Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A crackling noise echoes down the dark corridor, followed by a distant bang. 2-P jumps, not expecting so much noise before the lights came on. His brother stirs, having been asleep in his arms as they both sat on the bench in their cell. “what is it, bro?” 1-S asks around a yawn. “have a bad dream?”

“NO, I HEARD SOMETHING,” 2-P whispers, as quietly as his resonant voice can manage.

1-S rubs at his eye sockets. “is it him? sometimes he comes in early.”

“I DON’T KNOW...I’VE NEVER HEARD THIS SOUND BEFORE,” 2-P says, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice. “IT’S GETTING CLOSER…”

After a few seconds of silence, 1-S hears it too. They’re like...footsteps, but different. Not like his. They’re faster, but softer and more irregular. And is that muttering? He squints at the dark entrance of their cell and grips his brother tighter. Neither says a word as the steps come nearer and nearer to them.

The laser grid that closes off their cell lights up as a figure passes in front of it, and the two jump in alarm. At the same time, they hear a sharp gasp and then a yelp from the other side. The figure scurries away and the lasers fade again. The brothers are shaking loud enough for their bones to rattle. Seconds pass, maybe minutes.

Long enough for 2-P’s fear to give way to curiosity. “UM...HELLO?” he calls. His brother elbows him in the chest. “WHAT?!” he whispers. “MAYBE THEY’RE FRIENDLY!”

“and maybe they’re not!” 1-S hisses back. “what if it’s some trick of his?!”

“H-hello…?” a third voice answers. The brothers still. “I-is...someone in ...t-there?”

The voice is so gentle and meek that 2-P takes the response as encouragement. He climbs off the cell bench. “Y-YES ACTUALLY, UH...WE’RE HERE.”

A pause. “W-who’s...we?”

2-P opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He looks to his brother for help, but 1-S just shrugs. “UM...WE’RE...US? MY BROTHER AND I...THAT’S WHO WE ARE. WHO...ARE YOU?” 2-P slowly approaches the cell entrance, his brother only a step behind him.

The voice doesn’t answer. 2-P gets close enough for the beams to reactivate, but only dimly. He thinks he can hear more muttering, but can’t make out any of the words. He looks back at his brother, who shakes his head and gently tugs on his arm.

“bro, we don’t know what it is,” 1-S says.

“NO, AND THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY WE’LL FIND OUT,” 2-P responds, then addresses the beams again. “HELLO? CAN YOU COME A BIT CLOSER? WE CAN’T SEE YOU OVER THERE.”

His brother’s grip on his arm tightens, and there are several more seconds of muttering. At last, the beams brighten again, and a short monster—for that’s what it must be—appears on the other side. It’s a little taller than 1-S, but much shorter than 2-P. It’s wearing a white coat and glasses like him, but other than that it looks nothing like him. The parts of it that aren’t covered by the white coat are a color they don’t see very often...yellow, wasn’t it? It has strange broad hands, and it’s holding some kind of small box with exposed wires sticking out from the top.

After several seconds of staring, 2-P gives a weak wave. “UH, H-HELLO! ARE YOU FROM THE OUTSIDE?”

The monster nods slowly.

“REALLY?! OH THAT’S WONDERFUL! MY BROTHER AND I WOULD LOVE TO GO OUTSIDE! CAN YOU LET US OUT, PLEASE?”

1-S steps in front of his brother. “wait, i don’t think you should—”

“WHAT’S IT LIKE OUTSIDE, IS IT BIG?” 2-P moves forward, gently brushing his brother aside. “IS IT WHITE? ARE THERE LOTS OF COLORS? OH, ARE THERE LOTS OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU? ARE THEY NICE?”

1-S jumps in front of his brother again, arms outstretched. “bro, STOP, we don’t know who they are. for all we know they could be with him.”

“DON’T BE SILLY, I KNOW THEY WON’T HURT US!”

“and how do you know that?”

“BECAUSE I DO!” 2-P addresses the monster again. “YOU AREN’T GOING TO HURT US, RIGHT?” The two stare at the figure, at last waiting for it to answer.

“B...b-brothers?” it squeaks.

“SORRY, WHAT WAS THAT?”

“Y-you two...a-are brothers?”

2-P nods vigorously. “YES! YES WE ARE!”

The monster shakes its strange spiked head and backs away. 2-P quickly follows and steps as close to the beams as he can. “WAIT! DON’T GO!” It stops. This close, 2-P can see it shaking. “PLEASE! TAKE US OUTSIDE. I PROMISE WE’LL BE GOOD! I-I CAN DO PUZZLES! I’M REALLY GOOD AT THEM! A-AND MY BROTHER IS SMART TOO! JUST...PLEASE, DON’T LEAVE US HERE.”

Then the monster stops shaking. It looks from one skeleton to the other, and approaches the beams again. It looks up to meet 2-P’s eyes, and speaks slowly and quietly. “How...long have y-you two been down here?”

2-P glances at his brother, who once again shrugs. “UM, AS LONG AS WE CAN REMEMBER?”

“And...have you ever been out of this room?”

“OH YES, WE, UM...HAVE…” 2-P trails off, wringing his hands together. “HE...TAKES US OUT SOMETIMES AND...A-AND...” His eyes go unfocused and he begins to shake. 1-S walks up to take his hand. The monster’s eyes fall to their hands, peering at something it sees in the darkness.

“he hurts us,” 1-S says firmly. “he takes us to other rooms, hurts us, then dumps us back in here.”

The monster shudders. “A-and by ‘he,’ you mean...Dr. Gaster?”

The two look at each other, then back. “WHO?” 2-P asks.

“he never told us his name,” 1-S says. “he’s a skeleton, like us. tall, one eye, glasses, big holes in his hands. ever seen him?”

“Y-yes, that is Dr. Gaster.”

“DOCTOR...GASTER?” 2-P tilts his head.

The monster nods. “A-and I’m Dr. Alphys. What are...y-your names?”

The two glance down at their hands. “WELL…HE USUALLY CALLS ME SUBJECT 2, BUT SOMETIMES 2-P. HE CALLS MY BROTHER SUBJECT 1, OR...1-S.”

1-S balls his right hand into a fist and holds it up, plate side facing Dr. Alphys. “he didn’t start calling us 1-S or 2-P until he put these on us.”

Dr. Alphys squints at it for a moment, then nearly drops the box they’re holding. “O-oh my god, t-that’s…” They look at 2-P. “And you…?”

2-P sheepishly holds his right hand up to the bars. “W.D. G...no...it can’t be!” Dr. Alphys holds up a hand to their head. “But it must...but I can’t! I can’t!” They turn and pace in frantic circles, muttering to themself.

“N-NOW NOW, IT’S ALRIGHT!” 2-P says placatingly. “WE DON’T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT HIM IF IT MAKES YOU UPSET.”

“I-if...m-me...?”

“YES, HOW ABOUT WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE, SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. LIKE...OH! TELL US HOW THE OUTSIDE IS! HOW BIG IS IT? WHAT COLOR IS THE GROUND?”

Dr. Alphys stares at him, incredulous. Then, they shake their head, and look back up at 2-P square in the eye. “H-how about...I s-show you?”

A wide grin spreads on 2-P’s face, and he looks at his brother and back at Dr. Alphys with twinkling eyes. “OH, YES PLEASE!”

The edges of Dr. Alphys’s mouth quirk up a bit, and they hold up the device in their hand. “I just...n-need to make a call first. Give me a few minutes, o-okay? But I promise I will get you out of here.”

2-P nods eagerly, and Dr. Alphys walks backward in the direction they came from, only turning around and walking forward when out of range of the beams. As soon as they’re out of sight, 2-P scoops his brother up into an enormous hug and spins him around.

“BROTHER! IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING! I KNEW IT WOULD! WE’RE GETTING OUT! I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!”

1-S didn’t return the hug so much as cling on for dear life. “yeah, bro, that’s what it looks like.”

“OF COURSE IT DOES! WHAT ELSE WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?”

“i dunno...guess i’m havin’ some trouble believing it.”

2-P gently set his brother down, holding him steady by his shoulders. “WELL WORRY NOT BROTHER, BECAUSE I PROMISE YOU THIS IS NOT A DREAM!”

“yeah...i hope so.”

The cell grows silent. Time passes, but Dr. Alphys does not return. 2-P hovers near the beams, bouncing with anticipation. 1-S hangs back, glaring at the opening as though the power of his thoughts would bring their mysterious benefactor back.

Even after a considerable amount of time, 2-P’s excitement never wavers. But 1-S gives a small sigh. “bro…i think—”

He’s cut off by the sound of footsteps. 2-P makes a giddy noise. “YOU’RE BACK! I KNEW YOU WOULD COME BACK!”

The footsteps pause, and a new voice echoes down the hall. It’s a loud, deep rumble unlike anything the boys have heard before. 2-P stops his celebrating, and looks back at his brother. The two remain silent, not even daring to breathe.

A smaller and familiar voice responds to the rumble, and the footsteps begin again, steadily getting louder. 2-P backs away from the force field, returning to take his brother’s hand.

The huge, resonant steps become so loud they can feel their bones rattle, and the beams light up to reveal an enormous figure in the opening. The skeletons’ eyes flash purple, but they don’t make a sound.

The monster filling the doorway looks nothing like Dr. Alphys. They're enormous, exceeding the width of the opening, with thick arms longer than either of them are tall. They have a massive head covered in soft, fluffy waves of...something, with two harder looking things curving out the top.

But the expression on the face of this monster is not at all intimidating. The eyes are huge, but not cold or scary. They look...sad.

Dr. Alphys squeezes in front of the hulking monster, and holds up a hand in greeting. 2-P’s grip on his brother relaxes.

“Oh, Alphys. You were right to call me,” the big monster says, the whole room humming for seconds after they speak.

“I-I mean, its unmistakable, isn't it? A-And they definitely know what they are, they said they were—”

“Please, Alphys, later. Can you open this?”

“Y-yessir, give me just a minute…”

Dr. Alphys holds the device they’ve been carrying up to the pad on the wall, and the wires latch on with a sudden crackle of electricity.

The large monster addresses the skeletons. “You...boys?” he says. Realizing it's a question, 1-S nods. “You boys were...created by Dr. Gaster, were you not?” They both nod. He sighs and covers his face with one of his great hands. “Oh my...Gaster, what have you done?”

