Hi. I just wanted to thank you; whenever I feel like nothing is worth the effort and everything is bad, I put on The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place and think about a pair of goopy skeletons travelling the universe. Without fail, I feel at least a tiny bit better about things by the time the music ends. I would appreciate it if you could pass on my thanks to Baseball as well. Thank you, both of you.
This is so, incredibly sweet. Thank you, Anon. š„ŗ
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...it faded, and he curled up again. He had an idea of what was coming.
Chxlxthx returned a few minutes later, hot tea and coffee and chocolate all in mugs and ready to be handed out. Papyrus got the first pick, and the rest were distributed quickly. Any remainder were set on the small coffee table by one of the many chairs.
When everyone had at least been offered something, she looked at Papyrus and said, āYouāre sure it was Gerson?ā
--
Papyrus took some tea, Sans went for some cocoa.
āIāM SURE. TURTLE WITH A HAMMER. I KNOW HIM IN MY TIMELINE. HEāS SO NICE TO ME THERE⦠I DONāT KNOW WHY HE ATTACKED ME HERE.ā He frowned, taking a moment to drink his tea.
Gaster looked at the other parents in the room.
--
Semi and Chxlxthx met his gaze evenly. They both sighed.
This wasnāt a surprise to them. Being attacked by Gerson. Or, it was, but--all things considered, it wasnāt shocking to them. And that may have been worse.
āItās not your fault, Papyrus, I want you to know that right now,ā Chxlxthx said, āGerson isā¦ā
ā...thereās apparently a complicated history with skeletons that⦠I guess doesnāt work quite the same in your world,ā Semi supplied, wrapping his tail protectively around the skeleton in his arms, who made absolutely no move to get away.
He was holding himself still and small, as if moving too much or drawing too much attention would bring Gerson to the door right that minute.
āMost monsters donāt know about it. Just the very, very old ones. Like Gerson and the King and Queen.ā
--
Papyrus looked between them but still looked confused. Gaster approached and sat on the arm of the couch beside his sonās head. āItās nothing you did, kiddo. Sheās right. Donāt worry about that.ā
āSkeletons arenāt the same in this world. Old monsters react to them a similar way to I react around humans.ā
āSCARED?ā
āYeah.ā Gaster said, āReally scared.ā
--
(Gaster said nothing, and looked away.)
āTheyāve gotten used enough to Gaster that they let him be for the most part,ā Semi said, āBut⦠Gerson must have been taken by surprise. He⦠he wants to protect the underground. He just doesnāt realize skeletons arenāt a threat.ā
āIf Iād known he was in the Capital, I wouldnāt have let you go out,ā Chxlxthx said, coming forward enough to place a hand on Papyrusā shoulder. āIām so sorry this happened to you, dear.ā
--
āITāS OKAY. LIKE YOU SAID, YOU DIDNāT KNOW.ā He smiled at her. āIāLL BE FINE, REALLY.ā
Gaster smiled and rubbed his sonās head. āFrom now on weāll just teleport everywhere and be really careful.ā
Papyrus angled his head to look up at his dad. āWILL YOU PROMISE YOU WONāT KILL HIM IF SOMETHING HAPPENS?ā
He tensed, but it only lasted a moment. Gaster laughed, āWow. Youāre really making my ādo not killā list long. Stop being such a good influence or Iām going to lose my title of biggest asshole.ā
āI promise.ā
--
Chxlxthxās face fell.
ā...Iām not sure if teleporting will be enough.ā
She glanced back at Semi and her Gaster, still small and silent and--
ā...you said you had to fix your machine before you go?ā
--
Gasterās face fell too. He didnāt like the sound of that. ā... Yes.ā
--
Chxlxthx looked apologetic. So apologetic. She hated this. She hated saying this, but--
...safety. Her baseline was safety. This was the best way.
ā...how soon until it can be repaired?ā
--
Gaster looked at Papyrus, then at the kid nestled in his fatherās lap, then down at Sans before he returned Chlxthxās gaze. āWith Sans and myself working around the clock I would say a few days.ā
His tone had become serious. He knew what that meant now. Papyrus couldnāt help but him and Sans could, and he didnāt need to sleep.
