Several years past, people got used to living underground and they eventually began to move further into the mountain, letting the old settlement slowly begin to fall into ruins.
Gaster wasn't sure how it ended up happening but he had become friends with the King and Queen. They had just kept coming to visit him while he recovered and before he knew it he was talking to them casually and visiting regularly with Grillby once he was back on his feet.
Asgore and Toriel had helped Gaster out with money and he easily got into university once it had opened not long after the barrier was put up. Gaster ended up top of his class. He'd study all day, working on projects for school and his plans for when he became a scientist, he'd already began thinking of ideas and theories to power the Underground. He didn't have a job, he didn't need one, not with the King and Queen paying his rent and food bill.
The course he was on would take seven years to complete, he'd be twenty five by the time he was finished. Gaster didn't mind waiting that long after all he'd always thought he'd be in his late twenties or even his thirties by the time he became a scientist. Since back when they lived on the surface it would've taken longer as Gaster didn't have the funds to go to school.
He didn't really make friends at school, he was too busy working to socialise with his classmates but everyone knew he was the smartest and some approached him for help studying. At first Gaster told them to go away and then he realised that maybe explaining things to someone in simpler terms may also help him understand better as well and he'd do anything to get even better than he already was.
Four years into the course Grillby moved in with him. Grillby was feeling smothered at home, since he had ran away and joined the army his family ended up being rather overprotective of him and he felt like he couldn't live his life with his mother or one of his brothers following him around to "make sure he doesn't do something stupid."
It had taken some convincing for his family to let him move out. Grillby arguing that he was eighteen now and could make his own decisions hadn't helped the fight, after all at fourteen he'd joined the army, his family were worried about what he would do now that he was an actual adult. He had originally wanted to live alone but his family was having none of that. Gaster managed to convince them that he'd keep an eye on him if they let him move in. They had eventually given in, with the condition that if he was going to do this Grillby had to get a job and pay half the rent and other bills, he couldn't "just mooch off the King and Queen."
Grillby was more than happy with this arrangement. He got to move in with his friend and he could work full time and save up money to open the bar he always wanted a little bit faster if he only had to pay half. So he got a job as a waiter at a fancy restaurant and moved in as soon as he got his first paycheck.
Gaster, to was happy with the arrangement. He wasn't too sure about having a roommate at first because it could cause distractions from his work but Grillby was the perfect roommate, he was quiet and he kept Gaster from self distrusting from his workload, reminding him to take breaks every now and then. Gaster would finish off the part he was at when Grillby told him to take a break and they'd talk for a while or play chess or go for a walk. Gaster also sometimes forgot he needed to eat, even Grillby coming in to remind him that it was dinner time didn't seem to be enough so Grillby started cooking and bringing food to Gaster's room, once the food was placed in front of him Gaster would find himself eating without really noticing himself doing it. Grillby liked the cooking practice Gaster gave him and didn't mind making all the meals and washing up.
Grillby's family still didn't let him have total independence, however. They constantly came over and nagged him, over time they began to also get close with Gaster as well. Grillby's mother had a lot to say about Gaster trying to skip meals, forgetting to wash and pulling several all nighters in a row, she began to come over on days Grillby was working and Gaster was home and cook meals for him, sometimes Toriel would join her. The two woman mothering both of them and constantly fussing over them.
As much as he and Grillby complained about it all, it was nice for so many people to care about them. Gaster felt like he had a family again, although it was not the same as having other skeletons around. He still found the loss of his people hard to accept, although he couldn't just tell himself a lie like there was some skeletons hiding somewhere in the Underground as it was such a small place and there was no reason why anyone would want to hide. Gaster also supposed that any survivors that hadn't made it to the mountain were probably hunted down and killed, so there would be no monsters on the surface anymore.