“W...WELL,” 2-P starts, finding his voice again, “U-USUALLY HE TAKES ONE OF US AND DOES SOME, UM, HE CALLS THEM ‘EXPERIMENTS’ O-OR ‘TESTS,’ AND THEN…”

“he hurts us,” 1-S says, finishing for his brother. “we told...dr. alphys that he hurts us. and it's true.”

“I know, child, and I...I believe you. It's just that—”

“Got it!” Dr. Alphys calls. The beams of the force field vanish, plunging the room into darkness.

1-S and 2-P gasp and embrace one another. “O-oh dear...just a sec…” Dr. Alphys mutters. The box in their hand lights up illuminating their face, and after tapping a few buttons the lights above flicker. After several tries the lights never stay on for more than a few seconds, and finally Dr. Alphys sighs. “Okay, u-um, let’s do this instead…” They disconnect the box from the wall, and a bright light appears near the top of it. Dr. Alphys shines the light on the children and gestures for them to follow. “Come on, l-let’s get you out of here.”

The boys search each other’s faces, suddenly apprehensive at this chance of escape. Was this real? Could these monsters be trusted? What if he found out? What was outside of this place? Finally, 2-P’s eyes glow orange and he nods. 1-S flashes his left eye blue and nods back. They approach the cell entrance hand-in-hand, hesitating as they meet the threshold. The beams don’t reappear. The big monster backs up to make room for them.

They slowly step out. 2-P approaches Dr. Alphys, his brother half a step behind. He looks at Dr. Alphys very closely. They look back, nervous and a bit confused. “U-um, t-this way, 2...y-you two,” Dr. Alphys says, gesturing down the dark corridor in the direction he usually came from, but they’d never been.

“Yes, let’s get you home,” the big monster says behind them.

The light from Dr. Alphys’s box leads the way. It provides enough light to see the floor just in front of them, but nothing else beyond. The brothers hear and feel everything around them. The clicking of their feet beneath them. The soft sounds of Dr. Alphys’s nervous breathing and shuffling gait in front of them. The loud, infrequent thuds of the big monster’s colossal feet behind them. They grip each other’s hands tighter as they go for what feels like hours. They expect at any moment for the lights to come on; for him to appear and end it all.

But he doesn’t appear. Instead, they can see something ahead. A light that isn’t from Dr. Alphys’s strange box. It gets closer, and they see it’s another doorway. It’s out.

Dr. Alphys walks through first. They turn off the light on their device and look back at them. The two have stopped just short of the threshold. Dr. Alphys smiles and waves them forward. “C-come on, i-it’s this way.”

1-S and 2-P look at each other one more time, and then together step into the light.

Chapter Text

“And you're sure this is the only way, Alphys?”

“Yes, sire, I'm sure.”

“Can he not simply...write down instructions for you?”

“N-no, sire. It would be much safer if he l-looked at them personally.”

Asgore shifted uncomfortably in his seat at his kitchen table. He had asked Dr. Alphys to meet him at his house as opposed to the throne room. The king had told himself it was to put her more at ease. He reached for the teapot to refill his cup, only to find it empty. He sighed. “And...do you think they are ready to see him again?”

Alphys stared into her own empty teacup. “U-um, well...they...I mean I-I think they would k-know that…” Asgore waited patiently. He knew there was no good in rushing her. “It wouldn’t be easy, for a-anyone...but I think it will be...good for them. For a-all of them.” At last she met Asgore’s gaze.

The king scratched behind one of his ears. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. It must happen eventually, and perhaps in this case they’ll understand...”

Alphys nodded. “S-so, would you like me to tell him, or…?”

“I will talk to Dr. Gaster, you tell the boys. I think hearing it from you…” Asgore’s expression became pained. “They...trust you more.”

She stopped herself as she began to nod again. “I’ll take care of it, your majesty.”

.

Alphys knocked on the grand double-doors of the palace suite Sans and Papyrus were staying in. Technically as their primary physician, she could come and go into their rooms as she pleased. But she knew the only way they'd properly mature, and grow to understand their boundaries, was to have those boundaries demonstrated and reinforced over time.

A cacophonous thumping rapidly approached the door from the inside. The handle turned and the door cracked inward, revealing a young skeleton who stood several inches taller than Alphys. His head tilted down to her, and his jaws parted, revealing a delighted smile. "DOCTOR ALPHYS! IT'S A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU!"

Alphys smiled back. "It's good to see you too, Papyrus. But, do you remember what I said before about answering the door?"

"OH! RIGHT!" The door slammed shut. Alphys knocked again. "WHO'S THERE?" Papyrus called.

"It's me, Papyrus," Alphys chuckled.

The door swung open again. "DOCTOR ALPHYS! IT'S A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU!"

"Hello, may I come in? I’d like to speak with you and Sans if you aren’t busy."

"YES! OF COURSE!" Papyrus stepped aside, ushering her in. "I WAS JUST FINISHING A GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK WITH MY BROTHER. HE'S GETTING MUCH BETTER AT IT!" He shut the door behind her. The suite looked much like the other suites in the king's castle—a large set of rooms with fine but simple furnishings, all following a motif of warm colors, arcs, and circles. The stone floors were almost completely covered in plush carpets and rugs. Everything in the room was soft and rounded, not a sharp edge to be found.

Despite being occupied by children, the rooms were impressively clean. Papyrus had been making sure of that from day one, to Alphys's surprise. He was extremely fastidious in almost everything he did, especially cleaning. There were just a few piles of clothes and toys tucked away in corners and under tables—the only physical evidence of his brother.

Papyrus searched for him in the piles of rubbish first. A long red scarf trailed behind him as he marched from pile to pile. Alphys had found it buried in an old box in the lab, and Papyrus had grown particularly attached to it, as well as the brighter clothes she and Asgore had brought to them. His brother had gravitated to baggier hoodies and sweaters. "BROTHER?" he called. "BROTHER! DOCTOR ALPHYS IS HERE, WE CAN FINISH THE GAME LATER!"

A pile in the far corner of the room shifted. “ah jeez, i was just starting to get comfortable.” Sans slowly sat up, displacing the clothes around him.

Papyrus marched over to him, hands on hips. “BROTHER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THAT PILE? I CHECKED IT ALREADY!”

A single sock remained draped over his head as Sans stretched and yawned. “really? i hadn’t noticed.”

“YES, REALLY! BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT LATER, DOCTOR ALPHYS IS HERE! SHE WANTS TO SPEAK WITH US.”

“oh yeah.” Sans peered around Papyrus and saw Dr. Alphys, who waved a claw at him. “hey doc, what sup?”

“GET OUT OF THAT FILTHY PILE OF CLOTHES AND SHE’LL TELL US WHAT’S ‘SUP!’” Papyrus snapped. Without waiting for an answer, he scooped up his brother, put him over his shoulder, and walked over to Dr. Alphys. He set Sans back down with a grunt, and the smaller skeleton looked dazed for a moment before looking back at Papyrus.

“um, thanks for the ride, bro. maybe work on the landing a bit though, that one really socked it to me.”

Papyrus opened his mouth, then shut it. “WAIT, WAS THAT ONE OF THOSE ‘PUNS’ YOU’VE BEEN READING ABOUT?”

Sans’s perpetual grin took on a more mischievous glint. “yup, i think my technique is really cleaning up , wouldn’t you agree?”

Papyrus groaned in dismay and stomped his foot. “UGH! DOCTOR ALPHYS, I’M SORRY  ABOUT THE PITIFUL STATE OF MY BROTHER’S PUNS. I CAN’T GET HIM TO STOP!”

Alphys had not stopped giggling at the pair since the exchange began. They had improved so much in just a couple of months. Now wearing real if slightly ill-fitting clothes, and grins that stretched from ear to figurative ear, they could hardly be recognized as the same children. There was still a lot of pain behind their eyes, which was most apparent when they thought she wasn't looking. But there was also an ease and love about them that only grew and expanded as time passed. It took all of her energy and professionalism to speak with composure. “I-it’s okay, Papyrus, I don’t mind. Are you two ready for some exciting news?”

“EXCITING NEWS?! OH YES, PLEASE SHARE!”

Alphys looked at her notebook and flipped through a few pages. “Well, um, you see...as you know I’ve been looking into having your, um, plates removed for the last couple of months…”

Papyrus bounced on the balls of his feet. “YES, YES!”

“And I believe I’ve figured out whether or not it can be done.”

“YEEEEEEES?!”

Sans put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and chuckled. “better hurry up and tell him, doc. at this rate his head might go through the roof.”

Alphys grinned nervously. “W-well, I believe I can do it.” Papyrus leapt in the air with a cheer. As soon as he landed, he brought Sans into a hug that left his feet dangling in the air. “B-but, there are a few things we still need to figure out.”

Papyrus continued to squeeze Sans, as the latter began to complain about breathing. “OF COURSE, DOCTOR ALPHYS! TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED!”

“Well, u-uh, it’s not exactly about time. See, I-I sort of want a...s-second opinion.”

Papyrus set his brother free from the embrace. “SECOND OPINION? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”

Alphys adjusted her glasses, but her eyes didn’t leave her notes as she spoke. “Y-you see, um, I’ve studied and read as much as I can about skeletons...but it’s still not my area of expertise.” Her voice was getting softer and softer. “A-and your kind are so r-rare now. I think it would be best if, u-um, another s-skeleton helped out.”

It was several seconds before Alphys could bring her eyes up from the clipboard. The brothers had moved together and wrapped their arms around one another. This embrace was so different from the last, and sadly familiar. Protective. Afraid.

“YOU...DO YOU MEAN…?” Papyrus whispered.

“N-n-now, now! I-I know!” Alphys stammered. “But i-it’ll be different from before! Asgore and I will be there the entire time. You’ll be completely safe. A-and I will be in charge of what happens, not him.”

“O-OH, I SEE...W-WHAT IS HE GOING TO…?” Papyrus’s voice was so small and meek. If Alphys hadn’t been watching his mouth move, she might not have believed it was him.

“We-we’ll start with an evaluation, make sure everything is...where it should be. And then he—we, um, will together decide on the safest way to do it.”

“oh the safest way, huh,” Sans spat, finding his voice at last. “and what if he tells you the ‘safest’ way is ripping our hands off? will you go with his opinion on that, too?”

Alphys bristled. “Sans, you know I wouldn’t ask you to do this if it wasn’t necessary.”

“yeah, ‘cause they were real necessary in the first place.”

“I understand why you feel this way, but Dr. Gaster is th—”

“the one who put them on us. so why should we believe he’d want to take ‘em off?”

