"Are you sure about this? I completely understand if you would rather not. Given the… current circumstances."
Toriel's voice cut through the quiet sounds of early morning. Though the words were laden with reason and caution, there was an undercurrent of poorly masked excitement coming through as well.
Dogressa, standing just across from Toriel on her front stoop, caught on to all the emotions present. She responded with a cheerfully wagging tail and bright smile.
"Absolutely." She declared with a nod. "If you are confident that that creepy goopy guy isn't a problem, then I trust you."
Toriel offered an appreciative smile at that, knowing just how significant Dogaressa's trust in her really was. But it still couldn't fully banish the lingering unease she was feeling. She did her best not to show it though, as she was determined to go through with the idea and not let the current situation control them needlessly.
There was, of course, hesitance within her over the idea of having her godchild over whilst they were harboring such a dark monster in their midst. But everything so far had proven that Gaster was well and truly trapped, no matter how smug he may behave about it. Even so, Toriel was not about to take the situation lightly.
"We will stay mostly outside with them in any case." She assured the dog monster. "It is beautiful today after all, it would be a waste not to enjoy it to the fullest."
Dogaressa's tail wagged faster in response, and she looked down at her little one with an outpouring of fondness.
"Oh, I'm sure they will love that! The puppies just adore the sunshine! And poor little Dogriel is often dogpiled by all their siblings, so some solo playtime and attention will be good for them."
She paused then and lifted her gaze back up to meet Toriel's. Her expression had grown more serious, but her smile remained all the same.
"I know they'll be safe with you." She declared earnestly, carefully handing Dogriel over to Toriel.
Those words almost had Toriel wanting to hand the puppy right back to their mother, as it sent an inevitable rush of painful memories firing off in her mind. But after looking down at the sweet, sleepy face of her godchild nestled in her arms, she steadied herself and managed to maintain her smile.
"They will be." She assured her, holding Dogriel a little closer. "Thank you Dogaressa, I will see you later then. I will be sure to keep in touch on how they are doing throughout the day."
"Wonderful!" Dogaressed yipped cheerfully, clapping her paws together.
She then expectantly glanced back and forth, even leaning to the side somewhat as if to try and peer behind Toriel. When she faced her again, her expression was puzzled and she tilted her head quizzically.
"Is Sans not here as well?" She asked.
A soft giggle escaped Toriel, and after sparing a quick glance at the door behind her she leaned a little closer to Dogaressa as if to speak secretively.
"To tell you the truth, I am planning to make this a bit of a surprise for him." She said softly, unable to keep from smiling.
The idea seemed to delight Dogaressa, who by then was wagging her tail so fast it was hard to make out as anything but a white blur.
"Oh how exciting! Well I won't keep you waiting then." She said, stepping forward to give her little one a little nuzzle.
"Goodbye my precious puppy-wuppy. Momma will be back to get you later. You be good for Toriel now." She cooed in a most adorable baby talk, before giving the puppy a lick across the forehead.
Perhaps not the most hygenic way to show affection. But Toriel wasn't about to judge. Dogs would always be dogs after all. Monster or not. Besides, Dogaressa likely would think strange of her for eating snails.
After accepting and slipping the bag of puppy-specific supplies over her shoulder, Toriel waved to Dogriel as the dog monster returned to her car. The black minivan caught the morning light as it pulled away down the driveway and turned off onto the main road. Toriel stayed outside and watched until it totally vanished from sight, leaving her alone on the porch with the puppy in her arms. She smiled down at them as they began to stir curiously, blinking up at her with beautiful brown eyes.
"Oh, would you just look at you." Toriel cooed, lightly tickling the side of the little monster's muzzle. "You are already getting so very big."
Dogriel responded to the attention with a swipe of their tongue across Toriel's finger and a tiny yip. Full of affection for her godchild, she took a moment then to just hold them close and enjoy the moment, marvelling at all the little joys of a morning on the surface. It was to be a warmer day for sure, but Toriel still felt it was best to get little Dogriel inside until the sun was a little higher in the sky.
And beyond that, she had a skeleton to surprise.
"can i open my sockets now?"
Once inside, Sans' voice directed her attention to where he was waiting for her. He was sitting at the kitchen table, sockets indeed closed, with his skull resting casually on his hand. If one didn't hear him speak, it'd be easy to mistake him for being asleep sitting up.
Toriel gave an amused and somewhat exasperated chuckle, holding Dogriel close as she approached him.
"Now dear, I do not remember telling you that you had to keep your eyes-er... sockets closed." She said, pausing just beside him.
"oh right, guess i was just dozing off then." He replied playfully, stretching a bit without opening his sockets "it was a mistake to sit in this prime sunbeam spot."
Only after giving his spine a dramatic pop did he open up his sockets and find himself face to face with Dogriel. He blinked, recognition and realization taking a moment to set in.
"oh…" He finally replied, grin steadily growing brighter. "heh, hey there pup, good to see ya again."
Dogriel gave an excited little wriggle, straining a bit to sniff Sans' face all over and pepper it with licks. He chuckled and gave them a few pets in return, making his hand the new target of the puppy's attention.
"guessin' they're the surprise you had in mind for today, huh?" He asked, not looking away from the little monster nibbling his phalanges.
"Indeed, I thought it would be a good idea for us to spend the day looking after little Dogriel." Toriel confirmed with a nod. "Their needs are not quite the same as a newborn of course, but it will still be good practice."
