Home Grown chptr2

The next thing Gaster knows as he regains consciousness is that he has someone poking and prodding his body and that he wants them, whoever it is, to stop. Their hands are cold to the touch and it sends shivers through his bones and that doesn’t make him feel any better. Slowly opening his eye socket, his right one for some reason wouldn’t open, Gaster is assaulted with a bright light from the ceiling above him. Using his arm to shield his vision he must have startled the monster next to him because the cold hands have left him finally.

“Dr. Gaster!” a high pitched female voice shouts and it causes Gaster’s skull ring in pain. “You’re awake!”

“W-where am I?” Gaster spoke, but found his voice strained and raspy.

“You’re in the lab’s medical wing,” The monster says as she slowly takes Gaster’s arm and moves it from his vision. Again his eye socket is attacked by the light but after allowing it to adjust Gaster can see that he is indeed in the medical wing.  Turning his head to the right Gaster finally sees who it is that is speaking with him.

It is a medium height lizard monster with brown scales that goes by the name Gertrude. She is dressed in her white lab coat but Gaster notices that it has these weird black splotches on it. Her expression is worrying as he aqua blue eyes are darting all over and her hands twitch madly. Gaster has known Gertrude for a few years and knowing that she only does that hand motion when she is scared terrifies him.

“Do you remember what happened?” Gertrude asks as she looks down at the doctor.

“I… I was in my office.” Gaster said as rubbed his sore head with his hand but noticed how his palm was wrapped up; both hands actually. “And… there was an accident.”

“It was more than just an accident!” Gertrude shouted but after seeing Gaster’s pained expression she lowered her voice. “We all came in and we found you for lake of a better term shredded.”

“M-my machine exploded.” Gaster said, his memory coming back to him. “And… then I must have blacked out. How bad are my injuries?”

Gertrude looked away when he asked that. Her tail swinging on the floor very fast and her hands started to twitch again. Gaster knew he was not going to like the answer. Looking down at his body Gaster found out that he was correct. He was on a bed and the clothes he had on earlier had been removed and replaced with a pair of black shorts. With most of his body exposed it gave him enough visual to just how damaged he was.

Covered from sternum to shin, Gaster was wrapped in bandages. His ribs looked to have gotten the worst of the blast as he could feel a couple of them cracked and stains of red on the wraps; the bone marrow obviously bleeding through.  He didn’t know how damaged his hands were but the bandages around them didn’t encourage positive thoughts and his face must be a sight if he couldn’t see out of one.

Turning back to Gertrude Gaster saw that she wasn’t looking at him but with the way she waved her hands over him and how they glowed an electric yellow he took a guess she was scanning him with her magic.

“You’re stable now. We were able to heal most of the damage but your ribs will have to heal on their own.” Gertrude said as she finished her scan and finally looked Gaster in the eyes. “There is… one thing that is troubling though.”

“What is it?” Gaster asked as he tried to sit up, but only to have Gertrude push him back down. Even if she hadn’t he would have on his own from how painful his ribs screamed at him.

“We tried to manifest your soul, to see if it had taken any serious damage,” Gertrude said as she pointed to Gaster sternum. “But no matter what we did it wouldn’t show.”

Now this didn't concerned Gaster too much. There were plenty of ways to make a soul manifest itself; a spell, a battle, and countless others. But there were just as many reasons why it wouldn’t. One of the main reasons for a soul not to manifest itself was if the monster was in such a state of shock or distress that the soul would try to conserve magic and hide. Not until the monster was calmed down enough would it show up again.

“I am probably just too damaged and drained in magic for it to manifest, Gertrude.” Gaster said as he closed his eye socket.

“Oh! Why didn’t I think of that?! That would be the logical thing for it to do.” Gertrude said to herself more than to Gaster as she raced over to a table and began to write something down.

Enjoying the silence of the moment, Gaster could feel his mind wanting to drift back into sleep but just as it was in mere seconds away from him he realized something.

“Has anyone called my sons?!” Gaster shouted as he again tried to sit up. “How long have I been out?! I need to go pick them up?!”

