Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Every night was the same. Gaster woke in a panic, grasping at air and struggling for breath. Violet light flickered in the dark room, pulsing through him with panicked speed. He was frozen, a shuddering arm extended and reaching for a hand that he would never catch. After many long moments, his magic slowed it's throbbing, stilling to a hum that echoed years of grief. Slowly he lowered his tense limb, sucking in air to calm himself until the magic light dimmed. Haunting darkness took over.

Gaster slid his legs up until his knees touched his chest, holding them in place with wrapped arms. The action was a childish instinct, and he convinced himself he wasn't yet lucid enough to control or be embarrassed by it.

The nightmare began to fade away, and he almost panicked again. He reluctantly tried to cling to the images, registering them to memory. However unpleasant, Gaster wanted to remember. It was all he had left of his son.

He went over every detail, recalling the boy's hands reaching out for him, his small body as it was pulled away, and his face. His child's persisting smile turned to a terrified grimace as darkness overtook him, the light of his soul disappearing like a candle’s flame that had been snuffed out.

The core had been their greatest project together. It powered the whole of the underground, making life for monsters more bearable, happier. But there was so much power. They worked tirelessly to keep it stable, doing test after test to find some permanent way to contain the raw energy within. Both of them were affected by it for how closely and often they worked, the properties of their magic changing together. It was as worrying as it was intriguing. If the core could manipulate their magic, then maybe they could use it to manipulate the barrier trapping them.

They should not have kept going...

The Core held immense power they did not understand. Could not understand, Gaster realized, far too late. The magic within it had the potential to affect far more than they expected. Instead of destroying the barrier, the seemed to connect to it, and then turn on them. It reacted violently. Fearing all would be lost, the scientists did everything in their power to stop the inevitable. They had feared for the lives of every monster, and in the end, only they were ever affected. His small team was taken...and so was Sans.

Gaster stretched out again with a miserable sigh. He clenched his fingers, grabbing up blankets in between them.

There was no dust left of them. Nothing to show their families or his other child. They were all simply gone. Sans was gone.

Time passed, and other things disappeared. Old pictures, his books and clothes. At first Gaster thought Papyrus was taking and hiding them. When he questioned his youngest son he was met with a more terrifying revelation.

“Who's Sans?” The boy had asked. “Isn't that someone you work with?”

Gaster felt he had lost all hope when everything belonging to Sans vanished from their home. Before long he realized the same was happening at the homes of the other scientists that disappeared into the Core. Their families had no memories of them.

Papyrus, who was so close to his brother before, struggled with diminishing memories of his brother. Gaster returned to their lab again in despair.

He found renewed hope there. Everything of his son's was still there. Files, notes, even the leftovers of a lunch they'd shared still remained. Sans's favorite blue jacket still hung from a hook on the wall. Everything that was still close to the core. The scientist, after much deliberation, decided to bring Papyrus to the lab. He was scared it wouldn't be safe, but he had a theory to test. Gaster was careful, unwilling to lose a second son. Though Papyrus’s memories didn't return, what he had left over was strengthened upon entering the lab. He remembered his brother, and clung to every bit of him he could.

After that, Papyrus’s memory fluctuated. He never seemed to completely forget, but some days he seemed to more than others. It unsettled them both, but Papyrus at least could be soothed by stories and memories Gaster shared with him. Both skeletons were too scared to take anything away from the lab, lest the few remaining items disappear. Time went on. They were the only ones who knew of and remembered Sans. Gaster frequently dreamt of the day they'd lost him…

A sharp knock at his door startled him out of his thoughts, making him jump.

“Dad? Are you awake?”

Gaster sighed again, a short breath of relief. “Yes Papyrus, come in.”

The door creaked open, and the boy stepped in. He was hunched over a little, clearly tired, but he flashed a shaky smile. Gaster made an attempt to return it.

“Did I wake you?” he asked. Papyrus shook his head.

“I did not sleep very much. I thought I would leave early for my patrol.”

Papyrus was already dressed to leave. Checking the time, Gaster realized there was perhaps another hour or so before they both normally woke up. He swung his legs over the side of his bed. “I suppose I may as well stay up myself,” he said quietly.

His son nodded, understanding. “I made breakfast already. There uh...might be a little extra.”

Gaster waved a hand, a true and knowing smile lighting up his features. “I'll take it to the lab with me,” he suggested. “Alphys could do with something other than instant noodles for once.”

Papyrus brightened, standing up straight. His full height was now very near that of Gaster's own, and for a moment, the father marveled at the time that had passed to allow such growth. Looking at his son, he felt truly grateful to have him still.

Gaster stood up slowly, headed to his closet. “Do you have err, training with Undyne today?”

“Yes!” Papyrus grinned widely. “The Great Papyrus must keep on his toes after all!”

The father chuckled warmly. He continued to get ready, listening to the younger skeleton chatter about his plans and excitement over becoming one of the Royal Guard, the stress from his nightmare fading away.

Papyrus was what kept him going through the nightmares. When Gaster thought he had lost all hope, his youngest son reminded him of what he had yet. The boy also quieted perhaps his greatest fear...

“Dad? B-brother would have been proud of me right?”

Gaster closed the door behind them, taking his time with the lock. It was still and quiet outside, being so early yet. Snowdin had not been his ideal choice for new home, but the small town was peaceful, and easily grew on him over the years.

