Chapter Text
August, Red is twenty-five weeks pregnant
Countdown: 2 months, ?? days
“I don’t know how old I am.”
“Well, I’m um, 15,” Red explained, peeking over the buggy. “And I hafta go to school.”
They were at the store to get some new school items for Red, despite the fact that he didn’t go for very long before the summer break. Stretch was pushing the buggy that also contained the small car seats containing the twins and Red inside, while Cherry opted for a scooter thing since his leg still hurt sometimes. Cherry frowned, tugging his small jacket around him tighter. “But how do YOU know how old you are?”
“I marked it down back There,” Red said, one arm swaying over the edge of the buggy as they slowed down near some notebooks. “I read in a book about birthday parties, and I wanted one, so I started marking down the days, and then I added them up all the time!”
“Hmm…”
“Well hey,” Stretch said, reaching up to grab a small stack of notebooks as Pollux squalled from his seat. “If you don’t know, why not just go with Red? You’ll get to learn stuff and meet up with the other kids.”
“Maybe,” Cherry conceded. He had to think about the babies first, after all. Blue came skidding back into view with matching backpacks, both white but one with cherry blossoms and one with cherries.
“LOOK!”
Cherry snickered. “Are they big enough for all the stuff?”
“OF COURSE! THEY EXPAND!” In the cart they went, Red hoarding it all like a pleased dragon as the babies, now aware one of the many uncles were around, started squeaking eagerly. Blue gave a wave to them, but off he went again to gather up more supplies. They’d lost a few pencils and erasers over the months but it was easy to find more.
Pollux stuck his tongue at Stretch, squeaking when he stuck it back at him. Cherry sped up just a little, nabbing a folder to toss in his buggy. “Oh, this looks cute!” It had a little rainbow on it! “What else do we need?”
A lot, it turned out. Pollux was given a small chewy toy to distract him, while Castor dozed away. Stretch couldn’t help petting their little feet, chuckling when Pollux would squall and kick. They’d gotten a few more clothes for Cherry that would fit a little better and let him feed the babies while Red got a nice pair of boots.
They ended up bumping into Kip and his mother as they went to checkout, Red already dashing away outside, having been put in charge of the twins. Cherry had started after him, pausing as he noticed Kip. “Hey!”
Kip raised a hand slowly. “…hey.”
“Hello, everyone!” His mother waved, holding a basket of various fruits. “My, hasn’t been a day, has it?”
Stretch laughed, putting up the items on the belt with Blue. “Heh, perks of a small town, I’m told.”
They started chatting as Cherry cleared his throat, shifting on the scooter. “I-I’m gonna go check on the babies.”
“…hey,” Kip repeated, pausing for a moment as Cherry stared at him. “…did you…wanna go to a movie….this weekend?”
Cherry blinked. “A what?”
Kip stared back for a moment. “…it’s a thing you watch. It’s fun.” He paused again. “…if you wanna hang out, I mean.”
“S…sure?”
Kip’s face turned a slight dark green as he nodded. “Cool. I’ll…swing by then.”
Cherry nodded, pushing on the scooter to head off outside.
What was that about???
~~
He’d been quickly informed that ‘seeing a movie’ was code for ‘a date’, and he’d been reassured that it wasn’t a promise for anything, but some people liked to just go out sometimes. He’d been encouraged to wear something nice, so he had on a simple button-up mint green shirt and a pair of jeans, feeling…far out of place as he waited nearby while Kip got the tickets.
He had never done anything like this before, or even been around this many people! He even had to sit constantly because weight on his leg made him woozy and light-headed still!
He’d been made in a lab for Asgore’s sake!
And fucking Gaster-
No. Full stop. He was NOT going to THINK about that…guy while on a nice outing.
But still, he sighed, leaning back against the wall. He could feel antsy energy dancing up his bones, and he rubbed an arm nervously. Mostly, he was missing his babies. This was the longest he’d been away from the twins, barring bath times when he’d take a ten-minute break to just breathe a little. Everyone encouraged it, but he felt that they had a little bit of motive behind it.
The babies were too cute not to watch, after all!
Today, Red and BB were watching them, and while neither baby liked the ‘bottles’, they at least didn’t cry constantly and throw them as he’d seen on TV. And he’d dressed them up in cute little matching pajamas with tiny feet!! Ah! He missed them more and more!
He was so lost in his thoughts that the appearance of a jelly hand holding tickets startled him, and he looked up to see Kip’s face. “Got ‘em.”
“Oh! Oh, um, okay!” He put his hands down, pushing up to stand, startling again when Kip offered his arm. “I-I’m okay,” he said, even as he took the offer.
Kip just shrugged. He was a very quiet type of person.
He also dressed sort of nice today. He had on a black shirt with the name of some band or another and jeans as well. Kip also held out a carton of what Cherry had come to know as ‘popcorn’. He took it curiously, taking a small bite.
Eh, it was okay.
Kip had pointed out some seats near the front so Cherry wouldn’t have to hobble up stairs, and Cherry blushed, settling into a seat. “You don’t have to sit down here, really. If it’s better up top…”
Kip slid a straw into the cup, the straw just morphing into the gel of his head as he took a drink. “Nah. Then you’d feel tired and it wouldn’t be a fun movie.”