Sans made a soft sound of agreement, his focus still directed at their tiny guest. Dogriel showed interest in going over to Sans, and Toriel looked at him questioningly to see if he would be alright with that. There was some nervousness evident on his face, but he nodded and carefully took them from Toriel. The puppy pawed up at him excitedly as he did so, giving another excited little yip.
He carefully situated his arms around the energetic little monster, holding them as to ensure they wouldn't topple over, but not so much as to impede their movement completely. Dogriel seemed content with it and settled down a bit, but still entertained themself by beginning to chew on one of Sans' hoodie drawstrings.
In contrast to the first time he'd held one of the pups, he seemed more unsure of himself. He was watching all the little one's movements closely, keeping his body mostly stiff. When he noticed her watching him, he gave Toriel a somewhat sheepish smile.
"am i uh… doing this right?" He asked uncertainly.
She blinked, a bit surprised by the question. Dogriel snuggled up closer to Sans, tail wagging rapidly behind them. That seemed to be answer enough but Toriel offered a reply regardless.
"Yes dear." She assured him, before tilting her head a bit, questioningly. "What happened to all your earlier confidence? You seemed to have no problem holding two of them when they first visited us. And they were even tinier then."
His answer didn't come right away. He just continued to lightly stroke the little dog monster's head. His eyelights wavered from what seemed to be a mix of emotions, causing the light to shift between dull and bright. Still, his soft, fond grin remained all the while.
"i dunno, i guess… it all just feels really real now, you know?" He explained, glancing over at her middle. "it won't be too long before we're doing all this with our own kid."
A soft yip escaped Dogriel then, as though they were complaining about what Sans' had said. He chuckled and gave them a little apologetic scratch under the chin.
"sorry pup, didn't mean to make that sound like i was ignoring ya. you're tori's godchild after all, so don'tcha worry about not getting enough attention in this house."
The increased wagging of the little pup's tail seemed to indicate they were satisfied with that answer, though they may have just been happy to have another chance to nibble on Sans' phalanges. As the pup entertained themself, she and Sans shared a meaningful look over what he'd said. Her gaze then drifted down to her stomach and she rested a paw on it as a warm smile
The idea of this sort of scene becoming a norm for them both… it made her soul stir excitedly within her. She liked to imagine that some of that feeling came from her child's fledgling emotions too, as silly as that probably was. The feeling of their magic meeting her own thrummed ever so faintly beneath her fingertips, briefly consuming all her attention.
The day you arrive will be sooner than you think, my little one. She thought, as though they could hear. And every day that passes I grow more eager to meet you.
Something compelled her then to glance back at the entrance to the hallway. The darkness there, and the knowledge of what lied beyond sent a faint chill through her, penetrating her feelings of maternal warmth
Still… take as long as you need, my child.
Another cheerful yip from Dogriel brought her back to the present, and she looked back down at the little monster and her dear skeleton with a smile. Their little guest taken to tugging lightly on Sans' sleeve, emitting the tiniest of playful growls as they did so. That was a good enough sign as any they should let the little one get their energy out with some time out of the house.
Somewhere much further away from that hallway…
"Come now, you can carry them outside." Toriel said, offering a paw to help Sans up from the chair. "I figured it was best we spend most of the day out there while they're here with us…"
"good call." Sans agreed, carefully shifting Dogriel to one arm before taking her paw. "up we go."
Much practice led Toriel to know just how gentle to be in assisting him in situations like this. He was light enough that she could quite easily lift him up by his arm without even trying to. And potentially jostling him while he was holding the baby would be all kinds of terrible. But the two of them had grown more and more in sync as of late, so much so that their difference in size and strength hardly registered anymore.
Once on his feet, he thanked her with a little squeeze of her paw and a quick wink. Then he returned his attention and both hands to the task of supporting the little pup. Though Dogriel was still quite small, Sans' own stature made it so he still had to dedicate a lot of focus and effort in supporting them comfortably, relying on his thick hoodie to provide support.
Such things were not something Toriel ever really had to worry about. After all, it was much easier to hold a baby in an ideal way when one was naturally large and covered in soft fur. Sans, being the species and height that he was, had to try harder than that, and she found herself admiring him for it.
It made her wonder if their own child would potentially resemble him more, perhaps being skeletal in nature. A baby monster quite different from the fluffy, mammalian like types she was used to caring for. Maybe then she'd have to rely on him for guidance on how to best accommodate their needs. Only time would tell of course, but the idea that they both had the potential to learn and advise going forward with this made her soul feel warm within her again.
She realized then that she was staring at him most fondly, and he had taken notice judging from the dusting of blue magic coloring his cheekbones.
"heh, what's that look for?" He asked, quirking a brow ridge.
His words once again broke Toriel from her drifting thoughts to focus on the present. She giggled softly
"Oh nothing, my dear. Do not mind me." She said warmly, before glancing around as something else occurred to her. "Will your brother be joining us? Or did he already leave for class?"
She only then realized she hadn't seen Papyrus at all since the previous night. And with all that had happened… that did worry her a bit. His often erratic sleep schedule meant that he usually always joined her for breakfast, no matter how early she made it. All of her excitement over Dogriel's visit had kept her from noticing his absence. Sans didn't appear concerned though.
"yah, sorry. he said he had be there early for a meeting with one of his professors." He explained, before his eyelights dulled a bit. "something about the… y'know… study abroad offer."