In the stillness, the click of the lock sliding into place seemed to echo a bit louder than normal, and Gaster took a moment before facing his son. He had no doubt in his answer, but somehow it was still difficult to say.

“He would be, “ He said, forcing feeling into his voice. “Sans would be so proud of you.”

Papyrus did indeed remember Sans, but their relationship was something he still asked his father about. Sans had always doted on his younger brother, doing everything in hopes to keep him happy and healthy. Gaster was certain that Sans held no one else in a higher light than Papyrus .

“Sans loved you,” he made sure to catch his son’s eye.

Papyrus nodded, his smile only revealing a hint of sadness. “He loved me,” he repeated. “Right.”

Gaster put a hand on the younger skeleton's shoulder, squeezing it. The gesture offered comfort, and acted as an invitation that Papyrus often accepted. The boy stepped in, wrapping his arms around Gaster in a quick and meaningful hug, then they went their separate ways.

While he enjoyed the peacefulness of the town, Gaster still didn’t care for the biting cold wind that blew through on occasion. Still, he was content to walk slower than normal this morning on his way to where the River Person docked. They were already there waiting. Gaster assumed normally that he was their first passenger most days. He never seemed to have to wait on the mysterious monster. He climbed onto the ferry, simply nodding to it’s owner, a signal his destination was the same as always.

He rarely paid attention to the passing sights on these trips, and this time was no different. Gaster’s mind had settled back into gloom, the sing-song of the River Person tuned out. He thought again on his dream, straining to remember the earlier images, where Sans was still whole, and terror didn’t yet show on his face.

What he was able to recall anymore was blurred and incomplete. While he had allowed the dream to slip from his mind for a short while, it had gone too far. To forget completely, he felt, would be a betrayal to his eldest son. He stamped out whatever tiny relief he had from the nightmare receding to a fuzzy picture.

When the ferry stopped, Gaster walked a bit faster to the lab, stressed and eager to dive into any work to keep his buzzing mind distracted.

After the core incident, Gaster worked alone for some time. He searched for anyway he could think of to try and return Sans and his old team to this world. Numerous machines were built and countless tests run to find some hope that he could bring them back. Little progress was made, and after several years yielding no results, Gaster pushed aside his blueprints and notes. Feeling as if he were turning his back on those that disappeared, but unable to cope an longer with the false hope, he concluded his team and his son were gone for good.

He couldn’t get rid of all the work he’d done though. It was tucked away in the lab, safe, and accessible.

He turned his focus to other things to help monsters in the underground, working alone until Alphys impressed with her mechanical prowess, and understanding of soul energy and magic. The king strongly suggested Gaster take her under his wing and he did. It was an awkward arrangement at first, but Alphys proved herself, and soon enough Gaster became pleased with the company, despite her tendency to over-talk.

The lizard girl practically moved into the lab itself for how much she was there. She had a sleep schedule that even after their now several years of working together, Gaster still hadn’t found any pattern in. But try as he might to instill a more healthy regime (and diet) for her, Alphys kept to her own habits.

Gaster entered the building, still moving briskly, keen on settling himself into the first of many waiting projects that met his eye. Not surprisingly, Alphys was standing in the main lab area when he walked in. He muttered a good morning and dropped the bundle of food from Papyrus on the table behind her in the center of the room. He went straight to his own desk and lifted a stack of notes he’d left from the night before, all the while mentally preparing himself for a wordy synopsis of whatever show his coworker had watched while he was gone.

But Alphys had not moved. After too long a silence, Gaster slowly looked away from his papers. Alphys was staring, transfixed, at the large monitor against the wall. It was an old security system from before the incident that linked to several cameras around the underground to be on lookout for humans that fell. Alphys had made it her own project to fix up the outdated system. She added in an alarm system that activated the cameras automatically when someone was nearby, alerting them at the same time. It was more efficient, saving power, time and stress. Her efforts with the system was impressive, to say the least. The older scientist had held no patience for it.

Gaster watched her. Her eyes moved swiftly across the screen and every once in a while she would look down to enter a command into the computer then dart her eyes back up, looking panicked. The cameras were on.

“Dr. Alphys?” he called. She jumped.

“D-Dr. Gaster!” she squeaked, turning slightly to look at him. She was unwilling to turn her attention completely away from the screen however, her eyes darting back and forth between him and it. “I’m s-s-sorry! I d-didn’t hear you c-come in!”

“It’s quite alright,” Gaster assured. He gestured at the screen. “Has something happened?”

“Oh, y-yes!” Alphys squeaked again. “I was uh, l-looking into some of our old notes on that anomaly we were looking into last night. J-just to see if I could get any new ideas s-since we haven’t been able to detect anything new in a l-long time. T-then after reading those for hours I wondered about our old theory that maybe it was someone in particular causing the strange j-jumps? S-so I turned on the cameras and s-started flipping through the channels to see if I could find anything out of the ordinary. A-and w-well…”

She turned fully to the screen again, and typed in a command to change the camera feed. Gaster stepped closer to see. Someone was moving across the screen, but he couldn’t quite make out who. He could tell this feed was from Snowdin however, or just outside of the small town he’d just come from.

“What is this Alphys?” he asked, squinting at the screen. His eyes, unfortunately, were not as good as they once were.

“Shortly after I t-turned the cameras on, the alarm I set up went off. It took me a bit to f-find the right camera they set off b-but...I’ve seen them on n-numerous feeds now,” Alphys shook, staring at the screen anxiously. “They m-must have fallen late last night or this m-morning, but they only j-just exited the Ruins,” she swallowed, wringing her hands. “It...it’s a human.”

