Dr W.D Gaster's unannounced arrival had caused quite a stir in the apartment. Upon seeing his father's looming silhouette fill the doorway to the lounge, Russ immediately began picking up dirty glasses from the coffee table and rearranging cushions whilst babbling nervously about dinner and traffic and the weather. All the while, his father's lopsided stare followed him from behind glinting spectacles.
After greeting his father briefly in the hallway, Sam had slouched off to his room to get changed. Calliope was surprised to see him re-emerge not dressed in his usual sweatpants and baggy t-shirt, but a pair of dark slacks and an ironed shirt. It was quite odd to see him in such garments.
Calliope suddenly felt self conscious as she stood awkwardly in the kitchen dressed in her animal print pyjamas. As Sam passed by the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the lounge, he caught her eye and smirked. His expression neither boosted nor diminished her confidence. But as she watched one brother fluster nervously and the other slouch unenthusiastically, Calliope took it upon herself to take control of the unexpected situation.
"Please, have a seat Mr Gaster," she smiled, gesturing towards their dining table.
The hunching man gave a slow nod of acknowledgement before striding over to take a seat, his cane thudding dully against the wood floor as he did so. Russ was somewhere behind her fussing over some wine glasses he had retrieved from the back of the cupboard. Sam was sat at the breakfast bar watching him. He chewed his thumbnail quietly, his eyes glazed over slightly.
"Would you like a drink?" Calliope asked as Dr Gaster smoothed out the creases in his sharply tailored suit pants.
"I would, indeed." He replied, his dark eyes drifting from one son to the next, both of which still had their backs to him.
She listed a short selection of beverages. Black coffee was his choice. Russ needn't have bothered with the wine glasses he was currently polishing, though Calliope suspected he was merely procrastinating. Were the brothers just going to ignore their father all night?
With a gently clear of her throat, Calliope turned to Russ.
"Russ, why don't you let me finish dinner and take this coffee to your father?" Though she had politely framed the sentence as a question, her fixing viper-head stare made it clear that it was a direct order. When she turned that stare towards the older brother, he finally roused from his trance. After casting her begrudging frowns, both siblings took a seat at the dining table with their dad.
Luckily, every time she made pasta, there was always enough to feed the entire street so one unexpected dinner guest wasn't an issue. While she stood over her simmering pot of bolognese waiting for the spaghetti to boil, she quietly listened in to the Gaster family's conversation.
"What brings you to this part of the city, dad?" Sam asked, fingers pinching at the table cloth. Normally, when Sam felt nervous or uncomfortable, his hands would toy with the inner lining of his jacket pockets. But after having chosen to dress a little smarter upon the arrival of his dad, the overhanging linen would have to do.
Dr Gaster sipped his coffee before answering. The two brothers exchanged a swift glance in the short silence.
"Well, you are both all over the news lately..." the slender, suited man eventually replied as he set his mug down.
"So many different stories from so many different sources..." he peered from one son to the other over his glasses, "I thought I'd come and hear the truth for myself."
Russ swallowed audibly while Sam heaved a sigh. He tugged awkwardly at the crotch of his slacks, careful enough so that his dad couldn't see. Sam clearly still hated the restrictions of formal-wear; even semi-formal wear.
"But first we eat, hm?" Dr Gaster mused, pushing up his spectacles after eyeing his son's fidgeting.
The first few mouthfuls of spaghetti were eaten in complete silence before Calliope once again initiated the conversation.
"It's great to finally meet you, Dr Gaster. I've read so much of your work."
He set down his fork and dabbed at the corner of his mouth before replying. His sons remained fixated on their plates.
"Have you now?" That voice. Those eyes. They were nothing like those of his sons. So cold and so dark. Even Sam, whose irises were like ice chips, emitted a twinkling brightness. Dr Gaster's were like voids.
Calliope nodded, thankful that her visor concealed the timidness of her own glances. She could feign confidence so long as she kept her shoulders back and voice steady.
"We studied your work on quirk evolution at the orphanage that I grew up in. Then I picked it back up later on as an extra module at Juggernaut."
Perhaps it was due to the fact that half his face was paralysed from the deep scarring that he simply didn't emote. But the fact he merely stared at her quietly when she relayed this made her shuffle awkwardly. After a moments silence, filled only by the sound of cutlery against ceramic, Dr Gaster spoke up.
"I must say, Miss Chloros, I find your quirk most fascinating."
The way he said this made her shiver once more. Sam raised his head and cast a glance around the table. Russ seemed to be holding his breath.
"Such untapped power..." Dr Gaster mused, his attention now solely on her, his half finished plate of food left forgotten.
"Do tell, have you ever tried to turn people to stone deliberately? I'm aware when it happened in Japan, it was apparently the result of trauma."
Sam set his fork down loudly as he turned to face his father.
"Dad, please." He hissed. But Dr Gaster merely held up a dismissive hand, his dark eyes remaining fixed on Calliope's face.
"No. No I've never tried. Nor would I try. I don't know why or how it happens but-"
"Then perhaps..." Dr Gaster cut in, his hand going to his glasses as he continued to ignore Sam's glaring eyes.
"...you should pay a visit to my lab one day. My team and I could run a few tests-"
"Dad! Enough!" This time it was Russ that spoke up. It was the first time Calliope had ever seen anger grace his handsome features.