--
Chxlxthx nodded again. āIt would be best if you began as soon as possible. Weāll help how we can with shelter and food when we can, but--please donāt misunderstand me. This isnāt out of anger. This is about keeping everyone as safe as possible.ā
She glanced back at her boy, not wanting to face the three members of her newly-extended family. āGerson will report the sighting of a skeleton to King Asgore and Queen Toriel. They accept Gaster because Semi and I push back against them, but weāre the first place theyāll come when they hear thereās an unaccounted for skeleton in the underground. Iām sure you can understand how well it would go if you were found with us.ā
--
He nodded, āI understand. Itās alright. Donāt feel bad.ā Gaster looked at Papyrus, who looked like he was blaming himself. A hand went to his head.
āIs there anywhere we can put Papyrus for the time being?ā
--
āThere should be a spare room at the shelter we can hide him in, if thatās okay with him,ā she said, looking at Papyrus. āItāll be noisy and you wonāt be able to go out of the room or make much sound in case one of the kids hears, but no oneās going to come looking through there.ā
--
āTHATāS FINE.ā Papyrus said, trying hard to sound chipper. He failed pretty horribly.
āIf anything happens just contact me through this.ā He moved the communicator down to his chest before pulling it out and handing it towards Chxlxthx. āPress the button and it will transmit to Sans. Iāll be beside him to hear. I can be there in a second to get him out so you two arenāt suspect.ā
--
Chxlxthx nodded.
Semi looked up a moment later. āGive it to me. Iāll stay with him. Besides. We donāt want anyone coming around while Iām injured. Papyrus can teach me some signing while weāre together, too.ā
They both looked over at Gaster and Papyrus again for their approval while their own boy curled down a little closer.
He didnāt want his dad to go.
But heād be okay.
It wasnāt the first time theyād had to go help other monsters.
--
They both nodded and Gaster handed the device over to Semi instead.
Sans had already stood up and gathered the bag that Papyrus had brought with him. If his brother was in danger he was clear to work his bony ass off until they could get him to safety.
--
Semi took the device carefully and held onto it. Then, with a sigh, he looked down at the little skeleton clinging to him and untangled himself from the grip. āIāll be back soon, kiddo.ā
Gaster reluctantly moved away, wrapping his arms around himself instead and still not meeting anyoneās eyes. He made a sharp gesture down the hall towards his bedroom and skittered off a moment later, closing the door behind himself.
Semi sighed and slowly got to his feet, limping heavily to one side as he approached the couch. āSo. When do we head out?ā
--
āTHE SOONER THE BETTER, I GUESS.ā Papyrus said and Gaster stood.
--
Semi nodded and shared one last look with Chxlxthx before settling as close to Gaster as he thought he had to. āSo, um, do I just tell you where to go, or how does this work?ā
--
āThe easiest is through coordinates, but I can guess if you give me a distance and direction.ā He turned, very slowly lifting his injured son as gingerly as he could.
--
Semi nodded and began giving the best directions he could recall, and an approximate distance to the front gate of the shelter, if nothing else.
--
Once Papyrus was secure Gaster hesitantly put out his hand for Semi to take. āForewarning, this doesnāt feel pleasant Iām told.ā
āIāll be back and weāll get to work as soon as I drop him off.ā He said to Sans, then took a step forward. He lead the dragon through a rip in spacetime, the feeling cold and like tiny hands were gliding all over you from head to toe.
They stepped out not too far away from the gates of the shelter.
--
Semi shuddered as they traveled through the cold, but persevered well enough. He needed a moment to look around and get his bearings before pointing out the shelter and one of the darkened windows along the outside wall. āCan you get us into that one? Third from the left? Or is this the closest we can get?ā
He wasnāt sure of the limits of this Gasterās magic and wanted to be certain.
--
Teleporting two people was rough. If his soul had been in the state it was before he wouldnāt have been able to do it. He took a moment to push his body up. "YeaĶhĶ."Ģø He said, his voice becoming distorted.
He teleported them again, getting them into the room.
--
It wasnāt very big, but it had a bed and some lights, and was a fair distance away from any occupied room, and that was what mattered.
Semi helped Papyrus to the bed as best he could with his own injuries and looked over at Gaster a moment later, speaking softly. āAre you alright?ā
--
After making sure Papyrus was in bed his entire body rippled. His mouth went tense before his face started to melt a little, his clothing doing much the same. Things started to lose detail.