“BROTHER, STOP.”

Alphys and Sans looked at Papyrus. Sans was still locked in his arms, so he had to crane his neck almost directly up. “what? bro, there’s no way i’m letting him near you again. doc’s just gonna have to find some other way to do it.”

“NO, BROTHER. WE’RE GOING TO SEE HIM.”

Sans gaped at him. He broke the embrace and continued to stare, but Papyrus simply crossed his arms and stared back. “are you crazy?! no we’re not!”

“YES WE ARE, AND THAT’S FINAL,” Papyrus said with a stiff nod. “IF IT MEANS WE CAN GET THESE THINGS OFF OUR HANDS, WE CAN DO IT!”

Sans’ expression softened a little. “bro, i want them off as much as you, but i’m not gonna let him hurt you again.”

“AND HE WON’T, BROTHER. DOCTOR ALPHYS AND THE KING WILL BE THERE. AND BESIDES, THIS FEELS LIKE THE RIGHT THING TO DO! I KNOW IT WILL HELP.”

“...you really believe that, huh?”

“YES, I DO!” Papyrus puffed out his chest. “HAVE I BEEN WRONG YET? I TOLD YOU WE’D GET OUT, AND WE DID! I TOLD YOU HE WOULD STOP HURTING US, AND HE HAS!”

Sans sighed and shook his head in defeat. “guess i can’t argue with that.” He looked back at Alphys, and she watched him twist all of that pain and fear into a cool, neutral smile. “so, doc, when can we get this over with?”

Alphys was concerned about Sans, but now wasn’t the time to bring that up. “O-oh! Yes, um, well we can do it this afternoon if you two feel up for it. Around say...2 o’clock?”

Sans put his hands in his hoodie pocket and glanced at his brother. Papyrus was bouncing in jubilation again. “OH YES, THAT WILL BE PERFECT! WE’LL MAKE IT A DATE! WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEEDED, DOCTOR ALPHYS? DID YOU WANT TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK WITH US? I PROMISE MY HIDING SPOTS ARE NOT AS MUNDANE AS MY BROTHER’S!”

Alphys smiled weakly. “Um, no, that was all I needed. You two can go back to playing. Thanks, Papyrus. And thank you, Sans.”

“ANY TIME, DOCTOR!”

Sans said nothing and looked away.

.

“ Yes, I agree. It would serve them best if I examined them myself. ”

Asgore blinked. He had just spent the last five minutes sitting backward on one of Gaster’s office chairs in a very unkingly fashion, explaining the situation to a mug of coffee held gingerly in his great paws. Gaster knew what he’d wanted to talk about from the moment he saw those round eyes and drooping ears. But, as was customary when he was uncomfortable with something, Asgore spent a lot of time talking around the issue at hand. The king was powerful and wise, but he was not a difficult monster to read.

Swirling the contents of his cup, Asgore sighed. “Well then, that’s...good. Very good.”

“Was there anything else you needed, your majesty?” His magic hands moved stiffly. Gaster was leaning as casually as he could against his desk, cradling a mug of his own in his hands. There was another question he saw coming that he was not interested in discussing at this time. Asgore had been a bit more insistent on having difficult conversations the last couple of months, but Gaster hoped this time his friend would keep his distance.

Asgore took a pull from his cup, and his face scrunched up. No matter how much cream and sugar Gaster added, he could never get his friend to enjoy coffee as he did. Finally, the king spoke. “Gaster...tell me honestly, how do you think they will react?”

Gaster traced the rim of his mug with a finger. “I would think having the plates removed would—”

“Gaster.”

He grimaced. “Fear, at first, I imagine. Then perhaps hostility. It’s hard to say. They know they’re...safe now. They may have a lot to say, or nothing.”

The king gave him a pitying look. Exactly what he’d been trying to avoid. “I'll speak with them beforehand, tell them to...mind their manners,” he said.

“No. Best to have it out now. There will probably be no stopping them, anyway.”

Asgore didn’t say anything, just kept looking at him in that way. Gaster walked over and held his hand out for the cup the king wasn’t going to finish. “We both knew this was going to happen eventually,” he signed slowly. With the king sitting, he could evenly meet the great monster’s soft, weary eyes.

“I suppose I was foolish to think this would always be easy.”

Gaster gave him a look. “When was this ever easy?”

“Those boys have taken to childhood like Froggits to hopscotch.” Asgore gave him a wry smile. “Which is why I’ll be telling them to mind their manners.”

Gaster raised a brow. Then the king chuckled. “Friend, I have long believed you to be the most intelligent monster in the underground. But you have always had a blind spot when it comes to the ways of children.”

Gaster turned to bring the cups back to his coffee maker. They clattered harshly as he set them down. Asgore stood to take his leave. “I’ll send for you in a little while. Do what you must to prepare. And...just remember that you don’t get to decide when you’re forgiven.”

The scientist spun around, only to see the edge of a cape disappearing through the threshold.

.

At 2 o’clock precisely, Gaster met Asgore outside the closed doors of what used to be a guest lounge. Now, it was a makeshift clinic. Apparently the sterile look of the castle infirmary had been off-putting for them when they first arrived, so Alphys gained permission to outfit the room however she saw fit. Gaster had to admit he saw logic in it.

The king met his eye. “Do you need a moment?”

Gaster absently adjusted the sleeves of his sweater. He was not wearing his lab coat; Alphys had called him up ahead of time and asked him to. When he asked why, she delicately explained that seeing him without it may help them begin to change their perception of him. Or, put not-so-delicately, they’d see him as less of a threat.

Gaster shook his head. “No, let’s get this over with.” Asgore opened the door and entered first.

As Gaster went to follow, the king stopped directly in front of the doorframe, blocking him from view of the room. “Hello Sans, Papyrus, Dr. Alphys.”

“GOOD AFTERNOON, YOUR MAJESTY.”

“H-hello, your majesty.”

Asgore nodded, and stepped out of Gaster’s way. When he saw the two huddled on the far end of an overstuffed couch, first thing he noticed was their clothes. Of course, he knew they wouldn’t be in their hospital gowns anymore. Still the familiar pose combined with the unfamiliar garments was...surreal. One was wearing a blue ill-fitting hoodie, and Two had…

 No.

A tattered red scarf was wrapped around his neck. It went around at least twice before trailing down his back.

So, Alphys had found those boxes down in the lab. Wonderful. Just what he needed to see right now. He tore his eye from it, vowing to not look at it again.

For a long moment no one spoke, and Gaster didn’t move any further into the room. He considered giving Alphys a look, when one of the children spoke up. “H-HELLO THERE! UM, DOCTOR ALPHYS TOLD US WE COULD CALL YOU DOC...DOCTOR GASTER. IS THAT ALRIGHT?”

Alphys glanced nervously at Gaster. He gave the barest nod, looking at a point above the small skeleton’s eye sockets.

“Y-yes, Papyrus...would you like to do the honors and go first?” she asked.

His head bobbed up and down, never looking away from Gaster. “R-right. Dr. Gaster, i-if you would…?”

He slowly approached them, and the two shrunk further into the cushions as he moved to sit beside them. Not an unexpected reaction. Dr. Alphys cleared her throat very loudly, and Gaster paused. “Perhaps...I-I think you would get a better view of their hands if you were a bit lower down, wouldn’t you agree Dr. Gaster?”

Gaster was confused, and moved to tell her this angle was fine, but she stared him down. He remembered he had agreed to follow Alphys’s lead on this, so at last he slowly got down on his knees and looked up.

So, that’s why she asked him to kneel. Two was looking down at Gaster in something between wonder and alarm. His missing lab coat and the hard tiles now digging into his knees were making Gaster more than a little uncomfortable. The biggest change to the room’s furnishings had been removing the carpets that coated most floors in the castle. Perfect. He wasted no more time. “May I see your hand?”

“Gaster, would you mind signing even if you’re only addressing them?” Asgore had moved behind the couch, towering over all of them.

Gaster summoned his magic hands. He hadn’t signed out of habit more than anything else. “Of course. May I see your hand?”

The two tilted their heads and watched the glowing hands. “what’s he doin’?” One asked. Gaster looked at Alphys.

“Ah, well y-you see, um, w-we can’t understand Dr. Gaster the same way you do. Um, because…?” her explanation stalled, and she looked to Asgore for help.

“Because you’re skeletons, like him. That’s why you can understand him,” Asgore said.

“WHY?” they asked in unison.

“Well, that’s because...um…” Asgore became puzzled, and looked down at Gaster. “Why is that, exactly?”

Gaster pinched the bridge of his nasal cavity in exasperation. He should have known their education hadn’t gotten that far yet. “Most monsters have physical vocal cords with which to speak. Skeletons do not. Our speech manifests as magically-triggered sound waves emanating directly from our SOULs. Each skeleton’s SOUL is unique, and has a different way of translating their intended speech into sound waves. This results in skeletons having a wide range of speech patterns and accents. It also affects our handwriting, because written thoughts and spoken ones are essentially the same, only expressed through different mediums.”

Gaster paused, noting how enraptured and hungry for more the eyes locked onto him were. He put it out of his mind, knowing this explanation was going to happen one way or another, and that it may as well come from him. His gaze dropped to the red scarf, then he diverted it once again back to that point just above their heads. “ Any skeleton can understand another skeleton because the magic is travelling directly from one SOUL to another. The sound waves only act as a conduit for the transference of the energy. But other monsters must rely upon the soundwaves alone, because they cannot receive the magical energy directly into their SOULs.”

“WHY NOT?” Two asked, bouncing in his seat a little.

“Because unlike healing or attack magic, the energy is raw and unchanged. Barring special circumstances, the raw magical energy of one type of monster is incompatible with the soul of any other type of monster.”

“WHAT SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES?”

“Every skeleton’s speech is different, some are more understandable to non-skeletons than others. For years our kind studied the patterns and similarities in our speech and documented them, narrowing them down into categories. Naturally this was difficult to explain to other monsters. Once typefaces came about we began calling the categories ‘fonts.’ The correlation became the simplest way to explain skeleton speech to non-skeleton monsters.”

After another pause, he went on very quietly, “Traditionally, skeletons choose their names according to their fonts. This is how I knew your names. I deciphered them not long after you began to speak coherently.”

Gaster immediately regretted adding that last part. He looked at the floor and shifted his stiffening legs, unable to meet the maudlin eyes before him. Why couldn’t they just get on with it?

“I think that’s enough questions, Papyrus. Let Dr. Gaster finish the examination.” Asgore intoned. Gaster made a mental note to buy his friend a dozen cinnamon bunnies later.