Gaster didn't like thinking about the past or his family and did everything he could to keep his mind off of it. If he thought about what he lost even for a second, he'd cry, then he'd lose all motivation for a long time, so he buried himself in his studies. He couldn't save his family, sometimes he felt he could have... But he was going to help monster-kind and before he knew it he was graduating at the top of his class. His final project had been basic plans for what he called "The Core" it would power the Underground and he had plans to really build it, after he graduated he planned to show it to the King and hopefully receive the necessary funding and workers.
He put that to the back of his mind as he put the blueprints away into his bag. He'd go to Asgore and Toriel the day after graduation, after all his classmates would probably drag him out for drinks afterwords. Not like he disliked going out every now and then but it was the day before graduation and Grillby had insisted on celebrating tonight, after all Grillby had just turned twenty one not that long ago so they had to celebrate that as well.
Gaster found the idea of going out with his friend for drinks the day before, hard to say no to, after all he had, had little time to relax during finals and he felt he deserved a few drinks. He just wouldn't get too drunk.
Or at least that had been the plan before they left. Gaster found himself passed out, face down on the sofa in their apartment with no memory of how he'd gotten there. His head hurt but he still got up and looked around... He saw his shoes and jacket dumped on the floor and his glasses had been dumped on the coffee table, at least he managed to get them off before he passed out. But he was still fully dressed in his skinny jeans and button up shirt... he didn't even take off his belt and watch.
He sighed and stood up, as much as he wanted to just sleep off his hangover, he had to get ready for the ceremony this afternoon. He supposed he better make sure Grillby was alright, he didn't remember getting home so he had no idea if he was with him or not and if he was missing, well... he would have three very angry fire elementals to deal with.
He went over to Grillby's room and knocked on the door lightly, not wanting to be too loud just in case Grillby's hangover was just as bad as his. There was no response so he just opened the door slightly and peeked inside, he just wanted to see if Grillby was there or not, if he was sleeping he'd leave him be.
But Grillby wasn't there. That made Gaster panic a little, what if something happened to his friend? He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened the night before. They'd gone to a few bars, starting out slow... Then... Then they'd met a group of girls in one bar who seemed very interested in the two friends. Gaster remembered their flirting and their urging for them to drink more as they bought them shots... They'd done it to look cool... The last thing Gaster remembered was going out for a cigarette and being joined by one of the girls and talking his way out of going home with her.
Gaster groaned at himself. At least it was a fun night. He didn't know what had happened to Grillby though and he was worried his drunken friend had gotten taken advantage of by one of the girls.
"I'D BETTER GO LOOKING FOR HIM..." Gaster muttered to himself. He went back to the living room and began to put on his shoes when he heard a groan coming form the front door.
Gaster left his shoes and went over to the front door only to see Grillby passed out, on his back, still fully dressed, jacket and shoes still on... And the key in the lock. Gaster let out a sigh of relief that his friend was indeed home and safe, although passing out at the front door wasn't really good. Gaster found himself wondering if Grillby had managed to lock the door before he passed out.
He saw that his friend was beginning to come to so he lent against the wall, arms folded and legs crossed as he watched Grillby slowly open his eyes and fix his glasses.
"HEY," Gaster spoke, trying not to laugh at his friend's current messy state. His 'hair' was all over the place and it looked like he had spilt a bright blue drink over his shirt, he didn't seem hurt by it so it was probably alcohol. He was lucky his clothes were fire-proof.
Grillby only groaned again as he sat up. "Morning," he signed.
Gaster looked at his watch, "IT'S NOON."
"Oh, we have to get ready then... What even happened last night?"
"I'M NOT TOTALLY SURE, ALL I REMEMBER WAS GETTING DRUNK WITH SOME GIRLS AND THEN ESCAPING."
"Oh, yeah... All I remember is you carrying me back after I puked on the side of the road... And almost on you... Sorry about that..."
"NO NEED, I DIDN'T EVEN REMEMBER THAT."
They laughed and Grillby pulled himself off the floor. "We sound probably try to control ourselves better next time..." Grillby checked the door and breathed out a sigh of relief that it was indeed locked.
