I'd like to thank my friend bus for all of their support and helping me make decisions and letting me copy word for word a few things they've said.
"Hey, Papyrus?" His fingers fiddle with a button on his lab coat, eyes staring intently at the vase in the corner of the room
Papyrus looks up from the book in his hands, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Sans? Something wrong?"
"Nah, I was just… wondering if you could… not be here tomorrow night, after I get back from work. Just for a couple of hours, maybe, at the most. I'm, uh, going to ask a coworker over for dinner tomorrow, j-just to talk about some work-related stuff. Nothing serious, you know."
"Sans, are you blushing?" He turns to face his brother, closing the book.
"No, of course I'm not, skeletons can't-"
Papyrus cuts him off, waving a hand. "Don't worry, dear brother, I'll go see Undyne tomorrow so you can be alone for your date."
"It's not a-" Sans tries to counter.
"It's okay, Sans, you don't have to worry about me telling anyone. Now, what are you going to make for dinner tomorrow?"
Sans signs and moves to sit down next to him on the couch. "I don't know. I thought I'd just get take out from Grillby's or something. I wasn't planning on this being serious or anything," he shrugs. There's also the chance that his… date might not realize they were actually on a date, and not just eating out as friends. It certainly wouldn't be the first time Dr. Gaster mistook his advances for friendly banter and something casual would keep things from getting weird. He did have to see him at work every day, after all.
"No, you can't do that!" Papyrus interjects, of course. "You don't go to a bar on your first date! It has to be special; you need to be romantic and cook the food yourself. You need to make spaghetti!" He throws his arms up into the air to emphasize his point.
Sans shakes his head. "I'm not making spaghetti. And I was planning on doing something casual. In case things don't work out, or something."
"Well, what do you know how to make that isn't spaghetti? You aren't exactly a master chef like myself."
"Don't remind me," Sans signs. "I can cook a quiche, I guess. It's not the best, but I suppose it'll work." He scratches his arm. He doubts Dr. Gaster would have the heart to criticize something he made. "I think we might have all of the ingredients, too."
"You could make it tonight, then warm it up whenever your date comes over. Want help making it?"
"Sure," he shrugs again. "Let's do it now. I can read to you while we're waiting for it to bake, or we can watch TV. Just let me get changed." Sans stands and begins walking up the stairs.
"Oh! Grab the book you were reading last night, I want to know what happens to Bilber next!"
Sans rubs his eye sockets and yawns as he opens the door. Footsteps stomp down the stairs, and he turns to see Papyrus. "Morning, bro. I'm off to work."
"Good morning, Sans. I called Undyne last night while you were resting, but I guess it was too late because she didn't pick up, so I left a voice mail instead explaining that I need to hang out with her tonight because you are not going on a date with your crush. She texted me a few minutes ago saying she didn't know what I was talking about, but I can come over anyway."
"Oh, uh, thanks for telling me. Have a good day."
"Good luck with you date!"
"Yeah, sure," he waves goodbye and leaves.
He doesn't live too far from work; it's a bit difficult for anyone to be far from anything with the way they all live in a cavern system. But that won't last for long; Dr. Gaster and all of the other scientists are working on a way out. In a few years' time, everyone will finally be free.
The Underground doesn't have the best public transportation, so he opts to simply go down the same walking path he always takes in the morning. The trip only lasts a handful of minutes, not something to complain about, and soon he's at the laboratory, nodding greetings to friendly researchers and assistants. A couple hallways later, and Sans reaches his workstation, a desk placed against a wall, directly facing Dr. Gaster's desk.
Though the position is meant to make it convenient and easy for them to communicate and compare notes, Sans finds it quite distracting as he often zones out while watching Dr. Gaster type on his keyboard or read a report. Luckily, he is quite excellent at coming up with excuses for drifting off when he gets caught, and Dr. Gaster doesn't suspect a thing.
Behind him, the door to the room opens and shut softly, as if not to disturb anyone. He turns to see Dr. Gaster enter. "Oh, good morning, Sans. You're right on time. Are you ready to have a productive day today?" He smiles as he signs; Sans has trouble concentrating on the words at first, too entranced by his crushes' face.
"Uh, yep, I'm all ready for work. Anything interesting today?" He shuffles back and falls into his chair.
"Unfortunately, just paperwork for the both of us. I need to prepare for a presentation coming up, so no experimentations today." Dr. Gaster shakes his head, frowning, then goes to sit at his own desk.
"The one about the Core, right? You can present it to me, if you want. Practice makes perfect, you know, and I wouldn't mind." Sans says casually, fiddling with a pencil and looking over at some post-it-notes tacked to the wall.
"Really? Well, if you're willing, then I shall. You understand the data more than most, so you can inform me if anything is incorrect."
