Skelefamily Assemble
It was with great haste that the three monsters made their way to the throne room. Through the frantic running, New had given Gaster a brief rundown of what had happened; the human child had gotten deathly sick the other day, and eventually passed away a few hours ago. The young prince had taken the human's soul –what caused that in the first place, no one knew- and tried to venture into the human world with the human's body. However, something happened –and the older skeleton could guess that 'something' were certain evolved apes with murderous intent- and Asriel ended up in the throne room, his body slowly dying and turning into dust.
When he entered the throne room, Gaster immediately straightened up. Mourning or not, the King and Queen still commended his respect (how much he wanted to respect them was another matter entirely). Next to him, New also straightened her back, whereas the turtle monster stayed back at a respectful distance.
It was a strange sight. The King, a bubbly and massive man usually reclining in his comfortable chair with tea in one hand and occasionally a word puzzle on the other, now stood dejectedly in the middle of the room. His large frame was hunched, shoulders lowered defeated to his sides. The Queen wasn't much better. Though smaller than her husband, her frame was impressive indeed, being a bit taller and considerably bulkier than the skeleton scientist. Yet she seemed to have withdrawn into herself, and any form of composure she had was long gone.
"Your Majesties," New sombrely announced.
Gaster gulped. He had no idea why he was there. To confirm the prince was dead? 'Yup, your children are dead, Your Majesties. Even from the side I can see one of them has turned to dust, the other left his empty husk behind. Trust me, I have Dr. in my title,' a not-so-chipper part of his mind babbled, and the Royal Scientist shook his head to get rid of the cynical internal monologue.
The Queen remained silent, her face obscured, but clearly in grief. The King eventually spoke, and the way his face muscle's tensed made it obvious he was a hair's width from a breakdown as well. "Is there anything… you can do?"
Gaster frowned. Of course there's nothing he can do, he's a scientist, not a medical doctor! He studies the biological basis of magic –with a bit of engineering, physics and plenty of chemistry thrown in. It's not like he can bring people back from the dead-
Oh.
Well, it wasn't exactly that, but it came petty close. If it hadn't been for his quick thinking and her sister's sheer determination at testing out every variable, Gaster would have been a widower.
Still, there was nothing he could do in this case. The Royal Scientist shook his head morosely. He glanced at New, who nodded and began signing away, with the female skeleton interpreting.
"The Doctor says the conditions are vastly different, Your Majesties. The young prince seemed to have suffered an instant fatal blow and has already-" she frowned at Gaster signing, "he has already 'fallen down'."
Asgore's face became even tenser, whereas the Queen's shoulder trembled. "And… there's no way…?"
The male skeleton shook his head and continued signing.
"…Time Old Roman's wound was not immediately fatal, but progressive. Dr Gaster managed to stop the deterioration, not the damage itself, Your Majesties."
There was a bit more back-and-forth and it was apparent Asgore and Toriel were desperate for some sort of a second chance, a miracle. It unnerved the Royal Scientist even more, and his signing became a bit more erratic.
Eventually, after it was glaringly obvious that the two children would remain dead, the Queen left for her chambers in deathly silence. King Asgore was still sitting next to flower bed. What was once a ruler he'd admired, and occasionally feared, had been reduced to a teary-eyed hunching mass.
And then there was the dust... despite the lack of nerve endings, Gaster felt a chill running his spine. He hadn't personally interacted with the prince; what little he'd seen was from the young monster showing up at the most inconvenient of times; whenever Gaster reported to Asgore. One time he ran to his father head on, yelling 'Baaah!,' and 'ramming' the King. If there was a quintessential personification of childishness, it was -had been- the young prince.
The Royal Scientist looked at the King again. So far the man hadn't uttered a word, probably lost in his grief.
Gaster meekly approached the King...He wasn't good at consoling. The lack of an understandable voice only worsened the fact. But as a fellow father... he could empathise to a point. He laid a hand on his shoulder -and even then he had to stretch a bit. Gaster was tall, but Asgore was simply massive.
The King jerked at the touch and Gaster withdrew immediately. Maybe he shouldn't have-
"Doctor," the King's voice was hoarse. "I apologise... The gesture is appreciated."
Hesitantly, Gaster placed his hand on the King´s back again. They stayed like that for a few minutes. The Royal Scientist gulped nervously.
"You are a father too, are you not?" The King said in a low tone, inclining his head so he could see the skeleton.
Gaster slowly nodded, before bringing up two fingers.
"Two children? How wonderful…"
Then again, Gaster should have left the 'two' part out if he had any semblance of social skills. Hello crippling regret, my old friend.
"Make s-sure..." Asgore voice broke. "…B-Be good to them, alright?"
Gaster nodded vigorously until it felt like his head would disconnect from the rest of his body.
The King turned around, focusing on the dust. "Thank you doctor... I need to be alone right now."