Semi nodded as well and watched Gaster speak with Papyrus quietly. When it seemed he was done, Semi looked up at him again and told him, āTake care. Be safe, ā and hoped Gaster really would be.
--
Gaster nodded and turned, teleporting out of the room and back into the living room where Sans was waiting. As soon as his foot tried to take a solid step it crumpled and his entire lower half turned into a puddle. He braced himself against the floor.
āshit.ā Sans walked over to him and took his hands to try and help him up a little better.
--
Startled, Chxlxthx moved forward as well. āAre you all right?ā
Chxlxthx nodded and stepped away. āThank you,ā and waited for them both to be on their way.
āIf you need something, let Semi know. Heāll find a way to contact me.ā
She still felt bad for having to send them off like this, but it was for the best.
--
Gaster nodded and took his son by the hand, leading him through another portal and to their machine at the junkyard.
They would waste no time getting started.
--
Chxlxthx stayed and bore through the monsters who, as predicted, came on request from the Dreemurs to ask a few questions and look around. Sheād had a chance to clear out most of the house and hide the notes and any other suspiscious things that had been left behind by having guests around, and didnāt let Gaster out of her sight the whole time the strangers were in their house. No one would get close to him without her notice.
Semi did his best to keep Papyrus entertained in the meantime, keeping his mind off what had transpired earlier that day and what would undoubtedly be a few long days to come.
--
Papyrus was abnormally quiet a lot of the time and he slept more than usual, knowing that doing so would help his recovery. He didnāt like to be split up from his family and he still blamed himself a little for what had happened, despite everyone telling him otherwise.
Thankfully the nap the day before allowed Sans to work throughout most of the night with his father. As goopy as he was he could still use his hands and busied himself repairing as much as he could as fast as he could. It would take a few days at the very least and Sans would have to catch a few naps here and there, but it would happen all the same.
--
Chxlxthx tried to carry on as usual, checking in at the shelter in the morning and using it as an excuse to visit Semi and Papyrus, bringing them some food and double-checking Papyrusā injuries, as well as giving him another healing session. The injuries had been serious, but all things considered, they were healing up nicely, especially with the amount of rest he was getting.
Gaster was supposed to go with her to the shelter, but that had not gone through.
Instead, around midmorning, a fully formed mouse of a Gaster blaster lowered from the rooftop of the building beside the junkyard, struggling under the weight of a bag full of snacks and carefully packaged leftovers.
--
Gaster was the first to notice, his eyes darting up to spot the tiny mouse skull struggling to lower the care package. He reached up to take it and then looked up.
He hadnāt formed his legs back yet, considering them a low priority even if it hurt his pride to admit so.
--
When Gaster noticed his double looking up, it took a little effort to not shy away from the attention. Still, as his mouse skull dissolved, he signed down, hoping the gesture was clear enough from where he was perched on the edge of the building, Mom with Pap and Dad, taking care of them. Everyone okay. You okay?
--
āWeāre okay.ā Gaster signed back, āShouldnāt you be with her? Is this safe?ā
--
Going back now, Gaster said, But wanted to bring food.
He looked a little embarrassed at being caught without permission, and a moment later disappeared over the rooftop again, careful to stay close to the center where he couldnāt be spotted from the streets below.
--
He smiled, but didnāt have enough time to sign a thank you before the kid vanished over the edge. Gaster moved back over to Sans, letting him to all the goodies before going straight back to work.
--
That was about how the days passed. Chxlxthx and Semi kept Papyrus comfortable as his injuries healed, and Gaster would slip away occasionally to make sure Sans and Gaster were kept supplied with home-cooked meals and status updates on the third part of their trio.
The handful of āpoliceā monsters were definitely more prominent than they had been before, and there was certainly a tension in the streets, but Gaster kept close to his parents and never strayed out except to visit Sans and his double for a few brief minutes.
They would come back, some day, Gaster told himself.
Heād been promised more books. And the tension wouldnāt last forever. So it would be fine to come back.
He kept telling himself that, and could only hope it were true.
--
A few days later and Sansā voice came through the device that they had given to Semi. āhey. weāve got everything in order over here. is it safe to come pick up pap?ā
--
Semi looked up, startled, and fumbled with the radio. āUh, yes, itās fine. Come whenever.ā
--
After a moment space ripped open and Gaster slid out. He still had no feet. Or legs.
