Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything is kind of a blur to everyone as they descend the mountain. 

Frisk rushes their steps to keep up with Asgore’s long strides. Sans and Undyne finally drag Papyrus back to the group. Papyrus talks excitedly waving his hands in all directions. He makes Frisk, Undyne, and Sans laugh. 

Asgore wraps a large arm around Undyne’s shoulders, and she gives him one of her characteristic grins. Then, Undyne whisks Frisk up over her head and onto her shoulders. Frisk waves excitedly as Undyne moves toward the middle of the group next to Alphys. 

Shyren is perched on top of Mettaton’s boxy body as he wheels himself alongside Alphys. Napstablook floats alongside him. The three of them talk amongst themselves about music, performance opportunities, and maybe getting an apartment together. 

Undyne falls back next to Alphys’ other side and clasps Alphys’ hand in hers while keeping a hold of one of Frisk’s ankles. Frisk keeps their hands wrapped around Undyne’s forehead. 

Toriel walks quietly behind them all looking over her shoulder at some of the other inhabitants of the Underground as they follow the group out into the humans’ world. 

Somehow, Asgore manages to negotiate with someone to give them some rooms for the night. 

As the band of friends open the door, there isn’t much in the way of space. There’s a relatively small bed, a few plush chairs, and a sofa. 

“I’m going to go try to barter for some sleeping bags and see what these humans have in the way of tea.” Asgore leaves. 

Papyrus and Sans flop on the couch. Sans’ head finds Papyrus’ lap, and both brothers are asleep soon after. 

“Huh?” Undyne mutters, “I didn’t know Papyrus knew how to sleep. I mean … I knew he slept. But, it’s surprising to actually, ya know, see it.” 

This gets a laugh out of everyone. 

“How’s the battery holding up?” Alphys asks Mettaton. “You w-went th-through both Initial a-and E-EX’s b-batteries … so … I-I sort of h-had to scramble.” 

“Fine, darling! 70% and holding strong.” 

His box face flashes a heart in her direction. 

Shyren giggles and burrows deeper into the top of the box. 

“you a-are so  la, ti, so much m-more f-fun in person.” Shyren laughs again. 

“I’m glad you think so, darling.” Mettaton’s voice softens. “Very glad.” 

“Get on the bed, space heater! Stop being such a sap!” Undyne shouts. 

“Hush, now! You will waken Sans and Papyrus.” Toriel scolds Undyne with a smile. 

Still, Mettaton obliges. Undyne tries to noogie the top Mettaton’s head, though, having no nerve endings or feeling, it does not produce her desired reaction. Mettaton helps Shyren back up to her curled positon atop his head while Alphys, Undyne, and Frisk cuddle into his sides on the bed. 

Napstablook settles into the floor staring at the ceiling. 

“i still caaaan’t believe i’m wooorking with a suuuperstaar.” Napstablook says happily. 

Alphys opens one eye and gives Mettaton a glare. His boxy face tiles have the decency to give her a sheepish smiley. 

Alphys leans in so close to Mettaton no one can see her lips move. “You have to t-tell them. I-it’s going t-to be o-okay. I-I promise.” 

Mettaton’s face goes yellow for a moment. 

“I kn-knew there w-was a reason I-I designed you … th-this way.” Alphys yawns exaggeratedly. 

“Happy to oblige all my adoring fans.” The red tiles form a little smile. 

Undyne wraps her arm around Alphys’ waist on Mettaton’s left. Frisk snuggles into his right side. Shyren burrows into the top. Toriel guides a pillow behind Mettaton. The robot’s lights go blue as he enters sleep mode. 

Satisfied that everyone is happily settling in, Toriel sits down in a chair and dozes off herself. 

Toriel startles as Asgore opens the door. 

“After making sure everyone got a sleeping bag who needed one there are only two left. But, I have many blankets.” His voice rumbles. 

“I think all of them have already chosen a place to sleep for the night,” Toriel says. 

Asgore looks around the room and a smile spreads across his face. 

He drapes a blanket around Undyne, Alphys, and Frisk. 

Undyne’s eye opens and blinks up at Asgore sleepily before leaning further into Alphys and the blanket. Asgore hushes her, and she smiles. Frisk stirs slightly before leaning more into Mettaton’s heat. The robot doesn’t register any movement and stays a steady beneath his sleeping friends.

Asgore gives a watery smile at the scene. He ruffles Frisk’s hair. 

“Do not wake them!” Toriel scolds in a whisper. 

“I won’t. Can I not show affection to the child who saved us?” Asgore retorts in an equally sharp whisper. 

Toriel grumbles from her chair, but her eyes are soft. 

Asgore takes another blanket and drapes it over Papyrus and Sans. Papyrus stirs briefly, and he opens half lidded eyes. 

“We are all going to rest, now. You should do the same,” Asgore whispers. 

Papyrus yawns, nods, and falls back to sleep. 

Asgore holds the last blanket out to Napstablook. When the ghost doesn’t move at all, Asgore shrugs and places it on the edge of the bed. 

Asgore offers Toriel a sleeping bag while keeping the other for himself. 

She takes it tentatively. Her paw shakes as it touches his. They haven’t touched in years. 

“Asgore, I do not think we can repair our relationship the way it once was … regardless of what your Royal Scientist and Frisk may believe. But, I … I thank you. I disagree with how this came to be. But, the years have been long … too long.” Toriel places her paw over Asgore’s larger one. 

“I imagine they have. For what it is worth, Toriel, I am sorry for everything. I am sorry it took this long. I am sorry that my fear got the best of me. I am sorry that I did not listen to what you said. I will do my best to lead our people. Please, do your best to raise our ambassador in our ways.” Asgore smiles. 

“I think that arrangement will work.” She takes the sleeping bag.

Toriel pauses a moment looking at the sleeping bag. There are many things that Toriel would like to say to him, but she just can’t find the words for them.

Asgore is the first of the two of them to break the silence. 

“I am glad that you will get to have Frisk. You deserve to have your motherhood, Toriel. Truly, I am sorry for everything. I do not know what else I could have done to save them, but I am glad that you will have your time now,” Asgore says. 

Toriel’s soul leaps to her throat and tears threaten to fall. But, she breathes and steadies her voice. 

“That is kind, Asgore. Thank you,” she says. 

Toriel lays out her sleeping bag between the bed and the sofa near the window. 

“Goodnight,” Asgore mumbles. 

He rolls over on his side and begins to snore. 

Toriel simply looks up at the ceiling. “This will not be easy. But, I must believe that it is worth it. I have to hold on to that truth.” 

She eventually falls into a fitful sleep. 

A little vine creeps up the window, and a face presses against the glass. Flowey looks in, and he pouts. It looks like fun in there. He kind of wants to get in that room. It looks so warm. 

He wants that … warmth. 

He settles on the windowsill looking up at the stars. 

“Can I not be forgotten about this time?” He asks. 

Chapter Text

The monsters from the Underground quickly discover that their gold is worth a very large sum of human currency. 

Asgore gets a small condo near the capitol building in the center of the city. He finds Flowey and asks the flower to live with him. 

Flowey obliges, but he’s not happy about it. 

Frisk buys Flowey a very nice clay pot to live in while he stays with Asgore. 

As much as Flowey says he hates it, it’s clear that it makes him happy based on the way he burrows into it as soon as he’s replanted. 

Toriel buys the largest house she can find in the smallest suburb of the human city. It has many bathrooms and eight bedrooms. For, Toriel knows, at least for awhile, that Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Napstablook, and Shyren will be staying with her. She also knows that she plans to have Sans, Papyrus, and, of course, Frisk stay with her permanently. 

Toriel doesn’t mind the expense. Her only goal is to ensure that Frisk’s friends can stay with them whenever they please. 

One night, Mettaton comes down to the living room where Napstablook has chosen to zone out on the floor. 

“It is a nice night for looking at stars, Bl-Napstablook. Would you like to walk with me?” Mettaton offers. 

“yoooooou waaant tooo waaalk with meee?” Napstablook asks. 

“I do, darling. So, come on.” Mettaton opens the door and waits for Napstablook to walk through.

“yoooou knoooow i could have just phaaased throoough right?” Napstablook asks 

Seeing the small smile on Napstablook’s face, Mettaton smiles and laughs before exiting the house himself. 

“Do not stay out too late you two! It is still not totally safe out there!” Toriel calls. 

“doooes she noooot knooooow i’m almost threeeee huuuundreeed years ooooold?” Napstablook asks. 

Mettaton smiles. “I do not think it matters, darling. She’ll mother us all … regardless of age.” 

As they walk, Mettaton thinks for awhile. This little square box body is only about three years old. 

But, prior to having this body, he had lived alongside Blooky and the rest of the Blook family on the snail farm for as far back as his two hundred years of memory can go. 

He spent his whole life trying to make his family happy. 

Anaaaad look at how well that turned out, dear, he thinks bitterly. 

So, when the time came to find his own happiness, Mettaton couldn’t bear to tell his one remaining cousin about his beautiful new body. He couldn’t find the words to tell Blooky that he was leaving. Mettaton couldn’t say why, exactly, he felt like he couldn’t explain himself to Blooky. But, he also knew that Blooky had never shown any interest in being corporeal. Thus, it seemed impossible to explain to Blooky what Mettaton had wanted so desperately. 

So, in lieu of explaining, he just left. 

Shame washes over Mettaton like the waves of trash from the garbage dump in Waterfall, and it is as raw and as fresh as the day he left the farm.  

Mettaton and Blooky lie down together in the grass in the park near Toriel’s house. 

Mettaton knows he would sigh if he had the ability, and he wishes he could tear up. 

Someday … maybe. He thinks.  

“Bl- Napstablook, I-I have something I need to tell you.” Mettaton’s voice waivers. 

“yoooou caaaaan tell meeeeee anything … i loooove listening tooooo yooooou on the TV. ooooooooh … thaaaaat waaaas awkward. i’m sooooory.” Napstablook says. 

“Nothing to apologize for, love. Nothing at all. You see … I did something very wrong. I-I left someone very important to me to chase stardom. I was promised something by someone that I really, really wanted. But, it wouldn’t be so easy to go back … you know ... once I had accepted that thing that I … I desired with all of my Soul. Instead of ... trying to explain myself I ... um ... well, I took it anyway. A-And, in favor of stardom and this … thing … I so desperately desired, I think I really hurt the monster that I abandoned, darling.” 

Mettaton dances around the issue because he just can’t find the words. Still, he promised Alphys he would do this, and he will. He's just ... he's working up to it. 

“ooooooooh thaaaat’s saaaad. haaaaaave yooooou foooooound ooooout where they aaaaare undeegoooound or oooon the suuuuuurface?” Blooky asks. 

“I-I have,” Mettaton says. 

“haaaave yoooou taaaalked tooooo theeem?” Blooky asks.

In exactly that moment, Mettaton decides to be as blunt, and awkward, as monsterly possible in ripping the metaphorical bandage off of his secrets by leading with his older cousin’s nickname. 

“Blooky,” Mettaton sighs. 

“I’m sorry. I never exactly meant to leave. Especially not without saying anything ... I just … I was scared that you wouldn’t understand. And, I know there was a way I could have gone to tell you about everything. Phy even promised I could. But, I just didn’t have the right words. And, then, everyone believed I was just a robot with a SOUL, and it would have been awkward to admit that wasn’t true. That, and despite what Undyne may think, I did care about Alphys' reputation. We both lied to Asgore, for Angel's sake! And, the façade just kept becoming more and more real until I couldn’t … I didn’t want to … oh I don’t know … I was just so, so worried about upsetting you that I just didn’t say anything and ran off. Which, in retrospect, was much worse. But, I don’t know … I just … I didn’t know what to say, darling. I’m sorry.” 

Mettaton realizes after his half ramble, half rant, that he knows why he and Alphys became friends. He knows it isn't just their mutual love of human culture that drew them together. 

They are both, apparently, terrible at communication despite Mettaton’s ability to fake it better. 

Blooky blinks up at the sky. “yooooou are … thaaaat actually maaaakes a looooot of sense. i’m haaaaapy for yoooooou, mettaton. i missed yoooooou, but i always waaaaanted yooooou tooooooo be haaaapy.” 

Mettaton wishes he could cry because, if it were possible, he would have.  

“i haaaave never seeeeen the real staaaars befoooooore,” Blooky says happily. 

“Yes. It’s more fun participating in the family tradition of feeling like garbage when the galaxy really is at your finger tips, Blooky, love,” Mettaton says. 

If Blooky notices the static in Mettaton’s voice, they have the kindness not to say anything. 

Instead, for the first time in years, both of them laugh. 

When Mettaton tells Shyren who he really is the next morning, she squeaks with excitement. 

“i-i so la, ti, so told blooky it was you,” she squeals 

Shyren snuggles into Mettaton’s box body. 

Alphys gives him a quiet thumbs up and he uses his tiles to flash her a smile. 

********

Blooky, Shyren, and Mettaton are the first group to move out of Toriel’s house. They end up getting an apartment together in the city. They choose a modest two bedroom apartment with a decent sized living area near a college campus. 

It is Blooky who manages to convince Mettaton not to get the most expensive place the three of them can find since, if they’re going to tour, the three of them still need to save for equipment, a bus, and a manager amongst other things. 

In turn, however, Mettaton convinces both Blooky and Shyren to spend a little more than might be wise decorating the place.

Alphys assigns herself the role of chaperone on the Target field trip. 

In the end, Alphys ends up needing to chaperone Undyne more closely than anyone else. 

Alphys swears that Undyne owes her the bottle of rosé that Alphys picks out for herself because Undyne turns on every light up toy in the toy aisle, and then proceeds to test every weight in the gym equipment aisle. 

The following day, Alphys drives the moving van to Mettaton, Napstablook, and Shyren’s apartment, and Undyne helps them all unload. 

When Frisk, Toriel, Sans, and Papyrus visit for the first time, the apartment looks cute, cozy, and very pink. 

Frisk smiles. They expect nothing less with these three decorating things. 

Blooky has a space all their own in the corner of the living space decorated with simple space posters and a shag carpet in the shape of Saturn. 

Apparently, it was actually Shyren who insisted Blooky get the rug. 

Shyren’s room is full of Little Mermaid and other simple Disney memorabilia. 

It also has an extra bed in it for the nights when Lemon Bread will sleep over. Apparently, Shyster convinced the other components of her amalgamation to let her have Wednesdays and Thursdays at the apartment as well as every third weekend. 

Lemon Bread’s side of the room is bare. 

Shyren didn’t want to make any choices for them. 

Mettaton’s room makes Frisk happy. 

Papyrus is lounging in the corner of Mettaton’s room on his stomach when Frisk comes in with the house warming present Sans and Toriel had helped them track down. 

Frisk holds out several tubes to Mettaton. He opens them gingerly and his computer face makes a little shocked expression. 

Each tube contains a different signed poster from all of Mettaton’s favorite musicals. 

Frisk, Papyrus, and Mettaton hang them together laughing as they line up the corners of the posters like an elaborate game of Tetris. 

Frisk has been working on a sign name for Mettaton. 

In fact, they’ve been working on sign names for all of their friends. It’s getting exhausting to spell everyone’s name all the time. 

As they hang posters, Frisk’s eyes fall on the plush heart pillows on Mettaton’s bed. 

After the last poster is hung, Frisk smiles widely and faces Mettaton. They use both hands simultaneously to finger spell “T” “O” “N” with their arms around their chest in a hug like the sign for love. 

Mettaton’s robotic screen lights up with a huge smiley face and a heart. “Is that my name?” 

Frisk nods happily while making a nodding fist with their thumb over the outside of their middle finger. 

“Beautiful, dear heart.” The smiling face winks. 

Alphys surprises Mettaton with a new blue print for his EX body. EX 2.0 has a battery that is three times as efficient and a completed design for the left side of his face.

It also has several other incredible new features.

Mettaton’s computer face goes completely yellow for a moment as he stares at the paper. Alphys puts her hand on his “back.”

“I made a pr-promise. I-I plan to make g-good on it,” she says. 

“I-I …” Mettaton’s voice statics briefly. “Thank you.” 

The two of them disappear for awhile into Mettaton’s room. 

“Phy, I … you didn’t have to … I’m sorry,” Mettaton whispers. 

“No! I ... I should b-be sorry!” Alphys exclaims. “I-I lied to you. I lied a-about Shyster. I-I lied to A-Asgore about y-you which m-made i-it harder for you to … you know… t-tell y-your family. I promised something. I-I need to o-own up t-to that.” 

“Shyster ... and ... and the others ... were ..." he sighs.

"It was an accident, darling. A horrible, terrible, and heart-breaking accident. I was the one who abandoned you without a thought to your suffering.”

His hands fall in his lap and his screen turns solid blue. 

“Besides, you always promised me that telling Blooky was on the table. It was just an excuse. I abandoned everyone I loved, and you were no exception, Phy,” he says 

“N-Not t-true! Y-You a-always c-came wh-when I called! I-I just … didn’t call v-very o-often. O-Only wh-when things got really bad,” she retorts. 

“Still! I said horrible things to you, darling! Perhaps not in moments of active crisis, but I let my temper take hold on more than one occasion. I was demanding and demeaning both. Let me have this. Please, no amount of pain that I carried was worth the things I said to belittle you.” He fidgets again. 

“Nope. Not letting you have this at all,” she says. 

Alphys surprises both of them when she doesn’t stutter at all. There are several beats of total silence where the two of them just stare at each other without moving at all. 

Then, they both start laughing. 

“I won’t let you have it b-because we both have done things that we’re not pr-proud of,” Alphys takes his hand, “So, we’ll work on o-overcoming being sh-shitty losers t-together … like we always have.” 

“One step at a time.” Mettaton flashes her a smiley face.

“Exactly!” Alphys hugs him. 

The two of them rejoin the group to find that Toriel has finished making dinner for them. She also makes her famous butterscotch pie.  

Alphys and Undyne choose dinner time to announce that they also found a house. 

Apparently, they had gone to see the new place about a week ago, but they didn’t want to say anything until it was all finalized. 

Their house has three bedrooms and an unfinished basement that they plan to move all of Alphys’ equipment into. It is not too far from Mettaton, Blooky, and Shyren’s apartment. 

This prompts Alphys to reveal that she got a job at the university. 

Everyone breaks into cheers. Undyne lifts Alphys into the air and spins her around. Mettaton gives her a hug telling her she earned it. Frisk waves their fingers forward and back in a show of applause. 

Sans also surprises Toriel with something. Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne, Shyren, Blooky, and Mettaton reveal that they’ve been working with Asgore to help Toriel buy out a building near her house to turn into a school. 

Toriel’s look of shock is far too sweet and makes everyone smile. 

Toriel places a motherly kiss on each one of their foreheads - or the closest approximation to that in Mettaton's case. Napstablook makes themselves just tangible enough for Toriel to give them a hug. 

A week later, Papyrus, Mettaton, and Sans help Undyne and Alphys with their move. 

Papyrus and Undyne take a walk around the campus. If the two of them tear up a little at no longer being roommates after all this time, everyone has the decency not to say anything. 

Everyone, including Asgore, Flowey, the former members of the Royal Guard, and all the monster citizens help decorate Toriel’s school. 

Toriel hires several monsters to teach. Undyne becomes the gym teacher. Mettaton offers to teach music once a week until Toriel can find someone more permanent. Washua signs on as the lead janitor, and Vegitoid takes the head lunch person position. 

Everyone is elated. 

********

It takes several weeks to get all of Alphys’ equipment moved into their house. But, once all is said and done, Alphys begins a final version of Mettaton’s EX form. 

She knows she needs to get it finished before work picks up in earnest. In the end, it’s around the second to last week of September when Alphys is finally ready to help Mettaton transfer. 

“You ready?” She asks him. 

Everyone is waiting upstairs for them. The procedure should be quick and painless. But, it's clear both of them are nervous. 

“A-As I’ll ever be, Phy.” His screen flashes a smile. 

“Don’t do that to me, now. I’m not wearing off o-on you am I?” She teases. 

He laughs, but Alphys can tell it's an act. He's scared.  

“Now, remember, this … when … if … you fully f-fuse with this b-body … you’re going to f-feel sensations. You will f-feel p-pain. You will t-taste things, and like … y-y-you’re going to have preferences in r-regards to food, w-w-what temperature you want that f-f-food to be at, and a-a-all sorts of th-things like that. So, just r-remember, if you fuse, and your a-a-arms fall o-off of this body, you will feel it! It will hurt ! Do you understand that? So, l-like d-don’t push i-it too hard. Okay? I-I can f-fix m-most things that h-happen, but y-you’re not going to l-like it! I-If your a-arm falls o-off again, it will t-take time to heal . W-We can’t just pl-plug and play a-anymore. If you f-fuse, you h-heal slowly l-like everyone else does. So, a-arms fall off, and y-you're in a sling w-with a dorky l-little cast for a w-week. And, I-I put you through r-rehab boot c-camp so you d-don't lose function. So ... like ... be. careful. with. your. stunts. Do you get that?”  

“Yes. I-I understand.” Mettaton nods. 

“Good. A-Again, if you f-fuse, ch-charge the battery when you think it’s d-dying because o-otherwise you’ll feel dizzy. You’ll p-probably p-pass out and feel a little sick the day a-after. A-again nothing you can’t come back from, I tr-triple ch-checked it! B-but, it won’t be fun,” she says. 

“I understand,” he says again. 

“O-Okay. Be safe. Please! And, make good choices.” She winks. 

Alphys puts him in stasis and gently places his contained essence in the upgraded EX body. 

It only takes a moment before Mettaton’s eyes glow a soft pink under his lashes and flutter open. 

Alphys watches as Mettaton tentatively flexes his fingers and moves his feet. A wide smile spreads over her friend’s face. He touches the synthetic hair she created for him. He smooths it back in his hands. He musses it up and combs it back into place. 

He laughs and kicks his feet. All of his toes are functional. 

Suddenly, Alphys is swept up in a huge hug. She is sincerely grateful that she had the foresight to make those ridiculous shoulder pads removable. 

“It’s perfect.” He deepens the hug.

“Th-thank you. Th-This promise has b-been a long t-time coming.” She swipes away a tear. 

He lifts her in the air and spins her around while twirling on his toe. She leans into his warm metal chest. 

“You still made my chest a space heater didn’t you?” He deadpans upon seeing her expression. 

“I had to! Undyne would never forgive me if I didn’t.” Alphys says innocently. 

The two of them walk up the stairs hand in hand. 

Everyone cheers.

Blooky cries … a lot. 

“they’re haaaapy tears I prooooomise,” Blooky says. 

Toriel bakes another butterscotch pie. 

Mettaton’s face says absolutely everything. 

“Dang …” Mettaton says to himself. 

Papyrus puts his arm around Mettaton’s shoulder. “JUST BEFORE WE THOUGHT YOU COULDN’T GET ANYMORE BEAUTIFUL!” 

Mettaton’s cheeks glow bright pink. 

“Hehehe …” Alphys grins to herself. “My favorite feature.” 

Everyone laughs. 

Chapter Text

The school has been the highlight of Toriel’s life. It symbolizes, in so many ways, a dream fulfilled. She works diligently to plan fun activities for the monster and human children who attend her school. Humans, though most do not have magic, will still be educated in its use and place in monster culture. 

The whole monster community ensures that the school is ready for opening in late August with all the other human schools. They work together to paint classrooms, make art, and give the building personality. 

While the outside of the building remains a simple reddish brown brick, the inside is full of beautiful murals of monster and human children living together. It’s full of the story of the monster’s banishment and Frisk’s heroism. 

As the first month of school begins, Toriel pours her heart into creating each lesson and meeting each young person as a whole being. She crafts things around the interests of each child, and she ensures that everything is fair. 

The few human families that do send their children to Toriel’s school find that their children bloom. Children that were once unruly, anxious, or “problem children” in previous schools now dance, sing, paint, write, or create their cares into beauty. It has gone around the town that the monsters have truly changed things for the children in the city for the better. 

However, as with so many good things on the surface, it cannot last. 

So, one Saturday morning in October, Toriel says that she needs to finish a new lesson on how to resolve conflicts and solve problems. 

Sans offers to walk with her to the school and help in whatever way he can.  Even if that just means providing some killer puns to add some spice to the lesson, he wants to hang out with her. 

Sans also knows that everyone is busy today. 

Undyne has promised to spend the day with Asgore because she knows he’s lonely. 

Alphys is working on editing her old dissertation for publication on the Surface. 

Frisk has homework to work on, and Papyrus told them he’d help them out with it. 

Mettaton is meeting with a potential new manager while Shyren and Blooky have promised Lemon Bread that they’d go to the newest Disney movie with them. 

So, Sans knows that, as fun as annoying Frisk and Papyrus while doing homework sounds, Toriel can probably use the company more anyway. 

Just as they’re about to leave, Frisk pulls on Toriel’s skirt to get her attention and asks if Monster Kid can come over to work with Papyrus and them on homework. 

“Of course, my child. As long as their parents are okay with it, it is alright with me.” Toriel smiles. 

Frisk smiles happily and wiggles their fingers forward and back in a sign for applause. 

Sans gives Frisk a big smile and ruffles their hair. 

Finally, the two of them walk off toward the school. 

It’s a pleasant walk seeing as the weather is lovely in early fall. The leaves are just beginning to change, and the sunset spray of reds, oranges, and yellows span for miles around. The cool late September air pulls on the long blue scarf Toriel knitted for Sans last week, and he smiles relishing the fresh scent of the crisp air. This change has been so good for everyone. 

As they get closer to the building, it feels, to Sans at least, that something is wrong. 

“... as I was saying, it is vital to a young child’s development to feel secure in themselves and to feel that their thoughts are valued, which I suppose makes a lot of sense does it not? Even as adults, monsters or humans, we would like to feel as though we are valued for our interests. But, I have found that the question is how to make sure everyone’s interests are well represented so no one feels left out, and I know that that will be especially important in this lesson. I think I would like to have it designed such that …” 

They both see the blood red graffiti at the same time. 

Go Away! Soul-stealers!

Sans growls under his breath. 

write that on asgore’s house if you want to write it anywhere. toriel tried to save your children who were foolish or desperate enough to throw themselves into that mountain. and, more often than not, they were desperate. Sans thinks.