"Not that anyone will actually realize it if you say something wrong."
"True, but I'd rather not publish false information and risk someone noticing." Dr. Gaster shakes his head, smiling again. "It might take a while before I am ready, so please continue reviewing the documents I assigned to you yesterday." Sans watches as he boots up his desktop, then turns to check out the reports.
Hours later, Dr. Gaster suddenly stands and stretches, causing Sans to jump. He rubs at his eye socket and glances at the clock on the wall. "Taking a break?" He asks, "We missed lunch."
"You are correct, my dear Sans. Would you like to come to the break room with me?" Sans flinches at the endearment and stands too quickly, nearly knocking over his chair in the process. He still needs to ask Dr. Gaster out; maybe this would be a good time.
"Yeah, yeah, sure." He follows him out the door and through the labyrinth of hallways. The break room is empty; the majority of the employees have already eaten and returned to work. It is filled with shabby appliances such as a run down microwave and coffee pot, but typically most don't stay for very long and don't have much to complain about. They're quite lucky, actually, most places don't offer these things.
"Tea?" Dr. Gaster offers, and Sans shakes his head as he moves to the refrigerator, pulls out two plastic Tupperware containers with their names on it, and sets them on the table in the middle of the room. He fetches a fork for himself, then sits, watching as Dr. Gaster attempts to make the coffee pot spit out tea.
"Oh, yeah. Dr. Gaster-"
"Please, Sans, just Gaster." Dr. Gaster interjects immediately.
"Well, okay, Just Gaster," this earns him an amused look, "I was practicing on my cooking skills the other day, and I, uh, was wondering if you'd wanna come over to my place tonight and try some." Sans scratches the back of his head, though the sound of bone scraping on bone causes him to grimace.
Dr. Gaster faces him, leaning against a counter, his eyes sharp and scrutinizing. "Cooking, Sans? I was not aware you held interest in the subject."
"Well, uh, it's just like chemistry, except in the end, you typically get to eat it without worrying about your bones melting." His hands are shaking, but he somehow manages to pop open the top of his container. He twirls his fork and expertly shoves cold spaghetti into his mouth. Sans can feel his magic begin to dissolve and absorb it. "I didn't make spaghetti, don't worry. Though we do have plenty if you want any."
"That is not necessary, though I… appreciate your offer." Dr. Gaster, having tied Papyrus' creation in the past, politely declines. "And I would love to have dinner with you, Sans." The coffee pot gurgles, and Dr. Gaster turns to tend to it.
"Great, it's a date then." Sans freezes; he hadn't meant to put it that way, but Dr. Gaster simply hums in agreement and smiles.
They spend the entirety of their allotted twenty-minute break eating their lunches and chatting about this or that, and then it's time to clean up and head back to their room. Dr. Gaster informs Sans that he's ready to practice presenting, and they spend the rest of the afternoon pretending to be in a meeting. Sans, playing the role of Asgore, sits next to a wall and takes notes while Dr. Gaster paces in front of him and spews information.
The first few times they go over the presentation just involve Dr. Gaster getting his thoughts together and figuring out the most important topics he should cover, while Sans points out anything that may sound confusing to the audience. And then Sans voices the possibility that some at the meeting will not be able to understand Wingdings, which brings up the question of whether or not Dr. Gaster should go out of his way to talk.
"Nah, Doc, I wouldn't worry about it," Sans comments as he flips through his scribbled notes. "Asgore and Alphys understand you, and they're the only ones at the meeting that really matter, right? I mean, you're the Royal Scientist; you shouldn't have to change the way you communicate just because others are too lazy to learn. Anyway, can you repeat the way the Core harnesses thermal energy?"
And so it continues until Dr. Gaster is positive he can recite his presentation in his sleep and answer any questions relating to it. "It seems we have done all that we can today," Dr. Gaster signs to Sans, stepping back over to his desk to begin packing. "Would you prefer I walk you home, or come over late?"
"Ex- excuse me?" Sans asks, taken aback.
"For our date. Do you need to get prepared first, or are you fine with me going home with you?" He turns, ducks to grab his briefcase, and shuffles papers into it. Sans hands him the notes he's been taking.
"Oh, yeah, right, our, uh, date." Was he blushing? Of course not, skeletons can't blush. "Everything's ready, so you can come over now if you want. And I don't live very far away, it's about a twenty-minute walk."
"Then let us go."
It takes them longer than predicted to leave the building; nearly every monster they pass stops them to ask the Royal Scientist a question or two. It's irritating to say the least, but Sans keeps his mouth shut, realizing that not everyone gets to spend over eight hours a day by Dr. Gaster's side. In all honesty, he's incredibly lucky he's able to hold so much of Dr. Gaster's time; most only get a handful of minutes.
