{Handplates chapter references: An attempt was made, Permanent damage, Let's try again, Told you you'd be fine}

"why did you do that to him? he never did anything to you. he didn't deserve that.", 1-S's voice broke the silence in the room.

Gaster and him both sat at a table, 1-S on one side and Gaster directly across.

Gaster had his own set of papers spread out on his lap, sipping on a cup of coffee while 1-S was working through several worksheets that Gaster had given him.
Gaster's concentration was immediately broken, but his eyes continued to roam over the pages as he took another sip of the black liquid.

"And you did? Does only his suffering matter to you? Interesting.", there was a hint of genuine surprise in Gaster's words.

"why did you make us? why are you doing this to us?"

More annoying questions. It was to be expected, of course, they would try to make sense of what happened to them.

As Gaster does not seem to respond, 1-S tilts his head in question: "...is someone making you do this? is that it? do you not have a choice?"

Gaster's attention finally shifts to 1-S, his expression unreadable.
There was more silence before a sudden buzzing made Gaster flinch.

He quickly reached for his pocket, pulling out his mobile phone.

"I thought I turned this off-", he flipped open the phone, the app on his phone loading to lock in Gaster's magical signature.

The signs his magic hands make would be transferred into the system and sent in text to the caller. It was really helpful app that Alphys and Gaster had worked on together but it was nowhere near perfect yet so it was only accessible to them.

'Yes, Dr. Alphys, what is it?'

1-S stares at Gaster's back, trying to understand who or what he is talking to.
Was that thing...alive?
Or was someone inside of it?

'...Yes, I am fine. Is something wrong? Late? Late for what? ...Yes but that's tomorrow, isn't it? ...is it really...? Are you sure?'

As 1-S watched him further, a sudden idea struck him.
He considered for a moment, thinking about the risks but then again, he would do anything for his brother.
No matter what.

He carefully hops off the chair, trying to not make a sound.
1-S left the room quietly, still listening to Gaster talking in the background. The more distance 1-S brought between him and the room, the faster his footsteps grew until he found himself running towards their cell.

"bro! bro!", he exclaimed, finally reaching the cell.

2-P perked up, tears in his eyes but he quickly blinked them away, scurrying to his feet: "BROTHER!! HOW DID YOU GET OUTSIDE?"

"i snuck away while he wasn't looking - I'm gonna get you out, okay? then we're gonna get out of here!"

"OH, YAY BUT ... HOW?"

1-S brought his hand to his chin, thinking.
"um...i am still working on that part."

Maybe his plan wasn't as well thought through as he assumed.
But then again, it was rather impulsive decision making than planning.

"uh, he does something to the wall when he opens it, doesn't he?"

"YEAH, HE TOUCHES THE THING OVER THERE, I THINK. MAYBE PUT YOUR HAND ON IT.", 2-P pointed over at the touchpad that was installed.

1-S tiptoes as he tried to reach it, putting his hand onto the black field and pressing his palm against it.

"it's not working, only one of the lights went on!", he exclaimed after trying to apply as much pressure on it as he could.

"TRY USING TWO HANDS!"

"he only uses one though."

"WELL HIS HANDS ARE BIG. YOU HAVE LITTLE BABY HANDS.", 2-P put up his hands, trying to further prove his point.

1-S immediately protested: "i do not have baby hands!"

2-P put on a smug face: "YOU HAVE THE MOST ITTY BITTY HANDS, BROTHER, LIKE TINY LITTLE- AHHH"

2-P put his hands up to his mouth as he cried out, his pupils flashing a dark purple.

1-S's soul suddenly started glowing blue and he was lifted off the ground.

"no!!!", his own eyes started glowing purple too.

Gaster pushed himself between him and the touchpad, moving 1-S further away from the cell with a mere flick of his hand.

"Apparently, I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on you. You're slipperier than I thought."

1-S struggled against his grip, trying to desperately reach the touchpad: "no, i was so close!"

2-P looked up at Gaster with a frightened expression, clutching his hands to his chest:
"ARE...ARE WE IN TROUBLE...?"

"Yes. Under other circumstances, it'd be sufficient to punish only you, Subject 1, but your frailty makes it difficult so... You BOTH will be coming with me."

Gaster put his hand on the touchpad, unlocking the cell.

