Hey Everyone!
Interference in bold, puns and in italics, magic is underlined.
-text- indicates either texts, or mental "talking".
All Undertale stuff owned by Toby Fox, else me.
The idea for my Gaster's backstory came from hrhowling's Hopeless & Hounded over on AO3, and indirectly from the Handplates and GasterBlaster AUs, however I am taking it in a different direction, so yeah.
References are now a thing. Also, I'm working a new story, For Future Reference. It's set in the same world/timeline as this one, but back in 8AR, and mostly centers on Sans. It will intersect with this one though, so I'm not stopping anytime soon!
You stare at the butterscotch and cinnamon pie in front of you, idly wondering how Toriel intends to cut it without any knives.
Undyne
It's been a few weeks since Silver got home from the hospital. Asriel and Frisk had start driving back to college for the spring semester yesterday morning. Theoretically, Sans should have gone with them, but...well, I guess now it's not so surprising that he always seems to be a phone call away, even halfway around the world. I have GOT to ask him how he does that. Gotta be nicer than this cheap bucket of bolts. Then again, I did suplex the last one...
Asgore's back on circuit again, somewhere in Southeast Asia. Poor Fluffybuns never gets to stay home for long. I SHOULD GET ALPHY TO MAKE HIM AN IMPROVED HOLUSION! YES! THE PERFECT PLAN! NGAH-wait, did that guy just flip me off? LOSER.
...Wonder what Toriel wants to talk about this time? She's called everyone over for a late night 'council of war'. Been happening a lot lately. First it was the Incident of the Emptied Room - thank you, Papyrus - then Project Night Terror, then the Reading Campaign. What'll it be next, a puppy?
Undyne (later)
Guess I wasn't too far off on the whole puppy thing. I remember when the Dogi had their pups, and everyone got called in for socialization duty. This feels A LOT like that, only the Queen's living room is A LOT cleaner. Her sofas are comfier, too.
"BUT YOUR MAJESTY, SILVER HAS BEEN DOING MUCH BETTER. SHE HAS EVEN STARTED A CONVERSATION BY HERSELF! A SHORT ONE, BUT IT WAS STILL A CONVERSATION," Nerd. We haven't had a spaghetti night in ages. Seems like every time we make plans, something comes up with the Guard. Maybe we can plan one with the kid...
"Yes, P-p-papyrus, but sh-she doesn't-t talk with an-nyone who isn-n't one of us. At the L-l-librarby, she just goes and h-h-hides in the stacks...she hasn't even s-said hello to G-g-grillby once!" Alphy, sometimes you are SUCH A NERD! Just because some loser journal rejected her latest paper...I should just go over there and...NGAHH! WE'RE WATCHING THE NEW MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE REMAKE TONIGHT! I don't care that I was saving it for her birthday, SHE NEEDS THIS!
"Alphys is correct, Papyrus, My child has avoided speaking with anyone who is not a member of her extended family-" Now that I think about it, through Consolas and Ney-ney, Silver's related to all of us...more or less, anyway. Weird...THAT MAKES ME HER COUSIN! GODS, I...but Frisk calls me Aunt sometimes, doesn't she? So, that makes me...IT DOESN'T MATTER! SHE'S FAMILY NOW AND IT'S AWESOME! NGAHH! Wait, I zoned out again, "-children must have friends of their own age, and they must have practice conversing with individuals outside of their own family."
Hmm, other kids, eh? Well, I don't really know any human kids, but the pups would be big enough now, wouldn't they? "Why don't I ask Dogamy and Dogessa to bring their pups over here this weekend? Those scamps will get the little nerd out of her shell, no problem."
"not here. silver's just accepted this place as her home," Sans gives me an odd look. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, YOU LITTLE-
"O-oh! You mean, b-b-bringing anyone here would b-be like dropping a strange d-dog into the mid-d-d-d" Breathe, nerd. You can handle this, "...into another d-dog's territory," Good job.
That blue-hoodied nerd nods...what, stop staring at me, nerd! I came up with the last suggestion and you shot it down. It's your turn! Gods, his grin is annoying. Sometimes I wish I could just- "WHAT ABOUT THE PARK?" Huh? Papyrus blinks under the combined stares of everyone's hearts...gods, I even THINK anime, Frisk was right, "THERE ARE MANY SMALL MONSTERS AND HUMANS WHO GO THERE."