It was unfortunate that those words still seemed to bring Sans such mixed emotions, and Toriel gently rested a paw on his back. She knew there was more unspoken tension regarding Papyrus beyond just his future departure. Neither of them knew what had transpired in the private conversation between him and Gaster the previous night. Papyrus hadn't said much after re-emerging from the gloom of the hallway, and his expression then hadn't given away much either. It was flat, controlled, much like the kind of face Sans would put on when he was concealing his true feelings.
Sans of course had tried to press for details, concerned for just what Gaster could have said to him, but Papyrus seemed reluctant to repeat any of it. He only assured them that "IT WENT AS WELL AS IT COULD HAVE." and "I GOT SOME OF THE ANSWERS I WAS LOOKING FOR." Before letting them know he was going to retire early for the night. To know he had now left in the morning for school without one of them being able to check in on him was somewhat troubling.
Sans gave her a brief, thankful look for her care, but he made an effort to recover quickly, regaining his usual wide grin before long. She considered pressing the issue but for the sake of their guest and the mood of their visit, she decided to let it go for now.
"but hey, we'll tell him all about it, take some pics for em. and i'm sure he'll appreciate that maze sandwich you packed him." Sans reminded her with a wink as he began heading for the front door.
"I do hope so, I tried to make it a little more challenging than usual." She replied with a giggle. "But I sometimes worry that he spends so long trying to solve it, he forgets to eat it while it is fresh!"
A wonderfully warm little chuckle from Sans followed her quip, and she instinctually smiled at the genuineness of it. It seems he wasn't lingering on his brother's far off, but still imminent departure. Perhaps that was a good thing for now, given the current circumstances surrounding his father. But it was something she would need to pay attention to. Sooner or later, the weight of that change in their lives was bound to hit him again. And if the events of the previous spring were any indicator, he wouldn't always be able to joke it away.
Her deeper thoughts faded as they reached the door. Sans began to open it with his magic, but then paused as a somewhat mischievous grin spread on his face. Toriel felt a smile of her own appearing, feeling that a most obnoxious joke was imminent.
Sure enough, Sans lifted up Dogriel as high as he safely could, so that the little dog monster was closer to Toriel's own level. She could always see a slight shimmer of pale blue magic around the puppy, further ensuring there was no chance that the little one could fall. They seemed unbothered by the gesture, peering around curiously at the sights now made available to them by their new vantage point.
"look tori, its updog." Sans declared, presenting Dogriel in a way that faintly reminded Toriel of a scene from a cartoon lion movie Frisk had watched a few times.
"What?" She asked with a tilt of her head, amusement and confusion coloring her tone.
"updog. its updog." Sans continued to reiterate, as though what he was saying was the most obvious thing in the world.
Toriel blinked, still not understanding.
"I am sorry Sans, I am confused. What is updog?" She asked again.
As the question left her lips, she realized just what sort of joke he had pulled on her and began to crack up even as he offered the expected response.
"eh, nothing much. what's up with you?"
A few belly laughs escaped her at that, and she mentally took note of the joke for potential future use.
"Oh goodness, I walked right into that one, did I not?" She asked, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye with a thumb. "Well played, my dear."
Dogriel gave another yip, and looked to be smiling as they wagged their tail excitedly. If Toriel didn't know better, she would of thought her godchild was also voicing their approval of the joke. Sans carefully brought the little pup back down into his arms again with a grin, giving them a little scratch behind the ears once they were settled.
"Looks like Dogriel may have an active funny bone as well." Toriel noted with another soft giggle. "Perhaps that means they will not be so tormented by all our jokes once they are old enough to better appreciate them."
"i bet they'll be a future fan for sure." Sans agreed, keeping his gaze on the pup. "but right now, i think the best material i can offer for them is some visual comedy."
They stepped outside into the backyard as he finished that sentence and Toriel made sure to properly close the door behind them. It was silly, she knew Gaster couldn't get out. But… it made her feel a bit better to put yet another barrier between him and their precious little houseguest. However trivial it may be.
Turning back to Sans, she could see he was indeed trying a different technique for amusing the little one. She watched as he summoned a bone attack above his skull, reared it back, and brought it down onto his skull with a comical bonk. Once it did, he made his eyelights spin around in his sockets in opposite directions as though cartoonishly dizzy.
Dogriel stared up at him with wide eyes for a moment before giving one tiny giggle in their precious little voice. Then a few more as Sans repeated the display. It was enough to make any heart melt, and Toriel's was practically a puddle on the floor at that point. Dogriel's giggles grew louder and more frequent as Sans continued, and their wagging tail was practically a blur behind them.
"How on earth do you even do that?" Toriel asked with a giggle of her own, watching as his eyelights continued to spin.
He turned his skull in her direction with a wide grin, but neither of his wayward eyelights focused on her.
"years of practice." He declared, giving his eyelights another whirl. "and years of needing ways to make pap laugh when he was younger."
Toriel couldn't help but picture that and feel her soul grow warm within her. She didn't miss the way his expression fell a little as he stopped putting on a silly face for Dogriel. Thinking of memories with Papyrus, especially when his brother was small, clearly wasn't helping keep Sans' mind off the other skeleton's eventual departure. She considered saying something, but he quickly carried little Dogriel into the yard. After a long moment of staring after him, feeling a harsh pang of sadness for his sake, she followed.