“OH, O-OKAY,” the young skeleton said, fear creeping back into his voice. He looked at Gaster, unsure on how to begin.

“Hold out your hand, please,” Gaster said. Two shifted to free his hand from his brother’s grip, and One begrudgingly pulled away to free his arm.

Gaster touched the hand delicately, using as few fingers as possible to move and tilt it. Initially the fingers twitched as though something hot was touching them. But after a few moments it relaxed, giving no resistance as Gaster slowly twisted the hand this way and that, thoroughly examining each of the phalanges. At last, a practical problem to focus on. He finally spoke, making the two boys jump. “Alphys, could you get me a magnifier, please?”

She dug around in her pockets for a moment, producing a curved lens the size of a small saucer. Gaster held it above Two’s hand, examining the area of of his fifth metacarpal where the screws met bone. He tilted the hand at a drastic angle, also tilting his head to compensate for his bad eye.

“Here, Alphys, look at this.”

As he tugged the hand a little in Alphys’s direction, the child squirmed and made a small noise. Gaster let go immediately. Two held his wrist and rubbed it, looking sheepish. “bro?” One asked, reaching for his hand.

“I-I’M FINE, IT JUST HURT A LITTLE.” His brother didn’t look at all satisfied with that answer, but he said nothing in return.

Gaster felt an unexpected rush of alarm at the words. He couldn’t decide if it was because of what the child had said, or because his friends had heard it, too.

“Perhaps if you knelt as well?” he offered.

“Oh, y-yes. Good idea, Dr. Gaster,” she said, lowering herself onto the floor next to him. This was getting absurd, and his knees ached something awful, but Gaster saw no other way to proceed.

The small skeleton reached out his hand, and Gaster took it even more gently than before, more guiding it than turning it. The child understood where he wanted to look, so he turned his hand to show the outer edge. “Right here,” Gaster said, and he stopped. “Thank you.”

Papyrus looked up, and Gaster avoided his gaze, pointing beneath the lens at the smallest metacarpal.

Alphys adjusted her glasses as she leaned in close, then nodded. “Ah, yes, I see a bit of fracturing there.” She glanced at the child and back. “Will it affect removal at all?”

“It shouldn’t, the cracks appear to be only only surface-deep, but it’s something to watch.”

“How can you tell how deep they are?”

“ The color, mostly. They are thin and only a very faint gray. Darker lines suggest deeper fractures. Also the pattern is small and condensed, not branching out very far.” Alphys nodded while jotting things onto her clipboard.

Gaster released the hand once more. He then turned his attention to One, at last meeting the venomous eyes glaring from the corner of the couch. “Su—Sans. If you would?”

Two shifted his brother so that he was closer to the ones on the floor. One looked at Alphys. “what does he want?”

Before she could answer, Gaster spoke again with the same clinical tone. “If you would hold out your hand.” One presented his plateless left hand. “If you would hold out your other hand.” A pause. “Now.”

Asgore huffed, and Gaster ignored him. He was beginning to rethink that cinnamon bunny plan. Two gave his brother a little shove and muttered something too low to catch. One sighed dramatically, then let his right arm fall forward. Two held his other hand. He was less pliant than Two had been, offering a bit of resistance as Gaster turned and examined the hand. As he brought the wrist to the limits of the smaller skeleton’s flexibility, Gaster felt a bit of trembling in the appendage. The hand closed into a fist.

Alphys leaned forward. “S-Sans? Are you alright? Does it hurt?” The lights in his eyes went dark for a moment, but then he chuckled. “nah, it’s fine doc. just not used to him touching me without breakin’ somethin’.” Alphys froze and Asgore looked grim, but Gaster’s face remained closed.

The fist slowly opened again. Gaster held the lens back up and continued the examination. After a few more minutes he said, “I agree with your initial analysis, Dr. Alphys. There appears to be no fracturing or breakage. Removal will still be a delicate procedure due to his condition, but not impossible I think.”

Asgore sighed with relief, and Alphys nodded, standing as she scribbled a few more notes.

“WILL IT...HURT?” The voice was Two’s, but it was low and timid. Alphys and Asgore both rushed to reassure him, but his attention was focused on Gaster.

At this point, Gaster himself was in excruciating pain from kneeling for so long. But he knew that standing at the wrong moment would not be good. Handing the lens back to Alphys, he spoke as quietly as Two had. “We will give you a drug to render you unconscious during the procedure, and afterward you will be given medicine to deaden the pain as you recover. It will be...as painless as possible.”

“uh huh. heard that one before.”

One glared at Gaster, who was studiously pretending he’d heard nothing.

“WELL, BROTHER, I TRUST HIM.”

One stared up at his brother, incredulous. “what?! after everything he did to us, you’re gonna trust him to mess with us again?!”

“YES. I AM.” Two crossed his arms and looked as stern as a skeleton child sitting on an oversized couch could.

“why? what’s changed about him? this is probably just a trick to get us back there again.”

Alphys cut in, firmer than the way she usually spoke to them. “Sans, you know we would never allow that. King Asgore and I will be with you the entire time. Do...do you trust us?”

“well, yeah but...he’s...he…” Two put an arm around him, but his brother pushed him away and jumped off the couch. He stood before Gaster at eye level, his left pupil flaring up blue.

“why are all of you pretending this didn’t happen?! he TORTURED us, for god knows how long, and he still gets to walk around free? why isn’t he being punished? why isn’t he being hurt?!”

Asgore straightened up. “Sans, we have already discussed this. That is not how things work in the Underground. Rest assured, Dr. Gaster is being punished for what he’s done. He has lost privileges that he will never get back. But we do not punish monsters with pain.”

“he did it to US!” One shouted, pointing at Gaster. Tears gathered at the corners of his eye sockets. “it’s not fair, it...it—!” Beyond words, he shook as his eye continued to blaze with his fury.

Two leapt off the couch and scooped him into an embrace. One struggled to get loose, but his brother wasn’t letting go. “BROTHER, STOP. IT’S OKAY NOW. HE WON’T HURT US ANYMORE. NOBODY HAS TO HURT ANYMORE.”

“b-but, bro he—!”

Two squeezed harder. “SHH, I KNOW. I KNOW. BUT HE HAS CHANGED, I CAN SEE IT.”

One stilled, then went limp against his brother. He hiccupped. “wha—what do you see?”

“WELL, FIRST, HE SAID THANK YOU TO ME. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?” He held a finger up in the air, as though instructing a pupil. “AND HE USED YOUR NAME, YOUR REAL NAME! AND HE TAUGHT US ABOUT THAT FONT STUFF, JUST LIKE HE USED TO TEACH US THINGS!”

One buried his head into his brother’s sweater. “bro...i know but...i can’t. i just can’t see him like you do.”

“IT’S ALRIGHT. I’LL LOOK AT HIM FOR THE BOTH OF US!” He gave another quick squeeze. “THIS IS WHAT WE’VE DREAMED OF FOR SO LONG. WE’RE SO CLOSE, BROTHER! YOU’LL FEEL BETTER WHEN IT’S OFF, I JUST KNOW IT!”

One sniffled once more, then looked up at Two. “...yeah. i think you might be right.”

Two grinned. “OF COURSE I’M RIGHT! I’M YOUR BROTHER, PAPYRUS!” One gave a small chuckle, then disentangled himself from his brother. He looked at Alphys and Asgore, who were not hiding their tears very well at all, then once more back at his brother. Two nodded to him, and he turned to meet Gaster’s gaze evenly.

“so. you’re not gonna hurt my brother anymore.”

“No.”

“you’re gonna take the plates off, and that’ll be the end of it.”

“Yes.”

A pause. “i’m not going to forgive you.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

“you deserve a lot worse than this.”

“I know.”

One scowled, but Gaster remained impassive. “i’m going to watch you take it off of him. make sure you don’t try anything.”

“Very well.”

“alright.”

Another pause. “Was there anything else you wanted to say?”

One stiffened, then relaxed. “nah. that’s it for now. i’ll let you know if i think of something, g.” The smile which always adorned his face became more of a smirk. Gaster’s head tilted, but he said nothing. One looked to Alphys. “we done here? i’m sure he’s got a lot of important work to get back to. probably needs to sharpen his drill or something.”

Alphys pushed her glasses up her snout and looked over her notes. “Uh, y-yes, I think we have plenty of information to get started. Do you agree, Dr. Gaster…?”

Gaster moved to stand. “Yes, I’ve seen enough to—” Halfway to his feet, Gaster grunted and his knees buckled. One just managed to jump out of the way. Both Gaster’s real and magic hands flung out to catch himself, but he still met the floor with a hard thump.

“Dr. Gaster!”

“Gaster!”

Alphys and Asgore rushed to his side. Gaster groaned, waving them off. “I’m alright, I’m alright, just stood up too fast is all. ” Despite his shakily signed objections, Asgore appeared behind him. He grabbed Gaster around his torso, lifting him clear off the ground before gently setting him back on his feet.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine, really,” Gaster muttered, glasses askew and still slightly bent over but holding up a hand against further assistance. “I just got a bit stiff down there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He straightened his glasses. “ I insist.” The king still looked concerned, and Gaster frowned in irritation.

The silence broke with a snicker from behind them. Two covered his mouth to try and suppress his giggles, but that only made them worse. Gaster rolled his eye and looked over at his brother. One looked somewhere between disgusted and perplexed. Gaster sighed heavily and turned back to the king. “If I may take my leave, your Majesty. I have a lot of preparations to make.”

“Yes, of course, Dr. Gaster. I need to be going as well.” He smiled at the children. “I am very proud of you two. You’ve been so brave today. This will not be easy, but it will be a good thing in the end.” The taller one puffed up with pride, and his brother gave a small nod. The king turned to Alphys. “When you’re done seeing to the boys, I would like to speak with you and Dr. Gaster both about exactly what supplies you will need.” She nodded vigorously. Asgore put one of his large paws across Gaster’s shoulders, and lead them out of the room.

Once they were a good way down the corridor, Asgore spoke. “I think that went rather well, all things considered. Don’t you?”

Gaster could have laughed. On one hand, he didn’t think it could have gone much worse. On the other, he couldn’t think of a way it might have gone any better. “We’ll see,” he finally signed.