"Thats...A GREAT IDEA PAPYRUS! We'll drop her off tomorrow!" I spring to my feet, arm pumped, ready to spring into action.
"wait a minute, undyne-"
Nope, Sans. Not letting shoot down this AWESOME plan, "IT'S PERFECT! NGAHH!"
"Undyne, sit down, will you not?" Oh. Right. Toriel. I sit, "You have heard that my secretary has mentioned that her son has had difficulties adjusting to crowds, have you not? Perhaps leaving Silver alone among strangers would be overwhelming," Oh. Stupid, OF COURSE she'll have problems with crowds, heck, it took Alphys years to learn to manage in them. I slump.
"NEVER FEAR UNDYNE, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL BE THERE TO GUIDE HER. NYEH HEH HEH!" How does he even do that scarf thingy. WE'RE INDOORS!
"But...YEAH! WITH US THERE, HER HEART WILL SURELY STRIVE TO MEET EVERYONE'S!" Gods, I am hopelessly anime sometimes.
"sounds like a perfect buffer for Silver to buff up on her social skills," What the...Alphys is laughing, must be a science pun. I hate those.
Toriel chuckles, as usual, "She can polish up on her conversational abilities," Wait...seriously? They're punning on her name now? REALLY?
"It's clear that this is a perfect solution," Okay, THAT was a science pun.
"SANS! STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL PUNS!" Those two are SO CUTE SOMETIMES! NGAHH!
"c'mon bro, you're smiling."
"I AM AND I HATE IT!" Ah, a Papyrus classic. Still hilarious, "UNDYNE, DON'T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!"
"Too late!"
Undyne (The Next Day)
Never can get used to snow up here. It's so...SOLID! I mean in Snowdin the snow would just sorta merge into whatever shape you wanted, and a few weeks without a snowstorm wouldn't make much of a dent in the supply. Up here, though, it snows, and then it's FLUFFY, and the day after that it's got a CRUST, and then it starts MELTING until you're left with a field of mud. WHAT. THE. HECK. Right now we're in the crusty stage, and there's about a foot of snow - just enough for the shorter legged to have problems. Good thing Alphy's in the city. Snow there doesn't seem to last.
Not so many kids out here today. Huh. Guess playing with the crusty stuff isn't as easy. WHIMPS! At least there's no competition for this bench. Papyrus is giving Silver a pep talk, which I'm surprised she can hear through that GIANT BOBBLE HAT AND SCARF! Her Majesty might have gotten a bit carried away with the whole 'winter-wear' thing, but it's SO CUTE! Dreemur purple and Determination red stripes look good on the kid, even if there's more scarf than head.
Well, seems the cinnamon roll has FINALLY managed to get her to give other kids a try. She's moving pretty slowly - today's one of her bad days, I guess. There's a group of five or six humans in the field close to us, and it's not long before she's reached them. They seem a little worried, but one of the girls reaches over and pulls her into their game. Good old determination, can't believe we lived so long without it. Weird game. Kinda looks like Humans and Monsters...wonder what they call that up here? Knights and Mages? Nerds and Losers? Poor kid seems pretty lost, though.
Looks like that black-haired kid's the Human...or, whatever. Everyone else seems to be running from him...well, Silvers just sorta standing there. NERD! Maybe I should...no, wait, one of them's going over to explain. She's saying something to them, stupid scarf covers up her lips...Um, okay, what the hell? They're all just sorta staring at her now. Don't they know that's RUDE! LOSERS! Now some of them are lea-WHAT THE HELL?
Papyrus
PAPYRUS RUSHED OVER TO SILVER WHEN THE SMALL HUMAN SHOVED HER. THE TINY HUMAN HASN'T FALLEN OVER, BUT HER MAJESTY INSTRUCTED HIM TO WATCH THE TINY HUMAN CAREFULLY, BECAUSE HER HP WAS ALMOST AS LOW AS HIS BROTHER'S, AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS NEVER FAILED SUCH AN IMPORTANT MISSION. UNDYNE RAN OFF TO EXPLAIN TO THE OTHER SMALL HUMANS HOW THEY NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL WITH FRIENDS. SHE SEEMED VERY ENTHUSIASTIC.