Going outside meant a drop in temperature, but it was surprisingly warm day for the time of year. The snow on the ground had melted for the time being, leaving the ground beneath exposed for the first time in a while. Perhaps it was a hint towards an early spring, but they wouldn't know for sure for some time. In any case, it was perfectly comfortable weather to be out in, even for the little one.
What remained of the backyard's grass that had largely perished in the grip of winter crunched beneath their feet as they headed to an area they could sit more comfortably. The trees in the backyard had left a thick layer of fallen leaves beneath them at the start of the season, and one in particular made for quite the cozy place to sit. The leaves were dry, but softer than most leaves. Nor did they break up as easily.
Dogriel seemed to hone in the spot right away, and wriggled excitedly at the prospect of being in a new place. Toriel could only imagine how the little pup, with a sense of smell stronger than any of theirs, experienced the world. Dogriel's tiny nose was trained to the air, intently sniffing away at all the scents of the area. They kept doing so until Sans carefully sat down and eased them towards the ground.
For a moment, they didn't react, eyes widening as their small paws touched the leaf litter beneath them. Then they excitedly squirmed free of his grip, flopping down playfully in front of him. Sans watched them with a bit of visible anxiety, clearly unsure if he should pick them up again or not. He winced a bit when they stumbled slightly on their tiny legs, as they turned to chew on the stem of a particularly crunchy leaf.
"careful there pup, easy does it." He said with an attempt to maintain his usual laid back tone despite his nervousness.
Toriel lowered herself down to kneel beside him and his gaze flicked up to meet hers, clearly silently seeking her advice. She gave him a reassuring smile and rested a paw on his back. That seemed enough to relax him for the moment, but he still watched the little monster's movements intently.
His worries were largely unfounded. This clearly wasn't Dogriel's first time exploring outside. While the puppy's movement was still limited and shaky in some respects, they were able to plod around through the fallen leaves without a care. They even attempted to dig a bit here and there where their keen nose directed them to an interesting scent. But it was perfectly normal for Sans to worry, especially if this was his first time witnessing such things with a monster so young.
"Look at them, already so mobile at their age." She pointed out with a smile, hoping it would further ease Sans' concerns.
As if to further prove her point, after getting into a little play bow, Dogriel gave the tiniest of jumps towards Sans. Their legs ended up splayed out under them after the jump, but their rapidly wagging tail showed they were undeterred. They quickly pulled themself forward and began to nibble on the edge of Sans' slipper with a playful expression.
Sans gave a chuckle and gave a weak attempt to pull his foot back, but the little pup held strong. If anything, they only seemed emboldened by the reaction and did their best to tug the slipper all the more.
"Now, now. That is not a toy, little one." Toriel said gently, though she couldn't keep from smiling as she did so.
She reached to potentially help free Sans' unfortunate footwear from the tiny monster's mighty jaws, but Sans waved her off with a grin.
"it's s'alright t." He said, carefully moving his foot around in order to keep the game interesting for the puppy. "these slippers probably just smell too much like toma-toes. hard to resist."
It was a struggle not to laugh too loudly at that one, as to not scare the little one. But she was certainly going to have to write that one down somewhere. Dogriel did look up at her as she giggled into a paw, head tilted and tail still wagging away. They then quickly went back to hunting down the pink furry menace that was Sans' slipper once again.
But after some time had passed and the sun had peaked overhead, it seemed that the game lost its appeal to the pup. They stopped chasing after the slipper even when Sans gave it a tempting wiggle. Instead they peered around as though looking for something, then sat back on their haunches in the leaves with a little sigh. Nothing seemed to entice them back into being playful, and soon they were looking up at her and Sans with big sad eyes. Eyes that quickly became brimmed with tears.
"uh oh, here come the waterworks." Sans said, reaching over to carefully pick up the suddenly saddened child. "what's up pup, you alright?"
Dogriel didn't respond with words, they wouldn't be ready for that for some time. Instead little whines and whimpers began to escape them. Just as any ordinary upset dog, monster or animal, would make. When paired with the little one's abrupt outpouring of tears, it would bring a pang to anyone's heart.
Sans looked down at the crying child rather helplessly, finding that his instinctual reactions of petting them and pulling silly faces was not helping in this case. Indeed, the pup only squirmed and ignored his attempts as they carried on crying, starting to trail their whines off into little sorrowful howls.
While it was always sad to hear such things, Toriel knew from experience that it was unlikely that anything worth stressing over was occurring. When Sans once again looked to her in a silent plea for help, she was able to come to his rescue.
"I think they are probably getting hungry." Toriel reasoned, slipping the bag Dogaressa had given her off her shoulder.
She dug around for a few moments as Sans continued to try and calm the crying pup to no avail. Sad little whines and howls continued to fill the air, encouraging Toriel to find what she was looking for faster.
"Ah, here we are." She said at last, lifting a bottle out of a warming wrap within the bag.
It was tiny, purple, and decorated with a cute little paw print pattern. Being partially transparent, she could see the faint shimmer and shifting color of its contents.
"Magical formula all ready to go." She explained with a smile "Dogaressa was so thoughtful to pack some for us like this."
She gave the bottle a little shake, then indicated to Sans she was ready to take the baby from him. He complied, though he was extra careful about the handoff this time. Once the pup was out of his hands and into hers, he continued to watch intently. His eyelights never wavered between her and their precious guest.
