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“c'mooooon bro. it'll be fun.”
Sans, as usual, was wheedling.
“i can take us right there, and you haven't really left the house for uh…a while.” The younger Skeleton shifted in place, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “it could be a good distraction. you need distracting.”
Gaster sighed, turning away from his brother to stare out the window, where snow was rapidly covering everything in Ebott. It had started falling two days before, and was showing no signs of lightening up. Its dull, silent fall matched Gaster's mood.
Sans wasn't wrong. He really wasn't.
Gaster preferred not to leave the house at all, if he could help it- given his druthers, he'd have stayed under the damn Mountain, once the Mage child had fished him out of infinity and plopped him back into reality, gasping and flopping on the terra firma. Plenty of lovely homes had opened up now that so many of their people had moved out into the sunlight. Perfectly decent homes, comfortably built under fourteen-thousand feet or so of solid, dependable earth. Oh, how he so often wished he was in one, safe and secure beneath the Mountain, without the endless, threatening dome of the sky to give him vertigo every time he looked up. Without a horizon that stretched infinitely in every direction, like he was standing in the middle of an open, hungry mouth.
But no. Sans and Papyrus deserved this, this joy under the unfettered stars, under the warm bright sunlight and silvery moon. They deserved a family that was intact, with their brother close at hand after living so long without him…living without even the memory of him. He'd only burst back into existence some nine months ago, after all. So Gaster had sucked up his courage, smiled when they asked if he was sure he wanted to live with them- they both said didn't mind taking turns under the Mountain, until he ‘got used to things’, but he knew better -and moved in with them while he ‘recovered’ from his CORE accident. Had claimed a room in their large house in the middle of Ebbot city, the enormous, skyscraper and bridge-filled capital of the human country that had sprung up around the Mountain. A house full of windows, and skylights, and huge vaulted ceilings- everything a race of people who'd grown up trapped in severely overcrowded and overpopulated confinement should want.
And yet…it scared him. He wasn't afraid to admit that, and to hell with anyone who tried to mock him for it. Living in their house was hard; leaving the house was far worse. He wasn't the only one- a minority of Monsters felt the same, a sort of genetic agoraphobia inherited from ancient times when underground barrows were safer than surface dwellings. Their race had always been a fossorial one, though their imprisonment permanently within the Mountain had been unnatural even taking such things into consideration.
Yes, he, and the few others like him, were the odd ones out. The handful of badgers in the den that preferred not to leave.
But…
Sans smiled at him, so damn hopeful and so damn excited, that Gaster couldn't help but feel it a bit himself. “it's gonna be a blast. the whole city's snowed in, you know, so none of the big fancy suits showed up in town to eat and drink anything up. it's a whole five-star party, and they told us to invite everyone we know, if they can get there safely.”
Getting there wasn't a concern. He’d already seen several Monsters flying past their windows, some touting whooping and laughing humans along- Sans pointed out the ones he knew by name. And some Monsters and humans alike had magically enhanced cars that could drive over the unplowed snow currently falling by the foot, not the inch, now that the two cultures had started to mix enough that inventions were being traded. But none of that was necessary, for they could arrive in style. Sans would simply ‘jump' them there…if he and Papyrus decided to go. For Papyrus, it was no question. The man was wearing the gaudiest Christmas suit ever made; the thing had working lights and velcro places for him to stick little presents to hand out. Even Sans had dressed up a bit, in a collared shirt and jeans.
Now Gaster was the only stick in the mud, the fly in the ointment…and it made him feel like an enormous piece of shit.
He fidgeted, wavering…and a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. “hey. don't sweat it.” Sans looked painfully understanding. “we get it. we really do. nothing to worry about.” As he spoke, the headlights of a passing car (partially floating atop the three-feet-and-counting snow) glimmered off the modest chandelier above them, casting sparkles onto the paper invite Sans had printed out earlier and set on the coffee table. An invite from his ‘fancy new job’ as an engineer for the human hydroelectric company.
An Accidental New Years Party
Where- Valleydeep Inn and Suites
When- Tonight, starting around 7pm!
The bigwigs are away, so the peons will play! We spent $26k on food, drinks, music, and an entire hotel, and now there's no one showing up to enjoy it but us. Thanks, Frosty!
So change of plans- every employee is invited! Come if you can, and bring as many guests as you can. Room blocks are reserved for the next three days, so we've got plenty of space! EVERYBODY is welcome! We planned for 500, so we need butts to fill seats and eat crab dip!
Dress in your finest or your Christmas jammies! Our annual holiday trivia contest has a prize valued at $3000 this year, there's a live band, and the DJ is the best around. There'll be something for everyone!
Love,
Your fellow peons at Ebott Hydroelectric
Sighing, Gastrer dragged his fingertips down his face for a moment, massaging his temples….then looked up at Sans. “...would you take me straight inside?”
God, the happiness in the other man's face almost made it worth it. “oh shit, dude, yes. of course.”
It took him but a few minutes to fish a simple black jacket and slacks out of the closet he’d claimed as his since moving in- an ensemble he hadn't had the chance to wear anywhere. He had to pull the tags off; the dress shoes stowed in a box in the corner still had the cardboard shoe forms in them. Once he'd unpacked everything and put it on, he checked his appearance in the mirror.
Not too shabby, for someone who'd only been alive for nine or so months now.
Sans made the transition as painless as possible, popping the two of them into a windowless coatroom. Luckily, Dr. Alphys had just arrived, and shyly accompanied him out into the ‘main’ space of the event.
The invite hadn't been kidding. Monster and human delicacies lined two walls of the beautiful ballroom- rare mushrooms candied and broiled, exotic roots prepared several ways, and a variety of magical treats, sat next to crab legs, raw oysters, lobster claws, steaks, and every other side dish one could possibly want to accompany it all. One entire section was dedicated to tropical fruits and expensive cheeses- that part was rather fun, actually. He'd never seen most human fruits before, especially ones like these…but before he could even begin picking a few to at least settle the nerves in his stomach, a flute of champagne found its way into his hand. By the time Sans and Papyrus joined them, he and Alphys had finished their drinks, and were poking through all the rest of the strange, tasty human foods available.