Gaster made it as far as the edge of the bed before he collapsed to the floor like a bag of bones. As Gertrude gasped in horror and went to his side Gaster hissed in pain but ignored it. His sons were probably worried sick about him and he didn’t like that. He was his sons’ only family in this world, if anything happened to him…

Trying to stand up Gaster managed to lean against the bed, but he knew if he let it go he would go back to the floor. Gertrude was mumbling incoherent words at him as she tried to get him into the bed but Gaster would have none of it. He was just about to take a step when the door to the room suddenly opened and to Gaster’s shock Grillby walked in carrying both Sans and Papyrus.

“DADDY!” Sans shouted as he reached out for his father. Papyrus also reached out for Gaster and from the damp look on his face it was clear the child had been crying. Grillby managed to keep a strong hold on the children as he came into the room but Gaster could see the worry in his eyes.

“I-I called them.” Gertrude said as she noticed Gaster physically relax and that in turn calmed her down. “You emergency contact was Grillby and it left him in charge of your sons.”

Letting out a sigh, Gaster kept his gaze on his sons and smiled. He could always count on Grillby, no matter what. The fire monster was the closest thing Gaster could consider family and he was grateful to have met him. He was great with his sons and right now it was working for Grillby in his favor as he held the two boys.

“You should get back into bed Wing Ding.” Grillby said and at hearing his first name Gaster knew that the fire monster meant it not as a request. Nodding his head Gaster climbed back into the bed, with help from Gertrude, and when he was finally lying down did Grillby bring the boys over.

Sans was staring at his father in horror and Papyrus looked ready to cry again. Seeing their face look that way hurt Gaster and reaching out with a bandaged hand he allowed his sons to grab onto it. Ignoring the pain that went through it as his boys gripped it with all they had, Gaster gave them a reassuring smile.

“I’m alright, don’t worry. I’m still here.” Gaster said and he didn’t know if he was saying it for their benefit or his own.

Papyrus started to sniffle as he clutched his father’s pink and though Sans liked to say he was a big boy and that big boys don’t cry Gaster could see the beginning form of tears. Looking up at Grillby Gaster could see the distress the normally calm fire monster was in as well; his flames were flicking the air franticly and the air in the room felt hot.

“I’ll... be right back.” Gertrude said as she decided to give the group some alone time.

Once she was gone, Gaster looked up at Grillby with a pleading gaze for his children. It was obvious that the boys weren’t satisfied with just holding their father’s hand and Gaster wanted them to be closer as well. The family of three only had each other in this world and after something like this, the fear of losing someone, they only wanted to be in each other’s company.

“…You boys be gentle with your old man.” Grillby said as he gently lowered the two down onto the bed. “We don’t want him anymore broken than he already is.”

Once on the bed, Sans and Papyrus snuggled up to Gaster as gingerly as possible. Papyrus had somehow found his way up to Gaster’s neck and crammed his tiny body as close to his father as he could, while Sans stayed at Gaster’s side; laying down and rested his head on the older one’s shoulder. Wrapping his arm around Sans and Papyrus, Gaster turned to Grillby.

The fire monster was eerily quiet and Gaster knew that it was never a good sign. For who knows how long the group sat in silence with Grillby standing watch over them, but when the quiet sound of snoring came from the boys the flamed being finally spoke.

“Do you know what you put them through?” Grillby asked coldly, something that one may think was odd for him but Gaster had heard it countless times in the past and knew what it could lead to. “First I get a call from the daycare saying that you never showed up and when I go to pick the boys up I find them in a crying frenzy. I tried to calm them down but they wouldn’t and kept asking for you.

“And when I finally managed to get them home I get another call. A call saying that there was an accident at the lab. Somehow Sans overheard the call and that only made them worry more.” Grillby continued and the flames that made up his body began to kiss the air like a viper striking its prey. “… So I will ask you again. Do you know what you put them through? Put… Put me through?”

“Grillby,” Gaster knew he was walking on thin ice right now so he thought carefully on what he would say next. “I’m… I’m sorry I worried you, all of you. There was a mishap with one of my machines and, well, it blew up.”