Finally, they make their way out of the building, both of them waving goodbye to their companions who still have a few hours of work left.
"By the way, Dr., uh, I mean, Just Gaster, where do you live?" Sans asks, kicking a pebble in his path. "It can't be far, right? You usually get to the lab pretty early, all things considering."
"Seven in the morning is hardly early; you just prefer to sleep in." Dr. Gaster is quick to respond. "I live near you, actually. Just two blocks away, in fact."
"What, really? Why didn't you ever say anything?" If he'd known he lived so close by, he would have asked Dr. Gaster over sooner. In theory. Actually, no, it probably wouldn't have made a difference, though perhaps Sans would have put on nicer clothes when he went to check the mail in the morning.
"I've mentioned it in the past. It must have slipped your mind." He shrugged. "Oh, yes, I've been meaning to ask. How has your brother been doing recently?"
"Papyrus? He's alright. He's hanging with Undyne tonight. You know, Alphys' crush? He's still trying to get into the Royal Guard, but I sort of hope his application keeps getting stalled."
"Ah yes, Undyne. I believe I have mat her once or twice. I truly do hope Alphys musters up the strength to confess soon." He gives Sans a meaningful look, but he misses it, too focused on Dr. Gaster's hands. "And why is it that you do not wish for your brother to become a guard? Is he too weak?"
"Oh, no, no, it's nothing like that. My bro's super strong." Sans laughs and scratches the back of his head, his eyes drifting over to the buildings in the distance. "I don't think it'll do good for him, being in the guard and all. He's a bit… too trusting. Sort of like Asgore, I guess, except the king at least has the experience to handle himself in strenuous situations, if you get what I mean. The Royal Guard is supposed to protect everyone in the Underground from dangers, which mostly means humans. If Papyrus ever came across a human, it'd cut him down without hesitation, and he'd just be smiling away as though nothing's wrong."
Neither of them speak for a couple of minutes, both off in their own worlds, milling over the subject at hand. Eventually, Dr. Gaster signs, "Why don't we change the topic? What exactly have you made for tonight?"
Relieved, Sans nods. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but I made a ham and cheese quiche. Does that sound alright? If not, we have plenty of spaghetti." Seeing Dr. Gaster's grimace, he winks.
"Quiche is sufficient, though I must ask, what exactly brought this on? Cooking, I mean. You always seem content to eat your brother's pasta at lunch."
Sans says without thinking, "Well, I gotta come clean with you, Doc. This is all just a ploy to lure you into hanging out with me."
Dr. Gaster frowns. "If you wanted to spend time with me, you just had to ask. I enjoy your company, both during and outside of work. You're one of my closest friends."
Sans nearly trips on air. "Oh, would you look at that, we're here already." He jogs up to the door, making a point not to look back to see Dr. Gaster's reply. Sans pulls his key chain out of his pocket, his hands shaking so badly he almost drops them. He manages to slip the house key into the lock and open the door.
He steps in, glancing behind his shoulder. "Come on in; you can drop your stuff down anywhere." He kicks off his sneakers in the direction of the shoe basket. "Um, I'm going to quickly get changed. Just, uh, make yourself at home, alight?" Sans calls before disappearing upstairs.
Dr. Gaster kneels down to untie his shoes and sets them and his briefcase next to the wall. He stands and makes his way to the living room, taking the time to inspect the pictures on the wall of Sans and his brother. There are other photographs, some of monsters he doesn't recognize, others he knows well. Two are drawn artworks in what appears to be crayon, both signed by Papyrus.
And… there's one of him and Sans. They're both facing away from the camera, leaning next to each other. Their edges glow from the light radiating in front of them. Though he certainly can remember when this occurred, he hadn't realized someone had taken a picture, much less given it to his assistant.
That day… there had been a small earthquake, not something frequent in these parts. While building the Core, he hadn't considered the possibility of such a thing happening, and when it hit, it caused many problems. Sans saw a support beam that had been shaken loose begin to fall, and he had attempted to catch them with his gravity powers, but-
"Oh, you noticed that?" Sans steps down the stairs, now wearing more casual clothing.
"I was not aware a picture was taken that day." He signs, stepping away to sit on the couch, and Sans joins him.
"Yeah, Alphys took it with her phone and gave it to me. She had it framed and everything; I thought it'd be a waste if I just threw it away, so I hung it up. Papyrus thinks it looks cool, with the Core in the background and all. I didn't tell him about the collapse; I don't want him worrying that my work is dangerous or anything like that."
"The Core is completely safe," Dr. Gaster replies immediately. "There is no chance anything would happen to you; I wouldn't allow it." He rests his hand onto Sans shoulder.
