MILKSHAKES MAKE STRONG BONES CHAPTER 5:
Lively and cold Snowdin town gave Gaster a heavy sense of nostalgia. The crunch of snow around his boots, the smell of the river; the shine of the coloured lights dyeing the whites festive colours in small patches. And it was cold. Colder than he remembered but, then again, he'd felt cold even in the CORE. He wondered how long that would last.
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As he took in the town and Papyrus told him about every little detail, he couldn't help but smile. He felt like he hadn't been to this place in a hundred years. The sign at the west end of town was new, but almost identical to the old one, minus the "Howdy!" that used to sit on top of the other words.
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Papyrus took him all the way to the Ruins door and that old, purple-hued stone wall. He was surprised to see it ajar, and then it very abruptly settled on him that Toriel was no longer inside. She had survived all those years ticking down. Toriel, in fact, had adopted his children. She might be at their house right this second.
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He ran his gloved fingertips across the worn stone. A flash of a memory ran through his mind and he tilted his head up to look at the Delta Rune on the door. Lopsided. That felt like eons ago.
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"Aaaaaand, that's it, that's everything," Papyrus said brightly. "Unless you'd like to see mom's old house, but there's not really that much in there that isn't in boxes already. Oh! Hey. Do you know mom, by the way? Toriel. She was the queen? She's a very large white goat… dragon… something."
"Hm? Oh! I do. Very well in fact," he said. "Or. I did. A long time ago."
"Oh? Did something happen?" Papyrus asked.
"After… After Asriel and Chara passed, she left for the Ruins and sealed herself in. I think I may have been the only one who knew, but… after a few months she stopped answering me entirely," he said. "I'm… happy. That she's alright. And that she's with you!" He turned to his son and couldn't help a smile. "I never would have guessed. I'm glad, actually. You like her, don't you?"
"Well, yes, obviously," Papyrus said with a laugh. "She took Frisk first and then we took Frisk— or maybe Frisk took us— so she took us, too."
"And when was that?" he asked.
"A year and a few months ago in the big roundabout timeline stuff, just a few months ago this time," he said.
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"Aah." Gaster folded his arms. "When did you start remembering?"
"Frisk made me remember a few months ago," he said. "Just her timelines, though. Not all of Sans or Asriel's bad ones. Though I don't completely forget those, either. It's hard to explain."
"I see…"
"Hey. Dad?" Papyrus tilted his head. "Could you save? You could, right? Like what Frisk does?"
"Ah. Just, um… Partially," he said. "I believe my determination in terms of sheer numbers was high enough, but it was unnatural. It sort of worked. Where I could force it. The timeline had to already be much more pliable than normal."
"Frisk saw your memories, I think," he said. "I think… She saw when I followed you out of the apartment and you showed me that star behind the building, when I was just tiny. Wow, that's weird, I just remembered that."
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Gaster patted him on the shoulder and smiled slightly. "You must've moved out of there a while ago, hm? Do you like it here?"
"Of course! I've lived here most of my life, you know." He grinned. "Come on, I can show you our house! It's pretty great. I do all the cleaning, of course. Or, I did, now Frisk helps a little but she's really quite short so it's still mostly me and sometimes mom and that's okay!" He grabbed his hand and nodded his head back up the road and began to walk, tugging him along. "It's nice, you'll like it, I'm sure. Though I'm not eeeexactly sure where you're going to sleep."
"I can sleep on the floor," Gaster volunteered.
"No, no, Sans already sleeps on the floor," he said. "You can have the couch, I think! Or we can set something up in Sans's mysterious basement room, or—"
"I'm excited to see all of it," he assured him.
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Papyrus seemed to love to talk. About anything and everything, and very enthusiastically, too. Gaster could have listened to him for hours. Funny how his voice had dropped and yet the tone hadn't really changed very much at all. Ten years— he'd missed most of his boy's life. Missed him sprouting up so tall; becoming so bold and confident. He tried not to dwell on it, but his eye sockets welled up nonetheless. He pulled up his scarf bashfully.
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The house he was dragged into just a little while later was cozy while still being a little sparse. There was some furniture he recognized and, to his absolute joy, many of his books had been kept, stored away in boxes in the attic.
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He felt a little strange being in the bedroom upstairs, though. He decided very quickly not to intrude on Toriel's space, but Papyrus was insistent he see his— and the kids'— room. A sign on the door announced that it belonged to Papyrus, with little additions of Frisk and Asriel's names.
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It felt so surreal to look at the things of the daughter who had never truly met him. She didn't have a lot. A strange but cute round dog plushie, a small handheld game system, and a handful of books. There was also a small box. As Papyrus rushed about, he peeked inside curiously. There was a carefully-folded square of tin foil, an iridescent pink crystal, a paper snowflake, and a hand-written ticket stub to a concert of some sort in Waterfall. He closed the box quietly. He noticed a small, colourful cube on the computer desk and lifted it curiously. A puzzle. He recognized this. His cheekbones flushed.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"Oh! Frisk gave it to me," he said. "From the dump. It's a really excellent little puzzle cube from the human world."
"Does…? Does your sister like puzzles at all?" he asked.
"Sure! Of course she does! She's my fantastic puzzle assistant, you know. She's very good at them. At that one, too! Once she gave it a try," he said. "And she realized it was all just maths. She's very good at math, by the way. Would you like to see our puzzle binders?"
"Of course I would," he said.
Papyrus was beaming instantly. It warmed the old skeleton to his core.
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It was a little difficult for him to just sit there, though, as his son went through his notes, proudly showing off his diagrams and live testing. He was so proud. So overwhelmingly proud. He almost felt sick. Papyrus paused and looked at him with raised brows after a little while.
"You're all flushed, are you okay?" he asked.
"Ah. I'm fine. Sorry," Gaster said.
"Reeeeally? Are you sure?" Papyrus asked. "You look a little upset. Oh no! Are you upset?! Do you need anything?!"
"I'm alright, it's just…" He sighed and pulled Papyrus into his arms. "I'm so glad to see you."
"Oh!" Papyrus snickered and squeezed him. "Well! Understandable. I'm glad to see you, too. It's like seeing you as a whole new person, you know? Very exciting!"
Gaster nodded. He blew out a sigh— suddenly realized that sick feeling might not just have been him feeling overwhelmed. He pulled away and quickly got to his feet. "I-I'll be back," he said.
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He managed to hide himself away behind the house before he buckled onto his knees in the snow. He coughed and a thick, tar-like substance oozed from his mouth. He cursed quietly but couldn't help but wretch, choking the gunk out. It took only a minute but it felt like an hour. He wheezed and sat back, sighing as he caught his breath.
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"Um. Dad? Are you okay?" Papyrus asked.
Gaster cursed internally. He slowly got up, kicking snow over spot where the sludge had vanished and Papyrus offered him a dishtowel. He hurriedly wiped his face with it, though the black hadn't stained.
"So?" Papyrus pressed. He looked a little disturbed. "Are you?"
"Don't worry," he said.
"Oh. Okay. It's just…" The skeleton looked concerned and his brow furrowed. He scratched the back of his skull. "It was that black stuff, right? Frisk's been doing that, too."
Gaster's crackling soul stuttered and he felt a chill deep through his bones. He put a hand to his face. "Sh-She has?"
"Oh, yes, every week or so since the barrier dropped, but she always says it isn't so bad," he said. "But… Oh! I know. Go inside, okay? Get warm! I'll get you something and I will make you a nice hot drink! Okay? Okay!"
