Chapter 35:
Father Pasta
"B-B-But Gaster is supposed to be dead!" Alphys jumped up, her movements sporadic.
"Who's Gaster?" I looked between them with confusion and, of course, some fear.
The name meant nothing to me for now, but I figured they'd tell me and make me want to wet myself. Sans kept his eyes glued to the screen and clenched his jaw, confirming my fears were within reason.
"H-He was the R-Royal Scientist...b-but he was a b-bit...unethical." Alphys tried to clear things up. H-He used m-monster dust to experiment with a-and he tortured the f-first human that fell h-here."
Sans added on, "He also was an ass with a sick sense of humor and no compassion. He was lucky he fell in the void before I was strong enough to dust him myself."
I looked between them and mouthed to Alphys, "Personal connection?" She nodded and mouthed back, "Father."
It took me a moment to register what she said. Gaster, this horrible sounding man, was Sans's father? Sans, the goofy lovable skeleton that was really cute when he wanted to be. I could hardly imagine his father, let alone a mean one.
Sans slammed his hands on the desk and made Alphys and I jump.
"Where is he?!"
"S-Sans, I-I'll watch the cameras and call you in a-anything shows up. Y-You should get h-home to Papyrus..."
He pushed away from the desk and stood up. His eyes were dark once more and I was afraid I wouldn't see the whites in them again.
"If he is in my house with Paps and Arial I will make sure he SUFFERS."
My throat tightened and I took his hand. He could've been the scariest thing right now if the safety of my child wasn't being threatened.
"Let's go."
With that, we were gone. My feet touched the floor of the brothers' home and I adjusted my eyes to the scene. Papyrus was still where we had left him with Arial and they were both giggling while he played with her toes.
"FRISK! SANS! YOU'RE BACK! THE GREATEST THING HAPPENED!"
Sans's shoulders relaxed greatly and he moved to Papyrus's side, patting his shoulder. It was easy to see how much he loved his brother. I made my way to my daughter and held her close to my chest. She squirmed and giggled, reaching up to grab my hair.
"Pa'ta!" She spoke and giggled.
I stared her in the face like a statue. Did she just say her first word? "Pa'ta!" She repeated.
"ISN'T IT GREAT! I TAUGHT HER THE WORD PASTA! Though she doesn't quite have the 's' sound for it yet."
With all the build up of events for today I finally cracked a bit and started laughing. From Flowey to Grillby, Gaster to this, I had reached my roller-coaster limit. Laughter tears streamed down my face and I smiled at him. I caught a glimpse of Sans in the corner of my eye and he had a mix of concern, happiness, and worry in his smile.
"Good job, Papyrus. Before you know it she will be talking like crazy."
"I HOPE SHE LEARNS TO SAY MY NAME!" He beamed and looked to Sans. "THEN I CAN TEACH HER TO SAY YOUR NAME."
Sans tried to look enthusiastic as he gave his response. "Its pa'ta be perfect. It's kinda hard to say Sans without an 's'."
"SANS! SHE'S A BABYBONES! DON'T PUSH HER TO HARD!"