Chapter Text

It took only a few days for Alphys and Gaster to outline the procedure and acquire the supplies needed. The most difficult item to obtain had been the anesthetic. Monsters didn’t need much in the way of medicine, as most injuries and illnesses could be healed with a bit of magic and food. A few tonics had been developed over the years, to help with pain or injuries that needed more time to heal. With the right dosage a monster could even be rendered completely unconscious for more invasive surgeries, without putting them at risk of falling down.

Due to the rarity and potency of such chemicals, only the top physicians in the Underground had the authority to synthesize and administer the drugs. Dr. Gaster not only had this authority as Royal Scientist, but he had also personally seen to the invention of most of them.

The morning of the procedure, Alphys and Asgore had breakfast with the children to explain how it was going to work and what they needed to do. They had done this in part to settle their nerves, and in part to minimize the amount of speaking Gaster would have to do. The steps were simple enough to explain: they’d take the drug, fall asleep, and then Alphys and Gaster would set about removing each of the screws. When that was done, they’d fill the holes left behind with a resin to reinforce the bones. It would set to be solid and strong, but remain semi-flexible so it would give and stretch a little as they continued to grow.

Around midday, Asgore let Gaster into the clinic. He was once again without his lab coat. It seemed he was just going to have to accept that it would no longer be part of his wardrobe when they were around.

Together, he and Alphys had transformed the makeshift clinic into a makeshift operating room. There was a gurney wheeled in the center of the room, surrounded by curtains, bright lights, and several trays of medical instruments. There were also a few electronic monitors on stands, which Alphys was already busy calibrating. The children were perched on top of the gurney, a bundle of oversized garments holding hands. Two waved at him in an attempt at hospitality that almost hid his apprehension. One was glowering as though Gaster planned on walking over there and eating them. As before, not an unexpected reaction.

Asgore walked over to them and set a great paw on Two’s back, jarring both of the brothers. “Well young man, are you ready?” he asked, probably a little too cheerfully given the circumstances.

One looked a bit peeved, but Two just smiled and bounced in his seat. “YES, YOUR MAJESTY! I AM SO EXCITED!”

The king’s smile became warm and true. “And you, Sans?”

The irritation dropped from One’s face immediately. He shrugged, and casually said, “eh, ready as i’ll ever be.”

Asgore seemed satisfied with that answer, and waved Gaster forward. He didn’t acknowledge the children, instead approaching Dr. Alphys. There were already a few small wires running from the monitors to one of the bundles on the table. He stopped right beside her, and when she turned to face him he signed, “Is there something I can help with?”

“No, it’s fine, I just got it calibrated to his SOUL.” She glanced at the two on the gurney, then back at him. “U-um, but you can look over it if you l-like. Make sure it’s all, uh, working correctly.” Gaster nodded and looked over all the connections and readings, knowing they would be fine. Meanwhile Alphys spoke with the brothers, asking trivial questions meant more for easing the tension than surgery-prep. Asgore joined in as well, saying something that made them all laugh.

When Gaster felt enough time had been wasted, he turned back to face them. “Dr. Alphys, everything looks good. I’m ready to begin when you are.”

“A-alright, very good,” Alphys stammered. “Papyrus, are you ready?” The child pulled his brother a little closer to him, then nodded. “We don’t have to do this today, i-if you don’t want. This is completely up to you.”

“I’M READY, DOCTOR ALPHYS.” He looked directly at Gaster. “I TRUST YOU.”

Gaster felt a twinge sneak up his spine. He covered the motion by rolling up his sleeves, internally kicking himself. Had he lost his edge so quickly? How was he going to do this properly if he couldn’t focus? Well, at least Two would be unconscious when the time came.

Alphys bent down to a cooler just below one of the tray tables, retrieving a children’s kiddie cup and small bottle of orange, syrupy liquid. “This is the anesthetic,” she said, handing it to Gaster for inspection. “Papyrus, when you drink all of this you will fall asleep in just a few moments. You won’t wake up for a couple of hours. When you do, you’ll be tired and won’t be able to move around very well. Understand?”

Two nodded. “YES.”

Gaster dutifully examined the concoction, holding it up to the light, swirling it around, turning it every which way in search of a flaw. He knew there wouldn’t be, he had mixed it himself after all. But those two didn’t need to know that. He handed the bottle back to Alphys with a nod. She twisted it open then poured the contents into the kiddie cup.

“Okay, put your legs out in front of you,” Alphys said. He uncrossed his legs, which were so long his feet nearly hung off the end of the gurney. “Here you go. Don’t stop until all of it’s gone. Sans, would you mind hopping down so he has room to lie back?” Two took the drink from Alphys, and his brother gave his hand one last squeeze before jumping to the floor.

It was then that Gaster saw the red scarf on Two again. “That’s going to have to go,” he said abruptly. Everyone in the room looked at him.

“Um, w-what was that?” Alphys asked.

“The scarf,” he signed stiffly. Two touched it and looked back at him, puzzled. “It’s a...hazard. If we have to move him quickly, it may strangle him.”

“Oh, r-right. Of course,” Alphys said. “Papyrus, would you mind taking it off? We’ll give it back to you afterward, I promise.” He ran a hand over it possessively before handing it to his brother. Gaster watched One ball it up in his arms as tight as he could, but the end of it still trailed onto the floor. One gave him a look, and Gaster quickly returned his gaze to Two.

Two took a deep breath, then clamped the straw between his teeth and rapidly gulped the contents. When air was heard rushing through the straw, he unlatched with a gasp and made a disgusted face. “OH, IT’S TERRIBLE! IT’S SO...SWEET!”

Alphys laughed, then after glancing at Gaster turned it into a more professional chortle. “W-we, um, did add some extra flavoring to try and make it taste better.” Gaster frowned. By “we” Alphys meant “him.” He had spent hours reviewing every chemical and compound in the anesthetic, running them against all the chemicals and compounds in the sugary drink mix, to be sure they wouldn't react with one another. If Two didn't like it, then his brother could have none in his dose.

Alphys took Two by an arm and gestured for One to do the same. He struggled to help his brother lie back and hold the scarf at the same time, so Asgore stepped up and took it off his hands. Alphys asked, “Papyrus, I need you to count back from 100 for me, okay?”

Two opened and closed his jaw, as though airing out his mouth would dispel the flavor. “AUGH, IT’S FAR TOO SWEET. I CAN STILL FEEL IT ON MY TEETH!”

“maybe this means you'll have sweet dreams, eh bro?” One quipped.

“BROTHER YOU AREN’T HELPING!”

“heh, if you say so. how about you count like the doc said? that might help.” Alphys and One had him flat on his back, now.

“FINE! ONE, TWO…”

“she said count back from 100.”

“I KNOW WHAT SHE SSSAID, BUT I’M NOT GOING TO! THAT’SSS A STUPID WAY TO COUNT!” He was beginning to slur, and his eye lights wavered.

“doc’s orders, bro.”

“OOOOH VVVERY WELL! ONE...HUN...DR…” And with that he went still, jaw still parted in protest.

“Sans, could you please stand with King Asgore?” Alphys asked. “We need to make room for Dr. Gaster.”

One turned defensive. “i thought you said i could stay with him.”

“Y-you can! But, Dr. Gaster and I need room to work. You'll still be able to see everything, I promise.”

He looked at Gaster and his eye sockets went dark for a moment. Then he shrugged and walked over to the king. One’s uncanny ability to shift from combative to reticent was...troubling. But that was not Gaster’s chief concern at the moment.

“Vitals look good,” Alphys said. “Ready when you are, Dr. Gaster.” Gaster picked a hand screwdriver off the surgical tray. Alphys took the plated hand and carefully turned it over, moving it into position for Gaster.

“i can't see,” Gaster heard to his left. Asgore muttered something, and there was a rustle of fabric and a grunt. Gaster peered over, and saw One perched on the king’s shoulder like some dour, flightless bird. He held himself steady by gripping one of Asgore’s horns.

Gaster rolled his eye, then got to work. His hand joined Alphys’s in holding the plated hand steady. He fitted the screwdriver into the head of the first screw on the first metacarpal. He twisted, and met quite a bit of resistance. Gaster applied firm but careful pressure, avoiding the glare of his own initials staring back at him from the cold steel. There was a creaking sound, like a green twig bent to its limits. Finally it gave and Gaster grunted, causing everyone but his patient to jump. He worked the screw out very slowly, allowing it to guide itself up the natural path threaded into the bone. Each twist brought a dry grinding sound, which he allowed to fill his entire world. Gaster couldn’t see how the extraction was going beneath the plate. The resistance of the tool in his hand and sound of metal on bone were all he had to go by.

This was the larger metacarpal, but it was only 6 or 7 millimeters thick, and the screw was even shorter than that. But it was thick and sturdy. It had to be in order to remain secure as the bone grew and shifted around it. Long after Gaster had stopped counting the turns, the resistance was gone and the screw came free.

He plucked it out of the hole, set it into a tray beside him with a soft “plink,” then moved to the next one. This one went much the same as the first. A difficult start, then slow and meticulous work all the way to the end. The bone held together nicely as the second screw came loose. Before continuing, he gestured for Alphys to move her hands so that he could examine his work. He lifted the hand toward the light, vaguely noting the twin piles of bone dust left on the table.  The finger hung freely below the plate, giving him an unobstructed view of the holes from the top.

“Looks good,” he said, signing with his magic hands in front of him. “They came out cleanly. I see no additional cracking or breakage.”

Alphys nodded. “Can you see any damage or wear to the joints that would affect his range of motion?”

“It’s difficult to say. That’s something he’ll have to tell us as he’s recovering.” Gaster heard One shift. “If you’re ready, let us move on to the next.”

Clinical silence filled the room again as he and Alphys moved to take on the fifth metacarpal. This one should have been a bit easier, now that the plate had only two contact points. He applied as much pressure as he dared, listening to the small creaks and pops, acutely aware of how fragile this bone was.

At last it popped loose, and Gaster breathed again. He heard a sigh of relief from beside him and nearly started, having forgotten in the moment that they had onlookers. He clenched his jaw and continued. As the tool turned, Gaster heard more scraping and cracking than before, and slowed his turning to a crawl. This one probably would probably come out with a bit of damage. When it was gone he stopped to examine the hand again. The plate spun freely around the last point of contact, and Gaster had to move it out of his way to see. He saw several distinct cracks around the hole in the bone, with some areas threatening to come loose altogether. Alphys leaned forward to see. “Would healing him now help?” she asked.

“No, this was inevitable. It’s had no effect on his HP, see? We’ll seal it up with the resin at the end.”