2-P's fingers sank into the fabric of his shirt, trying to give himself some kind of comfort.

"don't - don't hurt him! he didn't even do anything! he didn't DO ANYTHING!!", screamed 1-S.
He started tearing up, scared of what he might do to his brother.
He knew his begging was useless but he tried nevertheless.

"Think about that the next time you run from me.", Gaster said coldly, his face mere inches away from 1-S's.
It felt like Gaster's gaze dug right through his skull.

"Come on."

With those words, he guided 2-P down the hallway, 1-S floating behind them in the air as Gaster still had a firm grip on him.

.

.

.

"Entry Number XXX:

I have a theory.

Both subjects glow naturally and powerfully - unusually so for our species.
Although admittedly there aren't many of us left to compare.

I suspect the unique nature of their souls has something to do with it, but it needs proper investigation. 1-S's eye sockets are large, and the aura of his glow is very strong.

He seems the best candidate.
If the healing tinge I sensed is truly present, and can be replicated or enhanced...maybe there's hope for my eye after all."

Some time has passed since the creation of the two subjects.
It was difficult for Gaster to hurt them at first but overtime, he grew more detached.
It was easier the more often he did it.

He did not have to do this to 1-S.
But he could not deny that he was more than curious about the abilities of the two skeletons.

What he did is for the good of all monsterkind. His experiments and tests would certainly help them somewhere...eventually.

Of course, that's what he has been telling himself but how much truth was actually in these words?

The damage was done. Nothing he could do about it now anymore anyway.

"Entry Number XXX:

1-S is more fragile than I anticipated."

1-S sat in the corner of the cell, a bandage poorly wrapped around his skull.

Tears were running down his face and he had his hands held up, as if he could not believe what happened. They trembled lightly.

As soon as 2-P was put back into the cell, he hurried over to his brother.

2-P knelt down next to him, trying to comfort him but he pulled away, holding his eye.

2-P grabbed his face with both of his hands, forcing him to look back at him and glowed orange for him.

1-S just looked up to him, before trying to match his glow.

Only his left eye glowed blue in response.

The other socket was dark.

"The right eye is broken.

Preliminary tests indicate permanent blindness.

I suppose now we're a matching set.

Knowledge always comes at a price. Sometimes that is the nature of things - one cannot always expect perfect answers."

1-S started crying as he felt that his right eye was not reacting.

Everything was dark on that side and he hated it.
It reminded him of how much he is broken. How much power Gaster has over them and what he can do and can get away with without any consequences.

He pushed 2-P away, not bearing to look into 2-P's shocked face.
He did not want his brother to see him in this state.

1-S pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his face in his hands.
2-P still tried to comfort him as much as he could, slowly reaching out for him.

"I was not able to find and isolate the healing aspect I'd hoped.
But I believe I may instead be onto something very, very interesting. I will need to observe him carefully while he recovers...and if I'm correct, well it would change everything.

As for the damage..."

2-P gently grabbed 1-S's face again with both hands and turned him to him.
1-S protested, tried to struggle against him but 2-P just rested his forehead against his, closing his eyes.

"Eye glowing is essential to a skeleton's emotional well-being.

Without full access to the ability, 1-S may develop...problems."

1-S gazed up at his brother, watching as a strong orange glow seeped through his closed eyes.

It grew stronger with every passing second and 1-S slowly started to relax against him, his tears slowly stopping.

Soon, both of them were engulfed in a strong orange light, wrapping around them like a comforting blanket as they continued holding each other.

"Well...that's why I made two of them."

.

.

.

"Stay still."

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?! YOU BROKE HIS EYE! YOU BROKE MY BROTHER'S EYE! HE NEEDED THAT TO GLOW!", 2-P yelled, angry at Gaster but still trying to somewhat reason with him.

Gaster just sighs in response, adjusting 2-P's posture in the experimentation chair.

2-P's neck and hands were bound down by leather straps, but he was more concerned about his brother than the situation he was in.

"HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU, HE NEEDED THAT EYE!"

Gaster walked off: "He'll just have to deal with it. The damage is already done, it's too late now."

"WHY? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"

"The same thing I'm going to do to you. Stop squirming, you do not want to be out of alignment when the emitter is on.", Gaster's voice echoed across the room as he approached the emitter.