Inwardly, he practically sighed with relief as he felt the drink wash through him, lightening his shoulders the tiniest bit. It seemed like an excellent way to manage the night- he'd get drunk as hell on someone else's dollar, and go home pickled and happy.
What could go wrong?
What a strange, interesting looking man was Doctor W.D. Gaster, head engineer of the CORE project. One you'd never expected to see again.
Maya looked where you were staring, and grinned. “Girl…him?” The bartender handed her the drink she'd ordered.
You shrugged helplessly, starting to giggle- she knew you too well. The two of you had been there for a few hours already, since you'd both initially planned the party (as you did every year) and sent out the modified invite with the CEO's approval once air travel into the city had been shut down. The perks of being the secretary and treasurer, respectively, on the board of such a wealthy company- they threw money around for big events like water, and left the semantics up to the two of you. Just getting across town to the hotel had been a bit sketchy, but quite a few taxis in the city now had magical modifications. With minimal slipping and sliding, and only a hint of prayer, the two of you had made it safe and sound through the snow earlier that day. Now, she'd caught you eyeballing the tall, older Skeleton Monster across the room. You grinned. “What? He's handsome, don't you think?”
“And old.” She poked you in the shoulder. “He's like, what…ninety, isn't he?”
“Okaaaaay, but is that old for a Monster?” You knocked back the rest of your champagne, shivering as it fizzed right down into your belly and beyond, and took another in one hand and a martini in the other. “Because Fern, the front desk Genie-lady, is…turning sixty, I think she said? And she still acts like she's in her twenties, sooo...”
“Sixty is way different than ninety, you're nuts.” She took two flutes in each hand. “Good luck creeping on your old man.”
You rolled your eyes as she sashayed off. You'd seen the man, the Doctor Gaster, in quite a lot of news reports and such over the past few months, but never as more than a staged photo. No, your first actual impression of him had been at the Ebott Hydroelectric Facility itself, just a couple weeks prior, where he'd accidentally stepped in front of you as you'd turned a corner, and had caught you while you'd tripped over your own feet trying to avoid crashing into him.
“Ah, sorry…my apologies, ma'am.” He'd grasped you under the arm and around the waist, his odd, skeletal face concerned behind a pair of black glasses that somehow stayed in place despite only having the barest ridge of a ‘nose’ to rest on. “I was distracted- I should be more careful, if this place has such lovely beings around every corner. Are you alright?” The man had helped you straighten carefully, then picked up your bag and sweater for you- you'd dropped them trying to keep your balance.
You'd stared at him like an idiot for a moment; he was practically a celebrity amongst certain circles, the Einstein or Hawking of his people. Then, stuttering out a thank you, you'd taken your things back from his hands, smiling at his compliment. “I suppose I should be the more careful one, rushing around blind corners.” Then your phone had beeped its ‘you are absolutely going to be late if you don't leave right this second’ alarm for the meeting you were rushing to, cutting off any further conversation between the two of you. “I'm so sorry, thank you for your help- I have to run. Have a nice day!”
“You as well,” he'd murmured, watching as you turned and rushed away again.
It had only been a moment's interaction, but you hadn't been able to forget it. His warm, large hand spreading firmly across your back, with the other wrapping so gently and carefully under your arm. His soft murmur, so at odds with his height and striking presentation- all white bones and dark clothes. And really, it was the most stereotypical ‘gentleman saves the lady’ moment possible, complete with him picking your things up for you…how could you not have stayed a little interested? You'd had a momentary scream of excitement once safely in your car that night- the Doctor Gaster, in the flesh (or bone), smiling at you shyly as you'd run away from him.
And now here he was. Ripe for the…what? Meeting? Talking? Flirting with?
Well…perhaps not that last one. Maybe. Possibly…
…
Oh, who knew, right?! It was New Years eve after all, anything was possible!
You made the rounds, nibbling this and that, while talking to the people you knew and being introduced to people you didn't, including a number of Monster-folk that stretched your imagination delightfully. Finally, the band finished their first set and stepped off stage, while employees began dragging tables closer together in one end of the room. You knew what that meant…
The yearly trivia competition.
The DJ, a jovial Tiger, took to the stage and announced the game.
“All right, all right! Now this is my first year with all you lovely folks, but I'm told that this is a pretty big deal. The yearly trivia contest. There's prizes for first, second, and third place…but that just sounds like a winner and two losers to me.” Everyone cheered as he grinned out at the folks slowly gathering. “So from what I gather, the category each year is picked from the list of job categories at the company. So we could have anything related to marketing and design, like last year…or wildlife and conservation, which apparently some of the fancy shmancy guests got in a fight over who won back then, tsk tsk…”
You grinned- that had been a fun year.
“Personally, I'm excited to see what gets picked. Your list of questions comes from a huge Master list from each department…one that I've been informed you all contributed to throughout the year. Monsters and humans.” Everyone ooo-ed and ahh-ed; there hadn't been enough monster employees or executives from other companies the year before to do so. It was bound to add an interesting layer of difficulty, to say the least.
The DJ paused for a minute or two while people gathered, then reached in a hat somebody passed to him and stirred his paw around. He pulled it back out, read the paper there…blinked…then shrugged and turned back to everyone. “Alright! So…I don't know how well this is gonna go after a night of champagne and liquor already-” everyone whooped “-but one of the job categories was, ‘science and engineering’, and that's the one I just picked.” A mixed noise of excitement and dread came from the crowd. He took a packet from Maya, read over a bit of it, and then whistled under his breath. “Man some of these questions are nuts…and there's Monster stuff mixed in with the human ones, so don't get too confident! Grab your smartest friend-from-another-mother, and let's go everybody! Two-person groups only!”
It was the perfect chance. Doctor Gaster was lingering by the bar now that both his brothers had joined the game, watching everything as he swirled the ice cubes in his glass absentmindedly. So after sucking up your courage (and one more flute of champagne), you opened the group trivia app on your phone, trotted over to the Skeleton, and slid your hand through his arm just as the DJ pointed at you. “Okay, just got your entry! Who's your partner?”
Doctor Gaster had jumped a little at your touch, but didn't pull away or glare at you…so you grinned across the room at all the other players, and announced, “Doctor Gaster!”