The papers dropped from Gaster’s hands, hitting the floor as a pack before scattering across the floor and his feet. In shock, he gaped at the screen with her. As they watched, he recognized where they were at. It made sense, all the humans before had fallen in the Ruins. There was only one direction from there. The human, only a child it seemed, was walking down the path towards Snowdin from the old ruins. He knew he needed to raise the alarm and send the royal guard after the human, but something else had him frozen in place, watching as the child stopped in their path.

Standing ahead of them, blocking the way, was Papyrus.

Chapter Text

Gaster could not think of a time when the days went by so slowly.  When he bothered to check, it seemed only minutes had passed when it had felt like hours.  At some point he realized full days could have gone by and he simply hadn’t noticed.  He could not bring himself to care enough to find out.  For himself, moving felt like he was trudging through thick sludge.  The effort was too much, and so eventually, he wasn’t sure after how long, he just stopped.

No one remembered.  No one even realized something had gone wrong in his labs.  Only days ago, five brilliant monsters disappeared.  Sans had disappeared, and not a soul recalled who they were.  When Gaster realized it he was lost.  He could not return to the lab, he could hardly leave his own room.

Papyrus still brought food to him.  Simple meals he could put together without the need of their tiny stove, which he knew not to use on his own.  The boy would sit on the floor and chatter away, not asking questions or prodding him.  He only sat and talked, and Gaster let him, but he didn’t quite hear.  Papyrus didn’t know his own brother, and the daily updates from his youngest son only made his heart ache worse for the loss.

Day by day Papyrus would come in, his monologues shortening each time, until he was simply delivering a plate and leaving again.  He was too young to understand, how could Gaster explain what had happened?  Who would even believe it?

The scientist wracked his brain for anything, some idea for how he could get them back.  The desk in his room became littered with scribbled on papers, empty ink wells and broken and dried out pencils and pens.  Sans had always told him he could get carried away before.  It was an old madness he allowed to overcome him as he was shutting everything else out.

Yet despite the endless ideas, figures and calculations, nothing came to close.  No theory followed through and no plan could be realized.  The determination he had fell into despair again, and weariness took over.  After the second day without accepting one of his meals, Papyrus began to sit with him again.  He asked only once what was wrong.

“The world is dark,” was his reply.  After that, Papyrus remained quiet.

At some point the boy had mentioned that the light never showed in his working eye anymore.  He should eat, he should go out, he should do something.

“Can you speak?”  young Papyrus had asked once, voice hardly above a whisper.  “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Gaster replied.  “It was all me.”

He didn’t speak again, instead drifting into the blankness of sleep.  Even there he received no solace from his anguish.  When he woke again, Papyrus wasn’t there, and he didn’t return.

Sans had been a watchful big brother.  Gaster had not been neglectful to either of them, but when he was busy with work, Sans took on much of the responsibility of taking care of the youngest.  Papyrus usually trailed after him, wanting to play, work on puzzles or be read to.  Sans never disappointed.  The brothers were extremely close, but Gaster still knew how Papyrus was.  When his youngest son didn’t come back that evening, urging him to eat, the adult took notice.

Maybe he’s lost track of the time.  It would be a first, but not unheard of.  Perhaps they’d even run out of food by now?  But surely Papyrus would have said something about it if they had.  Had he?

How much time had even passed?  Did Papyrus know where to go for more supplies?  Did he even know where their gold was?  Gaster struggled to sit up.  He should check.  His body shook at the effort.  When was the last time he’d eaten?

His voice cracked, barely forming his son’s name.  There was no answer.

Maybe Papyrus had given up on him?  Pitiful as he felt, he almost didn’t doubt it.  Except Papyrus didn’t give up.  Not like his father.  Gaster curled in on himself, trembling, weak, and anguished.  If Papyrus remembered anything, would he give up like he had?

Not if Gaster were still there.

The scientist weakly gripped the edge of his mattress, pulling himself forward.  Legs inched over the side of the bed, but he couldn’t lift his body up.  Blackness edged his vision, and he couldn’t tell how far he had moved until he fell off the mattress onto the floor.  Jarred, Gaster lay still, gasping.  For how long had he been in this state?  A shaking hand lifted and he held it before his working eye.  His vision was tunneled and blurry, but he struggled still, determined.  He still had a son to care for.  Slowly, the hand fell, and before everything blackened completely he thought he heard a knock.

Papyrus had only visited his father’s lab once.  The reason why escaped him, but he remembered being excited about seeing the work space.  It was important to his dad and…someone else.  It was important to everyone, he’d been told.  Dad was the royal scientist.  He was working on ways to help monsters.

“He’s the hope of all of monster-kind!” he’d heard before.  He wasn’t sure who had told him.

Something happened though.  His father hadn’t gone to his lab for a long time, and had even stopped working on anything at home.  Papyrus had seen some of the papers in his room, but he didn’t understand most of it, the notes seeming nonsensical to him.  He couldn’t think of what had bothered Dad so much.  He wasn’t hurt, but he wouldn’t move, and Papyrus could no longer get him to eat either.  Fearfully, the boy decided he needed to find help.  He managed to find some gold in their home, and brought some fresh food home, something that didn’t require much effort to prepare, and  left it out and ready for Gaster if he left his room.  Then the young skeleton went out alone, hoping he correctly recalled the way to the lab.