He reached up to adjust some settings in the machine and check the calibration.

2-P immediately jolts, struggling against his restraints: "WHAT - NO! NO NO, STOP!!! WHAT IF YOU BREAK MY EYE TOO??"

Gaster seemed rather unbothered by his concerns. He continued working on the machine as if it was the most mundane task.

"Then we'll have just three between us all, I suppose.", he mutters. "But I don't intend to make the same mistake again. I've adjusted the output and you're much stronger than Subject 1.
I think this time, I'm going to make a breakthrough."

Gaster walked towards the control panel, 2-P still struggling and squirming.

"NO NO!! DON'T!! PLEASE STOP!!"

Gaster entirely ignored his pleas.

"What did I say about squirming?", he didn't even bother to look at 2-P as he said that, pushing a couple of buttons and moving the sliders on the panel.

"PLEASE! I NEED MY EYES! I MEED BOTH OF THEM, I NEED THEM SO I CAN GLOW FOR HIM! PLEASE, I HAVE TO! I HAVE TO!!!"

There was a time where Gaster would have cared about what 2-P said.

In fact, the past him would have never even dared or imagined being in a situation like this.

Glowing for someone, yes he did that too.
You always looked so happy when he showed you his true emotions through his eyes. Not that he could help it anyway.
With you, it was just almost impossible to control himself.
It felt so natural and he loved the way you smiled at him whenever he glowed in happy colors.

He remembered the time where you always asked him to glow for him when you were bedridden.

Gaster always secretly hoped it would give you enough strength somehow to overcome your sickness.

But that hope is gone.

That time is gone.

He understood very much why the glowing was so important to 2-P - especially regarding his brother but he could not bring himself to care.

His emotions were entirely shut off and there is no way he would go back now.
Gaster knew that he was in way too deep to ever return.

The people he cared about would not forgive him and now not even those two small skeletons would probably ever forgive him either.

"I already told you, I have no intention of blinding you. In fact, the opposite. But if you don't follow my directions very carefully, you may blind yourself regardless. Do you understand?", Gaster explained calmly.

He felt as if he had to calm 2-P somehow, since he did kind of understand his worries.

But of course, he told himself it was just him using the glowing for his brother as leverage to manipulate him into doing as he says.

2-P looks at Gaster with intense fear, his pupils glowing in a strong orange. His breathing was ragged and he shook slightly as reality sank in.

2-P knew there was no way around this and begging was useless.
His head sank in defeat, tears falling uncontrollably and staining his pale green robe.

"PLEASE... PLEASE, DON'T....HE NEEDS ME TO... HE NEEDS ME..."

Gaster decided to dismiss the rest of his weak pleas, sliding one of the sliders all the way up.

"Now eye sockets forward. Don't move."

The machine started humming to life, a loud buzz erupting from the depths of the circuits.

The tip of the emitter started glowing in a strong white light, electricity and magic spilling over in big sparks and flashes.

2-P couldn't help but gulp, trembling as he stared straight into the laser in front of him. A faint, raspy breath escaped his mouth and he tried his best to ignore his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

"And no matter what you do, don't blink."

.

.

.

"Are you awake?"

"NNGH, WHAT HAPPENED? WHY CAN'T I SEE?"

"The magic overflowed into your other socket during the procedure. It was a rather spectacular light show, actually."

"D-DOES THAT MEAN-"

"You're not blind, if that is what you're afraid of... You can't see because of the bandages. It will probably take a day or two for you to recover."

Gaster sat next to 2-P, holding a clipboard in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

His eyes flickered at 2-P for a moment, his eyes practically blindfolded with bandages.
Gaster put down the cup of coffee on the table next to him, crossing his leg over the other.

"DOES THAT MEAN I CAN STILL GLOW..?"
Gaster quickly scans his papers before answering the question. He felt like he at least owed him an answer to that.

"Yes, it shouldn't have affected that ability in any way."

Gaster was relieved that the experiment seemed to have been successful.
It would have been quite devastating if he had ended up making the same mistake as with Subject 1.

"THEN WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?"

"When the bandages are off, and your eyes have healed...you will see."

2-P tilted his head in confusion: "SEE? YOU MEAN BECAUSE MY EYES WILL BE OPEN?"

