The child nextdoor

chapter 28

Autumn's pov

I sat in my seat with a pout playing at my face, my arms were crossed over my chest while my papa wine went on with his lecture of some sort of math. It's really confusing, all of these numbers and letters being mashed together is confusing to me, it makes my brain hurt a lot. Papa kofi snapped his fingers in front of me, snapping me out of my thoughts to look up at him with a bored expression.

" you need to pay attention munchkin, if you wanna pass your classes, you'll have to pay close attention and study really hard to pa-"

" I don't understand any of this...it's way hard..."

Papa wine sat in a chair on the opposite side of me, studying me closely before humming softly. " PERHAPS I MISUNDERSTOOD WHEN SANS TOLD ME WE HAD TO HOMESCHOOL YOU FOR A LITTLE WHILE, MY APOLOGIES LITTLE ONE". He placed his own hand on my shoulder, squeezing it a little bit before he continues to speak to me. " TELL ME, WHAT IS IT THAT THEY TEACH AT YOUR SCHOOL"

I smiled up at him brightly, getting on to my feet while pulling on his arm, leading him out of the study all the way through the house towards the back yard. " Miss Amani sometimes teaches out different games and stuff to pass time whenever we don't have anything to do" papa wine and papa kofi both followed close behind, nodding to my explanations, not long after we made our way in the middle of the yard. I made them space out a little bit before showing the two of them different stretches miss Amani taught my class and I. Papa kofi seemed a little confused by my tactics.

" so...you are learning to do what exactly?"

" Well, stretching like this helps calm our mind, all while flexing our muscles too!" I reached my arms into the sky, papa kofi and papa wine doing the same. After a bit I switched to another pose, then they would as well.  " HMM A VERY TACTICAL EDUCATION"

"Papa wine, may I show you a game I learned at school, you might like it!"

Papa wine thought for a moment, after a second to think he gave me a nod, making me jump up and down with excitement. " We need more people to play! Um...the more..active papa's if that's ok?"

" OF COURSE, I WILL GO LET MY BROTHERS KNOW THEY ARE NEEDED PUT HERE WITH US" papa wine spoke while he walked back inside with papa kofi close behind him, leaving me on my own to wait for the others.

While I sat down on the old swing that I watch sway back and forth from the back door while I ate my breakfast most mornings, it was a little weird to my papa's that I liked to watch the swing, but something about watching it seemed comfortable to me. A hand scared me out of my thoughts, turning to look at who ever scared me by accident, I giggled happily.

" Papa dust!"

Papa dust placed a finger over his mouth, shushing me a little bit while he crouched down in front of me, giving me a tight hug before he gripped on to my hands. " Heya little bear cub, how are you doin?"

" I'm doing good papa dust I'm so happy to see you-"

before I could get another word out, papa sans popped up out of nowhere, sweeping me up into his arm while he gripped on to papa dust's shirt. The two of the starred at one another before sans spoke in a low tone.

" dust.."

" vanilla..."

" thought we agreed you and the others stay away from the lodge..."

Papa dust shrugged a bit, placing his hands up in the air while papa sans pulled him closer. " hey hey look vanilla I ain't lookin for a fight...."

" Then why are you here? To kidnap our kid again?"

" nah...just wanted to spend time with her..."  This puzzled papa sans for a moment, he shook his head before pushing papa dust back a way before hiding on to me more securely. I looked between the two of them before pointing over at papa dust with a soft frown. " Papa sans...why are you and papa dust fighting?"

" well kiddo it's...it's complicated to explain..."  I tilted my head to the side in confusion, fighting among family is not a good thing to do, what these two need to do is talk with one another. " Papa sans....papa dust...maybe instead of fighting, we just...talk..."

" Kiddo, it's best you stay out of this...it doesn't "

" No!"

" Uh! Ki...kiddo!"

I shook my head with a sad pout, hiding on to papa San's hood while I spoke in a soft but firm tone. " Fighting family is not good at all, papa dust came here peacefully..."

' I know kiddo, but you don't know him he-"

" Please!" This time we starred at each other for a bit " please...give him a chance..." Tears pricked the sides of my eyes while my bottom lip fell from under the top of my mouth, making sans sigh. Placing me down on the ground to hold on to my hand, still keeping a distance between us lot. " alright dust...explain yourself, quickly before the others come back.." papa dust took a deep breath, placing his hands in to his pockets before he spoke.

" she reminds me of him..."

" Remind you of who? Papa sans, who is he talking about..."

Papa sans had an expression I couldn't place, he seemed sad...but understanding at the same time. " dust...for once I understand your feeling but kidnapping her from her school?"

" I know!...I know..." He deflated a little bit, a mourning expression came on to his face while he looked down at the ground. " it wasn't my intention to but...you know nightmare...if I would have ignored his orders..."

A short pause of silence, nothing said between the two of them before papa sans held his hand out to papa dust. " come on then...let's um..." He peered over at me. " Let's talk..." With that the three of us were all making our way back to the back door of the lodge, where some of my energetic papa's were all walking out of, conversing with one another before their eyes laid on the three of us. Another awkward silence goes by before papa papyrus spoke first.

" UM, WELCOME DUST, GLAD...TO...SEE YOU?"