#lee!gaster

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In this empty void, darker than dark, only two sources of light existed.

The first, a wall of monitors, watching over the various timelines of his deltarune, observing every choice made and studying even the smallest differences.

The second, a vibrant red emitted by the soul.

The soul hovered behind him, several pairs of wings folded neatly as it watched him work. Tendril-like claws rested against the ground like an animal, supporting its size as it leaned in. Dark eyes squinted as they attempted to scan the far-too-small monitors from above. They let out a crackling sound of displeasure, long body finally raising back up to stretch.

"I DO APOLOGIZE, MY SOUL. I WARNED YOU, MY WORK IS NOT VERY EXCITING." The text appears over his head, he refused to look away from the timelines. "THE WORK OF A SCIENTIST RARELY IS."

The soul lets out another static-laden sound. To anyone else, this would have been far too loud and unintelligible. To him, though...

"IT IS FINE, MY SOUL. THIS WORK... IT IS MY LIFE, NOW. I AM PROUD OF IT. LOOK HOW THEY WORK AS ONE, TO SURPASS THE OBSTACLES IN THEIR WAY."

The soul leans closer, letting out something akin to a laugh, a short burst of static exiting.

"...IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE BATTLE PASS. THIS IS NOT FORTNITE, MY SOUL." He lets out a quiet sigh. Were they bored already...? "LOOK AT THIS MONITOR. SUSIE IS PRESENT. YOU ENJOY SUSIE, YES?"

It lets out a higher-pitched noise. They do, indeed, enjoy Susie. It keeps them distracted for a time to watch her attempt a battle against the hammer of justice.

Gaster has regained a peaceful workplace, soul distracted. It was almost hilarious how a creature that existed far above him could be enraptured by something so... simple. He turns his attention to a different monitor, watching a battle against a titan unfold.

He lets out an almost silent yawn, hands reaching behind him to rest upon his back as he stretches, letting out a few loud pops. He groans.

A quieter static rumble gets his attention.

The soul's eyes were focused on him, an unreadable expression in them. They sounded... concerned?

"...AH. PLEASE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ME. I CANNOT EXPERIENCE TRUE EXHAUSION. NOT ANYMORE. MY JOINTS APPEAR TO HAVE SIMPLY NEEDED ADJUSTMENT, MY SOUL."

It lets out another low rumble, sounding irritated.

"I MUST REITERATE... I DO NOT NEED BREAKS. I DO NOT EAT AS WELL. MY PHYSIOLOGY IS NOT MORTAL ANY LONGER. PLEASE, DO NOT FRET FOR ME."

It lets out a very short, quiet cluster of static, picking itself back up to full height. He watches them rise to their full twenty-foot height, giving him a look of sharp disapproval. He opts to turn back to his timelines.

He'd rather not be fooled into taking even a short break- if the soul had their way, they'd keep him hostage for a nap. There's too much to do, so much to-

He lets out a yelp of surprise as something red curls around his midsection and yoinks him right out of his chair.

The soul had, often, initiated physical contact in small ways; patting his head, bumping their head against him, even wrapping a tendril around his arm- but it had never chosen to pick him up.

Yet, here he was; gripped within a set of claws, gently held concerningly high above the ground, looking face-to-face with the soul... who seems irritated at him. It lets out a short burst of static at him.

"MY SOUL, YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY FOR MY HEALTH. I HAVE ALREADY DIED MANY TIMES OVER. I CANNOT BE LOST AGAIN."

It lets out a growl, the sound rumbling through the thin air of the void as it brought him closer to its face. He could see something similar to fangs within a hidden mouth. Fascinating.

He simply reaches one hand out to touch the spot between their eyes, the growl softening and vanishing. "I APOLOGIZE FOR CAUSING YOU CONCERN. I REASSURE YOU... I HAVE NOT LIED. MANY OF THE THINGS THAT MADE ME MORTAL ARE GONE. DO NOT WORRY FOR ME."

The soul lets out something akin to a sigh. Maybe it realized it wasn't going to win this particular fight. Gaster pats their head, feeling them lean into the touch. A small trill rings through the static, almost like a purr as their eyes close.

It is a purr, he notes as a buzzing sensation builds under his hand. Very fascinating, indeed. The buzzing appears to spread through the soul's entire form, even dully building up within the tendril wrapped around his middle.

Gaster falters, his outstretched arm twitching as the buzzing intensifies around his midsection, a wobbly smile forcing its way onto his face.

...This was familiar. Terribly familiar. Something of a memory is on the very edge of his mind, just out of reach. His first hypothesis was that the soul was simply infecting him with its own happiness; but they seemed much calmer, more content, whereas he almost felt a laugh trying to build in his chest. He squirmed quietly, hand gripping the soul's furlike surface, something of a quiet snicker forcing its way up.

He feels himself trying to curl up. This doesn't make sense. He covers his mouth with his other hand, desperately fighting off... whatever was happening. The soul would eventually decide to put him back down, it would eventually wander off.