…
The room exploded.
“That's not fair!!!! For that category?!”
“Him?! That's like cheating!”
“Come on, no way!”
Beside you, the man gave you a nervous look- he didn't seem comfortable here. Not a crowd person, perhaps? “Um, hello…have we met?” He cocked his head, and realization came into his eyes. “Ah! At the dam, yes?”
“You remember! Doctor Gaster, I need you to rescue me yet again.” You tugged at him gently- sitting on the edge and staring at everyone would only make him feel worse. They were running the trivia tournament in one little corner of the room, with a far smaller group of people. If he was uncomfortable with the size of the crowd, he'd do better there. “See, my friend Maya-” you pointed at the woman, who had grabbed the other Skeleton scientist, the bitch “-has beaten me, or come in ahead of me, at this trivia contest every year. I'm absolutely sick of it, Doctor. You're the best opportunity I'll ever have again in my life- you're probably the smartest person here! Help a lady out!” You batted your eyes at him, trying to get him to laugh. “There's a pretty nice prize at the end I heard, for Monsters and humans…”
That won you a heartbreakingly sweet little half-smile, shy and hesitant. “Well, I…alright. Sure.” He slid off his chair, keeping your hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, grabbed his drink, and followed you over to the other players. It made your heart flutter in your chest; his body was warm, the apparent bones of his arm delicate through his shirt and jacket.
The two of you found a table with his younger brother and started playing with everyone else, using your phone to lock your answers into the app the DJ was using…and you realized the trap you'd laid for yourself. Because as Doctor W.D. Gaster, genius and engineer, slowly warmed up to you and got more drinks in him…he became ridiculously attractive. The man soaked up your attention like a sponge, plainly enjoying both the game and your presence alike once he relaxed a bit, and unbuttoned his suit jacket around his third old-fashioned. At his fourth, it came off entirely. The fifth, and his shirt sleeves were rolled when you came back from the bathroom, exposing fascinating arms that were truly shaped like bones.
When he ordered a sixth from a passing waiter, and was still as coherent as he'd been at the beginning of the game, you had to laugh incredulously. “Good god man, where are you putting them?” You pointed an accusatory cherry stem at him after nibbling the brandied fruit off; he'd started giving them to you each time he ordered a new drink. “Aren't they supposed to be two or three drinks each?”
He grinned, resting his chin in his hand and gazing at you as he idly spun your phone on the table top with the other. There were two teams pulling wildly ahead of the others as the questions got harder: you and Doctor Gaster, and Maya with the Doctor's younger brother (and fellow engineer), Sans. Now, everyone was taking a break before the last round of questions. “Ah…Monsters are notoriously difficult to inebriate. I feel it…a bit.” His lovely, rich, educated voice rumbled delightfully over your senses, carrying the slightest hint of an accent that his brothers didn't seem to have. “If you had Mountain spirits here, it would be a different story…I'd been hopeful, but it seems the bar won't cough up.”
You winked at him, standing again. “Oh yes they will. I'll be right back.” It took a moment of persuasion- Monster vintages were expensive, and their innate magical nature made them tremendously popular with human guests too. Doubtless, the beverage caterer had hoped to hold onto them and just do human house brands, now that the ‘official’ event had been changed to an unofficial one. But a few appropriate accounting threats later, you went back to Gaster with two glasses of something blue and faintly sparkling, the liquid clear save for a milky spot that looked almost like a blooming flower within. As you passed the other tables of Monsters, they noticed what you had and went to voice their own complaints…and within minutes, the party ratcheted up from giggly to outright boisterous. Monster booze made Monsters drunk and humans drunker, as was evident from how immediately Gaster overcame the last vestiges of whatever nervousness he'd felt around you and began flirting like crazy, while you simultaneously felt like falling into his arms, or falling over on the floor. The blue stuff tasted like the barest hint of sweet nectar found at the bottom of fat clover blossoms, and curled right down your spine to linger between your legs, dizzying and sweet.
The room thundered as the rest of the teams gave up on playing when the questions got too hard, and picked sides instead. They were joined by most of the other party goers who'd chosen not to play- they were all supporting either the boisterous, comedic Sans, or the clever, dry-humored Gaster. The DJ went from using the app to simply reading the questions aloud, adding to the excitement, and the questions got to the point that you were thoroughly lost. Finally, the man asked some ridiculously complicated thing about Monster metaphysics, one you could barely even decipher the vocabulary of, much less the answer…and it was obvious on sight that Sans didn't know it. Maya, giggling madly, shook his shoulder like she could shake the answer free, while he put his head in his hands and groaned. “god fucking damn it, i know he knows it. this is right up his alley.”
Gaster smirked over at his brother's table, put an arm around the back of your chair to pull you a little closer across the carpet, and called out, “Ah…I believe…it would be…Hypotia's Sympathetic Parallel?”
‘Your side’ erupted in cheers as the DJ started the music and came trotting over with the prize- a gift basket of fine Monster wines, beautifully bottled and esoteric in their appearance. You tried and tried to get Doctor Gaster to take them, but he shook his head and continued shaking it, laughing and pushing them back toward you. Then a few Monster folks who recognized him came up to talk, shaking your hand easily when he introduced you as his ‘esteemed trivia partner’...and when the two of you were alone again, he caught your hand in his own. “You know…through all of that, I don't think I ever caught your name.”
Blushing under his sudden focus, you introduced yourself…and he used the hand he still held to pull you to your feet. “Do you dance?”
You swooned. “I, um, uh…yes? Well, I mean, not for years, Doctor, I-” Where was that anxious, hesitant man you'd first noticed at the start of the night? The Skeleton smiled, leaned in, and murmured, “Just Gaster, if you please…” interrupting you neatly, and led you over to where it seemed like every person in the room had converged on the dance floor.
‘Oh goodness,’ you thought to yourself fuzzily, your head spinning with champagne and his attention. You'd never expected your half-cocked little plan to work so well- the man was flirting with you deliciously, and it made you feel fluttery and girlish, tremendously off balance. Trying to remember back to the few dance lessons you’d taken for Maya's wedding the year beforehand (a marriage that had only lasted three months), you bit your lip, nervous…and then Gaster grinned at you. “Relax. Let me lead you. Just follow me, lean into my hands. I won't drop you.”