"YEAH, YOU'D THINK A FUTURE BARTENDER WOULD HAVE MORE CONTROL THAN THAT." Gaster joked.
"Yeah, yeah... As long as Mother doesn't find out how drunk we were it shouldn't be a problem."
"I'M CERTAIN THAT SHE WOULD KILL US," Gaster laughed and Grillby laughed with him.
Grillby, then took a careful step forward and stumbled a little, "I feel awful, I'm never drinking again."
Gaster laughed lightly at his friend as the two made their way to the kitchen and Grillby heated up some coffee with his magic while Gaster looked out medicine for their hangovers. They had to get ready quickly if they didn't want to be late for Gaster's big day.
Gaster sighed as he looked in the mirror, he didn't really look his best, in fact he looked exhausted and hungover, he looked how he felt really. This wasn't really the look he wanted to go for, at all. He wanted to look the part of a high class scientist (even though that would've still been hard with his scars,) not a drunken student but he didn't seem to mind as much as he thought he would. Times like that made him feel normal, he was a normal young person, partying with his friend and soon he'd have less chances to be normal, soon he'd be too busy trying to break the barrier and planning his revenge.
Grillby looked just as bad as Gaster did but it wasn't like Grillby was going up on stage to make a speech like Gaster was. He was just coming to watch and support his friend.
They arrived a little late to the university, but there was still a queue to get the family and friends seated so Grillby didn't have to rush, Gaster did. He had to get his robe and get in line with his class, he felt relived that he was going to be last since he was top of the class he had to make a speech at the end, so he was put last so he wouldn't have to get back on stage after.
He somehow managed to make it with five minutes to spare but he was out of breath and panting as he joined he back of the line. His classmates seemed to find this and the fact his was clearly hungover to be funny. After all he was the well dressed, proper spoken, genius that the class had looked up to, now he seemed much more like everyone else.
"Oh, man, what happened to you? You look like shit!" Asked one of his classmates.
"MY FRIEND DRAGGED ME OUT LAST NIGHT, BAD DECISIONS WERE MADE." Was all Gaster was going to give them.
"You're still coming out with us tonight though?"
"You will, won't you?"
"Please?"
Gaster laughed lightly at his classmates no matter how long it'd been he still couldn't get used to his peers actually being nice to him after all the bullying but he pushed that thought of home to the back of his mind. "OF COURSE I WILL. I, THE GREAT GASTER WOULD NEVER GO BACK ON MY PROMISE. I WILL NOT DRINK EXCESSIVELY HOWEVER." He said putting his hands on his hips as he turned his head to the side. His classmates seemed happy.
"And the finally, with the highest sore of 100%, Wingdings Gaster," the announcer called as Gaster proudly walked up on stage.
Gaster shook hands with the teachers and officials that where on stage and received his diploma with pride, he may have been a hungover mess but he was happier than he'd been in a long time.
He walked to the front of the stage ready to make his speech as he looked out into the crowd, he wasn't nervous in the slightest, he was full of confidence and that confidence was only boasted when he spotted Grillby in the crowd looking proud.
He smiled out to the crowd and spoke and signed clearly, "IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE THAT I ACCEPT THIS DIPLOMA TODAY. I HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY TO MAKE MY DREAMS A REALITY, I ONLY WISH MY FAMILY WAS HERE TO SEE ME NOW... I WILL MAKE THEM PROUD AND I WILL USE MY KNOWLEDGE TO HELP AS MANY PEOPLE AS I CAN, I SWEAR IT. OF COURSE I WOULD NOT BE HERE NOW IF IT WASN'T FOR GRILLBY AND THE KING AND QUEEN SO THEY HAS MY MOST HEARTFELT THANKS AS DOES EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED ME IN THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. I WILL NOT LET ANYONE'S SACRIFICES BE IN VAIN. I'LL FIND A WAY TO OPEN THE BARRIER, I WILL IMPROVE THE LIVES OF MONSTERS EVERYWHERE, THIS IS MY PROMISE TO MONSTER KIND." The crowd cheered once Gaster was done, this was the best day of his life.
