back to your food and quickly ate the rest. You weren't going to get answers sitting down and eating all morning. Gaster turns from the fridge and looks at your plate, eye sockets widening.

Would you like some more? He gestures. You shake your head, handing him your plate and fork. He takes it and sets it in the dishwasher. You wipe your mouth with a napkin and lean forward, asking, "When are we going to battle?"

As soon as you want to. I just thought that some rest and breakfast would help you prepare for it.

The edge of your mouth twitches. You wipe it off with your sleeve. Why was this so difficult? Pushing it aside, you say, "I'm ready now."

Alright, then. He wipes his hands off with a towel. Off we go.

He writes a quick note and sets it on the table nearby the two plates. You recognize the symbols he drew, but could not read it. They were the same kind you saw recorded on those logs. He turns to you and smile, leading you out of the house and onto the snow trail outside.

--

The two of you walked for awhile. He was leading you somewhere in the forest, and you didn't recognize the path that you were on. You were sure that you passed Snowdin, but that was about the last thing you remembered. You turned to him and asked, "Where are we going?"

Someplace quiet. He gestures. Don't worry, I know where we're going. It's just around this corner.

Just like he said, when the two of you passed a corner, you saw a cleared square area that was completely deserted. Some of the snowmen built there were old, and you noticed that one was wearing a small scarf. Some symbols were written in the snow, but you could not read them.

Gaster leads you out of the snow and into smooth ground. He stands across from you and distances himself. You felt a gust of wind pass by you and shivered. He only stares at you.

Are you alright with where we are?

You look around another time. The trees circling this area prevented any background distraction, and the snow fields were out of the way. The only complaint you had was that it was a lot colder here than back in Snowdin. You turn back to him and nod. He stands up straight, which made him look a lot different than being hunched back.

There is only rule to fighting me. He explained. It's very simple, and the rest is up to you.

You blink, arching an eyebrow in confusion. You ask, "What is it?"

You see a flash of light in his eyes, and his smile and eyes started to drip. You felt a chill run up your spine, and you stepped back. The first thing you ever heard came from this mouth:

"♦