The pan-carrying human didn't know what the statue in the rain meant when they put the umbrella on it. They didn't know who it memorialized. They didn't know how long it had been there. They didn't know how hard it hurt the small skeleton following their every footstep to walk past it. They didn't know that he stopped there and stared for some time.

Well, he didn't stare so much as he cried. Cried for a family long gone. Cried for a mother who he'd barely known and another he could only speak with, unrecognised. Cried for a father long dead and another he would walk by every day, but could never bring himself to speak too. Cried for a brother lasting in a coma after something tried to push him off a cliff and another whose dust had been mistreated in the name of science. Cried for the scientist no one knew who would have been horrified at what he had done.

But more than anything, Sans cried for the human he had known so long ago and the promise he had made to them. He cried for the promise that clashed so much with another, more recent. He cried with the voice that was his only remembrance besides this rain-worn statue that he could hardly bear to look at.

Chara peeked out from behind Toriel's apron and examined the small monsters before them. Normally, no monster came to the house outside of visiting hours - at least, they hadn't since Chara's fears had been uncovered. This had to be an emergency, then, and by the looks of it, it was.

"I do apologize for coming at such a late hour, Your Majesty, but I am afraid there was little other choice. Their parents succumbed to their injuries a few hours ago, and they have no other relatives except-"

"Our Royal Scientist. Yes. I understand. We cannot place such young children in the care of a monster who is known to pass out from forgetful starvation on a regular basis."

"Indeed. There is also the matter of their magic."

The human could feel their mother's scowl heating the air.

"Babybones' magic is notoriously unpredictable. I do not see how it can be a problem for an orphanage as esteemed as yours."

"We are...not prepared to deal with the kind of forces at play here. Both children have their family's traditional bicolored blue magic in spades. The elder also possesses healing magic, albeit untrained, and the younger shows signs of purple magic as well as yellow."

Toriel's scowl lessened, "Ah. That is quite impressive. And I know the other orphanages are just as full as you with casualties from the cave in. Yes," here she paused to take a look down at Chara, who gave her a firm nod, "I believe we can manage two more. Give the baby to me."

The monster passed over a small swaddled form to the Queen. He babbled in his relief.

"They have been very quiet children, apart from the magic. Sans has hardly cried at all, and Papyrus has been doing quite well on his own. From what we can gather, their parents were working to sure up the emergency tunnel when another rockslide hit. Poor things. I doubt the youngster will have any firm memories at all. The elder is very friendly. Aren't you, Papyrus?"

A foot away from the orphanage monster, and staring at them with simple interest, was a skeleton kid. He looked a little bit shorter than Chara did, which obviously meant that they were older than him. That meant he would be their younger sibling. They liked that idea. They'd never had a younger sibling before, and they were looking forward to it.

The skeleton kid looked over at them and smiled hugely. There was a gap between his two front teeth. They liked that. They liked the outthrust hand he waved at them a lot less. Hand shaking was weird to them.

"HI! MY NAME ITH PAPYRUTH. WHATH YOURTH?"

They tilted their head at him, then looked up at Toriel. She gave them an encouraging smile.

"My name is Chara."

Papyrus beamed. Then he stumbled over to them and gave them a hug.

The expression they shot their mother was a lot more desperate. Toriel just smiled down at them. Papyrus snuggled in closer.

They decided, in that moment, that it was going to be their job to protect this cute little sibling for all eternity.

"And you say both their parents were killed in the cave-in?"

Asgore eyed the older skeleton playing with their son sadly. He could not help but notice that Chara was watching them as well. Their emotions appeared mixed, but they weren't clinging to Asriel as they had in the past. That, as far as Asgore was concerned, was a benediction.

"Yes, and both brothers' magic is complex and unstable. Enough so that we are the best and only option they have."

The King's eyes drifted down to the bundle in his arms. The small amount of skull visible in the fabric was rounded and puffed. He was suddenly lost in a flash of history, when a similar rounded face, albeit fluffier, had been cradled in his arms. The blanket then had been green, not blue. The expression had been the same.

Before he knew it, his other hand had come up to brush the toddler's face. The body wriggled. Then white eyelids lifted up and the illusion was lost.

Black sockets blinked at him. More wiggling commenced, and soon a small, boney hand was reaching up at him. As Sans' skull was smaller than Asgore's hand, his entire hand was the size of Asgore's fingernail. Nevertheless, he was trying to grip the finger Asgore offered with all his tiny strength.

Asgore's smile was as big as a star. He wiggled his finger ever so slightly, and his reward was a pair of bright, happy eye lights manifesting in the child's socket.

"Gorey you are adorable. I believe we must keep them, if only so I can watch you turn into an absolute fool over a toddler again."

He looked up, only slightly embarrassed at being caught being so cute.

"Yes, dear. I think we should. After all, Chara seems to approve, and the children really could do with more playmates."

Toriel's smile was altogether too amused. He coughed and turned his attention back on the playing children. His jaw dropped open when he realised that the boys had managed to draw Chara into their game.

"I believe they have adopted Papyrus in the same manner they have our son. We may have a hard times separating the three."

Asgore smiled, his gaze moving from the sight before him to the toddler in his arms with equal warmth bestowed on both.

"You know, I do not think I am going to mind."