Jessica gazed at the ceiling, laying on her mattress with the blanket at her feet. Moonlight peered through the window beside the mattress, and she turned her head to see it. The sliver of the glass that she could see through had a cloudy sky past it.
It wasn't a good night to see the stars, unfortunately. She sat up and sighed with tiredness. Was an apology due to either her or them?
It gave her a headache just thinking about it. Nothing she'd done from the point she saved Gaster to now made sense. Maybe it was because she hit her head. It'd be a better answer to everything at this point.
A soft knock on the door made her expression lighten instinctively. Slowly, she went towards it and pulled it open.
"Heya J-" She slammed the door. That wasn't Gaster. That was goddamned Sans.
She flopped back into the mattress as she heard him talk outside the hall. "Yo, Jess, wait. Cmon. I don't want G to be mad at me."
"If anyone's mad at you, it's me." Jessica flipped herself over, staring at the ceiling again. "But our favorite lab coat wearing lover is in sync with you. He's mad because you're mad. So I wanted to say sorry."
"Will you stop trying to push me to like him?!" Sans stopped for a moment. "Can we talk about that?" "No! We can't!" "Please?" "No!"
"Why are you so much harder to crack open then Gaster?" "Go ask that pink thing. You'll get a better response from her." "I'm just gonna stay here 'till ya let me in." "When the time comes for you to drive me insane, I'll jump out the window."
Sans stopped for a moment. "Don't do that." "I WON'T! I JUST NEED EVERYBODY BUT GASTER TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"
A shuffling was heard in the hall along with footsteps. "Hey G! I need ya!" "What are you doing?" "Good question." "No. Not a good question."
A silence followed outside her room. Jessica tried to drown them out as much as she could, but miserably failed. "Okay. Not a good question, then." "Sans, stop being a wiseass and stop harassing Jessica."
Sans shrugged and walked down the hall. "I was just callin' ya because she said she needed you. By all means, continue to be mad at me." "Go and leave us alone." Gaster muttered with malice, opening the door and turning to Jessica in concern.
She sat up and sighed as he closed the door behind him. He sat beside her on the mattress as she predicted his next movements, leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around her gently.
"I think we're overdue for a talk." Gaster ran his hands through her hair as she sighed in agreement. "I suppose. What's our topic for tonight?"
Gaster looked up at the ceiling thinking, but then he responded with a smile in his voice. "Whatever you want it to be." "Hmm. Can we complain about everyone here who's not us?" Gaster pulled her a little closer. "Of course."
"Alright. To start off, Toriel confronted me about you liking me as more than a friend, and it was extremely condescending and rude. Honestly, I wouldn't have freaked out tonight if it wasn't for that. Plus, Asgore just snickers at me when I give him the look that says 'Help me! Your wife is going to make me jump off a bridge!'"
Gaster chimed in with annoyance in his voice as well. "Sans did that to me as well. It wasn't fun to sit there and not be able to tell him otherwise." Jessica nodded with anger, being careful not to let his hand stop stroking her hair. "I know! And then they act all smart about it like they've accomplished something! They've accomplished nothing!"
"That's how I felt when you left. You know what they told me when you walked out?" "What?" "They told me that I'd stand out because you didn't like them at the moment." "What kind of half assed manipulation tactic is that?!"
Gaster growled a little. "That's exactly what I said. And they still acted all smug. Bastards." Jessica pulled Gaster a little closer this time. "Yeah. Bastards. We don't need them to govern us."
A silence haunted them for a moment, until Jessica's face turned to regret. "Now I feel bad." Gaster stopped for a moment. "Why?" "I just ranted about how they're being dumb, but they're just trying to help us out."
"They are being dumb. They made you angry." "But their plan is actually working! You're literally the only person I feel comfortable around right now! Y'know, they're not dumb! I'm just mad because they outsmarted me!"
"No they didn't. Their plan may have worked, but it was a stupid one. I don't like how it made you mad." "But it worked nevertheless! I hate this. I don't want to apologize for running away even though it worked. In hindsight, I should be thanking them!"
"They said that exact thing. That we should be thanking them." "God damn! There's no way to win!" Jessica's tone took on more of a whine then a scowl at the end. Gaster cuddled her just a tiny bit tighter, his head resting on her shoulder. "I think I've won already."