--
Semi was a little startled by his appearance, still having thought of him as that monster-shaped void that had been welcome in his house.
When he arrived, Semi sat up a little straighter and said, āIām sorry it happened like this.ā
--
Gaster just sighed and shrugged while helping Papyrus stand. The few days of rest had done him well and he was a surprisingly fast healer. āIām sorry too. Remember everything I told you.ā
āTell him Iāll try and find some of those books he likes and sneak them in.ā
--
Semi smiled at that. āHeāll like that. And, really. This will calm down eventually. Once things are a little less hectic, itād be good to see you all again.ā
He paused just a moment to give Papyrus a careful hug. āSee you later, kiddo. I really enjoyed talking to you these past few days.ā
--
āYOU TOO. STAY SAFE.ā Papyrus smiled at him and Gaster gave him a nod before he lead his son slowly through a portal and to the machine.
--
Gaster wasnāt around to watch them leave.
He was in the living room. Curled on the couch. Oblivious, and having never said āgoodbye.ā
--
Gaster felt really bad about that, but⦠they had to leave. It wasnāt safe. He would find those books and come back. He hoped the translations were enough for now.
They would end up back home and make their way to their house before every one of them, even Gaster, crashed.
He decided he wouldnāt tell his double.
--
The translations helped. They were a starting point, and that was more than Semi and Chxlxthx had access to before.
The translations helped. Chara arrived. Semi insisted on taking Gaster to the castle to meet them, rather than keeping their distance, as they mightāve in another timeline.
There was an earthquake. There was a crack in Gasterās skull.
And there was a new end to his story, somewhere else, because someone had interferred.
--
Time worked weirdly when you were travelling between different times, or dimensions, whichever you would like to call them. Gaster never told his first double about his second, but he did decide to visit the kid again. He had found the whole series of those books he liked.
This time around he hadnāt brought Sans and Papyrus. It was too dangerous. It had taken a lot of convincing, but eventually he had won over after making a device they could communicate with similar to the one he used with Kidster.
The machine zipped through the void⦠and crashed into a hallway.
--
The hallway was wide enough and made of wood, so it probably didnāt do quite as much damage as the usual streets or reinforced walls did during landing, but the flip side to that meant that the hallway⦠lost the fight pretty badly.
Gaster stayed very, very still, pressing himself further into the crevice of the hall that hadnāt been torn apart.
He had a strong feeling the transportation majors were responsible for this, and he was absolutely going to kill them.
--
The handle on the door wiggled before Gaster threw it open and poked his head out. He looked at the damages and then over at the older yet younger Kidster.
His eye narrowed, āThis⦠is a scene that has played out three times too many.ā
He should really do about making something to chose where he landed.
--
āYou!ā Gaster said, jaw dropping and pointing at the other.
He only had one crack in his skull, and his hand holes werenāt quite as large as his doubles--and they were still jagged, uneven, gaping things, unlike the smoother holes his elder self had.
His voice was scratchy and weak, as if he were still relatively new to it.
--
āMe!ā Gaster grinned and raised his arms up in excitement.
--
āOh my god,ā he said, not sure what else to say, and looked over the damage of the hallway. āYou canāt land this thing.ā
--
Gaster stepped out and assessed the damage as well. ā... Yeah. I.. I need to fucking do something about that.ā
An awkward pause.
āHow much foot traffic does this hallway get?ā
--
āA lot more than it usually would, after a crash like that,ā Gaster said. He shuffled away from the wall and gestured for the other version to follow him. ā....think you can get that inside my room so it isnāt stolen or anything?ā
--
āWill it even fit in your room?ā Gaster wondered, āI probably know a few places I could store it.ā
He stepped inside it and pulled out a tiny chip that was needed to keep all of it running before storing it in his chest.
--
āGot a double-as-a-single,ā Gaster said, then amended. ā....as a medical suite. Uh. But yeah, if there are other places, that might be a good idea. I donāt really want people looking into my room and finding that.ā
--
āYeah one second.ā Gaster turned and teleported away, going to the more barren parts of the underground in this world he knew of before deciding on one and teleporting back.
āThis is going to take a lot out of me, so⦠Iāll be legless after this.ā
Ugh.
