Chapter 10
"Explanation. Now." Toriel demands, and both Gaster and Sans sweat anxiously.
"Well, uh…." Gaster starts, only to be interrupted by Red in the other room.
"Original! Why is your human child telling me to put 70 fucking dollars in the swear jar?!" Sans snorts, shaking his head.
"THAT WOULD BE BECAUSE YOU ARE INFACT SWEARING, RED! AND MS. TORIEL HAS STATED THE RULE THAT ANY SWEARING IS PUNISHABLE BY $5! SO, INFACT, YOU ARE NOT PUTTING IN 70 DOLLARS, BUT 75!" Papyrus calls back, and Sans laughs as a slew of curses come from the other room.
"MAKE THAT $125."
Gaster cracks a smirk, Toriel still looked unamused.
"Now, boys; or I will get the other AUs here and embarrass you in front of all of them." Sans freezes, oh shit.
"Ummm, where'd you like to start?" Gaster asks, looking quite awkward. Toriel sighs, putting her head in her paws.
"The beginning. Sans said you stopped operating on them once you realized they were sentient. Start there."
Gaster nods, eyes suddenly going distant.
-.- .-.
"C'mon… almost there…." Dr. W. D. Gaster curses, the implantation almost done. The small skeleton strapped to the table was writhing around, most likely due to its curiosity about something. Gaster rolled his eyes, stupid thing.
"S-Sto-" a small voice calls out, catching the doctor's attention and nearly dropping the piece of his own bone that he was implanting into the smaller skeleton's skull. He looks around for the voice, seeing nothing. Who could've made that small, raspy noise?
"P-Please… it hurts." The voice calls again, and Gaster looked down at the skeleton.
"Is that… you?" he asks, and to his utter surprise, the skeleton's head nodded.
"You… you can talk? And understand me?" Gaster questions, and the skeleton nods.
"You and your brother?" another nod.
"For how long?" Gaster asks, a creeping feeling crawling up his spine.
"Whole… time." The skeleton replies, and Gaster feels himself shaking.
"S-1… you've felt everything the entire time? You and P-1?" another nod, and Gaster sighs before summoning two hands using magic and preparing a syringe.
"Oh stars… okay; I need to finish this, but then I'm going to fix things. I'm so sorry, S-1…"
"Sans."
"What?" Gaster asks, looking down at the skeleton; who had turned his head to look up at him. A single blue eye gazed up at him, looking empty of all emotion.
"My name is Sans… P-1 wishes to be called Papyrus." Gaster stares, shakily nodding before inserting the syringe filled with a numbing solution into the bone.
"I can't believe I have been experimenting on sentient beings all this time…" Gaster mumbles to himself, feeling guilt ride into his throat.
-.-
"Dad!" Papyrus calls, running over to Gaster with a wide smile and his red scarf billowing behind him. Gaster smiled, kneeling down and opening his arms to accept the child's hug. Over Papyrus' shoulder he could see Sans, his book bag slung over one shoulder and his hood pulled over his head.
Gaster wasn't surprised when no greeting came from him.
"TODAY WAS SUPER FUN! BUT THE TEACHER SAID THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH SANS' GRADES!" Papyrus blurts, and Sans glares at him.
"I told you not to tell him that, Pappy!" Sans growls, and Gaster frowns before walking over.
"Let me see your report card, Sans." Gaster demands, holding out his hands. Sans crosses his arms, averting his eyes.
"No."
"Sans…." Gaster tries to reason, only to be cut off.
"No!"
"S-1!" Sans freezes, and so does Papyrus; Gaster freezing at his slip-up. The skeleton-child's eyes tear up, taking off his bag and shoving it at him before teleporting; presumably up to his room. Papyrus seemed quiet, creeping upstairs and into his room. Gaster sighs, grabbing Sans' bag and plopping on the couch. Inside he finds the report card, wincing at the grades.
D's and F's the whole way down, even in class participation and gym! How the hell did the child manage to fail gym?! Gaster groans, shaking his head and holding his naval bone. He walks upstairs to his oldest son's room, opening the door without knocking and sitting on the bed next to the pouting skeleton.
