Warnings: kidnapping, result of kidnapping. nothing violent yet
Papyrus leaps at the chance to help his father with important work, but when he arrives at his childhood house something he wasn't at all expecting is waiting for him. Torn between his morals and the want for a closer relationship with Gaster, Papyrus has to help the small mermaid living in his pool.
Chapter 1 under the cut
Also on ao3 (link in the notes)
Papyrus had never been very close with his dad. It wasn’t that he was cruel or neglectful, quite the opposite. He was well cared for, growing up in a large house with anything he could want. However, his father was very emotionally distant. Sure, if he had a problem he could go to his father, who would do his best to listen and provide feedback, but he always seemed slightly uncomfortable and out of touch with children. Which is fair, seeing as how Papyrus was an accident.
Gaster had always preferred to keep his distance from people. The one time he didn’t, he managed to get pregnant. The partner he had taken was a one time thing; his father hadn’t been interested in telling him. He carried the child to term and when Papyrus was born, he kept him still. He may not have wanted a child, but Papyrus was his. So he did love Papyrus, truly he did; parenting just didn’t come naturally to him.
Papyrus was quite lonely during his childhood, despite his father’s best efforts. He often bounced from extracurricular activity to extracurricular activity, hoping each one would bring him friends, but he had never fit in. Maybe it was his social skills. He always talked too loud, was always moving, was very blunt at times and clueless at others. Maybe it was just him, his personality. He always strove to be kind and helpful but perhaps he was too overbearing instead.
So in his adult years, when his father invited him back to his childhood home to consult on a project he was working on, he eagerly jumped on the chance. He had never been allowed into his lab as a child, too dangerous, apparently. He did know his father did very important work though. That’s why he was the Royal Scientist.
Pulling into the neatly paved driveway, Papyrus parked his red sports car, a gift from his father. He had no idea what to expect as he unlocked the front door. His father had never specified, simply stating that it was urgent.
Stepping into the foyer, he called out, receiving no reply. Moving to the intercom on the wall, he pressed the button and called again. There was no answer from the speaker, but his phone chimed with a text from his father, telling him to come out back.
The backyard was about an acre, with large trees lining the edges, perfect for climbing. There were gardens, properly maintained by the caretakers. He’d always slipped outside during nap time to watch them work, hoping to help. He was never allowed, but occasionally the gardeners took pity on him and let him sample some of the fresh veggies. The carrots were always his favorite.
Tucked into one corner of the yard was a large, above ground pool. His father was standing nearby, balancing on the ladder leading up to the water, frantically writing something down.
“Father!” Papyrus smiled, racing over to him. Gaster looked back at him, giving a small smile before turning back to his work.
“Ah, hello, son. How was the drive?”
Instead of answering, Papyrus gasped and raced over to him. His face and coat were scratched and torn. He didn't seem to be dusting anywhere, but the sight was still worrying. "What happened?!"
Again his father turned to him, a more mischievous smile on his cracked face. “Come take a look. Be careful not to get too close, though.”
Papyrus scrambled up next to his father, the ladder slightly too thin for both of them. Standing a rung lower than his father he moved to heal him but was instead directed again to the pool. He gripped the side and hesitantly peeked over, his father’s reassuring hand on the collar of his shirt.
There, at the bottom of the pool, about four feet down, was a mermaid pressed against the side of the pool, glaring up at them.
The mermaid was the skeleton kind, their magic a stunning bright cyan, matching the surrounding water. Through the sun glinting off the surface of the pool it was hard to see, but their sockets seemed large and round, white pips of magic within pointed right at them.
“...Father,” Papyrus said breathlessly, “what….. where did you find them?”
Mermaids were extremely rare, so rare in fact, that many didn’t believe they still existed. Sightings were few and far, far in between. They were supposedly a hybrid between two to three types of monsters, one of whom being a special type of fish monster that no longer existed in modern days. And to see one in his old backyard was astounding.
“I found them in the shallows off the coasts of the Ebott Seas, a few hours from here,” he said with an excited gleam in his eye - the one he always got when he was close to a breakthrough.
“Wowie!” Papyrus beamed. “How did you convince them to come with you? And what about their family!? Group? Uh, school?”