Gaster withdrew his arms and stepped back. He hesitated for a bit, before giving a brief bow and walked hastily out the room.
As soon as he left the Throne, a sob reverberated throughout the whole castle.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
When Gaster arrived home, Sans was at the living room next to an excited Papyrus drawing wildly on a blank piece of paper. The younger sibling's drawing looked like a Jackson Pollock painting, whereas Sans' was most influenced by post-modern art i.e. his drawing consisted of a single wiggly line.
Sans frowned when he looked at Gaster. That was strange. His dad looked shaken. "everything alright, dad? Papy woke me up, so i got us some crayons-"
He was immediately enveloped in a tight hug.
Papyrus let out a happy giggle and sounds that resembled the words "group hug!" as his tiny arms spread across their dad and his brother.
"dad?" Sans' muffled voice came from his father's embrace.
"I'M SO GLAD… YOU'RE SAFE."
"eh?"
"LONG STORY… TELL YOU TOMORROW. NOW GO TO SLEEP. LONG DAY TOMORROW."
"we're still gonna see mom, right?"
The Royal Scientist nodded as he ushered both his children into the bedroom. Papyrus slept like a rock the moment he touched the crib's surface. As for Sans, the young skeleton climbed into bed and was tucked in Gaster. The older monster then lightly bumped his skull against his son's, a gesture that was akin to a kiss. After all, skeletons didn't have lips.
A while after, when Gaster was looking over some plans for the construction of the Core, the doorbell rang. The doctor went to his door puzzled, since he wasn't expecting anyone, and salesmen rarely worked during the 'night' portion of the day.
"Gaster?" Oh, it was New's voice. The skeleton opened the door to see his sister-in-law still wearing her armour, so she didn't even had time to change -her casual outfit usually consisted of plain work-out clothes.
He gestured for her to come in. "HOW ARE THINGS?"
The female skeleton groaned as she plopped to the nearby couch. "Not good. Shortly after you left, the King went into a blind rage. Something about harvesting souls…" she rubbed her forehead. "This is a terrible day."
Gaster didn't reply.
"Both royal children… dead."
"IT IS… UNSETTLING."
New gave him a sideways glance. "Could you have done something?
The Royal Scientist shook his head. "MY WIFE IS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE YOU AS A TWIN, MEANING A PERSON THEY SHARE THE EXACT SAME TYPE OF MAGIC," he signed. "OTHERWISE, ANY ATTEMPTS AT TRANSPLANTATION WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE BODY REJECTING THE MAGIC ITSELF AND THAT CAN HAVE… UGLY CONSEQUENCES."
"We're seeing her tomorrow morning, right?"
"YES, SHE SHOULD HAVE MADE A FULL RECOVERY BY THEN."
"Alright." The Head of the Royal Guard let out a long sigh. "I must take my leave then, give these old bones some rest. Have a good night and take care, alright?" She stopped at the exit. "Make sure you or Sans don't burn the house down."
"NOT WORRIED ABOUT PAPYRUS?"
"Papyrus is a wonderful child, he would never do that."
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
"Sister," New said before pointing to Gaster, the small skeleton besides him and the baby skeleton on his lap. "Husband and kids. We are here to see Times Old Roman."
The clinic's receptionist, an old scaly lizard with a terrible hunch and even more terrible vision, led the four skeletons through the sterile hallway. As they walked, they passed through many rooms, some containing elderly monsters with fuzzy outlines, while some had bored children bouncing impatiently on the bed as the doctors on duty gave them a check-up.
They were at Ygeia Hospital, at the monster kingdom's capital. It was the biggest hospital of the Underground, the hub of healthcare providers. Another unique feature was that it was built with the purpose of being the main hub; previous hospitals often started as clinics which, due to relatively big usage, expanded haphazardly.
Eventually, they reached a room at the back. It was close to the Intensive Care Unit, though not a part of it. The elder lizard left the skeletons, going somewhere else in the hospital. New opened the door, with Gaster in tow, to see another fellow skeleton in there already.
Said skeleton was perched perilously on the bed, light bulb in hand.
New's eyes grew comically wide, as Gaster opened his mouth in disbelief and fear.
"Sister!"
The stout skeleton turned around and gave the other skeletons a friendly wave "Hello there, dear family! I am simply attempting to repaireth the lighteth fixture." Her voice was similar to her twin's, seemingly refined and low-pitch, until put under stress, in which case it turned high-pitched and frantic.
"Get down!" New was currently demonstrating such a change.
"nah mom, keep going"
New glared at Sans. Papyrus, held tightly in Gaster's lap, let out a string of happy gibberish.
"No needeth to worry, sibling! I feeleth healthier than ever!" She flashed them the brightest of grins. "The treatment hath worked liketh a charm!"
New shrugged and scratched her forearm bone. "It was one of your husband's better ideas, which didn't involve things going boom."