He opened another portal under the machine and followed it through to the other side. There was another couple of minutes before he teleported back, his lower half little more than a base he slid around on. He turned and looked at the absolute mess he had made of the hallway.
āPerfect.ā
āLetās hide.ā
--
Gaster grabbed his wrist and tugged him into a door⦠right in front of where the machine had left a massive rut in the floor.
Apparently, heād been trying to get into his room when the crash occurred.
Once in his room--a sparse but spacious area--with the door shut and locked he opened the window and turned to his double and asked, āCan you make it to the roof, maybe? Thereās an area hidden from sight.ā
--
This was already such a far cry from the kid he knew it almost startled him. He was dragged into the room and then looked at the open window. āSure. Meet you up there?ā
Goopey or not, teleporting wasnāt hard when you were only teleporting yourself.
--
He nodded a moment later and was out the window. The area heād mentioned was a small outcrop with a wall and roof brought together by unfortunate architectural planning, protecting it from sight while also being difficult to reach for most people.
He waited for the other Gaster to arrive.
--
A moment later and space ripped open, Gaster stepping out beside the other. He wasted no time grinning down at him now that the chaos was done with. āSo! Howāve you been?ā
He hoped his parents were alive. He hoped everything was okay. He hoped he hadnāt really fucked this kidās life up.
--
āUm,ā Gaster said, āBusy. I guess? Thatās a pretty broad question. You?ā
--
āSame old shit. Although-ā He paused and reached into himself to pull out the collection of books, each one having a similar creepy drawing on the front to the one he had let him borrow all those years ago.
ā-I guess you might be too old for these now.ā He smiled a little awkwardly.
--
He was a little startled, but took the books carefully, eyes still wide. āOh. Wow, geez, uh⦠thanks. I havenāt had time for much light reading lately, Iāllā¦ā
He was distracted looking the books over, unused to surfacer books without water stains or blotted out pages.
He hesitated looking at the book that was his own so long ago. His hand shook a little.
ā...I, uh⦠can, can you not pick the time you come out at, I guess?ā
--
Gaster frowned a little sadly and settled into a sort of āsitā with the base of his body.
āNo. Every timeline moves differently. Some faster, some slower, some both. Itās⦠impossible to track, so far.ā
⦠He had a feeling little had changed. He dreaded the worst. ā... Are you holding up okay?ā
--
Gaster smiled a little ruefully. ā...Iām guessing thatās heading me off asking if you can send me back to them, huh?ā
He put the books back in order and settled them on his lap, holding them carefully. Tightly, but carefully.
āIām doing okay. Better than I could be doing.ā
--
Gaster sighed sadly and hung his head. āIām sorry, kid.ā
It hadnāt mattered in the end.
--
āItās⦠fine,ā Gaster said. It wasnāt fine, but he had no idea how to respond, even after years of condolences.
He kind of wished they would just stop at some point.
āReally. Iāve been⦠I miss them, but Iām okay.ā
--
He nodded, āDid the translations help?ā
Gaster hoped the kid had at least been able to tell his mom he loved her.
--
Gaster nodded. āYeah. Once they knew where to start, they⦠well, it wasnāt really perfect, but it was a lot more than before. It made learning things a lot easier, too. Once we figured writing out⦠it was a lot.ā
He was smiling faintly.
āThanks.ā
--
Gaster smiled a little too. āGood. Iām glad I could help, even if it was just a little.ā
--
Gaster nodded again. āYeah.ā
He went quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of people discovering the ruined hallway and trying to knock on his door to see if he were inside or not. He sighed. āCharaās going to have a fun time trying to contact me with that huge rut, hahaā¦ā
--
His head very slowly raised, eyes widening. āWhat. Chara? Charaās alive?ā
--
Gaster looked a little startled. ā...yes?? Wh-why?ā
--
Gaster looked to go deep into thought. Hadnāt Gaster said Chara died when he was young? Right? Was he wrong? He was having a hard time remembering. Isnāt that⦠why he stabbed himself?
He honestly couldnāt remember. The smaller details were still lost on him, it wasnāt something they talked about at length.
āWh-... Uh⦠Sorry, but, how did you get this.ā He pointed to his own large crack in his skull.