“Oh, I didn’t,” his father said simply, turning back to peer into the waters distractedly. Papyrus’ expression dropped in dawning horror as he continued. “Their pod weren’t nearby, as far as I could tell. They were sunbathing on the shore, around the back of the island where no one would see them. Well,” he laughed, as if this were all normal, “no one but me. I was very lucky to be sailing nearby at the time.”
“Father… you can’t. You can’t just kidnap people!” he exclaimed incredulously.
“I haven’t kidnapped anyone!” Dr. Gaster turned to fix him with a disappointed look. “I’m simply keeping them here until I find a way to communicate, to explain what I’m trying to accomplish. I’m certain that once they know they’ll be willing to help me.” He sighed, leaning against the rim of the pool, staring down at the mermaid. “Unfortunately I cannot communicate with them.” he smiled ruefully. “I’ve tried hands, but they don’t seem to understand. I’m afraid they’re closer to fish than skeleton.”
His father’s font was hard to understand by anyone other than a skeleton. Not to say it was impossible, but it took a lot of time and effort. It was frustrating more often than not so Dr. Gaster simply used hands with those that needed. If the mermaid didn’t understand either, their language must be completely different than skeletons now.
“So, you’d like me to try and talk to them?” Papyrus was doubtful. “Maybe a fish monster would work better?” He climbed down the ladder, stretching his legs.
“Son,” Gaster quickly followed, grasping his shoulders firmly. “You’re the only one that can do this. You have to understand how important my work is. To study a mermaid’s SOUL could progress my research in leaps and bounds. This could help so many people, Papyrus. I’m afraid others wouldn’t understand. They’d put a stop to this before I can even begin.”
Papyrus was tense underneath his hands. This just wasn’t right but looking into his father’s eyes he saw the resolve and knew he believed in what he was saying. His father dedicated the past 45 years of his life to the study of the SOUL. His goal was to find a way to bring monsters back from falling, something believed to be impossible. He knew his father truly wanted to help people, he just wasn’t sure how holding a mermaid against their will would help.
As if sensing his doubt, his father let go of his shoulders to instead grip his hands. His face grew less wild and more pleading. This was honestly the most expressive Papyrus had ever seen the man. “I know this will help in so many ways,” Gaster continued. “I just need to communicate with them. Anytime I get close they try to drown me.”
Casting a glance back at the metal side of the pool, Papyrus sighed. He supposed if they could find a way to explain to the mermaid their intentions, and the mermaid agreed to stay, there would be no harm in it. However, if it was clear they couldn’t get through to them, or they didn’t want to stay here to help. Well. Papyrus loved his father dearly and wanted to please him but. This was another monster’s life.
“Okay.” Looking back at his father he nodded resolutely. “But you need to understand. If they don’t want to be here I can’t keep them. And…” he hesitated, not wanting to upset the man who raised and loved him all these years. “I couldn’t stand for you keeping them either.”
Gaster’s mouth twitched downward but he nodded, relaxing his grip and stepping out of his space. “I understand. Thank you. Now there are a few things I should warn you about."
Standing at the edge of the ladder once again, Papyrus stared nervously into the depths. The mermaid was still resting at the bottom. Their head had been resting in their arms but as soon as they noticed him at the surface they tensed back into a defensive stance. Papyrus shuddered at the sight of their bared fangs. Sure he had a set of his own, but this monster was clearly ready to use them.
His father had also warned him about their claws, much sharper than his own, hence the scratches on his father. Physical damage posed much more of a risk than the threat of drowning. Magical was still to be questioned though, as no one knew what their abilities still entailed. Anytime someone had supposedly gotten close to one they had simply swam away.
Skeletons, luckily, were a species of monster that didn’t need much air. All SOULs needed some sort of magical charge, which carried much more easily through air than water, but depending on the species, you could stay under for quite a while. Not to say it was impossible for a normal monster to live their entire life underwater, just that it wouldn’t be a very good one, even for a fish monster. Papyrus wondered if mermaids had evolved to live completely underwater and still function normally or if they still came to the surface for air.
It was times like these Papyrus was grateful he could heal so well. He took a calming breath and without further ado, he stepped over the rim of the pool and eased himself into the water.
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