It was surprising how much doing so really did help. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first to physically lean into his grip on your waist and hand- wasn't it difficult for him, to support your weight constantly? But you soon felt the difference. Doing so allowed him to turn the two of you smoothly, subtle little movements and changes in pressure telling you where he meant to go before he even took the step.
“You know, I didn't understand this before,” you murmured, smiling up at him as he switched the two of you easily into a simple box step. “The fellow I learned with…well, he wasn't what you are, that's for sure.”
He rolled his eyes. “They always make the same mistakes, it’s no different for Monsters either. They either crush a woman, or pinch her between their fingertips like a cigarette.” Smoothly, he led you into a turn, and you saw Maya sitting nearby, staring at you over a plate of snacks that she was sharing with her trivia partner, Sans. She looked wickedly jealous, and you stuck your tongue out at her gleefully. “But I think it helps, too, that Monsters retained more of a culture of dancing than your country did. Look around you.”
He was right: over three-quarters of the other dancers were Monsters or Monster-human pairs, especially when the DJ took a break and the band started their second set. Then the relatively slow, sweet song they started with switched to a faster swing, and the two of you ended up breathless and giggling after trying to keep up with it, leaning on each other while you reached piteously toward the bar. “Wateeerrrr….water and a mojitoooo.”
Now…you weren't completely sure how things ended up that way (more drinks, more food, his brother Sans coming over and making everyone that started to gather at your table laugh until you were all crying, Gaster taking his glasses off in a way that struck you as stupidly handsome)...but one thing led to another, and soon you were truly too drunk to stay at the party. Which of course led to you mumbling that perhaps you should go back to your room, sometime around midnight after everyone counted down and cheered. And of course the good Doctor offered to help you there, despite being rather sauced himself.
You could practically feel the moment the two of you realized that you were alone, waiting for an elevator together and going back to the same hotel room late at night, with Gaster's arm around your shoulder.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. You smiled up at him, taking the leap. “It's been a while since I did…this. I’m rusty.”
He frowned, obviously trying to ponder your words through those last two Monster cocktails he'd had…and then grinned so wide once he realized what you were suggesting that he turned his head away, raising a hand to scratch shyly at the back of his neck. “Ah…I don't know why, you're a delight. No special someone?” The doors opened before you, and he led you in, supporting you a bit as you wobbled on your heels.
You felt yourself flush a little as you hit the button for the fourth floor; the man sounded very invested in your answer. “Nah. Not for a while. I was focused, you know? Working my way up, putting in the hours…I didn't have as much time for another person, in the beginning. My partner when I started…he got sick of having to share my time.” A sigh escaped you before you could stop it. “It wasn't a pretty break up. That was…oh, three years ago?”
He made a face, leaning back against the cool glass of the elevator wall and pulling you closer in a way that was sweetly protective. “No patience. If he'd bided his time, he could have had a well-established, wealthy woman at his side. What a waste on his part.”
The simple truth of his words felt like cool water on your heart, comforting and sweet. They dulled the ache of the memory. “Thank you. It wasn't the best fit…but we'd been happy once. That's the worst part, isn't it?”
“It always is. But take it from an old man- it's easy to get caught in the past.”
You swatted him gently on the wrist. “Oh, hush. You certainly don't come across as that old.”
“I guess not.” He shrugged as the lift ‘dinged’ for your floor. “It depends on the day, how much we Monsters who age in mind, not body, feel the weight of the years.” Then he winked at you. “And the quality of the company you keep.”
Snickering, you stepped off past him, leaning on the elevator's frame for balance as the world spun. “Poor grandpa, stuck with me then.”
Of course there was an inherent promise in taking a gentleman back to your hotel room, but it still thrilled you when he caught you gently around the waist as you led him down the hall. “Indeed. Lucky me.” His voice was as warm and rich as real hot cocoa, full of promise. It was a miracle that you managed to get down to your suite without tripping over your feet- his touch was making your belly flip over and over on itself.
Your cheeks flooded with heat when you fumbled your keycard twice, your fingers clumsy; he took it from you when you bent to grab it a second time, chuckling softly.
Gaster hadn't been this flattered in years. Pretty little fucking human girl, in your lovely blue dress and sparkling jewels, your eyes as bright as gems themselves as you gazed up at him. Your interest in him was obvious, from the blush in your cheeks to the way you kept finding any little excuse to touch him. He wasn't sure how far tonight would go…but he knew what he hoped for, especially when you pulled him into your suite with a soft laugh, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Let me take my hair down and pee and such, give me a minute. Feel free to get into anything over in the kitchenette.”
He nodded, wandering over and twitching your curtains closed in this open, main living room area without looking out the window- no need for that view, thank you. Then he found himself a nice, simple beer, sat down in one of the comfortable chairs, and sipped happily, his Soul nestling down into a comfortable fuzz of alcohol and female attention.
That peace lasted approximately ten minutes.
“Gaster?” Your voice came from the bathroom attached to the bedroom. “Um…the door won’t open??”
He frowned, standing (and catching himself as the room spun), and walked over. Sure enough, the door itself had somehow swollen into the frame, bowing as he tried the knob. You started cackling as the both of you put more and more effort into it, and pretty soon he had to bend over and brace himself on his knees, his eye watering as he laughed- it was just such a stupid thing to happen.
“Stuck!” You wailed, tugging on the door and giggling madly. “I'm stuck! I'mstuckI'mstuckI'mstuckI'mstuckI'mstuck-”
“Wait, wait-” Gaster could barely stand up as his shoulders shook, tripping over his own feet as he grabbed for the doorknob again. “Hush, wait-”
“Stuuuuuck!!!” You rattled it even harder, tugging it so the door bounced in its frame, but the damn thing really did seem to have trapped you within. “I'm never gonna get out, oh woe as meee-”
Gaster gave it one good yank just as you hit it with your shoulder, and you came tumbling out right into him, knocking him ass over tin cups onto the carpet with a shriek. God, he could barely breathe for laughing then, one arm draped over your waist and one over his forehead as he went limp beneath you, while your giggling only made his own worse.