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Gaster found himself being ushered towards the front door and then left alone inside in the quiet. He slipped his gloves off and rubbed his hands together, hoping the friction might help him warm them. He felt desperately cold. A faint tingle in the air and a speck of blue magic in his mind's eye announced Sans's arrival, and he turned to meet him the second he blinked in at the doorway.
"Well, you look awful," Sans said.
"I know," he said with a laugh. "I, uh… I've still got a bad dose of it, I'm afraid."
"Makes sense." He disappearing into the kitchen and began to fill the kettle.
"I like this place that you picked." Gaster smiled. "I also like that you kept the couch."
"Yeah, well… Got pretty sick of that heat, y'know?" Sans said, reappearing, flopping down, and kicking his feet up. "Paps show you around?"
"He did. Everything, briefly. The bedroom, mostly," he said. "And the kitchen. Thank you for keeping my books, by the way. He said there wasn't so much in the basement; that it just has some weird machine in it?"
"Oh. Heh. Yeah. Time machine," Sans said with a wink.
"Seriously?" Gaster tilted his head. "You… built a time machine?"
"Sure did," he said.
"Did it work?"
"Kinda?" Sans shrugged. "Tried to go back to the CORE exploding to see what the hell happened, but the disruption was too bad and I could never force it without gettin' dusted, so…"
"You…? You died?" Gaster asked.
"Sure, tons of times," he said. "Don't worry about it."
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Gaster sighed. He dropped down onto the couch and wrapped him in his arms. Sans scoffed.
"No biggie," he said.
"I know. I know. I saw, it's just…" He sighed. "I wish you didn't have to know what it was like."
"Eh, I'm pretty numb to it at this point," he said. "Besides. The kiddo's got a handle on it. S'like I never have to worry again, it's great."
"I can't tell if that's awful or if it's a relief," Gaster said with a sigh.
"Little bit of column A…" Sans grinned and shrugged. "Don't worry."
"I'm your father and I'll worry if I want to," he said.
"Hey, fair enough," Sans said.
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Gaster sighed again. He folded his arms and breathed deeply. He couldn't help but fidget and got up to slowly pace the room. Sans watched him with amusement.
"You'll be fine," he said.
"I hope so," Gaster said.
"Seriously. You don't have to be so sneaky about this," Sans said.
"So what would you do?" he asked worriedly.
"Find her, give her a hug; tell her the truth," he said with a shrug. "The hug is real important, you gotta do that."
"I don't know, I… I am, essentially, a stranger," he said.
"Nah. Not really," he said. "You popped up enough those last few weeks underground that she already trusted you. Like I said. She remembered you. She liked you a lot, despite all the weird crap. So. Don't worry too much."
Gaster took a deep breath. He rubbed the back of his skull, but he nodded and managed to smile. "I'll come up with something," he said. "Thank you."
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"Speaking of," Sans said. "Here." He patted the inside of his jacket and then produced a black flip-phone with green accents on the sides. He held it up for him to take.
Gaster plucked it up with cautious curiosity. It was just big enough not to slip into the holes in his palms. He turned the screen on and tilted his head. "Oh, would you look at that…" he said quietly. "Is that…? Oh, my god, she really did it, didn't she? Sorry, I mean, the dimension boxes. Contained in this little device! And portable. That is something. They work well? Out of beta and everything?"
"Yup," Sans said. "But, uh… That's not all that's on there, huh?"
Gaster looked curious. He tapped through the screens. "Oh. She… She actually got me one of my old accounts back on this number, that's…" He froze. Eyes went wide.
"Don't freak out," Sans said.
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It was too late for that. He had a huge backlog of texts. With trembling fingers, he brought up the messages and immediately felt his breath seize. "Cnámha m'anam," he whispered.
The texts were from Frisk. They reached back months. His eye sockets welled up.
"She… She was still trying?" he said.
"Maybe once a day, yeah," Sans said. "Give or take."
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The skeleton dropped like a stone onto the couch and scrolled through everything slowly. She'd been keeping him— or what she knew of him— updated on little things for months. Then, he came to the longer messages. The ones from when he must've stopped being able to exist in either of his usual planes of reality. He cringed and took off his glasses, wiping his eyes quickly. He tried to say something, but his voice snagged. He coughed quietly.
"She's v-very persistent, isn't she?" he joked.
"Determined, even," Sans said.
Gaster clenched the phone in both hands and wilted. "This poor kid," he said softly. "You know her better than anyone. What do I do?"
"Say hi, that'd be good," he said.
"You know what I mean," he said, folding his arms tight.
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He jumped as the door burst open and Papyrus ran back in and shoved a paper bag into his hands.
"You take that! And hello, Sans!" He raced into the kitchen. "I will just be a minute! Don't you worry!"
"Sup, bro?" Sans said as their father fished a cinnamon bunny out of the bag and cautiously bit into it before passing another to him.
"Dad did the unfortunate goo-spew thing like Frisk does, with that awful black stuff," Papyrus said. "So! I am making him some tea! You know, before he goes and puts all that greasy bar food in his face. Which I can't imagine helps very much. And… OH! We have a whole bag of these bunnies in here, uggghhhh, I didn't even notice! Oh well, I suppose more can't hurt."
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Sans shot Gaster a curious look tinged with suspicion. The tall skeleton drooped; his cheekbones flushed. He sighed heavily.
"What is it?" Sans asked.
"I… I don't know," he said. "It's residue. From reforming, as far as I can tell. It's not poisonous."
"Why's it comin' outta her, though?"
Gaster could only shrug. He gladly accepted a cup of tea from Papyrus. He sipped it and finally a bit of warmth came back to his bones. It was Asgore's special blend— he'd know it anywhere. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I'll make sure she's alright. I promise." He smiled proudly. "You're very protective of her, aren't you?"
"Pfft, is he ever!" Papyrus said. "One time he pushed himself so hard to help her that his hum evolved, can you believe it?!" He thumped Sans affectionately on the shoulder. "Which is shocking, I know, seeing as he is incredibly weak, but it's a hundred percent true."
Gaster looked at Sans with wide eyes. He received a shrug as a reply. He couldn't help but smile and he put one hand to his own chest. Neither of the skeletons could see his soul flicker with colour through his heavy jacket, but they could hear his distorted, fractured hum rattle through the air. He chuckled, a little embarrassed.
"Well," he said, "I can only hope to follow your example, Sans. I'm in dire need of some retuning, it seems."
"Yeah, that sounds pretty bad," Sans said sympathetically.
"I would be lying if I said that was not the worst song I've ever heard in my entire life," Papyrus said, tapping his chin, "but don't worry, dad, I'm sure it'll get better eventually! You just came back from a horrible time place, after all."
"Hah, that's true," he said.
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Gaster drank more tea and held the cup in both hands. He ran his fingers over the hard surface slowly and then rested them over the top for the warmth. Sans could see the guilt all over his face. He patted his arm.
"Sure you don't want me to go get her now?" he asked.
"I… I just need a little time. Do…? Do you know when she'll be home?"
"Depends if she wants to walk or not," he said.
Gaster tented his fingers. His nerves were palpable. Papyrus tilted his head. He shoved himself between the two and grabbed his father's shoulder.
"Why are you so worried?" he asked. "It's just Frisk! She's very nice! And she already likes you! And she really needs this."
"You're right. You're absolutely right." Gaster sighed out heavily. "Alright. Okay. I'll head out. I'll see you two soon? And… And hopefully, next time I do, Frisky will know she has a father, at the very least." He grabbed Papyrus and hugged him close. "Thank you for everything."