“Who would write such a thing?” Toriel asks Sans.

She rushes to touch the red painted words. The paint is completely dry by now. So, there isn’t much hope of scrubbing it off without wasting the day. 

Sans puts a hand on Toriel’s shoulder. 

“i’m gonna make a call to see if folks can come and help us clean up.” 

“Sans, please do not bother our friends with this. We can work together to clean it. Though, I suppose that does mean that my plans must wait.” 

“too late, already calling,” Sans says. 

Sans calls Asgore first and reports the vandalism before Toriel can tell him not to bother calling again. Then, Sans texts Frisk, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne, Mettaton, Shyren, and Napstablook, as well as several former members of the Royal Guard. 

Sans is surprised at how quickly he receives messages. 

Ping!
sans, tell her i’ll be there as soon as I clean up the last paragraph of my dissertation. 

Ping!
BROTHER, FRISK AND I ARE ON OUR WAY! I’M JUST ENSURING EVERYONE IS BUCKLED IN SAFELY! 

Ping!
Sans, darling, I’m glad to come! This manager was a dud anyway. Long story. It’s been  … draining. Perfect excuse to ditch this loser, be there soon, dear.  

Ping!
movie just got out, all three of us will be there soon. - napstablook

Ping!
hey, punk! asgore and i are paid out. we’re heading over! 

Sans smiles at his phone. While this situation may objectively suck, at least there’s the silver lining of knowing everyone wants to work together to fix it. 

“hey, tori, i know this looks bad, but look behind you,” Sans says. 

Toriel turns to see Papyrus in the red convertible with Monster Kid and Frisk buckled in the back seat. Shyren, Napstablook, Lemon Bread, and several of the Amalgamates are getting off a bus together on the corner. The former Royal Guardsmen, Royal Guard Dogs, and Burgerpants are hauling buckets of paint out of a huge van driven by Alphys and Mettaton. Lastly, most of Toriel’s students and their families are led by Asgore and Undyne.

“What is … what are all of you doing here? You are all busy, are you not?” Toriel asks. 

“Asgore suggested painting a mural! And, I for one will never pass up the opportunity for a make over!” Mettaton exclaims. 

“YES! WE SHALL ALL WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE BEAUTY OUT OF THIS MESS! TRULY A CHALLENGE WORTHY OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” 

Toriel’s eyes begin to water as everyone gathers around the crude message. 

“Don’t listen to ‘em Miss Toriel, if not for you I’d probably not be in school at all! All I know is we gotta paint it a base color first. ‘Cause then you got a blank canvas to work with. We might not be able ta finish till Monday though.” 

One of her student’s says grabbing a paint brush and dipping it in white paint. 

“I don’t have arms, but I can keep you company!” Monster Kid shouts. 

“That sounds like a good plan!” 

Frisk grabs a brush and starts painting the white background as well. 

Undyne and Papyrus look at each other and quickly grab brushes of their own. 

“PAPYRUS! I BET I CAN PAINT WAY MORE WALL THAN YOU! FUHUHUHUHU!” 

“OH YOU THINK SO UNDYNE? I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS AN EXCELLENT PAINTER AND … UNDYNE YOU ARE CLEARLY CHEATING WE DIDN’T SAY GO YET! NYEHEHEH!” 

“Alphys, darling, how would you feel about painting the top of this wall?” Mettaton asks. 

“I-I get to be t-tall? Hell yes!” Alphys fist pumps. 

Mettaton’s arms extend to raise Alphys over his head to paint the highest spot on the wall. 

By the time the sun burns a brilliant pink and purple in the evening sky, the entire school has been repainted in pure white paint. The angry red letters are an unhappy memory against the fresh canvas. 

Shyren’s bang is coated in white paint. Alphys’s hand prints have mysteriously ended up on Mettaton’s back. And, Alphys sports a white star painted on her elbow. 

Monster Kid’s entire front is covered in paint as they eventually decided to use their body as a sponge. White painted paw prints cover the grass around the school. Frisk has flex of white paint all over their hands, face, hair, and sweater. 

Sans’ new scarf looks as though it’s been covered in snowflakes. 

Asgore has white paint in his beard. Toriel has white all over her clothes in a patterns that range from smeared hand prints to spilled paint. 

But, the two who have taken the worst of the paint abuse, by far, are Papyrus and Undyne. They both look like they will be peeling paint off of themselves for the next several days. 

Undyne’s pony tail is almost completely soaked through in white paint, and Papyrus’ red scarf looks as though a blizzard decided to nest in it. 

At the end of the day, the red brick school house is primed and ready for beautiful art. 

When Monday comes, everyone “remembers” smocks this time around. 

Well, not exactly, rather, Toriel enforces the use of smocks come Monday. 

Toriel’s lesson about resolving conflicts and problem solving goes better than she could have planned. Each child is paired with an adult monster or human who will help them with their part of the mural. 

“We gotta put rainbow stars on it! And in the stars, we gotta put theater masks, dance shoes, and glitter! SO! MUCH! GLITTER!” 

“Well, I couldn’t agree with you more, darling. That sounds spectacular!” 

“I want puzzle pieces that make a picture of a smiling face! Nyeheheh!” 

“THE MOST EXCELLENT USE OF YOUR SECTION I COULD THINK OF!” 

“I want to paint plants. All the plants. Even mushrooms.” 

“Neato! What a lovely idea for a picture. I shall help you choose some colors.” 

“Can you help me paint Kiki and Tombo?” 

“O-oh, o-oh my gosh! T-to cute! They’re a-adorable!” 

“I want to draw a knight with a flaming raging sword of DEATH!” 

“I’m into it, punk! Let’s go, FUHUHUHUHU!” 

“okay, kid, what do you want to paint?” 

Frisk signs Family. Friends. Humans. Monsters. Everyone. Happy.  

Toriel smiles as she observes the progress in the mural. She praises herself for planning this to take all week. She did not want to rush the progress. 

By Friday, the building is covered in the children’s art.

Asgore shows up with NiceCreams for everyone as they walk around the school looking at the final mural. 

“thanks for the idea, asgore. it looks great,” Sans says. 

He takes a bite of the NiceCream Asgore offers him. 

“I just hope it makes the children happy and feel safe. The last thing I would want is for them to struggle more than they have already. I am happy for you and Toriel. I am glad that she has someone to confide in and stay with as Frisk’s friends disperse. I also thank you for trusting me with the information regarding the vandalism. It will help me greatly in negotiations,” Asgore says. 

“you don’t gotta be so formal.” Sans winks.

Asgore laughs. “As far as you know, everyone is well?” 

“oh yeah. it’s all swell.” Sans smiles. “so, good.” 

“I am happy to hear that. Now, where has Flowey gone?” Asgore looks around. 

Frisk pops up with Flowey in his pot and hands him to Asgore. 

Art. Show. Flowey. Frisk signs. 

“Ah. Very good. What did you think of the plant section, Flowey? I assisted on that one,” Asgore says. 

“It was … not terrible … I guess.” Flowey pouts. 

You. Like. Plants. Frisk signs glaring at Flowey. 

“I told you not to tell him!” Flowey yells. 

No. Lies. Only. Love. Frisk grins. 

Sans wanders to Toriel. 

“i think it looks pretty good. got your message across too,” Sans says. 

“Yes. I think it turned out marvelously.” Toriel smiles. 

“i’m glad. i think asgore is glad you included him. he was pretty proud of his plants,” Sans grins, “you could even say he showed some real growth.” 

Toriel stifles a laugh. “It was nice of him to think of the mural idea. It would have been rude not to include him in the creation of it.” 

“well, i know the little girl he helped had the time of her life talking about trees, flowers, and other fauna with him. who knew asgore was such a … fungi.” 

Sans points to the painted mushrooms on the mural. 

Toriel finally loses it as she bursts into laugher. 

Frisk smiles seeing everyone so happy. 

Though, they are sad that Asriel had been so right about the surface world. Frisk had hoped that their friends’ optimism would be enough to make the surface as perfect as they all dreamed. 

Be careful in the outside world, OK? Despite what everyone thinks, it's not as nice as it is here. There are a lot of Floweys out there. And not everything can be resolved by just being nice. 
His words echo in their head even now. 

But, it will be okay. Frisk thinks to themselves. We found a way out of this. We can do it again if we need to. 

Frisk looks out over at their new human classmates and their monster friends happily playing and enjoying life together. It renews their determination to be the best ambassador they can and help their friends in every way they can. 

“Did you get a NiceCream yet, Frisk?” Asgore asks. 

Frisk shakes their head and takes the NiceCream before heading off to join Toriel and Sans. 

They lean into Toriel’s side and take a long lick of the NiceCream. Toriel’s paw brushes their hair, and she makes a wide smile spread across their face. All is as it should be. All is well. 

********

At varying points during the mural painting week, a little card shows up in Alphys, Undyne, Asgore, Mettaton, Shyren, and Napstablook’s mailboxes. 

I hope you do not find this too strange, but I thought it would be nice if we could all share time together every Saturday at 5 o’clock for dinner. Each week one of you will get to choose a movie to watch or other activity for us to do together. I feel that this is the best way for us to continue being friends while our lives take us different paths on the surface. There is no pressure to come, but it is merely an invitation to continue sharing our lives. I have decided that Frisk will choose our first movie since they are the ambassador for us. I felt it only fair that they get to choose something that they would like first. 

 With love,
 Toriel 

 Everyone calls Toriel with excitement, and they all promise to come. 

 Everyone gathers in Toriel’s living room and finds various places and postures on the furniture. 

 Blooky, Shyren, and Mettaton have sprawled out on beanbag chairs in front of the couch. 

 Asgore sits nearest the hallway with Flowey on a conveniently placed end table. 

 Frisk sits comfortably between Sans and Toriel near the kitchen. 

 Alphys is sitting completely normally on the couch, but Undyne and Papyrus are perched on the back of the couch above her. 

 Sans chuckles to himself as he hands a little marshmallow gun to Undyne and Papyrus. 

 “i found this at a joke shop. do not make me regret this,” he says with a large grin. 

 Undyne and Papyrus stare at the little marshmallow gun with awe. 

 “We absolutely will NOT make you regret this, FUHUHUHUHU!” Undyne says. 

 Undyne motions for Papyrus to lean in as she whispers to him. 

 “Any characters that suck and are deserving of getting their butts handed to them shall be pelted mercilessly with this!” 

 She raises the marshmallow gun over her head. 

 Papyrus grins and nods. 

 Frisk takes a deep breath and holds the movie close to their chest. This has always been one of their favorites. 

 They don’t sign they simply triumphantly place the DVD in the player and start the movie. 

 Once upon a time, in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind …

“Brilliant choice, darling,” Mettaton says with a wink. 

Shyren hums her agreement. 

Frisk smiles and snuggles into Sans’ side. 

However, when Gaston appears and won’t get out of Belle’s way, marshmallows go flying towards the television. 

“GROSS!” Undyne shouts. “DON’T MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE’S FATHERS, BUTT-FACE!” 

“I’M SURE HE IS VERY GREAT AND NOT CRAZY AT ALL!” Papyrus says. 

More marshmallows go flying as Lefou and Gaston laugh. 

Peels of laughter erupt from the pile consisting of Blooky, Mettaton, and Shyren as more marshmallows arc over their heads. 

Frisk falls from their seat in Toriel’s lap into Sans’ waiting arms. 

Toriel just looks at the ever growing pile of marshmallows with a look of good humor but, also, mild horror. 

“don’t worry, tori. i’ll make ‘em both pick it up later,” Sans says. 

As the film progresses, Undyne’s aim gets better, and she is consistently able to strike Gaston in the cleft of his chin throughout the entire "Gaston" song.

Asgore even chuckles at this. 

Toriel doesn’t have the heart to stop Papyrus and Undyne’s antics as it is causing so much merriment. Though, she has officially decided that the two of them will have to play with marshmallow gun somewhere other than her living room in the future. 

As the movie progresses, silence falls over the room. The love between the two characters becomes clearer, and it makes all of them think. 

Sans has to hand it to the kid because the movie is pretty good. He enjoys the antics that the household objects get up to and how annoyed the clock gets. It reminds him of Papyrus. 

Alphys gets lost in the West Wing. She barely notices that the movie has progressed until it’s nearly over. She thinks about having things to hide and the anger, desperation, and fear that comes from people poking around those secret places. 

Blooky has never seen this movie. Though, it’s clear Shyren has because she sometimes hums lightly along with the music. They find the loneliness of the Prince-Beast interesting. There are so many people around the Prince-Beast, but he chooses to hide away from those who live with him. They have to smile as they see the Prince-Beast begin to interact with his servants again. 

Toriel cannot help but see the Prince’s desire for redemption in her ex-husband. However, she is not moved to love him again as Belle falls in love with her Beast. Toriel simply wishes that Asgore is able to find redemption somewhere. 

Asgore loves this movie. He wants to watch it fifteen more times at home. He sees so much of his own loneliness and struggle in the Prince. But, he also finds himself drawn to Maurice whose love for his daughter runs so deep that he’s willing to risk his reputation to save his child. He casts a glance at Undyne who looks wistfully at the golden dress. She’ll never admit it, but Asgore knows she would love to wear something like that some day.  

Papyrus just loves the songs and the color. His eyes widen as he’s never seen anything quite like this before. It makes him wonder what falling in love feels like, and he wonders if someone could ever really make him feel as happy as Belle looks when she dances in her golden dress. 

Undyne just wants to hand Gaston his own ass on a platter. She hates that guy. He reminds her of everything evil that she’s heard about humans. He just wants to hunt down an innocent monster. Yet, at the same time, she’s caught up the idea of dancing with Alphys wearing something as beautiful as that golden rod gown. She knows she could never pull it off, but she dreams anyway. 

Mettaton is reminded why this movie was nominated for the Academy Award’s Best Picture. He places his cheek in his hand as the theme song plays while the characters dance. Mettaton has always desperately longed for a romance like this. But, he has always been so afraid because he never felt quite right in his own skin. Yet, that is a thing of the past now. He flops his head on a pillow on the floor and puts his hands over his head. 

Next week. Mettaton promises himself. I’ll ask him out next week. Or … well no … the week after? The week after … sure … that’s good. But … also, I could wait a month that way I’ll understand the new form better. Yes. That’s right. A month from now would be appropriate. 

"The Mob Song" leaves an acrid taste in everyone’s mouth. Thus, Undyne shoots more marshmallows at the screen this time trying to see if she can shoot them into people’s mouths. 

As Gaston falls to his demise, Undyne does manage to shoot several marshmallows into his mouth as he descends. 

Toriel finds that even she has to laugh at the frightening accuracy with which the marshmallows hit Gaston’s open mouth. 

Yet, this does nothing to stop everyone in the room from bursting into tears at the declaration of love and transformation sequence. 

When the film ends, everyone cheers. 

Alphys bites back a laugh as the credits roll. She watches Mettaton rubs his eyes with his fists sleepily and unsuccessfully tries to stifle a yawn. 

“Remember wh-what I told you? Go charge,” Alphys says.

Then, Alphys gives Undyne a mischievous grin. 

“Besides, you have plenty of time for a nap. ‘Dyne has a huge mess to c-clean up anyway. Then, we’ll d-drive you guys home.” 

He gives her a tired smile before nodding. He drags a beanbag chair over to the nearest outlet and falls asleep. 

“B-But Alphy, Sans made me do it! He gave me the gun and told me not to make him regret it! No one regrets this! I didn’t disappoint! My aim was perfect!” Undyne whines. 

“”Dyne … you are being so u-unreasonable right now! P-Perfect aim does not m-mean you didn’t cause th-that!” Alphys shakes her head. 

Alphys points to the marshmallows scattered all around the television in a rather large pile. 

“I SHALL HELP YOU CLEAN THEM UNDYNE! FOR TOGETHER, IT WILL … HOPEFULLY NOT TAKE MUCH TIME,” Papyrus says. 

The two set to work picking up the marshmallows and throwing them in a trash bag that Toriel provides them. 

Toriel puts a blanket around the sleeping Mettaton, Napstablook, and Shyren once she’s sure Undyne and Papyrus are settled into the task of clearing up the marshmallows. 

It takes Papyrus and Undyne a solid twenty minutes to clear up the mess to Toriel’s satisfaction. 

Alphys pulls out her phone and takes a stealthy photo of Napstablook, Shyren, and Mettaton all curled up on the beanbag chair. She takes a moment to admire the photo before going to wake them up. 

Napstablook looks up at her as she walks over. 

“give them fiiiiiive moooore minutes? i waaass just pretending to sleep, but boooooth of them are reeeeeally oooooout,” they say. 

Alphys nods. 

“It’s b-been a long week for you g-guys, right? D-Did he ever find a manager? Y-You said he had l-like f-fifteen interviews this week?” She asks. 

“he said he waaaaaaas going tooooooo revisit oooooone person oooooon mooooondaaaay,” Napstablook says. 

“Hmmm … w-well I h-hope everything w-works out f-for you three. Y-You all really deserve it.” Alphys smiles. 

Napstablook smiles at Alphys.

 “thaaank yoooou. we really appreciate it. there haaaave been a loooooot ooooof sleepless niiiiights lately … ooooooh … soooory … i dooon’t think i waaaas supposed to saaaay thaaaat. pretend yooooou didn’t fiiiind oooout froooom meee,” Napstablook says. 

Alphys smiles and shakes her head. 

“Y-Your secret is s-safe with me. I-I already kind of kn-knew. Mettaton sent me a text at 3:00 AM … twice this w-week. He wasn’t b-being subtle. T-Though, I am h-happy that h-he told me he was ch-charging while he w-worked,” Alphys says. 

Napstablook gives Alphys another shy smile. 

“W-We should get you g-guys home,” Alphys says. 

“ooooooof coooourse, thaaaanks for letting them sleeeeeeep,” Napstablook says. 

Alphys gives both Mettaton and Shyren’s shoulders a soft shake. 

“Undyne and P-Papyrus finally g-got the marshmallows p-picked up. S-So, lets heads are h-home and get real sleep,” Alphys says. 

Everyone quickly says their goodbyes and heads home for the night. 

Toriel stands in the living room with joy filling her soul.

While she still feels a bit nervous about the graffiti sometimes, she takes solace in the fact that the school has been made even more beautiful. She also takes much heart in her home continuing to be a safe place of shelter for everyone. No matter what they face, she will make her home their home. It is the least she can do for Frisk and their friends. 

So, as she ascends the stairs to her room, she smiles. For, she finds she simply cannot wait for next week’s film or activity. As Toriel has gotten to know Sans more, Toriel cannot help but think that Sans will have a very interesting taste in movies and activities. 

Chapter Text

She flushes with embarrassment when she sees that Asgore is standing outside the cell door. 

The warden motions for her to leave, and Undyne gives the human as scary of a glare as she can muster. 

Asgore wraps a paw around her shoulders and guides her away. 

As soon as they’re out of the building, Asgore looks her up and down. 

“I can tell you are hurt almost as much as you hurt him. Please allow me to fix you up,” Asgore says. 

She nods her consent to his healing magic. 

“I am afraid there may yet be some lingering aesthetic damage that I cannot undue. Namely, there is still a bruise on your cheek,” Asgore says. 

“‘s fine … Alphys will think it looks tough! I’ll wear it as a badge of honor … like my eye,” she says.

Her shoulders stiffen for a moment as he puts his arm around her shoulders. Then, she relaxes into his chest.  

“None of that now. Your eye was a tragic accident that I still blame myself for being unable to fix. The human who shot it out had aim that rivaled your own, and … I still wonder if I were better at healing … if I had managed to remain on speaking terms with Toriel … if you would still have it.” Asgore’s voice rumbles in his chest. 

“I don’t care that much about it anymore, Asgore. Alphys says it’s cute,” Undyne says. 

“I would be inclined to agree with Alphys on that matter. You have grown into quite the amazing woman since I met you as little more than a child, Undyne. You should be proud of yourself.” Asgore smiles. 

Undyne can’t help but blush. 

“I kind of screwed up tonight didn’t I?” She asks. 

“Well, I think that depends on why all this happened. Let us get dinner together, and we can decide together.” Asgore says.  

“Only if you’re buying, old man.” Undyne grins. 

“Of course, my girl.” Asgore smiles. 

The two of them walk together into Grilby’s and the entire party of Royal Guard Dogs stand at attention. 

“At ease guys, you don’t work for me anymore. Remember? You have other jobs and stuff, punks!” Undyne rolls her eye. 

“But … But … But training dictates …” Doggaressa yips. 

“Sit!” She says. 

All of them return to their seats. 

Asgore chuckles and slides into a booth. The two of them order burgers and a shared fry.

“Undyne, tell me what happened at the bar,” Asgore says seriously. 

“Okay, let me preface this by saying, I didn’t even go inside because it’s a school night, and I knew Miss Toriel would hand me my ass if she found out I drank on a school night. She can be scary when she wants to,” Undyne says. 

“Oh. I know it.” Asgore nods sympathetically. 

“I just … I needed to clear my head because a kid told me … told me a thing that made me think about something else in a new way. I don’t know how else to … um … phrase it. So, ya know, I needed to pound it out. I wanted a walk.” Undyne worries her lower lip. 

Asgore doesn’t press her for more information, but Undyne thinks about the kid anyway. 

On paper, this kid has a great life. Their parents are awesome. They love their siblings, but they told Undyne that even though everything looks good … they just don’t feel understood. 

It all started because this student had told her that they didn’t want Thanksgiving break to start in the next few weeks.  

When Undyne had pressed them to say more, they drew their knees up to their chest and pressed their head to their knees. They told her that every time they try to explain the way they feel to their family no one really listens. They said that it sometimes feels like they’re just see-through … like a ghost. They said they would give anything for their family to see them the way they want to be seen, and they’d love to just run from it for a while. Go somewhere, be someone else and then maybe come back different … or the same … or not at all. 

For once, Undyne had wished that Mettaton was at school today because she would have sent this kid to him to talk. 

But, she thinks she did an okay job handling it. 

However, the idea she had about sending this kid to Mettaton for help is the thought that upset her. She isn’t sure how to feel about him now that she has started to get to know him better. He is also clearly trying to be less of an egotistical jerk. She knows that Mettaton was the one who helped Alphys pick out a really cute outfit the other day for their date. 

So, yeah, Undyne might even say he’s just silly and awkward, painfully awkward, which is something she had never noticed before. She cannot pretend that she hasn’t noticed that Papyrus and Mettaton have been flirting. She also can’t help but think they might be good for each other. 

Great! Now she’s right back to what sent her walking in the first place. 

“So, you took a walk and then what happened.” Asgore asks. 

“Oh … um … yeah … right,” she says. 

The burgers and fries are set down before them. 

Undyne takes a deep breath. 

“So, I passed this kind of divy college dance bar, The Nest, on my walk that’s only like a few blocks away from our house. And, I saw these two girls holding hands. I was like … awww … so cute, right? Well, this complete and total douche-canoe comes and, like, tries to flirt with one of the girls saying they must, like … just be friends or something. Something about this guy just totally rubs me the wrong way, so I stop, right?” Undyne pauses. 

Asgore nods her on while munching on a fry. 

“Anyway, they tell him that they’re together and they just want to dance and be left alone. He says that they’re both too pretty to just want to be left alone and just because they came together doesn’t mean that he can’t join them. He seemed physically incapable of understanding that two beautiful girls could be a couple. So, he kept pressing them on it. When he started yelling at them, I couldn’t handle it.” Undyne sighs. 

She takes a bite of burger, and she has to admit that, Sans is right, Grilby knows his way around food. 

“So, anyway, I walk over there and say to this asshat. ‘Hey, punk, you know the girls already made it pretty damn clear that they’re out to have a good time without you. So, you should scram, butt-face!’ Then, he said ‘Make me!’ So, I whipped out one of my magic spears and told the girls to just go and I’d handle it. They nodded and thanked me. He technically hit me first, in the face, but then I blasted him back with the spear. His buddies showed up and ratted me out. Then, they made me go to that stupid building where I called you. I know. I know it was dumb, but …” Undyne sighs again. 

“Truly, I am just grateful you were not hurt worse. Humans can be … violent. But, you know that,” Asgore says. 

He takes her hand in his. 

“A second war on humanity would have been a disaster. What we often fail to remember, myself included, is that a human’s intentions carry more force than their actual blows. You are very lucky that this wasn’t worse,” Asgore taps her cheek lightly. 

“I … I know,” Undyne looks away. 

“You mean a great deal to me, you know that, correct?” He asks her. 

Undyne looks at him with a widened eye. Of course, she does. After all, it is Asgore who took her in and trained her after her parents fell down. She remembers being so angry until he gave that anger a purpose. 

She nods because she isn’t sure what to say. 

“Good. What I have discovered these last few weeks is that monsters are so very different from humans, and, yet, so very alike.” Asgore sighs.

It is Undyne’s turn to clean up some melted butter and ketchup with a fry as she listens. 

“Humans are an interesting species. I am not sure how much of Alphys’ research paper that took her to the university you have read, but it is fascinating,” Asgore says. 

“I helped her proofread it. I didn’t get much of the science, but she just wanted to make sure it didn’t sound so intense that no one would be able to understand it.” Undyne smiles.

“Ah! Neato! Anyway, she is correct in saying that our magic thrives in joy, compassion, love, and hope. However, the most interesting take away for me is her explanation that humans’ SOULS can survive in conditions void of joy, compassion, love, and hope due to their DETERMINATION. However, they do not thrive long in lives void of these things. It is interesting to me to see her explain it. It makes much sense, and I wish I had known it earlier,” Asgore says. 

“Yeah. Cool, Asgore, but what’s your point?” Undyne asks. 

“We are not made for fighting. We are not built for war. It is why we lost. Frisk saved us from an apocalyptic level disaster that was born out of my grief, and I would have taken all of you with me. Senseless Levels of Violence is all that would have come from that war,” he says.

Undyne shudders at the thought. 

“You have fought hard in your life, my girl. You have seen so much. But, now, you have so much left to give the world. Your spears of justice,” he grins, “are to be used to defend. You have proven tonight that this is possible.” 