"This isn't the time to be a flirt! You know, soon enough, I'm just gonna get used to it." Jessica didn't seem too embarrassed this time, but Gaster could tell that she was hiding a blush. "Mmm. I'll find more ways to make you flustered when you do. Adaption isn't one-sided, you know."
"Fine then. I bet I'll adapt faster." Jessica smirked as Gaster chuckled, slowly tracing his hand from her hair down to her jaw. "Let's see you adapt to this, then." He turned her face so it was mere inches away from his.
A slight smile from Jessica ensued, her eyes locking onto his and then closing with a slight smile and a move forward. All at once, everything was alright again. Toriel never made fun of her. Sans never confronted Gaster. Jessica understood why she saved him from the rubble.
Chara seemed to kick the door open before their lips touched, making the magic cut off with a gasp from Jessica. "JESSICA I'M SUPER DUPER SORRY AND I NEED YOU TO PLEASE SAY THAT YOU FORGIVE ME BECAUSE I FEEL REALLY BAD BUT MY MOM DOESN'T AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"
He practically jumped into both Gaster and Jessica's arms, not knowing what he'd just ended. "I'M SORRYYYYY! YOU'RE REALLY ACTUALLY MY FAVORITE HUMAN HERE!" Tears stung at Chara's eyes. Jessica laughed awkwardly, wrapping her arms around Chara as he clung onto her.
"A-Ah. It's all good." Chara sniffled and wrapped his legs around her as well. "Y-You mean it?" Jessica glanced at Gaster with a smirk and he smirked back. "Of course I mean it, mister emotional..."
"Oh, thank god. You know, now that's off my chest, I had... Something to tell you. Gaster has to cover his ears." Gaster rolled his eyes as they both looked to him, but then looked to the holes in his hands.
Jessica let go of Chara and reached over to cover the sides of his head. "Right. What did you wanna tell me?" "Can I start calling you aunt Jessica and uncle Gaster?"
"Jesus Christ. Get out." Chara scampered to stop hugging Jessica and ran away laughing.
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Jessica awoke with a yawn, slowly propping herself up. Sunlight peeked through the window, replacing the gloomy night that loomed above them yesterday. She couldn't get a grip on why, but today seemed like a breeze.
Gaster smiled and talked with her. Toriel seemed to get the memo of easing the pressure, so whenever she entered a room where Gaster was, the other person or people did their best to try and leave them alone together.
Only, it didn't bother her anymore.
"I told him it was normal for her to be in denial. Last night was the turning point." Toriel walked over to the van with Sans. "The turning point, eh?" "Mhm. She turned the right way."
"You wanna bet somethin'?" Toriel raised an eyebrow as Sans continued to speak. "They're sleeping with each other tonight." Toriel giggled as she grabbed a box from the van, bringing it into the building. "I wouldn't be so naive as to pick the latter. Challenge Chara to that."
"Mmm. At this point do ya think even he would choose the other side?" Toriel shook her head with a wide smile, walking in to see the two laughing and talking on the couch. "Probably not. We'll have to see what happens."
Sans and Toriel turned to a door down the hall and went inside. Chara, Asgore, and Papyrus sat trying to figure out how to piece together Gaster's computer.
"Did we really have to give the guy with seven hands a day off?" Chara groaned, dropping the metal frames he had on the ground. Papyrus picked one up and fit it around a metal plate he had.
"Well, if you plan on calling Jessica an aunt anytime soon, I suggest you leave him alone." "I asked her about that! And she said for me to get out. Gaster couldn't hear me."
"You just barged into the room?" Toriel looked at him with confusion, putting the box from the van down on the floor. "Yeah. They were both there. So I had Jessica cover Gaster's ears. Even though he doesn't have ears. How does-" "Hold on, kid. What were they doing when you went in?"
"Well, it looked like they were hugging, and their faces were really cl..." Chara trailed off, realizing what he'd done. "Oh no."
It was silent for a moment. Asgore snickered quietly, talking with a soft tone. "Chara. You do know they've had an instance like this before, don't you?" Chara nodded his head in guilt, turning to Asgore.