He couldn’t remember the names of anyone his dad worked with, but didn’t think about it for too long.  Someone should be there, someone who knew his dad and would help.  He was sure of it.

Their home sat just outside of the Capital, in Hotland.  Anywhere the young skeleton normally went was usually towards the more crowded streets of the city.  The schools, markets, and shops were all situated in the Capital.  Papyrus followed the quieter path away from the city.  On a few occasions he had traveled this way with his father for a trip to another part of the underground.  Sometimes they took a riverboat, and he was sure the lab was close by where it docked.

He walked slowly, feeling guilty.  He was old enough to go out on his own if he wasn’t going far, but Hotland wasn’t as safe as the Capital, and Dad didn’t like him wandering the narrow paths alone.  Papyrus stayed attentive as he went.  For many days now he’d done a lot of things on his own.  He didn’t mind it really, he wanted to help.  Dad was upset about something, if he could make it easier at all, he would.  The older skeleton had said Papyrus wasn’t the cause of his sudden depressive state, but the boy couldn’t understand what had happened.

Something certainly felt strange, like something was missing.  Maybe someone had upset his dad, or maybe an experiment had gone wrong?  Whatever it was, Papyrus felt like he should know about it.  Somehow he felt like the only ones who could help would be found in the lab, as well as the answer to what caused the change in his father.

The farther he walked, the hotter it felt, and he became very glad he didn’t have to travel this far regularly.  How did Dad manage it all the time?  Still he kept going, only slightly disappointed that the puzzles along the way had been deactivated.  They would have slowed him down anyway.  He wished the conveyor belts had been shut down as well.  Grateful as he was for the time that was shaved off of his journey, the quick movement made him feel ill, and he moved a bit slower afterwards until he saw the large white building ahead.

Relief washed away the sick feeling, and he broke into a run, eager to get out of the heat.  The image of his father lying in bed as if he’d lost all hope drove him even faster, until he was feet from the large doorway.  Papyrus swallowed, worry having built up inside him again as he stood staring at the entrance.  Someone here would help right?  Even if something bad happened, the people who worked here would want to make sure his dad was ok.  They were all working to save everyone…

Unsure, he knocked on the door first.  When no answer came, he knocked again, and pressed his skull to the metal, listening.  There was no sound.  A minute passed before he hesitantly tried the door.  It gave, and he entered cautiously.  The room was dark and quiet; only a muffled whirring sound came from far away.  He ran a hand along the closest wall, hoping to find some switch to light the area.  He felt none, and continued forward, keeping his hand on the wall as he went.

“Hello?”  he called out.  Only the whirring answered.  As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed the glow of white light coming from a distant doorway.  Refusing the thought of turning back, Papyrus quickened his pace slightly, clenching his teeth hard in anticipation.  His hand fell off the wall onto the door and it pushed open easily, opening to a hallway.  The soft light made it so he could see the faint outlines of just a couple doors on either side, before the floor gave way to stairs leading down to some lower floors.  The young skeleton inched his way about halfway down the short hall, glancing around with wide eye sockets.  The light had no source that he could see.  The area was simply illuminated, and the longer he stood there, the more unsettled Papyrus became.  He shifted his weight anxiously, trying to decide between exploring further or checking the rooms behind the doors.  The thought to turn back popped up again, making his soul thrum with nervous energy, but he pushed it away again.  Steeling himself, he reached out to the first door on his left, then froze.  A crackling sound echoed around him, originating from below.  It was haunting, like a whisper, but full of energy.  Papyrus jumped at it, and barely restrained a yelp of fear.  Hand still hovering in the air, he stared at the top of the stairs, expecting someone to appear there, anything to explain the sound.  Nothing changed, and without quite realizing, he took several steps forward, peering down the steps.

The crackling sounded again, not as loudly, beckoning him.  Whether out of curiosity or some other force, he wasn’t sure, but the boy moved, slowly following the stairs down, around, and down again, until he faced a longer hall, lit the same as the one above, and lined with more doors on either side.

Nameplates hung beside each door, labeling them, but Papyrus ignored them, continuing his trek as if on autopilot.

There was one open door; the last on the right.  Papyrus stopped just before reaching it, leaning forward to poke his head inside.

“pap, what are you doing here buddy?”  laughed a voice.  “did the sitter bring you by?”

“I wanted to surprise you…” Papyrus said quietly, unconsciously.

The small room was dimly lit with the same eerie glow that filled the halls.  Cluttered counters lined walls that weren’t covered with tall bookshelves.  Papers, both crumbled and lying in neat piles made up most of the mess, but tools and supplies of various uses also lay around in no discernible order.  A wheeled chair lay knocked over near the center of the room, and another stood upright in front of one of the overfull bookshelves.  To one side of the doorway was a line of coat hooks.  Hanging on it was the familiar white lab coat belonging to his father, and just next to it a hooded jacket.  No one was inside.

The skeleton made no move to go any further into the room, instead he backed away from the doorway, feeling suddenly wary of the place.  Apprehension fell over him, making his soul flutter in his ribcage.  Again the crackling sound echoed around him, and he spun, fearfully looking for what had caused it.

“HELLO?” he called, louder and more shaky than he’d wanted.  “IS ANYONE HERE?”

Papyrus pulled his arms close to his chest, eyes darting around, waiting for an answer.  None came.  Shaking, he sunk down to the floor.  Papyrus called for help.