“what’s going on?” came One’s voice. The king shushed the child, and they had a muttered argument as Gaster and Alphys prepared to remove the final screw. Gaster gripped the plate around the edges while Alphys held the wrist and phalanges in place.

He braced the hand and twisted, and the whole thing came loose with a crumbling snap. Alphys tensed, but didn’t move an inch.

“Alphys, keep holding while I lift the plate. When it’s clear we will assess the damage.”

“damage?! what's happening, let me see!”

“No, Sans, stay back. Let them work,” Asgore warned. As Gaster gingerly lifted the plate away from the hand, he heard a small tussle. “If you don't stop you will have to wait outside.”

“let me GO!”

Asgore grunted, and from the edge of his vision Gaster saw One jump off the King toward the table.

“Sans, no!” Alphys cried. But the child never landed. He was suspended in the air by blue magic, SOUL glowing faintly through his hoodie. That same moment the damage under the plate was revealed. The top half of the metacarpal had fallen into pieces. The hole had lost all structure, breaking into multiple fragments. The other phalanges, having lost their connection to the wrist, laid detached and inert on the table.

One gasped. “you...you ruined his hand. how could you?! he TRUSTED you!”

Without looking up, Gaster sent him drifting back toward the king. “Asgore, take him out of here,” he signed.

“stop it! let me see him!” One shouted, kicking and clawing against the blue magic. He bumped into Asgore’s chest, who gently put an arm around him. Gaster let him go, but One continued to carry on. “no, let go of me! let me see my brother, let me SEE HIM!” Asgore muttered placating things as he carried the boy out of the room.

When the door shut behind them, Gaster looked at Alphys. She was pale and trembling, but her hands gripping the patient were steady.

Gaster turned his magic hands to face her. “This is not salvageable. The metacarpal is damaged beyond repair. The best we can do is remove the fragment so he can use the rest of his hand without trouble.”

Alphys licked her lips and nodded. “I-in order to prevent spontaneous re-attachment, won’t we have to…?”

“Yes. The bone will have to be destroyed.” Alphys turned even paler, but nodded again. He looked her in the eye. “I’ll need you to heal him. It will bring his overall HP down slightly, but this will be much less painful in the end. Are you ready?”

Alphys removed her hand from the phalanges and placed them both on the wrist, steeling herself. “Yes.”

Gaster summoned a small bone with his magic, pointing it at the shattered metacarpal. Attack magic was not at all a common tool for surgery, but seeing as how he had no hammer or other large, blunt instrument, he’d have to make do.

“On three,” he said. “One, two, three.”

The attack pierced the center of the bone fragment, breaking it with a sharp snap. A warning sounded from the HP monitor, and Alphys’s hands lit up green with healing magic as the severed pieces dissolved into a fine powder. Even the three detached phalanges turned to dust.

After a moment, the monitor’s warning subsided, and the glow around Alphys’s hands faded. Gaster nodded his approval. “Good work. Now let’s seal the other holes with the resin.”

The procedure was simple from that point on. They took care to clean all the excess resin from around the two holes, so the seal was as seamless as possible. The bone was not wrapped, as the resin needed air to set properly.

After unplugging him from the monitoring equipment, Gaster used his blue magic to move the child to a cot they’d set up across the room. He then assisted Alphys in cleaning up, placing the screwdriver and the tools they’d mixed the resin with in a bin to be cleaned. Last, they gathered and disposed of the screws, plate, and dust.

As they finished, Gaster caught Alphys staring at the plate. When she saw him looking, she jumped and stuffed it back in the waste bag. “S-sorry, it’s just...they told me you could, u-um...well...”

Gaster nodded slowly. “Yes...it has a trace amount of magic that I could use to track their location.”

She swallowed hard, not meeting his eye. “I..I-I see, y-yes.” Unbidden, the sound of snapping bone filled his mind. Then the scream. His fists clenched. “Um...I’ll go get S-Sans, then e-explain to Papyrus when he...t-that…”

“No,” Gaster blurted. He signed, “No, I will explain what happened.”

Alphys gave him a pained look. “Doctor, i-it’s not your fault. You don’t need to—”

“Yes, it is my fault. And I will tell him.”

She wrung her hands together, uncomfortable. “Uh, o-okay...but, e-either Asgore or I will have to…”

“Yes, I know.”

.

The next hour was one of the longest and most uncomfortable Gaster had ever experienced in his life. Asgore and One returned after Alphys left, and the three of them took up positions around the cot where Two rested. One gave Gaster a poisonous look before he hopped up on the cot, clutching his brother’s uninjured hand in his. Gaster leaned against the nearest wall, hands jammed in his pockets, fiddling the lighter and box of cigarettes he’d stashed in them.

Asgore sat in a chair he pulled up right between the three skeletons. The king split his time between looking at the boys, looking at Gaster, and plucking the absurdly small crown off of his head to rub at imaginary smudges. He was clearly trying his hardest to not look like he was guarding the children from the scientist.

Gaster looked directly at the two on the cot as little as his professional obligation allowed. He did note the scarf had reappeared. The red lump was perched atop Two’s chest. God, he needed a cigarette so badly he was shaking. He thought about excusing himself for a few minutes, but no. That wouldn’t do. He had never them alone while they were unconscious like this, and he wouldn’t start now.

After a while, Gaster realized One had fallen asleep next to his brother. All the better. When Asgore noticed as well, he stood to go lean against the wall with Gaster.

“Good work today,” he said quietly.

“We’ll see,” Gaster signed.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You did everything you could,” Asgore said. “How much longer until he wakes, do you think?”

“Thirty minutes, maybe. It’s hard to say. He’s never been one to sleep much, though.”

Asgore smiled faintly. “Not like his brother, I see.”

Gaster said nothing.

“Papyrus asks about you a lot,” Asgore said after a few minutes. “He wants to know what you do, where you came from. If there are any others like you.”

Gaster shifted uncomfortably. “What have you told him?”

“I said...you work to make life here in the Underground better. And that there were many skeletons long ago, but after the war…” He trailed off. “They don’t...quite understand the war. Well, I think Sans might. But Papyrus seems...resistant to the idea of that much conflict.”

Gaster huffed. “Sounds about right.” He eyed the scarf on Two’s chest, hoping his friend hadn’t shown them any pictures from back then, too. God, that was the last thing they needed to see.

Asgore scratched the back of his head. “You know...I haven’t told them they can’t ever see you. After a bit more time, I could mention that if they wanted—”

“Absolutely not.”

Asgore frowned. “I’m not going to deny them access to the only other one of their kind.” He turned to face Gaster directly. “Do you not see how important this is for them? There is so much for you to pass on to them, if you would only just—”

“Dr. Alphys is handling their education perfectly well. If they have any further questions, she can consult me.”

“Gaster—”

“NO. I know what you’re asking for, Asgore, and I will not do it. You want me to be some sort of—” Gaster cut himself off, then glared at his friend. He finished with two clipped signs. “No. Never.”

Asgore looked displeased. They fell back into silence. One still appeared to be asleep, despite their argument. The words Asgore said a few days ago came floating back into Gaster’s mind. You don’t get to decide when you’re forgiven. Well, nothing to worry about with that one. And that’s not why he was here, anyway.

More time passed this way, and finally Papyrus began to stir. Gaster straightened and approached the cot, with Asgore one step behind him. One had woken up as well and bristled at their presence, but his eyes never left his brother.

“bro, you awake? can you hear me?” he asked. Papyrus groaned and muttered something incoherent. “bro, i’m here. come on, wake up.”

“Be patient,” Gaster said. “It will take a few minutes for him to fully wake.”

One gave him a nasty look, but then Papyrus said in a scratchy voice, “NGH...WH...WHERE AM I? WHAT’S HAPPENING? WHY DOES MY HAND HURT?”

“Papyrus, you just finished surgery. Do you remember?”

“SURGERY…?” His eye lights flickered. “OH...WHY IS MY BROTHER HERE? ARE WE BACK IN THE CELL?”

Gaster blanched, and One gently shook his brother’s shoulder. “no bro, we’re in the castle. we’re home, remember?”

“...YES, THAT’S RIGHT…” Pure and honest relief spread across his face. He placed his hands on top of the scarf, then pulling it close almost drifted off again.

In a minute his eye lights flickered and stayed on, however faintly. “MMM...AH HELLO, BROTHER. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

One smiled and stroked his brother’s head. “i’m here ‘cause you’re here. we got your plate taken off, remember?”

“PLATE…? OH, IS THAT WHY IT HURTS?” Papyrus brought his right hand directly in front of his face, squinting hard at the appendage. “WOWIE, IT...IT’S OFF...AND IT FEELS SO...LIGHT?” He turned his hand every which way, wearing the stupidest grin on his face. He flexed his fingers together and apart, seeming to delight in the simple act of moving them horizontally. After a moment he paused and squinted again. “WAIT...ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR…”

One stiffened. “bro, um, there’s somethin’ i gotta tell you—”

“HM, I APPEAR TO BE SHORT ONE FINGER,” Papyrus said flatly. Everyone went still. “DID...SOMETHING GO WRONG WITH THE SURGERY?”

One tried to begin, but Gaster cleared his figurative throat. “Yes. Unfortunately your fifth metacarpal degraded beyond repair. It had to be removed, as well as the other phalanges attached to it.”

“OH.” Papyrus slowly rotated his hand, examining the empty space. Then he sighed. “WELL, THAT’S TOO BAD.” Gaster blinked at the rather blasé reply. He had expected a bit more of a reaction from the news of permanent disfigurement.

One broke in now. “you’re gonna be okay, bro. doc says you’re gonna be able to use all your other fingers just fine, and it’ll stop hurting soon.”

“OF COURSE I’M GOING TO BE OKAY! WHAT IS ONE MISSING FINGER TO YOUR BROTHER, PAPYRUS?” He put his left arm around his brother, pulling him down into an awkward side-hug. “AND IF THAT’S THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN, YOU’LL DO JUST FINE WHEN THEY TAKE YOURS OFF!”

Asgore chuckled and shook his head. “Young one, your spirit never ceases to amaze me.”

Papyrus puffed up from the praise, then turned to beam at Gaster. “THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT, I’M SO HAPPY!”

Gaster averted his gaze, looking intently at the scarf instead. His SOUL felt like it was twisting into knots. “There’s...no need to thank me.” Panic and screaming he could have handled, but this…

“I KNEW YOU COULD BE GOOD IF YOU JUST TRIED!”

Gaster felt his eyes were dangerously close to glowing, and what color he didn’t know. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “How does your hand feel?”

