Three years pass quietly.

Sans is eleven now and Papyrus boasts a hearty three and a half.

Life has been going smoothly for the small family. The money from Gaster working at the lab is pretty good, and Sans is doing well in school. Mostly. Papyrus is still in the Hotland Daycare at the lab and Sans will often stay the night at the lab when Gaster can't come home.

Sans wonders if they should just live in Hotland instead of Snowdin since they're there so often…

"Gaster hasn't made much progress on the red liquid this whole time. With their limited technology, things only falling from the surface into the dump in waterfall, they can't get far. The only thing that HAS made any progress is the core and the building of the extractor in the lab. But even that is only half way completed…

Gaster sits at his desk with his head in his hands and just sighs… If only he had the right tools, the right equipment to do his experiments and such then they'd be so much closer to breaking the barrier faster… He takes off his lab coat and adjusts his turtle neck, rubbing his temples with both hands.

Sans peeks out of the daycare room with Papyrus and the two look at each other…

"WHY HE SAD?" Papyrus asks worriedly, pulling on Sans' hoody that's WAY too big on him. Sans just smiles softly down at his brother.

"Well Pap, dad's working really hard and things are goin' slow. He wants results and he ain't getting' them. Do you understand?"

Papyrus stands there and stares at their father several feet away from them. He nods and folds his arms.

"BREAK!"

"Break?" Sans looks at his bro incredulously… and then it hits him.

"OH! You mean let's go make him take a break. Yeah good idea. You're so cool little bro."

Sans picks Papyrus up and swings him around once then hugs him tightly. Papyrus laughs and baps at Sans' face. The two rush out of the room of other monster children and go up to Gaster with their hands on their hips.

"Dad!" They say together. Gaster jumps a little, startled and looks down at the two of them and their giant smiles. He can't help but be infected with their cuteness.

"YES BOYS, WHAT IS IT?"

"Papyrus and I think you should take a break from working! Getting frustrated over everything isn't going to make it go faster for anyone." Sans says decisively.

"BREAK!" Pap yells.

Gaster watches his boys closely, wondering if they'll go away or something. Perhaps he should shoo them…

What a terrible thought. The only reason he's working this hard is for them…

Is he not paying enough attention to them?

This is a dreadful thought that Gaster will not let go.

"SANS… YOU DON'T THINK I'M… IGNORING YOU TWO, DO YOU?" Sans' eyes go a little wide and then he smiles brightly!

"No way! I don't think that at all! I know how hard it is to work on something for a long time and not get it right! Like homework! But harder. I know that you're doing this for the entire underground dad." He nods.

"But I think right now you should think about yourself for a little bit!"

"BREAK!" Papyrus shouts again.

"I think we got it pap." Sans says with a chuckle.

Gaster's chest fills with love. His sons are so kind… He loves them so much he thinks he may burst. If a break is what his children want from him, then he can't very well say no.

"ALRIGHT. I'LL TAKE A BREAK. JUST FOR YOU TWO." Gaster stands up, but not before swooping the two in his arms and giving them a spin. They all laugh and hug one another, Gaster giving them skeleton kisses on the tops of their heads with a clack.

Ten minutes of planning by Sans and Papyrus later, the two (mostly Sans) come up with a little talent show for their father. Papyrus sets down a crate and grabs Gaster's hand, making him sit.

"MY MY WHAT HAVE YOU TWO PLANNED I WONDER?" He says with delight.

"WE'RE GONNA DANCE!" Papyrus yells. He is SO happy that he almost trips when he runs over to Sans.

"Hehe. Don't give it away Pap! Alright here we go!" Sans leans down and presses a button on an incredibly old stereo and some music plays. Gaster has never heard this music before and can only guess it came from the surface world's musicians. He has to admit that he doesn't hate the music.

"Sans dances his heart out, doing his best to have some form. Papyrus just jumps up and down and yells and laughs. Obviously it's terrible, but to Gaster this is a one of a kind routine. God he wishes he had a video camera to record this. His children are so precious… They're the most important thing in the entire world to him.