"In a sense. Come on."

He got off the chair and used his blue magic to pick up 2-P, getting him out of the bed and setting him down on the floor.

"If you're awake, then you can go back to your cell. Subject 1 can keep an eye on you. I have to get back to work."

Gaster started walking, 2-P stumbling after him and feeling around.

"UH YOU AREN'T GOING TO CARRY ME? BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE..."

Gaster stopped, considering his answer.
Truth was, he was strained from when attempted to stabilize 2-P's condition while he was passed out. It seemed like the increase in his Level of Violence weakened his healing abilities.
It scared Gaster somewhat but he tried his hardest, nevertheless.

"I've...expended a lot of magical energy lately. I'm tired. You can walk."

There was just a few steps between 2-P and Gaster.
Gaster turned his head back to him, watching as 2-P helplessly felt around the hallway and took small, hesitant steps.

Gaster turned around and extended his hand towards 2-P's stretched out hand before immediately pulling away.

He almost made a mistake.

A crucial mistake.

"Here. Hold on to m- this.", he said, struggling to stay composed and not let 2-P on to what he almost did.

2-P grasped Gaster's lab coat sleeve and Gaster continued to guide him down the hallway.

He felt his small hand adjust his grip and it made him feel...weird.

He did not like it at all.
The proximity was not comfortable.

The walk was silent until 2-P finally spoke up again: "...CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?"

There was just silence, but 2-P decided to press further: "YOU SAID, BEFORE, THAT YOU WEREN'T GOING TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN."

"Yes, and I did not. You will be able to see just fine.", Gaster answered, somewhat annoyed by his talking.

"BUT THAT MEANS YOU HURT MY BROTHER BY MISTAKE, DOESN'T IT? THAT YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO?"

Gaster hesitated. He knew exactly where this was going - he spent enough time with 2-P.

It always amazed him how he tried to see the best in people and situations. How he always focused on that one positive aspect and hold onto it as long as he could. Quite the foolish ambition..

But exactly that made Gaster speak up and answer somewhat truthfully.

"...breaking his eye was not in my plans, no."

"SO...YOU DIDN'T WANT TO HURT HIM."

"...Subject 1 is too delicate to hurt carelessly.", he said, trying to keep professional distance between himself and this conversation.

2-P had a weird way of getting to Gaster.

Especially with him viewing the entire situation as much more optimistic than it truly was.

"SO, DOES THAT MEAN YOU WON'T HURT US ANYMORE? OH, THAT'S A RELIEF! I KNEW-"

"I will do...", Gaster immediately interrupted him.

2-P was way too good and kind for his own sake.

It was almost sickening.

"...what I have to. And what people need me to. If that requires hurting either of you then so be it. I will see this through to the end. It's already too late to turn back."

Gaster continued to talk, 2-P listening silently. It was almost as if Gaster was talking more to himself, having forgotten about 2-P entirely.

Was it him just trying to convince himself again that he had no choice?

Or was it him opening up to someone, now that he has finally someone to talk to about this situation?

"BUT ISN'T THERE SOME OTHER WAY? MAYBE WE CAN HELP YOU... IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS-"

Gaster abruptly turned around as he realized his mistake and what he had just laid out in front of 2-P, pulling his sleeve out of 2-P's grasp.

It causes him to stumble forward slightly.

"If you want to help me, you will be silent and obedient."

2-P got too close.
Gaster cannot let this happen again.

The connection, the small moment of vulnerability was lost, and Gaster sighed, building his walls back up again and turned around.

This time he used his magic hands to hold 2-P's wrist and guide him.

"...I don't have time for this.", he mumbled in a low growl, his eyes fixated at the end of the hallway as he walked with a quicker pace.

2-P trotted after him: "DO YOU...HATE US?"

Gaster stopped for a moment, a brief image of him holding a young 1-S in his lap and 2-P sitting next to them, watching him intently what Gaster was doing appearing in his mind.

It's what they could have had.
What he could have experienced.
But that was not the route he chose.

"...I don't feel anything for you.", he said, his voice entirely void of emotion.

There was silence again.

"I'M GOING TO TELL MY BROTHER YOU DID IT BY ACCIDENT. I'M GOING TO TELL HIM YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT HIM."

"Tell him whatever you like. Come on."