She beams at his praise. She always has. She always will. 

“But, my dear girl, do not seek out these battles. You have trained enough. Settle in the peace you have worked so hard for while remembering that your soul burns for justice,” Asgore says. 

Undyne blushes and casts her eyes aside. But, she nods. 

“I accept the pointers, old man.” She grins. 

“I’ve only just crossed 250. I have at least another hundred in me, young lady.” He laughs.

“BLECH! I’m not a child, Asgore! I’m like 90! I’ve been out of childhood for 60 years!” She shouts. 

She flicks a fry at him, which, to her amazement, he actually catches in his mouth. 

“Well, with such impetuousness and impulsivity, you could have fooled me.” He grins. 

Both of them laugh as they pay their bill. 

Asgore drops her off at the edge of her driveway. 

“Text … uh … text Toriel and tell her you’ll be out tomorrow,” Asgore says. 

“Will do. Thanks for everything. This could have been really sucky, and it … um … ya know … wasn’t too bad,” Undyne says. 

Asgore chuckles and gives her a quick hug. 

Undyne whips out her phone and texts Toriel.

Hi. I had a really weird evening. Call to talk about it in the morning if you want, but I sorta got beat up on a walk while defending a couple of college kids. So, I’m gonna rest up and stuff tomorrow, if that’s chill.

Toriel replies almost immediately. 

I understand. Please, in future cases, be more careful. I am glad no one was badly hurt. 

Undyne sighs in relief as she heads up the walkway to her and Alphys’ house. 

Nothing could have prepared Undyne for what she finds when she opens the door. 

As she comes into the main living area after hanging up her jacket, Undyne finds Alphys sitting up on the couch with Mettaton asleep in her lap. 

Mettaton’s head is face down on Alphys’ knees and his long legs are draped over the left side of the couch. Alphys’ hand is on Mettaton’s back while the other cards through his fluffy synthetic hair. 

“What’s metal man doing here?” Undyne asks. 

“He p-passed o-out on me when I opened the d-door … l-literally,” Alphys says. 

Undyne stares at her. “Oh.”

Unyne can’t really muster another response. However, that’s actually a good thing as Alphys has a lot to say.

“He had a ‘l-late meeting with his m-manager.’ Or, at least, that’s what he t-told me,” Alphys says. 

Undyne pulls the bean bag chair over to the couch and lets Alphys explain more. 

“It was kind of sc-scary. I dr-dragged him over here. It was hard fought to get him o-on the couch, but I made sure to m-make this frame l-light enough, this time, that I-I could at least d-drag it if I-I had to. I can’t r-really lift it, but I can d-drag it. He looked k-kind of fr-freaked out when I first opened the d-door.” Alphys explains. 

“Well, yeah! He’s never had low power make him feel like shit before!” Undyne exclaims.

Mettaton’s eyes flutter for a moment, and he groans a little. But, he doesn’t wake up. He simply turns toward Alphys and brings an arm over his head. 

“Please, I-I love you, a-and I’m s-sorry your night s-sucked, and I-I am so-so-so-so-so so glad you’re okay, but I-I n-need you to be quiet. I really, really want to l-listen t-to you e-explain wh-what h-happened, but we n-need to use inside v-voices, ‘Dyne,” Alphys says.

Alphys leans over and kisses Undyne’s bruised cheek. 

“Phhh … it wasn’t so bad … I guess. Asgore took me out to dinner and stuff to ask me about it. We actually had a really good time … even if the circumstances sucked.” 

Undyne kisses Alphys’ cheek back. 

Alphys smiles at Undyne, but the smile doesn’t reach Alphys’ eyes. 

“You’re worried about him aren’t you?” Undyne asks. 

“I w-was w-worried sick for b-both of you!” Alphys whisper-yells. 

Undyne looks at Alphys with raised eyebrows and hands on her hips. 

“Not a lie. B-But, n-now you’re safe a-and I can see you … and … and touch you. By the Angel, I-I’m so glad you’re safe . But, yeah … I am st-still worried about him. I’ve never seen him more t-terrified than when he started to f-fall. H-He just s-sort o-of went l-limp on me … l-l-literally. I just w-wish he would have l-listened to my w-warnings.” Alphys shakes her head. 

Alphys rubs another small circle over Mettaton’s shoulders. 

“Let this be a l-lesson to you, o-okay? No m-more of this. It’s not f-fun, a-and y-you’re going to f-feel like cr-crap tomorrow.” Alphys admonishes. 

Undyne bites back a chuckle because it’s such an Alphys way of putting things. 

When Undyne is honest, though, it’s easy for her to forget that Alphys is a doctor sometimes. Like, Undyne has proofread Alphys’ papers, but that’s so sciencey in general. Truly, Undyne is just reading for grammar anyway. She doesn’t really “get” the concepts. The rest of the time, Alphys is just her loveable, beautiful, nerdy girlfriend. She rants about animes passionately.  Yet, as Undyne looks up from her bean bag, she sees what she calls the “other Alphys.” 

Undyne sees the comforting soul that took in, not one, but two ghosts who wanted a body that suited them. Plus, Undyne knows for absolute certain that Alphys has kept perfect confidentiality such that the two corporeal ghost-cousins don’t even know they’re related. Here, in the “other Alphys,” Undyne sees the agonized doctor who just wanted to help people and made a tragic mistake. However, most importantly, in this moment, Undyne sees that, underneath the doctor, there is also a best friend who is concerned for the safety of someone she loves and with whom she shares part of her heart and history. 

Just imagine this was Papyrus. You’d be a mess too, and you know it. Don’t be stupid. Undyne admonishes herself. 

“Hey, Alphy, he’ll be fine. I’m sure he just pushed himself a little too hard today. He’s just figuring out how much his body can take. I know you’re worried about him, but he’ll be fine,” Undyne says. 

Undyne pats Alphys’ arm. 

“Oh, I know.  B-But, ‘Dyne, y-you know m-me. Wh-who would I b-be if … if I d-didn’t worry?” Alphys smiles sadly.

Both of them laugh quietly before Undyne heads to bed. 

“You coming? MTT can sleep there. You should come up,” Undyne says.

“No. I-I … he b-begged me to stay with him. B-besides, I-I don’t feel comfortable leaving him alone this f-first time,” Alphys says. 

Undyne nods. It makes sense. 

So, Undyne rips the sheets and blankets off her bed and drags them downstairs. 

“Welp. Guess this is my bed now. Goodnight, Alphy,” Undyne says. 

She snuggles into the beanbag chair and wraps herself in her blankets. 

Alphys smiles. “G-Good n-night, Undyne. Sleep w-well.” 

The following morning, Undyne wakes up to find Alphys sitting at the table staring at a cup of coffee. Alphys is stirring the coffee with the claw of her index finger. 

“Where’s the space heater?” Undyne yawns. 

“He … he left. Against m-my better j-judgment, he t-talked m-me into l-letting him l-leave. B-But, something’s wr-wrong. I kn-know s-something’s wr-wrong,” Alphys says. 

Undyne knows things are bad when Alphys’ stutter gets worse. She’s clearly upset by Mettaton’s recklessness. Undyne bristles. She just started giving him the benefit of the doubt and, then, here he goes breaking her trust again! 

“He’s busy! He’s excited! He got over zealous! Alphy, don’t over think. It’ll be fine!” Undyne says placing her hands on Alphys’ shoulders. 

“I w-want to b-believe that. R-Really, I’d love t-to b-believe that. B-But … I-I can’t. There w-was s-something about t-the way he l-looked at me this morning … b-before he l-left. I-It was like he was sc-scared of something? F-Fear is th-the closest I-I can th-think of, and h-he’s n-never sc-scared. B-But … it w-wasn’t that e-exactly.  I-I can’t quite place it.” Alphys puts her head in her arms. 

“Well, trust me to place it then. He’s not listening because he’s being annoying and a workaholic. He’s being reckless, and I’ll personally see to it that he doesn’t do it again.” 

Undyne kisses the top of Alphys’ head. 

“I-I’ll try t-to believe th-that. E-Even i-if, I think you’re wrong.” Alphys murmurs. 

“That’s all I ask.” 

Alphys perks up when Undyne holds her hand and begins stroking her wrist. 

“Y-you know that bruise m-makes you l-look very attractive,” Alphys says. 

Alphys bats her eyelashes at Undyne and leans in. Undyne carefully pulls Alphys close to her and kisses her softly on the lips. 

“Yeah? Well those bags under your eyes make you look pretty cute too!” Undyne jokes. 

Both of them laugh as they move to cuddle in on the sofa. It’s a Friday. Alphys is off on Fridays, and Undyne already told Toriel that she wouldn’t be at school today.

Alphys’ phone buzzes with an email. 

Hi Dr. Alphys,

I think your girlfriend helped Alex and I out last night. I hope everything’s okay at home. We can’t wait to see you on Monday! You’re the best. 

Also, can I have an extension on the paper this week? 

I just got cast in Six as K. Howard, and rehearsals are kicking my butt. None of my other professors understand because I’m supposed to be an engineering major not an actress. But, my housemates and Alex talked me into it because they knew I liked the music and I sometimes dance to it on the balcony at 3 AM. 

Did I seriously just type that to a professor? Haha. 

So, can I have the extension? 

All the Best,

Natalie “Emerson” Smith they/them 

P.S. I’m trying a new name and pronouns … but this is the first email I’ve sent with them. Feels good, but weird. Thanks! 

Alphys smiles at the email, and she moves it away from Undyne’s prying eyes. 

“I do not read your emails from school. Do not read mine. But, apparently, both of the young people you defended are in my Monster and Soul Studies class. So, thank you,” Alphys says. 

Undyne smiles huge. 

Emerson, 

Glad to hear that you and Alex are alright. If you were at The Nest, it was, in fact, Undyne who stepped in. 

Of course, have all the time you need! As you can see in the syllabus, it says that you have until the end of the semester to get everything in. So, no worries. But, I will warn you, try not to fall too far behind or you’ll make it more stressful for yourself. If you’re still overwhelmed when the semester is ending, please let me know so we can work something out. 

Science and theater meld together perfectly. I have no idea what your other professors are on about. 

Kind Regards,

Dr. Alphys Professor of Monster and Soul Studies 

With that settled, Alphys turns off her phone and lets Undyne rest in her lap. Alphys gently runs her claws over Undyne’s scalp as the other monster sleeps. Alphys watches as Undyne’s bruise begins to fade as her healing is nurtured by Alphy’s tenderness and love. 

Later that evening, two mysterious care packages appear out of nowhere, Undyne and Alphys find both packages sweet and amusing. Undyne and Alphys enjoy butterscotch pie and a home cooked dinner while laughing about the extraordinarily unsubtle message that accompanies it. 

Remember, do please be a bit more careful next time.

If Alphys catches Undyne grinning girlishly at the other package, Alphys just observes with a smile of her own as Undyne puts eleven, freshly clipped, pure white roses in a vase with a single yellow rose in the center. The note attached is proudly displayed as Undyne removes it from around the flowers and ties it around the vase. 

That is my girl. 

********

Undyne has made a great effort to keep her choice of movie a secret. She has mostly wanted to prevent Alphys from talking her into making everyone watch the first two movies before this one. She loves this trilogy, but she loves this movie best. 

So, she’s making everyone watch it whether they like or not. 

“S-So, what d-did you e-end up picking … d-dare I ask?” Alphys fidgets. 

“PFFF … it’s not even that bad!” Undyne exclaims. 

“W-What’s it r-rated?” Alphys asks. 

“PG-13! And … AND it’s only rated such for fantasy violence! I AM FANTASY VIOLENCE! I’m not a psycho! It’s based on a book!!” Undyne shouts.

Alphys shakes her head into her hands. “Oh no … m-most of them h-haven’t even seen …” 

Undyne flashes The Return of the King’s DVD case to the room. 

“I do not think I am familiar with this story at all …” Toriel begins. 

Frisk pulls Toriel’s sleeve and signs. Human. Classic. Fantasy. War. Story. Writer. Fought. Human. World. War. Sad. Book. About. Friends. War. Gives. Friends. Happy. Ending. 

“Ah. You have read the story?” Toriel asks. 

Frisk nods. Seen. Movies. Too. Very. Good. Might. Confuse. You. Watch. Backwards. 

“Undyne, no!” Alphys says. 

“UNDYNE, YES!” 

Undyne finds her exclamation unexpectedly joined by another voice. Mettaton is practically flipping himself over the top of the couch with excitement. 

“It’s an Academy Award winning film, Alphys, for shame!” He shouts

“And, someone gets a sword to the face and explodes!” Undyne shouts. 

They both stare at each other awkwardly for a moment. Any grudge or frustration Undyne has with Mettaton disappears for a moment as she realizes they have something in common. 

Undyne gives Mettaton a look before grabbing him around the knees and throwing him over her shoulder and they shout in unison. 

“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!” 

Undyne looks at Mettaton again after she sets him down. She has a whole new appreciation for him. She has never been sure what to make of him and, more often than not, she thinks he’s just obnoxious. However, here he is being a total doofus about Lord of the Rings of all things. 

I’m still gonna give him hell for what he did yesterday, and I should ask him about his intentions with Papyrus. Still, Alphy doesn’t love this trilogy. She tried reading the books with me once, but she wasn’t really into it. I wonder if he’s read them? Undyne thinks.

Undyne beams at Mettaton, and he beams right back.  

“Unydne, we should dramatically summarize the last two films as fast as we can! We could make a pilot for a new TV show idea!” 

Mettaton’s eyes sparkle with a magical glee. 

“I’m into it!” Undyne says. 

“No … no … no …” Alphys says into her hands. 

Everyone settles into their seats for the night. Toriel has purchased a loveseat for her to sit on with Sans. Frisk usually lies in her lap, but today they decide to join Papyrus on the beanbags in the opposite corner of the room. 

He’s smiles widely as Frisk cuddles into his side. 

Asgore and Flowey have taken their usual chair and table near the door to the main hall. 

Blooky and Shyren have claimed the beanbag chair nearest the sofa. 

Alphys knows that she will be squashed between Undyne and Mettaton. That is if the two of them decide to sit at all. 

No one in the room really knows what to make of the recap. 

It mostly consists of lots of shouting about “Hobbits,” “THE ONE RING, TM,” “Strider-Aragorn, who has a face made by literal angels,” “his super HOT girlfriend,” “Black Riders,” “SOUL sucking swords of DEATH,” “refusing to let your family relations go into hell without coming along for the joy ride,” “A CREATURE MADE OF PURE MOLTEN FREAKING LAVA!,” “don’t forget the cave troll, darling and the phenomenally emotional score when Gandalf passes to shadow,” “GALADRIEL - my beloved!,” “but in the books its so much better because Gimli gets over his prejudice, and its just stunning, dears,” “he takes three! THREE arrows to the chest because he’s a BADASS,” “but so traumatizing for the poor hobbits,” “I MADE A PROMISE MR. FRODO! DON’T YOU LEAVE HIM SAMWISE GAMGEE, AND I DON’T MEAN TO, I DON’T MEAN TO!” 

“And that’s the first film basically, the next one is all like … ” Undyne begins.

“Gandalf isn’t actually dead, because who doesn’t love an excellent, PLOT TWIST, darnlings!” “Creepy. Naked. Baby-man!” “Beautiful panoramic landscape shots of places I wish I could visit, maybe I’ll tour in Rohan,” “Running! SO MUCH RUNNING!” “They really don’t know if the poor things are dead or alive, and it’s all very tragic,” “BUT THEY’RE ACTUALLY WITH THE TALKING TREE PEOPLE!” “the marshes are quite terrifying actually, and the, as you so aptly put it, creepy naked baby-man, actually has a rather sweet side,” “then, they find out the little dudes are still alive by finding out GANDALF HAS FREAKING EVOLVED!” “Shadowfax is a majestic creature who deserves all laud and honor,” “THE KING IS ALL LIKE POSSESSED AND STUFF, BUT GANDALF SLAMS THE WHITE WIZARD DEMON MAN OUT OF HIM LIKE BLAAAM!” “then, there’s a part we will tactfully avoid …” “Yeeeeeaaaah … probably for the best,” “Frodo and Sam are getting closer to their final destination,” “BUUUUUT … they get found out by the SWEETHEART BABY BROTHER of THREE ARROW TO THE CHEST BADASS BOROMIR!,” “who also has a face made by the gods,” “speaking of attractive, EOWYN - my queen!” “truly, the sole voice of reason in all of Rohan, she really deserved a day off or something because … my word was she doing ten thousand percent of the emotional labor of that kingdom, darlings,” “I mean, in fairness to Theoden, HER BADASS UNCLE, he was just like doing his king stuff and doing what had always been done,” “Ah, yes, Helm’s Deep always frustrated me you know, it seemed like such a poor tactical decision …” “Oh! It was dumb as SHIT, alright. But, like … you get WHY he did it,” “Oh of course, it was the ancestral THING to do, darling, I’m aware” “ANYWAY! They get attacked on the road by WOLF CREATURES AND ARAGORN’S HOT WIFE PERSON COMES TO SAVE HIS ASS IN A DREAM!” “Frodo and Sam are now political prisoners of Gondor because young Faramir’s father really would love that One Ring for himself to conquer Sauron, but there are so many issues with that situation not the least of which is that Faramir’s father may be bordering on insanity,” “MAY BE THAT GUY IS A NUT!!,” “Creepy-Naked-Baby-Man decides to go for a swim in a sacred pool and, beauties, it’s about as great as it sounds,” “A HUGE BATTLE GOES DOWN AT HELMS DEEP THAT INCLUDES BADASS SHIELD SURFING AND A PLAY BY PLAY DEATH COUNT!,” “Faramir chooses to let Frodo and Sam go because Faramir is the only, living, person in his family with a functional brain,” “THE TREE PEOPLE BREAK A PART SARUMAN’S LIKE WHOLE OPERATION BY FREAKING FLOODING IT!!,” 

They both breathe hard before saying in near perfect unison, “Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. What are we holding onto, Sam? That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.” 

Both of them flop onto the couch exhausted. Alphys barely manages to dodge them as they collapse into a fit of giggles. 

No one understood any of what they said, but they are all impressed by their effort. Well, except Alphys, who still has her head buried in her claws. 

After a moment, Sans appears and gives Mettaton and Undyne a smile, two bottles of water, and a bucket of popcorn for their trouble. 

With everything settled, Toriel suggests that they begin the movie. 

As Undyne starts the movie, Alphys taps Mettaton’s shoulder. 

“Go plug yourself in. This is a l-long movie and y-you’ll need it s-soon,” Alphys says. 

Mettaton obliges her and then flops on a few spare pillows right in front of the TV. He crosses his feet in the air before kicking them back and forth for a while. Undyne tosses a blanket at him and then joins him on a couch cushion which she throws on the floor. 

Toriel keeps making wincing sounds throughout the entire duration of the Sméagol and Deagol scene. 

“So is … ah … creepy-naked baby-man evil?” Asgore asks. 

Everyone in the room explodes with laughter hearing Asgore use Undyne’s label for Gollum. 

“Uh … it’s complicated, Asgore. He’s corrupted because the Ring is evil, but he’s like not evil-evil?” Undyne says. 

“He’s misunderstood is more how I’d say it, darling. It’s more that … try as hard as he might … he cannot be good anymore. He’s too lost in his desire for the power and … and the comfort that power brings, I suppose.” Mettaton explains. 

Flowey shifts uncomfortably at that explanation. 

Alphys rolls her eyes. She’s heard Mettaton go off on rants about this trilogy way too many times. 

However, Undyne stares at Mettaton blinking for several seconds. 

“You … you have a BRAIN !” She shouts. 

Mettaton glares at Undyne, but Alphys almost falls off the couch laughing.

“Contrary to popular belief apparently …” 

Mettaton gives Alphys a dirty look. 

“Oh! Oh, he does! B-But does h-he use it is a c-completely different question.” Alphys giggles. 

Mettaton chucks one of his pillows at her. 

Everyone else bites back giggles of their own. Eventually, the only sound is the sound of the film. 

As the movie continues, Undyne recalls why she loves it so much. 

“I am happy for you. He is an honorable man …” 

Undyne props her cheek on her hand. She loves Theoden and Eowyn. He’s so heartbroken and, to be fair, so is she. But, together, they always seem to manage. 

They thrive in their love and compassion for one another. She muses. 

Undyne remembers her conversation with Asgore on Thursday night. Maybe, she sees just a bit of the two of them in these broken hearted humans. For, maybe, Undyne shares some of the same heartbreaks as the orphaned White Lady of Rohan. 

The conversation between Gollum and Smeagol makes Flowey bristle. It feels just a bit too real for him. Of course, he has seen this film before. He has seen this film and read the books. However, the analysis from his … friends? … makes him shift uncomfortably. After all, isn’t what Gollum is trying to force Smeagol to do exactly what Flowey did? He wants the power he had back. He wants everything to go back to the way it was before. 

How disgustingly relatable.  

“See, now I always thought putting Gollum as a wedge between Frodo and Sam was completely unnecessary. Truly, the only part of the film I found frustrating, and it’s so glaring when everything else is so perfect and so gorgeous ,” Mettaton says. 

“So, you have read the books,” Undyne says. 

She takes a piece of popcorn and aims it right into the center of the Eye of Sauron during the palantir scene. 

“Many times, darling. A great many times,” he drawls. 

“You never struck me as the type,” she says. 

Mettaton looks down at his pillow and fidgets with a loose thread. 

“I found a copy in the dump after … things happened and my family dwindled to just Blooky and I. I … I suppose even then I thought about chasing after my eldest cousin if I could figure out … how? Oh … I don’t know … but, still … the idea of a family of cousins being able to reunite after a long journey appealed to me. They all changed so much, but they were still themselves underneath the changes. How lovely a picture to paint for myself …” 

He winds the thread around his fingers as he talks. 

Undyne smiles at him. 

“So, which one were ya? When you thought of your family as the hobbits? Who were ya?” Undyne asks. 

“Is … is that even a question? Let’s see … I’m whimsical, a fantastic dancer, and adorable. Yet … I must also admit … I’m impulsive, naive, childish bordering on petulant, and all I could think to do before the leader of my people was … was sing a song. So, I always found myself relating most to Peregrine Took … a fool but an honest fool. I remain.” 

Mettaton closes his eyes and sighs nodding towards the television where Pippin is pledging his loyalty to Denathor as they speak. 

Undyne doesn’t expect him to be so honest with everyone listening. 

But, she looks over her shoulder and realizes everyone else is asleep. Even Alphys has tucked her knees into her chest and pulled a decorative blanket over her shoulders. 

Undyne smiles and shakes her head at Alphys.  

“You really do play better to a one-on-one audience, metal man,” she says. 

“Oh? How so Spear-Maiden of the Riddermark ?” He asks with a wink. 

She picks up a stray pillow and hits him with it. 

“Ass.” Undyne hisses with a laugh. 

Mettaton giggles and sticks his tongue out at her in response. 

“Just that … you’re less of a prick when you’re just talking about nerdy crap like this. I see what made you and Alphy friends,” Undyne says. 

“You know if you break her heart, darling, I will absolutely come for you? She has had … many crushes, but you are the only one she has ever loved . So, if you hurt her, I have seen enough films to come up with several ways to torment you and none of them are pleasant, sweetheart.” He stares at her as he speaks. 

Undyne blinks at him a snarky response nearly off her tongue. But, the screams of the Nazguls and the bright flashing of green lights from Minas Morgul interrupt her thought. 

“I always adored that moment where Gandalf comforts Pippin. It’s so soft,” Mettaton says, effortlessly changing the subject.  

“I agree. But, let’s circle back to that other thought, punk. You think I would hurt Alphys? If you wanna talk, let’s talk about Papyrus. Oh, don’t give me that look! I know you’ve been flirting with him. Besides that, you treated her like shit before! How are you coming for me ?” She asks. 

It isn’t until she sees his face fall that she realizes that she crossed a line.  

“You think I don’t know that?” 

She flinches. His drawl and his terms of endearment disappear. His voice is hollow. 

“Look, space heater, I didn’t …” Undyne stops herself. 

“You’re right, of course. I did treat her awfully. But, now, I … I don’t know … just don’t come on too strong, Eowyn .” He flashes her a weak smile. 

Undyne punches him in the shoulder. She blushes. If that’s his concern, she can kind of see it. She’s hard and intense where Alphys is soft and quiet. But, surely, if Alphys ever becomes uncomfortable, he knows she would stop whatever was hurting her … right? 

Undyne shakes her head and rolls her shoulders to throw off the uncomfortable feeling of Alphys’ imagined discomfort. As long as she continues to ask for consent first, nothing bad will happen. 

“I’ll take care of her. I swear. It’s cool of you to look out for her, space heater. But, you better hold up your end then, too. I know the two of you have mostly patched things up, and tonight you’ve proven you can drop your aloof I’m-too-good-for-anything-nerdy schtick when you want to, metal man. Keep up that work,” Undyne says. 

“That’s … that’s kinder than I deserve,” he says. 

Undyne raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Hey, don’t get like that. Just never pull the crap you pulled yesterday morning again. It really freaked her out. Avoid that, and you’re golden, big guy.” Undyne grins. 

Mettaton gives her a soft smile. “Thanks, darling.” 

“Last thing, if you break Papyrus’ heart, I will end you . If you hurt him, I will end you . You understand?” She glares at him. 

“I would rather die than hurt him, White Lady of the Underground . Cross my soul and hope to fall.” He smiles again. 

“Dork!” She punches him playfully again. 

They look back up at the screen and realize that their conversation took up a fair bit of the movie. Now, Gollum is wrecking the Elven food provisions. 

“Ugh! This part … gag me.” Undyne mutters. 

“It’s so unnecessary!” Mettaton bolts upright. 

“Here we have this beautiful friendship that was clearly meant to outlast everything they were put up against. Peter, darling , you had two perfect actors for showing how weathering the darkness of the world is dramatic enough. We didn’t need excess here! In this one instance alone, less could have been so much more!” He flops back forward. 

Undyne stops herself from all out cackling at his display. 