--
āOh, um,ā Gaster lifted his head and ran his fingers over the crack carefully. ā...during the earthquake I got⦠I got buried under the rubble. I couldnāt get my magic up in time to make a wallā¦ā
--
Gaster paused to put his hands over his eyes and rub them a little. āSorry, just⦠wasnāt expecting differences like this. I might be confused with the other timeline. It gets⦠hard to track, as you can imagine.ā
He still wasnāt sure if he was remembering correctly. Maybe he wasnāt. āSo. Chara. A friend?ā
--
A bit more hesitantly, now that he knew the other was looking for differences, Gaster nodded. āYeah. Dad took me up to meet them not long after they fell down hereā¦ā
--
Gaster opened his mouth to speak again but stopped himself. What if Chara was older? What if they lived? What if they never died? What if, in this world, the anomaly could never invade because Chara never left it?
It could mean this world was safe.
āIām sorry. Iām being pretty insensitive right now, but⦠I have to know. How old is Chara?ā
--
At this point, Gaster was just sort of going along with it. The insensitivity was still better than the terrified sympathy others gave him.
āMy age, about. I think they said something like twenty?ā
--
āTwenty!?ā Gaster couldnāt stop himself.
Holy shit. HOLY SHIT. This⦠this world could be safe. It⦠it could be safe!
He swallowed hard and put his hands over his mouth. He was trying hard to not show it, but he lookedā¦
⦠Extatic.
--
Gaster wasnāt really sure what was going on, or why Charaās age would cause that kind of reaction, but he couldnāt really help it.
He laughed.
--
Gaster just⦠started to laugh too. This was amazing. He didnāt know if he had anything to do with it, but⦠this was completely and utterly amazing.
āI canāt believe it. I just⦠I canāt believe it. Iām sorry Iām sure this looks fucking ridiculous.ā
He didnāt really realize that he was crying. It was just more black goo, but it seeped from the edges of his eyes and down his face.
--
āI had to hide the existence of an interdimensional traveler for my whole childhood, this isnāt ridicuā¦.ā He noticed the tears. ā..lous⦠are⦠are you okay?ā
--
Gaster leaned forward a little, unable to stop himself. āIf⦠If Chara lives⦠then maybe this timeline will be safe from the anomaly Iām tracking.ā He looked up at his double. āThey usually die young. Them and the prince cross the barrier and die shortly afterwards.ā
āIf Chara is alive. If they live⦠this timeline might be safeā¦ā His head hung. āI mean⦠they might die later in this timeline. I donāt know. But⦠this is alreadyā¦ā
It was an improvement. He didnāt know if he had anything to do with it, but it was an improvement.
He was still crying.
--
Gaster, if heād been able to pale, would have done so. He closed his mouth tightly and listened. ā...the buttercups. Is that how it was supposed to happen?ā
He glanced away and back again. ā...what wouldāve happened to the undergound if theyād died??ā
--
Gaster nodded, āThe underground goes into despair. The Queen would have deserted the King after he declares war. He vowed to steal the soul of every human that fell into the underground and become a god to enact revenge.ā
āSomewhere, in some timeline, Chara died as they usually do. But⦠they became something evil. Theyāve been possessing the seventh child to fall into the underground and using their body to completely destroy timelines.ā
āIāve been tracking it for⦠a very long time. Trying to stop it. But if Chara is alive in this timeline, maybe itās safe.ā He smiled and his tears had finally stopped. āMaybe you donāt have to worry.ā
--
Gaster took a moment to process that, and eventually emerged with a very intelligent, āOh. Wow.ā
He didnāt know what else to say. He hadnāt been entirely clear on why his double was dimension hopping at all, all those years ago, and he had long started believing they would never return. And now he was back again, handing him a copy of books heād been attacked to a decade ago, and telling him this sort of stuff that happenedā¦?
...He really didnāt know what to say.
--
Gaster laughed again, putting his head in his hands. āIām sorry. This is just⦠a lot to take in for me. Iām sure it is for you too.ā He inhaled deeply and looked at his double, smiling.
āSo tell me what youāre up to now.ā
--
āUm,ā Gaster said, needing another moment to get onto the new track of the conversation. āIām trying to get a degree so theyāll take me on at the royal lab, maybe. Thatās honestly whatās taking up most of my time right now. I want to remake the⦠I want to find a way to make the underground more secure, and maybe contact the surface.ā
--
Those were already goals different from the other double. āRemake theā¦?ā He questioned, eyeing him.