"Of course!" Papyrus said. "Good luck! She'll love you. I know it."
Sans stuck his thumbs up. Gaster pulled his hood up and put his gloves back on, and then headed back out into the cold.
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Papyrus seemed very content and satisfied. He shot Sans a grin. "Well! This has been a weird day, right?! Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good, you?" he said.
"I feel fantastic, but also confused, and also… worried? But happy. Incredibly happy," he said. "This is very surreal, isn't it?"
"Guess so."
"So you…" He tapped his fingertips together bashfully. "You really knew the whole time, right?"
"Not exactly," Sans said.
"Did you know we had a dad when we didn't remember?" he asked.
"Kinda? Not… I mean, the pieces made sense," he said. "Because, hell, I didn't make you."
"Oh. Yes. Of course." Papyrus laughed at himself and rubbed the back of his skull. "I never really thought about it. It's so weird that it's like, he was just kind of grabbed out of our memories, right? Is it like that for you? It didn't feel like there was anything missing but—"
"There were plot holes?" Sans suggested.
"Yes! Yes, plot holes," he said, nodding. "Oooh, Frisk is going to be so happy that he's okay."
"Sure is," Sans said. He folded his arms and there was a little heaviness in his brow.
"What? What's wrong?" Papyrus asked.
"Hm? Oh. Nothin'," Sans said. "Don't worry."
xXxXx
When Frisk said goodbye to Asriel and Asgore, she walked away with a little lightness despite the shadow lurking in the back of her mind. She took the upper pathway back towards the multipurpose elevator. She rolled her fingers over her phone in her pocket. When she slipped into the lift to head down and away towards the lab, she called Sans. He didn't answer. She called Papyrus instead. Two rings and there he was.
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"Frisk! Hello!" he said brightly. "Sans says sorry, he heard the phone but he couldn't find it. I think it's under the couch but he refuses to get up," he said. "H-How are you? How's Asriel?"
"Fine. Everything's fine." She already felt so much better hearing his voice. "He's okay, then, right?"
"Mhm! Yep! Absolutely fine!" he said.
"Okay. Good," she said. "Do you know what the problem was?"
"Problem?! Uh. Um. N-Nothing, I think, just a bit of magic doing something silly, it's no big deal!" His voice was rather shrill.
"Are you okay?" Frisk asked curiously.
"AH! Yes! Of course! Nyeh heh heh! Um. You should come home though, okay? Right away? I mean. If you can. Nyeh heh… heh."
"Yeah, I'm on my way," she said, leaning her shoulder back against the wall. "I'm in the elevator right now."
"OH! Good! Um. Do you want a lift home?" he asked.
"I'm in a lift," she said.
"Pffffff, Frriiiiiisk, not like thaaaaat," he whined.
She smiled to herself as she considered it. She did want to be home, but they'd just worry over her the second she walked back in, wouldn't they? Maybe just a little more break from her stuff would be nice for them. "I can take the boat."
"Oh! Okay. Um. Yes. Sure! Great! But don't take too long, okay?" he said.
"Yeah. I won't," she said. "See ya."
"Okay bye love you!" he said brightly.
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When elevator clunked down and the doors opened to the sound of a pleasant ding, Frisk was surprised that Alphys pulled her out and into a hug right away.
"Oh hi," Frisk said shrilly.
"Hi, sweetie, h-how are you doing?" Alphys cooed. Her voice was high and she had a big, fond smile on her face.
Frisk grinned sideways. "C'mon Alphys, you don't gotta worry about me."
"Worry? Wh-What worry?" she asked.
"You only call me that when you're worried," Frisk said, giving her a teasing nudge in the side.
Alphys gulped, her scales flushing red. She snickered and snorted, and ruffled the kid's hair. "Aw, no, it's okay. Um. H-How are you?"
"Okay," she said with a shrug.
"Did you talk to Asgore about t-tomorrow?" she asked.
"Just a little."
"And?" Alphys raised her brows.
Frisk shrugged. "I dunno. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry. I'm sure it'll be fine. I mean, I can time travel, right? What could possibly happen?"
"But you're st-still nervous," the lizard said gently.
The kid flinched a little. She guessed she had a pretty bad poker face today.
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She was surprised to see Undyne vault over the railing. She waved and the big fish monster jogged over and pulled her into a hug, too.
"Got you," she said. "Hey. I'll be there. Tomorrow. And so will… Uh. I mean. You got your family. You're gonna be okay." Suddenly, Undyne looked just a little sweaty. "S-So. Uhhh… You goin' home?"
"Yeah," she said.
"Okay. Cool. Uh." Undyne shot Alphys a look with raised brows.
Alphys shrugged as a reply. Frisk tilted her head curiously.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Uhhh. Nothin'." Undyne grinned her big, pointy teeth. "Hey! You know what? I'm gonna come in tomorrow in my armour and I'm gonna scare that human's pants right off and it's gonna be hilarious. And then we'll all, uh… We'll do somethin' nice when it's over, okay?"
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Frisk said sheepishly.
"Pfft, c'mon, kid," she said. "Hey. Let yourself get taken care of a little, alright?"
"Sh-She's right, Frisk," Alphys said quickly. "W-We know you haven't been f-feeling that good since the humans c-came back into the picture. Please d-don't try to handle it on your own, and I know Doctor G…. Aaaah… Uhh…" She put her hands to her snout and her eyes went wide.
Undyne let out an uncomfortably loud laugh and thumped Alphys on the shoulder. "Doctor's got just the thing! To help, you know? Like friendship and family and all that sappy stuff!" She smiled sympathetically. "Look. Kid. I get it, alright? You don't want people to fuss and worry over you. And that's, like, really admirable and junk. But the thing is, we all really like you, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it."
"Annnnnd yep, d-definitely just trust your, uh, good pal Doctor Alphys," the lizard said with a grin. "And I can f-for sure find something to help you. L-Like, um, some chocolate or something!"
"Th-Thank you," Frisk said.
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Undyne and Alphys shared a look, and then Undyne offered the kid a hand. "Hey. If you want. I'll keep ya company on the boat."
Alphys started to nod as if urging her on. Frisk found herself smiling and she took the big monster's hand.
"Thanks, guys," she said.
xXxXx
When Frisk flopped into the house after the leisurely drift down the river, she was exhausted. She hadn't really done anything, but she felt like she could just pass out and sleep until tomorrow afternoon. It wasn't even that late.
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Sans saw her first, before she even greeted him. He picked her up and hugged her. She was a little surprised, but her heart swelled. She clung to him.
"S'okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said.
"What happened?"
He put her back on the floor and patted her head. "CORE went a little off. Wasn't a big deal, though. Just wanted to be careful."
"Oh. Okay. That's really good." She looked around, checking for Papyrus. She waved her brother closer. "Everyone's acting kinda weird," she said at a whisper.
"Oh yeah?" he said. "How so?"
"I dunno." She pressed the tips of her fingers together. "It's like they're trying not to tell me something or… something."
Sans grinned and he burst out laughing. Frisk looked puzzled, but couldn't help but smile when her big brother patted her on the head.
"You're too smart for your own good, y'know," he joked.
"I am?" she asked.
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"OH! Hey, is that Frisk?! Is she back?!" Papyrus raced down from upstairs and swept her up into his arms. "Heelllooooo, little sister! Welcome home!" He nuzzled her head.
Unseen, their souls glittered orange together. Frisk felt warm and toasty from the inside out.
"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.