But nobody…

“papyrus…”

It was not very often that Papyrus met new monsters.  Not that he already knew everyone in the underground, though he wouldn’t mind it.  He rarely went farther than Waterfall where he met with Undyne, and not many new monsters traveled as far as Snowdin from Hotland or New Home.  Never had he seen a traveler come from the ruins before.  He didn’t know of any monsters that lived behind the large door, and the only reason he went this far was to check for fallen humans that managed to get through.  Humans were the only ones that came from the ruins.

He’d never seen a human before.  Papyrus did vaguely understand what they were supposed to look like, but he was sure they were not supposed to be this small.  The person standing before him barely went above his knee in height.  They stared up at him, mouth hung open slightly and hugging their own thin frame against a gust of wind that blew passed.  Their puffy striped sweater the only defense against the chill.

The tall skeleton stared back at them, trying to decide what to do next.  If it was in fact a human, he was meant to capture them and deliver them to Undyne, but as he watched the small person shiver, his instincts told him to take them home instead, and make sure they got warmed up.

“Excuse me!” he called, making sure his voice carried as they were still at some distance.  “Are you a human?”

The creature stood still for a moment, only slightly tilting their head to the side as they watched him.  They seemed to come to a decision finally, nodding to him with a small smile.

“I see…” he called.  A human, a REAL human.  Excitement billowed up within him as the information sunk in.  With a human, he could finally join the Royal Guard.  He would get the respect and recognition he’d been working towards.  His dreams could be realized!

He chuckled to himself, his signature “Nyeh!” growing louder until he could not contain it any longer.  His legs spread into a practiced pose, his hand lifting to point at the child who took a small step back, looking bemused.

“HUMAN!” he said powerfully.  “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR YOUR ARRIVAL!  WITH YOU CAPTURED, I WILL JOIN THE ESTEEMED RANKS OF THE ROYAL GUARD AND FINALLY MY POTENTIAL WILL BE REALIZED!  PREPARE YOURSELF HUMAN!  FOR BEYOND THIS POINTS AWAITS FOR YOU MANY PERILS OF MY CREATION!  PUZZLES!  JAPES!  NYEHEH!  I EXPECT YOU WILL BE A WORTHY OPPONENT, BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU!”

His speech complete, Papyrus turned and dashed to his closest puzzle trap, leaving the confused human behind.  Once out of their sight, and nearing his first trap, he slowed, feeling his bones rattle with anticipation.  Today would be the day he would show everyone just how great he was.

Papyrus was getting frustrated.  The human was easily making it passed his puzzles. Rather than getting stuck, they seemed very determined, and also like they were having fun.  This delighted the skeleton. He had no idea his puzzles could bring such joy!  But one puzzle was malfunctioning.

“PLEASE BE PATIENT HUMAN!” he called to where they were standing in the middle of the tiled platform.  “THE MACHINE SEEMS TO BE BROKEN.  I WILL ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THIS SO WE CAN CONTINUE!”

The human just nodded, flashing him a little smile, before looking down anxiously at the tiles around them.

Papyrus glared at the machine that controlled the platform.  It was meant to randomly generate a path with different obstacles for the human to make it through.  When he turned it on however, the entire platform turned pink, allowing the human to move freely.  This alone was annoying, as there simply was no challenge for the human, but then it changed.  The human stepped tentatively across the platform, and when they were halfway across, the tiles around the one they stood on turned red, preventing them from moving another inch in any direction.  They were trapped.

Well it wasn’t a terrible turn of events, Papyrus needed to capture them after all.  However the skeleton wondered if the machine would change again on it’s own.  If it did, it could be very dangerous.  The idea was all too worrying.

He grumbled to himself, unsure what to do.  Doctor Alphys had created this machine, what could he do to stop it?  Looking over the panel of buttons he almost slapped himself.  Of course!  There was a power switch.  He quickly flipped it, grinning proudly.

A long beep sounded, and behind him the human let out a distressed yelp.  Papyrus spun around to look at them.

Instead of turning blank, the floor had changed again.  Around them, the tiles remained red, but the tile under the human had shifted to blue, then turned to water.  They dropped, the water coming up to their waist.  In another instant, the outermost tiles all turned yellow.  Electricity.

A bead of sweat appeared on his skull as he watched the human hug themselves, nervously eyeing the line of yellow that crackled around them.  Another long beep made them both jump, and the circle of yellow closed in by one.  The human stared at him, fear clear on their face.  Papyrus whined in panic and turned away again.

“Stupid machine!” he muttered, tugging at the panel of buttons.  It didn’t budge, and Papyrus’s mind raced with the sound of crackling energy behind him.  He stared at the machine, frantically looking for some wire to disconnect or weakness he could take advantage of.  There was nothing.

He spun around again at yet another long tone, and now only the circle of red separated the human from the electric tiles.  If the red turned to yellow, it would electrify the water they trembled in.  He clicked his teeth together, making a decision.

He summoned a bone attack, lining up several femurs in the air parallel to each other and feet apart.  They lined up over the sparking platform, the last one hovering over the human.  He stepped up onto the first, sure of their steadiness, and bounded up, using each bone as a step.

“HUMAN!” he called when he was over them.  He reached down carefully, keeping his balance.  “TAKE MY HAND.”