Undyne looks over at him. He rests his cheek on his hand and kicks his feet completely drawn into the film. She finds herself doing the same. The first time either one of them speaks again is when Pippin starts singing. 

“This song is just … do you think he’s magic, darling? I think Billy Boyd could be a human with magic. I could never quite convince Alphys of this truth, but I think it. Per our history, we know they exist or existed once,” Mettaton says. 

He pillows his cheek deeper onto his hand and stares starstruck at the screen. Undyne smiles and listens to the music, and she is inclined to agree with Mettaton on this. She doesn’t believe that Alphys is wrong , necessarily, Undyne just thinks that maybe Alphys should have a more open mind … in this one case.  

“I wish I’d known this side of you before we got up here. We could have done … oh … I dunno a book club or something.” 

She flops on her side to face him. He rolls to face her, too. 

“I would have really enjoyed that …” His voice trails off whimsically. 

“Oh, I love this scene!” Undyne shouts. 

A few members of the family behind them stir at her voice, but no one wakes up. 

They both roll back to face the television. They both put their legs up and kick them back and forth since no one is awake to watch anymore anyway. 

“I love when she just, like, yanks him up by the scruff of the neck onto her horse. Fuhuhuh … his expression is so derpy.” Undyne grins. 

“I just appreciate that Denathor is about to get whacked in the face with Gandalf’s giant stick,” Mettaton says. 

They both wait anxiously for the exact moment when the sweet, sweet justice of a staff to the face occurs. 

Both of them dissolve into laughter. Mettaton can’t keep up his beautiful fake laugh. He dissolves into a fit of interconnected hitches. 

“THAT’S YOUR REAL LAUGH?” Undyne pokes him. 

Mettaton blushes his eyes wide. 

“It’s … It’s so cute ! Why are you a dorky nerd?” She punches his shoulder. 

“How do you think Alphys and I became friends?” He deadpans. 

The two of them dissolve into more hysterical laughter. 

“You wanna do something crazy, space heater?” Undyne asks. 

“You have my undivided attention,” he says. 

“Wait here,” Undyne says. 

He glances at the screen and notices that Frodo is now about to face Shelob. He tries his hand at Undyne’s game of pelting things with popcorn. He does manage to hit Shelob a few times, but he mostly hits rocks. 

By the time Undyne returns, Sam has taken the ring from Frodo for safe keeping and Denathor is preparing to burn himself alive. 

He rolls over when he hears Undyne put … something … forcefully on the ground. 

“Promise, on my honor as the former Captain of the Royal Guard that this dummy is completely ghost free! I checked.” Undyne grins hugely. 

“Is … that?”

He covers his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from losing his mind with laughter again. 

Undyne has managed to create, to put it generously, a replica of the Witch King of Angmar out of a few bedsheets, a non-ghost-inhabited training dummy from the basement, and some small magic spears for a crown. 

“Oh … it is. And, we’re going to obliterate this sucker. FUHUHUHUH!” She says. 

She tosses him a magic spear. 

“Your dagger from the Barrow Downs, Merry .” She winks. 

Mettaton looks at the spear in his hand and smiles widely. He unplugs his charging cord and places the cap back over the port. 

Ride now! Ride to Gondor! 

The two of them ready their Witch King in the center of the room. Undyne grabs the remote and blasts the volume. 

Everyone in the room jumps at the sound. Papyrus and Frisk both cling to each other for a moment before they realize what’s happening. 

Undyne and Mettaton are sparring with the soundtrack. The two of them are laughing hysterically dodging imaginary enemies. 

“Dear ones, is this strictly necessary ?” Toriel asks. 

Alphys waves her hand over her head. 

“Shhh … I need to get this on video.” Alphys grins. 

She has a sly glint in her eyes as she holds up the phone. 

The two of them immediately spring into their positions. Undyne quotes the scene perfectly. 

I will kill you if you touch him.

Do not come between the Nazgul and his prey. 

The two of them just grin madly at each other. 

No man can kill me …

Mettaton cuts the sheet and falls to his knees laughing widely as Undyne screams. 

“I AM NO MAN!” 

She thrusts her magic spear into the “Witch King” with such force that the whole thing explodes. 

They share a few more quick giggles before they immediately go silent and watch the scene playing out before them. 

Undyne turns down the volume to a more bearable level. 

I know your face …

Mettaton puts his arm around Undyne when he sees her stiffen. The two of them stare still and completely silent as the scene plays out. 

She returns the gesture by putting her arm over his shoulder when Merry and Pippin are reunited on the battle field. 

Absolutely no one understands what just happened, but the joy is palpable. However, no amount of joy can keep the rest of the family from falling back to sleep now that the volume has been returned to a bearable level. 

Undyne pulls the blanket back over the two of them as they grip each other’s hands tightly when Frodo and Sam climb Mount Doom. They both flinch at the graphic display of Frodo’s bleeding finger. 

“At the risk of interrupting the moment, darling, I am sincerely glad that Toriel is sleeping.” He whispers. 

They both look at each other and shudder at the thought. 

“She’d actually maim me just enough to heal me and then maim me again!” Undyne says. 

The two of them both look away to wipe tears from their eyes at the reunion. 

“Is this what it felt like?” She asks him.

“Whatever do you mean, White Lady ?” He quips. 

“When you and Napsta actually … ya know … figured things out,” she says. 

“Yes.” 

His voice is so quiet Undyne has to strain to hear it. 

“I suppose you could say it was like that … and infinitely more.” 

The two of them pass into an easy silence as the movie comes to a close. 

Undyne finds herself singing along to the credits song under her breath. Mettaton turns to look at her. 

“I didn’t know you could sing ?” His eyes widen. 

“Pfff … ‘s not like I’m any good. I shout too much. It’s deep and weird,” she says. 

“It’s perfect for Annie Lennox. Female tenor.” He grins.

“I am not singing with you or for you under any circumstances ever in my life. Period.” 

Undyne says chucking a stray piece of popcorn at him. 

He puts up his hands defensively. 

“Alphys is tone deaf, and she sings all the time. That’s all I’m saying, Spear-Maiden .” He smirks. 

“Oh by the Angel. I know … the anime themes … I love anime themes, but … the anime themes …” 

Undyne looks at him horrified. 

“Please don’t tell her. I-I didn’t mean it like that.” Undyne begs. 

“On my life , she will never know.” He crosses over his soul-compartment. 

“Oh thank the Angel.” Undyne sighs, running her fingers through her hair. 

Mettaton gets up to plug himself back in and looks at the clock. 

“It’s past midnight. We probably shouldn’t wake them.” He observes. 

Undyne gets up off their pillow fort and looks around the room. 

“You’re right,” she says. 

The two of them plop back down in their makeshift blanket fort. Undyne turns over on her side and watches Mettaton snuggle into the blankets.

She hands him another cushion when he just can’t quite seem to get comfortable. 

“Good night, Merry , my shield bro,” she says. 

He pops his head up to look at her with sparkling wide eyes a huge smile before curling back into his cocoon of blankets. 

“Night, ‘wyn … Spear-Maiden of … of the Riddermark.” Mettaton yawns. 

When everyone wakes up in the morning, Sans and Toriel are chatting while making bacon, eggs, and waffles. 

Alphys sneaks her phone camera out and snaps a photo. 

“Oh … my … God … I am so sc-scrapbooking this.” Alphys giggles. 

Sometime during the night, Undyne must have wrapped her arm around Mettaton’s shoulders and pulled him towards her. Mettaton’s head leans back on Undyne’s shoulder just underneath her chin, and their hands are nearly touching. Mettaton’s other hand rests just near his mouth. 

The child-like posture is a stark reminder to Alphys that Mettaton’s corporeal body really is that new. He may have an old soul, literally, but every physical experience is new. 

Alphys smiles at the photo of her girlfriend and best friend bathed in the Sunday morning glow. Both of them look completely at peace. 

When Toriel is done making breakfast, Alphys wakes Mettaton and Undyne. The two of them glare at Alphys sleepily before springing away from each other like two repelling magnets. 

Mettaton laughs theatrically at Undyne’s horrified expression. 

“Who could blame you for wanting to be so close, darling?” 

He tosses his disheveled hair over his shoulder. 

“It’s not my fault Alphy designed you as a damn heater!” Undyne snaps. 

However, when no one is looking, Undyne gives Mettaton a warm smile which he returns. 

“Thanks for … uh … actually enjoying the movie with me. It was kinda ridiculously fun,” Undyne says. 

“Don’t mention it. It was a long … long week for me, too. It was … nice … to lose myself a little.” Mettaton sighs. 

“Yeah … about that, Mer . It freaks Alphy out when you don’t take care of yourself. So, like I said last night, no more passing out and then sweet talking your way out of rest anymore … hm?” Undyne says. 

She notices that Mettaton does look honestly ashamed. He blushes a little before hiding behind his hair.

“Ah … that … I will ensure it doesn’t happen again. It was … unpleasant . I promise that I will do my best to avoid it … ‘wyn ,” he says. 

Unlike Mettaton’s other over the top, and sometimes obnoxious, terms of endearment, Undyne actually likes this one. She will never admit it to him, but it awakens something protective in her when he says it. 

Neither of them have much time to think about this because Toriel gives Undyne and Mettaton a stern look after breakfast is over. She simply points to the living room. 

In the daylight, the two of them both cringe at the disaster they created. They both set to work picking up the blankets, cushions, and exploded dummy bits while teasing each other the whole time.

Chapter Text

Alphys isn’t sure what to make of the lunch invitation from several of her colleagues. She knows that it will seem weird to them if she keeps refusing. However, she enjoys the fact that she usually just ends up making instant ramen in her office. As much as she enjoys her usual routine, she now has absolutely no alibi to keep it because she has finally finished editing her dissertation to fit human academic standards. 

Humans in academia are much more formal in their word choice than any monster would ever have reason to be regardless of their discipline. It has taken her months to edit the grammar. 

The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Becca Robinson, has been extraordinarily supportive in helping Alphys find a journal in which she can publish her research. While Dr. Robinson is not a monster scientist, and therefore did not study SOUL magic or magical sciences, her research primarily pertains to robotics. 

So, needless to say, Alphys and Dr. Robinson have become fast friends these last few months. 

Alphys has had several very productive conversations with Dr. Robinson. One such conversation did end with Alphys discussing the Amalgamates. In her darker moments, Alphys draws confidence from Dr. Robinson’s response to her description of the accident. 

Many human scientists continued, and continue, mind you, to perform far less than ethical experimentation on the most vulnerable members of our population. Humans let these experiments go on for far longer than your … incident … lasted, Dr. Alphys. The intentions behind our “accidents” are often far more malicious. Human experiments often come from a place of greed, malice, and, I suppose, like you, ignorance. But, unlike you and your kind, we remain ignorant even when the answer is clearly in our data. Poor Phineas Gage took a stake to the head for nothing. His accident was no more nor less tragic than the one you caused, but humans learned nothing, and still somehow everything, from it. Seeing a docile man go mad led us down the path of lobotomizing more intelligent women, disabled individuals, and unwanted humans than should have ever been allowed to occur. What you didn’t know brought you horror and great pain. Whereas, with us humans, Dr. Alphys, we often know the consequences and push anyway. You call this DETERMINATION. I agree it is our greatest power and our greatest weakness. But, between us, I think that extends to much more than just the persistence of our SOULS for capture. Where you and your kind desperately sought for freedom from the chains our kind so blindly bound you with, we, humans, simply push because we have to know. Your kind is so much purer in intention than ours. You have learned from your mistakes and made their memories a blessing by returning them, despite their ... ah ... new forms, to their families. 

After this discussion, Alphys knows she would accept the invitation in a soulbeat if Dr. Robinson had been invited. However, Dr. Robinson has some kind of important meeting to attend today. 

Besides, the invitations have come from the other members of Alphys' “department” to Alphys directly.

As it stands, Alphys is both her own “department” as well as being an affiliate of the Department of Engineering. Alphys knows she will be the only monster there and, based on the predominantly male make-up of the Engineering faculty, she will also be the only woman. 

Yet, refusing the invitation will likely make her a target for her colleagues’ continued curiosity and badgering to join them. 

Therefore, she eventually conceded and accepted the invitation. 

She mentally kicks herself for not telling anyone that she planned on doing this. She still isn’t sure why she felt the need to keep it secret. After all, it is just lunch with colleagues. Normal people do that all the time. 

She is probably overthinking this, and she knows when she overthinks things that she inserts her metaphorical foot directly into her mouth. 

When Mettaton was in a bad mood, he used to say that I should just shove his feet in there to prevent me from stuttering more than speaking and saying something I’d regret. UGH! This is going to be so supremely awkward. Alphys thinks. 

Alphys pulls out her phone and texts the “That’s Not Science!” group chat. 

She texts:

hey, gonna be home at a weird time. that’s mostly for dyne. 

i finally caved and i’m going to lunch/coffee with the department

this is going to be so awkward and i will probably dust from embarrassment

remember my love for mew mew and miyazaki at my funeral.

She puts her phone in her pocket, wraps herself up in a huge puffy bubble coat, and begins to trek towards where her colleagues asked to meet for lunch. 

“DR. ALPHYS!! HEY! WE LOVE YOU!!!” 

“Autograph my laptop!” 

Voices shout various compliments in her direction. 

For a split second, Alphys almost thinks that Bratty and Catty decided to attend University. But, she knows that’s not true.

True to form, Bratty and Catty have decided to try integrating into a human high school. Apparently, from what Alphys has heard, it’s going about as well as could be expected. However, that means it has been kind of difficult and they’re thinking about transferring to the “upper floor,” the high school portion, of Toriel’s school at the end of the semester in December. 

Alphys turns and grins. Sitting at a table, underneath a mostly barren tree, are nine of Alphys' most dedicated students. An early December snow has just begun, and Emerson and Alex are trying to see who can catch the most snowflakes on their tongues. 

“T-Too adorable you g-guys.” Alphys tries her best to keep her teeth from chattering. 

“Please, Dr. Alphys. Take a picture of us!” A crisp and almost sing-song voice calls. 

In a few strides, a tall blonde girl approaches Alphys and hands her a phone. 

“A-Alright! Smile!” Alphys snaps the photo. 

All of the young people are grinning wildly and waving at her. Alphys notices that Isabella is signing “I love you” at the camera. Emerson, or “M”, is sticking their tongue out seeking more snowflakes, and Saoirse, the blonde who gave Alphys the phone, has decided to ruffle Gloria’s hair much to the amusement and frustration of the other girl. 

“Looks g-good guys! I g-g-gotta go!” Alphys says, handing the phone back. 

“Cool! We’ll email it to you! Thanks for taking it!” 

“BE MY MOM!” 

“What on earth is wrong with all of you! Especially you, Emily! You’re an adult ! You’re graduating this year! Act like it!” 

“Saorise, it’s funny ! Maybe you should remove the giant stick from up your …” 

The conversation drifts away as Alphys walks towards her destination. 

As she gets to the door of the coffeeshop, her phone pings with an email.

True to their word, her students actually have emailed her the picture. 

Alphys rolls her eyes, but she commits to putting it in her scrapbook anyway. 

Bratty and Catty would get along very well with this group. How do I keep managing to “adopt” these people? I swear I don’t do it on purpose. What is it about me that screams “be my big sister?” Alphys laughs to herself. 

Alphys shakes the gathering December snow off of her jacket as she enters the coffeehouse. 

The first person Alphys spots is the Engineering Department’s resident lapdog TA. He’s a gangly and awkward twenty-something with soulful brown eyes and messy light brown hair. The young man waves her over to a crowded table and offers her the seat next to him by pulling it out for her. 

Alphys almost rolls her eyes at the incredible formality this kid constantly shows. She has met him a few times, and he’s painfully genteel. He opens doors for her and nearly everyone else who is older than him. This means he usually ends up holding the door for the entire faculty before going anywhere. She swears the young man must sleep in a suit because she has never once seen him in anything else. However, most notably to Alphys, the young man doesn’t often speak unless spoken to by the rest of the professors. He claims it’s because he hasn’t completed his Masters yet. He’s told her a few times now that he’ll talk more once he feels like he’s able to keep up. 

But, Alphys knows this kid is sharper, and works harder, than ninety percent of the department put together. That and he’s a heck of a lot nicer. 

She smiles at him widely. He has his quirks, and she has hers. She’s grown to accept that about him. 

He might act like he grew up in Asgore’s generation, but he’s better than most of the rest of the faculty. It’s his thing . If it makes him feel comfortable, I’m not going to stop him. She thinks. 

“Thanks for finally coming Dr. Alphys! We’re super excited to hear more about your research! Is it true you really built a fully functional humanoid body? Is it a mech or more like an android? I quite enjoyed making small mechs with my siblings when I was younger granted we only had like LEGOs to do it with, but you managed to do it with just … what ... scrap?” The young man’s eyes light up. 

“Well, I g-guess you c-could say i-it’s … uh … more of a mech since it’s … um … k-k-kinda sorta ... piloted? … by a monster. But, in a-appearance, I s-suppose i-it’s an a-andriod? I wasn’t r-really a-able to finish i-it until w-we got t-to the s-surface. A-Amazon is a g-g-game changer. B-But, … um … i-it’s complicated,” Alphys says. 

“Well, did you program the personality and the CPU or not?” 

An elderly gentleman with wiry glasses asks with an accusatory tone. 

“ NO ! G-God no …” she swallows. 

“So, it’s a mech, then. Not all that impressive,” the same man says. 

Tell that to him. He would love to argue that with you. Alphys thinks sarcastically. 

Alphys thinks about going up to the front to order something when someone asks her a question. She thanks the Angel that she at least has water at her spot. 

“Now, I am quite curious about your research. What exactly is it that makes you a subset of our department and not one of the … other sciences?” A bearded man asks. 

Alphys is suddenly mortified by how few of her colleagues names she actually remembers. She thinks the TA’s name is John? 

Yeah. It is. It’s John … like John Watson. She thinks. 

She swallows hard before answering. 

“Well, the w-way I c-came to st-study Souls w-was mostly th-through Engineering. A-A-A fair b-bit of t-technology is … um … n-needed to e-e-examine S-SOUL power. M-My former p-professor, for m-my d-d-doctorate, w-was also an e-engineer,” Alphys says.  

“What was his name?” A skinny blonde man asks.

Alphys’ mind fills with static. 

“Um … n-no o-one r-really r-remembers? H-He … uh … j-just k-kinda disappeared? I-I … n-no one really kn-knows his name?” Alphys says. 

“That’s weird? Do any of you know why?” 

John leans forward. He is clearly enthralled.

Well, at least someone is genuinely having a good time. Alphys thinks. 

“Um … n-not exactly? Th-There are … uh … r-rumors, b-but n-nothing else? I-It’s just o-one of th-those things w-we’ve ... ah ... l-l-long a-accepted a-a-as fact.” She sips her water. 

Angel, this is awkward. Please someone change the subject. Alphys thinks desperately. 

“This all seems rather suspect. Yet, I suppose you could enlighten us more about what you’ve written personally, then?” The bearded man asks. 

“Y-Yeah. S-So, my research is mostly about wh-what SOULS power a-and what powers SOULS. A bulk of r-research has a-already been done o-on monster SOULS, b-but h-human SOULS w-were m-my area o-of i-interest. F-F-From wh-what I-I know o-of m-monster SOULS, th-they n-n-need love, h-hope, compassion, and joy i-in order to c-continue existing. W-We … um … die without th-those things. S-S-So, i-if someone w-were to a-attack a m-monster with c-cruel intention, th-they could … um … well … k-k-kill us f-fairly e-easily? H-However, m-monsters h-have their o-own defenses. O-Our SOULS d-don’t persist a-after w-we d-die … w-we turn t-to d-dust immediately. B-But, h-human SOULS d-don’t necessarily n-need love, hope, c-compassion, and j-joy to c-c-continue their e-existence. S-So, there m-must be something e-else that f-fuels them wh-when they can’t g-get those th-things. Like I-I said, i-if monsters d-don’t have love a-and st-stuff, w-we d-d-dust … w-we die.” Alphys explains. 

“So, your a psychologist, then? You’re not in the hard sciences at all.” The white haired man scoffs. 

“W-Well, not exactly … s-see it’s more th-that there s-seems to b-be a p-p-power, o-or energy s-source, in h-human SOULS that dr-drive them b-beyond wh-what they sh-should be c-capable of … we call it DT o-or DETERMINATION. Th-The resolve to ch-ch-change f-fate, a-and the a-ability for th-the SOUL t-to persist a-after d-d-death comes fr-from th-this. H-Hypothetically, th-this also i-is wh-what a-allows h-humans to … um … s-s-survive, th-though n-not th-thrive, w-without love, h-hope, c-compassion, and j-joy. Further …” 

Alphys stops as she’s cut off. 

“So, worse than soft science, you’re a philosopher then?” The skinny blonde man shakes his head. 

“I d-don’t see wh-what’s so wrong with ph-philosophy, b-but I m-m-mean I w-wouldn’t call m-myself a ph-philosopher really. I-I-I have d-done r-real ex-experiments!” She retorts. 

“I think I overheard something about that ,” the bearded man says. 

Alphys wonders if it truly is possible to dust from nerves. 

Oh please, no. No! NO! I don’t want to … please don’t make me. She pleads with any higher power, human and monster alike, that she can think of. 

Yet, Alphys knows she is powerless to stop her colleagues. So, she simply wrings her hands under the table and waits for the inevitable questions to come. 

“Yeah, come to think of it so did I . You told me about this recently over cocktails,” the old man says. 

“So, I overheard that you did something rather interesting with DT in an effort to escape? You played with other people’s souls and determination? Do tell?” The bearded man asks. 

Alphys stands forcefully. 

“I … I d-don’t know what y-you overheard , b-but I-I know y-y-you all s-set me u-up!” Alphys shouts. 

John flinches. 

Well, everyone except you. We’ll talk later. Maybe … just maybe … if I show you how to leave, you’ll actually walk through the damn doors like you deserve. Alphys thinks. 

Alphys picks up her coat from the back of her chair and begins heading for the door. 

“Oh come now, could we really expect anything less from their kind? They have no regard for the dignity of life after death and the soul.” 

The blonde man sips his coffee with a wide smirk.

Alphys had been planning to just walk out, but that comment makes her spin on her heel. 

“W-Wait?! Y-You really think y-you c-care about S-S-Souls … a-about l-life? Ha! Wh-What a j-joke! If h-humans at large r-really c-cared, a-about the ‘d-dignity of l-life a-after d-death’ you w-would probably figure o-out how to n-nurture the Souls of y-your young p-people in life! W-We have gr-great d-d-dignity for m-m-monsterkind wwhen they d-d-die. I-I understand o-our r-rituals a-are different. B-B-But, a-all the s-same. W-We don’t t-take any of our p-power l-l-lightly. Y-Y-Your kind has so much p-p-power they l-look for w-weakness and e-ex-exploit it c-constantly! F-F-Furthermore, you c-c-cannot pretend th-that a-all of humanity’s e-ex-experiments h-have b-b-been ethical!” 

Alphys pauses long enough to breathe. She can sense the baristas staring in wonder in her peripheral vision.

Alphys swallows hard once before continuing. 

“AND! C-C-Currently, h-humans are l-l-looking for g-g-genes to w-w-wipe out c-c-complete g-g-genetic SOUL b-b-based realities. D-D-Don’t pretend you don’t know a-about your eugenics advocates t-th-that m-m-masquerade as ch-ch-charities. Your kind, t-to quote y-y-your phrase, h-has used s-sc-science to c-c-control and m-m-manipulate people of v-vulnerable human p-p-populations, as well as generic gr-gr-groups of humans, simply b-b-because some humans d-d-don’t like them. L-L-Licenses b-b-being revoked or n-n-no, humans st-still managed to c-c-convince each other th-that life s-s-saving technology c-c-causes genetic SOUL b-b-based mutations. Wh-Which is o-o-objectively stupid! V-V-Vaccines don’t affect the n-n-nature of the SOUL in humans. E-E-Even if they did, it’s c-c-completely i-i-idiotic to tempt death r-r-rather than incur SOUL b-b-based mutations. Several o-of my friends e-e-experience the exact SOUL based r-r-reality your kind would love to see g-g-gone! F-F-Further still, you’ve m-m-manged to d-d-destroy several SOULS of y-y-your own k-kind by not t-tr-treating psychology as a valid science wh-wh-when … you know … all it does is … is h-h-help explain the i-i-inner workings of the pr-pr-primary e-energy s-source of the c-c-core of your b-b-being? C-C-Casually. So … so, monsters m-m-may not be h-h-hearty creatures, b-but we’re n-not stupid. Your kind can s-s-survive on DT a-alone … sure. B-B-But, you don’t thrive on it. I-I-It makes you b-b-bitter, a-angry, and empty. I-I-It makes you n-near soulless. Wh-What a w-w-way to l-l-live. I-I … I-I’d r-rather dust right now than l-l-lose my a-a-absolute need for love, compassion, joy, and hope! So, y-y-yes, I’ve m-m-made many, many, many, m-m-mistakes in my time as R-R-Royal Scientist, I-I owned u-u-up to that l-l-long ago. B-B-But, your kind is st-st-still pretending eradicating e-e-entire populations of h-h-humans is n-n-normal. I t-tr-tried to s-s-save my people a-and for a m-m-moment I thought I-I-I had r-r-raised the d-d-dead. So … ha! Your kind? Caring. About. Life. Before. During. And. After. Death. My. Ass!” 

Alphys slams her fist down on the table before grabbing her coat again and heading for the door. 

Not a second after she’s outside, John follows her waving his hands like a maniac. 

“That was totally wicked! You really showed them! Please … I’m like  … um … not as a date at all … like you’re nice, but … uh … can we get coffee just the two of us … what you said was … GOD ! Thank you!” He pants. 

Alphys turns around trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. John is standing in the heavy snow in nothing more than his button down and tie. He’s shaking head to foot with the cold, but he still stands in the snow. He just stares at her like she’s some sort of answered prayer. 

“Sure … welcome to the department.” Alphys says dryly. 

John laughs. “Let me call you an Uber. It’s the least I can do.” 

********

“Alphy,”

“al,”

“Darling,”

“ You ”

“said”

“WHAT?!” 

