AN: Hey Guys! Long time No See! I hope everything is well! I know I said a lot of things in the previous fic that STILL hasn't happened yet, but I'd like to assure you that I've not given up on making those things a reality! Life . . . has a way of getting in the way of things, but that's no reason not to persevere, right~?

Anyway, this little project ended up being a fantastic little outlet for me and a lot of fun to write. It follows Corbel's life in a version of the story where he . . . um . . . ANYWAY! This fic takes place roughly around ten years after that event. If you have not read "The CORE of the Matter" yet, DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU'VE MADE IT TO AT LEAST CHAPTER 7!

Anyway, have fun!

Another Medium

Chapter 1

Final Preparations

"M-mom! Mom! Mom, it's okay. I think I can handle it from here."

"I know. I know, sweetie. Just let me get this last thing right here."

"Mom, please this is embarrassing! If she shows up now . . ."

"Then you will be the most handsome and the most presentable young monster she has ever seen."

"Mom . . ."

Nyala laughed as she straightened her son's bright orange bowtie after just having tied it for him. It wasn't quite right . . . so she undid the knot and started over.

Corbel let out a little bit of a groan, resigning himself to stand still just a bit longer while his mother helped him.

He tried not to let it bother him, but having lost a few fingers when he was a child, it was sometimes difficult to accomplish little things which required fine motor skills. Even when his father, renowned Royal Scientist Dr. W.D. Gaster (it was a mouthful and a little tiring to say the entire thing), fashioned him prosthetic fingers, Corbel found that they were troublesome to use and a bit awkward in the way that he couldn't get them to do exactly what he wanted them to . . . even with magic.

So, that sometimes came down to the boy begrudgingly asking his mom for help with things, securing buttons and snaps, untangling cords and headphones, folding summer prep applications, and even tying this damned tie!

"What I don't understand is why you aren't going to her to pick her up?" His mother sighed, continuing in her work, "Things sure have changed. When I was young, it was the gentleman's responsibility to escort his date through every aspect of the evening. He was never to leave her side and it was his job to make sure she got home safely."

"It's not a 'date,' Mom." Corbel corrected, We're just going to the dance together, that's all. And we're doing it this way because neither of us have dates. And it's more of a group thing anyway. We'll be meeting up with the Blooks there and we'll all be together. Besides, do you honestly think she needs anyone to escort her around?"

"You do have a point there, Son." Nyala giggled, pulling on the final end of the tie, making sure everything was symmetrical.

"There. We. Go!" She cheered, stepping away from her fifteen-year-old to look at the end result of his preparations.

"Perfect!" She mused, "You look wonderful! The spitting image of your father when he took me out for the first time!"

Corbel hummed at the thought, trying to let his slight irritation with the comment remain unseen, "Is that so? Interesting."

Nyala tilted her head in a way that made Corbel realize he'd been caught. "Corbel, honey?" She questioned softly, "Are you —"

There was a sharp, insistent, and relentless knocking at the door, sounding off like rapid gunfire. The boisterous call of "Hey! Gasters! Anyone home!?" Let the two inside know exactly who it was at the door.

"I should get that!" Corbel answered, dodging the unasked question and slipping away to greet their guest.

He pulled away from his mother's studying eyes and stepped out of the way to get to the door. As soon as he opened the door, a blue-scaled monster made for his neck, looking to throw an arm around him. Expertly, Corbel dodged the "attack" slipping under the arm and letting the momentum of the swing propel the monster inside the home. He entered after her and closed the door again behind him.

The new monster stumbled as she righted herself with a bright grin and a loud laugh as she nearly ran face-to-gut with Nyala. "Hey, Mrs. G!" She greeted, "It's been a while. How've you been?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Good to see you again, Undyne." Nyala smiled back, taking in the blue monster's outfit. Undyne was sporting a neatly tailored suit much like Corbel's with long coat tails and a long red neck tie. It matched the shoulder-length ponytail she wore almost perfectly. Contrasting with the rest of her outfit, she wore comfortable-looking canvas shoes for ease of movement. Nyala couldn't help but think again on how much had changed since she was a teenager. If she could have gotten away with wearing something so stylish at that time . . . She let her smile spread, "You look as if you're ready to have fun!"

"You know it!" Undyne cheered, pumping her fist into the air, "That party won't know what hit it! Heh, we should get going soon, though. You know how Metta gets when we're late."

With a quick turn on her toes, something she picked up in her ROTC class, no doubt, she spun to find Corbel with his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Sup, Puff!? Just as agile as ever, I see!" She scoffed, "You dodged me easily enough!"

Corbel shrugged, letting the tiniest smirk pull at the corner of his mouth, "Years of practice." He answered.

Undyne had been Corbel's best and closest friend since before either one of them started school. She'd been the only person to stay by his side even after Corbel had gotten sick and started falling apart right in front of her eyes. She'd always kept him smiling and looking on the brighter side of things even when it seemed like there was nothing to smile about anymore. She kept him going, pushing him even when he felt he was ready to give up.