The human hesitated for a moment, glancing around them, but then reached up and grabbed the skeleton’s gloved hand.  Instantly, Papyrus pulled them up into his arms and, using the bones again, quickly stepped back to his place in front of the machine.

Gingerly, Papyrus set the sopping wet child on the ground.  Shaking, they sunk down onto their knees in the snow.  The skeleton looked back at the platform to see the red tiles surrounding the blue turn to yellow with the final beep.  Sharp crackling rang out as sparks shot over the water.  He looked away with a wince and a sigh.  That would not have been pretty.  Papyrus crouched down to the human and reached out to touch their shoulder.  They flinched and looked up at him.

“I am sorry about all that human,” he said, gazing at the ground guiltily.  “I do not wish to hurt someone like you, who obviously cares so much for great puzzles, in such a way…”

Despite everything, the child managed a reassuring smile up at him, and he couldn’t help but return it.

“WELL HUMAN!” he proclaimed, straightening up again.  “I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS MISADVENTURE TO RUIN OUR PROGRESS!”

The skeleton smiled down at the child, reaching out a gloved hand.  “But,” he said.  “Perhaps we could take a little break before we continue?”

The human pulled themselves back up to their feet and, still smiling, clutched his offered hand.  Papyrus gently pulled them forward, leading them along the path.  “NOT FOR MY SAKE OF COURSE,” He continued grandly.  “THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS SUCH SUPERIOR ENDURANCE, HE NEVER NEEDS TO TAKE BREAKS!  BUT YOUR CLOTHES ARE ALL WET, AND I DOUBT IT IS VERY COMFORTABLE.  IF I AM TO CAPTURE YOU, THEN YOU OUGHT TO BE COMFORTABLE AND READY FOR IT!  I WOULD NOT STOOP SO LOW AS TO FORCE YOU TO ATTEMPT TO BEAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS UNPREPARED!  I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS!”

The child followed along, listening to every word and shivering all the while.  They soon entered Snowdin Town, and as they passed the first building, Papyrus picked up his pace, moving briskly until his home was in sight.  The human trotted along to keep up with him until he stopped.

“This is my home,” he said, looking down at them with a welcoming grin.  “You can come in and dry off alright?”

The child nodded, and was once again gently pulled forward through the door.

Chapter Text

Once across the threshold, Papyrus heard a familiar hum of magic. Before he could react, the human was suddenly roughly pulled away from him and to one side of the front room. A violet floating hand grasped the wet fabric of their sweater. In the same moment, the door slammed shut. He yelped in alarm, but quickly recovered, moving to reach for the human again until a shallow wall of bones popped up from the carpet, blocking his way.

A tiny gasp came from the other side of the barrier and a soft red light started to glow from behind the human’s shirt. Their soul summoned, it drew away from them, coming to a stop just before their terrified face. The disembodied hand still held them fast, pinning them against the wall.

“Uh…D-Dad?” Papyrus called. He shuffled his feet in effort to find a path through the wall of bones “That’s-”

“Stay back Papyrus!” Gaster ordered. The light in his working socket was a bright pinprick focused on the human with uncertainty and fascination. In wonder, he lifted an arm, reaching out to their soul. His hand halted inches away, and the child let out tiny whimper.

“DAD!” Papyrus called again. “THERE’S REALLY NO REASON TO HOLD THEM UP LIKE THAT! OR FOR ALL OF THIS…”

He waved a hand at the line of bones blocking his way. Arm dropping, Gaster slowly turned to look at him. His mouth was turned into a grimace as he spoke, trying to hide the worry in his tone.

“Papyrus, you know this is a human right?”

“OF COURSE I DO! I HAVE BEEN TESTING THEM WITH MY PUZZLES ALL MORNING!”

Light confusion spread over Gaster’s face. “Then why did you bring them here? I thought you set up the shed to house captured humans until guard captain arrived.”

The younger skeleton looked down, uncomfortable. “Well, I haven’t actually captured them yet…One of the puzzles malfunctioned,” Papyrus crossed his arms, shaking his head. “It almost killed them! So I brought them here to recover before we continued.”

His father looked at him almost dumbfounded.

“Papyrus,” he said. “We can’t just…bring humans into our home. You know this! They must be taken to Asgore.”

“Ah..but…” Papyrus tried to think of an argument, his gaze shifting guiltily between the human and his father. “Th-they seem very friendly. Could we perhaps help them?”

Gaster stepped closer to the human until he was looming over them. The child stared up at him with a look both fearful and curious. Sighing, he lowered the bone wall so Papyrus could step closer, but keeping a hold on the human with his magic. Papyrus gave him a grateful smile then knelt down next to the child.

“Are you okay Human?” he asked. They nodded, shivering a little. Slowly the violet hands dissipated, and the red soul trailed back to their chest, fading away.

“How did you know I was with the human anyway?” Papyrus asked, helping them up.

“Dr. Alphys has many cameras set up to detect any human presence. When I arrived at the lab I saw you not far from the ruins,” Gaster kept his gaze on the newcomer. “I came back immediately.”

“Alphys certainly does do a lot!” Papyrus said, a hint of annoyance slipping into his tone. When Gaster looked at him questioningly, his shoulders fell a little. “It was the machine she made that caused a puzzle to change, very nearly doing much more than the intended damage to the human!”

He stood up again, crossing his arms. “I don’t think I want to try that one again, not until she has a chance to look it over and figure out the problem!”