"Have you really come all this way just to lure Calli into one of your experiments?"
Sam's breathing was shallow as he too stared angrily at their father who remained completely unfazed by the frostiness around the table. Calliope swallowed awkwardly as she looked from one face to another.
"Actually..." Dr Gaster retorted, removing his glasses to clean them on the table cloth, "I came to visit my sons. Neither of whom seem very keen on speaking to me."
He gestured to Calliope. "Miss Chloros here is the only one who seems to remember how to have a conversation. Surprising, too, considering how well you spoke in your interviews, Russ. You were very impressive."
The news that his father had actually watched his televised interviews seem to have made Russ falter. His lips parted as he made to respond but nothing came out.
"And Sam..." Dr Gaster began, turning to face his eldest son who's expression continued to remain austere.
"I am only suggesting that Miss Chloros take the time to learn more about her quirk and how to control it so as to avoid another repeat of what happened in Japan."
Sam continued to look unconvinced.
"After all..." Dr Gaster went on, his voice adopting a lighter note and his dark eyes softening slightly, "I know what it's like to lose the one you love."
At this, it was the sons' turn to ease up. Whether Dr Gaster was using the memory of their mother to win their favour or he was genuinely being sincere remained to be seen. But both Sam and Russ continued to listen intently when their father spoke again.
"And if what I've seen in the media is true, then surely Calliope's well-being is in your best interests. Is it not? You are romantically involved with this young lady, are you not?"
Sam's eyes searched his father's face before finally heaving a sigh.
"We appreciate your concern, Dad but-"
"That's very considerate of you, Dr Gaster." Calliope interrupted, taking Sam's hand beneath the table to give it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'll consider your offer and get back to you."
It seemed this was enough for Dr Gaster to end the subject and everyone was finally able finish their plates of food. Mercifully, the rest of the evening went by far more pleasantly. Talk had turned to their experiences at UA and Russ sang the students of Class 1A's praises while his father listened with a hint of a smile. Even Sam eventually relaxed and answered politely when his father inquired about his and Calliope's relationship. The only time it ever got awkward again was when Dr Gaster commented on how compatible Sam and Calliope's quirks would be in regards to if, or when, they had children.
"Of course, you shouldn't choose your sexual partners purely based on their quirks..."
Sam had rolled his eyes so hard that his irises had almost completely disappeared into his skull leaving only jet blacks of his eyes; the result made him look far more like his father- who continued his rant about procreating.
"Your mother and I had very different quirks, for example. But luckily for you, Sam..." he cast his eyes towards his eldest son, who's head lolled with silent discontentment, "they fused together nicely granting you the ability to summon your ultimate move..."
Dr Gaster took another mouthful of cherry pie before adding, "who's name I seriously wish you'd change. GasterBlaster, honestly."
Calliope couldn't help but smirk at this, as did Russ from across the table. Sam tugged at the crotch of his slacks again.
Once dessert had been finished and cleared away, Dr Gaster declined another coffee and announced that he would be heading back. The team accompanied him to the front door to bid him goodbye. To Calliope's surprise, he embraced both his sons warmly before also pulling her into a one armed hug, the other arm leaned heavily against his cane.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Chloros." He said as he pulled away.
"Please do continue to watch over my sons."
And with a final firm grasp of her shoulder, a gesture Russ had clearly inherited from him, he turned and left.
As soon as the dull thud of his cane faded down the corridor, Russ let out a low whistle while Sam quietly cursed.
"The Great W.D Gaster..."
"Charming fellow."
"Boys..."
Later that evening, once the dishes were cleaned and put away, the three of them reclined along their couch, half-watching the images that flashed across the T.V screen. Calliope lay against Russ while Sam dozed quietly against her; he'd changed back into his comfortable clothes after having sworn to burn the slacks the next morning. She ran her fingers through his snowy white hair while Russ clicked idly through the channels.
"Russ..." Calliope called softly, placing her free hand over his, ceasing the movement of his finger.
He grumbled his acknowledgement and she felt him turn his face to look at her.
"What's wrong?" She asked, taking the T.V remote from him and hitting the mute button. The only sound that could be heard once the laugh track from the sit-com was cut off was Sam's gentle snoring.
"What do you mean?" Russ retorted, sitting up slightly causing all three of them to shift. Sam grumbled in his sleep as Calliope's legs moved beneath his resting head.
She sighed and laid her head back against Russ' chest.
"I can tell something is on your mind; your hands won't keep still."
This time, it was Russ' turn to sigh.
"I was just thinking about what dad said about your quirk." He uttered, titling his head to rest his cheek atop her head.
"About me learning to control it? The part that can turn people to stone?"
She felt him give a slow nod.
"Do you think I should accept his offer?" She whispered, watching her fingers curl into Sam's hair.
Russ paused, shifting again.
"I can't make that decision for you, Calli."
A sigh. A stroke of a face. A moments silence.
"I'll call him tomorrow." She whispered, "and tell him that I'm not interested."
Russ inhaled, nodded, exhaled.
"Okay then."
And as they joined Sam in the peaceful realm of sleep, Calliope knew that her decision was a sound one. For how could trauma and sadness find her now?