He does note in the back of his scientist brain that Sans has regained a lot of energy since the incident three years ago. While he sleeps more now than he used to, (which Gaster has determined to be the right amount of sleep for Sans anyway so it all worked out weirdly enough) he's returned to the busy smart boy he always was. He supposes it's mostly because of Papyrus growing up. And when Gaster isn't there to take care of Pap, Sans does it. And to keep up with the hyper little skell, Sans wanted to bring out the best of himself to give to his brother.

Gaster wonders what life would be like without Sans and Papyrus… It would be quiet. And lonely. No rough housing boys, no pitter patter of playing feet, no dancing with happy faces… He is lucky to have them both.

The boys dance their hearts out and have Gaster pick them up and swing them around. Sans doesn't care if he's a whole eleven years old, he's still small enough to be babied and he is absolutely going to milk it until he's too big!

All of that playing gets the boys tired and Papyrus actually falls asleep in Gaster's arms. Sans falls asleep standing up which is… rather impressive actually. But Gaster gets the two to bed and covers them both up. He's quietly thankful that Sans and Papyrus are the only children left in the labs daycare. It makes it easier for the two to be put to bed and sleep peacefully.

He leaves the two to sleep and goes back to his desk, but doesn't sit. For some reason, the memory of the human child with their green soul appears in his mind… What he did…

What the child did wasn't right either. But what HE did…

Was it wrong? They were killing monsters, so he HAD to kill them! But… Maybe the way he went about it was too harsh? Why is he even thinking back on this? It's been years now… who cares? It was one step closer to freedom!

He did what was best for the underground in the end didn't he?...

Not only that, but he was incredibly disrespectful to his King. He should really visit him and have a proper chat with him.

And so Gaster leaves Sans and Papyrus to sleep and travels through the other half of Hotland, through the hotel and through the core, eventually getting to Asgore's castle. The royal guardsmen there are kind and they greet Gaster as he walks past, greeting them in return.

He makes it to the throne room and spots Asgore watering the garden that has grown. Golden flowers nearly take over the entire room.

Asgore hears the rustling of flowers and turns to see the Royal Scientist.

"Ah, Dr. Gaster! Hello there, I haven't seen you in some time!" The giant king smiles at Gaster and puts away his watering can.

"INDEED, IT'S BEEN SOME TIME…"

"Would you like some tea?"

"YOU ARE TOO KIND YOUR MAJESTY… I… I WOULD LIKE SOME TEA. I WAS HOPING WE COULD… TALK."

Asgore can see that Gaster is feeling reluctant, but also that he really does want to talk. So he nods and rushes off to make the tea.

"A-AH, YOUR HIGHNESS, I CAN MAKE THE TEA, YOU NEEDN'T DO TH—"

"Nonsense! You're a guest and I shall treat you like one! Come come, this way! There is a table and chairs in here."

Gaster follows Asgore into a rather nice dining area. He never noticed this room was even here. It was hidden by the vines. It's a simple room with simple things. All of the chairs are large and Gaster thinks he may shrink into them… Oh well. He sits in one of the chairs and it turns out he fits just fine.

Asgore finishes brewing the tea and pours two cups and then sits down.

"It may be hot." The King warns.

"So, what have you come to talk about, Dr? May I ask how your son is doing?"

"Gaster knows he must word things carefully…

"HE'S DOING FAR BETTER THAN HE WAS BEFORE. THANK YOU FOR ASKING. AND UHM… HOW ARE YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS?" Gaster wraps his hands around the cup and relaxes into its warmth.

Asgore smiles softly and looks into his own cup of tea.

"I think I am a bit better as well. Things have been very difficult."

Be compassionate Gaster, come on…

"I CAN ONLY IMAGINE… WOULD YOU PERHAPS LIKE TO TELL ME ABOUT IT? MY SON SANS HAS TOLD ME MANY TIMES THAT IT'S BEST TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS."