The corners of Gaster’s mouth went up a little at his son’s declaration, but settled again as Papyrus reached down to take the human child’s hand again.

“Come Human!” he said. “After all that you surely need rest now! I think we have some dry clothes that will fit you until your’s become less…drippy.”

He led them away from the corner of the living room and towards the stairs before hesitating.

“Um…please go ahead up Human!” he said, pushing them forward. “You can wait in my room, I’ll be right behind you!”

Smiling pleasantly, the human did as directed, going up and straight to Papyrus’s door. Once they disappeared inside, the boy turned to Gaster. “Dad, you still have some of my old clothes right? The human is much to small to fit into what I have now!”

Gaster held back a cringe. “Son,” he started. “We should not keep the child here for long. They’ve already gone through all of your puzzles-”

“Oh, the human is very good at puzzles!” Papyrus said delightedly. “I will have to come up with more challenging ones to keep them busy!”

“There’s really no need now,” sighed Gaster. “They’re here. Captured. We’ll just call the captain and keep an eye on them until she gets here. They have to be taken to King Asgore”

Papyrus’s face fell. “R-right…” he glanced around. “But do we really need to? I…they’re really quite nice. The king would not want to take the soul of a good person right? They could stay here in Snowdin instead…”

The scientist took a moment, clearly searching for something to say to convince his son what a terrible idea that was. “Don’t you want to join the Royal Guard Papyrus?” he asked. “You have to capture a human to do that right? Captain Undyne won’t like if you just kept them here instead.”

Feeling unsure, Papyrus . “I do want to join the guard, but…”

Moving closer, Gaster lowered his voice. “Son, humans are dangerous. This one may seem nice now, but they could change at any moment. We need…It’s better if we just deliver them to the captain and let the king handle it from here.”

Defeated, Papyrus nodded. Gaster gave a sigh of relief, but placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Never one to be down for very long, Papyrus glanced at him hopefully.

“Perhaps we can deliver them to the king ourselves? I could take them.”

Even the cracked brow over Gaster’s broken eye furrowed a little. “Absolutely not!”

“W-what if we just take them to Undyne’s then? She doesn’t like coming to Snowdin after all, it’s too cold for her. Then…then she can take them the rest of the way.”

Fingers curled in slightly in frustration, but Papyrus gave him a look that he knew could not be denied. After a long moment, his father nodded, and Papyrus grinned once more triumphantly. “I still would like them to dry off before we go anywhere,” he said. “Do you-?”

“There’s a box in my closet,” Gaster sighed. “Some of your old clothes should fit them well enough.”

Grin still plastered across his face, Papyrus bounded up the stairs, chuckling at his victory. Gaster shook his head behind him.

No matter how kind Papyrus thought the human was, they were still dangerous to all monsters. The child sat comfortably on the couch, a blanket covering their lap and sipping at whatever warm drink Papyrus had made for them. Even the smallest outfit his son had found was too big for them, and hung on their small frame. They seemed pleased all the same, and giggled when they stumbled over the excess fabric earlier. Papyrus himself was in the kitchen, working on drying the child’s own clothes, hurried at the idea that the borrowed outfit was also a danger to them.

Gaster watched the human from the little table in the same room, occasionally sifting through some papers from the lab but not seeing them. Whenever the child caught his eye, they acknowledged him fully. Sometimes with a small smile that he could not return. Altogether they seemed unsure around him, but they were determined. The red of their soul had made it clear when he had examined it, but Gaster could recognize the strong trait even through their expression. It was unsettling.

Yet, for a brief, enthralling moment, his own soul had thrummed with nervous excitement at the sight of the child’s soul. Such concentrated Determination had not been found in the Underground for many many years. It was a dangerous temptation he’d had little access to for a very long time. Somewhere in his labs, hidden away but not forgotten, was all the research on Determination. Experiments and notes, samples and theories, everything he could find all tucked into a couple of boxes. He had sworn long ago he wouldn’t touch them again, yet he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of the work. It was another connection to Him.

Letting out a breath of air, Gaster attempted to focus on the work before him. Tapping his pencil, he skimmed over the page again.

“What are you doing?” Gaster looked up at the human, who had set their cup aside and scoot themselves along the couch. They knelt into the cushion, leaning over the arm to peek at his work, which he automatically pulled a few inches away.

“Work,” he replied shortly. The child blinked and he sighed. “A report to send to the king.”

“Are you going to tell him about me?”

“There are far more efficient ways to let him know a human has fallen, but if he doesn’t already, he will hear about you soon enough without me telling him,” Casting a last long look at the child’s curious face, Gaster poured over the page again. “This is simply a record of my work to keep the king informed.”

“What’s your work like?”

“Busy.”

“You’re the Royal Scientist right?” Again, Gaster stopped to stare at the child. This time they did not meet his gaze. They continued sheepishly. “Another monster told me about you.”

He wasn’t surprised. Most anyone under direct employ of the king was well known throughout the Underground. And the people of Snowdin in particular were avid gossips, having little else to do. He shoved his papers back into a folder, deciding his focus could not be regained.

“I’m Dr. Gaster,” he said after a moment. The papers crinkled under his hands. It didn’t need to go any further than that. As soon as Papyrus had their clothes ready they would deliver the child to Captain Undyne. She was already aware they were coming. The sooner the child was out of their hands, the better. Their presence made him nervous, and he couldn’t help but feel something bad was coming. But the king would take care of things. Soon, the barrier would fall.