Sans, Undyne, and Mettaton are all sitting around her kitchen table staring at her with almost identical expressions of admiration, shock, and awe. 

“So, lovely you basically just said I’ve been taking lessons from a great teacher. I don’t know his name sirs, but I’ve been well taught ? Then, proceeded to trounce them verbally? Good for you, dear Dr. Alphys. Always knew you had it in you!” Mettaton says. 

“Was that a reference?“ Undyne asks. 

“Oh, but of course! It’s not a direct quote per se, but a nod to Phantom of the Opera. Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera that is. It’s a classic . And, to be fair to me, it applies this time! Our Dr. Alphys is brilliant! And, Mlle Daae was in fact well taught and flawless.” He winks. 

“Can you go, like, fifteen minutes without referencing some dorky human musical? I don’t think you can actually. I CHALLENGE you to go FIFTEEN WHOLE MINUTES without ONE reference!” Undyne shouts. 

It’s only upon seeing her friends tease each other that Alphys bursts into tears. The adrenaline has completely worn off. Finally, her body realizes that it's safe to fall apart. 

Still, the reason Alphys loses it, in her mind, is completely silly. She realizes, at that moment, that she didn’t really even get to order anything, and she’s actually kind of missing her caffeine fix. 

Undyne moves first and waves behind her to stop the other two monsters from closing in on Alphys. Undyne kneels in front of her girlfriend and wipes a few tears from Alphys’ cheek. 

“Alphy, what do you need?” Undyne asks. 

“I-It’s … it’s stupid …” Alphys sniffles. 

“Dear Dr. Alphys, nothing could be right now, truly , dear. What do you require?” Mettaton replies. 

“I-I didn’t even … like … I’m sorry … ugh … c-can we j-just get something together? L-L-Like us four? … cause … I-didn’t-really-even-get-to-order-or-anything?” Alphys says in one breath. 

“Of course, Alphy! Where do you wanna go?” Undyne asks. 

“the-bubble-tea-shop …” Alphys mumbles softly. 

“don’t think we quite caught that, al,” Sans says. 

“The Bubble Tea place up the street.” Undyne clarifies. 

“Let’s not dawdle, then! If it’s bubble tea the good doctor wants. Then, bubble tea she’ll have!” Mettaton says with a flourish. 

Alphys wipes her eyes and smiles. 

Undyne drives the four of them to the shop. 

No sooner have the four of them walked through the door when they hear excited shouting from the back corner. 

“WE ARE BLESSED!! TWO SIGHTINGS IN ONE DAY!!”  

“Emily, don’t be weird! She’s with her girlfriend and her friends! Just because this is a Friday tradition doesn’t mean that I won’t break it and make us move if you’re going to be a dumbass.” Someone hisses. 

“Hi! We didn’t think you’d be here today!”

“Are these the friends from your desk photos?! Hi Dr. Alphys’ friends!!!”  

“I have an actual question, but you're with your friends so I’ll wait till office hours Monday!” 

Undyne, Sans, and Mettaton are all biting back grins as Alphys blushes hard into her hands. She totally forgot this was the Friday hangout place for her little collection of students. 

When Alphys is alone, she usually chats with them and helps them out with whatever they need before heading home to Undyne. However, right now, it’s just embarrassing especially with the looks Sans and Mettaton are giving her. 

“So, I see you have some adoring fans you neglected to mention?” 

Mettaton raises an eyebrow with a smirk. 

“They’re my st-students . I’m not a c-celebrity, y-y-you asshat!” Alphys retorts in a whisper. 

"Ah, Shakespeare, Dr. Alphys! I agree completely! I would, in fact, make a lovely Nick Bottom!" Mettaton grins. 

One of Alphys' students giggles. 

Alphys' Soul drops to her feet in embarassment the moment Sans opens his mouth. 

No ... not the puns. Anything but the puns! Alphys flushes scarlet. 

“dunno al, you really seemed to kinetic up the energy here just by walkin’ in here. guess you just gotta keep up the hype by movin’ towards the counter.” Sans grins. 

“Now … s-see this is wh-why your br-brother tries to st-stop you from speaking wh-when you’re like this. It … it’s completely unnecessary!” Alphys glares. 

“oh, but you can’t stop me, al. i’m on a roll … you’d have to apply the force .” Sans’ grin widens. 

“Sans, be nice! Besides, nobody understood those puns anyway! If you want to be annoying, be annoying in a way everyone can understand!” Undyne shouts. 

“I got it! Those were funny!”

One of Alphys’ students shouts, waving their hand. 

“M! N-Not h-helping! He d-doesn’t need encouragement! ” Alphys admonishes. 

Sans simply bows towards the table. 

All of the students laugh before returning to their tea and conversation. 

The four monsters order and then head back to the car. 

“kids were sweet. they seem to like ya, al,” Sans says. 

“Y-You don’t kn-know the half of i-it. I’m basically their d-d-den mother.” Alphys smiles. 

“Do tell us about the “Dr. Alphys Fan Club” then, darling. I for one am curious,” Mettaton says. 

Alphys rambles the whole ride home about the group of juniors and seniors who happened to be an incredibly eclectic group of human friends. Many of them are taking Alphys’ class to learn more about monsters in general. Only one or two of them are actually Engineers. 

“So, y-yeah, they’re j-just goofballs. I-I enjoy t-teaching them even if th-they are silly. G-Guess not everything is s-so bad. Th-They’re all in m-my follow up c-course next semester a-as well.” Alphys smiles. 

Everyone exits the car and piles onto the couch and beanbag chairs that litter the living room. 

Undyne and Alphys’ living room looks exactly the way most people would expect. The furniture is eclectic, well-loved, and comfortable. Comics, books, sheet music, and DVD boxes litter almost every flat surface. A piano keyboard and bench is set up by the window facing the front porch next to a window box seat covered in anime plush pillows. 

Undyne is sprawled on the couch sipping on a hot tea. Since most bubble tea is iced or a shake, Undyne doesn’t care for it. Thankfully, the place Alphys likes makes hot tea as well. 

Sans is tucked into a particularly saggy beanbag chair. He’s sunk so far in that it almost looks like his legs have been swallowed by it. Sans has some kind of milkshake with a random blend of flavors that makes sense only to the skeleton himself. 

Alphys gets her usual Tarro milk tea with classic brown sugar boba. She leans her head back onto Undyne’s lap from the linoleum floor. 

Mettaton, who upon discovering the wonder that is taste, decided that sweet is clearly the superior flavor. He has a lychee tea with lychee jellies, and he is lounging in the window box seat. 

The four of them fall into comfortable silence for a while before Undyne breaks it. 

“Is next week or the week after your students’ finals? I know Miss Toriel is having School end two weeks from today for Winter Break,” Undyne says. 

“N-Next week. I’m h-hosting extended o-office hours on M-Monday and T-Tuesday. Wednesday I-I’m taking o-online c-calls. Then, their p-paper is d-due Th-Thursday at 11:59,” Alphys says. 

Undyne grins widely. 

“Gryftmas will be fun this year! We all have loads of time off! That means everyone is done by December 16th! We’ll have like a whole week, or maybe a little more, before Gryftmas to hang out together. Plus we have a little more than two whole weeks after Grytfmas before MTT heads off on his tour!” 

Undyne shouts and excitedly waves her hands. 

“Oh, I couldn’t agree more. I for one cannot wait to aid Frisk in setting up the star on the tree.” Mettaton winks. 

“paps is pretty excited about it especially since he’s got a boyfriend .” 

Sans gives Mettaton a good natured wink. 

Mettaton blushes hard straight up to his ears. He promptly buries his face in one of the many pillows on the window seat. This makes Alphys laugh. Papyrus is perhaps the only topic that can fluster Mettaton, and Undyne and Sans have used this knowledge to their full advantage. 

“So, tell me, space heater, what are you gonna do for him for Gryftmas?” Undyne leans forward on her hands. 

“i’m-working-on-a-song … it-isn’t-finished-yet,” Mettaton mumbles, blushing harder. 

Alphys squeals with delight. She is the only one who has had the extraordinary privilege of reading the lyrics, and she finds it too cute. He demoed the song for her once, but he’s still putting the finishing touches on it. 

“Hmmm … you gonna be done in time, metal man?” Undyne teases. 

Mettaton’s eyes widen before he squeaks. “I think so?” 

Undyne flashes Mettaton one of her signature grins before getting up to give Mettaton a friendly punch in the shoulder. 

However, it doesn’t escape Sans that Mettaton’s eyes widen in fear, and that Mettaton tenses up when Undyne stands above him. 

“lay off him, undyne. he’s nervous enough as it is.” Sans winks. 

“Fine! Gotta toughen him up though!” Undyne says. 

Mettaton gives Sans a half-smile in thanks for rescuing him from Undyne’s rather scary forms of endearment. 

“what’d’ya say MTT, wanna head home?” Sans asks. 

“I-I can d-drive you, Mettaton. I-If you want …” Alphys offers. 

“now, come on, al! why drive when you can take the world’s laziest shortcut.” Sans laughs. 

“You … you’re gonna wormhole me?” Mettaton asks. 

“yeah, kid. ya gotta try it eventually, right?” Sans offers. 

“NO! It’s literally the WORST! Ew! I HATE it! It’s so TRIPPY! BLECH!” Undyne fake gags. 

“I-I’ll give it a go! Why not, darling! YOLO!” Mettaton grins. 

Sans offers his hand, and the two of them disappear with a soft “pop.” 

Alphys leans back onto the couch. 

“I’m r-ready t-to sh-shower, and th-then j-just g-g-go to sleep,” Alphys says. 

Undyne nods. “I’m pretty beat, too.” 

The two of them head up the stairs together before following their respective routines. 

********

Undyne has her head in Alphys’ lap. Her eye is closed lightly, and she’s smiling softly. A spring breeze blows over both of them. 

Cherry blossoms fall around the blanket Alphys and Undyne lie on. 

Undyne opens her yellow eye looking up at Alphys like she hung the very wishing stars in the sky. 

Alphys takes Undyne’s hand, but Alphys finds that Undyne’s hand is wet.

Alphys casts a look up at the sky, but there are no clouds that would indicate rain. 

Alphys finds her SOUL in her throat as she looks down to see her hand and Undyne’s fusing together. 

Undyne’s pained scream fills Alphys’ ears as their arms blend together. 

Alphys only has time to see the rest of her found family fused in some horrible blend of white goop. 

Mettaton leans down from above her. 

“Isn’t it interesting to get a taste of your own medicine, darling, Dr. Alphys? I. Don’t. Need. You. Anymore. So, no.” 

He puts his finger to his lower lip as if in mock thought. 

“No. After what you did to Shyster? Pfft … you really think I’d help you, dear?” 

Then, everything goes dark as Alphys finds herself melting away …

********

Alphys shoots upright and finds her hands shaking horribly. 

She grabs her phone and dials the first number she can think to call before she even puts on her glasses. 

The phone rings once. It rings again. Her Soul is climbing up her throat. He usually answers on the first or second ring. However, by the middle of the fourth ring, she hears Mettaton’s voice through the line. It sounds pinched with static. 

For just a moment, Alphys wonders if Mettaton has been crying, but she knows that wouldn't make any sense.

“H-Hello! T-To what do I owe the distinct p-pleasure of sp-speaking with you, dear Doctor? A-Apologies, i-it’s *ahem* two in the morning?” 

It’s only after he points out the time that Alphys realizes she probably woke him up out of sleep mode. 

He didn’t answer because he was sleeping. You self-centered, idiotic, lying sack of  …

She hears Mettaton clear his throat again, and it snaps her out of her thoughts.

“Dr. Alphys? Do you need me to come over, darling? I could likely find an Uber fairly easily as the bars have closed nearly an hour ago,” Mettaton says. 

“N-No! No … I just … I-I just n-n-needed to h-h-hear y-y-your voice. I-I-I needed to kn-know we were st-st-still friends?” 

Alphys buries her head in her knees. 

You sound like an idiot! Put his feet in your mouth indeed! 

“I … of course , sweetheart! Why would you … did you have a nightmare because of what those fools said to you earlier?” 

Alphys notices that his voice lowers nearly into a growl as he realizes what triggered this. 

“Y-Yes? I-I-I don’t kn-kn-know? I-I-It’s c-c-c-complicated. B-B-But that’s l-l-likely what c-c-caused it. I-I-I was o-overdue f-f-for one of th-these a-a-anyway,” Alphys says. 

“Do. You. Need. Me?” Mettaton asks emphasizing each word. 

“N-No. I’m … I’m going to w-w-wake Undyne s-s-soon. I-I-I just needed to h-hear you a-a-answer your ph-phone. L-L-Like I s-s-s-said, I n-needed to kn-know we were st-st-still friends … that y-you weren’t m-mad a-at me.” Alphys stammers. 

“Dear Doctor Alphys, never . Not after everything you’ve done for me! Why, I-I’m fabulous . If m-my … my manager is to be believed, why you e-even achieved human standards of … of beauty! *ahem* You’re incredibly talented, darling. You know me well enough to know I don’t give my praise … well … genuine praise … lightly. And, if I recall what you said earlier, one of those men even said that I … I was unimpressive? Can you imagine ? ME?! Unimpressive … pffft … can you really believe a thing they say if they say things such as that ? Pay them no heed, my dear Doctor,” Mettaton says. 

Alphys takes a shaky breath and gives Mettaton a half-laugh in response to his antics. 

“Th-Th-Thank you, seriously ,” Alphys says. 

“Oh pish, it wasn’t anything that wasn’t true. You are brilliant. Now, go run into the arms of your Knight in shining scales. I, for one, would love some sleep before tomorrow evening. I’ve no idea what we’re watching because you neglected to tell us last week, but if it’s that Mew Mew Kissy Cutie I’m going to need all the sleep I can get.” 

Alphys can hear his shit-eating grin on the other side of the line. 

“If you’d watch beyond the first five episodes, you’d actually probably like it! Well … you’d actually probably have to watch beyond, like, episode fifty before it really picks up, but …” 

“ Fifty ! Fifty episodes … If we’re really going to go there , my dear Doctor, then can you read past page ten of Fellowship of the Ring or watch the first hour of Phantom of the Opera , or …” 

Alphys can hear Mettaton’s exasperation, and she knows exactly how to feed it. They’ve had this banter a thousand times. It’s a script they both know. 

“To be fair, I did go to Rocky Horror with you …” She begins. 

“And you enjoyed it!” He retorts. 

“But, Mettaton, come on, you know why I can’t stand Tolkien and musicals. The characters start singing randomly to move the plot! No one does that in real life …” 

“I DO THAT IN REAL LIFE!!! FURTHERMORE …” 

He shouts so loud his mechanical voice cracks, and Alphys swears she might go deaf. Then, there’s silence on the other end for a minute. 

“Yes, Shyren! Everything’s fine, lovely … um … I’m on the phone with Dr. Alphys. I’ll … um … be quieter. Sure. Apologies, darling,” Mettaton says. 

There’s a beat of silence before he begins speaking again. 

“Sure … I’ll be quieter as long as Dr. Alphys realizes that musicals are truly the superior form of media.” 

He mumbles the last bit directly into the phone’s microphone. 

Alphys laughs hysterically at the mental image she has created of Mettaton getting scolded by Shyren, of all monsters, for getting too animated about his musicals at two-thirty in the morning. Alphys wonders if Shyren even opened the door or if she just tapped on it. Somehow, it’s the fact that Mettaton actually listened that makes Alphys dissolve into further giggles that warm her Soul. 

“I-I should l-l-let you g-go.” Alphys attempts to get her laughter under control.

“You have it easy when it comes to late night rants. Undyne sleeps like one of her boulders. Still, you have not heard the last of this from me, Dr. Alphys . It’s, as Undyne so often says, on , my dear. Toodles!” Mettaton hangs up. 

Alphys sets the phone on her nightstand. She rubs her eyes and then finds her glasses.

Alphys takes a steadying breath before she starts down the hall to Undyne’s room. 

Alphys’ hand hovers over the door. 

Alphys you own a house together. She clearly loves you. Just because you currently sleep in separate rooms doesn’t mean anything. She’ll be happy to help. Just knock on the Angel-damn door! Alphys thinks. 

After several steadying breaths, Alphys taps on the door. 

Alphys counts to fifteen before knocking with a bit more force. 

Mettaton is right. Undyne really does sleep like a boulder. Alphys grins. 

Alphys turns the knob on the door. 

Alphys smiles as she sees Undyne sprawled with limbs dangling off the mattress and a blanket carelessly thrown over her shoulders. 

However, what Alphys really notices, much to her own embarrassment, is that Undyne snores. It’s not that Alphys doesn’t find it cute, she absolutely does, but Alphys has always thought her first impression of Undyne sleeping would be more … romantic. 

Alphys has always imagined seeing Undyne sleeping would be like seeing a beautiful princess surrounded by roses. Instead, Undyne asleep is much the same as Undyne awake … a beautiful, perfectly-imperfect, disaster. 

Alphys’ Soul flutters as she looks at Undyne asleep. Alphys cherishes how seeing Undyne sleeping surpasses anything Alphys could have ever imagined. For, somehow, when Alphys sees Undyne’s arm thrown over her head as a crooked quilt barely covers her back, it feels infinitely more real than roses. 

The Undyne before Alphys is a tangible corporeal reality, and that makes her exquisite. 

Alphys holds her tail in her claws for a moment before tentatively reaching out towards Undyne. 

Undyne springs upright as soon as Alphys touches her. 

“A-Alphy? Wha ‘s it? Did I leave th’ stove on ‘gain? ‘s ‘t time fer school? Shit ! I DRIVE THE BUS!” Undyne shouts. 

“Um … it’s th-th-three in the m-m-morning on a S-Saturday … you d-d-don’t have to dr-drive the b-b-bus, ‘Dyne. I-It’s just … um … I-had-a-nightmare.” Alphys stammers. 

Undyne looks at her confused for a moment before shaking her head violently. 

“Well, why didn’t ya just lead with that! Hop in!” Undyne says. 

Alphys blushes furiously as she climbs in next to Undyne. 

“Oh crap! The covers are all messy and … um …” Undyne blushes. 

Undyne springs out of the bed before Alphys can say anything, and Undyne haphazardly readjusts the covers. 

Alphys blushes hard and hides behind her claws to keep from laughing as Undyne curses the top sheet into oblivion. In the end, it takes Undyne nearly fifteen minutes to get the mess of blankets and sheets to have any semblance of organization. 

“See … *huff* no problem!” 

Undyne says as she swipes some hair out of her eye. 

After the blankets are organized, Alphys curls into Undyne’s chest. The only thing Alphys can think about is just how right this feels. It’s safer than she’s felt in a long time. 

Before she can stop her tears, Alphys starts to cry. 

“What is it? Did I screw up something? Do you need an extra pillow?” Undyne asks. 

Alphys smiles through her tears at the seemingly silly questions. 

“N-N-No. It’s just … I-I-I’m stupid,” Alphys says. 

“No way! Don’t be like that, Alphy! You’re the smartest person I know!” Undyne retorts. 

“Th-Th-Thanks, but that’s … th-that’s not what I m-m-meant.”

Alphys runs her claws over her head before speaking again. 

“I-I-I could h-h-have had h-help b-b-before and s-s-sent everyone home. I-I-I didn’t h-have to h-h-hide. I-I-I shut e-e-everyone out f-f-for nothing. I-I-I wasted so much time. I-I-I could h-h-have had Mettaton a-a-as my fr-fr-friend. W-W-We could have b-b-been happy. I-I-I could have a-a-asked you out s-s-sooner. W-W-We could have h-had this then.” 

Alphys curls up tighter into Undyne’s chest. 

“Oh, Alphy … shhhhh … I get it. But, I guess … I guess …” Undyne pauses. 

Alphys feels Undyne lifting her chin. 

“You have to promise you won’t think I’m a sap if I say this. Promise me,” Undyne says. 

Alphys stifles a giggle, but she nods anyway. 

“Good. Well, then, I guess the good stuff is worth waiting for, ya know? The Surface has … for the most part … been worth waiting for, and this …” Undyne breaks off again. 

Undyne nuzzles Alphys before pressing a kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead. 

“This has definitely been worth the wait. I would wait a thousand lifetimes for just this. I want to spend the rest of my life with you in my arms. I could spend every minute of every day protecting and loving you with all of my strength! I love you, Alphys. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone before,” Undyne says. 

Alphys looks up into Undyne’s face. Undyne’s good eye sparkles with tears as she places her hand on Alphys’ shoulder. 

Alphys thumbs Undyne’s single tear away while the two of them share silence and breathe together. 

“I-I-I want to st-stay here forever. I-I-I want to sl-sleep here … w-w-with you … i-i-if you’re okay with th-th-that.” Alphys flushes red again. 

Undyne smiles. “I’m more than okay with it, Alphy. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time. I just didn’t know how to ask, and I knew you’d tell me when you were … um … ya know … ready.” 

Alphys smiles gratefully as sleep beings to claim her. 

“Goodnight, Alphy. I’ll chase off all your nightmares because no nightmare would dare challenge me.” Undyne presses a kiss to Alphys’ temple. 

The two of them sleep together until nearly one in the afternoon the following day. 

 ********

Given their late night, Alphys decides to text the “Frisk Family Group Chat ]: )”

She starts texting:

hey, so, we kind of had a long night and were hoping to have a party at our place, but we ...

Alphys pauses and deletes her text and rewrites:

hey, so, undyne and i were hoping to host a smaller version of my movie night at our place because we’re too tired to drive anywhere. sorry. 

Toriel replies almost immediately:

Worry not! Shall we all come there, or were you looking to take the night off? 

Alphys thinks about the pain that would be cleaning their living area, and she decides that just having Sans, Mettaton, Napstablook, Shyren and Papyrus, at most, would be preferable.

Really, it's just that Alphys cannot let Toriel and Asgore see their living room like this. 

Alphys replies:

we’re probably just going to keep it simple. 

Toriel responds:

That sounds like a good idea. Have fun, and be good. 

Alphys rolls her eyes. It doesn’t matter to her that Asgore and Toriel are older than Mettaton! Toriel’s mothering can be annoying. 

Undyne comes out of the bathroom laughing at the text exchange with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. 

“I do l-l-love T-T-Toriel, I-I-I do. B-But, by the Angel , she is s-s-so overbearing s-sometimes!!” Alphys rubs her temples with her claws. 

This just makes Undyne laugh harder as she reenters the bathroom to spit out her toothpaste. 

Meanwhile, Alphys sends a text to the “I’m Feeling 22” group chat. 

Alphys glares at her phone. Papyrus named the young adult monster group chat this because he likes the song and, technically, if monster and ghost years were able to be converted to human years, their average age would be approximately twenty-two. Needless to say, Mettaton adores the chat name, and Alphys just wants to roll her eyes everytime she sees it. 

Alphys texts:

don’t want to clean my living room.

but, you are welcome to come over and get smashed with undyne and i while we watch mew mew.

no pressure. 

and, papyrus just show the phone to your brother.

he can hang out if he wants to. 

Napstablook replies:

no thanks. shyren and i are just going to hang with lemon bread. it’s their weekend with shyren. - napsta 

Mettaton says:

I’ll try to watch, dear Dr. Alphys. After all, as you have pointed out, you did go to “Rocky Horror.” So, I suppose it’s the least I can do. 

What would you like me to pick up, darling?
 

Alphys grins before texting:

we have pretty much everything here

but not rosé. 

Mettaton replies:

A crime against nature itself. 

Alphys laughs before her phone pings with another text. 

Papyrus says:

WE’RE BOTH COMING DR. ALPHYS! SEE YOU TONIGHT! 

Mettaton texts:

What time do you want us there, sweetheart? 

Alphys thinks for a moment as she bites one of her claws. 

She replies:

7:00? 

Mettaton responds: 

See you at 7:00 then beauties! ;D 

Alphys puts her phone next to her and flops back on Undyne’s bed. This is truly the best possible outcome for tonight. She loves it when everyone gets together, but she also loves her house. 

Alphys paints the mental image of herself curled up on Undyne’s lap on the sofa, and everyone pulling up beanbag chairs around their television set. Everyone will drink, except for Papyrus, and they’ll all be happy. 

It doesn’t take long for 7:00 to roll around. Undyne and Alphys have managed to make, mostly unburnt, popcorn. Undyne is half way through her second shot of neat whiskey, and Alphys has had a vodka lemonade and a half. 

So, needless to say, when Sans appears out of thin air with Papyrus and Mettaton, Alphys and Undyne absolutely lose their minds laughing. 

“Starting in on the fun without us. I see how it is, dear Dr. Alphys!” Mettaton teases. 

Alphys grins up at him before blowing a raspberry in his general direction. She is pleasantly tipsy, and it shows beyond the flush in her cheeks. Alphys looks lighter, and her grin rivals Undyne’s for width. 

“I’m just l-letting a l-little loose!” Alphys laughs. 

Sans breaks open a bottle of ketchup, and he takes a long pull from it. 

Mettaton grabs some kind of brightly colored blue and pink tea cup from the cupboard before popping his bottle of rosé and pouring a full tea cup of it for himself. 

Undyne finds this particularly funny. 

“What, Spear Maiden , it’s not like you have wine glasses!” He says. 

Undyne opens the cabinet on the opposite side of the sink. It is filled with clear drinking glasses. On the second shelf, there is, in fact, an entire row of wine glasses. 

Mettaton’s fan whirs as the LEDs in his cheeks flush with embarrassment. He tries to hide it by sipping on the tea cup full of rosé, but Undyne doubles over the sink laughing. 

Papyrus watches his friends laugh and tease each other. Mettaton has settled into the window box seat while Alphys and Undyne set up the PlayStation so they can watch the show. Papyrus joins Mettaton on the window seat. Papyrus’ stocking feet are just barely touching Mettaton’s bare ones. Both Mettaton and Papyrus’ boots have been set by the door because Alphys is very particular about no one wearing shoes in the house.

Mettaton flushes when he notices Papyrus watching him, and he turns to look out the window into the snow covered front lawn. Alphys and Undyne have a little wreath hanging off their lamppost at the end of the drive way. Papyrus notices that Mettaton seems particularly fixated on it. 

