2 new members.
It was late afternoon when the house finally settled into that perfect rhythm—where the light through the windows warmed the floor just right, and no one was yelling, crying, or exploding anything.
A rare moment of peace.
Well... relatively rare, now that there were two babies in the mix.
Zenith sat in a rocking chair in the corner, gently humming as she nursed Aisha. Lilia, as always, was close by with a folded blanket over one arm and a patient, watchful look. Paul was out back, trying to get a handle on some fencing he swore he'd fix last month.
And in the center of the room, seated cross-legged on a woven rug like some kind of tiny skeleton sage, was Sans.
Norn lay across his lap, swaddled in a blanket that was two sizes too big for her. Her little fists were clenched in the air as she gurgled and kicked, utterly captivated.
Because floating above Sans' palm was a softly spinning ball of light—blue, faintly musical, and shaped like a flower blooming in slow motion. It shimmered and pulsed with each sound she made.
"and that's the 'binkie bloom,'" Sans narrated in his usual lazy tone. "guaranteed to stop a cryin' baby or your money back."
Norn let out a happy squeal and tried to grab the light.
It zipped just out of reach, making her wave her arms with wide-eyed excitement.
From the chair, Zenith let out a gentle laugh. "You've really got a way with them, don't you, Sans?"
"what can i say?" he replied, tilting his skull dramatically. "babies are just like audiences—give 'em sparkles, weird noises, and the occasional fart sound, and they're hooked."
He made a little pffffrrrrt noise with his mouth. Norn giggled.
Lilia blinked. It was such an undignified sound, and yet—there it was. The baby was smiling. Again.
Even Aisha, now switching arms in Zenith's embrace, turned her head toward Sans with big, curious eyes.
He noticed.
"whoa there," Sans whispered. "we got a second customer?"
With a quick flick of his finger, he summoned a soft green orb this time—less flashy, more soothing. It pulsed to a soft rhythm that matched the babies' breaths.
Aisha cooed. Then hiccuped. Then reached toward the light, her tiny hands opening and closing in sleepy wonder.
Zenith leaned into Lilia, her voice warm. "They adore him."
Lilia nodded slowly. "Yes. He's... very gentle, when he wants to be."
"heyy," Sans drawled, mock-offended, "i'm always gentle. unless someone messes with my nap time. or my pasta."
He jiggled Norn gently, rocking her back and forth. She was starting to drift off, the soft blue glow still dancing around her.
Rudeus peeked in through the door a moment later, towel slung around his shoulders from spell practice. "Hey, what's goi—"
He paused. Stared.
"You put her to sleep?" he whispered.
Sans didn't look up. "like a pro. pretty sure i could start a baby-sitting service."
"You mean... bone-sitting?" Rudeus said with a grin.
Sans gave him a flat stare. "i taught you better than that."
Later that night, after both girls had been tucked in, Sans sat out back under the stars with Rudeus. The moonlight glowed faintly against his skull.
"You're good with them," Rudy said. "Really good."
Sans shrugged. "guess i just... like seein' new beginnings, y'know? fresh starts."
Rudy tilted his head. "Because you never got one?"
Sans didn't answer.
Not for a while.
Then, quietly: "maybe."
The silence between them wasn't awkward. It was understanding.
"...You're not gonna disappear, are you?" Rudy asked suddenly, voice small.
Sans ruffled his hair. "nah, bonehead. i'm not goin' anywhere."
And under the stars, with the soft murmur of crickets and the warmth of family behind the windows, Rudeus believed him.
...
A letter from the teach.
Roxy said she will sent a message to them, and well....today is the day.
The letter arrived mid-morning, tied with a soft blue ribbon and sealed in a way that immediately gave away the sender.
Sans was the first to spot it, floating just above the mailbox.
"yo, mail's in. smells like nostalgia and maybe... horse."
He plucked the scroll from the air with a lazy flick of his fingers and called out, "mail call! and unless you ordered more diapers, this one's probably worth readin'."
Rudeus came skidding into the room, nearly slipping on the wooden floor. "Is it from Roxy?!"
Zenith peeked out from the kitchen, hands dusted with flour. "Roxy? Oh, I hope she's doing well..."
Paul joined, baby Aisha held carefully in one arm, a look of curiosity passing over his usually tired face. Lilia brought Norn along, who immediately reached toward Sans like he was a living mobile toy. He gave her a little floating flame and a wink.
Once the family had gathered, Rudeus opened the letter, smoothing out the folds.
