(Old AN: happy easter, everyone. Please enjoy my little gift to you all, and also, we have some crumbs of Sans X Toriel, though mostly one-sided. Shorter because it's a special, but the next actual chapter is in production despite me being sick, I'm pushing through for you all!)
Toriel POV
I hum softly to myself as I tuck the final egg into place, carefully nestling it beneath a patch of tall grass near the base of one of the trees.
"…There we are," I murmur, straightening slightly as I look over my work.
Brightly colored eggs are scattered all across the clearing—some easy to spot, others tucked away just enough to make the search exciting.
The morning sun filters gently through the trees surrounding the base of Mount Ebott, casting a warm, golden glow over everything.
It has been a full year.
It has been a full year since we returned to the surface.
And today—
Today is… joyful.
Behind me, I hear the soft clatter of dishes being set down, followed by a familiar, gentle voice.
"Tori, I believe everything is ready."
I turn, my smile brightening instantly as I see Asgore standing by the long table we had set up earlier.
It is already filled with food—fresh pastries, fruit, warm breads, and carefully arranged plates for everyone.
"Oh! It looks wonderful, my dear," I say warmly, stepping toward him for a moment, my gaze sweeping over the spread with quiet approval.
He chuckles softly, a little bashful despite everything.
"I may have made… a bit extra," he admits.
I laugh lightly.
"I believe that is to be expected."
Especially today.
My ears twitch slightly as I catch another sound—faint at first, then clearer.
Voices.
Familiar ones.
Approaching.
I turn toward the path just as a small group begins to come into view, and my smile widens even further.
"Ah—welcome!" I call out warmly.
There they are—
Sans, walking at his usual relaxed pace, hands in his pockets, a basket hanging lazily from one arm.
Beside him, Papyrus strides forward with far more enthusiasm, his posture tall and proud as he carries a basket filled to the brim.
"SANS! I TOLD YOU WE SHOULD HAVE ARRIVED EARLIER!" Papyrus declares loudly. "WHAT IF ALL THE EGGS ARE ALREADY FOUND?!"
Sans glances at him, completely unfazed.
"heh… don't worry, bro. If they are, guess we'll just have to… egg-cept it."
Papyrus stops.
"…SANS."
"I AM NOT LAUGHING."
I laugh softly anyway, bringing a hand to my chest as warmth fills me at the sight.
"You are just in time," I say kindly as they approach, my gaze flicking briefly to the baskets and dishes they carry. "And it seems you have brought quite a feast yourselves."
Papyrus beams.
"OF COURSE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD NEVER ARRIVE EMPTY-HANDED!"
Sans just shrugs.
"figured food's always a good idea."
More figures gather behind them—other monsters joining in, each carrying something, each adding to the growing sense of celebration.
The clearing fills quickly.
Laughter.
Conversation.
Life.
I glance once more over the hidden eggs, then back toward the still-quiet path leading toward the area where the children sleep.
"…They will be so excited," I say softly, more to myself than anyone else.
Everything is ready.
The eggs are hidden.
The table is set.
And for once—
There is nothing but warmth.
Nothing but joy.
I clasp my hands gently together, my smile soft but bright as I look over everyone gathered.
"Now then," I say, my voice carrying lightly over the growing chatter.
"Shall we begin the hunt once the children wake?"
The response is immediate.
Enthusiastic.
And as I stand there, surrounded by friends, by family, by a world that has finally allowed us to gather like this—
I hum once more.
Content.
Whole.
And ready for a day filled with laughter.
Sans POV
I watch the kids run around the clearing, baskets bouncing in their hands as they dart from one hiding spot to another.
Bright colors flash between the grass.
Laughter echoes.
"FOUND ONE!"
"HEY, THAT WAS MINE!"
"LOOK HOW MANY I GOT!"
Their voices overlap, loud and messy and alive, the kind of sound that sticks in your chest whether you want it to or not.
I lean back slightly where I'm standing, hands tucked into my pockets, my grin settling easy on my face as I watch them.
Heh.
They're really into it.
Every time one of them finds an egg, their whole face lights up like they just discovered something world-changing.
And maybe to them—
They did.
My eyelights soften just a fraction as I follow the movement, watching them run past, nearly tripping over each other in their excitement.
It's simple.
It's chaotic.
It's perfect.
"…guess we really cracked the code on fun, huh," I mutter under my breath, more out of habit than anything else.
I don't even look around to see if anyone heard it.
Don't need to.
The moment isn't about that.
It's about this.
This timeline.
This version of everything where nothing's broken.
Where no one's missing.
Where no one's resetting.
My grin falters just slightly at that thought.
Not enough for anyone to notice.
Just enough for me to feel it.
Because I remember.
Of course I do.
I remember every timeline where this didn't happen.
Where laughter like this never had the chance to exist.
Where—
My gaze shifts.
And that's when I see her.
Toriel.
She's walking toward me, her steps calm, her posture relaxed, that same gentle presence surrounding her like it always has.
Her white fur catches the sunlight just right, soft and warm, untouched by anything that tried to take this moment away before.
Just like when I first met her.
Just like every time I—
My chest tightens.
Subtle.
But there.
Heh.
"…guess some things don't change," I murmur quietly, my grin returning, though it feels different now.
Softer.
Because yeah.
I'll admit it.
I did.
Still do.
Feelings like that don't just disappear because you decide they should.
They linger.
Settle.
Change shape.
I watch her a little longer than I should, taking in the way she smiles at the kids, the way she moves so easily through the space, like she belongs here.
Like she always should've been here.
With him.
With Asgore.
Together again.
The way it was supposed to be.
And I—
I made my peace with that.
I had to.
Because this?
This right here?
This is worth it.
Being her friend.
Standing beside her.