Before Toriel offered the bottle to Dogriel though, she warmed it ever so slightly with a small swirl of fire magic. It was just instinct for her, something she had done countless times when Asriel had been growing up. There was little that would soothe him better when he was a cub than a freshly warmed bottle. She left it slightly cooler than she would have with him, just to be safe, but she wondered if the prospect would hold true for her dear little godchild as well.
It was clear this wasn't the first time Dogriel had been fed this way, as they began to calm down and brighten up just at the sight of the bottle in front of them. Their tiny paws helped pull it into their mouth and they remained on the sides of it to try and hold it in place. With that, the tears and crying stopped and they happily settled into the task, taking in the magical essence created by their mother. The essence that would continue to be what nourished them through the rest of their early development.
Sans visibly relaxed a bit as the pup was contented, the corners of his grin softening.
"wow, must be good stuff." He said quietly, watching as the little monster continued to eat.
The sight was also stirring strong emotions in Toriel, and perhaps her unborn child as well. She could feel her soul pulsing faster, and yet growing tighter in her chest. Stars, how long had it been since she'd last done this? Far too long to even try to think about. And yet… it still felt as natural as when she'd last held her son like this.
Little Dogriel looked so much like him too... the floppy ears, the white fur, tiny paws and tail. All prodding at her memories in ways that brought bittersweet warmth to her soul. Things had been so different back then, it felt like a whole other lifetime. Little ones at this age never seemed to change though, still untouched by the ever changing world around them. All they seemed to desire was love, warmth, and plenty of their carrier's magic. How blessed she was to be able to provide for what was one of the first of monsterkind born to freedom on the surface.
And soon, she'd be doing this for hers and Sans' child as well…
It was only when she heard Sans softly speak her name with concern and lay a hand on her arm did she realise that she was now the one in tears. She blinked, finally noticing the moisture in her eyes and rubbing it away with the heel of her free paw. Her thoughts had really drifted, caught up in the waves of emotion from her soul. But she was able to focus again with a little effort, giving Sans a warm smile.
"Sorry dear... must be um... the hormones I suppose." She said with a sniff before looking back down at her godchild. "But oh, they are just too precious, are they not?"
He gave her arm a pat, eyelights soft with understanding. Then he turned back to look at Dogriel, clearly also full of fondness for the pup.
"they sure are." He agreed quietly, gingerly stroking the messy fur on their head with the curve of one of his phalanges.
They both went silent again for a few long moments as Dogriel continued with their meal. Toriel was content with that, happy to just watch the little one finish off the bottle without a word. To her slight surprise though, Sans did speak up again after a bit, looking visibly nervous.
"do you think uh… i could try? to feed em, i mean." He asked, lightly scratching his cheek with a phalange.
Toriel gave him a particularly warm smile for that and nodded.
"Of course, my dear." She replied, beginning to carefully transfer the little monster into his waiting arms. "They are pretty good at holding the bottle some by themself, but it is still a good idea to support it and their head while they are drinking."
He nodded his understanding as the pup was fully given over to him. Dogriel gave only one little squirm during the process, but was too focused on their bottle to give the transfer much thought. Sans was quick to shift his arms to offer them proper comfort and support, leading to Dogriel remaining content.
"There you go." Toriel praised him with a wag of her short, fluffy tail. "See? You are a natural at this."
In fact, now that she really looked at the way he was holding the child, it seemed to her he may be suspiciously natural at the task. It didn't look like this was his first time doing something like this as he seemed to imply earlier. She tilted her head curiously, watching all the little things he was doing to maintain Dogriel's happiness in that moment.
"Have you... ever done this before, Sans?" She finally couldn't help but ask, tilting her head a bit.
He winced a bit in response, slipping into an expression that made him look like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. Oddly, there was some somberness shining in the lights of his eyes as well, and it took him a long moment to respond.
"well... kinda. i guess." He said with a small shrug, shifting Dogriel a bit again in his arms before continuing.
"when uh… when pap was still real small. newly… "created", gaster briefly removed him from the incubation chamber he was growing in for some sorta test or something. the details are fuzzy... but i do remember that it was real late, ol g woke me up for it, and all the other scientists had gone. so he had to get me to be the one to assist him with what he was doing."
Toriel felt a tightness in her chest when she realized his answer once again involved his past with his father, the very topic they'd been trying to avoid. She almost let him know he didn't have to carry on with telling her if it was too stressful at the moment. But he pressed on without much hesitation, so she just stayed quiet and ensured he knew she was listening.
"i was kind of terrified to tell you the truth." He went on, smiling weakly. "it was outside my routine and i was sure it would end up being some sort of cruel trick or test. but the old bastard just didn't want to deal with holding papyrus while he did whatever he was doing."
He scoffed under his breath, and may have uttered some sort of obscenity towards his father, but a soft noise from Dogriel as they continued to eat seemed to make him think better of it.
"he did make sure to tell me how grave a punishment i'd get if anything happened to pap because of me. couldn't have his most precious investment getting any sort of damage after all. so i had to learn fast and figure out how to hold pap in a way that would keep him from waking up. i also had to hold up an iv bag thing that was feeding into his soul all at the same time. so you can imagine that it wasn't the easiest thing in the world."
His expression softened then as he kept his gaze down towards the child in his arms, the lack of focus in his eyelights seeming to indicate he was seeing something from times long past.