“That’s the thing Wing Ding,” Grillby said as he turned away from the skeleton. “It’s always mishaps and things exploding with you. You’re never careful and I've stopped counting how many times you’ve nearly turn to dust. You can’t keep doing this Wing Ding, you cannot keep putting them through this.”

Looking at his children, Gaster suddenly was overcome with guilt. Sans face was now wet with tears as he cried in his sleep and Papyrus refused to loosen his grip on Gaster’s hand. He had done this to them. He had made his children afraid of never seeing him again whenever he left for work. They were terrified of not being able to hold onto him or come to him in the night when they had bad dreams.

Gaster had made them afraid of losing their father.

Closing his good eye, afraid of his own tears spilling, Gaster pulled his sons closer. This was not what he wanted for his sons, he wanted them to grow up happy and carefree, not scared and nervous for his wellbeing. That was his job as a father, to worry about his sons coming to him when they were hurt, to be nervous when they weren’t in his line of vision, and so far it looked as though he was failing it.

“You need to start putting them first, this lab, the core, it comes second.” Grillby said as he finally turned back to Gaster, his flames finally having calmed down. “So what if the underground and Asgore have to wait a few more years for its completion, who cares? Your sons need a father, not a pile of dust.”

“I’m sorry.” Gaster finally spoke when he managed to get his emotions in check. “I just… I just wanted my sons’ life to be better.”

“It will be,” Grillby said as he crossed his arms. “With their father in it for years to come.”


.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


After the accident, Gaster was given some time off to heal. During this he made sure it was always with his sons. The first two weeks were with him switching between staying in bed or on the couch but he still found ways to interact with his sons. Grillby stayed with them those weeks as well, to make sure Gaster healed properly with good food and to make sure his sons weren’t too rough with him.

Though Sans and Papyrus never were too rambunctious during those first couple weeks. They talked softly around Gaster, walked slowly, everything about his sons was like they were journeying over eggshells around their father. Gaster reassured them endlessly that he was fine now and they had nothing to worry about, but the looks they gave him told they weren’t ready to believe him.

By the third week Gaster was able to walk around the house with a cane. Once they saw him up and about Sans and Papyrus seemed to calm down enough to start acting like their old selves. They were more active, though still careful with Gaster and it seemed as things were finally going back to normal. But the universe has a weird way of changing things from normal to life changing rather quickly.

One thing that was a visible change was Gaster himself. The explosion had left him scarred badly and from what Gertrude said these would never heal. His skull now sported two long thin cracks, one coming off from each of his eye sockets. His right eye socket was slightly more damaged than the left though, slightly drooping down in a melted fashion.

His hands now had big gaping holes in them. The metacarpals had fused/melted together, caused by the chemical goop he theorized, and the holes had been from when the machine crushed his hands. When the bandages had come off his hands everyone had been a bit shocked by this, but after Papyrus placed his juice cup in it with a happy giggle everyone just accepted them as they were; a part of Gaster.

Now there were a few damages that were not visible. Gaster’s hearing was slightly more sensitive now, he was able to hear things far from across the room, and yelling hurt like someone had taken a sludge hammer to his skull. This problem had taken a while to get used to, especially since Papyrus liked to be loud.

And the final thing that was troubling to Gaster was how drained he felt. It was like his magic was just leaking out of him and it left him extremely exhausted. Grillby had made a comment on how maybe the cracks in his head was acting as a vent and allowing his magic to and all that hot air in there to escape, but Gaster had a feeling that the fire monster was only pulling his leg… partly.

It wasn’t a bothersome trouble, Gaster still could get through his day with his sons but by the end of it he found himself collapsing on his bed and in mere minutes falling asleep. After about a month of this Gaster thought of maybe going to see a medical doctor and see if they could figure out what was the cause of his low magic levels. The idea, though, was shot down quickly one night after dinner at Grillby’s place.

Grillby had invited the skeleton family over for dinner and after the meal Gaster had offered to do the dishes. Grillby was fine with that, ‘as long as you don’t get anything stuck in your holes’ he said in good jest and Gaster found himself laughing at the quip. The holes in his hands were actually rather useful Gaster found in certain situations. He always had a cup holder when the opportunity showed itself.