Now that his speech was over he turned to leave the stage so the ceremony could finish off with the speeches of the officials but he saw one of them gesture for him to stay put. Confused, Gaster remained, only steeping slightly to the side so the announcer could stand centre stage.
He really had to shout to be heard as there was still no power in the underground, a problem that Gaster hoped to fix. Standing so close to the announcer as he shouted made Gaster want to move away; he was really loud but he was frozen in place by what he said.
"And now King Asgore and Queen Toriel have a couple of announcements to make!"
Gaster was not told about this and he didn't know why he had to stay on stage for this. He figured if he was on time they would've had time to explain it to him. He simply watched as the King and Queen; his friends, walked onto the stage.
"We want to congratulate everyone who is graduating today," Queen Toriel said with a smile, "and that includes our good friend Gaster."
"He truly is a genius," King Asgore added putting an arm around Gaster who stood awkwardly at the King's side. "We are truly impressed with his work and his plans for The Core that the professors have shown us. We believe he will be a great help to the people. This is why we have decided to appoint him as our Royal Scientist!"
Gaster turned to Asgore, totally shocked, he hadn't expected to be given such a high position so early in his career. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Gaster asked.
"Of course, we are," Toriel walked to his other side and put her arm around him as well. "You'll receive all the funding and workers you need to build The Core and for any other projects, you'll also have a high pay and of course a large bonus as well."
Gaster couldn't believe that this was really happening right now but he was happy, very happy. He pulled away from the King and Queen and turned to face them. He knelt in font of them, bowing down low. "I ACCEPT, AND I SWEAR I WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO HELP ALL MONSTERS."
Asgore stepped forward and lent down so he could place his hand on Gaster's shoulder. "No need for you to bow, my friend."
Gaster stood up straight again and smiled at his King, he really didn't know what to say but then seemingly out of nowhere a thought came to mind. "YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A LARGE BONUS?"
"Oh yes, as the new Royal Scientist you'll get a bonus pay of 500,000 G," Asgore said as if it was to be expected.
Gaster had no need of that amount of money; the position already had a large pay and he most certainly wouldn't be home very much or have much of a chance to use that kind of money but he knew someone who could use that money.
He turned to face the audience again and looked straight at Grillby who was smiling proudly at his friend. "I HAVE NO NEED OF ALL THAT MONEY SO WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO GIFT IT TO A FRIEND?" He asked.
Asgore and Toriel looked at each other, "yes, I don't see why not," Toriel said with a shrug.
"GRILLBY WANTS TO OPEN A BAR BUT HE NEEDS MONEY TO DO THAT, AS THANKS FOR SAVING MY LIFE IN THE WAR I WANT TO GIVE IT TO HIM."
"What a wonderful idea!" Asgore exclaimed. "Grillby, my friend, why don't you come up here?"
Grillby hesitated, he didn't know if he should really accept so much money, it didn't seem right but it was taking him a really long time to save up the money himself...
He stood up after the people around him encouraged him to do so and walked up onto the stage with his friends. "Gaster, I don't know if I can really accept that..." Grillby signed.
"OF COURSE YOU CAN, THINK OF IT AS A THANK YOU, IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU I WOULD'VE DIED, YOU DESERVE IT."
Grillby couldn't argue, not in front of so many people so he smiled and shook Gaster's hand. "Thank you, I feel like I owe you now."
"NO YOU DON'T, THIS IS ME PAYING MY DEBT TO YOU."
Asgore and Toriel put their arms around the two and smiled out to the crowd as they cheered.
Once the crowd settled down and the four broke away the King cleared his throat. "My wife and I have another announcement," he said grinning.
"We're going to be parents!" Toriel shouted out with great excitement.