"It's alright, my child. Third time's a charm." Toriel grinned wide and Sans mimicked her. "And aren't they going to see the stars tonight? On the roof? G was telling me about that." Chara's look of guilt was replaced by hope. "Dang... That's cheesy." "Cheesy suits them. They're both tired adults who think they've seen life through."
Toriel pulled some parts of the computer out of the box, and they all went back to figuring out the technology.
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"Cup-O-Noodles for dinner. We have a million." Jessica put a pot of water on the stove, pulling out a bunch of them from the cupboard. Gaster looked at them with a smile. "So much pasta."
Jessica let out a giggle. "It's really the only thing we have. But I've heard that monster retaliated into the sewers due to being weakened, so if we find it, it'll die with a few good hits. Then we'll eat things other than pasta."
"Mmm. Make ours first. We're eating on the roof." Jessica glanced at him with confusion, but then smiled wide. "Ah, I forgot about that! Is the sky clear enough?" Gaster looked to the window across the room. "Oh. That's a very clear sky indeed." He stared at the star-speckled sky for a second before looking back to her.
"Guess I'll set up an area to sit." He reached a hand out to tuck her hair behind her ear, snickering as she blushed a little. Walking out of the kitchen, he turned the corner to see none other than Chara, Sans, and Toriel eavesdropping on them from around the corner...
...And all three of them holding a bundle of blankets and pillows. Gaster looked at them in disbelief.
"Good luck, G." Sans shoved his bundle into Gaster's hands and patted him on the shoulder. Chara struggled to hold his pillows and Toriel only watched with a grin. "Well, come along. The roof is this way."
They marched down the hall and up a flight of stairs leading to a tiny room with another door and a tin roof. Sans opened the door and they all walked out, looking up at the sky.
The night was peaceful and quiet. Crickets were heard distant from where they were. Stars spanned as far as they could see, and looking down, you could see the green glow of the Avalon across a serene, broken city.
"Wow. Y'know, if I ever go on a date, I want this exact one right here." Chara smiled and turned to Sans. "You said it was cheesy just a few hours ago." "A good cheesy. A really good cheesy."
Toriel nudged Gaster a little. "You've got this in the bag. Let's go set it up, yes?" Gaster nodded with a nervous grin. They set the pillows and blankets against a concrete block, organizing them neatly. They stepped back upon finishing up.
Chara smiled with satisfaction, but went and pushed the pillows into the middle. Gaster blushed and was about to say something, but Sans beat him to it. "Nice thinking, kid."
Jessica cut him off for the second time, opening the door with her foot with two Cup-O-Noodles in her hand. "Broth spilled on my hand and I'm near death."
Gaster walked over to her quickly and rolled his eyes, taking one of the cups from her. "Mhm. I was near death once. It wasn't because of hot water." Jessica giggled and out of the corner of her eye saw Toriel ushering Chara and Sans inside.
They headed over to the setup with a laugh, and it was only then Jessica looked up at the sky. "Woah. It's pretty beautiful tonight..." Gaster hugged her as she hugged him back. He let out a long, calmed sigh as they gazed up at the stars.
"Now... Where were we?" Gaster's hand went up to tangle itself in her hair. Jessica smiled mischievously, not backing down. "Oh, I'm certain we were somewhere important." "Very. Yet, I can't put my finger on it... Would you describe what you remember?" Gaster matched her grin, resting his head on her shoulder once again.
"Mmm. I think I remember Chara being here. I may call him over." Jessica giggled as Gaster growled playfully and tightened his grip on her. "Don't you dare."
A silence fell as a breeze blew by them. A shiver ran down Jessica's spine, but she didn't think it was from the wind. He pushed her head a bit closer to his, whispering into her ear. "I think I remember exactly what we were up to."
Jessica turned to face him before he could make her. "Oh? And what's that?"
Gaster pressed his lips against hers firmly, tasting a smile as he pulled away. Instead of smiling back, he looked up to her with hope.
She rested her arms on his shoulders, pulling him in for another. He was the one to smile this time, barely pulling away with their faces still close. He spoke in a low, gentle tone. "Hmm... That was nice, wasn't it?"
Jessica smiled with satisfaction as Gaster pulled her down to the ground to rest their heads on the pillows.
"It was."
A/N: Sorry for any typos in this, I didn't proofread it- But hey! I told you it tasted sweet ;)
I'm going on break. For real this time. No cap. :)