Papyrus flexed his fingers again. “IT HURTS A BIT. AND IT FEELS...WARM?”

Gaster nodded. “That’s the resin setting. It will cool with a bit more time, and the pain should subside as well. We have some more medicine for you if it hurts too much.”

“NO, IT’S FINE I THINK,” Papyrus said. “AND YOU’LL DO MY BROTHER TOMORROW?”

“Yes, as long as your condition doesn’t change.”

He giggled, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. “ISN’T IT WONDERFUL, BROTHER?!”

“yeah, i’m stoked,” One chuckled dryly. “but seriously, are you okay?”

Papyrus cupped his brother’s face in a hand. “YES. AND YOU’LL BE OKAY TOO. I PROMISE.”

One put his hand on top of his brother’s. “if you say so.”

Asgore put a paw on Gaster’s back, startling him. “Dr. Gaster, I think we have things under control, here. If you have no further questions, you can go rest now.”

Gaster nodded. “Thank you, your majesty.”

As he walked away, Papyrus called after him. “WE’LL SEE YOU TOMORROW, THEN, DOCTOR GASTER!” Gaster kept on walking. He could not get to the courtyard for that cigarette fast enough.

.

The next morning Papyrus felt fine, and so that afternoon they all met at the same time for his brother’s surgery. It was a much less dramatic affair than the first procedure, overall. The snide comments stopped after One drank the anesthetic, the flavor of which was much more to his taste. Papyrus proved to be a much more cooperative, and more importantly silent, observer. He stood in front of the king, who put his paws on Papyrus’s shoulders and whispered bracing things as it went.

Along with Gaster going much slower to minimize the damage, Alphys provided a small but constant stream of healing magic as they went. Even the slightest drop in One’s HP could not be risked. However, while Alphys was much more capable of healing than Gaster or even Asgore, magic was not her forte. She was already breathing heavily after the first screw was removed, and halfway through the third the healing glow wavered.

“Stop,” Gaster signed. “You’re exhausted, we can wait a moment.”

Alphys shook her head and rasped, “N...no. I c-can do this. We’re...s-so close…”

“There’s no point in going on if you’re going to burn out before we finish.”

“I CAN HEAL HIM.”

Both of them turned to look at Papyrus. His face was set with determined seriousness, framed by the scarf in such a way that gave Gaster pause. “I CAN HEAL HIM. YOU KNOW I CAN. PLEASE, LET ME DO IT.”

Gaster considered him. Alphys would go until she collapsed if he asked her to. But ultimately that would not help anyone. Gaster nodded and beckoned him forward. Papyrus put his hands on top of Alphys’s. His four-fingered right hand had landed on top, and Gaster’s eye lingered on it. Papyrus’s hands came alight with healing magic, then Alphys removed her hands and stepped out of the way.

“Now, not too much,” Gaster said, not bothering with sign language for the moment. “Just a trickle, this will take some time.” The glow dimmed. “There. Now, hold it right there.”

Gaster had to admit, not only was Papyrus’s magic strong, but his stamina and control were excellent. He had a fleeting thought that it was too bad he hadn’t gotten a chance to test those abilities. He squelched the thought immediately. That was in the past. Focus on the present...

The final screw came loose, and Gaster pulled the plate free, revealing four small and perfectly round holes. Their edges were pristine, no additional breakage had occurred. He nodded to Papyrus. “Good. Now, let Dr. Alphys back in and we will seal the holes.”

Papyrus beamed, and it took all of Gaster’s will to not glower at him. The child did as he was told and backed up. Alphys had already mixed the resin, so without delay they set about to cleaning and sealing the holes.

When they finished, Gaster gave the bones a final once-over before calling it done. Only then did Papyrus let out an elated whoop. The king laughed, patting him on the back and congratulating him on a job well done. Even Alphys, tired as she was, couldn’t seem to dispel the huge grin that spread across her face.

Gaster had fully intended on letting Alphys take over the post-op watch this time, but after watching her barely muddle through cleanup he sent her straight home. Once again it was he, Asgore, and the children all stuck in a room together.

Except this time, the conscious child wanted to talk. After giving several monosyllable answers to Papyrus’s inquiries, Gaster explained as civilly as he could that he was tired and not feeling up to small talk just now. The child looked a bit put out, and so Asgore stepped in to indulge his ceaseless gabbing.

One remained asleep a full 90 minutes longer than his brother had. Gaster was not at all surprised by this. Asgore and Papyrus were so busy chatting and playing games (mostly puzzles) they hardly seemed to notice. However, when his brother finally did stir, Papyrus was the first to know.

“BROTHER!” he called, launching himself at the cot in a streak of red fabric before Asgore or Gaster even knew what had happened. “BROTHER ARE YOU AWAKE? IT WENT WELL! EVERYTHING IS FINE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!”

“Papyrus, calm down, let the boy breathe,” Asgore admonished.

When Gaster approached the cot, the view was much the same as before, except the roles were reversed. Papyrus sat on the side and was shaking his brother insistently. Soon One’s large eye sockets flickered with light. “mmm...wha...bro, what’s up?”

“BROTHER, YOU’RE AWAKE!”

“...that seems to be the case.”

“YES, IT IS! AND I HAVE GREAT NEWS! EVERYTHING WENT SPLENDIDLY!”

“uh...what did?”

“YOUR PLATE REMOVAL, OF COURSE! IT CAME OFF PERFECTLY, JUST LIKE I SAID IT WOULD! ALL OF YOUR FINGERS ARE FINE!”

“oh yeah…” One lifted his hand and held it in front of his face, trying to focus on the bones. “guess i’m gonna have to take your word on it. man I'm tired...”

His eye lights flickered out, and Papyrus shook him again. “BROTHER, WHAT’S THE MATTER? CAN YOU NOT SEE?” He looked to Gaster, his face all concern.

“This is normal,” Gaster assured him. “He'll be groggy for some time, and may have trouble seeing and hearing until the medicine works its way out of his system.”

“ OH.” Papyrus considered this for a moment. “WILL...YOU STAY UNTIL HE WAKES UP?”

Gaster sighed. “I will stay until he can remain conscious long enough to tell me if anything is wrong.”

A snort came from below them. “well, if that's the case, i guess i'm ready to get up.”

“BROTHER!” Papyrus put his hands on his hips.”YOU WERE PRETENDING TO SLEEP?!”

“how was i supposed to know he'd stick around? he split as soon as you woke up yesterday.”

“THAT’S NOT—”

“How are you feeling?” Gaster spoke very loudly to cut Papyrus off. He was not in the mood for brotherly banter right now.

One gestured with his hands rather dramatically as he spoke. “oh, you know, not too bad. feels like somebody drilled a big ‘ol plate into my hand and then pulled it back off, but otherwise it's fine. funny how that works, huh g?”

Gaster crossed his arms. “Hilarious. Can you move it well enough?”

One opened and closed his hand, then made a few waves with his fingers. “yeah, works fine. guess you had enough fingers for your collection, huh? didn't need to pop any of mine off, too?”

Asgore spoke up. “Sans, that's enough. Answer Dr. Gaster’s questions, please, and no more.”

The child groaned. “ fiiine . feels kinda sore. no i don't want medicine for it. also feels kinda warm, but that's just the resin setting, i know.” He rose a brow at Gaster. “anything else?”

“No. If anything changes let Dr. Alphys or the king know immediately.”

“so they can run to you and ask how to fix me, eh?”

“If that's what it takes to keep you alive, then so be it,” Gaster snapped. The words were out before he fully realized what he’d said. The effect was immediate. Sans drew back and his face went blank, and Papyrus’s eyes lit up with something that made Gaster desperately want to be somewhere else. Asgore simply looked perplexed.

Gaster sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face. “Your Majesty, I believe I've seen enough. I'll be going now.” He strode out of the room without waiting to be dismissed. He was going to head straight home and not emerge again until the next human fell.

.

Gaster sat on the floor of his office in the Core facility, trying to make sense of some odd readings. Reports, graphs, and calculations were spread in front of him on a short coffee table. The anomaly was becoming a larger problem than he and the Core team had originally estimated, but he believed if they acted quickly enough they could prevent it from becoming critical. The tremors were still worsening though, and construction on some handrails throughout the facility had begun, per Asgore’s request.

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” he called. As soon as he said the words, he remembered they wouldn’t be understood by the person on the other side. He sighed and stood to answer it.

Before he could even cross the room the door swung inward. Gaster froze. In his doorway stood Papyrus and Sans—alone. The former was wearing a striped sweater, the red scarf, and held a squat basket in his arms. His baggy pants were stuffed into a pair of enormous brown boots. The latter wore sweatpants which were so long they covered his shoes, and a hoodie whose front pockets he’d jammed his hands into. Sans also wore a scowl, where his brother had on a nervous grin.

Gaster did nothing but gape at them for several moments. Papyrus broke the silence with a small cough. “AHEM, H-HELLO!” he stammered, waving a four-fingered greeting. “I, ER, WE BROUGHT A GIFT FOR YOU!” His arms flew out to present the basket, which trembled slightly in his grip. A salty and pungent smell wafted into the room.

Gaster looked at the basket, then back at Papyrus. “Are you two supposed to be here?”

“K-KING ASGORE SAID WE COULD EXPLORE THE CASTLE!”

“This isn’t the castle.”

“H-HERE, WE MADE THESE FOR YOU! THE CASTLE, UM...C-CHEF HAS BEEN TEACHING US HOW TO COOK!”

Gaster was too dumbfounded to engage further. The nerve of them. They’d probably talked to every monster from the castle to the Core to find him here. He had half a mind to drag them by their SOULs straight back to Asgore, if only that didn’t mean he’d have to explain what had happened.

Sans rolled his eyes. “well, you gonna take ‘em or not?”

Hardly knowing why, Gaster approached them and snatched up the basket. Papyrus flinched, and he remembered he was wearing his lab coat. That explained the agitation. Well. Served him right.

Gaster opened the cloth covering the top, revealing what might have been pastries in the loosest of terms. Brownish lumps of various sizes, a few leaking some kind of red filling. Gaster brought them closer to his face for further inspection, and was immediately struck with the unmistakable odor of garlic and marinara.

Papyrus bounced with giddiness. “IT’S GARLIC! I LOVE GARLIC! AND TOMATOES! I THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE THEM, TOO! SO I PUT THEM INTO SOME BREAD, SINCE THEY’RE HARD TO EAT ON THEIR OWN.”

