No need to say I'm out of ideas for chapter titles (why am I even doing this in the first place? Oh, right… So it's easier to know what happens in which chapter).

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Clopans:

Since you don't have an account (or weren't logged in, I really don't know), I'm answering your review here :) I'm glad you appreciate the story, it means a lot to me to know someone does. Honestly, I won't lie here, I do the exact same thing when reading someone else's story: I rarely comment ^^" If there isn't a little "like button" somewhere, I can't manage to write something because I just don't know what to say… That's why I'm truly happy you made the effort!

By the way, I didn't know someone actually read my rambling XD Thank you for your encouragement, luckily there are four of us in the cooking section (I managed to rally people, yay!) so I hope we can write at least one recipe for something edible ^^

Chapter XXXVII

As the Surface pulls away

The improvised spaghettis were… experimental. Cooked with square pastas, a more or less liquid tomato sauce, and no meat safe for half a poultry filet cut in dice, the dish only smelled like spaghettis — which, considering its look, was still quite surprising.

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'I thought you said you knew how to cook "spaghettis"?'

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Gaster raised his occipital bone as one would raise their eyebrow, showing a lot of contempt for the rather dubious food.

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'I said I could make spaghettis,' Sans snarled back, 'not that I could make ingredients pop out of thin air.'

He then handed Gaster a plate, giving one to Papyrus as well, before serving himself. 'C'mon, it doesn't taste as bad as it looks!' He then sat down with little delicacy, making the dish wiggle in a not-so-appetizing manner that made him wince. 'Probably…'

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In the meantime, Papyrus had already started eating with stars in his eyes. With the spoon still in his mouth, the child quickly seized the opportunity to give his opinion.

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'I love it!'

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This sudden display of joy brought a smile on Sans's face, a smile that soon turned into a snarky expression toward Gaster. Indeed, with Papyrus confirming the spaghettis were, in fact, edible — Sans wouldn't go as far as to say "good", since he did not know how skeletons could even taste things in the first place — he had now someone demonstrating his point.

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'See?'

Gaster sighed, fully knowing there was no arguing with the boy, and gave in. 'Against my better judgement, I suppose I should give this…' He winced as he took a spoonful of spaghettis. 'This… hum… mixture, a chance.'

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To say Gaster doubted Sans's statement would be an euphemism — in fact, he was almost sure he had never doubted a statement more than in this very moment — but trying couldn't hurt. If Papyrus seemed to enjoy his plate, it could not be a horrific experience to take a bite. Still quite unsure of what he should expect, Gaster eventually took the spoon to his mouth.

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'A bit bland, but edible.'

Without missing a beat, Sans immediately snapped back. 'Buy some spices and we can talk about blandness.'

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There should be spices? What could possibly go well with this? Sure, the Underground had its fair share of spices, but Gaster could not point even one he thought could turn this dish into something more gustatively interesting. Except basil, something he never had in his kitchen since the taste of it was something he never enjoyed, he didn't know much about what could be put with tomatoes.

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'What kind of spice could you possibly put into this?'

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Sans looked at him with wide eyes, as if he had just assisted to an astounding display of ignorance. Gaster put this on the count on the Surface's profusion of ingredients and presence of a real sun to grow plants. If the information Gathered by Monsterkind was correct, geography was no longer an obstacle to getting commodities. If Monsterkinf indeed knew its fair share of spices, such knowledge probably seemed ridiculously limited for a Human.

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'Uh, don't know, chili? Paprika?'

The names were quite unfamiliar to him — in fact, he was positive chili was the name of a country on the Surface, something Sans would later disconfirm. 'I'm afraid those are quite hard to find down here.'

'What is Parpika?' Papyrus asked.

'Paprika, Paps,' Sans corrected. 'It's a spice. Red, tastes… uh… spicy, a little.'

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Papyrus didn't answer right away. Instead, he seemed to ponder over what had just been said to him. His eyes started shining even brighter than before, as he smiled from ear to ear.

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'When I get on the surface, I want to eat paprika.'

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When. Not if. When.

As far as Sans knows, they would never see the surface. Not anymore…

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'You don't eat it alone, Paps!'

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Papyrus's ignorance had made him laugh at the time. It was somewhat comical to imagine the little skeleton eating a mouthful of spice, unaware of the result. It still makes him laugh, but this laugh is now lacking joy — it is bitter, sad even. Next to him lies a closed book, Soul science chapter 1: definition and properties of a soul: one of those books short enough to be read in one night if you don't pay attention to the mathematical parts. Sans borrowed it from Alphys a few days ago, but he had not read it up until this evening.

Now he almost wishes he still had not.

This book was the first step to understand the one he was currently reading — Soul science chapter 2: monster souls characteristics. It was the first step in understanding he was just as trapped as the Monsters.

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Up until now, there had always been a part of him — as tiny as it got with the last events — that believed he could just find his ways to the barrier and escape. A part of him that still thought he could go back up on the surface and find at least one person waiting for. A part of him that hoped he could negotiate with Humans and set the Monsters free…

Denial.

Crossing the barrier would probably kill him. It has been months since he disappeared, no one would be left waiting for him. Even if he managed to make his way back up, he would not be believed and even less listened to.

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Up there, he is already dead.

Down there, he will probably soon be.

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In fact, he already had.

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Or maybe he is just tired and thinking too much — it is 4 in the morning, after all.

I know nothing really happens in this chapter, but I just had to write it (couldn't left the spaghetti adventure ends like that XD ). At least, now you know how and why Papyrus is obsessed with spaghetti and why they taste like they taste...

(Also, this has nothing to do with the story, but it's like the third week in a row I forget to buy spaghetti... I think it's starting to rub off)

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By the way, Sans... Go to sleep. You're depressed (and depressing) when you're tired.

Oh wait, you have all the reasons for that... My bad.

Still, go to sleep or you won't get up for your job. I should know, my job is called school and it starts in the morning too (and I don't get a paycheck for that T.T Apparently I'm supposed to get a real job at the end of it, but that's becoming less and less certain. Damn engineering school! Let me lick peebles with a master now! *Go back to drawing cross-sections and crying over fluids mechanics*)