"Sans… child, what's going on with you and school?" Gaster starts, and Sans glares up at him.
"It's boring! There's no use paying attention, and it's way too easy!" Sans protests, and Gaster smiles widely. He knew how to fix this.
"Okay then, let me try to find something harder for you to do." Gaster chuckles, his inner maniacal scientist coming out. He grabs Sans' hand, teleporting to the Royal Lab. Once inside, he grabs a pre-packed bag full of non-perishables and water; walking into the Royal Library.
"I've got a list of books I want you to read, and for the entirety of your winter break you're going to be in here, reading and working on whatever I give you. And when you get back, you'll be relieved to have something so easy to do." Gaster chuckles, magic hands pulling out Basic Physics, Algebra, Calculus (1, 2, and 3), World History, Shakespeare, Quantum Physics, Nuclear Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Coding, Molecular Physics, and Trigonometry. He also pulled Spanish, Latin, German, Chinese, Hindi, and ASL. In less than a minute, a huge stack of books was piled on a table in the center. Sans looked up at it in amazement.
"Why is it mostly science-related?" Sans questions, and Gaster smiles.
"Because they're the hardest to read and understand." Gaster replies, dropping the bag and magical hands picking up Sans and depositing him on the chair.
"Read World History, Algebra, and Basic Physics by tomorrow afternoon. I'll be there to give you your homework by 2 pm, as well as assign you your next assignment. Have fun." Gaster smirks, closing the door to the Royal Library and waiting.
He expected to hear crying and pleading to be let back out, to his surprise nothing of the sort happened. So Gaster went home; he figured Sans knew how to teleport himself home, and he had food and water.
What he wasn't prepared for was when he came back.
Sans was at the table, World History, Algebra, and Basic Physics piled on the table next to him. He had Shakespeare open in front of him, and from a brief peek over the child's shoulder Gaster saw that he was reading Macbeth.
"Humans are horrible, aren't they?" Sans comments, catching Gaster off guard.
"W-Why'd you say that?" Gaster asks, and Sans looks up from his book.
"In these stories they do all sorts of horrible things to each other. In World History there were wars, murder, slavery, and plague. In these stories there is even more of it. Humans are horrible, aren't they?"
Gaster stared at the child in surprise; "You've read all 3 of those books already?"
Sans nods; "Yeah, they were interesting. I finished Basic Physics this morning, took a quick nap, and picked up Shakespeare. I have a couple more pages of Macbeth, and then Hamlet; and then I'm done Shakespeare as well."
Gaster nods, pulling out the notebook he had filled with questions and equations last night and that morning. He plopped it down in front of Sans.
"Finish all of those by tomorrow, as well as an essay on the entirety of North America's history starting from the colonization of the first 13 states and go to the latest time period listed in the book."
"Can I use a computer to type it up? Or just handwrite it?"
"Handwrite, in cursive."
Sans nods, setting down Shakespeare after bookmarking his page and picking up the notebook and a pen. He opens to the first page, and Gaster watched the child instantly start writing down answers.
Gaster watches, amazed as he watched the child tackle an algebraic concept in pen.
"You know, doing math in pen is a sign of arrogance." Gaster comments, and Sans looks up at him with a cold look in his eye.
"And where do you think I got that from?"
Gaster sighs, walking out and locking up the Royal Library after reminding Sans to eat.
-.-
Gaster watched in amazement as Sans put down the last book; writing down a couple last words in his final essay. The winter break wasn't even halfway done, but already Sans had read through every textbook Gaster had given him, completed every assignment, every report, essay, and equation, and had even went beyond that to continue reading textbooks in the library. The child was fluent in every language Gaster had given him, plus Russian, Japanese, and French.
Gaster suddenly realized that maybe the reason Sans' grades were so low wasn't because he wasn't paying attention, but because what his son had said was true; it was too easy.
School started up again, and Gaster walked into the principal's office with every bit of work Sans had done. The principle, guidance counselor, and his teachers had taken one look at it before agreeing; Sans definitely had to be moved up.