"but pap was a champ and stayed nice and quiet while the doc worked. i'd say he enjoyed being held despite never having that before. had to be better than floating in a bunch of magic juice." He said with a somewhat strained chuckle, before his tone grew quiet again.
"i really didn't wanna let him go." He admitted, stroking Dogriel's little head with his thumb. "i think i even had a brief moment where i considered trying to keep ol' g from putting him back in there, but that would have only ended badly for both of us."
His sockets eased shut for a long moment, and he drew the puppy a little closer to him.
"i remember i felt like crying when i held him. for a lotta reasons i guess. but i knew from that day forward… i'd try to do whatever i could to protect him."
Those weary sockets of his reopened, but his eyelights remained absent a little longer. When they did begin to flicker back to life, Toriel found they were focused on her. All sorts of emotions shimmered there, but she could pick out guilt and something akin to grief.
"which unfortunately wasn't much in the end, heh."
After those words left him, he was quiet again for a few long moments, as he returned his gaze back to the little one in his arms. Toriel looked at him sadly, intending on saying something to try and comfort him, but he spoke up again before she could.
"anyway, i guess that's why i remember how to hold this lil pup." He said, as his smile perked back up a bit. "i may have only done it properly once, but it must of, uh… left an impact on me."
He chuckled a bit to himself, this time sounding a little more genuine.
"i think i subconsciously wanted to do it again, but of course, once pap was finally out of that chamber again, he was too big for any of that. heh heh."
Toriel hummed thoughtfully at that, resting a paw on Sans' back. She hadn't given much thought initially as to how he had seemingly instinctively known what to do when holding the puppies. If that event with Papyrus was only a one time thing though, it really must have made a significant impact for him to retain that knowledge all this time.
"I see." She said simply, offering a gentle smile to both Sans and little Dogriel. "Thank you for sharing that with me, my dear."
He made a quiet noise of recognition, and his own grin softened out its stiff edges further. The renewed warmth in the air made Toriel unconsciously move to rest her free paw to rest on her stomach again and run her thumb over it fondly.
"Once our little one arrives, you will have ample opportunity to experience this again, I assure you." She said, before giggling once. "Perhaps even to the point you may tire of it a bit in time. but it is among the things you will treasure most about raising a newborn, speaking from my own experience."
The sound of him returning her laugh with a hearty chuckle of his own met her ears, and she was somewhat surprised to see the depth of the genuineness in his expression as he nodded.
"looking forward to it."
Those words also carried a wistfulness that Toriel recognized, but she didn't have time to give it much thought. Dogriel had finished with the bottle and had now allowed it to escape their small paws. They pawed lightly at their nose for a moment, looking quite content and full, before they gave a baby sized, but still most impressive, burp.
"woah, nice one kiddo." Sans praised them, and she and him shared a laugh.
Dogriel didn't really seem to notice, and just returned to playing with whatever bit of Sans' jacket they could get in their mouth. In this instance, that was the lining of the pocket nearest them. Sans didn't seem to mind at all and seemed happy to return to playing with them. Though he did offer the pup his sleeve rather than the parts of him that they had targeted.
Toriel just watched him interact with the little monster with a warm smile, feeling the warmth of joyful emotions bubbling up within her as she did.
As time went on though, and the shadows around them grew longer, Dogriel's energy levels began to peter out. Eating had inevitably made them begin to get sleepy, but it seemed to be affecting them more slowly than expected. The pup was steadily losing the fight against the sandman, their movements growing more sluggish, and their eyelids getting ever more droopy.
Trusting Sans to keep up the good work in watching them, she took a brief break to go and feed a certain dark creature they were unwittingly harboring. Toriel could tell that on some level, he really didn't want to give them up just yet. So she was more than happy to just let him enjoy this while she handled the less than ideal tasks needing to be done.
When she returned outside from a thankfully uneventful visit to Gaster's room, she could tell that Dogriel was getting very sleepy. They'd been valiantly fighting off that urge to doze, but they were steadily losing that fight. Their tiny mouth stretched open wide in a truly adorable yawn and when they closed their mouth again, a tiny bit of their tongue remained poking out.
"that was a big yawn." Sans pointed out, before letting out an equally dramatic yawn himself. "contagious too. you getting tired, pup?"
Toriel giggled warmly at that, giving the little pup a gentle stroke on the head with a finger.
"It is getting to be about time for their nap, and I imagine their mother will be by to get them shortly after that." She said, preparing to get to her feet.
Sans followed suit with a nod, carefully adjusting the sleepy child in his arms so he could stand up without jostling them too much. His stiff bones did give an impressive few pops in the process, but if it was in any way painful, he didn't pay it any mind. The genuine smile on his face didn't waver.
"i feel ya kiddo, all that goofing around is hard work." He said to the pup once back on his feet. "let's go get you settled in. i know all the best napping spots."
She gave him a playful jab with her elbow, and he chuckled before amending his statement.
"alright alright, we'll save those for when you're a bit older." He said, whispering that last part to the pup with a cheeky grin.
Once he did though, he looked back to Toriel and quirked a brow ridge at her curiously.
"but where do you want them to sleep?" He asked as they approached the backdoor to the house.
She gave Sans a reassuring smile as she pulled open the door for him.
"I have something in mind." She assured him, beckoning him with a paw once he was inside. "Come now."
