Clover bagged his poncho as Martlet paced around anxiously. He’d meant to do that a little earlier, given it was already pretty hot just outside of the school, but he’d kind of lost track of that goal when he’d been apologizing to Kanako.
“Sorry to interrupt your sleepover, and it’s totally my fault too uuuugh-I forgot to set my alarm and you even checked in on me! I’m so sorry Clover-”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Ain’t like I can’t just head over a little late is it?”
“So… See you later then?” Kanako smiled a little weakly at the two birds.
“Yup, I’ll see ya later Kanako.”
“I really am sorry-”
“Mom, seriously, it’s fine.” Clover rolled his eyes. “Now come on, I wanna meet my grandparents!”
For his part, Clover was rather unbothered by the development. He didn’t even really realize he HAD grandparents to begin with! So the revelation that he, in fact, got to meet his grandparents, make a new friend, and have a sleepover all in one day was QUITE exhilarating.
Clover took off in the direction opposite to Kanako, there were no other students to bar his way, because they'd already left. It had been a few minutes since Martlet had arrived. Both she and Clover had needed to explain a few things to the other. Anyways, he ran for a good few seconds before realizing that he didn’t quite know where to go…
“Uh… Actually, how about you lead the way mom?” Clover craned his neck back to look at Martlet.
“I was wondering when you were going to realize you didn’t even know the way.” Martlet smiled and shook her head amusedly. “It’s not that far, we can make it in about half an hour on foot.”
"Right! Go on then, I’ll be right after you.” Clover turned on a dime, though he tilted his head at Martlet when she just walked in his direction anyways.
“Uh… Mom?”
“You were going the right way, you know?”
“...Ah.”
…
Unfortunately, Hotland wasn’t well known for its sights. It was known for being, you know, hot. Clover could deal with that pretty easily as long as he wasn’t drowning himself in fabric, but it did start to grate on him a little bit when there was literally nothing else to occupy himself with.
Well, nothing besides his mom.
“So, what’re their names?”
“Huh?” Martlet jumped a little bit. Clover had been pretty quiet. He was trying to think of some way to keep himself occupied so far, and he’d clearly failed at that. Thus, he needed outside help.
“Their names? My grandparents? Oh also speaking of names, what’s my last name?”
“Oh, uh, did you not know it already?”
“...No, you never told me. One of my teachers called me Cardinal though?”
“...Mhm, that’s your last name. Sorry, I never really thought to… Tell you… Still kind of feels weird to know we’re actually legally a family now… N-not that I don’t want to be or anything-”
“No offense taken. I get it. It is a little weird to think about it… N’now that I think about it, I totally kind of forced you into this whole thing didn’t I?”
“N-no??? Clover, it’s totally on me. I could’ve just told you the truth to begin with. I mean, now that everything is said and done I wouldn’t have it any other way but…”
“Nah, it’s fine, I get it. I wouldn’t want it any other way either. You’ve been wonderful to me mom. I can't think of much up on the surface that I cared about anyways. No need to feel bad about anything, it was probably all for the best."
"But..."
"Seriously, it's all good mom. Actually, speaking of, you know-" Clover gestured to himself. "This, look at this!"
Clover closed his eyes again and envisioned a ball in his hands. Nothing special, not larger than normal, just the default creation he could make with his magic.
"Look at what-" she started asking the question, but stopped herself when something in Clover's hand began to glow.
"At this." Clover smiled and held out his hand. "I can do magic!" Curiously, it was way easier for him to work with his magic than it had been a little bit ago. It was odd. Did magic come back that fast, or was it a different thing that made it more difficult to use his magic?
"That's great Clover!" Martlet smiled and ruffled the feathers just above Clover's plumage. (She didn't risk dislodging his hat above a pool of magma.) "I wasn't sure if you could really use magic... But it's great to hear that you can! I wasn't sure if you were using it back while you were playing with Starlo, but I never really asked if you were either... I guess you weren't though, cause what you just did is way different, heh..."
