#zero gravity || void

“…”

It was their birthday.

Gaster’s hands clutched tightly to the Window-- so tightly that if he had flesh his knuckles would be white with the strain.

Inside his house, Sans and Papyrus sat at the table with a few others to celebrate their birthday. Though no sound came through, Gaster could tell what was going on due to the cake and presents laid out on the table, the smiling faces, the synced lip movements of all those gathered singing what he knew to be “Happy Birthday.”

And he wasn’t there.

A strangled sob left his throat and his hand touched the windowpane as Sans let Papyrus blow out the candles on their cake.

Then the window disappeared.

Gaster’s hands clenched tightly on nothing, and for a second he didn’t react; too stunned to take in that the sight was gone...

Then sobs bubbled up inside him as he clutched at his cracked Soul...

Gaster often cried in front of his Windows.

He didn’t know why they existed if not to taunt him and remind him of what he was missing. He couldn’t hear what was going on inside the houses he peered into, but he could guess.

Today, Papyrus was yelling at Sans to feed his pet rock, and Sans was telling him he would do it later. Of course, Papyrus stormed off to the kitchen and threw the container of sprinkles at Sans who caught it with his magic.

“LAZYBONES!” He could hear Papyrus saying in his mind, and suddenly the Window faded.

Gaster had almost been smiling at their antics, but his Soul dropped when his boys’ images disappeared once again.

A sob rose in his throat.

He missed them so much.

Gaster looked over to James inquisitively, “Really?”

He looked at his own hands. He hadn’t really thought to ask how any other Gaster had gotten the holes in his hands. It was usually… a delicate subject, one of which he tended to skim over the details.

He had never told anyone his original intention of the project, and it would stay that way, but the outcome was known to most everyone who had cared to know, back when people… remembered.

“The holes in my hands are from when I removed bone with which to use as a base that eventually became Sans and Papyrus, as you know them.”

He rubbed his palms together, or what was left of them. “I suppose I could have used any part of my body but I figured… these were the parts I could do without.”

It sounded silly, now that he said it aloud, but… he hadn’t been about to ask anyone else for a portion of their body for his secret experiment.

“And… of course I raised them.” He said, somewhat for clarification. He knew many Gasters had experimented on their “sons” but he had never done anything of the sort. Not for barrier breaking purposes, but only to ensure they were growing and remaining healthy as normal-born monsters.

“Of course they… wouldn’t remember, but I… loved them dearly. I still love them…”

*cliNGS TO G* H-HELP

"Youuuu could say that~! Do you like food from Grillby's?" -Dee

“Oh, I love Grillby’s! Grillby is a close friend of mine. We used to go there all the time; Sans, Papyrus and I. Even Asgore would join us on rare occasion...”

Gaster simply sat and listened as the other rambled. He seemed young, somehow untouched by the devastation the Void had brought on other versions of himself...

He was so bright and cheerful, Gaster couldn’t help but just smile as he listened. The carefree attitude was like a balm to the scientist’s frayed nerves.

When the other stopped to ask a question however, Gaster was almost started by the lack of sound.

“O-Oh... there’s... no gravity here.” He explained. “You probably don’t want to enter-- most who do are uneasy here and cannot maneuver...”