Gaster had never had so much difficulty finding something to say in his life. It wasn’t even that he couldn’t find the right words, it was that he couldn’t find any at all . Unable to bear the smell any longer, he turned and walked the basket over to the table, setting it by his coffee mug.

Papyrus’s grin wavered a little. “DON’T...DON’T YOU WANT TO TRY ONE?”

Finally, a proper question he could answer. “No—not right now. I prefer not to eat in my office.”

“you’re havin’ that,” Sans interjected, eyeing the coffee mug.

“That’s different.”

“how?”

“It’s liquid.”

“WELL, UM, HOW ABOUT YOU COME OUTSIDE OF YOUR OFFICE? THEN YOU WON’T BE EATING INSIDE!”

“No.”

Papyrus flinched again. Gaster closed his eye and rubbed his forehead with two fingers. “Was there anything else you wanted? I have to get back to work.”

He could almost hear the glance the brothers exchanged, then Papyrus spoke. “WELL, I UM...I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU WANTED MY SCARF, TOO.” Gaster’s eye snapped open. The child was wringing a tail end of it nervously in his hands. “YOU...YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT IT. I WAS WONDERING IF THAT’S BECAUSE YOU LIKED IT? YOU CAN HAVE IT IF YOU WANT! DOCTOR ALPHYS AND THE KING GAVE US LOTS OF CLOTHES. I’M SURE I CAN FIND ANOTHER JUST AS GREAT!”

Gaster was trembling. This had to stop. It was absolutely too much. Part of him wanted to say yes just so he could burn the wretched thing and forget it. Having those two running all over the Underground was bad enough, but having one running around looking like a clone of...

Never in his life had Gaster wanted to smack himself so badly.

“No, thank you. Keep it,” he said tightly. “Now if you don’t mind, I have some very critical—” There was a rustle of papers behind him. He turned around to see Sans rifling through the calculations he’d been working on.

“huh, so you’re trying to find x and z without letting F get to 66, right? and then...relating it back to t? looks like it’d be a lot easier if you just—”

“OUT.” Gaster took two quick strides around the table, but the child dropped the papers and immediately returned to his brother’s side.

“if you just let F be 66, that’d solve the problem a lot easier, g,” Sans said, smirking.

Gaster narrowed his eye at him. “If F reaches 66, then the core will implode and we will all die.” The smirk slipped a little. “Now, go. I have a lot of important work to do and I don’t need distractions.”

Papyrus looked a bit crestfallen, but tried to keep it off his face as he backed up into the hall. “OH, O-OKAY! WELL, TELL ME IF YOU LIKE THEM! I CAN MAKE YOU SOME MORE ANYTIME! OR SOMETHING ELSE, IF YOU’D PREFER! AND JUST TELL ME IF YOU EVER CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT—” He was cut off as Sans shut the door a little harder than necessary.

Gaster leaned against his desk and put a hand over his face, letting out a sigh that ended in a groan. He stood that way for several moments, trying to process what had just happened. It was as if Papyrus only existed to pester him with nonsense. He should have told them to leave the moment he took the basket. No, he shouldn’t have even taken the basket at all.

He looked at the offending thing again, taking a peek at the little abominations one last time. Where on earth had he gotten such an idea? And what possessed him to think it was a good one? Some things never changed, it seemed. At least if he was baking that meant his hand wasn’t bothering him too much.

Gaster returned to where he’d been sitting on the floor, moving the papers back to where they’d been before the other had gone snooping. Come to think of it, Sans actually hadn’t been wrong, per se. He had only lacked all the necessary information to come to the right conclusion. Sans was clever, and no matter how much Gaster tried he couldn’t help but see a bit of himself at that age in him. Extremely bright, insatiably curious, a little taciturn, and more than a little cheeky. With proper guidance, he could become one of the most brilliant minds in the Underground. Given it didn’t eat him up inside.

His gaze dropped to his hands as he thought. Gaster would never dream of being on good terms with them. Nor would he ever dream of being forgiven, though the king’s words still haunted him.

“Well, Asgore,” he thought dryly, “is this what forgiveness looks like? Garlic pastries and a scarf?”

Reaching into his coat pockets, Gaster pulled out his cigarettes and lighter. He didn’t usually smoke in his office, but he needed to get his mind off of this. Or at the very least offset the smell of his “gift.” After savoring the first few drags, his forced his thoughts to return to Sans. His talent was so raw, and his potential so great. He could have his pick of any position in the science division one day. Not that he’d ever join while Gaster was there; that alone could steer him away from the field altogether. Not to mention the Underground’s desperate lack of advanced educational resources.

His eye drifted to the bookshelf by his desk. Well. That was one thing that could be fixed.

.

A box had arrived with their breakfast. Sans and Papyrus tore into it immediately, ignoring the spread of fresh pastries and hot tea to open the unlabelled gift. Papyrus had broke the seal first, discovering a trove of books inside which he eagerly sorted through. His enthusiasm waned as he tried and failed to understand the titles of the thick, dull books. “CAL-COO-LAS, GEO-METERY, ATOMS AND...MOLE-KYOOLS?” Papyrus said. “WHAT DO ALL OF THESE RIDICULOUS WORDS MEAN?”

Sans, on the contrary, only became more interested by what he saw. He picked each volume up as Papyrus set them down. “they’re about math, bro,” he said. “and...chemistry.”

“WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? DID THE CHEF SEND THEM HERE?”

“nah, doubt it.”

“THEN WHO?” Papyrus turned around to see Sans carefully scrutinizing each book.

When Sans noticed his brother staring, he shrugged. “dunno.”

Papyrus sighed dramatically. “WELL, WE CAN LOOK AT THEM MORE AFTER BREAKFAST.”

“yeah, be there in a sec, bro,” Sans replied, not looking up from the calculus book he’d just cracked open.

Some time later Dr. Alphys came by. Sans was lying on the floor, buried deep in an astronomy book and absently gnawing on a cold piece of toast. Papyrus was picking up crumbs scattered around his brother’s immediate area. The sight of Sans so engaged brought a smile to Alphys’s face.

“I, uh, see you found the king’s gift,” she said.

“WAS IT THE KING WHO SENT THE BOOKS?” Papyrus asked, continuing to clean directly under his oblivious brother.

“Y-Yes. He found out how i-interested Sans was in math and, uh, science. So he had these books pulled from the castle library for him.” Sans didn’t respond, his eyes locked on a map of the stars. “So...I take it you like them?”

Papyrus frowned and nudged his brother with his foot, nearly rolling him over on his side. “BROTHER! DOCTOR ALPHYS ASKED YOU A QUESTION!”

“yeah, yeah, i heard,” Sans muttered. At last he made eye contact with Alphys over the top of the book. “you said they came from the king, huh?”

“The king’s l-library, yes. I-I helped pick them out, though.”

Sans scrutinized Alphys, watching her fret and grin uncomfortably. Then after a moment, his expression lightened and his smile appeared almost genuine. “yeah, they’re pretty good. tell him i say thanks next time you see him.”

“YES, TELL HIM THANK YOU FOR ME AS WELL. BUT MAYBE ADD THAT NEXT TIME SOME STORY BOOKS WOULD BE NICE. THESE ARE A BIT...HOW TO PUT IT...LACKING IN PROSE.”

Alphys giggled nervously. “Y-yes, I’ll pass word a-along to him.”

“THE ONE ABOUT THE SILLY PIGGY WAS DECENT, BUT HIS RABBIT FRIEND REALLY STOLE THE SHOW IN MY OPINION. WOULD THERE BE MORE ON THAT CHARACTER?”

I-I’ll certainly ask him to look.”

“PLEASE DO! AND SANS REALLY LIKED THE ONE ABOUT THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE. HOWEVER HE SEEMED TO LIKE THE TORTOISE, EVEN THOUGH THE HARE WAS CLEARLY THE STAR. DO YOU THINK THERE ARE MORE STORIES ABOUT THE TORTOISE FOR HIM?”

Papyrus and Alphys went back and forth on the subject for some time. Sans put down the astronomy book, and spotted a rather thick title labelled “Quantum Physics.”

As he picked it up, the weight seemed strangely distributed. He opened the cover to reveal a rectangular hole carved into the pages in the book, creating a hidden opening. Inlaid was a small notebook. It was very old and faded, the writing on the cover hard to decipher. Sans carefully picked the leatherbound volume out and held it close to his face. At last he recognized the strange symbols on the cover, and his eye lights went dark for a moment.

Sans peeked at Alphys and Papyrus to make sure they weren’t looking, then carefully thumbed through the book. Well, no surprise here. Did he really think Sans wouldn’t figure it out? Was this a sick joke? The old coot probably hadn’t even bothered filling the gaps in his bookshelf.

After skimming several pages, Sans realized that it was a sort of joke and riddle book, all completely handwritten. He tilted his head in confusion. Maybe it was some kind of a sick joke. All the rest of it seemed to be. The greatest one being that sadist up there in his office drinking coffee and “making life in the Underground better.”

It was a battle Sans was losing hope in winning. What he called “injustice” Papyrus called “mercy.” Everything his brother had seen since they’d gotten out only further convinced him that mercy was always the solution. Sans, on the other hand, had learned that justice was selective. He loved and admired his brother more than anything, and he wanted to be strong and protect him. But every time he tried he failed.

Dr. Alphys and the king had done a lot for them, and Sans couldn’t just write all that off. However, their refusal to pick a side when it came to what that freak had done to them was frustrating. And unlike Papyrus, it wasn’t because they thought mercy was the best option. They were simply too afraid to act. All of it just made him...tired. So very tired.

Sans shut the joke book and placed it back inside the quantum physics book. He looked back over at Papyrus. He was regaling some story they’d read to Dr. Alphys, and seemed much more invested in the telling than she was. Sans smiled. He would never be as cheerful or as brave as Papyrus. But he could watch from a distance, basking in the light that shone from him. A moon to his brother’s sun. A satellite to watch over him.

Dr. Alphys slowly backed away from Papyrus as he continued to gesticulate wildly, until she was close enough to speak with Sans. “If you want any other books like these, I-I’d be happy to find some for you,” she whispered.

Even though Sans knew who would actually be finding those books, they didn’t really sound so bad to him now. His arguing and fighting for justice had been thwarted. Knowledge was really the only weapon left to him, now. It was the only thing Gaster had never been able to take away from them.

Sans chuckled. “thanks, doc. i think i’m covered for now, but i’ll send you a page if i think of something.”