“I'm- hee hee -I'm sorry, oh my g-gosh-”
“No, no, it's fine, oh Stars-” He patted some part of you reassuringly- a hip, perhaps, or maybe a pleasantly plump rump; wherever his hand had landed, he couldn't tell -and tried to catch his breath, his head swimming and his Soul loose and silly in his chest. Finally, you crawled off of him, settling with a last wheezing giggle on the floor nearby with your back to the bed. “Good lord. We are smashed, sir. Drunk as skunks.”
Gaster nodded sagely, trying to stand…and toppled over forward again right into you, landing with his nose in your collarbone. He hadn't drank at all since his recovery, and it was years before that since he'd been this drunk. It was…nice, actually. Not something he'd want to repeat often…but it was nice to have a bit of time where his anxiety, his constantly churning and calculating mind, didn't rule every second of his existence. Where he didn't feel that constant, low, shivering fear of being ‘out’ of safety. In any other state, he'd have been mortified while scrambling back to try to escape the pillowy plushness of your cleavage. But now? Especially with you chuckling beneath him, stroking your hands down his shoulders in a, dare he say, admiring way even while you scolded him? He sighed happily, finally getting a knee under himself enough to turn over onto his back, flopping down with his skull in your lap- no point in standing, right?
There was a wall mirror hanging right across from the two of you- he craned his head up, caught your eye in it, and grinned like a loon, because the two of you did looked absolutely smashed. His jacket was hanging open, his tie loose around his collar and his shirt untucked…and you were blushing down past the low neckline of your dress, your hair down and your lipstick wiped off now. It was lovely, especially paired with your smile as laughter faded to a comfortable happiness.
“My hero,” you murmured. “I thought I was gonna be in there forever.” He hummed in pleasure as you began stroking your fingertips over his features. After a few happy moments of that, you leaned down and whispered, “Gaster, I am terribly drunk,” like a secret, grinning with the confession. “And I'm having a wonderful night. Did you have fun?”
He nodded, closing his eyes and basking in your attention. Gods above, it had been too long since he'd had…this. Since a woman had pursued him; it felt so good. “I almost didn't come…but I'm glad I did.”
You made a noise of interest. “Oh? Busy?”
“Scared.” He had no filter- the words came tumbling out before he could even stop himself. But you were so soft and sweet, so kind all night; luring him into fun, and plainly interested. Stupidly, it felt like he was coming to you for help, as if you- a relative stranger he'd only met for the second time hours ago -would be able to…what, cure him somehow? Soothe him? Women were dangerous things. “Not being under the Mountain. Being out in the open. Isn't that stupid? I should be happy for the freedom like everyone else…but I'm not, and-” He shut himself up, grimacing. “Ah…sorry, I-”
A gentle fingertip touched his lips, silencing him. “Don't apologize.” Your face was so kind, when he dared to open his eyes and look up at you. “I don't think anyone could blame you. I'm sure lots of others of your folks feel the same way, right?” He see-sawed a hand in the air, unwilling to admit or deny it, but you swatted at him gently. “Be honest…cause I personally know someone who is. She does our social media, and we've been friends for the past year. Gaster, she never even left the Mountain. She's too scared to. I go visit her at her place.”
He sighed hugely, all the fight leaving him in the face of your sincerity. “It meant safety to us for so long. Entrapment, yes…but also safety. Now the world is huge and loud, and I feel miniscule within it.” You were frowning in sympathy, so he reached up and smoothed the lines between your brows with his thumb. “Don't worry for me, beautiful. You don't have to. I'll survive.”
The compliment earned him a soft smile despite your obvious concern for him- you turned your head slightly, pressing your cheek to his palm. “I hope, after this gaudy little shindig of ours has ended, that you'll want to stay in touch. I've had such a good time with you tonight. We can go hide in a hobbit-hole somewhere if it makes you happy.”
He blinked, his belly swooping and fluttering with excitement. Was he considering…and with a human woman? Scandalous…but not too scandalous, the two races were already mixing as more and more couples met, afterall…oh fuck it. While the drink was still giving him confidence, Gaster took a chance. “Then we…we should do something together. Soon.” His sauced brain scrambled for a moment- he reined it back in. “Like a…a date. I want to take you on a date…if you want to go, and such, and…ah shit, I can't think.” You were starting giggle again as he fumbled around verbally, and Gaster gave up. “You,” he pointed up at you with a loose finger, “Me,” he pointed at himself, “Date. Yes?”
“Oh my goodness, yes.” You laughed softly, sounding genuinely delighted. “I would love to.” Then you shifted uncomfortably beneath his head. “And I want to get this awful dress off. The zipper is so scratchy like this, and I swear it cut me earlier. I'll have to figure out how to get it….Maya helped me zip it up…”
The words left Gaster before he could stop himself. “I could help.” His own boldness made him half-grin, half-wince, nervous about which way you'd blow. You were lovely and fun, and he'd been dying to get his hands on you further since dancing earlier…but he didn't want to offend you either. Relief filled him as warmth came into your expression- these first moments with a woman were so rife. Fun and exciting, yes, yet nerve wracking as one learned which ways the other person would react.
You shifted beneath his lap and he sat up, scrambling to his feet as you carefully stood, wavering a little. Then, in lieu of answering him aloud, you turned and pulled your hair over your shoulder, exposing the long line of your back. The dress's zipper started right between your shoulderblades, with the silky chiffon halter tying up delicately around your neck. Gaster fingered the soft fabric a moment as the atmosphere in the room shifted, then grit his teeth and did the right thing, even though he very much did not want to. “We've both, ah…had a good time. A lot to drink.” He was tongue-tied and clumsy, the warm light from the bathroom the only thing brightening the shadows around the two of you. It felt dark, safe, and comforting- as comforting as your presence had beside him all night. “Do you…do you want to call it a night, and get your friend to help you instead? If you can pry her off my brother?”
You gave him the sweetest smile over your shoulder. “Oh, you are a sweetheart. No honey, I'm not so far gone that I don't know what I'm doing. Are you?”
