Chapter Text
When the last tour of the day pulled up by the tall, imposing building in the heart of the city of Ebbot – built at the foot of the mountain many years ago. School children from the local public high school was being rounded up from the bright yellow bus by the fount of the marble pillared museum with a statue of the human a human child and a monster child holding hands – the teacher of Monster history and culture was busy doing a headcount. The great goat monster with a neat and orderly beard, Hawaiian shirt, blue jeans and fanny pack added to the monsters look.
The children were chatting idly amongst themselves, and Asgore tried his hardest to quiet them down with his placating paws.
‘Now, children...’
The children continued ignoring him, chatting about the new things and games – even the few assignments they had been given to finish on the weekend.
‘Children...’ Asgore tried again but was only met with noise. Brightening considerably at the click-clack of leather bound shoes and the swish of a black trench coat – the children parted from the stairs like the parting of the red seas as the figure confidently strode though, holding himself in a pair of derision and disgust, clenching his gloved hands like he was frightened of the children brushing near him. The children all fell silent; the sense of doom and gloom seemed to follow the perpetually unhappy skeleton with glasses and scars on his skull.
‘Good afternoon children, I am Doctor Wingdings Gaster – I’ll be your tour guide for today, if you have any questions; please feel free to ask me.’ Gaster sighed, ‘I will not tolerate phones going off, talking, bodily functions or noises, or annoying and inane stupid comments about any nude statues or phallic imagery.’
A few children giggled, only to be glared down at by Gaster – the monster looked like he wished to be anywhere else, he seemed too much rather slink back into his office than hang around annoying infantile spawn.
‘Dr Gaster!’ Asgore boomed, making the skeleton monster flinch at the volume – the goat monster grabbed the others hand roughly, and shook it overly excited. Gaster had stilled the others hand and yanked his hand free, annoyed.
‘Do you mind, Dreemur?!’ Gaster huffed, looking as his hand to see if the bigger monster brought harm to his long, spidery, fingers.
‘Sorry Dings, but it seems to have been years since I’ve seen you.’ Asgore continued, ‘Must have been your wedding since we’ve seen you out and about’
‘Dr Gaster, please.’ Gaster corrected harshly cutting off what the goat monster was about to talk about, turning to the wide eyed mix of humans and monsters, ‘So this is the tour from Ebbot High...’
‘We’re here and ready to learn!’ Asgore said cheerfully, the children looked vaguely embarrassed at his excited cheer. Gaster looked like he was going to lose it too, but the tall man just turned on his heel and gestured the class of children and their cheerful teacher to follow him.
‘Humans and monsters had lived in very similar culture and society constructs though the years leading up to the humans pushing back on the monsters underground – that lost history of ours is slowly being returned and found just as the humans have found their own lost cultures...’ Gaster began to drone out.
Papyrus stared at the invite in his hand, holding his bike upright – rolling it across the pavement to secure it with a chain and lock, wad of gum in his mouth to deter his urge for a cigarette. Smoking is an expensive habit anyway, it’s not like he is rolling in cash nowadays. Papyrus took a sharp breath and walked past the bin, spitting out the gum and began his accent up the marble steps of the museum.
Papyrus stared at the large palace like building, many artefacts were put on display from a mix of monster and human origin – Papyrus let out a low whistle at the sight of the large horned skeleton beast strung up above him, a dog like creature it seemed, long dead.
‘I’m sorry, but we are getting ready to close for the day...oh, it’s you.’ A hurried voice echoed out, the tall figure emerging from a side office.
Sup.’ Papyrus raised a hand to the tall skeleton, the other was roughly the same height but with the slouching Papyrus usually found him doing he always seemed a little shorter. The museum director saw what the younger skeleton was looking at.
‘Of course you would appreciate that...’ A low drone echoed out in the museum lobby, the director of the museum looking more flustered than usual. Striding quickly to the admin desk to collect the various paperwork of the excursion he had earlier of the day – ignoring the written note from the teacher with a fancy printed invite paper clipped to it, the note was patterned with yellow flowers and written with care but still thrown into the paper waste basket by the side of the desk.
‘On my 10th birthday you gave me a tooth from something like that...’ Papyrus shoved his hands in his hoodie jacket, desperately trying not to let this situation feel any more awkward then it really is.
‘I was hoping you would use it to inspire you...’ Gaster huffed, ‘Imagine my disappointment at being told it was sold at the pawn shop for some extra cash for weed for you and your friends.’
‘I was freaking 15 , you need to learn to let it go...’ Papyrus huffed angrily.
‘You’re right – I should let the high school dropout, can’t keep a job past the probation period, running away from your aunt; making her worry till we find you passed out in your girlfriends arms in some dingy bar’ Gaster listed the reasons idly, giving the other a pinched look.
‘Ex-girlfriend, Muffet and I...didn’t really work.’ Papyrus corrected the older skeleton, ‘Bringing up the past is just going to make both of us angry at each other again and not speak for the next 6 years.’ Papyrus shrugged, though a bit put off by the others attitude – walking off slowly to stare at a strange artefact on a stand.
‘Hey, guess we have something in common now – failed relationships, heh?’ Papyrus picked it up without a care in the world. Gaster quickly followed the other, and gingerly took the orb back from the younger monster.
‘I’m not thrilled about that common ground you have placed us on.’ Gaster snarled out, placing it back on the stand carefully.
‘Helvetica is fine by the way...’Papyrus added with a half shrug, ‘If you wanted to know.
‘Of course she is; she always is...’Gaster hummed, neither sounding unhappy or happy with how his ex-wife was doing.
‘Her life drawing courses and pottery courses are going well.’ Papyrus continued, ‘I tried to make a vase in one of her night classes but it cracked in the kiln.’