--
He shifted a bit, glancing away. ā...the earthquake caused a lot of damage because almost no buildings in that area were built to withstand vibrations like that. It was an older district. And then thereās the water levels and toxicity in waterfall, and..either we contact the surface and it goes well, or we remake the underground so we can actually survive down here. Either way.ā
--
That definitely sounded familiar. Gaster nodded and grinned, āYou can do it, donāt worry.ā
--
Gaster smiled a bit back, āThanks. Iām⦠trying to do it without getting strings pulled for me. The current royal scientist is still really against humans, even with Chara here, but heās got some personal roots back in waterfall that I think I can get on his good side with, you know?ā
--
Gaster nodded and rolled his eyes, āI think I know the fucker youāre talking about, yeah.ā
--
Gaster raised what wouldāve been his eyebrows. ā...do I want to know?ā
--
Gaster hesitated. He wondered if he told him it would stop Sans and Papyrus from existing. But⦠the way they treated Papyrus. It was either tell him and, maybe, never get to experience the love of his sons. But at the same time if he didnāt there was a chance Papyrus would be put through hell.
It wasnāt a choice he wanted to make.
ā... No. Probably not.ā
--
ā...okay,ā Gaster said, letting the topic drop.
Heād find out if he was going to find out, he supposed.
--
Gaster fell into a comfortable silence. He was still so happy to hear Chara, his eternal nemesis, was alive. It was strange.
He found himself looking at the other Gaster and just smiling dumbly.
--
He tried to glance over a few times, but always ended up finding his doubleās smiling face and having to cover his own expression.
It wasnāt that smiling was an extremely foreign thing to him, not in this timeline, but watching the other doing it so constantly was cracking him up for some reason.
Finally, he gathered enough of himself to ask, āAre you staying long this time?ā
--
He laughed a little, āWhat? A Gaster canāt be happy?ā
āI can stay for awhile. The boys know where I am and we can still communicate easily.ā
--
He nodded, grinning back a bit. āAll right. Well, I donāt know how exciting itāll be hiding in my room for a while, but hopefully college isnāt that boring for you.ā
--
āIt will be nice just to have a break.ā Gaster smiled, āI can help you with whatās probably incredibly easy schoolwork.ā
He laughed, āI used to be so against cheating in alternate timelines.ā
--
Gaster snorted, āThereās no point if you tell me answers.ā
He leaned back against the wall. āCheating?ā
--
āIād still make sure you understand them.ā He pushed himself to a stand, or more of a stand than before.
āAnother Gaster once tricked me into spilling all my beans. But Iām glad I did.ā
--
āWhy? What happened?ā
--
āIt was the first Gaster I met, so I was terrified the same thing would happen. I told him not to build a time machine and he said he was going to, so I ended up giving him the plans to it so the same accident wouldnāt happen.ā
ā... Then ended up giving him the plans to the CORE. And helped him build it.ā
ā... Cross-dimensional cheating.ā
--
āThe CORE?ā Gaster asked.
It sounded like his double was just really bad at keeping secrets, if you asked him.
--
āIt powers the entire underground with geothermal energy. You might make it.ā
Gaster no longer cared about letting his doubles in on that secret.
--
Gaster nodded thoughtfully, pulled out a pen and paper, and scribbled out a note on the corner. āSo, where are my blueprints?ā
--
āWhereās your fucking degree?ā Gaster laughed.
āNah Iām kidding. I donāt even have any degrees myself.ā
--
āYou donāt have any fucking degrees,ā Gaster said, his laugh sounding like heād really stopped caring anymore. āWhatās the world coming to.ā
--
āThat just makes everything I do illegal, which automatically makes it more fun!ā He waved his hands about.
--
Gaster shook his head. āHow did anyone ever think weād be good influences on each other.ā
--
āExcuse me, apparently Iām a wonderful influence on other Gasters.ā He pointed at him, āAnd other Gasters are a wonderful influence on me. Weāre just that fucking amazing.ā
--
Gaster shook his head again, laughing. āWell, to be fair, my experience is definitely that if you throw a bunch of fucked up people together, about half the time, they do somehow come out better, so you may be on to something.ā
--
āDamn right I fucking am, Iām a goddamn genius.ā Gaster pointed at him, grinning.