Gaster gave his sister-in-law a hurt look. Old let out a happy laugh, before plopping down at her bed and heading towards her sons.
"Oh, and how art thou two doing?" She asked happily as she got Papyrus from Gaster and picked up Sans, placing them both on her lap. "I've missed though both so much!" To further illustrate her point, she lightly bumped skulls with Sans and coddled Papyrus.
"doin fine" Next to Sans, Papyrus let out something resembling 'mom'
"That's wonderful! How art things-?"
"i'm learning an instrument" Sans spoke up immediately, not giving anyone else a chance to talk.
"Such valorous news! What instrument art thee learning?"
Sans' grin widened. This was never a good sign.
"the trombone"
The room went quiet. New took a deep breath. Gaster hunched over in supressed laughter. Old gave her son the patient 'I-AM-SCREAMING-INTERNALLY' smile only a mother could muster.
New was the first one to recover. "Moving on…"
"yo mom, I found this" Sans spoke up again and reached into his jacket's inner pocket. "thought it looked like you!" he said as he pulled out a folded piece of plastic-like paper.
New narrowed her eyes while her sister took the paper and started unfolded it. "How did you come across that, nephew?"
"there's a girl at school, she trades surface stuff"
"What?! Who deals with counterfeit?! I want names-!"
"Calm thy horses, dearest sibling," Old said as straightened out the poster, her face brightening up. "Why, that's a lovely depiction of a fierce skeleton warrior! Thee shouldst all cometh and seeth it!"
The skeletons huddled closer to all see the poster.
New frowned, as she read through the human writing. "Skeletor… That's a strange name."
"I LIKE THE CAPE."
Old nodded. "Aye, purple doest beholdeth valorous on that lady."
"THE BODY THOUGH… IT HAS MUSCLES."
"Bah!" New protested. "Humans can't even get skeletons right!"
"Nevertheless, that's a… how doeth young people say… a truly tubular gift! Within this wall of bone, there is a soul that counts thee its creditor, son!"
"heh, no prob…"
Old tilted her head in confusion. "What troubles thee, fruit of my loins? A mother notices such occurrences."
"uh…" Sans hesitated. "when you get out, can ya help me with my magic?"
"But of course!" The mother eagerly agreed. "The doctors here hath said I needeth to stayeth one more day, to maketh sure there art nay side-effects and the liketh. Tomorrow Sans, we shalt practice!"
"yay!"
The stayed like this for quite a while, making small talk. Sans made plenty more puns, to Gaster's further amusement and the Roman sister's not-so-amusement; Papyrus was adorable as always. Finally, New offered to take the kids to the candy store in the entrance of the hospital, giving the couple some to talk between themselves.
"So," Old eventually said, "magic practice."
"SANS AND I TRAINED EARLIER THIS WEEK. HE… IS QUITE ADEPT AT MAGIC."
"That's valorous. I realise thither art no humans around, but a mother can't helpeth worrying."
"HE MAY NEED YOU TO HELP HIM WITH HIS BLUE ATTACKS."
"Hm? They art not a hard magic to master."
"IT'S NOT THAT. HE ACCIDENTALY USED IT ON ME THOUGH. IT WAS A GOOD THING I HAD FOOD WITH ME."
Old frowned in concern. "…How much damage?"
"1 HP. BUT BLUE MAGIC DON'T INHERENTLY DAMAGE."
"They don't. At least, I didn't manageth to doth so. They art hath used as a way to limit the opponent's movements."
Gaster shrugged.
"Thee art the Royal Scientist, dear. I trust thee to figure it out. And at which hour I join thee, I shalt help thee keepeth an eye out for the kids as well."
"I SUPPOSE…" Gaster signed. "HOW DO YOU FEEL?"
"Alright, I presumeth. Though I am still missing a rib…" She quickly brightened up. "Hey, at least we have matching battle scars now!" Old said, giving Gaster's topmost crack a playful pat.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
It was a few hours later that Gaster, New and the kids had to leave. After many waves of goodbyes and many head bumping, the four skeleton waved their goodbyes at the female skeleton, as they exited the room. Old waved back, until they were gone from her sight. She settled back into the bed, seemingly relaxing.
There was a sharp pain at her side. Old clutched her rib in pain and hissed. From the corner of her eye, she saw the ends if her finger beginning to fade into dust.
No.
Old's breath hitched.
She would not give up.
The dust at her hand shuddered.
She was going to see her sons grow up.
Her finger reassembled itself. Times Old Roman's eyes faintly glowed.
Determination.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Trivia: Whenever naming new places/locations I'm just lazy and name them after the Greek word of what they represent. (E.g. Tavani area = Ceiling Area, Ygeia Clinic = Health Clinic). Very imaginative, I know.
Also, praiseth be to the online ye olde English translators.