"Thanks mom!" Clover chirped and tossed the ball of energy off into the distance. It sizzled away long before reaching the magma. "But uh, whaddya mean I used magic while 'playing' with Starlo?" He raised his eyebrows a healthy amount when he recited 'playing'.
"Oh, don't worry about it! It's just that I could've sworn you were using magic back then."
"...What'd it look like?" Clover tilted his head curiously. "I only figured out how to use this a few hours ago, maybe there's some more stuff I can do?"
"Oh! That's fair!" Martlet raised a wing in contemplation. "How about we talk about this tomorrow when you're back from your sleepover? We'll get to my parents place pretty soon, so..."
"...Sure." Clover frowned a smidgen.
"Aw don't worry about it!" Martlet smiled warmly and patted him on the back. "UG apartments are just ahead, provided the elevator isn't occupied, we'll be there in a matter of minutes. Surely that's exciting enough to not be upset, right?"
"...Yeah, you're right."
...
Martlet was doing a very good job of not freaking out. Keeping her mind off actually introducing Clover was helping a little bit, but every time she told Clover 'just a little more!' she could feel her SOUL shiver. It wasn't like she was afraid of her parents, which child... Actually, Martlet knew which child would be afraid of their parents. Which child (except for one) would be afraid of their parents? She just... Maybe she really should've just told them over the mail.
She'd been hoping to just get it over and done with, but when the elevator had been occupied they had to sit down and wait for a few minutes... That didn't do Martlet any favors either. She had to wonder, was Clover just as nervous as she was? They looked pretty excited to meet their grandparents, but maybe they were just putting on a brave face like Martlet herself? She wouldn't exactly put that past the kid... But... They've been a lot more expressive recently...
"Hey, Clover, are you nervous?"
"Huh? I mean, a little bit sure. But I'm more excited than nervous! I didn't even realize I had grandparents to meet! M'really happy about that."
Martlet's mind slammed her head into the wall. Her body remained perfectly still. "That's great to hear, I'm sorry I didn't tell you... I don't... Tell you a lot of things do I?"
"T'be fair, I don't really ask either." Clover shrugged with a smile. "Still love ya anyways."
Martlet sighed as her head sagged, but she looked back up and smiled again. "Love you too Clover."
And then the elevator door opened.
"Oh! That's our cue!" Martlet stood up with a spring in her step, because she didn't want to show any hesitation. "Alright Clover, are you ready?"
"You bet I am! ...Oh, also, what're their names?"
"Oh, thanks for reminding me! I... Totally would've forgot to tell you up until we actually got there, sorry..." She smiled dejectedly.
"No worries, I'll just remind myself to ask about stuff like this more often. Anyways... So...?"
"Oh... Well, now that I think about it, I think it might actually be better to just let them introduce themselves. You can wait a few more minutes, can't you?"
"...Fiiiine." Clover shrugged
...
The streets had an appeal to them that Clover hadn't exactly been expecting. The rest of the Underground had been so... Natural, to be honest. Everything looked like it would fit right into the surface world he'd found himself travelling to reach Mt. Ebott in the first place. This place though? New Home? It was like a place he'd only ever seen in pictures. A city, a genuine one at that. It was barely even starting to get dark out, but there were still only a few monsters out on the streets. It certainly didn't match up with the image the city, and by extension, all the cities that Clover had ever heard of, but Clover was fine with that. He wasn't sure how much he'd enjoy being in a crowd.
"This is your first time in New Home, right Clover?" Martlet asked, before shaking her head slightly. "Of course it is, I've been with you ever since... You've never been to New Home before." She quickly amended her thoughts when they veered right off into 'SAY THIS AND CLOVER WILL DIE!!!' territory.
"Why d'ya say that?" Clover continued to peer at his surroundings.
"Oh, no reason." Martlet smiled nervously at her own near mishap. "You're just looking around like this is all new to you."
"Well, cause it is." He nodded in agreement. "How far away is your parents' place?"