"I dunno, a little I guess." She threw her arms over his shoulders and flopped, pouting. "It's okay if I just want like, all the hugs, though, right?"
"Yes, of course!" he said.
"A-And it's okay if maybe I'm sorta nervous, right?" she said.
"Yes, also of course!" Papyrus assured her. "Friiiiisk, how would you like some special spaghetti tonight? You know, with the cheese and everything?"
"Sounds good," she said.
"Good! Great! Excellent."
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He seemed tickled and then bounced away to the kitchen. Frisk was about to follow, but something still confused her. She turned back to Sans.
"What'd you mean?" she asked.
"Dunno," he said.
"Are…? Are you guys hiding something?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
"Oh, for sure," he said.
Frisk rubbed her brow and laughed weakly. "Okay, fine, be like that."
"Sure thing," he said. He patted her head. "Hey. S'good though. You'll like it."
"Oh! Okay. Well. I just thought maybe you guys heard something more," she said. "From the humans."
"Nah, nothin' like that," he said.
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She deflated with relief. Sans tilted his head slightly and looked thoughtful for a long few seconds.
"Hey, uh, kiddo," he said. "I was thinkin'. Maybe we stop in at Grillby's for a bit, huh?"
"Isn't Papyrus cooking dinner?" she asked.
"When's that ever stopped us?" he asked, grinning. "I was just kinda feelin' fries and a shake, what d'you say?"
"Oh! Okay," she said, "if you don't mind, Paps?"
"Mind?! Me?! Nooo, not at all!" he assured her quickly. "You two have a good time! There will be plenty of time for pasta when you come home!"
"Oh. Uh. Also," Sans said, "you mind goin' to grab our spots? I just remembered I gotta check a thing with Alph about the stuff that happened earlier."
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"SANS," Papyrus said shrilly.
"What? She's old enough to walk down the street on her own, bro." He was grinning widely when Papyrus stuck his head out of the kitchen to give him a disapproving look. "Aw, c'mon, don't gimme that face."
Papyrus sighed, tossed his oven mitts aside, and then knelt down in front of Frisk, gently holding her shoulders.
"Just so you know. I love you. So much. More than anything. Okay?" he said.
"Oh. Okay." Her cheeks flushed and she grinned. "I love you, too. Seriously, what's going on?"
"NOTHING. Nothing at all." He rushed back towards the kitchen. "Nothing. At. All. See you soon, little sister, don't worry, there will be plenty of pasta waiting when you get home!"
"Um." She didn't have the heart to tell him he'd repeated himself and she grinned bashfully. "Okay, bro, I'll see you later! See you there, Sans?"
"Mhm, just gimme ten, maybe?"
"Gotcha!" she said.
xXxXx
Grillby's was pretty quiet when Frisk walked in, absent of all the regulars. The only person she saw was a tall someone in a leather jacket with a hood up, their head down on their arms on a table. Maybe a human? They were roughly human shaped. They looked really tired. The way the shoulders were, maybe a bit upset, too. As she passed them by, she took a monster candy out of her pocket and slipped it onto the table, then continued up to the counter.
.
She saw the whoopee cushion on the seat ahead of time and smirked. She moved it to Sans's chair and hopped up. Grillby smiled at her.
"Heya! Just waiting for Sans," she said.
He pointed his thumb back over his shoulder.
"Oh, no, it's okay, I can wait until he's here," she said.
He raised his brows. She smiled bashfully.
"Really, that guy ordered one, too? Well. Alright. Since you're making them now anyway," she said. "Two. Thanks a million, dude."
Grillby nodded. Frisk smiled.
"Well, they're really good!" she said.
Grillby smiled and turned back to one of the machines at the back counter and put his heat-proof mitts on.
.
She waited patiently, a little drowsy, with her cheek on her fist. "Any humans come through yet?"
He shrugged and nodded.
"Oh yeah? Small family?" she asked.
He nodded again and she smiled.
"Hope they didn't give you any trouble." She smiled when he shook his head and then cut his eyes at her. "Well, you have the best place in the underground, of course I'd tell them to stop by. I'm glad it worked out. Did they like it?"
He shrugged and nodded. She grinned.
"That's great," she said. "Hey, I was wondering. Thought about moving back up yet?"
His brow furrowed a bit. "Soon. Strange, though…"
She laughed. "I know. It'll be super weird. But you gotta take your daughter to see the stars, it'll be totally great! And. You'll do great. People love this place, wouldn't be home without it, y'know?"
The fire in his cheeks went a little blue. "Thanks…"
"It's totally true!" she assured him.
.
He finished preparing the first milkshake, in one of the tall glasses and clunked it down heavily on the counter's usual pick-up spot before turning back to ready the others. Frisk had never seen the new guy in the booth, so she was considering just bringing his ice-cream to him, since she knew that wasn't really Grillby's style. She heard bootsteps behind her after a few seconds, however, so she figured she didn't really need to worry.
.
She cast a curious glance over at the person who came to get the milkshake. Looked like they were kind of cold, the way they were dressed. They had gloves on, still, and the hood of a sweatshirt up even though they wore a heavy-looking coat. They also had a black scarf up over half their face, but the way their head was bent, she couldn't see the rest past the hood anyway. She lazily rested her elbow on the counter again and stared at the glasses near the back wall.
.
She heard the person say a quiet thanks to Grillby, his voice low, but with an accent she felt she might have heard once before. She couldn't quite place it. Then, to her surprise, she heard the telltale sound of rattling bones. She snuck a glance at him and he quickly looked away as if he had been doing the same to her. She caught that glow in the eyes. Gold and blue. The dark fissures in his white face. She couldn't believe it for a moment. She felt her heart thump. She turned on her stool and watched him slip back into a booth.
.
Shadowman. It had to be. Hurriedly, she pulled off her glove. The lines that were between her fingers were flickering delicately. If that wasn't proof enough, she didn't know what was. Her mind raced. He wasn't melting. He was speaking English. He had ordered a milkshake. She bit her lip. What if he didn't remember her? It took her a moment of consideration to decide it didn't matter. He was okay. That sad, lonely friend of hers, from the edges of her memories— he looked an awful lot like a monster, and he was very definitely alive. Her heart swelled.
.
She waited, trying to conceal her impatience, checking back over her shoulder once in a while to make sure he hadn't left. When Grillby brought her her milkshake, she smiled gratefully and pulled some change out of her pocket to leave on the counter and then slid off her stool.
.
She snuck up to the booth where the man sat. Peeking around the bench, she saw him close to the wall, head down, sipping his milkshake through a bendy straw and focussing intently on something he was writing. She steadied herself and then slid in beside him. He froze and she shot him a smile.
"Hiya," she said.
.
She'd clearly caught him off-guard. He jerked and shoved the paper to the side. He moved forward and quickly pulled his scarf up. Frisk tried really hard not to laugh.
"They're good, right?" she said, pointing at the cup. "The milkshakes. They're my favourite. You?"
She saw his gloved hand tense up— there was that rattling sound again. "…Hah. Mine as well." He kept his voice low. "Good for your—"
"Bones?" Frisk asked.
He looked up quickly. She could see the shine of his eyes again. She grinned.
"You don't mind if I hang out, do you?" she asked.
He shook his head quickly.
.
She scooted a little closer and sipped her milkshake. He bent his head a little; took off a pair of glasses and put them on the table, then rubbed his face. Frisk smiled sympathetically. She put her drink down and then gently grabbed his fingers.
"I'm really happy you're okay," she said.
"Wh…? What?" he asked.