SILVER WAS VERY STILL - PERHAPS THE SMALL HUMANS HAVE A BLUE ATTACK? THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS THE MASTER OF BLUE ATTACKS, AND OBVIOUSLY THE PERFECT COUNTER IS A HUG! HE THOUGHT SHE MUST HAVE BEEN TOO SAD AT THE SMALL HUMAN'S BAD CHOICES TO FIGHT THE EFFECTS. HE SHOULD...
SHE WAS NOT CRYING, OR BLUE. WHY WAS SHE SO STILL? WAS SHE BROKEN? HE KNELT DOWN TO SEE HER FACE, AND IT WAS BLANK. A BLANK, SQUINTY STARE, LIKE THE ONE FRISK WORE DOWN IN THE UNDERGROUND. WAS SHE IN SHOCK? ONE OF THE HUMAN DOCTORS TOLD HIM THAT THAT SORT OF FACE IS NOT NORMAL FOR HUMANS, THAT IT OFTEN MEANS SHOCK.
"TINY HUMAN, WHAT IS WRONG?" SHE OPENED HER EYES WIDER, AND HE BLINKED. HER EYES WERE SO DISTANT, SO COLD, LIKE THE ROOF OF THE UNDERGROUND FROM SNOWDIN. SO COLD SHE COULD HAVE FROZEN THE CORE, BUT...THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE, SOMETHING THAT...LOOKED LIKE SANS SOMETIMES GOT...RESIGNED, THAT WAS THE WORD. FORSAKEN, FORLORN...THIS CALLED FOR A HU-
A SOLEMN VOICE, WITH AN ODD MIX OF FORMALITY AND LISP, SPOKE FROM BEHIND HIM, "If there must be a line between good and evil, there will always be those who stand upon it, come what may. They are ready to hold back both darkness and light, so that everyone else can remain true and untroubled by what burdens they bear," THIS WAS VERY CONFUSING! HE TURNED, AND THERE WAS A SMALL SKELETON BEHIND HIM. HE LOOKED ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN, ALTHOUGH AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS KNEW WELL, SIZE WAS NOT A GOOD INDICATOR OF AGE IN SKELETON MONSTERS. AFTER ALL, HE HAD BEEN HIS CURRENT HEIGHT SINCE HE WAS TWELVE! THE SMALL SKELETON'S EYE SOCKETS WERE DIFFERENT SIZES, WITH LINES RUNNING UP FROM ONE AND DOWN FROM THE OTHER. HIS MOUTH SEEMED TO HAVE LIPS OF ALL THINGS, ALTHOUGH THEY MOVED VERY LITTLE WHEN HE SPOKE, "Even so, those who dwell on the line should not forget that they do not stand alone. They are stronger together, strong enough to withstand the raging forces that press against them on every side."
HMM. THIS SMALL SKELETON...HE MUST BECOME THEIR FRIEND! THE GREAT PAPYRUS OFFERED HIS GLOVED HAND IN THE HUMAN SYMBOL OF FRIENDSHIP HE HAVE BEEN PRACTICING, "GREETINGS, SMALL SKELETON! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
THE SMALL SKELETON'S LARGER EYE CLOSES HALFWAY, THE SMALLER ONE COMPLETELY, AND HIS LIPS PULLED INTO A WAVY LINE. OF COURSE, HE WAS SMILING, FOR WAS NOT THE GREAT PAPYRUS THE COOLEST! THE SMALL SKELETON'S CHEEKBONES GREW PURPLE...PERHAPS HE WAS COLD? HE DID NOT HAVE A HAT… "I am called Aster," HIS VOICE WAS VERY SQUEEKY. HE GRABBED MY HAND. THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST SHOW HIM HIS AWESOMENESS IN THIS HANDSHAKE RITUAL.
Silver
I peak over Papyrus' shoulder, trying to see who was talking, since he won't let them out of his 'handshake attack'.