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"Right in front of us." Martlet gestured to the house in front of them, sucked in a breath and put on a more vibrant smile. "I'll knock. You wait right here."
"M'kay." Clover nodded as Martlet began to walk up the steps onto the front porch. Now that she wasn't face to face with her kid, Martlet finally let he real feelings show for a bit. She needed to let it out before actually doing the deed...
But what if they don't-BEGONE! Mom and dad would never!
She steeled herself once again. Shakily, Martlet raised a wing to the door, and with a gentle knock-knock she made her presence known.
"Be there in a moment!"
Martlet shivered in place as she stared onwards at the ornate door. It was intricately done, finished with a traditional flare from her father. She couldn’t help but feel respect for his skills just looking at the thing, but now wasn’t the time for that.
A steady tap-tap grew closer and closer as one of the birds within grew closer. Martlet sucked in another uneasy breath and stood up just a little straighter. She could hear the knob twist, a chain slide…
“Oh, there you are dear.” Martlet’s father opened the door with a warm smile. “We were wondering when you would stop by. It’s been ages since you last wrote.”
“Uhhh, yeah, hi dad! Sorry about leaving you hanging for so long!” Martlet’s smile frayed at the edges.
“Is everything alright? You look a little bit pale dearie.”
“Oh, yup! Everything’s just peachy!” Martlet swallowed her dread and turned around. “Clover? Would you come up here please?”
“Mhm.” Clover nodded to nobody in particular as he made his way up the stairs. “Ello!”
“Oh… Who might this be?” The brown bird, like Clover himself, tilted his head at the small child before him.
“Right, about that…!” Martlet cleared her throat. “Dad, meet Clover! They’re… They’re your grandson. Surprise!...”
His head tilted even further to the side. To a degree that some would consider comical.
…
Blankets, cookies, it was like a visit to a grandparents place that he’d heard about in school a solemn few times back up on the surface. It always sounded nice, and lo and behold, it actually was in fact, pretty nice.
Though his mom was talking with his grandparents in another room, Clover wondered what that was about?
“So-”
“How long have they been with you?”
“A little longer than a month-”
“So they’re not yours?”
“Mom I can explain-”
“Why didn’t you tell us about them earlier?”
“Please-”
“Sorry… It’s just… This is very sudden, you know? You might’ve sent us into shock at our old age!”
“Please don’t joke about that…” Martlet frowned and looked to the side. “...Okay, I’m sorry.” She centered her gaze once again. “I just… I wanted it to be a surprise. And… I wasn’t really sure how to tell you about… This.”
“As long as you understand that you could’ve gone about this better than you did… That’s all we can ask, I suppose. Besides, this is hardly the time to be upset.” Martlet’s mom struggled to keep a wide smile from blooming across her face.
Martlet, similarly, struggled to hold in a sigh of relief. She recognized that expression and tone of voice. The stormy seas had passed safely.
“So, you said their name is Clover?” Her father interjected himself.
“Yup!”
“I suppose that’s the end of the family tradition then.” He noted humorously.
“Uh… I didn’t exactly… Name them myself?” She scratched at the back of her head nervously. She hadn’t really thought about how exactly she was going to maneuver information around her parents.
“...So they aren’t yours? Do you know their real parents?”
“No… But also I kind of sort of am their real parent? It’s a little complicated…” She started off clearly, but started to mumble near the end of her explanation,
Her father spoke first after the awkward silence. “...I’m sure we could talk this over with Clover themselves, could we not? It would be rude to leave them on their own for much longer than this anyway. I’m sure if they’re anything like you they’ll be through those cookies in a moment.”
“...Thanks dad, that sounds like a great idea.” Martlet agreed rather quickly and stood up. “Mom, do you need any help?”
“No dearie, thank you for asking. I’ll be just fine.”
She produced a walking stick from, seemingly, out of thin air.
“Well? Let’s go.”