"You, um, remember me, don't you?" she asked. She pointed to the energy flicking in her skin. "You left that, right? You remember?"
"Of course I remember," he said quietly.
Frisk grinned. "Oh good! I'm really glad. How're you feeling?"
He froze again. With a second's hesitation, his much larger hand closed around hers. The brightness of the magic faded down into nothing.
"…Good," he said. "Can't stop shaking. But… breathing feels good."
"I bet," Frisk said. "I'm really glad you're here. When I saw you melt, I… Well, never mind, as long as you're okay, everything's cool."
.
He chuckled quietly. "You are a strange kid, Frisky."
Her face lit up and she grinned. "Hah, tell me something I don't know," she said, but then she frowned. "You weren't gonna just go without saying anything, were you?"
"I… Hah." He leaned forward and put his cheek against his fist. "I wasn't. I'm sorry. I was going to… I was just trying to… Ah. Never mind. I… just wasn't sure what to say."
"Hi would be good," she said.
He chuckled. "Hi."
.
She grinned, but her smile turned swiftly apologetic. "Oh, sorry, did I interrupt?"
"Only slightly. But that's alright," he said.
"Good! Because I'm so happy to see you," she said.
"That's… a bit of a surprise," he said quietly.
"Why?" she said.
"I wasn't exactly good for your health," he said.
"That's okay," she said. "Wasn't your fault, it was just dumb out-of-time memory junk. I'm just real happy you managed to get out of there!"
.
He wiped his eyes with his thumb and finally pushed back his hood. Frisk took him in with interest. Definitely a skeleton. Somehow, she felt like she knew his face, though it was not very much like pale, ghostly visage with the vacant eyes and fixed smile that she had come to expect. No, he looked quite a bit like Papyrus, now that she saw him properly. But, older. A little sharper in the cheekbones; his face accented with a thin, dark crack from each socket, upwards on the right and downwards on the left, familiar from his old form but not so exaggerated.
.
"Oh my god," he said quietly, his knuckles kneading at his eye sockets. "Hah. I told myself not to cry when I saw you. There goes that."
"Don't worry," she assured him again. "I'm like, the biggest crybaby ever, no one needs to be embarrassed around me."
He smiled and gently patted her hair. She all but glowed.
.
They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence for a little while. He kept looking at her, though, trying to get his thoughts together. Wanting to say something but not having the words. He finally broke the silence, drumming his fingers on the table.
"Um. Sweetie. Do you, uh…?" He looked embarrassed when she gave him a questioning look. "Do you know who I am?"
"Well, duh," she said.
He chuckled. "Really know, I mean."
"Well… I… I don't know your name," she said. "But I know you were there for me. And that you're really nice. And…" The notion struck her rather suddenly. Sans's picture. Of course. "Oh. God. You know my brothers, right? Are you related to them?"
.
He was clearly taken aback. "Did Sans tell you?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Sans had this picture he drew. From when the CORE blew up and messed up his memories for like two days?" she said. "He can't draw at all, though, it was a really bad picture, but there were three people. One of them was him, one was Papyrus, and one was a tall guy with cracks in his skull, just like yours. So, since you're a skeleton and he knew you were important to him, you're probably related to them, right?"
"Mhm." He looked rather proud. "I'm their father."
"Their…?" Frisk's eyes went wide and and almost jumped to her feet. She slammed her palms onto the table. "They have a dad?!"
"Of course, it's not as if skeletons are born from ice cream," he said with a wink.
"Holy crap!" she squeaked. "Y-You're… Wow. That's… That's kind of great? Wow. Wait. Wh-Why did you come to me? And not to them?"
"You needed someone, too, didn't you?" he asked gently.
"Yeah, b-but, so did they! I mean, if you're their dad, shouldn't you have been with them? E-Even if the memories didn't stick right? Wouldn't that be the most important thing?"
"Oh. Sweetheart." He patted her hand gently. "You're important, too."
.
Frisk stared up at him, her eyes wide. He smiled warmly at her. He seemed so genuine about it. Her head was reeling with confusion, despite how elated she was to see him. Her brothers had a dad. That alone was enough to throw her for a loop, but the fact that it was him, of all people, who had helped her for as long as she could remember was absolutely baffling. She tried to process; tried to steady herself.
"What's, um…? I dunno if you ever told me, but what's your name?" she asked. That seemed like one of the least important things she could ask, but she wasn't sure what else she could even say.
"My friends call me Gaster," he said.
His name bounced around in her head. That seemed right. Why did she feel like she knew that already?
.
"Gaster…" she repeated. She put her cheek on her fist. It put an itch of an image in the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite reach. And then there were the Gaster Blasters. Of course. Had he invented them? "Man. That's kind of confusing."
"I'm sorry," he said.
She snickered and shook her head. "So, they know you're here, right? Do they remember you?"
He nodded. She laughed.
"It was a setup!" she said, smacking her palm on the table.
"More for me than for you," he said with a smile.
"No wonder Papyrus was acting so weird," she said. "And… And Alphys?! Alphys super knows, doesn't she?! And Undyne, too?"
"Please don't be upset with them," he said quickly. "I wanted to see you. More… More than almost anything, I just… needed to tell you myself."
.
"Oh my god." Frisk rubbed her face. "So what…?" A dream she'd had suddenly slapped her in the brain. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You came out of the CORE."
"How did you know?" he asked.
"I dreamt it. But I was, like, in your eyes?" she said, puzzled. "I saw you come out of goo. D-Did you come out of goo?"
Stunned, he nodded. He laughed weakly and rubbed his face with both hands. He suddenly looked exhausted. Even so, he still hadn't stopped glowing. He rubbed his eye sockets and desperately tried to dull it. It wasn't really working. She smiled sympathetically.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"No way, why? Don't even," she said quickly. She gently tugged on his sleeve and he looked at her quickly. "Um. G-Gaster?"
"What is it?" he asked.
She beckoned him closer, and when he bent down, she hugged him close. He froze utterly, like he'd been turned to stone. She felt a little selfish, but she needed to do this. She could feel the hum of his soul faintly, some broken, fractured warble of song. She glowed and he rattled.
"I'm just so glad you're okay," she said. She gave him a quick, soft smooch on the cheek.
.
His face flushed a pale gradient of blue and gold, and he stared at her for a few seconds. "F-Frisky, I…" He put his hands to his face. "O-Oh my god. Oh. My god."
Frisk smiled apologetically. "S-Sorry, I—"
"Don't, it's… Oh." He picked her up swiftly and carefully and left the bench, then plunked her back down. "I just… I just n-need… Okay. I'll be right back, okay?" He put his hands on her shoulders. "I promise. I'm coming back. Just… stay here, okay?"
"Okay?" she said.
He nodded. "Good. Good. Alright." He patted her head. "You're such a good kid, you know that? Hang on."
.
He walked outside with hurried steps. He paced, his mind racing, only to let out an involuntary yelp when Sans was suddenly standing rather casually in his path.
"Oh. Thank god," he said quickly. "Sans, I need your help."
"Why? Did you tell her?" he asked. "She start cryin'?"
"I… I haven't yet," he said.
"Aw, dude, c'mon," he said. "It's not that hard."
"Not that hard?" he repeated shrilly. "Sans. It's… It's been ten years I spent on and off with that kid, with my very existence messing with her mind, barely able to say a thing to her and now it's… it's like it's all normal to her. She's not even panicking half as much as I am. How did I have such a sweet kid? After everything I put her through, and still she—"
"Yup. That's Frisk," Sans said with a wink. "The shit she's seen, dude, she's probably just happy you're alive."