With that, she led him to the coat closet in the main hallway. Thankfully not the same hallway that led to the room their most unwanted houseguest was residing. Sans watched her curiously as she began digging through some carefully stored boxes near the back. The small space carried the somewhat musty scent that came with old things, not exactly pleasant, but invoking a certain type of nostalgia. She picked over the labels on each of the boxes, searching for a certain one in particular.
It didn't take too long to locate it in the corner, being of a fairly large size and marked with an indication of Asriel's name on the flap. Her expression lit up upon seeing it, and she carefully picked it up. Once she got it out of the closet, she set the box down in front of Sans so he could see what it contained once she got it open. Delicately using her claw to cut through the tape on the top of the box, she was able to pull back the flaps and reveal the box's contents.
Inside was a handcrafted bassinet, painted in gold and white and adorned with floral patterned lace. The inner section contained sheets so white they seemed to gleam, along with a matching tiny pillow. The whole thing was a beautiful work of art, but even it showed the signs of the wear and tear that came with using something for a long time.
"you have one of those?" Sans asked, perking up upon recognizing the item she was holding.
"Yes, it was once Asr- er my son's bassinet. I rediscovered it in a box when I was moving my things out of the Ruins." She explained as she lifted it out of the box.
Its legs were folded for storage, so she gingerly unfolded them and eased it into its full height. She then ran a thumb along the edge of the bassinet fondly, briefly lost in memories stirred by the sight.
"I… got very emotional when I found it again. So… even though at the time I thought it was only for soothing some of my grief, I refitted it with some fresh linens and repainted a few places where the color had fully faded or chipped."
A sleepy, somewhat grumpy sound from Dogriel pulled her back to the present, and she looked to see the puppy stretch their jaws wide in a big yawn once again. She smiled and silently beckoned Sans to follow her back into the living room, bringing the bassinet with them.
"This should be a good test to see if I managed to make it adequately comfortable back then." She said as they stepped inside.
She set the bassinet down beside the couch and lovingly fluffed up the pillow and ensured the sleeping space was adequately soft and inviting. Once satisfied, she stepped aside and nodded to Sans, indicating he could put the baby down. He'd been doing well keeping them content as they began dozing, but she could see he was relieved to get them properly settled.
He was perhaps a bit overly careful in setting Dogirel in the bassinet, but Toriel found that endearing more than anything else, and gave him a reassuring smile once he'd placed them inside. The little monster shifted a bit at first as Sans laid the blanket over them, perhaps curious as to where the comfortable arms that had been holding them had gone. But the bassinet proved to be a suitable replacement, and soon enough they had curled up and began slipping into sleep.
She and Sans remained quiet for some time after, watching Dogriel closely until they were sure the little one was going to stay asleep.
"wow, out like a light." Sans said softly, looking up at Toriel with an impressed grin. "looks like we'll definitely need to be keepin this for our little guy."
"They will have a proper crib as well." She added, happily imagining the scene in her head. "But yes, I think this would be a great first place for our child to sleep once they arrive. I am sure Dogriel can vouch for that at least"
That last part was said playfully directed at the sleeping child, and she and Sans shared a quiet laugh at that. Afterwards they could have given their focus to entertaining themselves with the usual fair as Dogriel slept. But both of them kept getting drawn right back to standing beside the bassinet, looking down at the sleeping child and thinking of what the future held for the both of them.
….
It wasn't too much later that Dogaressa had returned for her pup, meeting Toriel and Sans on the front step of the house. Dogriel had proven to be a great sleeper, not even stirring when Toriel gently lifted them from the bassinet to carry them out to their mother. The little one had nuzzled close while in her arms though, and stirred all those old feelings with Toriel again. It made her want to delay going outside just to savor the moment a little longer. But alas, as much as she'd loved looking after the little one, they had a family to get home to.
When she'd gone to hand over the pup to Dogaressa, they did finally stir a bit. They blinked back at Toriel and Sans with sleepy eyes and tilted their head. Then they lifted a little paw towards them. The sight was enough to make Toriel's soul feel like it was being squeezed, and she let the pup grasp onto her finger for a moment as a little goodbye gesture.
"Don't worry my sweetie-pup, you'll see your godmother and good ol' Sansy again before you know it." Dogaressa cooed to them, giving them a nuzzle.
That seem to satisfy Dogriel some, but they still hesitated a moment before letting go of Toriel's finger and settling back in their mother's arms.
"Of course, we would be honored to have them back anytime." She said with an involuntary wag of her tail.
"yah, they were no trouble." Sans agreed from where he was leaning against her. "and turns out we have a lot in common. they are a paw-some napper."
That coaxed a laugh out of Toriel, while Dogaressa just sighed but still with a smile on her face. Dogriel giggled a tiny bit too, something picked up on by their mother. Realization passed over Dogaressa's features, and that only made Toriel laugh again. She imagined that Dogaressa must be lamenting all the future puns Dogriel might learn from the two of them.
But nonetheless, the atmosphere was cheerful as Toriel and Sans bid her farewell. They stood there on the porch until the car was no longer in sight, leaving only the sounds of late evening to meet their ears.
Sans was first to speak up, and she felt his small hand slip into her paw.
"that was… really great." He said softly once she'd looked down at him.
He rubbed the back of his neck, and she could tell that a plethora of thoughts were buzzing about in that skull of his. But the noticeable warm shine in his eyelights showed the overall tone of them.
"heh, now i'm even more eager to meet our kiddo."