…
Clover was starting to get real curious. The only thing restricting him would be the two cookies he had left. Chocolate chip at that, as far as he was concerned this trip was already by far a net positive.
"Hello Clover." An elderly white-greyish feathered bird smiled warmly at him.
"Oh, hello!" He popped an arm out of the blanket pile he found himself in to wave. "Uh... Are you my grandma?" He innocently asked.
"Why yes, my name is Dove. It's wonderful to meet you. Would it be alright with you if my husband and I asked you and Martlet a few questions?"
"...Sure, why not?" He slowly snapped up the last cookie.
Martlet and that same brown bird walked into the room as Dove slowly walked into the room. Speaking of the room, it was... Roomy. Clover felt at ease in its confines. The dull brown was easy on the eyes, the couches, or well, the couch he was on at least was soft and accommodating. It was a similar environment to his house back in Snowdin... But... Not that Clover would be able to vouch for the validity of this example; but it was like the difference between finely aged wine, and hundred years aged wine.
A quietly ticking owl clock sat in a corner of the room, hung high up on the wall. It sort of just bled into the background after a little bit. As of Clover looking at it, it read 3:58 PM. Adjacent to it, in the other corner of the room was a rather average tv. There were also what appeared to be two foldable tables stacked against the wall next to it. That was another thing Clover had noticed in his short stay. Everything was very neat, ordered and sorted. Once again, in comparison to his and Martlet's own home it was... Just much more orderly. If his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, those tables also had the same marking that the door to the house itself had.
Dove sat down gingerly in a couch not dissimilar to the one Clover currently found himself occupying. Adjacent to that couch was another couch of similar make that the brown bird found themselves moving towards. Though, Clover's attention was pulled back to his current position when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"May I?"
Clover nodded with a smile, and then offered his mom a blanket.
She smiled back and gently accepted it, then sat down right next to Clover.
"Okay, what do you want to ask?" Martlet asked with a comparatively much less forced smile.
"A few things." Dove smiled and sat up just a little straighter. She was old, very old. But she looked to be just about on the verge of bursting with joy. "Might I ask how old you are Clover?"
"Oh, that's easy." Clover nodded to himself, felt his hat come a bit loose... And decided to just take it off for the moment. "M'eleven, since about a week ago."
She blinked a few times, first in recognition, then shock, then betrayal. Dove's smile loosened, and her gaze slowly shifted towards Martlet.
"...Eheh... I'm sorry, I didn't... Think..."
"Yes you didn't do much of that, did you?" Dove spoke dryly. Martlet lowered her head shamefully.
"Eleven, hm?" The brown bird sought to change the subject quickly. "I take it Martlet took you to see us after school?"
"Uh, yeah! She sort of forgot to tell me about it, but, it's fine!" Martlet flinched. "I didn't even know I had grandparents until about an hour ago!" She raised her wings to cover her face. "I'm more excited than I am shocked, or upset. So don't worry about it!"
Oh, they certainly weren't worried about Clover. Now even her father was staring.
"So uhm... I don't actually know your name yet." Clover continued after a moment, he sort of sensed the... Awkward atmosphere. "You are my grandpa, right?"
The brown bird breathed in and centered themselves, and then they wore a smile once again. "Yes, Clover. My name is Sparrow. I'm... Thrilled... That you were so excited to meet us." His smile got a little warmer.
"...As am I." Dove managed to tear her gaze away from her daughter. "Now... Might I ask how you came to be raising Clover, Martlet?" She purposefully didn't turn to look at her.
"Oh, uh! I uhm..."
"No worries, I can answer that." Clover sat up himself just a little more.
"It's a bit of a story, so... I'll just start us off with the basics."
"Uh... C-Clover, w-"
"First things first, I'm the human that fell down awhile back." Clover admitted with a smile on his face.
Martlet stared at him in shock. Her beak hung open in disbelief.
"...What? Was I not supposed to say that?"
Both Dove and Sparrow's gazes were ripped towards Martlet in a single instant.
"...Dear?"