And then, in Roxy's neat handwriting:
To my dear student Rudeus, and to the Greyrat family,
I hope this letter finds you all in good health. My journey has taken me far across the Central Continent. I've seen many things, and met many people. Some of it has been difficult... but I'm still learning. Still growing.
Rudeus, I trust you've continued your magic studies? Don't get lazy. Remember, talent is wasted without effort.
Paul, Zenith—thank you again for trusting me. And to Sans... I know you're still keeping things light, but I can tell you're watching everything more carefully than you let on. Thank you for that. I hope our paths cross again someday.
Until then, take care of each other. The world is larger than we think—and much stranger, too.
- Roxy Migurdia
They all went quiet for a moment.
Rudeus held the paper a little tighter than necessary. "She... remembered to write all of us."
"and flattered me directly," Sans added with a smirk. "what a woman."
Paul laughed. "You got her respect, huh?"
Zenith smiled. "I miss her around here."
Lilia nodded. "She brought a calmness with her. A steady rhythm."
"...She believed in me," Rudeus said quietly. "When I was still getting used to everything."
Sans looked over at him. "still do, i'd bet."
He didn't say anything else. But his soul glowed just faintly blue for a moment.
That evening, Rudeus trained harder than usual.
His wind spell spun tighter. Fire danced more fluidly between his hands. Water hovered in complex shapes.
And through it all, Sans watched from the porch, arms folded behind his head, one leg crossed over the other.
Every once in a while, he'd call out:
"don't explode yourself."
"maybe aim that next time."
"is the ground your mortal enemy or somethin'?"
But underneath the teasing was pride. A deep, steady pride. The kind older brothers don't always say out loud.
That night, when everyone had gone to bed, Sans sat under the stars, Roxy's letter beside him.
He read it again, alone this time.
And whispered, to no one in particular, "you're right. this world's weird as hell."
His grin softened.
"but maybe it's got somethin' worth stayin' for."
...
Festival time~
The first lanterns went up just after sunrise, strings of color and ribbon fluttering through the air, held aloft not just by ropes, but by light wind spells from eager kids and show-off mages. Paper stars, woven bells, and flowers decorated every corner of Buena Village.
It was festival day.
And that meant chaos.
"okay, rule number one," Sans muttered, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "if you're gonna fire a spark spell near a food stand, make sure it ain't one sellin' meat."
Rudeus, holding a festival mask that resembled a slime with a mustache, looked far too innocent for his own good. "That was one time."
"You incinerated the sausage stall."
"I enhanced the flavor profile."
" ...flavor profile, huh? alright, gordon ramsay reincarnate."
They walked side-by-side through the festival street, lined with stalls. Rudy was practically bouncing with excitement, scanning every direction for anything shiny, sugary, or vaguely shaped like a woman.
Sans had to tug his collar once or twice when he lingered too long near a group of local girls giggling behind folding fans.
Behind them, Sylphy trailed shyly, clutching a bag of candied fruit and wearing a little flower pin in her hair. She stayed close, and her eyes never left Rudy.
"You alright back there, sylph?" Sans called over his shoulder.
"I-I'm fine!" she said quickly, but her smile was small and real. "Everything's.... beautiful."
"ain't it?" Sans gave a rare genuine nod. "little slice of peace. makes a guy almost forget about the skeletons in his closet."
" ...You are the skeleton in the closet," Rudy said.
"wrong. i am the closet."
Rudeus blinked. "What does that even mea-"
Before he could finish, something exploded across the square. Bright blue light. Sparks. Screaming children. A magical display spell misfired by a local apprentice, shooting wildly into the air.
Sans was already moving.
He summoned a wall of bones mid-air, like an umbrella canopy, catching the burst before it hit the crowd.
"yo! spell control 101, champ!" he barked at the red-faced apprentice nearby. "you don't throw fireworks unless you know where they're gonna land!"
The kid stammered an apology. The crowd cheered anyway.
Rudy gave a low whistle. "You're gonna get knighted at this rate."
"nah. too much paperwork."
Later that evening, with the stars above glowing even brighter than the lanterns below, the Greyrat family gathered at the festival's center stage.
Paul wore his formal cape (poorly buttoned), Zenith had flowers woven into her hair, and even Lilia had a faint smile on her lips as she carried Aisha. Norn was tucked against her shoulder, fast asleep.
Sans sat cross-legged on a platform with a circle of children around him. He made little fire shapes dance in his hands, birds, a sword, a fish, then a spaghetti bowl that sang off-key when it rotated.