But it was during washing a cup when a pain unexpectedly ripped through him. It was so sudden that Gaster accidently dropped the cup and his hands flew to his sternum; gripping the fabric of his turtleneck tightly. The cup he had dropped had shattered on the floor but he barely paid it any mind as his body was wracked with pain. It felt like his soul was being cut and stabbed with a serrated knife.

Hearing Grillby enter the room Gaster barely registered what the other monster was saying. This pain was so alien to him and it felt as if he was doing everything in his power to not turn to dust on the spot. Feeling a warm hand on his back Gaster only had a split second to wonder what Grillby was doing before he felt the magic being transferred.

Monsters were able to share magic between other, usually this was only done between two who were very intimate or in a relationship, and when one monster’s magic levels were low another could transfer some of their magic to the other.

As Gaster felt the pain slowly leave him he let out a sigh and used his hands to lean on the counter. Grillby hadn’t said a thing during the whole process and when Gaster’s levels were at a reassuring level the fire monster turned the skeleton’s head to look at him.

“What happened?” Grillby asked in a stern but concerning tone.

“I… I don’t know.” Gaster said as rubbed his sternum; it was still numb from the pain. “I wasn’t even using my magic.”

Grillby looked like he was about to say something but when the sound of small feet walking into the kitchen was heard both adult monsters turned to see Sans and papyrus standing in the archway of the room. Papyrus was once again nestled in Sans' hood, a thing the two had been doing for so long it was natural to see the tyke there, and both children were looking at the adults with confused expressions.

“What’s going on?” Sans asked, noticing the broken glass on the floor.

“Nothing Sans,” Gaster said a bit too quickly, but he didn’t want to worry his children. “I just dropped a glass and it startled me.”

Sans didn’t appear to buy the excuse, but nodded as he slowly walked back into the living room. Once the boy was gone Grillby turned to Gaster and Gaster slumped against the counter while running a hand over his head. What happened was definitely not nothing but what it actually was neither could guess.

“You need to go see a doctor.” Grillby whispered as he bent down and started to clean up the broken glass. “Monsters just don’t random lose their magic like that.”

Gaster nodded, knowing fully well that Grillby’s words were true. Whatever was wrong with Gaster it needed to be check before this happened again. What if Grillby wasn’t around the next time to give him a pick-me-up?

“I’ll make an appointment tomorrow.” Gaster said as he moved to return to the dishes but with a swat from Grillby’s hand he stopped.

“Go to your boys. I’ll finish the dishes.” Grillby said and Gaster nodded.

Leaving the kitchen, Gaster found himself rubbing his sternum again. He definitely needed to get this problem resolved before something worse happened.


.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


The journey back home was thankfully a quiet one. Sans and Papyrus had fallen asleep on Grillby’s couch watching tv, the youngest held tightly and safely in Sans arms; both wrapped in his oversized blue jacket. Grillby said they could stay the night and could have his guest room but Gaster said he needed to go home. Even though he was on recovery that didn’t stop the skeleton from working when he had time.

Grillby had laughed and called Gaster a workaholic but allowed him to head home on the promise he would go see the doctor tomorrow. Gaster promised and the trio of skeletons left the flame monsters house after that. Once the they finally made it home and the two children put to bed Gaster was about to go to his own bed but stopped.

Though the pain was gone Gaster still had this heavy feeling in his soul. It had stayed there the whole time after what happened at Grillby’s house and Gaster was curious. What could cause this feeling? Gaster couldn’t think of anything that could answer this question and after a short debate with himself he decided to see if something was wrong with soul.

Stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind him, Gaster turned to the sink where a mirror hung above it.  Pulling off his turtleneck and placing it on the sink Gaster gave his body a look over. His bones were healing, most were completely healed, but some of his ribs still have fractures. At seeing them Gaster wondered if this was the reason why he was low on magic. His body was still healing and just using his too much of his magic to speed up the process.

Still wanting to make sure, Gaster called forth his soul and watched as it manifested before him. All monster souls, unlike humans, looked the same, an upside down white heart that glowed with a silver sheen, so when the normal shape began to form Gaster saw nothing wrong. But as his soul gained a more solid appearance that was when he let out a startled gasp.