Sharing quiet moments and bad jokes and easy conversations without anything complicated behind them—
That's enough.
It has to be.
Because after everything—
After seeing her fall again and again and again in timelines that never held long enough—
After watching that moment repeat until it burned itself into something I can't forget, no matter how hard I try—
This?
This is heaven.
No exaggeration.
No punchline.
Just truth.
I glance away for a second, exhaling slowly through my nose as I ground myself in the present, in the sound of the kids laughing, in the warmth of the sun, in the fact that she's still here.
Alive.
Safe.
Happy.
Then I look back at her.
And my grin settles again, easier this time.
Real.
"…hey, Tori," I say casually as she gets closer, like none of that just crossed my mind.
Like I'm just me.
Like this is just another day.
Because for once—
It actually is.
And I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Asgore POV
I see it.
Not because it is obvious—
But because I am looking.
My gaze lingers just a moment longer than it should as I stand near the table, one hand resting against the wood as I watch the scene unfold before me.
The children laugh.
They run.
Their baskets fill as quickly as their joy spills over into the air around them.
And there—
Just beyond them—
Toriel stands.
Bright.
Warm.
Alive in a way that still feels like something I must remind myself is real.
And Sans—
I follow his gaze.
The way it settles on her.
The way it softens.
The way his smile changes, just slightly.
It is not inappropriate.
Not disrespectful.
Not something that seeks to take.
It is simply…
There.
Quiet.
Steady.
Lingering.
I exhale slowly, my grip tightening just slightly against the table before easing again.
Jealousy.
I would expect it.
Once—
I would have felt it.
Strongly.
Sharply.
But now…
Now it does not take root the same way.
Because I know.
I know what those years were like.
The silence.
The distance.
The damage I caused with my own hands.
My gaze lowers for a moment, the weight of that truth settling gently, not crushing—but present.
I hurt her.
Not in a single moment.
But over time.
Choices.
Mistakes.
Stubbornness.
Grief turned into something colder than it should have been.
And while I stood still—
While I held onto what I thought was right—
She lived through it.
Alone.
My eyes lift again, settling back on Sans.
And I understand.
He was there.
Not in the way I should have been.
But in the way she needed.
He made her smile.
He gave her moments of peace where I had only given her pain.
And for that—
How could I resent him?
I cannot.
I will not.
My shoulders lower slightly as I draw in a slow breath, the tension easing from my frame as I watch them both.
Toriel laughs softly at something he says.
And he—
He looks at her like he knows exactly how precious that sound is.
Yes.
He understands.
Perhaps more than I ever deserved to.
"…Thank you," I murmur quietly under my breath.
Not loud enough for him to hear.
Not meant for anyone else.
Just…
Said.
Because it needs to be.
Because I owe him that much.
More than that, even.
My gaze shifts once more—this time to the children, to their laughter, to the life we have been given back through the efforts of Alphys and the others.
Bodies restored.
Souls returned.
A second chance that should not have been possible.
And yet—
Here we are.
Together.
Whole.
My chest tightens slightly—not with pain, but with something far more fragile.
Gratitude.
Hope.
Determination.
I straighten, my posture firming just slightly as my expression softens once more, my gaze returning to Toriel.
To my Tori.
To the woman I once lost—
And somehow found again.
"…I will do better," I murmur softly.
Not as a promise spoken aloud.
But as something deeper.
Something I will prove.
Not through words.
But through every day that follows.
Because this time—
I intend to be worthy of what we have been given.
Toriel POV
I feel it.
Not in the way others might—
Not through glances alone or quiet pauses in conversation—
But in something softer.
Something understood.
Sans has never been loud about it.
Never made it into something that would disrupt what we have.
But I know.
Of course I do.
My gaze drifts toward him for just a moment, catching the familiar ease of his posture, the quiet way he stands apart while still being present. His smile is the same as always—light, effortless—but there is something beneath it.
There always has been.
Gentle.
Patient.
Unspoken.
And I…
I never turned away from it.
Not completely.
There was a time—
A quiet stretch of years where the world felt too still, too empty, where loneliness settled into the spaces between days and made even the smallest moments feel heavier than they should have been.
And during that time—
He was there.
Not pushing.
Not asking.
Just… there.
With his puns.
With his quiet understanding.
With the kind of presence that never demanded anything in return.
My hands fold gently together as I watch the children play, their laughter filling the air, but my thoughts linger for just a moment longer.
If things had been different…
If Asgore and I had never found our way back to one another—
If our children had remained gone—
If that emptiness had continued to stretch on without end—
…Perhaps.
Perhaps something might have grown from that quiet companionship.
Something more.
The thought is not painful.
Not regretful.
Just… acknowledged.
Because it is not the path that was taken.
My gaze shifts.
To Asgore.
Standing not far from me, steady, present, watching over everything with that same gentle care he has always carried.
We have both changed.
We had to.
To find our way back to this—
To each other.
To our family.
To a life that feels whole again.
And deep within me, beneath all the years, beneath all the hurt and healing—
There is a truth that never truly left.
We belong together.
Not because of what we were.
But because of what we chose to become.
Together.
My expression softens as I look between them—Sans, with his quiet, knowing smile… and Asgore, with his steady, hopeful presence.
And I understand something just as clearly as I always have.
Sans knows it, too.
He has never crossed that line.
Never tried to take what was not his to take.
Because he respects it.
Because he respects me.
A small, warm smile touches my lips as I turn slightly, stepping forward into the moment once more, letting the past settle gently where it belongs.
"…Sans," I call softly, my voice light as I approach.
Not distant.
Not awkward.
Just… familiar.
Just… kind.
Because what we have—
Is enough.
And what I have with Asgore—
Is everything I chose.
And everything I will continue to choose.
Every day.
Without hesitation.