Papyrus is glad that he had the good sense to grab a milkshake from a local ice cream shop before Sans sent them here with his wormhole. It’s pleasantly sweet and chocolatey. It feels special and he enjoys that because everyone else is drinking something special. The shake helps him feel included in the fun without having to have any of the alcohol. 

Papyrus does not drink. He has never drank, and he never will. It holds absolutely zero appeal to him, and he’s just glad that no one seems to find it that strange. 

In fact, Undyne even pointed out, despite her objective distaste of cold beverages, that, in the “cold fridge,” they have provided milk for him. 

“Settle in around the TV, nerds!!” Undyne yells. 

Papyrus notices that Mettaton seems to startle at Undyne’s voice. In fact, Mettaton nearly falls from the window seat, but Papyrus is quick to grab Mettaton’s hand before he tips all the way off the bench. 

I THOUGHT THAT HE MUST HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING. I WAS RIGHT IN DECIDING THAT HE DID NOT, IN FACT, FIND UNDYNE AND ALPHYS' WREATH SO ALL ABSORBINGLY INTERESTING. Papyrus thinks. 

After a few minutes, Papyrus and Mettaton have settled in on the mountain of beanbag chairs near the couch. Alphys and Undyne snuggle in next to each other, and Sans just leans against the wall to the right of the couch still sipping on his ketchup. 

Much in the same the way that no one judges Papyrus for having no interest in alcohol, no one comments on Sans’ obscure choice of beverage. 

As Mettaton had suspected, the first episode of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie is painfully slow. It introduces the premise and the characters. All of these things he already knows fairly well. However, something about the idea of a character that controls people’s minds by kissing them makes him viscerally uncomfortable, but it does so in a way that he can’t quite describe. 

The fact that the characters don’t remember what they did when their minds were controlled makes him even more uneasy. 

Still, he has to admit the music is catchy, and the episodes themselves have a decent score. Mew Mew’s leitmotif is honestly quite pretty, and Mettaton can see why Alphys relates to her. 

But, my dear, you’re so much better than this … truly. He thinks. 

“See … I-I-I mean I-I know th-this looks b-b-bad with her doing the wh-whole mind control th-th-thing, but l-l-like I promise i-i-it’s not as bad a-as it looks!” Alphys says. 

Mettaton stiffens, but he tries to force a smile. 

Mettaton is half way into his bottle of rosé by the time they’ve gotten to episode five. 

He has a sudden impulse to start belting out the theme song of this show if only to try to make Alphys laugh. 

He notices that he’s barely able to contain his excitement at the prospect of Alphys laughing at his antics and, so, before he can think better of it, he climbs up on the coffee table. Mettaton does in fact belt the theme song of this TV show that he’s not enjoying all that much. Still, Mettaton earns his reward. His antics do make Alphys laugh hysterically. 

Though Papyrus’ laugh will always be in the first spot, Alphys laughing might make the top ten on Mettaton’s list of favorite sounds. Alphys snorts in her giggles when Mettaton has to falsetto the ending of the main theme. 

Mettaton watches as Undyne stands to get herself her third shot of whiskey and Alphys a third vodka lemonade, and she pauses the DVD on her way to get the drinks as well as to let Alphys finish laughing. As Undyne passes Mettaton, she gives him a huge smile. 

“Nice performance there, Mer .” Undyne remarks. 

Mettaton beams as he gets off the table. 

Mettaton doesn’t know why, but he feels a sudden urge to say something that has been on his mind since the show started. 

“I am enjoying this more than I thought I might, Alphys, darling. But, where the script and concept lack the music is lovely. And, in my opinion, a story is always best told by its music,” Mettaton says. 

“Wh-What?! The sc-script is flawless! Y-You j-j-just don’t understand what sh-sh-she’s dealing with! Th-The whole p-p-point is that Mew Mew n-n-needs to learn that c-controling p-p-people doesn’t make her likable, and sh-she has to f-f-fail a lot before sh-she internalizes how much sh-she’s w-worth without using h-h-her powers. It’s b-b-beautiful in ways that I cannot d-describe after this m-m-much vodka, b-but trust me!” 

When Alphys finishes her tirade, Mettaton’s expression is unreadable. Alphys realizes that she must be drunker than she thought because he’s usually an open book to her. 

“I suppose you’re right, darling. But, I’m just saying … I guess … I enjoy the music. If only because the plot is straightforward, the leitmotifs are easy to identify. It’s like life. I suppose … each one of us having little themes that follow us around before we … poof … fade away.” 

Mettaton waves his hands around his face in an effort to emphasize what he’s trying to say. 

“What? No. W-We s-s-say words, ton-ton. You’re m-m-making no sense! W-W-We have a script I-if we h-have anything like th-that at all. W-W-We don’t just go around making little n-noises or s-s-singing songs. Well … y-you might. B-B-But, most of u-u-us just talk!” Alphys retorts. 

“I suppose you’re right, dear Dr. Alphys. But, all the same, while the premise may not be my favorite, I will admit the music is well composed. That’s all I was trying to say,” Mettaton says. 

Undyne comes back in with fresh drinks for herself and Alphys. 

“W-W-Well, I suppose th-that’s b-b-better than what I-I expected y-you to s-say.” Alphys grins. 

After another four episodes, everyone decides it's time to stop watching. 

Papyrus and Mettaton already stepped outside two episodes ago because Papyrus was overstimulated by Alphys constantly pausing and ranting. He needed air, and Mettaton was too drunk to keep reading the subtitles. 

Now, Alphys is half asleep, and Undyne is outright snoring. 

Sans ambles over to the window seat and finds himself watching as Mettaton leans heavily over the railing of Alphys and Undyne’s porch. Mettaton’s face is in his hands, and Papyrus is staring up into the star-filled sky saying something Sans can't make out. 

Sans sees Papyrus’ breath and some of the steam that occasionally comes from Mettaton as the two of them stand side by side. 

After a moment, Sans realizes that this might be the first time Mettaton has ever been drunk, and Sans discovers that he feels a sudden protectiveness swell in him. Sans is glad that this is the place and time that Mettaton decided to really try alcohol. He shudders to think of Mettaton on tour, with only Blooky, Shyren, and some human man that none of the family have ever met being the people Mettaton drank with for the first time. It’s becoming clearer to Sans, and he assumes Alphys as well, that, if Mettaton isn’t fully fused to this body, he’s damn near close. 

The fact that alcohol actually affects Mettaton at all means that he has to be fused to at least some degree. 

Sans takes another pull from his ketchup bottle. There’s something about the tangy tomato taste that makes Sans always go back for more. All condiments are amazing, but ketchup is the ruler of all of them. Bar none, ketchup is the superior condiment and beverage. 

This is one of few hills Sans will happily die on. 

 Meanwhile, Papyrus turns to Mettaton and looks him over. 

“WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? YOU’VE BEEN STARING OFF INTO SPACE ALL NIGHT SINCE WE STARTED WATCHING THE SHOW,” Papyrus says. 

“It’s silly … but … um … dearest, do you think we … do you think it’s possible to be controlled by the people who kiss you?” Mettaton asks. 

Mettaton buries his face into his hands to hide his expression and his blush. 

“I DON’T THINK THAT IS POSSIBLE IN OUR REALITY. WHY?” Papyrus asks. 

“Nothing, dearest. It’s not important. The show just sparked a thought that’s all, lovely.” Mettaton smiles weakly. 

“ARE YOU AFRAID OF BEING KISSED?” Papyrus asks. 

Mettaton looks at Papyrus with wide glowing pink eyes. 

“No! No … at least … um … not by you. I’d let you kiss me even if you could control my every action. That’s not … I don’t know … I just feel weird. What little filter I do have is gone, and I can’t stop blurting things that I know will make people think I’m crazy!” Mettaton says. 

“IT’S  ALRIGHT! I UNDERSTAND. SANS GETS LIKE THIS TOO WHEN HE DRINKS SOMETIMES. HE TALKS A LOT ABOUT LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. MOST OF THE TIME HE ONLY REMEMBERS ABOUT HALF OF WHAT HE SAYS, BUT I REMEMBER. I ALWAYS LISTEN. THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS GREAT AT LISTENING AND REMEMBERING THINGS!”  Papyrus smiles. 

Mettaton shakes his head. 

“You are a marvel, dearest. Truly, you’re a miracle. The real star and light of the Underground and the Surface.” Mettaton says wistfully. 

Papyrus blushes, but he doesn’t say anything. 

“It’s true, you know? You are maybe the most observant monster I have ever met, truly, darling. All of it is true. And, I promise what I said about the leitmotifs is true, as well. We all have our little sets of notes that we play … in our lives. They’re composed of the things and the people we love. They’re written in our actions, our desires, our dreams, and our most desperate pleas. Sometimes … sometimes they get lost places, and sometimes they mingle with other people’s songs. They get tangled up and create the harmony to someone else’s melody. Sometimes those harmonies are complementary and sometimes dissonant … and sometimes, sweetheart, they’re both. We create symphonies in our relationships. We clash in vibrancy and … and sound … like … like galaxies of stars. And … and … and … I am making absolutely no sense, am I, dearest?” Mettaton sighs. 

Mettaton flops forwards over the railing of the porch. He hears the wood groaning under his weight and backs off of it a little. The last thing he wants is to end up face first in the snow. 

Papyrus seems to go quiet for a moment.

“I THINK IT’S BEAUTIFUL EVEN IF I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. I SEE IT MORE LIKE PUZZLES. BUT, NOT LIKE THE PUZZLES YOU SOLVE. MONSTERS … AND, I GUESS HUMANS TOO, ARE LIKE TETRIS … THEY ARE ENDLESS PUZZLES THAT YOU SOLVE IN PARTS OVER YOUR WHOLE LIFE. SOME DAYS THE PARTS FIT TOGETHER EASIER THAN OTHERS, AND DAYS CAN BE FAST OR SLOW. BUT, THE PIECES ARE INFINITE AND OFTEN NEED TO BE LOOKED AT IN JUST THE RIGHT WAY TO MAKE THINGS MAKE SENSE. I SUPPOSE NOTES ARE LIKE THAT TOO, IN A WAY. MELODIES AND SCALES ARE … ARE JUST PUZZLES WITH PIECES THAT YOU SING,” Papyrus says. 

Mettaton smiles at Papyrus’ words. 

“Melodies are puzzles with pieces that you sing … I love that, dearest. I will hold onto those words forever.” Mettaton stands up straighter. 

Papyrus and Mettaton look at each other for a moment. They do not meet each other’s eyes, but it doesn’t matter. The look that they share is more than eye contact can ever give.

Bathed in the glow of the moon and street lights reflecting off the snow, the two of them see each other clothed in pure white light. 

It takes no time for the two of them to mutually close the gap between each other. Papyrus pulls Mettaton into his chest and holds him close. Mettaton burrows into Papyrus’ shoulder as he breathes in the scent of flour, spices, and charcoal. Mettaton almost laughs because, of course, Papyrus would smell like burnt pasta. 

It’s comforting in its own way that Papyrus is endlessly predictable and routine. 

Mettaton bites his lip to keep from crying. He’s not sure about leaving for his tour anymore. Mettaton wants nothing more than to travel the world, but he’s not sure he wants to travel without the safety of these arms around him. He’s not sure he can leave Papyrus to go with his cousin and Shyren. Papyrus is stable and safe in a world that feels so much more uncertain that Mettaton ever thought possible. 

Still, Mettaton doesn’t cry. No matter how much his Soul aches for tears, he doesn’t indulge them. 

He can’t. 

Finally, after several minutes, Papyrus and Mettaton walk back inside. Everyone besides the two of them are passed out asleep. 

The two of them find their ways back to the beanbag chairs. Mettaton enters sleep mode almost immediately after he plugs himself into the wall outlet behind the couch. 

Papyrus takes a bit longer to finally find rest. But, when he does, Papyrus falls into a perfectly peaceful slumber. 

 ********

When Alphys wakes up the following morning, her head is throbbing. The DVD’s menu screen is still blaring waiting for them to switch disks. 

Alphys blindly gropes around for the remote, and she turns off the offending sound and noise as soon as she finds it. Finally, she feels around for her glasses only to find they’ve been pushed up over one of the spikes at the top of her head. 

She pulls the glasses down over her nose, and she sees a glass of water, monster-ibuprofen (Nonalchemy, anti-magic-depleating drugs - NAAMDDs), and a note. 

WE ARE CURRENTLY MAKING WAFFLES! PLEASE TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED. WE PROMISE THAT NO FIRES OR CHAINSAWS WILL BE USED IN OUR COOKING! - THE GREAT PAPYRUS and MTT <3 

Alphys smiles and takes a few of the provided pills. She wonders how Mettaton is fairing given the fact that he seems to be progressing closer and closer to being fully corporeal every day. 

Alphys remembers enough of last night to know that Mettaton was also fairly drunk. Yet, she doubts his hangover will be that bad, if he has one at all. One, his body is made of metal. So, while his Soul may have felt the effects of liquor, his body likely won’t. Two, the rosé Mettaton was drinking barely had any alcohol in it. It is effectively glorified grape juice in comparison to the strong liquors Alphys and Undyne had been drinking. Finally, Alphys grins as she recalls just how much water Sans forced on Mettaton.

Alphys vaguely reminds herself that Sans had offered her the same amount of water, but Alphys neglected to finish most of what Sans tried to give her. 

Alphys deeply regrets that choice now. 

Undyne shifts under Alphys. She opens her eye before shutting it tight. 

Alphys stifles a laugh as she watches Undyne open her eye into a slit as she makes grabby hands at the monster-ibuprofen and the water. 

Alphys wordlessly hands Undyne what she “asks” for and stifles another giggle as Undyne chugs the entire glass of water faster than she can breathe. Undyne swallows the pills dry before finally flopping back onto the couch fast asleep. 

Alphys allows herself a half-giggle at that. 

Then, Alphys looks at the pills again, and she wonders if she shouldn’t develop some kind of program for Mettaton’s system that would engage if he ever needed something NAAMDDs since the physical pills probably wouldn’t help him. 

I mean. It’s not like he’d ever have any real use for it even when he is fully fused. Sure, his body processes magic, but I doubt he will ever process alcohol like a flesh body would. I think, being made of metal, he gets the fun of his Soul getting the buzz with none of the side effects of his body being physically effected the day after. It’s not like I made any of his internal magic-metal organs affected by alcohol. Barring intent to hurt, should he become fully fused, nothing can really hurt him. I tried to design his body such that no matter what stupid stunts he decides to pull nothing can really affect him. So, he should be fine. And, as far as I know, alcohol is the only thing he would ever really need anything like NAAMDDs for anyway. Alphys muses. 

Upon finishing that thought, Alphys smells something absolutely wonderful coming from her kitchen. It’s so breathtaking that Alphys wonders if she isn’t in a dream. 

Normally, Alphys’ kitchen smells like instant noodles and smoke. 

Alphys plops down at the table, and she smiles. 

Papyrus and Mettaton are silently pouring batter into a waffle maker. 

True to form, based on the smell, Mettaton has made the batter as sweet as anyone would be able to stand it. 

Alphys pulls out her phone and silently snaps a photo of Mettaton and Papyrus totally honed in on the task of pouring batter into the waffle maker. The two of them sport matching conspiratorial grins while looking, not at each other, but at the measuring cups, batter, and waffle maker. 

The two of them turn around and both blush furiously upon seeing Alphys staring at them. 

Tired of trying to hold in her laughter all morning, Alphys finally falls into a fit of giggles upon seeing the wide-eyed look of embarrassment on both Mettaton and Papyrus’ face. She wipes a tear from her eye. 

Honestly, you’d think these two were caught making out in a closet … or watching “robots kissing” on their phone. They were making waffles in silence, and they thought that was bad. Pfft … they’re two of the most innocent people I’ve ever met. Oh, sure, ton-ton talks a great game. He certainly flirts like nobody’s business, but this is exactly what I expected he’d get flustered over. Alphys laughs harder. 

Still, Alphys grows more serious in her thoughts. He should tell Papyrus soon. It might actually help them connect. 

Seeing as Alphys is not planning on making any conversation, the two of them resume working on their waffles. Alphys grins at them. 

This is exactly the morning she hoped to wake up to, and nothing is going to steal her joy.

Chapter Text

Alphys hears the microwave beep, and she heads to grab her instant ramen. She only has about fifteen minutes before she plans to restart her office hours. She nearly chugs her noodles before she hears a knock on her door. 

“Dr. Alphys? I brought a peace offering!” John calls from the other side of the door. 

Alphys quirks an eyebrow before opening the door to see the young man holding a taro milk tea with brown sugar boba on the other side of the door. 

“H-How did …” she starts. 

“Um … I was kind of writing a paper at the cocktail bar across the street when I saw you leave. I just asked for the purple one.” 

John rubs the back of his head awkwardly as he speaks. 

Alphys shakes her head with a grin. 

“Th-Thanks. That’s p-p-pretty weird, but I-I-I mean I really c-c-can’t judge.” Alphys laughs. 

“Well, anyway, I gotta blast off to the writing lab to answer questions! I’ll see ya!” John sprints off down the hall. 

Alphys props her door open, and she goes back to her desk. 

Only four and a half more days till vacation. I still have basically a week left and I’m counting down the days. It really does feel like being back in school. Alphys grins to herself. 

“Um … Dr. Alphys?” 

Alphys turns her head at the voice. A short black haired young woman stands in the doorway. Her round cheeks are flushed from some combination of the cold and embarrassment. 

“E-Emily! I’ve n-n-never known you to be so quiet! C-Come on in! F-Find a seat!” Alphys smiles waiving the girl inside.

Emily plops down on a plush chair across from Alphys’ desk. 

“So, Luna already tried to explain this to me, because we had the same question and she came into your morning hours, but I still don’t get it. How does the whole intent to hurt thing work? L-Like … not to be creepy, but could … could someone like … like … insta kill you?” Emily tugs on her hair. 

And this is why you remind me of Ty Lee …

“W-Well, not exactly …” Alphys pauses. 

I know that your family is nearly seven thousand miles away and you’ve come to rely on me as a sort of mother-figure. How do I explain the concept without freaking you out? Because, I’m not sure your question is purely academic. Alphys thinks. 

“So, humans, w-w-well, actually I s-s-suppose any being really , can g-gather strength by c-c-committing acts of v-v-violence. Those acts of v-violence … um … they allow the p-person to f-f-feel less and h-hurt more …” 

“Because they have less empathy?” Emily asks. 

“Exactly … e-exactly that! S-So, the m-m-more violent the c-creature and th-the more they i-i-intend to hurt the m-monster in question the m-more damage w-we take.” Alphys explains. 

“Do … can … could a monster recover from being hurt?” Emily almost whispers. 

And, I am right in my assessment of this not being purely academic. Alphys thinks. 

“Y-Yes. B-But, we recover much m-m-more slowly th-than humans. U-Unlike h-h-humans our bodies … o-our bodies b-b-basically are our SOULS because w-we’re m-made of magic. H-Humans can g-g-get in touch with their SOULS I-I-I see you, M, Alex, Luna, Gloria, S-Saoirse,  Isa, Jules, a-and Sandy d-d-do it all the time. B-But, it’s m-much m-more difficult for most h-h-humans. However, y-you heal w-w-way faster. E-Each species has its … um … l-l-limitations.” Alphys states. 

Emily nods. Alphys notices that, as Emily processes the information Alphys gave her, that her brows furrow together. 

“I would do anything to protect you guys. We all would. Ya know? Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need some help on the human side of things. We worry. We all worry. I keep talking to Orpheus … whoops … Ollie … my boyfriend, and he wishes he would have waited till this year to graduate so he could have taken your class. I miss him. He lives in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere about three hours from here. He’s just  … he’s trying to figure out how to ditch his family without upsetting everyone, and that’s hard for him. But, like, I get it. Coming here wasn’t an easy choice for me either, but my family, at least, wanted me to be here. Still, when you finally get to meet him, you’ll love Ollie. Everybody, and I mean everybody, loves Ollie. Anyway, I keep talking with him about you guys, and he’s convinced that the future is gonna be all of us, humans and monsters, working together to be stronger in spirit. But, like, that’s gonna take time … time I’m worried Ol-monsters don’t have.” 

Emily heaves a sigh after her long explanation. She rubs her temples with her thumbs. 

“Y-You sl-sl-slipped. Wh-What kind of time doesn’t O-Ollie have?” Alphys asks. 

“H-He’s not … his family … if he fucks up … I don’t really feel comfortable talking about it. But, I just want him to come to the city. I miss him.” 

Emily pauses for a long time while she tugs on her hair again. 

“His family situation is bad, and I want him back by friends. He got sick last month, and it took him almost a week to convince his family to get him seen by the local physician. He’s fine now, but … but we wouldn’t have let that happen.” Emily confesses. 

Alphys nods. From what Alphys has heard, human families can range from hostile, to not perfect but awkward and uncomfortable, to decent. She has met several of each but, in these few short months as a college professor, Alphys has met an uncomfortable number of “Ollies.” 

“I-I-I understand. So, i-i-is this what you’re doing y-y-your project on?” 

Alphys tries to cut the tension. She wants to respect Emily's wish not to disclose more, but she also wants to give her space if she feels like she has more to say. 

Emily blushes. “K-Kind of? I was m-more focused on defenses, but this s-seemed relevant?” 

Alphys smiles and nods. “O-Oh! Absolutely, I-I-I hope it makes m-more sense …” 

Emily smiles and gives Alphys a thumbs up when the door burst open. 

Alphys and Emily both turn to see Undyne frantically rushing into the room with an extraordinarily distressed Mettaton hot on her heals. 

“Pap … Papyrus is missing.” Undyne pants. 

Alphys looks from the two of her friends to her student. 

Emily’s bright black eyes widen as she gathers her coat and bags. 

“I’ll go. Be safe! Please email if you need a search party … or … or something!” Emily calls as she leaves. 

Mettaton shoots a look over his shoulder. He thinks he recognizes her. Based on the sound of her voice alone, that’s “two-sightings-in-one-day.” 

“Alphys, darling, perhaps enlisting your fan club in our search is not an entirely terrible idea?” Mettaton pleads. 

“N-No. J-J-Just start from the b-b-beginning. Undyne a-aren’t you s-s-supposed to be in school?” Alphys asks. 

“Toriel sent me when Sans appeared via … wormhole … to the office … I called …” 

“She called me,” Mettaton finishes. 

“Sans … is … he’s FREAKING OUT! We’ve … we’ve all tried that nerd like a billion times … and … he always answers, Alphy! HE ALWAYS FUCKING ANSWERS! First, damn ring …” 

Undyne runs her fingers through her hair so aggressively that she snaps her ponytail holder in half. 

Alphys reaches into the sleeve of her lab coat and hands Undyne a new ponytail holder. Alphys has learned to carry at least one spare because Undyne always manages to break them. 

“Where w-w-was he g-going?” Alphys asks. 

“Sans says he went to the board game store to pick up some kind of order, darling. B-But, I … I looked there … all over the mall on my way … he wasn’t there ...” 

Mettaton’s hollowed out voice sends shivers up Alphys’ spine. 

“‘Dyne, don’t dr-dr-drive. I’ll dr-dr-drive,” Alphys says. 

“Come on, space heater. We’ll … we’ll find him.” Undyne puts an arm around Mettaton’s shoulder. 

********

Blooky and Shyren are already in Toriel’s living room when Alphys, Undyne, and Mettaton enter the house. 

No one besides Blooky notices Mettaton releasing a breath upon seeing both Blooky and Shyren safe and sound. 

heeee’s liiiiiikley neeeervous thaaaaat aaaaaanyoooone wiiiiiill go miiiiiiiissing noooooooow. maaaaaybe the threeeeeee oooooof uuuuuuus shoooooooouuuuuld waaaaaait until suuuuummer toooooooo leeeeeeeave. Blooky thinks. 

“When d-d-did he leave, Sans?” Alphys asks.

“ten.” Sans states. 

“S-S-So, here’s what w-w-we should … um … p-probably do. Sans, Blooky, and Sh-Shyren, you st-st-stay here and m-m-make calls to the game store and the surrounding stores t-t-to see if anyone h-has seen P-Papyrus. ‘Dyne, ton-ton, and I will go l-l-look for him st-starting at the st-st-store and working our way a-around.” 

Alphys isn’t sure that anyone leaving Toriel’s house is a great idea right now, but it’s the only plan that quickly gets Papyrus home. Besides, it’s not like they have much choice in who goes on the search. Undyne and Mettaton are strong in comparison to Sans and Shyren. Blooky, though indestructible, being incorporeal, will be unable to assist Papyrus physically if something has gone wrong. 

Sans nods, picks up his cell phone, and starts calling the game store. 

Alphys, Undyne, and Mettaton give each other a quick glance as they leave the house. 

In the end, four hours later, all three of them get a text to the “That’s Not Science!” group chat. 

Sans texts:

home. get here. fast. 

Undyne grips Mettaton’s hand as tight as she can. Alphys doesn’t know if it’s for Undyne’s benefit or Mettaton’s, and Alphys isn’t sure she wants to know. 

********

Mettaton paces the hallway outside Papyrus’ room as Alphys talks to his beloved. Undyne is tossing some kind of stress ball furiously between her hands. Neither he nor Undyne have seen Papyrus because Sans dragged Alphys up to Papyrus’ room and shut the door. 

Toriel has only just brought Frisk home from the school since no one wanted Frisk here in case Papyrus came home as  … 

Mettaton runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. He needs to stop thinking like that. Actually, Mettaton decides that he would quite love to stop thinking at all, at the moment. 

“I-I-Is Frisk upstairs?” Alphys whispers. 

Both Mettaton and Undyne jump at Alphys’ voice. In fact, Undyne flinches so hard that she throws her head into the wall she has been sitting against. Undyne rubs the back of her head with a curse.   

“No, darling. Frisk is downstairs with Lady Toriel. Lady Toriel texted earlier to send a message to her directly when it seems okay for Frisk to come upstairs. Dear Dr. Alphys … um …” Mettaton hesitates. 