He slowly slid one tail of the bow around your neck free now that he had permission, his gaze riveted to how your lips dropped open slightly. “No. Luckily, I'll remember everything.” Someone in a nearby room had music playing- it carried through the wall faintly, just loud enough to make everything feel even cozier, closer and more private.
“Then I think I have all the help I need right here.” The other side of the bow- he wasn't trying to particularly be seductive with it, but you shivered all the same. “A-and you'll have to guide me, I've never…been close with a Monster before.”
Your eager hesitance lit an ember in his belly. “From what I understand…it isn't so different. I've never been with a human, either…but Skeletons are close-cousined to your race. We should be-” he slid his fingertips under the chiffon and gently pulled it loose from your neck, letting it fall “-perfectly comfortable together.”
When he grasped the tiny zipper between his fingertips, you took a breath. “So…no weird cultural things with Monsters and, ah…sleeping together before the first date? I don't want to twist any panties.”
Oh, oh you sounded as sweetly nervous as he felt. Gaster frowned a bit in confusion at your question, though. “Who would be upset but me? And…aren't I here, too?”
Your laugh was low and warm. “Ah…I guess you're right. Sometimes, some crappy human guys…they might get an idea about a woman, if things went in this order.” Goosebumps were spreading across your shoulders, as if reacting just to his gentle touch- it made him take a breath, anticipation thrumming through his entire body. “But you don't strike me as the type.”
“I truly have no idea what you're talking about. But no…I'd say this is probably more normal than not, for us. Why go out with someone that you don't know if you're compatible with? And if you've seen the size and shape differences between Monsters, you'll know that compatibility is often a very literal question.” Feeling a bit like he was unwrapping a present, Gaster began lowering your zipper, his head spinning with good drinks and better company. “What, do humans not? How do you know if it's a good fit?”
“How indeed. I think I like your way better.” The dress slithered to the floor, leaving his hand pressed against the small of your back…all you'd had on underneath it was some sort of thin, strappy underwear, and what he recognized as probably the back of a bra. He stepped closer, shrugging out of his jacket, and wrapped his arms around you as his Soul flipped and flopped with eagerness. That's when he realized with alarm that you were trembling slightly, like a soft shiver in your body. Oh no. “What's wrong? I…did I scare-”
“No, honey.” You leaned back into his arms, sighing softly, and putting the long curve of your neck and shoulder before him as you tilted your head back against him. “Just…nervous. In a good way.” He watched as you closed your eyes, the fascinatingly fine hairs around them fluttering. “I…Gaster, I'm embarrassingly into you, I have been since I met you that very first time. And shaking like a leaf because of it, I can't stop.”
Gaster couldn't help it- he squeezed you close, burying his face in your shoulder, one hand clutching your impossibly soft, smooth belly, and the other falling to your breast. “You can't just say things like that,” he muttered through an incredulous laugh, breathing you in until he felt dizzy. “I've barely been back in the world for ten months, I'm a delicate creature. And you…you…” Ah, he shouldn't have said that. He distracted you by dragging a kiss down your shoulder; wanting to handle you as carefully as something so sweet deserved, but also half-mad with the desire to taste you and chase your perfume, it ended up being less of a kiss and more of him mouthing at your skin. From how you gasped and melted back into him though, you didn't seem to mind. “Oh, oh…” You reached up and back, pressing your palm to his skull. “I…”
It was impossible to resist- he bit down gently, the tiniest little nibble, testing to see what you liked…and groaned when your nails scratched over his scalp at the same time that you pressed back against his hard-on, trapped as it was in his unforgiving dress pants. “Fuck me…” he muttered, sliding his hand under your bra…and then wincing at the hard line of it. “Gods above, does this have metal in it?”
You nodded, laughing breathlessly. “Maybe you should take it off me. Terribly uncomfortable.” He blinked hard, trying to focus his sloshed and over-eager brain on the little hooks before him. “Gladly…shop in Monster stores from now on, darling. They use magic instead of wire, by all the gods…” After a tremendous moment of concentration, he got the evil thing off you, tossing it away…and then you turned in his arms, gazing up at him so sweetly that he thought he might faint. Your body was practically designed to be delectable to him- shaped like his, in a general way, but so soft and so touchable, everywhere he wanted to. Your breasts were fascinating all on their own, heavy in his hands as he slid his fingers up to them from your waist, yet somehow delicate, the softest part of you yet. “I love these,” he muttered, feeling like a brute with the admission, but you giggled so he figured you weren't too offended. “Not that many Monster women have them, and they're so nice to touch…do you like-” He ran his thumbs gently over your dusky, hard nipples, and a shuddering sigh left you in response. “Ah, you do like that.”
“You're overdressed, mister.” You trailed your hands down from where they'd been resting on his chest, to the waistline of his slacks…and down further, to trace the outline of his cock as it throbbed in time with his Soul, before starting in on the buttons of his shirt. He began playing with his new prizes, and grinned when he saw your knees go weak. “H-hey, hard to focus if you…you…oh…” Gaster turned the two of you so he could sit on the bed, putting himself at the perfect height to lean in and begin sucking at one gently, closing his eyes and savoring your soft moan. You gave up trying to reach for his buttons and simply began running your hands over his jaw, his neck, his shoulders, anywhere you could reach. “That feels so good, yes…”
Dangerous was the moaned praise from a beautiful woman- he'd have done anything you asked in that moment, just to continue hearing it. Pressing wet, sucking kisses between your nipples, back and forth, until you cried out and almost fell forward, having to steady yourself on his shoulders…he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and threw it off the side of the bed. Then you hummed- he glanced up, his tongue cradling one side as he slid his fingertips over the other, and found you looking down at him with simple admiration. There was no hesitation in your expression at all- that soothed him. He'd been worried until that very moment that perhaps you'd turn tail and flee. Skeletons were a difficult race for some Monsters, too hollow in the body and too similar to their ancient enemies. But no…you ran your fingers across his shoulders, down his arms…and blinked slowly. “Oh…you're handsome.” It almost sounded like you were surprised, but there was no insult in it. Just a woman realizing that she did indeed enjoy the body of a man very different from her own. “Um…show me, I don't know what you'll like…could I hurt you by accident?” He could see his fluttering white Soul reflected in your eyes as you stared down at it in wonder, and something about that touched him tremendously. “I'm probably honestly heavier than you, what should I…”
Oh, he couldn't resist- your worry, your desire to touch him but not knowing how, it was more enflamming than anything so far. He leaned in and pressed his lips to your belly, running his hands down your hips and taking your underwear with them. “You won't hurt me,” he murmured into your skin, pressing his forehead there to enjoy the warmth. “Just do what you'd like- my people are stronger than we look. I don't enjoy pain- beyond that?” He smiled up at you. “Don't think about it so hard. For Star's sake girl, I'm already on the edge, and you've barely touched me. So I'd say you win every award.”