Toriel mirrored his expression and gave his little hand a gentle squeeze. With her free paw, she rested it on her stomach again, finding that now familiar faint stirring of magic quicker than ever.
"Soon, my dear." She assured him, suddenly fighting against becoming more emotional than expected. "We will meet them soon, we must simply be patient… and perhaps offer to babysit my godchild more often in the meantime."
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Sans leaned against her and slipped his hands into his hoodie pockets.
"sounds like a plan to me." He said through a contented sigh, before tapping a phalange quizzically against the bottom on his skull. "i wonder... if they'll end up being friends. dogriel and our kid i mean. not to mention all of the other dogi's pups."
Toriel hummed thoughtfully at that, trying to picture such a thing as she watched two kites being flown from Newer Home's park in the distance. They were the standard diamond shape, one blue and one purple. They dipped and danced around one another as the wind carried them without crossing the other's string. The cheerful laugher of the children manning the kites floated up from the park, making even the wintery air around them suddenly seem warm.
"Well, there is no way to know for certain, but I would surely hope so." She said after a moment, turning to look back down at Sans. "They will likely end up at the same school one day, so there is definitely a chance for it."
Sans quirked a brow ridge at her for that, grinning playfully.
"your school?" He repeated with a chuckle. "bet you'd give em' a's no matter what."
It was said in jest, so she didn't bother taking issue with his jab at her teaching integrity. Instead she crossed her arms and let out an overdramatic huff, resulting in Sans laughing again. She could feel her lips wanting to curl into a smile, but she didn't "break character" as it were.
"I will be able to separate my duties as a teacher and a mother if such a need arises." She declared, using her old royal tone as though she were giving an important decree.
When she continued speaking though, her tone began to soften into something more natural. Something akin to hope flared in her chest, leaving her soul buzzing.
"But it may be that, by the time they are old enough to go to school, mine may not be the only one for monsters in Newer Home." She pointed out.
There were whispers of other schools in the works, and of monsters thinking of teaching at such places. But for now, she was the sole monster teacher with an established building, given the right to teach both monster and human children. Perhaps it was silly to be thinking so far ahead as to what her child and godchild's school days would be like at this point, but the idea brought warmth to her soul regardless.
"yah, maybe…" Sans agreed quietly, closing his sockets and leaning into her a bit more. "things sure change fast up here on the surface."
"They certainly do." She agreed, affectionately slipping an arm around him. "And I am so glad I get to witness it all with you."
That most wonderful shade of cyan rose up on his cheekbones at that. And though it was difficult to tell with his sockets only half opened in that moment, she thought she spotted that his eyelights had taken on that distinctive heart shape once more.
"me too."
They stayed out there on the porch for a while, just silently enjoying each other's company and watching the kites dance above the park in the distance.
...
Upon reentering the house, the warm atmosphere that had been cultivated outside steadily dwindled, as both Toriel and Sans inevitably had their gazes drawn to the entrance of the ominous dark hallway. They shared a knowing look, but Toriel was glad to see the reminder of their quite unwanted guest hadn't totally soured Sans' mood. Though the heaviness had returned to his eyelights, the magic she could feel from him was still stable and calm.
"tch, would you believe me if i told you i almost forgot that old bastard was here?" He asked, grin growing stiff at the edges.
Toriel let out a soft sigh, taking a quick glance at her phone. It was vibrating as notifications popped up, but thankfully not the annoying kind from Undernet. Dogaressa had just got the chance to go through the pictures of Dogriel Toriel had taken during the little one's stay it seemed.
Because Toriel had been the one taking them, most of the pictures were of Sans holding Dogriel. As well as a few of the puppy sleeping peacefully in the bassinet. There were plenty that Toriel had every intention on saving for herself as well. Such wonderful memories. She'd sent them to Papyrus as well, but he hadn't replied yet. The notifications she was getting indicated that Dogaressa was "liking" the pictures, marking each with a little heart and sending occasional happy comments back.
Toriel allowed herself a small smile at that before pocketing her phone and directing her attention back to the situation at hand.
"Well, it was certainly nice not to think about him for a while." She agreed, narrowing her eyes at the hallway entrance as she pictured what their ghoulish houseguest could be doing beyond the walls that divided them.
Gaster hadn't had much to say to her during her earlier visit to bring him his meal. Just the same obnoxious, overly cordial greeting and then he'd mostly focused on eating. She had no real way to tell, but she suspected he was deep in thought during that time. Or perhaps he was feeling the effects of his dying form more strongly. Enough to keep him from being as chatty as before. But that hadn't stopped him from continuing to smugly leer at her all the time she was in the room. In any case, it made her only more suspicious of what was going on in that monster's twisted mind.
Sans followed her gaze and eyed the hallway critically, his eyelights wavering with the emotions that came with the sight. But after a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and hardened his expression.
"guess before we can really think anymore about the future, we gotta deal with this pile of sludge in our present." Sans pointed out through a sigh, lazily cracking his knuckles. "and this so called plan of his."
"He promised us more information if we agreed to his proposal, did he not?" Toriel recalled flatly, starting to ready up her magic by instinct. "I say we go see if he intends to keep his word on that."
At that, she gave him a look, one that indicated to him that he was more than welcome to object to the idea. But his expression was resolute, and she saw little fear in his eyelights this time.
"right behind ya, t."
With that, they both plunged back into the darkness, far more ready to face Gaster and whatever manipulations and tricks he had up his sleeve this time.