-Oh looky! It's Aster! Hey Aster, watcha doin?-
-Nyssa, he can't hear you, and I think Uncle Con wants you to stay quiet when you're in time out.-
-Oh...right. Sorry, Silver...Why're his eyes so big?-
I giggle. I'm getting better at it now. -I think Papyrus is too much for him, poor skelly. Let's go rescue him from the Terrifying Handshake of Doom-
I walk over, wincing a little at my ankle. Must have rolled it when the child got so angry. I still don't get what I said wrong. I feel Consolas wrapping me in a hug. -Nothing really, kiddo. Most kids that age are pretty violent, and he was scared, not angry. My guess is something looked off when Nyssa was explaining the game to you. Human kids can be a bit weird, and I don't think he knew how to deal with your question. Don't think I would, either.-
I wriggle out of his hug. -I just wanted to know why the kids were running around so much; if there was a bad guy after them, why wouldn't they stay still or fight back?-
He shrugs. -Most people run when they're scared. That little snot who shoved you's one of the exceptions, but then, he was enjoying being the villain quite a bit. Watch out for him, he's a bully. Someone acting like that that young's bound to be.-
-Then I'll make him stop. Bullies are bad, right? If most people run, then someone needs to stand between them and the bad guys.-
Consolas sighs, turning and throwing up his hands sarcastically. -I love talks like these. Such clarity, such a melding of minds. Clearly telling you that you are a CHILD who is still recovering from LIFE-THREATENING injuries will be POINTLESS, since you OBVIOUSLY are KIDDING.-
I giggle as he stomps off. He can be funny. Back in realtime, I finally make it over to the handshake, and carefully separate Papyrus from his victim, "Papyrus, I think you're scaring him. Leave the poor skelly alone," I turn and...wait, scarf, and...did I ever actually talk to him down there? Oh well, "...hey there Aster."
"Hello again miss..." guess I did. He looks down, scuffing his shiny winter boots in the snow. I can hear the fish-lady yelling in the distance, and a small blur being chased by a larger blur through the plasticy stuff Nyssa called a 'playground'...what do I do now?
-Well, you could tell him your name.-
"...'m Silver now…" what else do people talk about? People seem to ask how I'm doing a lot, maybe that? "...you doing okay up here?"
Papyrus
THE TINY HUMAN HAS DONE SO WELL! SHE HAS MANAGED TO CONVERSE! WITH ANOTHER SMALL PERSON! THE SMALL SKELETON LOOKED DOWN AS HE REPLIED, "...the food has improved from down below...Mum's very kind...I don't understand what everything is supposed to mean."
THAT WAS...QUITE THE ODD REPLY, "...yeah. Too big, too nice, too new," THE SMALL SKELETON LOOKED UP...RELIEVED? PERHAPS HE WAS WORRIED SHE WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND HIM? A SINGLE PURPLE TEAR TRAILS DOWN BESIDE THE BLACK LINE. THE GREAT PAPYRUS GOES TO WALK BACK TO THE BENCH, CHECKING OVER HIS SHOULDER TO MAKE CERTAIN SILVER WAS OKAY. HE SAW HER EYES WARM UP, AND SMILED.
Undyne
THOSE PUNKS HAD BETTER WATCH IT! They're LUCKY their parents were there to save them, "Hey, Papyrus. What's up?"
"SILVER HAS MADE A FRIEND! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT, BUT SHE SEEMED HAPPIER," The big cinnamon roll is confused? Not that hard to do, but kids? Hmm…
"What's the skelly's name, then?" He looks kinda familiar, now that I think about it. Where have I seen him before?
"OH, THAT IS ASTER. HE IS THE SON OF HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL SECRETARY, COURIER," OH! He's the small skelly Silver saved back...Wait, what-
"Are they crying? WHY ARE THEY CRYING?" I have to-Papyrus, what?
"DO NOT WORRY, UNDYNE. I AM CERTAIN THEY ARE HAPPY TEARS," Papyrus, you do realise you don't have to say 'wink' when you wink, right? IT'S WEIRD! Speaking of weird, silver and purple tears on snow makes the WEIRDEST color.
Sans
"so, how'd it go bro?" He watched his brother jump in the doorway of their house from his seat deep in the embrace of the couch, then carefully shut the green door on the dark night. It wasn't that late, but winter above ground meant less daylight. He smiled at the amazing goofball that was his brother, then sniffled, frustrated at how, even without sinuses, he could still get stuffed up.
"IT WENT VERY WELL," his brother dragged over his ribs the sweater Frisk had knitted him four years ago. It was their first knitting project, and even their famous determination wasn't enough to save the Mother's Day present. His awesome brother, however, was happy to wear it. It always caught on his ribcage, and it wasn't as if he needed the warmth, but whenever there was snow on the ground, the sweater was on.
"...and?" He nestled deeper into the mass of pillows, blankets, and cushions that was his sick-day nest. He'd woken up that morning with every intention of going along for the adventure...and fallen flat on his face when he stood up. His brother had come running at the noise, scooped him up, and built the nest without a pause. Sans hadn't moved an inch since morning.