“Great … th-that’s actually k-k-kind of good,” Alphys says. 

Then, Alphys comes all the way into the hallway before closing the door behind her. 

Undyne stands and grips Mettaton’s wrist. Mettaton flinches for just a moment before entwining his fingers in hers. He physically feels her relax next to him. 

“He h-h-has a concussion … um … it’s n-n-not a bad one, necessarily … b-but… w-w-well … h-he’s pretty out of it? I-I-I need him to st-stay awake for an hour b-before I talk to h-h-him again. If h-h-he’s more lucid in an h-h-hour or two then h-he can sleep.” Alphys explains. 

Alphys sighs and rubs her forehead. 

Mettaton can tell Alphys is thinking about what to do with her office hours. He vaguely wonders how “two-sightings-in-one-day” is doing after the commotion he and Undyne caused in Alphys’ office. Then, he realizes, that may not have been the same student at all. For, Mettaton, as great as he is at almost everything, is completely face-blind. It has never been a skill he really needed to develop since most of his life everyone he really needed to know was color coded. 

“I-If one of you wants to relieve Sans, I-I-I need to call my Dean and my Department Head.” Alphys sighs even more deeply. 

Alphys walks past Undyne’s old room to her bedroom near the stairs before closing the door behind her.

Undyne looks at Mettaton. He looks down the stairs. He can hear Toriel pacing the floor of the front hallway on the phone. She speaks in whispers to whomever is on the other line. 

Likely, Lady Toriel is speaking with King Asgore about legalities. Mettaton realizes. 

Mettaton knows Blooky and Shyren have retreated to Shyren’s bedroom at the far end of the hall. The only time Mettaton let his eyes stray from Papyrus’ door was to watch the two of them go into Shyren’s room. 

But, if Lady Toriel is on the phone, and Blooky and Shyren are in Shyren’s old room, who is with our darling Frisk? Mettaton thinks to himself. 

“You can go first Shield Maiden . Someone ought to check on Frisk since Lady Toriel is preoccupied with the legalities as well as what to do with the school tomorrow. When Dr. Alphys believes that Frisk and I will both be allowed to sit with my dearest Papyrus, then come and find us. However, I doubt leaving Frisk alone is … wise … given the circumstances,” Mettaton says. 

Undyne looks at Mettaton with something akin to gratitude before pulling him into a hug so tight Mettaton wonders if she’ll leave a dent in his chest. He stiffens in her grasp and every fiber of him wants to pull away. His Soul hammers in his Soul Chamber but, when Undyne starts to cry, Mettaton wraps his arm around her shoulders. The longer he remains in her powerful embrace, the more relaxed he finds himself. 

Mettaton watches Undyne walk into the mostly dimly lit room. 

“Your space heater is going to hang with Frisk,” Undyne says. 

Mettaton turns to go. 

“Yeah … he’s being too nice. Probably wants me to let him have his SceneIt privileges back. Over my blowing dust is he playing that again no matter how nice he is …” 

This is the last Mettaton hears of that conversation before he descends the stairs. 

********

Sans sits on one of Paps’ sofa chairs in the corner of his brother’s room. Unless Alphys drags him out, Sans isn’t leaving. 

Sans watches Paps and Undyne chat about some kind of sparring match they both had with Doggo a few years ago. However, Sans doesn't pay much attention to exactly what Undyne and Paps are saying. Sans' mind wanders away because he's too focused on how hard he had to fight Paps to let Alphys’ examine him. 

Sans hates being firm with Papyrus, especially when it’s necessary, because then he can’t give in. 

The worst moment, in Sans’ mind, has to be when he forced Paps to look at Alphys in the eyes. Even though Sans knows that Alphys needed to ensure that his little brother’s eyes focused properly, Sans still hates that it had to happen. Sans shudders as he remembers how Alphys shined her phone’s flashlight directly into Paps’ eyes while he looked at her, and Sans’ spine crawls with the sound of his brother’s cries that he didn’t want to look. 

Still, Sans rolls his shoulders and looks down at his hands. Everything seems fine now, thank the Angel. Before she left, Alphys told Sans the only thing they still need to be careful of is keeping Paps awake for an hour to ensure that he remains lucid.  

With Undyne here, Paps perks up and seems well more with it than after Alphys’ examination. Sans briefly wonders if he and Alphys shouldn’t have pulled Mettaton and Undyne in the room when they asked Paps questions about how he got injured. It appears, now at least, that Papyrus was less confused and more distressed. Sans kicks himself for not thinking about the fact that a more accurate assessment of Paps’ cognitive functioning would have been after he had some time to regulate. For, Papyrus has been poked and prodded by either Alphys or Sans since Paps first walked in the door. 

The mere thought of Paps walking through the door makes Sans want to destroy something. So, Sans tries in vain to shake the image of Papyrus stumbling onto the couch in the living room out of his vision. He wants to plug his ears against the sound of his brother’s tears as Paps curled up on his side. Sans hears him repeating the insults those human assholes called his brother over and over. Even now, Sans can almost feel his eye glowing in rage. 

Sans blinks the fiery tears away. He takes a deep centering breath in his Soul. 

It had been Alphys’ idea to wrap Papyrus’ head in a bandage to prevent Undyne, Mettaton, and Frisk from seeing the small crack in Papyrus’ skull until the crack was healed.

“N-N-No use making everyone f-f-freak out.” She had whispered.  

Seeing how Undyne keeps sending Sans worried glances over her shoulder, Sans realizes the Alphys is just as wise as he remembers her being in their college days. 

Sans notices that Papyrus is laughing about something. 

“UNDYNE! BE NICE! YOU KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO MISS HIM WHEN HE LEAVES IN JANUARY!” Papyrus admonishes. 

“Yeah … well, he can’t know that. I gotta toughen him up if that nerd is gonna go out into the big scary human world. For having a metal body, he’s a big softie!” Undyne conspiratorially whisper shouts.

Paps giggles at that. 

Alphys knocks on the door before entering. She catches Sans’ eye as she walks into the room. 

Sans pulls out his phone and texts Alphys. 

He says:

offer frisk and MTT

been thinking

last time paps was probably dysregulated 

swayed answers out of his favor

probably more sensory overload than true concussion

or some combo of both

Alphys looks at the message before giving Sans a quick nod. 

“I-If you w-want Papyrus, I can t-t-tell Mettaton and Frisk to come up b-b-before I ask you m-more about what happened. W-W-Would that be b-b-better?” Alphys asks. 

Papyrus seems to brighten at that idea before mulling it over a bit more. 

“I AM NOT SURE IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO TELL THIS STORY IN FRONT OF FRISK … “ Papyrus trails off. 

“S-S-So … you d-do remember wh-wh-what happened?” Alphys asks. 

Papyrus’ face darkens before his eyes widen slightly with fear. 

“M-MORE THAN I WOULD LIKE TO,” Papyrus says. 

Sans and Alphys breathe identical sighs of relief. 

Alphys shoots Sans a look that seems to say “I figured you were right when I also had time to think, but I’m glad we were.” 

Sans gives Alphys a “I know, but I’d rather we overreact than under” look in return. 

“paps, i’m sure it’s fine. frisk will be more anxious if they don’t know what’s going on. tori’s been on the phone with subs and asgore for almost an hour and a half now. i’m sure MTT and frisk are both totally freaked out. trust me, if you want them, they want to be here,” Sans says. 

Papyrus considers this for a moment before he nods slowly. Papyrus winces. 

“Don’t do that nerd! Head as still as possible, dumb-dumb!” Undyne scolds. 

Sans gives Undyne a grateful smile from his corner. 

********

Frisk pokes their head in the room with Mettaton’s hand clasped firmly in their own. Frisk looks over their shoulder at Mettaton before gathering their courage and walking into the dark room. 

Frisk lets Mettaton guide them towards the other plush chair in Papyrus’ room nearest the door. Frisk makes grabby hands in Mettaton’s direction signaling Mettaton to put Frisk on his lap as both of them sit down. 

“S-S-So, what e-e-exactly happened? St-Start before you g-got injured. Y-You went to the store …” 

Papyrus takes over and explains that he went to the board game store, and he talked with the manager for quite a while about puzzle games. 

In fact, when Alphys checks Papyrus’ phone log, Sans’ first missed call was during the time Papyrus thought he was talking with Peregrin. 

Everyone in the family has met Peregrin by now. They always call Papyrus personally when his items are in so the two of them can chat at the coffee bar when Papyrus picks up his things. 

Thus, no one, least of all Mettaton, Sans, or Frisk, is not surprised at all that Papyrus and Peregrin got lost in conversation. 

However, Papyrus looks towards the ceiling when he describes leaving the store. 

“I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE TAKEN PEREGRIN UP ON THEIR OFFER TO WALK ME TO MY CAR BECAUSE I PARKED RATHER FAR AWAY … FARTHER THAN USUAL ANYWAY. I WAS BY THE HIGH SCHOOL … EBBOT CENTRAL. THAT’S WHERE BRATTY AND CATTY ARE TRANSFERRING FROM RIGHT, DR. ALPHYS?” Papyrus asks. 

Alphys nods. “Y-Y-Yeah … now that y-y-you mention it … y-yeah. Ha. E-Even I f-f-forgot that.” 

Papyrus explains that he got to his car before a bunch of boys from the high school saw him. Papyrus inferred they must have been going somewhere for lunch because it was around noon. 

“Exams. C-Central t-t-tries to coordinate e-e-exams with E-Ebbot U.” Alphys clarifies.

Papyrus goes very quiet. 

“DO I HAVE TO TELL THIS PART?” He asks. 

“I-I-If you remember h-h-how you g-g-got injured, I-I-I need to h-h-hear it from you d-d-directly. I-I’m sorry. I-I-It’s b-basic concussion pr-pr-protocol. The f-fact that y-you had a h-headache and S-Sans said you seemed t-t-tired accompanied by the … um … ph-physical symptom of a h-h-head injury n-n-necessitates this. I’m sorry,” Alphys says. 

Frisk flinches at the words “physical symptoms.” They don’t see anything physically wrong, but there is a pretty large bandage around Papyrus’ head. They lean back and curl into Mettaton’s chest. 

Mettaton pats Frisk’s shoulder. Frisk knows they have to be strong or Mom is going to make them leave, and they really don’t want to leave Papyrus right now. If they can’t show they can handle it, they’ll never know what happened to Papyrus. They know deep in their Soul that not knowing is far, far worse than anything Papyrus will say. 

However, as Papyrus goes on to explain what the teens said while throwing him into the side of his car in an effort to get him to stop talking, Frisk wonders if not knowing and knowing are two equally painful things. 

“THEN, THEY CALLED ME A R-” 

Frisk shoots up fingers flying. 

No. Not. That. Never. That. We. Beautiful. Perfect. Amazing. Great. Flawless. Unique. Unrepeatable. Fabulous. 

Frisk’s chest heaves unable to let that word pass Papyrus’ lips in reference to himself. It almost feels like if Papyrus repeats that word that he would be calling both himself and Frisk that horrible thing. 

But. Autism. Not. Superpower. 

Frisk pulls a face at that idea as it comes to their mind unbidden. 

Autism. Us. Just. Us. Us. Just. Us. 

Frisk doesn’t realize that they’ve been inching closer to Papyrus as they sign. 

The room is silent before Frisk bursts into tears. 

“Frisk, dear heart? Papyrus wants to know if you’d like to sit next to him while he finishes his … ah … story, darling.” Mettaton fumbles for words. 

Frisk nods slowly. 

Then, they feel themselves slowly lifted next to Papyrus. They burry themselves in Papyrus’ shoulder. 

“AFTER THEY SAID THAT , THEY SHOVED ME OVER INTO THE CAR AND LEFT ME ALONE. I MUST ADMIT THAT EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FELT A BIT … STUNNED? … FOR A MOMENT. I KNEW, HOWEVER, IT WOULD NOT BE A WISE CHOICE TO DRIVE AS I … UM … FELT SHAKEN TO MY SOUL. SO, I ATTEMPTED TO WALK HOME, BUT THE SHAKY FEELING GOT MUCH WORSE. SO, I HAD TO STOP. I DIDN’T NOTICE THE PHONE CALLS BECAUSE I COULDN’T FEEL THE PHONE VIBRATE AS I WALKED. THEN, WHEN I DID NOTICE IT, I COULDN’T GET MY FINGERS TO QUITE COOPERATE IN ANSWERING THE CALLS. I … UM … ACCIDENTALLY HUNG UP SEVERAL TIMES.” Papyrus confesses. 

Frisk hears Alphys and Sans breathe a deep sigh of relief. 

“so. whaddya think doc?” Sans asks expectantly. 

“M-M-Mild. V-V-Very mild c-c-concussion. Thank the Angel,” Alphys says. 

Frisk nuzzles deeper into Papyrus’ shoulder before popping up. 

Sucks. Sorry. 

They sign. 

Recovery. Boring. 

Frisk notices that all eyes are on them. 

Gym. Class. Clumsy? 

They try to make their face convincing as they sign. But, Undyne glares at them. 

“You? You? Clumsy? You out-danced Footloose over here … not buying it nerd,” she says. 

Frisk rolls their eyes, and they notice Mettaton making an identical expression. 

Why do I always do this? I need to think before I sign. 

Frisk huffs and pouts before wiggling their fingers to warm them up for the story they’re about to tell. 

It had been a pretty average day at the Ebbot Boarding and Finishing School. 

Frisk huddled under some blankets in their dorm trying to escape the terrifying giggles of their classmates. 

They had some book they don’t remember in their lap and a flashlight perched on their shoulder. 

The next thing they remember the blanket had been pulled off of their shoulders, and they saw black. 

When they woke up, queasy and alone, they found a message scrawled across their sheets in black Sharpie that they have since blocked from their memory. 

Frisk closes their eyes so they don’t have to see their friends’ faces. They don’t want to see. 

Took. My. Puzzles. Still. Nobody. Noticed. Left. Climb. Mt. Ebbot. Few. Days. Later. 

“W-W-Wait … wait … w-wait … you … um … c-climbed a m-mountain? … a few d- days after a c-concussion with a-a-a full bl-blackout? Y-Y-You FELL … what h-h- how many feet?!” Alphys asks. 

Frisk shrugs blushing with embarrassment. 

No. Think. 

“Yeah … ya think? 'No think' is exactly it, nerd. For a smart kid, that was kind of an idiot thing to do.” Undyne chastises. 

I. Know. Stupid. Now. Not. Then.

Frisk flops onto the bed towards Papyrus’ feet with their hands under them as if to say “I’m done talking, now.” 

Frisk notices that, while no one says anything else, the silence isn’t comfortable the way silence usually is for them. 

They poke their head up to see everyone staring at them. Frisk blushes and sits up with their hands still crossed across their body. They carefully search for the comfy cuddle spot against Papyrus’ shoulder again. 

Frisk is vaguely aware that everyone in the room shifts around both them and Papyrus. The minimal light in the room goes out, and Papyrus falls asleep after a few minutes. Frisk feels their own eyelids growing heavy as they burrow deeper into the white pillows on the racecar bed. 

Only a few minutes after Frisk’s eyes close, they feel someone drawing the blankets over their shoulders.

“just get rest you two.” 

“Sans, darling, I swear I never heard this story before. I knew things were bad, but … they never told me this.” 

“i figured as much. it’s all good, MTT. let’s jus let ‘em both sleep.” 

********

To Frisk and Papyrus’ delight, Alphys decides that the concussion is mild enough that puzzles and board games are acceptable activities as long as they’re not played on a screen. 

Toriel calls Frisk out of school until break, and Asgore comes over to house-sit and discuss legal affairs with Sans while Toriel teaches. Flowey listens in on these conversations with the utmost curiosity. 

As the only real doctor in the family, Alphys decides its best to stay at Toriel's place during the day. So, Alphys does all of her office hours via Zoom on Tuesday and Wednesday per the suggestion, and well wishes, of John and Dr. Robinson. Alphys discovers, through Dr. Robinson, that John was actually the one who managed to convince Alphys' Department Head to let her work from home.

If only to check and see that Alphys is okay and that her friend was found safe and sound, all nine members of Alphys’ “fan club” call in at various times to say hello and wish her well.

After Sans and Alphys basically force him, Mettaton goes into the studio to work on tour prep. Still, Mettaton promises to come as soon as he’s done for the day. 

If Undyne is a bit less than engaged in her lessons, her students don’t seem to mind playing Gryftrot tag pretty much every period. They’re mostly hyped up on sugar from various classroom holiday parties anyway. 

Thus, it doesn’t surprise Sans in the slightest when Mettaton and Undyne both come through the door at the same time, Mettaton’s guitar case is slung over his back as he takes the stairs two at a time. 

“He finished it. ” Undyne grins mischievously. 

“undyne … we really shouldn’t.” Sans’ smile spreads. 

“Oh, I know, but I really, really, really wanna!” Undyne whines. 

“L-L-Losers, I’m t-t-totally getting a p-picture,” Alphys says. 

Her voice echoes from the top of the staircase as Undyne and Sans blink up at her in surprise. 

Alphys, Sans, and Undyne all tiptoe down the hallway. 

Frisk sits up in Papyrus’ lap looking excitedly over the edge of the bed. A deck of cards, Shoots and Ladders , and small tray with a puzzle half finished on it have been set aside on Papyrus’ desk. 

Mettaton flushes straight up to his forehead as he tunes his guitar. 

“I-I-I … um …” Mettaton swallows hard. “H-Had been kind of … hoping to … hoping to save this f-for … ah … Gryftmas, dearest, b-b-but … um … I-I-I figured n-now might be … better? I dunno … feelings are hard! Okay?” Mettaton pinches the bridge of his nose. 

Frisk giggles with pure delight and at how silly their friend’s words are. 

“I AM SURE IT WILL BE AS FANTASTIC AS YOU ARE! AND, SANS WAS NEVER VERY GOOD AT KEEPING PRESENTS HIDDEN EITHER,” Papyrus teases. 

Mettaton blushes hard again. 

Mettaton pulls one of the plush chairs up to Mettaton’s bedside, and he takes a deep breath. 

Alphys and Sans sit down to the left of the door. Sans pokes his head over Alphys’ shoulder. Undyne sprawls to the right of the door. All three of them are grateful that Papyrus, Frisk, and Mettaton are too engrossed in the moment to notice them eavesdropping. 

Alphys takes a couple of quick photos of Mettaton holding down some chords on the guitar while he lets Frisk strum the strings. Papyrus looks on dotingly. 

Sans bites his lip because for the first time he really has to think about Papyrus choosing to break out and start a life of his own. In this moment, Mettaton and Papyrus could be Frisk’s parents. Sans finds himself leaning into the little shiver up his spine. It’s not a bad shiver. He just feels old. For so long, it really has been just Sans and Papyrus alone in the world. 

But, seeing Paps and Mettaton so happy makes Sans confront the reality that the “just Sans and Papyrus era” is coming to an end. Sure, Papyrus still needs Sans. Yet, Sans has to wonder how much longer that will be the case. Maybe, there’s a part of Papyrus that will need, or at least want, Sans forever. But, in all the practical ways, Sans realizes that Papyrus has really grown up in his time on the surface. 

he’s his own monster now. by the angel, that’s weird. he’s more mature than i am … that’s scary. gotta work on that. Sans muses. 

Mettaton brings the guitar from Frisk’s hands back to his own lap. He starts playing softly before singing. 

it's a little bit funny

this feeling inside

i'm not one of those who can easily hide

i don't have much money, but boy if i did

i'd buy a big house where we both could live

if i was a sculptor, heh

but then again, no

or a man who makes potions in a traveling show

i know it's not much, but it's the best i can do

my gift is my song and this one's for you

It takes absolutely every ounce of Alphys’ willpower not to squeal when Mettaton starts singing. Undyne catches Alphys’ eye and both of them are grinning like children. They lay across the floor at the start of the second verse so they can hold hands. Their fingers just barely touch. 

and you can tell everybody

this is your song

it may be quite simple, but now that it's done

i hope you don't mind

i hope you don't mind

that i put down in the words

how wonderful life is while you're in the world

Sans looks down at his hands. He fiddles with the strings of his hoodie. In the end, this is exactly what he had always hoped for Papyrus. He has only ever wanted his brother to be happy. However, now, Sans realizes that there’s someone else he wants to see just as happy. Sans looks at the way the dim overhead light shines on the back of Mettaton’s glossy synthetic hair. Sans feels that same protectiveness swell in him that he felt when Mettaton got drunk with him, Undyne, and Alphys last weekend. In Sans’ mind, this song is the only vow he needs to consider Mettaton his honorary second kid-brother, and that means Mettaton is inheriting all the over-protective instincts that come with that title. 

i sat on the roof and kicked off the moss

well a few of the verses, well they've got me quite cross

but the sun's been quite kind

while i wrote this song

it's for people like you that keep it turned on

so excuse me forgetting

but these things i do

you see i've forgotten, if they're green or they're blue

anyway the thing is, what i really mean

yours are the sweetest eyes i've ever seen

This verse makes Frisk smile. For all Mettaton’s mind holds on to words, sounds, and the colors of those sounds, Mettaton is useless at remembering people. He’ll introduce himself to the same person three times at the same party completely by accident. Papyrus isn’t exactly helpful in that regard either because he does the same thing. Frisk knows it's not that Papyrus and Mettaton don’t care, but it’s almost like neither of them physically can remember. 

So, Frisk thinks it’s sweet that Mettaton points out something in a romantic and silly way that, at some other time, might have caused him embarrassment. 

and you can tell everybody

this is the song

it may be quite simple, but now that it's done

i hope you don't mind

i hope you don't mind

that i put down in the words

how wonderful life is while you're in the world

i hope you don't mind

i hope you don't mind

that i put down in the words

how wonderful life is while you're in the world

Papyrus grins widely with tears swelling in his eyes. 

“MAY I?” Papyrus asks. 

Mettaton nods with a watery smile of his own. It seems kind of like Mettaton wants to say something, but he doesn’t. 

Papyrus pulls Mettaton forward so their foreheads rest together. 

After a moment, the two of them pull away. 

“IT’S A SKELETON KISS. I DO NOT HAVE LIPS. THEREFORE, THIS IS HOW WE KISS.” Papyrus grins with a blush. 

Mettaton looks awkwardly at his hands. 

“May I, dearest?” His forehead turns fuchsia again. 

Papyrus grins impossibly wider. 

“OF COURSE!” Papyrus smiles. 

Mettaton brings his lips to Papyrus’ cheek bone and kisses him there. 

Papyrus places his hand over his cheek now blushing just as much as Mettaton.

Papyrus and Mettaton stare just past each other. Though, every few moments, one of them sneaks a glance at the other’s face before ducking away. Their hands slowly find their way to holding each other.

With both of them engrossed in each other, they are completely oblivious to Alphys and Undyne’s joyful squealing noises from the hallway, and that Frisk has fallen fast asleep on Papyrus’ lap. 

In fact, it isn’t until Mettaton tries to stand up with his guitar that he realizes that two of Frisk’s fingers are wrapped around one of the bassy copper strings. Mettaton bites his lip to keep from laughing as he removes Frisk’s fingers from the string and finishes standing up. 

As Mettaton goes to put his guitar in its case, Sans and Undyne do their best to evaporate, and they both find ways to make themselves look busy downstairs. However, Alphys lingers in the doorway. 

“Good night, my love,” Mettaton says. 

“W-WILL YOU COME SING AGAIN TOMORROW?” Papyrus asks. 

“I shall do my best to be here in a timely manner, but if you get tired of waiting for me, please rest, dearest. I-I have a tour preparation meeting tomorrow. Th-They often go late with the  … the plans for the tour getting closer. I-I … ah … never kn-knew how much planning went into tours.” Mettaton sighs. 

Papyrus nods with a smile. 

“THEN, I LOOK FORWARD TO MAYBE SEEING YOU TOMORROW,” Papyrus says.

Mettaton blows Papyrus a theatrical kiss before exiting the door. 

As Mettaton exits the room, he notices Alphys standing outside the door with a smile on her face. 

“Cute. W-W-Well done. But, ton-ton, m-m-make sure you take care of yourself, o-okay? Y-You’ve come to m-m-my place after  e-e-every single one of those m-m-meetings this last m-month. Last week, y-you texted m-me you were coming a-at almost m-m-midnight!  I-If you’re too t-tired tomorrow, j-j-just say something and w-we’ll t-take you to y-y-your apartment, or y-y-you are more th-than welcome to c-c-come to ‘Dyne and m-m-my place. Okay? Pr-Promise me you’re g-gonna look after y-y-yourself, too?” Alphys asks

Mettaton looks down the hallway towards Shyren’s room on the left. 

“I-I … I will try ,” he says. 

“That’s all I a-a-ask, ton-ton,” Alphys says. 

********

Mettaton bounces his knee when Undyne comes to pick him up after his meeting. Mettaton sits on a bench outside the studio. Undyne watches him for a while. His guitar case rests at his feet, and he seems to be staring at it. But, he doesn’t appear to notice her when she pulls up. 

Undyne honestly debates honking at Mettaton if only to see the stupid expression he’ll make. But, something about the late hour makes her think better of it. It’s almost 8:45, and something about the way Undyne sees Mettaton fidgeting makes her wonder if he’s still shaken up about what happened to Papyrus. 

So, Undyne gets out of the car and locks it. She approaches Mettaton slowly and, as she gets closer, she swears Mettaton almost looks like he has tears in his eyes. 

“Hey … um … Mer , you good?” Undyne asks.

She risks using the nickname she called him while watching Return of the King . She doesn’t want him to think she has gone soft on him, but he’s had a rough couple of days. He deserves a little slack. 

Mettaton's head springs up to look at Undyne. He tries to stop bouncing his leg, but it seems like trying to stop it only makes it worse. Still, Mettaton nods. 

 “I’m fine … I just …” he heaves a deep breath and sighs. 

Undyne watches as Mettaton runs his fingers through his hair. He bites his lower lip and looks up at the sky. Undyne swears she sees a tear slip down his cheek. Both of his legs start bouncing as he closes his eyes. 

Undyne looks around over her shoulder before she kneels down in front of him. She touches his knee, and he flinches almost as though she just slapped him. She immediately pulls her hand away and puts it in her lap. 