Not yet, it seems. The soul seems to grip him slightly tighter for a moment as it nuzzles its head against him. It's the buzzing getting stronger and closer against his ribs that finally does him in, throwing his head back with a loud, surprised yelp and wheeze.

The purring stopped immediately as the soul jumped back, grip changing to allow him to lay across their palm instead. He watched their eyes bounce around, checking him over rapidly. It sounded confused when he appeared unharmed.

Gaster allowed himself a few small chuckles as this happened. It was hardly like him to come undone like this... that wobbly smile took its time falling from his face. The soul's eyes had an odd intensity to them.

"...AH. PARDON ME, MY SOUL. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH AN UNUSUAL EVENT HAS OCCURRED. HOW PECULIAR."

The soul did not move. They seemed oddly... focused? He clears his throat. "YOU HAVE NOT HARMED ME, REST ASSURED. I... AM UNSURE WHAT HAS OCCURRED. YOU HAVE NOT HARMED ME, HOWEVER. MAY YOU RETURN ME TO THE GROUND, MY SOUL?"

The soul cocks their head to the side with a small, mischeivous laugh. Gaster was unsure if he liked the sound of that right now. Surely the soul wasn't about to drop him, right?

A strange fluttering anxiety fills his stomach as the soul raises its other tendril, forming into claws as it makes a high-pitched singsong-ing trill. He balks at what it says.

"EXCUSE ME? I BELIEVE YOU ARE MISTAKEN, MY SOUL. I DO NOT BELIEVE I AM-"

He's cut off as those claws descend, scratching against his sides. The sensation that it results in is almost exactly the same as before, causing another wheeze that dissolves into a frantic cackling as he grabbed at the red claws and tried to curl up, much to the soul's amusement.

Ah. The soul was correct, to his chagrin. He remembers now- scooping his two young sons up to tickle them silly, and them eventually teaming up against him as they got bigger. They got their sensitivity from him, and they knew it.

Gaster's sharply snapped out of his recollection with a wheezy shriek as those claws moved to explore around his ribs, prodding at the spaces between and scratching at the bones. He's kicking his legs and shaking his head side-to-side, he forgot just how sensitive he was before.

He forgot that he kind of missed this closeness and contact, despite the fact that his nerves thought he was actively dying. "M-MY S-SOU-OUL-!"

His text was glitching from a lack of focus, the letters falling away as soon as they appeared. The soul only gave off a happy trill as it moved a claw up to wiggle under the collar of his turtleneck, earning a softer chuckle and slower squirming.

Despite the sheer silliness of it all, he... almost didn't mind it. The soul was warm, comfortable, and giving him the attention he'd missed from his family. It retracted the claw from his neck, almost seeming as if it was choosing where to target next.

Did they miss their family? Did they miss this kind of contact, too?

Upon not receiving any protests, the soul wiggled two claws, one under each of his arms. Gaster gave off another yelp of surprise, dissolving into laughter once again, his shoulders scrunching up. This wasn't as bad as his ribs, thankfully, but not nearly as... relaxing(?) as his neck. He was oddly fine with just... existing and laughing himself silly at present.

The claws retracted, and he's surprised by the soul's face leaning in next. It opens a hidden mouth, fangs becoming visible-

What could only be described as alphabet soup suddenly materializes, letters spawning and vanishing at a rapid pace as the soul's fangs gently chomp down on Gaster's stomach area, his void-given body offering him a new spot to be sensitive in.

being a skeleton, he didn't HAVE a stomach before. But he does now, which was probably why he couldn't handle this spot. Both of his hands are pushing the soul's face, legs trying to protect himself from the silly assault as he lets out a shriek.

Several letters were desperately trying to form something coherent. "S-S-5-SOU-UL-! MER-CY PL-L-EAAAASSE-!"

The soul retracted, watching him gradually calm down, panting from the previous assault. It lets out a mischievous giggle again, wings fluttering in excitement.

"...YOU ARE. VERY NAUGHTY. UP TO NO GOOD." He eventually collected himself, giving a half-hearted scolding. "IT IS HARDLY A FAIR FIGHT IF I CANNOT ENACT REVENGE." Yes, he had been thinking of revenge. Not that it seemed possible.

The soul gives him a grin and a short burst of static.

"OH? IS THAT A CHALLENGE, MY SOUL? YOU SHOULD KNOW NOT TO CHALLENGE ME... I HAPPEN TO BE VERY GOOD AT READING THE FUTURE AND THE PAST... AND OTHER TIMELINES. THIS MAY NOT BE A CHALLENGE YOU WIN."

The soul only giggles at him again. He sputters at what it says. "N-NO. YOU ARE MISTAKEN, I AM AFRAID. YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE HAVING FUN WITH THIS PARTICULAR GAME." He turns away, slightly flushed. He had to maintain some kind of dignity here, right-?

The soul lets out a snort, shaking its head as it lowers itself down, tucking him under one of its wings. Gaster attempts to slide down and go back to work, but a warning growl and a sidelong glance make him have second thoughts.

...Fine. All he has to do is wait out the soul. They'll fall asleep soon enough. He shifts around to make himself more comfortable, leaning against the inner wing.