"BROTHER, DO YOU WANT SOME OF THE QUEEN'S SOUP?"
"i want to...yes, but i want to know what happened first," damn it, Toriel's soup was amazing, but he would not be distracted.
"ALRIGHT, BROTHER," his brother's weight nearly toppled Sans off the couch, "AFTER YOU FELL ASLEEP IN YOUR NEST, I DROVE THE CAR OVER TO THE CITY AND PICKED UP UNDYNE. DID YOU KNOW HER CAR DIED LAST NIGHT? SHE AND ALPHYS TOOK THE BUS HOME. I OFFERED OUR CAR TO DRIVE THEM HOME IN THE FUTURE," Great.
"WE ARRIVED AT HER MAJESTY'S HOUSE AROUND NOON, AND WERE PERSUADED TO JOIN HER AND SILVER FOR LUNCH. I INFORMED THE QUEEN OF YOUR ILLNESS, AND SHE BEGAN PREPARING THIS SOUP. UNDYNE AND I THEN PACKED SILVER INTO THE CAR AND TOOK HER TO THE PARK."
"SOME SMALL HUMANS WERE PLAYING THERE, AND AFTER VALIANT EFFORTS BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SILVER WAS PERSUADED TO PLAY WITH THEM. HOWEVER, THE SMALL HUMANS DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED IN THE PROPER BEHAVIOUR OF FRIENDS," Did not - oh, no. Please, no- "UNDYNE LEFT TO EXPLAIN THINGS TO THEM, AND I WENT TO CHECK ON SILVER, FOR SHE SEEMED TO HAVE INJURED HER FOOT," He conceded that Undyne was probably capable of dealing with the bullies. Probably.
"SILVER SEEMED...UPSET AT THE HUMANS' LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, BUT AS I WENT TO COMFORT THEM, A SMALL SKELETON SPOKE TO HER. I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT THE TINY HUMAN APPEARED TO. SHE AND THE SMALL SKELETON, ASTER, HAVE BECOME FRIENDS!" Wait...Aster, Aster...Aster! The baby bones from the complex…
What was it about that name that bothered him so much? It didn't seem… "hey bro, what does this new friend of hers look like?"
"OH! SURELY YOU REMEMBER, UNDYNE WAS SAYING DURING THE RIDE HOME THAT YOU HELPED SAVE HIM FROM THE COMPLEX WHERE SILVER WAS! HE IS A SMALL SKELETON, PERHAPS SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OLD, WITH TWO BLACK LINES GOING UP AND DOWN FROM HIS EYE SOCKETS."
Something about that description wrang warning bells in his head, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. Surely a kid that young - wait, six or seven? The baby bones in the complex couldn't have been more than four or five...monsters usually grew pretty slowly, and even if skeleton monsters matured quickly, three years in the span of six weeks seemed a bit much. His brother wouldn't realise anything was off, since the memory of pretty much his entire childhood had been wiped after the accident with the previous Royal Scientist and...oh.
Gaster, who had scattered through space and time. Gaster, who was lost in the void. Gaster, who had died protecting Papyrus and Sans from their tormentors. Gaster, who was their older brother. Gaster, whose SOUL had been torn apart by the forces in the center of the Core. Gaster, whom he had tried to rescue for so many years, only to fail again and again. Gaster.
"...SANS! IF YOU ARE GOING TO FALL ASLEEP, AT LEAST EAT HER MAJESTY'S SOUP FIRST!"
What...oh, Papyrus, "okay, bro," His brother sniffed, then turned into the kitchen to finish preparing the soup. Sans gulped, unsure of how to ask this, then gave up, "hey, papyrus?"
His brother came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup with a large bone-shaped handle sticking out the side, "YES, BROTHER?"
"can you get aster over here tomorrow?"
Papyrus' brow bones wrinkled in confusion, then smoothed, "YOU WISH TO MEET THE TINY HUMAN'S NEW FRIEND AND CONGRATULATE HIM? OF COURSE BROTHER! I SHALL CALL HIS MOTHER IMMEDIATELY!"
Sans winced as his brother ran into the kitchen. Maybe this was a little too much, but...well, it wasn't as if Papyrus wasn't renowned for his odd behavior, and...he needed to make sure.