"Your son is very smart. I suppose if you don't mind… I don't want to burden you with my problems though. A king must be strong…"

Asgore sips his tea and Gaster watches intently… Hmmm… think logically. What would Sans say at a time like this?... Gosh he is NOT good at this sort of thing…

"HOLDING IN YOUR EMOTIONS MIGHT BREAK YOU. AND WHAT GOOD IS A BROKEN KING?" Hmmm. Was that the correct way of phrasing it? Damn, probably not. Sans probably wouldn't say that.

"ER, I MEAN…-" Asgore laughs and nods to himself.

"I understand what you meant. Don't worry."

"S-SORRY… I'M… NOT GREAT AT THIS… STUFF." Gaster looks at his cup inwardly cursing himself. He should get a book on this sort of stuff or something.

Asgore goes on to explain how alone he feels without Toriel. She left everything to him. She left her people, her kingdom, her duties and responsibilities because she couldn't handle it and Asgore blames himself. And on top of that, those three years ago, he clearly angered Gaster.

"I didn't mean to make you so upset back then. I was…"

"MY GOODNESS YOUR HIGHNESS… YOU SOUND A LITTLE TOO MUCH LIKE ME. HOLDING ONTO SOMETHING FOR SO LONG… I HOLD GRUDGES, I KNOW THIS. BUT YOU HOLD ONTO THE PAST. SOMETHING LIKE MAKING ME MAD SHOULD HAVE BEEN BANISHED FROM YOUR MEMORY THE DAY AFTER IT HAPPENED."

"I could never do that. I consider you my friend, Dr. Gaster. Upsetting my friends upsets me."

Gaster stares at Asgore wide eyed. FRIENDS? This king is… interesting. He was interesting before but he never really had THAT much interaction with him that he considered the man his friend…

Asgore is soft and friendly… He actually still recalls when the kingdom called him "fluffy buns" for a while because Queen Toriel accidentally called him so over a microphone. But Asgore willingly accepted it and laughed about it even…

Damn. He really WAS too harsh on the King.

"WELL… I SUPPOSE THAT DAY WAS NOT A GOOD DAY FOR EITHER OF US. SO… LET ME FORMALLY APOLOGIZE TO YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS, FOR MY IMMENSE RUDENESS BACK THEN. IT WAS UNCALLED FOR AND IT WAS NOT MY PLACE TO SAY SUCH TERRIBLE THINGS TO YOU. I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE ME." Gaster bows his head a bit and then looks up at the furry monster.

"I… there is no need. I was being insensitive to your situation."

Dammit, HE should be saying that, not THE KING. GOSH he's so BAD AT THIS! He never thought he'd feel bad for sassing Asgore, but he REALLY does…

"And to prevent future situations like that happening again… Gaster I'd like you to tell me what to do."

"I'M… SORRY? WHAT?"

"I have clearly done something wrong that needs to be corrected. Toriel left, and then I upset you. I'm worried that if I continue down the path I'm on, I'll upset the kingdom. I HAVE to fix this Gaster. Please help me."

Gaster stares in shock and lets the information sink in…

"UH...UHM… WELL LET'S SEE… THERE IS UNREST IN THE UNDERGROUND. I THINK… GOODNESS WHAT WOULD MY SON SAY…?"

Asgore chuckles.

"You really do rely on your son for matters like this then?"

"LIKE I SAID, I'M NOT GOOD AT THIS STUFF SIR. BUT UH… I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA. YOU ARE A KIND SOUL AND I THINK SOME MORE INTERACTION WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU AND FOR THE PEOPLE."

"More interaction?"

Asgore thinks this is probably also the case for Gaster and holds back a twinge of a smile.