"But she already knows that I'm your father. And… And I… I didn't even hug her. Oh my god, what is wrong with me?!"
"Chill," Sans said, and he grinned, wincing slightly. "But that is pretty bad, though."
"I know. I know." He sighed. "It's just that I… I wanted it to be perfect. I don't want to hurt her feelings and—"
"Sheesh, dude." Sans rubbed the back of his skull. "You think you're overthinkin' this a little bit?"
"It's shock. I must be in shock, I'm not acting logically, I'm just—"
"Chill."
"It's just that it's very important and I… I don't know! What do I say?" he demanded.
"Tell her the truth?" Sans suggested.
"Well, obviously, but… She's… She's adorable, isn't she? And so clever. And… small. God, she's small, isn't she? And so matter-of-fact. She's just like you, for god's sake—"
"Nah, she's great." He patted him on the arm. "You're talkin' without breathin'. Look, you want me to go in and just drop it? Or are you gonna—?"
"I should…" He nodded to himself and took a deep breath. "It should be me. I should do it. But. Oh my god. I'm a bloody mess. How do I?"
"Just go for it," Sans said with a shrug. His eyes cast off behind the tall skeleton and he started to grin.
"What? Just say it? That's it? Just… Just go up to her and say hi Frisky, surprise, I'm your dad!?"
"Wait, what?"
.
Gaster turned quickly to see Frisk standing behind him, still holding the door for a second as she came outside. She tilted her head slightly to one side. His cheekbones flushed brightly and he put his hands to his mouth, wide-eyed, totally frozen. Looked like he would kill to be able to time jump backwards about ten seconds. Sans, on the other hand, began to laugh so hard that tears came to his eyes. Trying to gather himself, he wandered to Frisk and thumped her affectionately on the shoulder.
.
"Whew! Kiddo. Fantastic. Perfect timing," he said, wiping his eyes with his thumb.
"Um. Thanks?" She grinned bashfully. "Did I, um…? Did I hear that right?"
Gaster started to rattle. Sans smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Yup. Sure did, kiddo," he said.
Frisk looked absolutely floored. "Wait, you… you mean…? You'd really be willing t-to be like my dad, too?" Her cheeks flushed a little as her eyes welled up. "I… I never had a dad. That's really cool of you, that you'd like me enough that you'd…"
"Oh. Oh, it's… it's not that. I mean. It is that, that's part of it, but… Oh god." He sighed at himself and rubbed his eyes as the kid started to look confused again. "Oh my god. I'm the worst. I am. The worst. Ever."
Sans tried not to laugh too hard and did not succeed, and Gaster walked in a circle quickly, pacing and anxious.
.
"Welp. I'm gonna go inside," Sans said once he stopped wheezing. He wiped under his sockets with his thumb again. "Order some grub. Frisk, whatchu want?"
"But S-Sans, wait, I—!" Frisk stammered.
"Chill out, kiddo," he assured her.
"But I can't believe you have a dad!" she squeaked.
"I know, weird, right?" Sans turned his gaze on Gaster again and winked. "Good luck."
.
Before Frisk could ask him what he meant, the door was clunking behind him. She rubbed the back of her head and then turned her attention back on Gaster. He looked shaken. When his eyes focussed on Frisk again, he grimaced for a moment. He went down on one knee. He took her hand.
"Can I… tell you a small story?" he asked.
She was still confused, but she nodded. The skeleton sighed quietly.
"I was the one who created the CORE, a long time ago. It was meant to be our energy source after we were sealed under the mountain, but it effected time in a way that I never predicted. Ten years ago, the CORE had a malfunction, and it pulled me from time itself. It… destroyed me, ripped me apart and scattered pieces of me all over," he said. "My… My determination was something that was taken. You know how strong it is, first hand, don't you?"
She nodded again. For some reason, she felt her ears heat up.
"It bound to all my soul, the determination of the magic in the CORE, and the energy in time itself. It multiplied exponentially into the only thing that could hold so much. A soul. And… Frisky. Sweetheart." He cautiously cupped her face. "It became you."
.
Frisk went cold. Her stomach hit the snow and there was a dizzy pressure behind her eyes. She cautiously raised a finger and pointed at herself. He nodded and began to smile.
"You became our anchor then. And… And mine, too. You tethered me to this world again. You brought me back."
"S-So…" Her throat was dry; her head was spinning. "Wait. Wait wait. Y-You…? You made… me? I'm… I'm m-made of… you?"
He nodded.
.
The kid was floored. Her vision tunnelled. "Are you sure?" She couldn't even remember thinking to say that, let alone opening her mouth.
"I'm sure." He tilted his head and he smiled fondly. "I saw your soul pull out of mine. It was one of the last things I saw, in fact."
Frisk put her shaking hand to her soul spot. She felt like she might faint.
"What I said when you walked out, I… I meant every word," he said. "I'm your father. And I… I love you. Always have. Even when I was that… mess. I'm sorry it took so long to tell you."
.
He wilted a little. Frisk stared back at him blankly for a long, quiet while. He was about to pull back to give her some space, but she didn't want him to. She latched onto his shoulders tightly. He froze. His eye sockets welled up. He buckled and curled around her, clutching her tight against his chest.
.
For Frisk, it felt like something missing, blank, was coloured in. She could have stayed there forever. Acceptance— was that what it was? She hoped he felt it, too. Because even if had really been just the word, she had loved him forever, even with those fractured memories.
.
"Oh crap," she squeaked.
He laughed quietly. Frisk pulled back just a fraction and cupped Gaster's face with warm red magic glowing in her palms. He drew in a sharp breath and immediately reciprocated, eyes shining bright enough to make the few tears on his face glow faintly. She revelled in that light for a moment before she started to giggle, grabbed him around the neck and snuggled in close. He held her like he'd be okay never letting go. She could feel his soul, its pulse stumbling; fractured, but so warm and content that it overwhelmed her.
.
It took a little while, but the itchiness in her eyes finally got her and she had to pull back, sniffling, laughing quietly, and wiping her sleeves across her face. "I… Jeez. I don't even know what to say."
"I know, it's… It's…" He sighed. "It must be very confusing and—"
"You're my dad," she squeaked. "You're just legit my dad. Oh my god. I… I have a dad. I have a dad? Oh my god. That's… Oh! Oh. My. God." She grabbed his shoulders. The realization hit her like a train. A chill passed through her whole body; she was light-headed and her stomach flipped. Her eyes were wide and glossy with tears. "They're my brothers. They're my a-actual brothers."
"They are—" He grunted when she threw herself against him, her skinny arms grasping him with surprising strength. "Oh, Frisky, it's alright."
"O-Oh my god, I'm sh-shaking t-too hard," she said through a choked laugh. "Oh my god, dude."
.
She struggled to catch her breath and wiped her face on her arm again as she backed away a smidge. Gaster reached out to her and brushed her tears away with his thumb, tsking in a soft, affectionate way. Even that sent a tingle of warmth through her. This gentle skeleton— this was who she came from. Her heart swelled. She was, very suddenly, absolutely smitten with the idea.
"Dude, y-you…" She sniffled and hurriedly wiped her face again. "You totally blew my mind just now."
"I know, it's… It's a big change," he said. He seemed almost regretful. Like it was some burden he'd placed on her.
"Well. Yeah. But I'm happy, though," she said quickly. "I thought… You know, I thought maybe I had parents and they just didn't want me."
.