So, the 6-year-old skeleton was moved up to the high school seniors class. He graduated top of his class, had straight A's in every class (except gym, Gaster was still kind of amazed at the child's ability to nearly fail gym), and was on the watch list of every Ivy league school in the Underground.
The graduation had been possibly the most awkward and memorable day of Gaster's life, partially because everyone knew that he was Sans' father, and mostly because the school didn't have a uniform small enough for Sans so it dragged with his every step. He held his diploma in his small hands, struggling to hold it as Papyrus hugged him.
"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU, BROTHER! I KNEW THOSE TEACHERS WERE WRONG!" Sans smiles, patting his brother on his back.
"Yeah, bro; they were wrong, weren't they?" Sans whispers, and Gaster chuckles.
"Well, hey; I think I deserve some partial credit here, I was the one who locked you in the library and gave you books that a child your age shouldn't have been able to understand, much less read." Gaster states, only to be caught in a glare by Sans before he sighs, giving a soft smile.
"You give yourself too much credit, Dad."
Gaster smiles, Papyrus squeals, and Sans turns blue when he realized his mistake.
"I-I mean-!"
"Nah-ah-ah! I heard a 'Dad' in there!" Gaster teases, picking Sans up by the armpits. Sans growls at him, his eye flashing blue as his teeth unsheathed themselves. Gaster bit down his wince at the two large rows of razor sharp teeth, wishing that he could take them back without risking his son's soul.
"Go to hell, doctor!" Sans snaps, and Gaster glares at Sans.
"Language, young man! $10 in the swear jar when we get home!"
Sans glares and pouts, crossing his arms; but Gaster couldn't take him seriously because the sleeves of the uniform were at least 10 inches too long for him and his hat was way too big for his small skull. He smiled, chuckling at his oldest son.
"Now let's go home, you two."
-.-
"Sans, pass the reports." Gaster calls out, and Sans nods before passing over the reports. Gaster reads them, rolling his eyes at the scientist's drabble. Of course they'd have no problem getting readings off the new human SOUL that had come in; who did he think he was talking to?
"Sans, did you CHECK the guy who gave this to you?" Gaster asks, and Sans nods before replying.
"Yep; LVL 5, ATK 20, DEF 20, SERIOUSLY DOUBTS TWO BAGS OF BONES, ESPECIALLY AN 18-YEAR-OLD, COULD POSSIBLY BE SMARTER THAN HIM." Sans recites, and Gaster groans.
"Of course; Jared I'm guessing?"
"Got it in one."
Gaster sighs, setting down the reports and turning back to his monitor. More numbers and damn time anomalies to sort through; Gaster was still horribly annoyed that only Sans could remember the little time rewinds and he couldn't.
"You're getting a lot better at those CHECKS, aren't you?" Gaster calls over his shoulder, and the sound of something dropping and scattering caused him to chuckle.
"Y-Yeah; speaking of that, Asgore asked if I wanted to apprentice myself to the Judgement Hall." Sans whispers, and Gaster pauses.
The Judgement Hall? That was the third highest job behind Royal Scientist and the King himself. Sans was already destined to take over Gaster's place as Royal Scientist, and Papyrus was set to take over the Royal Guard at around the same time. But if Sans took the apprenticeship, and continued working for Gaster at the same time….
"We'd become the most influential monster-family in the entire Underground…" Gaster mumbles, recognizing the effects.
To be the Royal Scientist and Royal Judge, as well as being the brother of the head of the Royal Guard; Sans and Papyrus could possibly become the true power of the kingdom, turning Asgore and Toriel into simple figureheads while the two took full control of the kingdom.
Gaster stands, walking over to Sans and grasping his shoulders.
"You must take the apprenticeship, take it and excel like you always do. CHECK everyone, anyone, and everything, become the best in the practice." Gaster insists, and Sans stared at him in shock.
"Y-You sure? I won't be able to do both Judgment Hall and Scientist, will I?" Gaster shakes his head, smile wide.