That made you flush cutely; you leaned down and kissed him without any further preamble, gasping against his lips as he spread his fingers across your thighs, pressing his thumbs into the creases there. It felt like you were made for kissing, grippable and holdable in all the right places, your lips plush against his own, your body curving to his as you came down into his lap, straddling him. “That's it,” he whispered when the two of you broke apart, grinding up between your legs when you began to rock your sex down onto him. God, he could feel how hot you were running through the fabric of his pants. “Fuck that feels good.”
“Gaster please.” You sucked a kiss into the side of his neck, into one of the little protrusions of bone there, and he groaned at the sensation. “Come on, I…”
“Here, lay down-” He helped you onto the bed, then stood, steadied himself for a moment lest he fall over, and pushed his pants off. The sight of you was irresistible- you had a hand between your spread legs, one finger circling there delicately as you watched him with eyes that were heavy with desire. He hummed, darkly pleased with the sight, and crawled up onto the rumpled duvet beside you. “Does that feel good?” He put his hand over yours, feeling what you were doing- the motion, and the shape of your sex beneath, were similar to many Monster women he'd been with before. How beautiful, that life lined up that way. “Like that?”
Something about the situation made you smile as you nodded, stretching until your back arched while you took your hand from beneath his own. “Keep going,” you murmured, your eyes sparkling and your toes curling, obviously enjoying yourself. “That's perfect, just like that...don't stop.” He snorted- a fucking train could have come through the wall and he wouldn't have stopped. “I'd thought earlier that your hand would feel harder but…it doesn't, none of you does. It's interesting.” He sped the movements of his fingers slightly, and you moaned, turning your head to mouth at his collarbones. “You’re interesting. I can't keep my hands off you.”
“If you keep giving me these compliments, you’re never fucking getting rid of me.” He pressed his lips to your hair, breathing in your shampoo (or whatever it was that humans used). “I mean it, girl. My poor, dusty Soul isn't used to it.”
You laughed softly…and the sensation of your tongue and teeth gently on his bones for the first time was one he'd never forget, sucking kisses into them until he felt like he was dizzy from it. Swearing, he dipped two fingers down into you, and found you well prepared. “Do you want it this way first?” Gods, he could barely think- half of his brain was made of booze, and half of it was made of you, you, you. “Or do you want to with me inside you?” He knew some women, once they'd climaxed, didn't want to be touched for a time.
“Oh, you're so nicely housebroken...” You reached up and pulled him down for a kiss, one that started out sweet and simple, and ended with him groaning into your mouth as you ran your tongue along his like it was his cock, his fingers plunging in and out of you faster and faster. When you whispered, “Make me cum, come on…that feels so good,” against his lips, it made him feel like an animal. Gaster nosed at you until you turned your head, sucking bruises down your neck as he felt your tight little pussy clenching harder and harder around his knuckles. Then you tucked your head under his chin, focused and quiet under him as you climbed your own pleasure, and he pulled you close in pure happiness and satisfaction. In no time at all, your hips were moving with his touch, your hand coming up to grasp at his wrist…close, so close, he could feel it in the tension of your body…
“Oh, Gaster…yes…oh!” Hot as fuck- you were hot as fuck, especially as he heard and felt you get wetter, your back arching as a shocked little noise left your chest. What, were you surprised that he'd actually finished you? Monsters were going to do very well in the world, he thought to himself with satisfaction, as you whined something into his chest and pushed his hand away, if that was where the bar was set. He cuddled you for a moment, shivering when you wrapped your fingers through his ribs. Any hesitation in your touch before was gone now; you were liquid and snuggly, leaning up to kiss him with such passion that he moaned softly in response. His erection was heavy against his thigh, thick and sensitive, and the moment you touched your fingertips to it his hips jumped hard.
He couldn't wait any longer. “Can I…?”
‘Good thing he was such a gentleman,’ you thought to yourself fuzzily, as the man's entire body twitched at your touch. ‘He's a hair trigger right now, it feels like he isn't going to last thirty seconds …and isn't that flattering?’
His lovely voice cracked as he murmured, “Can I…?” and slid a hand behind your thigh. You answered him with your body, reaching for him with a soft moan. You'd giggled earlier in the bathroom with Maya over the idea of ‘floating magic weenies’, once it had become rather obvious that you planned to spend the night with the man. But now…it seemed so erotic, to see the man's soft white magic forming a new part of his body just because he wanted you. Because he wanted to spread you open and be inside you. He was a nice size, thick enough that you felt a moment of delicious nervousness…but before you could think of that any further, the man was tugging at you gently. “Turn on your side, darling, that's it.” He knelt over you and threw one leg over your outstretched thigh, bending your other up and kneading the flesh there. “Dirty little human girls…so fucking soft and sweet. Was this what you were hoping for, talking to some dull old man at the bar?” He took himself in hand, sliding the head of his cock back and forth through your lips for a moment to wet it, and the sensation combined with his words to make your eyes flutter closed. This position was going to feel amazing, if the man had the stamina to keep it up. “Oh no, I've gotten so much further than I’d hoped…come on Gaster, don't tease me…”
The moan that left you as he slowly worked himself in sounded desperate even to your own ears- it made him groan roughly. “Fuck you're tight…” Your pussy was dripping for him, dripping with each thrust, and the press of your thighs together was squeezing him from tip to base- you purred in pleasure as his eye rolled back. “Mmm…yeah? Is that what you needed?”