The child was still watching him, eyes bright and wide. Thinking of the morning they must’ve had so far, Gaster faltered. “What is your name?”

Their smile spread over their features. “I’m Frisk!”

Once the human’s clothes were sufficiently dry enough and back on the child, Papyrus tried to find little ways to stall their journey. He’d barely pulled a box of spaghetti from the cupboard when his father stepped in, throwing him a knowing look.

The human was being a very good sport about being captured. They didn’t even mention how they had not done more puzzles like he’d promised. Papyrus wished they could have continued their fun, but it simply wasn’t an option any more. The child, who he’d overheard was called Frisk, seemed very calm about the whole ordeal, even as Papyrus told them about Undyne.

“I don’t want you to be frightened,” Papyrus said sincerely. “Undyne is a very good person! But she is very determined. She’ll take you to King Asgore and he…”

He hesitated for just a moment but smiled brightly. “He’s a big softie! Once he sees you’re a good person too I’m sure he will come up with another solution. Perhaps you can come back to Snowdin and stay with us? I’m sure you would like it!”

There was silence for a moment, and before Frisk seemed to realize they were meant to answer, Papyrus was speaking again.

“You probably want to go back home though,” he said, cheerful tone slipping for only a moment. “You obviously came from somewhere. Do you have a family on the surface to get back to?”

It was the first time Frisk had shown any discomfort in their conversation; they flinched slightly, casting their eyes to the floor. The skeleton went quiet for a moment, unsure what to make of the response. Eventually they gave a short nod.

Papyrus let out a sigh and smiled encouragingly. “I’m sure they miss you Frisk,” he said. The child simply nodded again, an unreadable expression on their face.

“Are you ready Papyrus?”

The skeleton rose up slowly, hovering a hand over Frisk’s shoulder. After a moment he drew his arm away guiltily. “Yes,” he answered as Gaster entered, bundled in a long wool coat. “I suppose so.”

They exited the house and the scientist took the lead without hesitation. He guided the human child along on one side of him, on his opposite was Papyrus, but the younger skeleton didn’t care to walk in silence. His brightened considerably as they walked along, and he began to chatter away, telling Frisk about one of his puzzles that he had not had a chance to show them before. They had scarcely stepped passed the last building of Snowdin before he was interrupted by another excited voice.

“Yo!” The group turned back, stopping as a small monster child ran up to meet them.

“Oh, hello Kid!” Papyrus greeted, recognizing the monster.

“Hi Papyrus!” Kid bounced happily as he stopped before them, smiling widely up at Papyrus. Frisk watched, looking amused until Gaster lightly pushed them back so they were obscured from Kid’s view, but only slightly. “Are you going to see Undyne?”

“Yes,” Gaster answered. “We have some very important business to handle with her.”

Kid made a face. “Business? That doesn’t sound like much fun.”

Gaster smiled back, crossing his arms lightly as if planning something. “I trout you’ll have any fun there, so you seariously ought to turn around and head home.”

Both Papyrus and Kid’s faces spelled distaste for the play on words, Papyrus even groaned. Behind Gaster’s leg, Frisk snickered, and Gaster’s own face fell when Kid noticed it.

“Hey!” he said, kicking up one leg to lean unsteadily to the side for a better view. “Who’s that?”

“No one of note,” The scientist said quickly, but Kid ignored him, and, rather than topple over from leaning, took a few steps around Gaster to see behind him.

“Yo!” he shouted again. “You’re a kid like me right??”

His tail moved excitedly, rocking the rest of his small body. Frisk stayed where they were, but nodded to Kid, returning his bright smile.

“Cool!” he wrinkled his little snout. “Did you just laugh at the doctor’s joke? It’s so bad!”

Frisk giggled, and Kid went on, shaking his head. “Are you going to Undyne’s too? I’ll come with you! She’s so cool, I’ll bet she’ll let us play while they do their ‘important business’.”

The lights in Gaster’s sockets rolled at this, and again he shifted so he was standing slightly in front of the human child. “There won’t be any playing at Undyne’s today,” he continued when Kid whined. “How about Papyrus take you home and you two can play together?”

Both boys protested.

“I’m going to Undyne’s with you,” Papyrus said seriously.

“I can go to Undyne’s if I want!”

The older skeleton could only sigh. “Fine,” he muttered. “Kid, you will go home or else I will have to have a chat with your parents. I’m certain they don’t approve of you going into Waterfall on your own, and you cannot come with us today.”

The monster kid pouted in response, his tail drooping. When he stomped a foot in frustration, Papyrus looked very sorry and knelt down in front of him.

“We really do have some important things to take care of now,” he said. “SOME VERY IMPORTANT ROYAL GUARD THINGS! But next time I will bring you with me to Undyne’s, and maybe she’ll even let you train with us!”

This seemed to do the trick, as Kid immediately started bouncing happily again, staring at Papyrus almost starstruck. “Really Papyrus??”

“OF COURSE! A VERY COOL SKELETON LIKE MYSELF NEVER GOES BACK ON HIS WORD!”

Kid laughed, and, tail wagging, said goodbye to all three of them and was off again as if he hadn’t been denied anything at all. He tripped and fell, only to pick himself up quickly, and be on his way again. Gaster sighed once more, and turned Frisk around.

“Let’s go,” he said quietly. This time they were all quiet as they trudged through the windy clearing that led to where the snow halted, and the waterfall region began.