"Don't worry! I can give you some medication to give you energy so you don't have to sleep! Listen, becoming the head Judge will grant you power that can become extremely useful; it's a chance you shouldn't pass up! And you're already set to become the Royal Scientist after me; to be both would make you the most powerful monster next to Asgore himself!" Gaster lets go, whirling around the room to the whiteboard in the back.
"Your brother will be the Head of the Royal Guard, you will be the Royal Judge and the Royal Scientist; with you two together you will control the entire kingdom!" Gaster announces, turning back to Sans.
Right as he was going to say something, however; he felt the floor beneath him give away.
"DAD!" Sans yells, dashing over to the guard rail in time to watch Gaster fall into the CORE.
.-. -.-
"And that's where my part ends." Gaster sighs, looking up at Toriel. Toriel glares sharply at the two.
"Wait… so right before you died you suddenly had the realization you could overthrow Asgore and I and urged Sans to do it?" Gaster looked sheepish, and Sans groans, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, but as you can tell… we ran into complications. Of course, when I became Royal Scientist and Royal Judge, it was impossible to constantly bounce between the two and do a decent job without someone just as smart helping me. And no offence to my brother, but he ain't the sharpest tool in the kit.
"NONE TAKEN, BROTHER!" Papyrus calls from the kitchen, and Sans smiles and shakes his head.
"So yeah, I kept the title of Royal Scientist but hired Alphys to do the main work while I gave her the occasional order. I mainly focused on Royal Judge, and when you disappeared I was tasked with CHECK-ing everybody in the kingdom. Rumors went around you were in Snowdin, and so Papyrus and I moved there while I continued to search and CHECK."
"What about Papyrus? Gaster said he was set to become the head of the Royal Guard?" Toriel asks, and Sans sighs.
"When you disappeared, Asgore flew into a blind rage. At the time, Undyne was already a guard since she was of legal age, and Asgore liked her 'kill-all-humans-and-traitors' policy and hired her instead. And Undyne felt that Papyrus was too innocent to be in the guard, and was kinda afraid the dogs would have a bone to pick with him; so she kept him out."
"ORIGINAL! STOP WITH YOUR GOD-DAMNED PUNS!" Fell calls, and Paps calls back from somewhere upstairs.
"THAT'S ANOTHER $5 IN THE SWEAR JAR, FELL! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD ENOUGH GREEN IN YOUR POCKETS TO SUPPORT YOUR SWEARING HABITS!"
"GO TO HELL, YOU MONGRAL!"
"That's another $5, pal."
"Would you all quite down?! I'm trying to have a conversation with Sans and his idiotic father!" Toriel calls out, only to hear twin whistles from the living room.
"Man, I didn't know you were into threesomes with your own Dad, Original!" Red calls, laughing loudly.
"YOU SHOULD REALLY TELL US THESE THINGS!" Swap follow-ups, and Sans flushes before hearing a loud 'smack!'
"No lewd talk while Frisk is here!" Blue scolds, "and you shouldn't interrupt when people are busy! No ruining the mood between Original and his wife!"
Red and Swap's laughter causes a bright blue flush to raise on Sans' cheeks, a bright yellow one on Gaster, and an unamused look on Toriel's face.
"Don't make me come in there, boys." Toriel calls out, and the laughter abruptly cuts off.
"S-Sorry ma'am." Red apologizes, and Sans shakes his head.
"So, resuming our conversation…." Toriel looks back at Sans, who quickly wipes the expression off his face.
"But, um, yeah. Undyne kept Papyrus out of the Royal Guard completely, which meant Papyrus never had full reason to actually ever use his full power that Gaster had completely installed in him. And as you heard, Gaster fell into the CORE and was ripped from time and space. Because of the pieces of him installed in our skulls however, we were able to retain memory of him. I taught Papyrus to lie about him, and to lie about our origins. It seems that when Gaster decided to try to contact me, Papyrus thought that telling you would be better than staying silent." Sans finishes, and Toriel nods.
Frisk walks into the room, catching all 3 monster's attention.
Mom, don't we have to go to the PTA meeting in 5 minutes?