My Gentle Giant

Chapter 2: "Introductions and bath time."

One car ride later.
So since the back seat was full of groceries and the fact that we don't have any booster seats, I had the three of them sitting in the passenger seat with the two little ones hiding in their father's coat. Thankfully I only lived a few miles away, so it was about a ten-minute drive.
The conversation could have been less awkward, but then again, we technically don't know each other aside from our names. I learned that he just adopted his two kids, Null and Void, and he learned that I live with my grandmother Gina.
"Are you sure that your grandmother will be fine with us spending the night with you guys? I wouldn't want to intrude."
"Nah, it'll be fine! Besides, I don't think she'll even consider saying no once she sees Null and Void." I flashed him a reassuring smile while inwardly praying that Granny will at least hear me out before chewing me out for bringing home some random stranger from off the streets. I was trying to decide on what to say as I pulled into the driveway.
"Alright, here we are!" I stopped the car in the driveway of a modest two-story house with a covered porch that stretches halfway across the front. It was different shades of grey, in a comforting and pleasant way, with a small flower patch lining in front of the house, only broken by the path leading up to the door. The front yard was not too small, but not large, with a massive willow growing slightly off-center and a trail leading into the backyard from where the path meets the porch.
The three skeletons looked up at it in awe as I grabbed as many bags as I could carry.
"Come along, you three! Right this way!" I strolled up to the door with the skeletons right behind me. With a little bit of struggling on my part, I opened the door without setting any bags down. I motioned them in as I entered the kitchen.
"Granny? I'm home! And I brought guests!" I announced myself, not quite sure where she was.
"No need to shout, I'm right here." So maybe she was in the kitchen. Not like I knew. "Guests? I didn't think we were expecting anyone."
"We weren't," I started as I set the groceries I had on the counter, noting that I needed to make a second trip out to the car for the rest. "It's an unexpected visit from new friends who need somewhere to spend the night." I flashed her my brightest smile, hoping I didn't look as nervous as I felt.
"(Y/N), I swear, if you brought home another stray dog or anything else with four legs, you're deep cleaning the house from top to bottom!"
"Good news! They don't have four legs! Though there are six between them." And out comes the finger guns. Why am I like this? She side-eyed me as she joined me at the kitchen entrance. From there, she saw Erratum and his sons standing at the door, gaping at everything in the room. I watched for a second before I was dragged further into the kitchen.
"You brought home a complete stranger!" She hissed, fury abundant in her eyes.
"I can explain."
"Twenty words. Go."
"Homeless, new in town, newly adopted kids, lost wallet, hungry, need help and baths, possibly hurt, couldn't just leave them there!"
"That was twenty-one."
"And all true! We got to help them! When I met him, it was like no one ever gave him a kind word or a helping hand. He even admitted that he saved the kids from an abusive home! Who knows what happened to them!" The fury was still there, but I could tell that it was no longer directed towards me. "Please, Granny, let's help them get back on their feet, even if it's just to let them stay one night." She remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Alright, we'll help them. But you're responsible for them, you hear! Don't expect me to do most, if not all, the work!" I beamed at her as I pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you, Granny!" I felt her chuckle as she returned my embrace. She broke out of it, turning back towards the door.
"Now, introduce me to our guests, then grab whatever groceries you left in the car. You better pray that you didn't leave those chocolate chips out there!" I chuckled as we went into the entryway. The three boys looked at us as we approached.
"Alright, Grandma, this is Erratum! Erratum, this is my grandmother, Gina."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Erratum. Please, feel free to call me Granny G or just Granny. I don't mind."
"Hello, Granny. I'm um Erratum. Erratum Miscalculation, and these are my sons Null Miscalculation and Void Miscalculation. We are the Miscalculation family!" Well, that introduction was more adorable than I anticipated.
"I'm gonna go grab the rest of the groceries. Brb!" And I rushed out in hopes no one saw the small fluster growing on my face. This family is too cute for this world! I was just expecting cute innocence like that from the kids! No wonder he's immune.
I quickly grabbed the rest of the bags and made sure to lock the car before heading back inside. I passed by them, still chatting in the hallway on my way to the kitchen. I quickly put them all away and thanked whatever stars that are considered lucky that the chocolate chips were in the first bags. Soon I rejoined the conversation.
"So, (Y/N), what shall I make for us while they're washing up?" I looked between them, considering this critical question. Then I remembered something that one of my coworkers told me about; it was something about starvation and malnourishment and different signs shown for other species. They all need a decent meal, but their bodies might not be used to it. Hopefully, Granny has the same thought process as me and understands what I'm going for when I answer.
"How about something simple, like soup or sandwiches?"
"Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches coming right up." Leave it to Granny to change the conjunction "or" into "and." She entered the kitchen as I turned to the small family.
"Alright! Let's give these two a bath and you a shower." They looked at each other in confusion as I lead them upstairs to the bathroom, stopping by a closet to grab a few towels on the way there. I walked straight to the bathtub while they hesitated in the doorway. I placed the towels on the hanger and twisted one of the knobs.
Hot water came rushing out as I hear one of them yelp behind me. I waved them forward and returned my attention to the water as I twisted the second knob to cool it down. I turned to see the confusion on all three of their faces.
"Never seen a bathtub before?" I joked. They took me seriously and shook their heads; at least two of them did, Void was cooing at the running water. I stood up and grabbed varying bottles from the cupboard under the sink.
"Well, if it's the first time, then we better make it special then." I smiled as I clicked the tab on the faucet, allowing the tub to fill up. I added some healing salts just in case and an ungodly amount of the bubble bath mixture I like. It smells like pomegranates. (Sorry if you don't like that smell, it's just the only soap that I can smell that I think smells good. Comment your favorite fragrance here.)
Once the tub was half full of water and bubbles, I twisted the knobs to turn it off. I turned to them to see if they were ready to hop in. They weren't. Instead, they were staring at the water in confusion, curiosity, or both. I giggled a little, which drew their attention to me.
"The bath's ready! Come on over." Erratum shuffled over, gently sitting by me by the tub. I smiled gently before continuing. "Alright, let's get Null and Void undressed and into the tub." They all looked at me in confusion, and that's about when I finally realized that this would be a long night.