Gaster looked stunned for a moment— his heart broke. He shook his head vehemently. "I… I know I could not be a good father to you, but I've always loved you. I… I don't know if there's anything I could ever say to make those years okay, but… but you always belonged with us. You know that now, don't you?"
"Mhm!" she said. "That… Hah! That's funny, Sans always said that, too."
"I hope you believed him," he said.
Frisk smiled sheepishly. She wiped her eyes. "He's a really great big brother, you know?"
Gaster smiled and nodded. "He was always like that for Papyrus; I'm so glad he could be that for you, too. It's… sort of his element."
Frisk nodded and grinned. She couldn't stop her heart from pounding. What could she even say to him? "Sh-Should we go back in?"
"Ah! You're getting cold," he said. "I apologize. Let's."
.
Inside the warmth of Grillby's walls, Sans was waiting against their table, half-asleep, arms folded. Frisk raced to him and grabbed his sleeves.
"Sans. Sans Sans Sans," she said.
"Mhm?" He put a hand on her head and opened one eye; it shone blue. "Hey. Looks like you might've gotten some good news, huh?"
"D-Dude! Dude, we're… Oh my god, we're really—"
"Hey." He took her by the shoulder and grinned. "Always were."
Frisk beamed. She grabbed his face and pulled him down to touch her brow to his, and they glowed bright purple together. He snickered and squished her shoulders gently.
"S'good," she said quietly. Tears began to dribble down her cheeks and her voice snagged. "S'really good, huh?"
"Mhm," he said.
"I love you so much," she squeaked. "I l-love all you guys so much."
"I know, kiddo, I know. Love you, too," he said. "Don't cry too hard, huh?"
"H-Hah!" She giggled and buried her face into him. "Big bro… W-We really were the same, weren't we?"
.
He beamed, plucking her up off her feet and into his arms. She yelped and laughed, and did her best to catch her breath as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She coughed and trembled, squeaking as she tried to regain herself.
"Get it together, sis," he joked.
"Oh. God." She sniffled and hid her face against his shoulder. "I… I'm gonna puke."
"Don't you dare," he said.
.
Gaster watched cautiously, wringing his hands, until Sans shot him a look. The short skeleton's cheekbones were a little blue, but the knowing smile on his face reassured his father. Sans stroked the back of the kid's head and she blew out a long, deep sigh.
"Oh man. Jeez. Thank you. Thank you a million times," she said quietly.
.
Her soul stuck against his and, for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel any of her guilt in how close she wanted to be. That lingering, tiny flicker of doubt that had always seemed to come back like a bad cough had left her. Finally, he thought.
.
"Oh my god…" she whispered. "Papyrus knows? He does, right? You told him?"
"Yeah. Filled him a few hours ago," Sans said. "Guy cried like a baby."
"Aw! Well, I guess this is b-better, then, because if we were together, we'd totally flood the room."
Sans laughed. "What else is new?"
"That's good, though. That's super good. H-How do you feel?" she asked.
"Me? Pretty good," he said.
"Y-Yeah?" She drew back a little and put a hand on his skull. "That's a lot to come back at once, huh? Your head okay? I mean. Jeez."
"Mhm. Memories just kinda plopped back in," he said. "Think you know how that feels, huh?"
"You're so calm," she said with a laugh. "Thanks."
"Hey, no problem, takes zero effort," he said with a wink, and then turned to look at Gaster. "Go on, you nerd, sit down, you look like you're about to fall over."
.
Gaster hurriedly slid back into the booth and Sans plunked the kid on the cushy bench beside him. He snuck in across from them and Frisk, after wiping her eyes on her sleeve, leaned over the table.
"So, how long've you known?" she asked.
"What makes you think it's not news to me?"
Frisk smirked and rested her cheek on her fist. "What, you think I can't recognize that smug look after all this time, bro?"
He laughed, grinning wide. "Hm. Figured it out when you remembered him. It kinda filled in the pieces. Plus, you know, your hum? Says your name in skeleton is Frisky, so…"
"Oh my god," she said, and she turned to Gaster. "Really? That's where it comes from? My hum?"
"It is," he said, "though, I have to admit, I'm surprised you managed to get that yourself. I never expected you to even hear any name I called you, let alone start using it."
.
Frisk stared at him for a little while. She carefully took one of his long hands in both of hers. "So it was really pretty messed up wherever you were, huh?" she asked.
"That's more than fair to say. I'll be honest, I never expected to come back. But I'm so glad I did."
"How? You were all melty and weird, and no one could remember you except…?" Frisk frowned. "How'd you get out of there? I tried to bring you a few times, right?"
"You did bring me," he said fondly.
"So…! So what worked?" she asked.
"It was through sheer determination," he said with a smile. "Your soul acting as an anchor is not just a metaphor."
"Oh really?" Frisk's eyes went wide. She cupped her soul again and smiled faintly. "I'm… Wow. I'm really glad. I never expected you were… I guess that explains a lot, huh?"
"I know this might be a bit strange for a while," he said. "But… But I mean, don't… Don't feel obligated to call me "dad" or anything even remotely paternal if you're not comfortable, you can just call me "Gaster", or… "hey you", or—"
"I'm sure I'll figure it out, pops," she joked.
His eyes went wide and his cheekbones flushed. Sans burst out laughing. Frisk snickered and grinned up at him.
"Wait. Pops. Paps. Paps. Pops," she said. "That's too confusing. Guess I'll just have to stick to dad, huh?"
.
Gaster's eyes welled up again, and he scooped her up into his arms and squished her close. She was more than happy to hug him again. Sans grinned wide.
"Jeez, you really are a wreck, huh?" he said.
"I know, I know…" he muttered.
"Hey, I'm not judgin'," Sans said. "Welcome to the club. Right, kiddo?"
"Uh-huh!" she said brightly. "You're member number four! Don't worry, meetings only involve hot chocolate and bad TV shows. And Papyrus is the cheerleader."
"H-Hah!" He gently lowered her and she sat comfortably in his lap.
.
The kid grinned. "I like this."
"Told ya. Don't have to worry for a second about tomorrow, huh?" Sans said.
"What? OH!" Frisk's eyes went wide. "Oh my god, I didn't even think of… Oh my god." She laughed, put her face in her hands, and groaned.
"What?" Gaster asked gently.
She took a deep breath and looked at Sans with an expression that might have been incredulous if she wasn't smiling. "You literally told me. Like a bunch of times. Didn't you?"
"Well, yeah," he said. "Course I did."
"Oh my god."
"Told you what?" Gaster asked.
"He told me like a hundred times ever since the humans noticed me," she said, "that they would never find a human related to me in a million years. And that… I'm his sister. Aaaannndd I'm an idiot."
"You called her an idiot?" Gaster yelped.
"No no no, I called me an idiot," Frisk said swiftly. "Sans'd never call me an idiot."
"Because you're not one," Sans said. He winked. "Guess it turned out that you're a bit of a bonehead though, huh?"
"Pfffft, okay, I'll take it," she said. She let out a deep sigh and rubbed her eyes again. "I'm not gonna wake up, right?"
"You're awake," Sans said.
.
Frisk had to take another moment. She steadied herself and tilted her head back to shoot Gaster a curious look. "So, like, what the heck am I, though?"
"Determination?" Sans suggested.
"You are… human. Mostly," Gaster said. "I… I think."
Frisk laughed. "Science guy doesn't know, uh-oh."
"So…? So you remember I'm a scientist?" he asked curiously.
