UnderCorrupt

31 ~ Combat

Gaster sat on the couch for some time, just hugging Sans.

He felt like his Soul was going to break.

That Sans, that his son had gone through that, had suffered so much. That he had been broken.

It was unthinkable.

And yet, it had happened.

"d-dad?" Sans' voice was muffled, as his face was buried against Gaster's shoulder.

"Yes?" Gaster's voice wavered just a little.

"i- ... i appreciate the sentiment- ... but my ribs are still a little bruised."

"Oh. Sorry." Gaster loosened his grip on Sans a bit, but didn't let go.

Sans seemed perfectly content to stay there, too.

They probably would have stayed like that for longer if Gaster had not felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

He released Sans and pulled the small device out of his pocket. Recognizing Papyrus's number, he lifted the phone to his skull.

"Hello?"

"Dad?" Papyrus's voice was just a bit concerned. "Are you at the lab?"

"No."

"Did you forget to go again?"

"... Yyyyyes...?"

Gaster had the good sense to jerk the phone receiver away from his skull as Papyrus let out a frustrated shout, loudly proclaiming his family's laziness. After a couple minutes, he calmed down.

"Okay. I'll be home in a few minutes."

"Alright, Papyrus. See you then. Love you."

"I love you too, Dad, even if you are lazy."

Gaster just chuckled as Papyrus hung up.

~o0o~

A little over eight minutes later, Papyrus burst excitedly into the house. In the eight minutes it took for him to walk from the lab to the house, he had forgiven his father and brother's laziness, more or less forgotten about it, and become excited again about the news he had heard that day, and planned to tell his family.

"Dad! Sans!"

They were both in the living room, on the couch, looking at him.

"hey, pap. s'up?"

Papyrus slung off his backpack and rifled through it a minute, before pulling out a neatly folded newspaper and thrusting it towards Gaster.

"Look! They're saying that all the Corrupters were chased out of Waterfall, and it's safe to go in there again! Can we go, Dad? Can we?!"

"Now hang on a minute, let me take a look at this..." Gaster unfolded the newspaper with a flourish, and began to read. Sans also leaned over and read it over Gaster's shoulder.

After a minute, Gaster peered over the top of the newspaper and peered at his younger son, who had fallen silent, but was still bouncing eagerly on his toes.

"... Do you have any homework to do?"

Papyrus nodded. "Yes, but once I finish it, can we go?"