Sans stands suddenly. "Oh, I forgot, is there anything you want to drink? Do you have any preference for when you want to eat?"
Dr. Gaster reclines against the squishy cushions. "Anytime is fine with me. When do you usually eat?"
"Constantly."
"I'm not sure why I even bothered asking. Anytime is fine with me."
"So, you mean now?"
"That is acceptable." Dr. Gaster stands to follow Sans into the kitchen. Sans stops short, and he bumps into him. He spies over Sans' shoulder, not very difficult, and sees a table set up with a clean white cloth and a plain candle stick in the center. After a second, Sans shakes his head, enters, and gestures for Dr. Gaster to take a seat.
"I wouldn't light that if I was you," he signs casually, inspecting a note on the table. It's from Papyrus, wishing Sans good luck on his date. "The wax would rip onto the cloth."
"Err, right. I should probably move this then." He snatches up the candle stick and paper, giving them an irritated glare, and dumps them onto the counter. "Um, do you want me to warm it, or are you alright with cold?" Dr. Gaster shrugs. "Hang on a sec."
He opens the fridge door, pulls out a circular pan, and sets it on the counter. He shuffles over to grab a knife, then slices the quiche and deposits the proportions onto two plates. He sets them on the table and quickly finds two clean forks for them. Grabbing two cups, he fills them with tap water and places them beside the plates.
"Well, bone appetit." Sans jokes. He stabs his piece with a fork, then brings it up to his eye socket to inspect. It looks… cheesy, and maybe a bit hammy. Shrugging, he eats it, and, to his immense, delight, it's not that terrible. If Dr. Gaster has any grievances with it, he doesn't show it. "Not bad, eh?"
Dr. Gaster takes a bite, then sets down his fork to sign. "Your experimentation in pseudo chemistry is successful. This is very good, Sans."
Sans shoves more of the quiche into his mouth so he doesn't have to reply.
"Sans, I must admit, I am not well versed in the customs of dating." Good thing skeletons can't choke. "I probably should have asked sooner, but what exactly does one do while on a date?"
Sans leans back in his chair and thinks for a second. "Uh, they eat crepes, go to museums, or go to the movies, and there's a kiss at the end?" He asks, scratching the back of his head. "Or, at least, that's what they do in Alphys' comics. I'm not really sure what people like us would do. I think Papyrus has a book on dating somewhere I could find."
"That is not necessary. Maybe we should just spend time together and talk?" Dr. Gaster suggests.
"Uh, okay. What should we talk about?"
"I do not know, I was hoping you would come up with a subject."
Sans gets up to scoop another slice of quiche. "Want another piece?" Dr. Gaster nods and Sans fetches him it. "Well, for starters, what's your favorite meal?" That way he'll actually know what to make if this ever happens again.
Dr. Gaster smiles and signs out a word Sans doesn't quite recognize. "Uh, mind repeating that, Doc?"
He signs it again, this time letter by letter. "Puttanesca. It's a type of pasta with onion, garlic, tomato, olives, and-"
Sans waves a hand, cutting him off. "Okay, okay, I get it, it sounds complicated." He fiddles with his fork. Of course Dr. Gaster has such a refined pallet.
"Next time we do this, you can come to my house and I'll make it for you." Once he's finished with his sentence, he reaches across the table to lay his hand on top of Sans'.
"Dr. Gaster…"
"Please, Sans, just Gaster." He has to let go to sign.
"Gaster…"
He flushes, and is just about to say something he'll probably regret later, when a sharp noise pierces the air, making them both jump. Gaster pulls his phone out of his pocket and sends Sans an apologetic look. He presses a button and brings it to his ear. Moments later, frowning, he ends the call.
"There's a problem at the Core. They tell me it's nothing big, but they want me down there anyway just in case. Sorry to cut our date short." He looks abashed.
"It's no problem. It's best if you go check it out. We can always do this some other time." They both get to their feet, and Gaster steps around the table to stand in front of Sans.
"You said monsters kiss at the end of dates, right?" He leans down to give Sans a peck on the forehead. "Next time we can do it properly." Gaster winks, then makes his way out of the house.
In a daze, Sans follows him, stepping out onto the welcome mat to watch him leave. Gaster strides away, only to turn around and walk back up to him.
Gaster flushes, looking down. His hands shake slightly. "I know we've only been on one date, but can I have a kiss for good luck?"
It's strange to see him like this; he's almost always so composed. Sans is standing on the top of the steps, and for once they're at eye level. Gaster reaches out slowly and cups Sans' cheek, leaning forward to kiss him. They pull back a moment later.
"I want to do this again with you, some other time. Dating, I mean."
Gaster lets go and takes a step back. "Of course."
Thanks for reading! Please remember to leave a comment.