Chapter Text
Packing had been…. almost fun. Gaster thought, as the four of you stuffed essentials into the trunk of his car and piled in. The circumstances were hideous; and he was undeniably stressed about this uncertainty of how to proceed from here. Despite that he felt almost buoyant. They would have reunion with Toriel, who no doubt would be overjoyed to see his sons again after so long.
And…you were coming with them. You were going to stay, living in the same house with him. His soul felt like it might overheat at the thought of that. That was another thing he had yet to address; these feelings you had elicited in his soul. They were strangely potent, as if he had known you for years. As if he’d been wanting you for a century, and not a few months.
Well, he supposed. If things had gone to plan, perhaps he wouldn’t have this opportunity to think. To reflect and dissect these feelings. That was another thing; since when had he become so…calm about this sort of thing? Had this happened a year ago, he would have been holed up in his office, his jaw clenched, searching desperately for some way to fix things. Yet here he was, taking sabbatical to the mountains, almost…happy to be doing so. It was bizarre. Even Sans had elbowed him, making another joke about him mellowing out in his old age.
He shook his head and forced himself back into the present. There would be more time for reflection once they reached their destination. He glanced at the rear-view mirror, at Papyrus, chatting away with Sans, and smiled a bit. He glanced over to you, only to find you looking at him.
“Yes?”
“Oh, nothing.” You said enigmatically, and grinned.
He recognized that you weren’t about to spill what you were thinking, yet, and reached for the on switch for the radio.
It was warmer than usual. A sunny day in autumn, the trees were alight with vibrant orange, yellow and red. The kaleidoscope of forested hills zipped by as the three of you sped toward your destination, the windows down. Your voice, enthusiastically singing along with every song you knew, carried over the noise of the wind rushing past.
He felt…warm.