Cherry flushed, shrugging as he dug around in the popcorn for a handful.
The movie wasn’t anything spectacular. Kip seemed interested, but it was loud and made Cherry’s head hurt. Something about racing cars and blowing up buildings…? Either way, he zoned out a little bit, the main actors coming together for a dramatic kiss on the roof of a building that was being bombarded by massive robots.
He wasn’t sure when the robots came into play, nor why they were kissing.
The lights came on, and Kip took the trash away, coming back to help Cherry up again. Cherry grimaced, hiding his eyesockets with his hand. “That was…something.”
“Too loud,” Kip decided, and Cherry couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he agreed. Much too loud. “But it was a sequel…thought it’d be better.”
Cherry shrugged as they headed out into the rest of the theater, aiming for the exit. “…I’m sorry, Kip. I know you probably were excited about all this but…” he paused, struggling for words as the other opened the door for him, sunlight washing over him and warming him up from the surprisingly cold theater. “…but I don’t…know, you know?”
Kip just tilted his head curiously. “Hm?”
Cherry groaned, rubbing a hand over his own cheek. “BB told me this was a date! I-I don’t think I can do dates or, or kissing or anything!” He threw his hands up nervously. “At least right now, if ever.”
Kip blinked slowly, which was just a little irritating if he was honest, before raising a hand. “…you looked tired.”
He blinked. “Huh?”
“Tired,” Kip repeated. “The babies, right? Tiring.” Cherry flinched, not sure he wanted to label his twins as ‘tiring’, not yet at least. “I figured you could…use a break, get distracted for a bit.”
“So…not a date.” …and he was disappointed about that too, which fuck, make up your damn mind, feelings!
Kip shrugged, pulling out a box of chocolate to open up, offering Cherry some. “Could be. Nothing big. No kissing. Just….hanging out.” His tiny eyes crinkled in a mimicry of a smile. “I like Castor.”
Cherry burst into a laugh, trying not to accidentally swallow the small bite of chocolate in the process. “He likes you! I think. They’re still really little,” he chuckled, smiling. “…I did like it. You’re right, I’m…a little tired,” he scratched at his cheek with a sigh. “It’s loud at the…the house, a lot. I’ve never dealt with so much at once.”
Kip nodded. “Talking is…difficult. Maybe movie wasn’t the best idea,” he shrugged, “…what about…library next time?”
Cherry gave him a bashful smile, shifting in place as he took another bite of chocolate. “…I’d like that. Maybe bring the babies with though. I don’t like leaving them behind.”
“Deal.”
~~
“What’s being in love like?”
Sans cracked an eyesocket open at the question, staring at the one skeleton he didn’t quite expect that from. He was laying on the couch with baby Pollux stretched out on top of him, as Castor had spit up so Damon took him to be cleaned. Cherry stared up at him from the floor, one leg stretched out with new wrapping on it, writing something in his own journal. “…uh. …why?”
Cherry blinked. Sans blinked back, then sighed, slowly sitting up as Pollux grumbled in his sleep, passing the baby back to his mother. “…well uh…I guess it’s when you wanna spend a lot of time with someone?”
Cherry stared at him, frowning as he hefted Pollux upon his shoulder, rubbing the baby’s back slowly. “…is that all?”
Sans shrugged. “I mean people got all sorts of definitions for it…somethin’ happen with Kip?”
Cherry shook his head quickly. “No, no…in the movie, the two characters, they said…” he paused for a moment, frowning more. “They said they loved each other, but they didn’t seem…it was weird.”
“Movies are bad about that,” Sans agreed. “They show you a quick shot to love, and it ain’t right. You can love someone after years of knowin’ ‘em, or you can love ‘em immediately. Plus there are other kinds of love,” he nodded at the huffing baby who was waking up. “Like how ya like the twins in a different way than you’d like, say, Red.”
Cherry chuckled. That was true. He didn’t see Red as a baby, although he definitely had a ‘much younger’ feel to him. “Yeah…love is weird.”
“You’re telling me, kid.” He hefted himself up as Damon appeared with the now clean Castor who was whining and squirming around in his new onesie. “For now, eh, why not concentrate on just being a teen, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“WHAT?” Damon looked massively confused, although he easily handed Castor over to Sans now. While not Castor’s first choice-of course-he settled down after a moment, thumb in his mouth as the other two laughed.
“Nothing, nothing,” Cherry hummed, kissing Pollux’s cheek. “Hey, didn’t you make up some spaghetti? Let’s eat.”
“YES! OF COURSE IT’S THE BEST SPAGHETTI,” Damon rattled off, already heading for the kitchen. He had really blossomed into cooking (although it was always a toss-up if the spaghetti was barely cooked or overcooked).
Cherry got up with Sans’ help, wobbling in place a moment as the babies spied each other and squalled happily. “Thanks…um, for everything.”
“No problem,” Sans winked, shifting Castor about so he could see his mama and brother. “Let’s get food, I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving!” Cherry laughed, heading after him, the door opening and letting Blue in from wherever he had gone off to, waving at everyone.
He wondered, idly, if this was love as well. No explosions, or kissing, or sex. Just happy smiles, eating together, talking.
He was sure it was.