"We figured that out a while ago," Frisk said with a smile. "But… Um. Hm. Actually. I feel like… I dunno, I remember…? You in the lab somewhere? In the… basement, maybe? Huh. Weird."
"What else do you remember? A-About me?" he asked. "Sorry if that sounds conceited."
.
"Um. Well. You like coffee, right? All your stuff, it smelled like coffee," she said. "Aaannd… You lived on the surface. So you must be super old, then. As old as mom? Um, Toriel, I mean, Toriel's my mom."
"Good," he said. "Just a little younger, actually. I honestly never thought you'd remember any of that. Anything else?"
"It's kinda rough other than that," she said. "I'm not sure. Did I… tell you a lot?"
"You told me a little about a lot," he said. "You told me about coming to the mountain and learning to time travel. You told me about trying to make a soul for your friend. You told me you crossed the barrier. Both of you."
"Spilled all the beans, huh, kiddo?" Sans said with a grin.
"Guess so!" she said with a laugh. "I think that's my only missing bit. Maybe. I hope?"
"Don't be too concerned," he assured her. "You remember more than I could ever have hoped. But, I… I am sorry that some of that might be less than pleasant."
"What d'you mean?" she said. "I mean. Yeah. It was bad. But none of that part was your fault. I like the, uh, what d'you call it? A retcon?"
"Retcon," Sans confirmed.
"Yeah! Frisk backstory retcon!" she joked. "It's weird but it's a little less lonely. Aw, Sans, bummer that you don't have it."
"Have it?" Gaster repeated.
"You're explainin'," Sans said.
"What? Why?" she asked.
"Grillby's gesturin' at me." He began to slide off the seat.
Frisk stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm waiting until you get back, you know!"
.
"Is this about when you two shared your souls?" Gaster asked gently.
"Oh, no way, I told you already?!" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
He tilted his head. "You said you shared memories as well. Does that mean all of them?"
"Yep! Except the ones with you, apparently," she said. "Jeez, I guess I did spill all the beans."
"God, that's… something else, Frisky," he said. "Sans has quite a few years on you, that couldn't have been easy."
"Nah. Easiest thing in the world," she said with a smile.
.
Gaster looked thoughtful. He rested his cheek on his fist. "I still can hardly believe it. But, I suppose you're the master of bending rules, aren't you? I think I recall you mentioned a dragon, as well?"
"Yeah! Bone dragon! That's what we were together. We looked super cool! Do you have any paper?"
"I do." He passed her the letter he had been trying to write, the words almost entirely crossed out.
She already had a pen, a red one.
"Y-You… kept that?" he asked.
"Kept what?" she asked.
"That pen."
She looked puzzled for a second. She looked at the pen and then back at him. She grinned. "Yeah! Always felt important after that. It was from somewhere weird, right? It was grey, but it changed."
"It was from outside of time," Gaster said.
"Oh! I get it," she said. "I… Hah. I get why you were so excited to see that, now. Do you want it back?"
"Absolutely not," he said quickly. "It's yours."
"Thanks!" she said brightly.
.
She scooted back onto the bench and sat on her knees. She started to draw what they were, oblivious to his obvious puzzlement, as Sans came back with their food.
"He basically already knew," Frisk said.
"Oh dang," Sans said. "You showin' him?"
She nodded. "We had three spikes, right?"
"Mhm, three spikes and two horns," he said.
"Right, right." She outlined the head: it was a little cartoonish, but it was mostly accurate. "And our left eye was just like yours!"
"Mhm. Bet if you knew how to glow then, we couldda done red in the right one," he said.
"Aw man that would've been so cool!" she said with a laugh. "Hey, if I ever explode again, grab me before a reset, we'll see if it works. Plus, we're both totally missing each other's Gaster memories now, so…"
"That's super morbid, kiddo," he said, and he sipped his milkshake and looked thoughtful. "Just don't do it on purpose."
Frisk grinned.
.
"That's fascinating," Gaster said, resting his cheek on his fist. "You'd… honestly be willing to do that a second time?"
"We know what to expect," Sans said with a shrug. "Plus. Kinda promised."
"And it is super cool," Frisk said. "But. Just with Sans."
"Really? Technically, it would be a possibility with anyone, wouldn't it? Since it's impossible for you to die under any normal circumstances," Gaster said curiously.
"Yeah. But the memory transfer thing is a big deal," she said. "I dunno if I'd want to intrude on someone else like that. I mean, me and Sans, we didn't know that was gonna happen the first time. And there's no way Sans wants anyone else in his memories ever, right, bro? Since I have 'em all."
"Mhm, exactly," he said.
"And then I also have some of Az and Chara's, and that's a whole other dumb mess," Frisk said. "Nobody else needs to deal with that junk."
.
She finished up her drawing and slid it over to the tall skeleton. Sans shot her a grin.
"Welp. You're a better artist than me," he said with a laugh.
"I think it doesn't look too bad!" she said proudly.
"Let me see." Gaster put his glasses back on. "Oh! Okay. That's… Really? You two were this?"
"Uh-huh!" Frisk said. She pulled out her phone to show the little dragon skull charm attached to it. "Like this, see?"
"Ah, I do." He peered closely at the drawing. "And these are wings? What's that in the membrane?"
"Space. Or. It looked like space," she said. "I'm not sure why. I guess it was just magic."
"Did they function?"
"Yup. Flew around the mountain," Sans said, drawing a circle in the air with a fry. "Saw the stars, got rained on; it was a blast."
"But… Frisky, you had no skin," Gaster said, "wasn't that weird for you?"
"It was, but it was okay, for Sans it was normal, so it was pretty normal for me, too," she said.
.
Gaster smiled and gently ruffled her hair. She seemed quite content with that. She scooted up to his ribs and he smiled fondly.
"So. You're gonna come live with us, right?" she said.
"W-Well, I—"
"Course he is," Sans said.
"We're gonna have to explain a lot to mom," Frisk said.
"Don't worry about that. I'll do it," Gaster said. "We… We're old friends. I'm sure I can figure it out. Honestly. The last thing I want to do is disrupt the family you've all made for yourselves."
"Disrupt? That's a weird way to put it," Frisk said with a laugh. "You belong with us. Right, Sans?"
"We're kinda a mishmash family anyway. It'll work out. We'll just make the house bigger."
Gaster's bones flushed. "If it's not much trouble…"
"Where else would you go?" the kid joked.
.
Gaster's cheekbones flushed a little and he tapped his fingertips together. "I'll be honest, this is still a little nerve-wracking for me."
"Oh jeez, hope I didn't make you too nervous!" Frisk said quickly, an apologetic tilt to her brows. "I was just super excited to see you weren't just goop."
"Oh. No, Frisky, I…" His voice snagged and he put a hand over his eyes. "Ah… I'm… I'm a wreck, I'm just a bloody wreck."
"Dad, it's okay," she assured him. "Take your time."
He put his face in both hands.
"Just keep breathin'," Sans suggested.
"Should I hold off on it?" Frisk asked him at a whisper. "I thought it would be just good to start the habit right away?"
"No, dude, you're totally right," he assured her. "He's just had a rough… everything."
"Yeah, I got that," she said, her smile sympathetic.
.
Gaster breathed out, long and heavy, and then rubbed his brows. He finally took a fry from his plate, and his magic lifted the lid off his milkshake and he dipped the fry before eating it. Frisk's face lit up and she grinned wide and pointed. Sans snickered.
"Who wouldda thought, right?" he said.
"Hm? Sorry, have I done something strange?" Gaster asked.
"Nope!" Frisk said brightly.