"INDEED. I'VE BEEN NOTICING THAT THE CHILDREN ARE GETTING SMARTER. ADAPTING TO HOW LIFE IS DOWN HERE AND THEY'RE THINKING OF NEW THINGS THAT WE ADULTS COULD NEVER THINK OF. IF YOU TALK TO THE MONSTERS OF THE UNDERGROUND, YOU'LL HEAR MORE THINGS AND GET MORE OPINIONS OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING DOWN THERE. AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON FIRST HAND, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GOVERN THEM BETTER AND MAKE THEM HAPPIER."

Gaster nods a few times to himself.

"I SUPPOSE I'M JUST SAYING IN A NUTSHELL, BE ACTIVE NOT IN THE CASTLE, BUT IN THE TOWNS. IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. LEVEL YOURSELF WITH THEM SO THEY DON'T SEE YOU AS AN INTIMIDATING FOOLISH KING, BUT A PERSON, JUST LIKE THEM."

"That is a GRAND idea Gaster! Are you sure you don't work in psychology?"

"IF ONLY I DID SIR. IF ONLY I DID. I GUESS I SPEAK FROM A CITIZENS POINT OF VIEW."

"Well it is a point of view that I should have considered earlier. Thank you very much for helping me with this… GOOD HEAVENS!" He suddenly shouts. Gaster jumps at the sudden boom of Asgore's voice and almost spills his tea.

"I've done it again! You came here to talk to me about something and I completely covered it in my own problems! What an awful person I am! I'm so sorry Gaster—"

"NO NO NO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I ALREADY SORTED IT OUT DURING THE CONVERSATION."

"Goodness what was it?"

"THAT I WANTED TO APOLOGIZE FOR BEFORE."

"Ah well—"

"I ALREADY KNOW IT'S ALRIGHT, YOU TOLD ME. BUT STILL. I AM GENUINELY SORRY. I'LL TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE."

"I will also try to be more careful in the future. Now. I'd like to propose something to you Gaster."

Gaster raises a brow and leans back a little.

"OH?"

"Yes. You've done outstanding work trying to figure out how to get us out of this mountain and creating the CORE. Dr. Gaster, I would like for you to take a vacation while I prepare and plan for interacting with the citizens."

"A WHAT?... H-HA HA! I DON'T THINK SUCH A WORD IS EVEN IN MY VOCABULARY YOUR HIGHNESS."

"Please Gaster, I insist. Take some time off and spend some more time with your boys! In fact, everyone working on the core and in the lab shall get a paid vacation!" Asgore booms and stands up happily. Gaster can't even form words. "Vacation" and "PAID Vacation" are words he's never heard uttered in his entire existence.

"B-BUT HOW—"

"Don't think twice about it Dr. Gaster! Or rather, since you're free for a while, might I call you Wing Dings?"

Gaster's jaw drops a little. He wasn't sure ANYONE really knew his first name since he doesn't even write it as such anymore. It's easier just to write "Gaster" and be done with it.

"U-UH…UHM…. Y-YYYEESSS I SUPPOSE SO?"

"Wonderful! Wing Dings you've lit a fire under me and now I'm excited to begin planning! What a good visit this has been!"

Gaster quietly wonders if this is what "talking about your feelings" does to a man. It's very strange and a little outlandish for the reserved Gaster. But… if it gets the King to finally get off of that damn throne and moping all day then gosh darn it he'll talk to him ALL the time!

"I'M… I'M GLAD I WAS ABLE TO HELP. I SUPPOSE I'LL LEAVE YOU TO YOUR PLANNING AND SUCH."

"Right, yes. I hope you have fun on your vacation Wing Dings. Because when you return I expect you'll be hard at work again. Enjoy it while it lasts!" Asgore says. Gaster doesn't think he's seen so many teeth in a smile before. And his sons are SKELETONS. But he guesses that's good.

Gaster prepares to leave and bows. They say their goodbyes and Gaster walks away totally dumbstruck. He was so terrible to the king before but he was still treated so nicely. He wonders if he'll ever understand.

And what the HELL is he supposed to do on vacation?!