Rudy watched nearby, sipping juice with Sylphy, grinning like a kid again.
"hey" Sans said to the kids, letting his next flame morph into a balloon. "y'know what the best spell is?"
They all leaned in.
"the one that makes someone smile."
They burst into laughter, not from the line itself, but because he let the flame pop like a fart sound.
Rudeus shook his head. "You're corrupting the youth."
"bro," Sans replied without missing a beat, "that's exactly my job."
As the night deepened, and music filled the air, villagers began to dance in the town square. Couples spun under paper lanterns, children chased enchanted fireflies, and the smell of baked fruit and grilled meat drifted through the breeze.
Rudeus hesitated.
"Go," Sans nudged him.
"Go what?"
"ask her to dance."
Rudy blushed. "I-I can't, she's..."
"she's waitin' for you, doofus."
Sylphy stood by the edge of the crowd, watching the dancers, holding her hands together nervously.
Rudeus gulped. Then stood. Then walked toward her.
Sans leaned back, watching the night, arms crossed behind his head.
"heh. kid's growin' up."
Zenith walked over and stood beside him. "Thank you."
"for what?"
"For being his brother."
Sans tilted his skull upward, watching the stars.
"...s'what i'm here for."
...
A day babysitting.
The front door clicked shut.
Sans leaned in the doorway with his arms folded, watching Paul and Zenith disappear down the road on horseback with Sylphy, Rudeus, and Lilia trailing behind for a day trip to the neighboring village.
Zenith had kissed both babies three times each, given Sans a scroll of instructions, and left with a half-worried, half-trusting smile.
"You'll be fine," she'd said.
"define 'fine,'" Sans had muttered.
10 minutes later.
The living room looked like a battlefield.
Norn had successfully taken off her diaper and was now crawling at breakneck speed under the table, shrieking with joy. Aisha had managed to pull the curtains down. Twice.
"okay" Sans said, standing in the middle of the chaos with a rattle stuck in his ribcage, "we are now officially in DEFCON bone."
He clapped his hands together, summoning a gentle blue soul glow.
"operation: keep the babies alive begins now."
Hour One: Feeding Time
"I don't even eating here, why am i the one in charge of food?"
Sans sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by bottles and mashed vegetables. Norn had rejected everything with the power of an angry goddess. Aisha was more cooperative, but only if Sans used his magic to make her spoon fly like a dragon.
"here comes the dracolich express, choo choo~"
Spalooosh.
The spoon flung carrot mush across the room. Onto the wall. Then onto Sans' skull.
He blinked.
" ...you're lucky i like you."
Aisha giggled like a tiny demon.
Hour Two: Diaper Duel
Sans eyed the new diaper. The old one sat in the bucket of doom. Norn wiggled on the mat like a warrior in training.
"alright, kid. no sudden movements. we both want this over with clean hands—well, bones, in my case."
He reached.
She kicked.
A spellbook fell off the shelf.
The magical aura in the room flared.
POP.
The diaper levitated, and then combusted in mid-air.
Sans stared at the ashes.
"huh. that counts as an achievement, right?"
Hour Three: Naptime (Theoretically)
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Sans peeked around the corner.
Both babies had crawled into the laundry basket and fallen asleep, tangled in blankets like two adorable turnips.
He exhaled. His magic dimmed to a soft glow.
" ...dang. you two are lucky you're cute."
He sat on the floor beside them, watching their little chests rise and fall.
For a brief moment, he allowed the quiet to settle in.
Hour Four: Existential Intermission
Sans sat on the couch, babies still asleep nearby.
He held the scroll Zenith had left him and looked at the final line.
"Just be you. They love that."
He chuckled softly.
"yeah.... weird, right?"
For a guy who used to count the days 'til the reset, who lived in a timeline of endings, to be someone they relied on now? Trusted?
He glanced down at the two sleeping little sisters.
" ...guess i'm not just watchin' the timeline anymore."
Hour Five: The Return
"Sans, we're back!"
Rudeus pushed the door open, only to immediately slip on a half-eaten carrot chunk. Sylphy caught his arm.
Paul looked around. "Whoa."
Zenith gasped.
Because the house was spotless.
The babies were clean.
There was a flower made of magical light spinning above the crib.
And Sans?
Asleep on the couch, in full skeleton form, holding a rattling toy like a sword.
" ...He did amazing~" Zenith whispered.
Paul grinned. "We should leave him with them more often."
Rudeus stared at the magical flower and muttered, " ...He's stronger than any of us."