“Like you wouldn't believe.” He laughed softly, pushing your knee up a bit further. “Like I just came back to life.” There was…more emotion behind those words than you’d expected, but before you could reach out to him, he began to speed his movements, dragging his cock thickly in and out of your pussy as she tried her best to pull him back in, and you lost the thought. After a delicious, molten, uncountable amount of time, he glanced up at you and winked, murmuring “Tell me when you're done.” You almost made an indignant noise at the sheer arrogance of such a statement, even though you were climbing higher and higher each time he dragged in and out over that sensitive, inner pad of nerves that felt somehow insistent and lazy in its pleasure all at once…but you soon realized that the man whole-heartedly meant it. He made love to you like a machine, tireless and steady, his rhythm unbreaking once he figured out what you liked. He saw your surprise and grinned raggedly, his eye bright and riveted to your body. “All of this- my cock, my cum- it's a spell for me…which means I pick when I finish. But if you make me wait too long, I might lose my damn mind. You're absolutely stunning, and…and fuck, if you could feel this…”
You stared up at him for a moment, processing what he'd said…and a lance of something possessive and molten went through you. “Oh, that must be the hottest thing,” you whispered, closing your eyes and fully relaxing into the sensation of him plunging in and out of you again and again, deciding to trust the man completely to give you what you needed. He had the perfect curve in his length for this position, and was using your hip and thigh like handles to bounce you down over and over. Quite literally, all you could do was lay there and take it. “Seeing you like that, being so close…but literally stopping yourself until I say so. Oh god Gaster, please, I…I never have, just from sex before, and I swear I'm close again. Come on, fuck-”
You missed the almost pained look of ecstasy on his face at your words, too caught up in your own body. Few human men would have had this stamina sexually or physically, the ability to quite literally fuck an orgasm out of you. He took your hand, pressing a kiss to it with such tender sweetness that you murmured his name softly, your eyes fluttering open again despite yourself. The way he had to rock your thigh back and forth was putting pressure exactly where you needed it; his cock inside you, irresistible. As he pressed another kiss to your fingers, he hummed, then sucked two greedily…oh god, he was chasing the taste of your pussy, he was licking between them trying to find more…
It shook you from head to toe this time- an orgasm that made your voice climb to a whine, breaking as your body clenched down over and over on Gaster while he swore and fought his way back into you. You sounded desperate as you scrabbled for him, the position not letting you get as close as you would have liked to, and babbling like you were losing your mind. “Come on, inside me- let me feel it, please. Let me see you, God I want it to be good for you-”
Somehow, he managed to get your legs past himself and shifted you from your side to your back while still inside you, panting with sensation while you practically whimpered for him. Then at last you could wrap your arms and legs around him, pulling his body down into the cradle of your thighs as he began thrusting into you quickly, groaning and making you cry out with sensitivity. “Yes…oh fuck yes, that's good…”
“Give it to me so you can fuck it back out of me later,” you begged, the words tight in your throat, using your thighs to pull him down with each thrust, and that did it. Gaster's strange, handsome face crumpled, his eye squeezing shut, and you felt his cock jump just as his hips began to shake. A few shallow thrusts and then a deep plunge, over and over, while he swore loudly and groaned your name again and again- you realized with pride that everyone in the rooms on either side of yours would know exactly who was thrilling the famed Doctor Gaster so completely.
He wound down slowly, finally shifting his hips enough to pull himself free of you, then collapsed half on you and half beside you, panting and shivering. Honestly, you wouldn't have minded his weight atop you completely- he was remarkably light, and it felt good to hear him hum and shift in over-sensitive delight as you ran your hands over his shoulders and back, counting his ribs and sliding your fingertips along their inner edges.
“That feels so good,” he whispered, nuzzling his face into your shoulder. “I missed this.” Then he laughed slightly, self-depreciation coming into his voice. “Ah…but that's probably not something one should tell a woman right after sex, I don't mean to sound like I'm fishing for sympathy.”
“Why shouldn't you?” You pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Why shouldn't you want sympathy for going through hard times? Here, some honestly for you too. I feel like…like I have so much, oh I don't know…affection, and touch, and gentleness to give…but had no one to give it to for a while now. So if I'm being too much, I'm sorr-”
“Me.” He lifted his head, and the sincerity in his face was lovely for its honesty. “Please give it to me.” Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss in the center of your chest, between your breasts…and you felt something flutter there softly that had nothing to do with your heart. “I'm a drunken idiot right now, so the words come easier. Look, darling…I'm about ten months past a lab accident that practically killed me, I'm a nervous wreck leaving the place I worked to leave for ninety years, and now I stumble into you? It's like tripping on a hike and falling face-first into diamond dust. I don't know how I got so lucky.”
You felt yourself blush, but alarm shot through you before you could bask in the compliment. “Lab accident? What happened?!”
“Ah…I'll tell the story some other time. It…it isn't a happy one.” He sighed so hard that it shook him, somewhere between a hound's stress yawn and a huge breath of relief. “But I'm being completely honest when I say I've felt half-awake until today, like I was just…stumbling around, watching life pass by me. Like I wasn't part of it anymore. Then you, trouble maker that you are, just looped your arm through mine and told me I was to act as your personal trivia servitor…and suddenly, everything shifted back into perspective.”
You blushed. “Well then, I'd better confess something…I've thought you were handsome as all get out since I saw you last month, enormous crush. Imagine how unobtainable you seemed, once I figured out who you were. The Doctor W.D. Gaster? Impossible. And yet…”
He blew out a breath, and limply pushed himself sideways until he was properly in the bed beside you. “Date, immediately. I want to take you out. What are you doing tomorrow?”
You smiled, turning on your side and yawning, then making a soft sound of delight as he snuggled up behind you. “For dinner? Going out with you, if we can get through the snow. Take me under your Mountain, show me all your favorite parts. I haven't really gotten to see much yet.”
He sucked in a breath…and when he answered, his voice was just a bit tight. “It's a rather big Mountain, sweetheart. Lots of favorite parts to see.”
“Then you'll just have to take me on lots of dates.” He wrapped his fingers tight through your own, nodding with his lips pressed to your hair in reply…and you drifted off like that, starting the new year with something rare and precious now in your grasp.
Something that wanted to be yours very badly.