--
Gaster rolled his eyes, thinking maybe his double needed to calm himself a little. āIām guessing itāll be safe to head back to my room, now. You want to go? Or you can show me how youāre apparently talking with your kids across dimensions?ā
--
There was little that could calm Gaster when he was riding a success-high.
āWith this.ā He pulled out the device, a replica of the one he used with his double. āYou press this to send out code. Morse code. Itās a series of beeps. Conversations are limited, but it works.ā
--
āOh, thatās cool,ā Gaster said, reaching out before he thought better of it.
--
Gaster didnāt mind letting him see it, handing the device over. It was simple, little more than a few lights and switches with a speaker on the front. āI gave one to my other double too. Weāre⦠sorta each others safety net in a way. I wanted to make you one too, but things got pretty intense pretty fast.ā
--
āItās fine. Yeah, they, uh⦠was your Papyrus okay?ā He took the device, but glanced up at his double instead of inspecting it closer. ā...he was really upset, even though it was Gerson.ā
--
ā... Yeah, after awhile. It took him some time to come to terms that it wasnāt his fault. He wanted to stick around and help out. He healed fine. Pap is a strong kid.ā
--
āGood. Iām glad. ...we were worried about him for a while,ā Gaster said, fidgeting a bit with the device in his hands.
--
As he messed with the device a red light came on and a loud buzz emitted from the speaker.
Gasterās eyes widened and he reached to take it back. āOh. Oh shit. I have to go.ā
--
āUm, okay,ā Gaster said, hurriedly giving the device back to the other Gaster. āAre things okay??ā
That was a stupid, stupid question. Things were clearly not okay.
He asked, regardless.
--
āNo. Thatās the alarm for the anomaly. The thing Iām hunting.ā He quickly sent a few confirmation signals back and the red light and noise turned off. āThe boys must have found it.ā
He looked at his double, guilty for leaving so quickly for a second time. āIt was nice seeing you again, kid. If only for awhile. Take care of Chara, alright?ā
--
āY-yeah, I will,ā Gaster said, having a little trouble with the quick exit, but--but still. It was going to be okay. āYou be safe though, okay?!ā
--
āI will. You be safe too. Take care of yourself and donāt do anything too stupid.ā He grinned at him before turning, vanishing through one point of reality to come out beside his machine. Despite itās rough landing it was in perfect condition. He had installed those bumpers.
He climbed in and headed back home, scrambling with his sons to prepare before they all piled into the machine yet again and headed off in the area the anomaly was spotted.
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Have you forgotten how angry Goop was about having to redo his legs? ;P
lol of course not
Shapeshifting for him, especially early on, is a big part of his body dysmorphia. Heās both upset that he can do it and doesnāt really have a solid physical body while also determinedĀ to play it all off likeĀ ālol I donāt care look how funny this is if I turn my whole fuckinā face inside outā. The whole shapeshifting thing is him trying to convince himself he doesnāt actually care about his new body and itās all good fun, the truth being of course is heās trying so hardĀ to be okay with what he is now that heās not giving himself any time to process it and refuses to acknowledge that he isnātĀ okay.
I donāt think this is even something heās talked in depth with Kid about. Not really. Yeah they address the wholeĀ āno feelingā thing and thatās a really good first step, but he never sits down with anyone to really dive into just how horrible it makes him feel that he is how he is now.
This is made even harder coming from a person who knewĀ he was a little vain even before the accident but didnāt want to admit it, so now that things are even worseĀ for him, he doubles down on not wanting to accept he has a problem or address it.
Have you ever watched 'The Mythbusters'? What Gaster did to the microwave in the first AYEM short story sounds right up their street. :D Come to think of it, I imagine Goop would be delighted to discover them if any of the Mythbusters series happened to be on his tablet. So many ridiculous and explosive experiments! ^.^ He'd definitely have something to say about the at-times-shoddy human approach to scientific method. :P
Oh yeah he would LOVE watching Mythbusters. In my head he does a lot of the same stuff now that everything has calmed down too. He and Kid probably just do stupid experiments or lessons that Sans puts online. They definitely have a youtube channel. Its one of the safer ways that Goop is able to interact with the outside world while still staying safe.