800 Follower One-Shots!

The Void Stares Back

For ANinnyMouse42, who wanted a Burgerpants that remembered Gaster. I rose to your challenge, my friend.

~

Graveyard shift was the worst shift.

First of all, no one came. Because why would they. Who was going to get up and get a Glamburger at three in the morning?

But then there was also him. Sometimes he didn't show, but most nights he did. He always seemed to sprout up from the ground and stand in the corner for hours. Sometimes his hands moved, but mostly he was still, smiling and yet managing to still look so sad.

Really, Burgerpants could totally relate.

The whole thing wouldn't be such a problem if other people saw him, too. But no, he was the only one who ever seemed to. He knew who it was, of course. He'd thought asking "Hey, why is the hotel haunted by the ghost of the old Royal Scientist?" was a pretty normal question.

But everyone he asked, from those two girls in the alley to his boss, assured him that he was crazy. Which, y'know, was great.

But he definitely remembered another Royal Scientist before Dr. Alphys, one with a beat-up face like the Mystery Man in the corner. He'd been one of the first customers to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, back when Burgerpants thought he could get famous.

~

"Hi, welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium," he said brightly. If he could sell this, he could absolutely make it onto TV.

In front of him stood a tall skeleton and a short dinosaur, both in white lab coats. The skeleton, he knew, was the Royal Scientist. He had some funny name; Burgerpants (oh, damn it, now he was starting to think of himself as Burgerpants) would look it up later. The dinosaur kept looking up at the Royal Scientist anxiously, and he crossed his arms with a frown.

"Why is everything so expensive?" he asked.

"We like to keep things in line with the Surface," Burgerpants replied, staying chipper. The Royal Scientist looked down at the dinosaur, who gave him an embarrassed smile.

"Out of all your attempts to make me like humans, Alphys, this is the worst yet."

"Well, wa-wait! Y'know, this means a lot to Mettaton a-and...y'know, I-I want to help my friend o-out."

The Royal Scientist sighed, then looked at Burgerpants. "How did you end up with a job like this?"

"O-oh. I...can't talk to customers unless you order something," Burgerpants said, looking up worriedly at the camera directly above him. Last time he had gotten chatty, Mettaton spent a whole day playing the conversation back at him—somehow even after he'd gotten home.

The Royal Scientist sent another frown to the dinosaur, who shrugged. He sighed.

"Well, take my advice, young man. You can do better than working somewhere soulless like this. If you stare too long into these kinds of voids, they have a tendency to stare back."

"I...do-don't think that's the quote, Gaster," the dinosaur whispered.

The Royal Scientist—Gaster, he guessed—waved a hand and turned to leave.

"Gaster, you pr-promised you would give this a chance. For Mettaton!"

"I did. And there was its chance."

Burgerpants stared after them as they left. What a weird guy.

~

Ah, there he was.

With what looked like a great deal of effort, the ghost--or whatever--pulled himself up in the corner. His empty eyes stared at Burgerpants, and his hands moved weirdly in front of him. The first time, Burgerpants had been terrified. Now, he just stared at what used to be the Royal Scientist.

Maybe he had been right when he'd come in. Honestly? It'd make a ton of sense. His parents hadn't even remembered to give him a birthday card this year; maybe he was close to melting away, too.

He'd definitely stared too long into the Food Service Void.

He sighed, then grabbed a Glamburger wrapper and rolled it up. He stuck it in his mouth, wishing he could afford something stronger, and lit it up. He took a drag as the mangled hands kept moving desperately, then shook his head as he leaned back.

"Wish I could help you, buddy. But you and me? We're both stuck in the void for good."