‘...’ Gaster didn’t say anything for a while but then asking quietly, ‘Why are you here Papyrus?’
‘I need a job.’
‘And of course, you come to me...’ Gaster snorted, ‘How very unlike you...’
‘Helvetica has helped me enough – I can’t keep running back to her.’ Papyrus said.
'We are not family anymore, Papyrus.' Gaster said harshly, 'I really don't owe you anything.' Gaster began to feel a little guilty with the way Papyrus shrunk into himself at the doctors tone but shuffled his feet muttering.
'You never acted like family even after the accident.' Papyrus said quietly, Gaster let out a low groan turning on his heel to remove his self from this awkward situation.
‘You don’t have any formal training... I don't know what I can get you to do’ Gaster huffed, beginning to walk back to his office – Papyrus followed him, keeping a half a step behind his former uncle.
‘Well, how about a janitor job or something...’ Papyrus asked following the other into his still brightly lit office – paintings, personal artefact’s and a series of familiar looking pottery and lonely looking sculpted figures. Papyrus vaguely recalled them being part of Helvetica’s last collection – his aunt looking surprised at how quickly those pieces were brought, between the head of the gallery for his personal collection ( the head of the gallery seemed to fancy her a bit) and between an unknown internet bid.
‘I’ve seen how clean your hole of an apartment is kept... I think that is not the best fit for you’ Gaster huffed, sitting down at his desk again with a sigh – tidying his paperwork but pausing at a certain file on his desk.
‘Actually...I do have a job opening coming up with a new exhibit I’m preparing to host.’ Gaster hummed, ‘I’m sure Alphys would appreciate some extra eyes around our ever expanding collection...and she will most certainly keep you in line.’
‘What, she in admin or something?’ Papyrus asked snorted out.
‘Nope, she is a retired police officer and the head of night security at my museum. ‘Gaster grinned, seeing the increasing panic on Papyrus’s skull, the younger skeleton was not fond of the police force.
‘What, like a night guard?’ Papyrus asked warily.
‘Come by the same time tomorrow.’ Gaster stood up from his desk, ‘I am expecting Undyne to return with the artefacts to begin to set up the exhibit space – it’s going to be the winter exhibit.’ Gaster said cheerfully, happy about the upcoming show.
‘So, I have a job?’ Papyrus said surprised.
‘You do, but barely – come by tomorrow at, 5 pm not a moment later or I shall reconsider this chance I’m giving you.’ Gaster warned, gesturing to the door, ‘See you tomorrow night then.’
Only to have the other place the silver lettered invite on the grumpy museum directors’ desk.
Papyrus grinned at Gaster and nodded taking his leave, Gaster looked alarmed at the invite and went to give it back only to have the phone ring out. Gaster groaned and gave up on his futile effort to return the invite and picked up the phone call.
‘Undyne, I was just about to call you...’ Gaster looked at the art gallery gala invite on his desk; a similar one had been thrown into the waste basket earlier he cleared his throat uncomfortably then, ‘I had been distracted.’
‘Undyne, Is the cargo secure?’ Gaster asked hurriedly.
‘Of course doctor – the trip has been a roaring success.’ Undyne said cheerfully into the phone, at the airport – watching the cargo being loaded up on the plane, in the long days of the dig during the heat of the day her skin had gotten a darker blue and she had her hair turned into a long plait of crimson locks.
‘Is he as beautiful as the texts and the art depict?’ Gaster demanded excitedly over the phone.
Undyne walked closer to the large window, watching the biggest and most valuable piece being carefully rolled on board the plane – the gold and jewelled face uncovered by cloth of the outer casket glinted in the sunlight.
‘Oh, Doctor it is more than we could have ever dreamed... he is in an intact coffin – he is still in there!’ Undyne said ecstatically though adding a little sadly, ‘I don’t know why you didn’t go to the dig instead doctor, you dreamed on seeing the prince with your own eyes.’
‘...’Gaster was silent on the other end.
‘Her show is on isn’t it?’ Undyne asked softly, ‘Helvetica is making a name for herself now...she even has her art popping up internationally’
‘Going on digs is a young monsters job now - the board would never let me go.’Gaster let out a short laugh.
‘I can go with you to her show if you want, when I get back.’ Undyne offered gently to her older co-worker, excited to be the one heading the dig but it had always been Gasters dream to go on a big dig such as this - even when he was with Helvetica he dreamed of the ancient monster cities he would discover. But he was too good at the paperwork...too good at looking after the museum.
‘No, you deserve to spend your time back with a younger monster.’ Gaster said sadly.
‘Well, if you’re sure – has Alphys talked about me at all?’ Undyne asked embarrassed over the phone.
‘She has, constantly – she has a tough exterior but she really does miss you.’Gaster put her anxieties at rest for the moment, he actually hired Alphys after the lizard got sick of being retired due to an eye injury - the older doctor was really happy for them but with their relationship budding and his own relationship falling apart at the same time, it was a hard not to feel a tiny bit bitter about it.
‘I look forward to landing back in Ebbot’ Undyne sighed wistfully, the desert settlement had grown over the years but it had nothing on the ancient monster cities under the dunes they are digging up now - with the help of some human archaeologists too, it was a team effort.
'We are boarding soon, i'll call you when we land.' Undyne said, the cargo has been fully loaded onto the plane.
‘I wish you a safe flight then.’Gaster wished the other well.
Gaster hung up the phone turning back his attention to the gala invite – groaning and holding his skull in his head, not aware of a female skeleton across the city in her own studio staring at the small leaflet announcing the upcoming show at the museum, “Ancient Monsters Exhibit.”
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