She was the only person Corbel allowed to call him "Puffball" or any variant of the name. Where the other children had used it to make fun of him when he started showing signs of his sickness, Undyne had turned it into his encouragement. Using the name as motivation and as a drive to keep fighting to recover. From her and only her, Corbel found it to be a sense of solidarity.

"So, how'ya doin', Red?" Corbel greeted, using his own childhood nickname for her, "Looking good."

"Right back at you!" Undyne grinned widely. She swept bright red bangs out of her eyes and tucked them behind her ear fins. "Ready to hit it?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" He answered already reaching behind him for the doorknob once again.

"Wait! Wait!" Nyala interjected, "Let me get a picture of the two of you! My baby's first school dance! And of course your father will want to see!"

Corbel tried not to make his smile look too forced. The resulting "Tch . . ." was involuntary. "Do we really have to? We're late enough as it is."

"Aw, c'mon!" Undyne winked, "What's one picture? Besides everyone knows it's not a party until we get there anyway! Let your mom get a shot! It'll make her happy."

" . . . Fine."

"Haha! There you have it!" Undyne cheered, finally succeeding in throwing an arm around Corbel's shoulders. "C'mon, Mrs. G! Before this one changes his mind!"

Nyala was there in a moment flat, outfitted with her camera as if she'd had it ready and prepped in her pocket all night. She focused through the viewfinder and centered the photo, ready to snap.

Before she could, however, she couldn't help but notice the stark difference in energy between the two friends.

Where Undyne was energetic and seemed to be genuinely excited about the photo, there was something off with her son . . . something that seemed to be distracting him . . . irritating him. It was as if a switch had been flipped and made his mood instantly sour.

Corbel kept his gaze turned away and his smile seemed somewhat forced. She wished she knew more about what was going on in that skull of his. What was bothering her baby so much that it was getting in the way of him having fun with his friends?

"Over here, sweetie!" She called.

"C'mon, Puff!" Undyne joined in, "You gotta smile! It's for your mom's album!"

That seemed to do something, Corbel almost immediately fell out of his previous thought trail and smiled brightly at the camera with Undyne as if he'd only just noticed the device.

After the photos were taken, and every pose and angle had been tried, Nyala finally lowered her camera, thanking both of the teens for their patience while she tried to find the best way to preserve the moment.

"All right! All right!" Undyne called again, "That concludes today's impromptu photoshoot! Now, we really should get going before we miss the dance all together! Thanks for everything, Mrs. G! C'mon, Corbel!"

"Yeah."

"One last thing before you go!" Nyala called a final time, "Let's do a quick run-through of the checklist. Now, how are your cuffs? Fully charged?"

To appease his mother, Corbel stood forward, facing her as he pushed the sleeves of his shirt slightly up over his wrists. Around each of his wrists was a thick band secured tightly. Those bands were what allowed Corbel to control his prosthetic fingers using his magic. On their best days, Corbel barely even noticed they were there and he could use his hands normally. But he was still, understandably self-conscious about them, so he often kept them covered with long sleeves.

Corbel wiggled his fingers, showing his mother the full range of motion. "Check."

"And your inhaler?"

Corbel reached into his pocket, fishing the little tube from his pocket. That little tube saved him countless times when he had been suffering with coughing attacks and his bones began to crumble. He had been coughing up so much bone dust that it drew the attention of his peers. He had been nicknamed "Puffball" ever since then.

Now, whenever he had a coughing attack, that inhaler had been his salvation. It soothed him and cooled the fires in his throat and chest. It dampened his dry passages and fortified his brittle bones.

He held the little tube in his fingers, proving its presence, "Check."

Nyala nodded with a smile. "I know it's frustrating, having me ask all the time. But I just want you to have everything you need . . . if something were to happen and you didn't have your inhaler and I wasn't there . . . I don't even want to think about that . . ."

Corbel stilled for a moment, watching as his mom did her best not to let her latent emotion get the better of her.

"Hey, Mom." Corbel said softly. After a moment, he took her in his arms, wrapping himself around her in appreciation, "It's okay. I'm fine. I have my inhaler and my cuffs are working fine. I'm going with friends. We're gonna have fun and we're gonna dance. I'll tell you all about it when we get back, okay?"

Nyala, in turn, took her son in her arms, holding him tightly and securely. She nodded wordlessly, taking in several deep breaths. She couldn't help it. Every once in a while, she remembered a night or two when she was sure that Corbel's coughing was going to get the better of him. There were a few really close calls and she had been terrified that she was going to lose her son. She was constantly grateful that his inhaler was so helpful for him. She saw it as a sort of a lifeline for her baby and as long as he had it, at least a tiny part of her worry was lifted.

After another moment or two, she pulled away with a smile. "Goodness, look at me. I'm sorry! I'm supposed to send you off with more poise than this! Have fun, you two! Tell the Blooks I said hello!"

"Will do!" Undyne assured, "And don't worry, I'll keep an eye on this one too! I won't let him get too rowdy!"

"I'll be counting on you then, Undyne! Take care of my Corbel! And Corbel?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." Corbel answered with a hesitant but genuine smile and a slight nod. From there, he turned away from his mom to lead Undyne out of the house. He firmly shut the door behind him and headed off with his best friend to his first school dance.