No One is Happy with This (Undertale)

42 ~ Pie

Things are a little rough around the house. Of course, that doesn't particularly surprise you- you did admit to mass genocide.

For what it's worth, Toriel does seem to have forgiven you. She seems a little sad and depressed, but she assures you that she believes you're a good person.

The house is very quiet without any of the skeleton family in it. You've gotten used to them living there.

You had thought that, maybe, with time, you could get Gaster to be your friend, too. But you see that's not a likely turnout. He despises you. More than Flowey, probably.

The hours tick by as you wallow in despair. You're such an idiot. And curiosity really is a bomb, and now, your curiosity about a genocide route has just blown up in your face.

But...

But the blame can't be put on curiosity. Because you're the one who lit the bomb. It wasn't Chara; you didn't hear their voice until you were well into your violence. It wasn't Flowey, for he's the one who struck a fear of death back into your Soul.

No, it was you. Just one little thought.

What if this was just a little different? What if I did something new?

Something...

Violent.

And now...

Now this is the consequence.

Gaster doesn't come back with Sans and Papyrus. Eleven forty five PM, and he's still gone. Sans says he's commandeered Alphys's lab and locked everyone out. Sans said he heard things breaking.

"just give him a little while, kid. you rekindled the embers in his soul. just give him a while, and eventually the fire will burn back down into coals."

You hope to high heaven that Sans is right.

New year's comes and passes with a shadow of gloom. Sans and Papyrus don't spend it with you and Toriel; they're with Gaster, and he refuses to be with you. Alphys and Undyne go to some huge party of Mettaton's, and Asgore is apparently celebrating with some gardening club (not that Toriel would have invited him, anyway). So it's just you, Flowey, and Toriel, ringing in the new year.

You really hope it goes better than the last few days.

It's mid January before you see him again. Just in passing, glances here and there. Passing him in the hall, seeing him walking out of the house through a window...

He does his best to avoid you, and on the few occasions where he does look at you, his gaze is filled with an intense loathing.

And then...

One day, after Toriel picks you up from school, she guides you into the living room. Gaster is already seated in one of the large armchairs, arms folded across his chest, a furious scowl across his scarred face.

Toriel sits you down on the couch. "I refuse to have this feud going on in my house any longer. You two will sort out your differences, now, and end this argument. We are a family, and we cannot continue with this rift between us."

Gaster snorts. "Says the one who refuses to talk to her husband because he was doing what he thought best for his kingdom."

Toriel glared at him. "You may be the Royal Scientist, but this is my house, and that means my rules. Now talk." She turns to leave. Then, over her shoulder, she adds, "And when you've made peace, you can have a slice of the pie I'm going to make." Then she leaves.

Gaster just snorts again. "What, does she think I'm a child, to change my morals for a slice of pie?" Then he seems to remember the situation, and the touch of amusement on his face- however bitter- slips away again.

And there's a long, long awkward silence between the two of you, with Gaster glaring you down, and you shivering nervously under his hateful gaze.

Finally, you crack.

"G-Gaster-- I'm sorry! And- and I know it doesn't mean much at all to you, but I really, really am sorry! I- I got to thinking that- that nothing I did had to have consequences, and-" you let out a nervous laugh, scrabbling for words, not sure what to say. "And you know, that phrase, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely,' and I thought I had all the power and I thought it would be okay because I could just reset but it's not and you're right, humans are disgusting, evil people, even me, and I'm so, so, SO sorry!!" You break off, completely out of words, out of ideas. You don't know what to say, or if there's anything you can say to Gaster.

For a long moment, Gaster just continues to stare coldly at you. You fidget, not sure what to do, unable to look anywhere but his face and your hands.

Finally, he lets out a long, slow sigh, one hand rising to pinch his nasal bone. "... If I refuse to accept your apology, then Toriel will likely kick me out, and Sans and Papyrus will be... less than satisfied. So my options are leave my family, or violate one of my strongest lifelong beliefs." He sighs again, dropping his hand back down to his lap, his fingers twitching in strange patterns. "That's really not much of a choice."

You're not sure what to say.

He continues after a moment, shaking his head almost pityingly. "You are lucky, Frisk, that my sons like you so much. They've been putting up one heck of an argument for you, for a very long time." Then his gaze snaps back up to you. "Mind you, that doesn't mean I like you. I still hate you, you should know better than unprovoked violence." Another sigh, and his hand rises again to his skull, moving across the top as if he were running his fingers through his hair, except that he has no hair. "...But like you said. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And what could I possibly expect from a dim witted, incredibly impressionistic child, and a human, no less? It's ridiculous for me to think that you would possibly be able to do things right. So, for the sake of my sons... I'll let you off with a warning." He stands up slowly. "This is a warning, of course. You ever try to pull a stunt like that again, and you'll have the same five minutes in time, over and over and over again, to contemplate your mistakes as I slaughter you again and again and again. Understand?"

You nod, on the verge of tears, relieved.

"Good." Gaster turns towards the door, clasping his hands together. "Now then. I'm going to get some pie, because I did not just desecrate one of my core beliefs to miss out on the sole Dog-forsaken perk of this whole blasted mess."

With that, he strides out of the living room and into the kitchen, leaving behind not a trace of the sickening guilt that had plagued you for the last while.

§

A/N

Welp, I guess this summer science camp thing my parents forced me into isn't too horrible. I mean, granted, there's a crap ton of homework every night, and the professor talks far too fast for me to take half-decent notes, and I apparently suck really bad at chemistry, and the chem professor kept us late one night so that the dorm rooms were locked when we finally got back, but...

I got to wear a lab coat and mix some things together and use a Bunsen burner and act all science-y, so it's not too horrible.

(Also we're gonna do some quantum physics stuff tomorrow and I honestly can't wait.)

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and votes are my Favorite Things, and every notification I get makes my day!