His soul was fine, all white and upside down, but it was what lay inside his soul that terrified him. Settled in the very center of his soul, blanketed in his magic, and floated in a bobbing motion was a small red heart that was connected to his soul by a thin tendril.  The heart gave a slight jerk, almost as if it was startled at being seen, and Gaster let out a gasp; he felt that.

The red heart gave another painful lurch and Gaster knew he must be the cause of this new heart’s panic. But this wasn’t just any heart. It was a soul.

A human soul.

Human souls came in all assorts of colors and shades and were right side up hearts. So the moment Gaster saw the anomaly in his soul he knew right away what it was and as the metaphorical gears in his head began to turn he knew how it had gotten there.

When he had plugged in those equations into his machine something must have happened during the explosion. The compound maybe wasn’t a failure, or something had been changed in the chemicals, but whatever the cause was Gaster now had done something that was only thought to be the work of a god.

He had created a soul. A human soul. He, W. D. Gaster, had created living human soul without even knowing it.

And now said new life was leaching off him and surviving on his magic. At least that explained why he felt so drained lately, this soul was sapping off his magic to survive and his magic was also battling off the determination the human soul produced. Monsters and high amounts of determination don’t mix well.

And from how bright this little soul glowed from inside his own it was filled with a lot of determination. Determination to live.

The human soul gave a panic shudder from inside Gaster soul and the feeling made him shiver. Watching as the new soul bounced around in his soul Gaster could only think of one thing to describe how the soul was acting. It was like a small child having been caught sneaking sweets and was now trying to escape. Or in this case, the soul’s hiding spot had been found and was now scared and trying to hide.

Gaster didn’t know why, maybe it was to stop the soul was jostling his own around, but he slowly reached out for his soul and in turn the human soul inside it.

“It’s alright. I won’t hurt you.” Gaster found himself saying as he wrapped his hands around his soul and it kept the human soul still. Gaster kept repeating this until the new soul calmed down enough and sat within his own soul. Once it was relaxed, Gaster stared down at it and for some odd reason it gave the impression it was staring at him.

Gaster was lost at this point. What was he supposed to do now? He had a human soul nestled inside his own and was living off his magic. How much longer would it last there? Human souls needed a body to inhabit and Gaster needed his magic. He thought of just pulling it out, but the thought must have startled the new soul as it receded deeper into his soul.

“Wait a minute,” Gaster said as he looked down at the souls in his hand. “Can… can you hear me?”

The human soul was still for a moment before it gave a gentle rub against Gaster soul. It could understand him, and even more astounding it could hear his thoughts. Shocked by this Gaster sat down on the rim of the bathtub and just stared at the new soul.

It didn’t move now, just sat there still like, and seemed to be watching him; waiting for him to make the next move. Gaster couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think, this was so… strange is a good word for this.  Never before has a monster ever been able to create a human soul but here he was, looking down at his accidental creation, and it looking at him.

“This… this is amazing.” Gaster finally spoke and it seemed to intrigue the new soul as it moved closer to him. “…You’re amazing.”

This was a scientific leap! Being able to create human souls was something mind bending… this could be their ticket out of the underground. Most of his equations and notes were destroyed in the explosion but he could analyze this soul and maybe find a way to make more. Run some tests and experiments…

“No.” Gaster said aloud. “No, you are not an experiment. You are a living being, well, soul at least.”

The soul seems comforted by this and shockingly phases through Gaster’s souls and up to his face. The tendril that is keeping it connected to his soul stretches thin but it never breaks. Watching as the human soul brushes against his cheekbone, Gaster can’t help but notice a warm feeling resonate from deep within him. Smiling at this small essence of life, Gaster slowly raises one of his hands to gently stroke it.

The human soul was cold to the touch, probably because of it leaving the safety of his soul, but it had this softness to it. As his digits grazed the red heart Gaster smiled as it nudged into his touch before quickly retreating back into the warmth and safety of his soul. It was a weird sensation, the human soul coming in and out of his, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”