“Do you maybe just wanna go home, dude? Or, would you rather I drop you off at our place and get Alphy?” Undyne asks. 

Mettaton shakes his head and blows out a shaky breath. He wipes the tear from his cheek. Suddenly, Undyne actually hears his artificial lungs engaging to start Mettaton’s calming feature.

Undyne swears her Soul almost jumps into her throat. She clears it a little before speaking. 

“ Mer , you sure you're okay?” Undyne asks. 

“No. I’m … I’m fine. There were just … um … some passport issues, and the government got involved, and I really didn’t want to make it harder on Blooky and Shyren so I tried to take care of everything. I spent at least an hour explaining that no, Blooky was not going to be any more visible in a picture on their passport, and the human official from the … oh what was it called … Embassy? … whatever … was trying to convince me that Blooky should just make themselves less transparent? UGH! …  He was an absolute idiot. As Alphys would say, the neurons were there, but the synapses didn’t fire. I almost wished Flowey was there to chew him out. It was, at the very least, an amusing thought to have in that rather stressful situation. Then, our meeting ran late tonight … and … a-and … I haven’t had a minute to think about anything and … I have to get to Papyrus … and … it was … darn it all! … this whole freaking week … has been a lot …” Mettaton sighs again. 

Undyne watches as Mettaton flops forward dramatically, but she realizes that drama is mostly earned this time. She has no idea what a passport is, much less what it’s like to spend an hour arguing with someone about one. 

“Look, space heater, you don’t have to go over to see Papyrus if you don’t feel up to it. Alphy told me that if you’re exhausted you should go home. It’s late. Papyrus, Sans, and everyone else, they’re all gonna understand if you just wanna head home,” Undyne says. 

He shakes his head again, and he takes another huge breath. He stands up and picks up his guitar case. 

“No. I want to, Eyown .” He smirks. 

He sticks his tongue out at her as his eyes regain their usual little sparkle of mischief. She rolls her eye at him. 

Though she hates admitting it, she had been more than a little worried when he didn’t respond to her use of his nickname from their Return of the King movie night with one of the several dumb nicknames he has come up with over the last few weeks. At the very least, she hoped to hear one of his usual terms of endearment. However, now that Mettaton returns to teasing her, Her Soul stops racing in her chest.  

Jeeze … this whole thing with Papyrus has got me shaken up enough to care about metal man. I need that dumb vacation. Undyne thinks. 

As they walk towards the car, Undyne notices that Mettaton's whole body is shaking pretty bad. Mettaton pulls his coat tighter around his body while he struggles to get the guitar case over his back. 

“Want me to carry that thing, nerd?” Undyne asks. 

Mettaton hesitantly hands it to her. “Thanks, Spear Maiden. ” 

Undyne grins wider. She unlocks the car, and she places the guitar carefully in the back seat. Mettaton takes shotgun and buckles himself in. 

However, Mettaton falls into sleep mode almost as soon as Undyne starts driving.

He groans lightly in his sleep as his eyebrows knit together. Undyne’s Soul gives a start at the sound. 

Undyne isn’t stupid. Now, she knows something’s wrong. 

So, as soon as Mettaton heads up the stairs to be with Papyrus, Undyne gives Alphys a look and nods towards the kitchen. 

Alphys wrings her hands as Undyne looks at her. 

“H-H-How was he doing wh-when you g-got him? ” Alphys asks. 

“Shook up. He had a rough day. Said something about the government and photos? I don’t really remember. But, he shouldn’t go home tonight. I love Napsta, and Shyren’s a great student, but he might need help that those two nerds can’t give him. He’s pretty shaky … physically, I mean. He seems pretty tired.” Undyne explains. 

Alphys nods, and Undyne notices her eyes drifting up to look at the ceiling. Then, Alphys bites her lower lip in thought. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” Undyne asks. 

“J-J-Just …what to t-text Napstablook a-and Shyren to keep them from g-getting nervous,” Alphys says. 

Undyne hums her acknowledgment and agreement. 

Alphys suddenly pulls out her phone to send the text. Undyne watches intently as Alphys stops and starts texting. Alphys occasionally tilts her head back and forth as she mulls over words. 

“G-Got it,” Alphys says. 

Undyne raises an eyebrow in curiosity. 

“I-I may h-have … uh … t-t-told a slight v-variation … um … on the tr-truth but … here’s wh-wh-what I said. ‘Hi y-you two, M-Mettaton asked to st-st-stay at our place a-after visiting Papyrus b-because we …” 

Both Undyne and Alphys jump upon hearing the distinct thud and slight twang of a guitar case being set down forcefully followed by a soft thud. 

Alphys goes running first, but it’s easy for Undyne to catch up to her. 

I thought I told that punk to take better care of himself! 

Undyne prepares herself to scold Mettaton, but he hasn’t passed out. Instead, they find Mettaton sitting on the stairs, hands clenched in tight fists, muttering to himself. 

“Stupid … stupid humans … stupid government … stupid passports … stupid international travel agencies … stupid photos ... stupid ... stupid ... stupid ...” Mettaton growls. 

Mettaton punches the stair he's sitting on with each phrase. 

Undyne’s Soul clenches with empathy. She has never seen Mettaton angry . Sure, Undyne has seen him flippant and sarcastic, and she has definitely seen him faun. Yet, Undyne cannot remember if she has ever really seen him truly angry. 

However, the way Mettaton's jaw tightens, the darkness of his expression, and the way his pink eyes do their level best to blaze a hole through Toriel’s front door, all definitely speak anger to Undyne.  

“M-Mettaton? H-H-Hey, hey, y-you wanna talk to me about it? I-It’s okay to be u-upset, you know? Y-Y-You can be angry. W-We don’t mind. B-But ... but, let’s not p-p-put a hole in the stair, o-o-okay? Toriel has h-had to do e-e-enough repairs a-after Undyne and P-P-Papyrus set the kitchen on f-f-fire last month. S-So, let’s not b-b-break the stairs. Y-You can hold my hand instead? O-Or, I have some of f-f-fidgets in my work bag.” Alphys offers. 

Alphys gently takes Mettaton’s hand to stop him from punching the wood. He immediately grasps Alphys’ hand tight. 

Undyne observes Mettaton and Alphys carefully. Alphys’ rubs circles on Mettaton’s palm after he loosens his grip on her hand. Then, Alphys deliberately looks Mettaton over. 

Mettaton pulls his hand away from Alphys after about a two minutes of them sitting together. His bites his lip and curls in on himself. 

Both Alphys and Undyne are ready for anything. Undyne is ready to rush Mettaton to the training room downstairs to punch something or scream, and Alphys readies herself to hold Mettaton if he starts to cry. 

As of right now, the latter seems more likely to Undyne. 

“Alphys, darling, I-I … I know I said I was going to start working on staying at my own place more after the last time I invaded your home during the work week. But, my dears, c-could I perhaps … well ... I’d really like to watch a film together. I can go back to the apartment after … if that’s an inconvenience I don’t want to … impose,” Mettaton says. 

So much for a “variation on the truth” … maybe you just have some kind of MTT related sixth sense, Alphy. Undyne smiles to herself at the thought. 

“... c-course. It’s l-like we said l-last time, remember? Y-You’re never i-imposing. Let's g-g-go home,” Alphys says. 

Undyne shakes her head to get herself to focus. 

“Do ya want a hand up there, dude?” Undyne asks. 

Mettaton shakes his head, and he uses the railing to pull himself up to his feet. He rolls his shoulders a few times and shakes out his hands. When Mettaton looks up at Undyne again, any of the earlier traces of anger, frustration, and uncertainty are completely gone from his face. It is almost as though they were never there. 

Undyne’s Soul shudders in the almost uncanny way Mettaton has learned to school his expressions. 

Sans hears them leaving and comes down the stairs to see them out. 

“I-I-I’ll be back tomorrow m-morning,” Alphys says. 

“um … i know this sounds silly, but … what are we doin’ about movie-game night?” Sans asks. 

“I’ll a-a-assess further t-t-tomorrow, but P-Papyrus should be f-f-fine to play g-games or w-w-watch a movie as l-long as h-he commits to resting on S-Sunday with no screens.” Alphys smiles. 

Sans sighs in relief while sporting a huge grin. 

“ah … in that case … he wants to do some kind of game show?” Sans says. 

Mettaton’s face brightens. 

“Text me a list of what all he wants to do, darling. I can put something together!” Mettaton beams. 

Alphys shoots Mettaton a look over her shoulder. Undyne knows that look all too well. Undyne has been on the receiving end of that pointed and derisive frown more often than she’s willing to admit. That’s the “you’re overexerting yourself, don’t be a dumbass” look. 

“thanks, MTT. he’ll be so happy.” Sans smiles. 

“W-W-We should really h-h-head home, Sans. G-G-Give Toriel a-and F-Frisk our best,” Alphys says. 

“Yeah. tell Frisk we’re gonna decorate hardcore some time next week!” Undyne says. 

“Tell dear Frisk that I shall be around tomorrow. I know Wednesdays are usually their day to talk with me. It’s been far too long since we had a proper dance session or a walk. I have en - no not enjoyed, as many of them are quite sad, - I have been fascinated by Frisk's stories from their life before their fated climb up Mt. Ebott. And while I had hoped to be early enough to spend time with both Frisk and Papyrus, sadly I was delayed by a … a-a … meeting .” Mettaton says with a grimace. 

Undyne looks at Mettaton with a widening eye. She had no idea that Frisk has been discussing their life before climbing Mt. Ebott with anyone, much less Mettaton. 

Yet, Sans seems to know all about this because he just gives a thumbs up and a nod. 

As the three of them head out, Undyne picks up the guitar case without anyone saying a word. 

Thankfully, no one protests.

Undyne puts the guitar in the trunk while Alphys says something Undyne can’t hear to Mettaton. He says something in an equally soft voice back. 

The drive home is mostly silent. But, Undyne notices Mettaton fidgeting again in the back seat. He’s not going into immediate sleep mode like he had earlier. Undyne flicks her eye between the road and Mettaton. She’s not sure which state of being worries her more. 

As they pull into the house, Undyne casts a final look over her shoulder. Mettaton hasn’t settled. He’s still fidgeting with a bracelet on his left wrist. Undyne parks, and all three of them sit in silence for a while. Undyne risks another glance over her shoulder at Mettaton. He spins the bracelet on his left wrist exactly twice before stopping to tap his fingers on his knees before going back and spinning the bracelet on his left wrist exactly twice before tapping his knees. Mettaton continues doing this until Undyne has had enough of watching him. 

“Why don’t we go inside?” Undyne suggests. 

“D-Do you know wh-wh-what you want to w-watch, Mettaton?” Alphys asks. 

“Ah … I actually hadn’t thought of that, darling.” He confesses. 

Undyne grins. “I know what I want to watch.” 

“I-I-I swear if you say Ponyo one m-more time!” Alphys giggles. 

“It’s your fault you showed it to me! Besides, tiny fish baby is cute and a squish.” Undyne coos. 

“D-Do you want a tiny f-f-fish baby who is cute and a squish?” Alphys mutters. 

Undyne wants to pretend she didn’t hear that because she’s blushing straight down her gills. But, Mettaton actually starts laughing hysterically so Undyne can’t pretend Alphys didn’t say it. 

The laughter makes it real.

“Let’s just go inside!” Undyne says, trying to scrub the blush from her face. 

As soon as they get inside, Undyne and Alphys both watch to confirm that Mettaton plugs himself in before settling into a bed of bean bags below the couch. Mettaton grabs as many blankets as he can find and wraps them around himself in a little cocoon. 

“You got enough blankets there? They look almost like a cape, Loki .” Undyne grins. 

Mettaton glares as his nose and dark hair are barely visible under a thick green blanket. 

“While I see the resemblance, both in terms of personality and charm, I fail to see how that applies to this situation. And, sadly, the recent films have largely ruined the cinematic universe and cinema itself. Unfortunate, as the early films were brilliant.” Mettaton deadpans. 

Undyne snorts on her laughter. 

“It’s green and it’s a cape. Not everything needs to have perfect cinematic alignment to be funny. Also, I didn’t need to think about the death of a decent film franchise. So, way to bring down the mood, nerd,” Undyne says. 

Mettaton rolls his eyes at her before snuggling deeper into his cocoon. 

“This is a sufficient amount of blankets, Thor: Bench-Presser of Children. ” He retorts. 

Alphys almost drops the DVD case as she chokes on laughter. 

“How the hell do you come up with this shit so fast?” Undyne asks. 

Mettaton just shrugs. “Improv and an encyclopedic knowledge of most human media … no matter how terrible.” 

Undyne decides that he’s probably exhausted and that’s why he’s being so cranky. 

The three of them do in fact end up watching Ponyo . Alphys and Undyne cuddle together on the couch while Mettaton lays across several bean bag chairs. 

When the movie is over, Undyne and Alphys carefully step over Mettaton. 

“Goodnight, Mettaton. T-Try to e-e-enter sleep mode, soon. O-Okay? J-Just speaking f-from experience, … um … i-it’ll make you f-f-feel less f-f-frustrated tomorrow if you can g-get some rest,” Alphys says. 

Mettaton nods. 

Undyne and Alphys walk together up the stairs. Once they’re both snuggled together, Undyne decides that tonight she’s going to ask Alphys a dumb question that has been plaguing her for the last several weeks. 

“H-Hey, Alphy … um … not that I really care, but … why didn’t Mettaton want to learn to drive?” Undyne asks. 

“H-He’s mostly bl-bl-blind in his r-right eye. Driving f-freaks him out. S-Sans and I tried to t-teach him. He turned the k-key, adjusted the m-mo-mirror, and then … he just turned the k-k-keys again and said ‘Nope. N-Nevermind, darling I’ll U-Uber or d-d-do something else.’” Alphys explains. 

“How did he learn to dance and do all those stunts, then? Don’t you need depth perception to dance?” Undyne asks. 

“P-Persistence. He l-loves it. D-Driving is only a n-necessary evil. D-D-Dance is everything t-to him. As for the s-stunts, he d-doesn’t love them, b-but he does them b-b-because other people like them. It’s p-part of the reason I-I focused a lot on his d-d-defenses when I f-finalized his body.You’d never k-know he didn’t l-l-like stunts, but I-I could always t-tell. I-I just w-w-wanted him to be s-safe,” Alphys says. 

Undyne nods. Only having one good eye herself, Undyne can see where driving might freak him out even if she, personally, enjoys it. Undyne loves the freedom of driving. To her, there's nothing more amazing than the feeling of the wind in her hair as she rolls down the windows on the highway.

Yet, to be honest, dancing scares the hell out of her because she’s afraid of falling or dropping Alphys. 

Maybe I really have been too hard on him. I hope he’s okay out there in the world when he’s not with us. Undyne thinks to herself. 

“I get it. I don’t wanna fall when I dance. ‘s why I don’t do it,” Undyne says. 

Alphys smiles. “I-I-I wouldn’t dr-drop you. Y-You know?” 

Undyne places a kiss on Alphys’ forehead before rolling over to her back. Undyne smiles as she drapes an arm over her head and stares up at the ceiling. 

“I know.” Undyne whispers. 

********

Mettaton chews the back end of a pencil as he scrolls Sans’ text again. He’s perched on the end of his bed with a spreadsheet open on a laptop in front of him. He’ll have to thank Blooky for letting him borrow it tomorrow. 

The laptop is plugged in under Mettaton’s pink lamp which sits on his bedside table. The pink lamp casts a long shadow over the room. 

“So, if we start with SnipperClips because it’s the only team game, then we could do … no Tetris should be last, dearest Papyrus loves that one best … But, SnipperClips should definitely be first. DesktopTower Defense could go second. We could use three laptops because there are … Papyrus, one, Frisk, two, Blooky, three, Shyren, four, Alphys, five, Undyne, six, Asgore, seven, Toriel, eight, Sans, nine. So, do we have four computers? Two rounds … four computers … that’s nine right, darling?” Mettaton rubs his face. 

“I hate math, and math hates me …” He half sings and half mutters. 

He pulls up a calculator and discovers that four computers would work out to two rounds for eight people, not nine. 

“Toriel has a desktop computer, Alphys has a laptop, Blooky has a laptop, and I think Papyrus has a computer, too? That’s four. Does Sans have a computer? I think he does. So, we can make that work if we have five computers,” Mettaton says. 

Mettaton texts Sans:

do you and papyrus share a computer, darling? 

or do you each have your own? 

Sans replies:

tori has a desktop

papyrus has a laptop

i also have a laptop 

how’s it comin’ you okay?

Mettaton pauses for a moment. He feels like he’s forgetting something, but he cannot figure out what it is he’s forgetting. 

Mettaton says:

oh fine, lovely! 

it’s coming along great!

i’m just working out how to do desktop tower defense

we need computers for that game

Sans replies with a thumbs up emoji. 

That settled, Mettaton places SnipperClips in the first slot on the sheet followed by Desktop Tower Defense. Then, he writes a note in the Desktop Tower Defense cell that there will be two rounds, four in the first round, and three in the second. He also notes where the computers will come from - Toriel’s desktop, Blooky’s laptop, Alphys’ laptop, Sans’ laptop, and Papyrus laptop. 

Mettaton rolls his shoulders before leaning forward over the computer again. He’ll put the white board together with fun writing tomorrow morning. 

He glances at the little clock in the upper right hand corner of the screen. It’s only 11:30. He’ll be done in an hour, maybe three at the most. He got home later than he planned because he got to Toriel’s house later than he planned. 

Mettaton didn’t leave the studio until 8:00 when he wanted to leave no later than 7:00. The Uber took forever to get to him because it's a Friday night in a college town. However, that means he didn’t get to Toriel’s until 8:30. Then, Mettaton hung out with Frisk until Toriel forced Frisk to go to bed at 9:15. Then, Mettaton and Papyrus were talking until 10:45. Sans brought Mettaton home via wormhole at 11:00.

So, all things considered, Mettaton has made a lot of progress in half an hour! It doesn’t matter that he hasn’t had any time to work on this until now, and he has to have everything organized by 5:00 PM tomorrow. He just has to get the order of events done tonight so that he can spend all morning tomorrow making the board look fancy. 

Nobody needs to know that I save this until the last minute. Why am I so tired? It doesn't matter. Focus! 

Mettaton shakes his arms out before continuing to work on his order of events. 

“Okay, then we should do something with no screens … Jenga has no screens. So, we have a couple of different versions of that, right, beautiful? How many copies did Sans say we have? Two? We have two. So, that makes sense to put after Desktop Tower Defense. It gives Papyrus a screen break. So, if we keep the same pairs as the teams, then we have Jenga heats. It would be too much of a disaster to have everyone play at the same time ..." he trails off. 

Mettaton's mind instantly imagines everyone trying to play Jenga together as an elimination game with Undyne in the mix. He simultaneously wants to laugh and hide at the horrifying vision that enters his mind.  

"Yes. Probably wise to avoid that. So, Lady Toriel plays Sans, and Undyne plays Dr. Alphys. Then, the winner of those two play each other while Blooky plays against Shyren. Then, either Blooky or Shyren plays either Lady Toriel, Sans, Dr. Alphys, or Undyne. While that happens, Papyrus and Frisk play each other. Then, we’ll take a break and either Lady Toriel, Sans, Dr. Alphys, Undyne, Blooky, or Shyren can play against King Asgore. The winner of that would play either Frisk or Papyrus. Whoever wins the final battle gets 3 points? Wait, but that means Frisk and Papyrus only play once? That's not right. So, it would start the same … Lady Toriel vs. Sans, and Undyne vs. Dr. Alphys. Winners play each other, and then losers play each other. That way each win could give a person one point. That’s right, gorgeous you got it. So, the next heat would be …” 

Eventually, Mettaton works out the Jenga heats, but that alone takes him forty-five minutes making it 12:15 by the time he has worked through only three games. 

Mettaton puts his cheek on the top of his knee.

As he looks over at his wall, Mettaton swears he sees a man’s shadow moving across it. His Soul is in his throat for a few seconds before he realizes it has to be his own shadow. Upon realizing he was startled by nothing, Mettaton tries to throw himself back into his task. 

But, he can’t shake the feeling of someone or something standing over him. The feeling is so intense that he almost feels claustrophobic. 

“So … so next … next …” 

Mettaton stops to place a hand over his chest. 

He feels an uncomfortable, though annoyingly familiar, pressure in his chest. 

“Get it together … get it t-t-together … i-it always passes … j-just f-f-f-focus … focus … don’t start crying … we don’t have time for crying, you i-i-idiot.” Mettaton grits his teeth.

Yet, all Mettaton wants to do is cry. He wants to cry and call Alphys. But, it's 12:15, and he doesn't want to bother her with nothing. He can't believe he lets something so stupid scare him.

His chest squeezes tight, and Mettaton takes a strangled breath. 

Mettaton knows he needs to cry. Crying has been the only consistent solution to this all too common problem of his chest tightening so much he can barely breathe. He discovered that letting himself cry is the best, and only, solution sometime after crashing at Alphys and Undyne’s house last week Tuesday.

Now that he thinks about it, though, maybe, it was the week before last week?

As Mettaton's mind spirals, he isn’t sure if he can remember the last time he has gone a whole night without crying. 

Mettaton laces his fingers behind his head and curls into his knees. He just can’t quite get his artificial lungs to engage properly as the pressure around his Soul worsens. 

“C-C-Come on … j-j-just work … please … please … please work … please w-w-work … please … p–p-p-please …” 

Mettaton nuzzles deeper into his knees as his breathing quickens. 

“Sh-Shower w-w-w-worked l-la-last … y-yester- … yesterday… t-t-try … try that … that … that again …” 

He almost swallows the shallow breath he barely manages to take before standing. 

Mettaton’s legs shake violently under him as he grabs his bed post. He clings to it like a life line as he tries to get his feet to cooperate. He outright refuses to fall. 

Mettaton will not humiliate himself like that, even if he is his only audience.

Mettaton’s mind completely blanks how he makes it to the shower as well as how he gets his pajamas off. He only recalls turning the tap as hot as the water will go before sinking under it.  

At first, Mettaton wraps his arms around himself and whimpers. Then, he rocks back and forth under the water as he sobs. He hopes the sound of the water masks the sound of his crying so he doesn’t disturb Blooky and Shyren. 

Mettaton finds himself immensely grateful that he doesn’t have any skin to blister or flake into dust. For, even if the water feels like it burns him, he just lets the scorching sensation ground him knowing that it can't really hurt him. After several minutes, Mettaton's artificial lungs finally engage his calming feature.

Finally, after another forty-five minutes wasted, he dries himself off. However, he finds that his shoulders have started to glow in a soft pink light. 

I didn’t think Dr. Alphys put any LED … I … 

Mettaton blinks a few times before grinning so wide he’s sure his face is going to split in pure joy. A whole new burst of energy rushes through him. 

I … she … he … we all … we did it. I fused! It’s mine. It’s complete. It’s done … I’m me!

Mettaton punches the air and twirls just for the fun of it. 

He nearly slips on his own pajama pants, and he blushes as he gets himself dressed. 

He looks at the clock and finds it’s now just after 1:00. 

“I suppose that means no more burning hot showers, love.” He chuckles to himself. 

“So,  SnipperClips, Desktop Tower Defense, Jenga …” 

Mettaton repeats as he throws himself back into his organizing. 

In the end, it’s 6:00 AM before everything is organized. It’s nearly noon by the time the whiteboard is designed to Mettaton’s satisfaction. 

It’s 4:00 PM when Mettaton realizes he never charged himself. 

********

“Tonight! Beauties and Gentlebeauties we prepare to face the GAME GAUNTLET!” Mettaton announces. 

Sans has to laugh. When Mettaton promised that he’d turn Papyrus’ eclectic list of games into something coherent, Sans isn’t sure what he expected. All he knows is that Mettaton has delivered an incredible final product. 

A huge whiteboard is wheeled in by Undyne. It has a chart with the list of games and players. 

Because he is “hosting,” Mettaton’s name is not listed amongst the players. 

Sans looks over his shoulder, and he finds that Papyrus beams. 

“The rules of the Gauntlet are simple, my dears. The first, second, and third place winners of each game will each receive three, two, or one points respectively. Well, with a few games that are exceptions and have their own special point system. Regardless, lovelies, at the end, we shall tally up all the points. Aaaaand … by that I mean, Dr. Alphys and Sans will double check my math to ensure I’ve made proper calculations … and then we shall declare THE WINNER!” Mettaton cheers. 

Everyone grins. The games are a combination of puzzles, trivia, and generic party games. 

The first game of the night they play in teams. They play SnipperClips. Points are awarded for who can complete each level the fastest. Toriel and Sans go first. 

The two of them don’t totally botch the level. But, they aren’t very fast, either. Sans is surprisingly methodical and incredible at explaining things to Toriel. 

“Well done! Well done!” 

Mettaton writes their time on a piece of paper. 

Undyne and Alphys are up next. The two of them spend the whole time flirting while snipping off pieces of the other person’s character at random. They don’t even finish the level. 

But, everyone is laughing by the time they’re done. 

“UNDYNE! REALLY? YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO DO IT RIGHT!” Papyrus scolds. 

“Who's to say! This is clearly the BEST way to play this game! Cut the little dudes into pieces! HACK ‘EM UP!” Undyne shouts. 

Everyone bursts out laughing. 

Alphys does get a redemption round so Asgore can play. But, somehow he’s even worse at the game than Undyne. 

Flowey is laughing hysterically through the entire six minutes it takes Asgore to move, and he collapses onto his leaves in the additional three it takes for Asgore to cut Alphys in half. 

While no one laughs quite as hard as Flowey, Asgore’s ineptitude does make everyone chuckle. 

“I-It’s alright A-Asgore … th-this game is hard.” Alphys assures.

Alphys, at least, tries really hard not to laugh. 

“My, my such … interesting displays these last two rounds have been! Blooky and Shyren, my dears, you’re up!” Mettaton sing-songs. 

Blooky and Shyren are another team of strategists. They manage to complete the level quicker than Sans and Toriel but not by much. 

“Well, well! Not bad at all! If our final team is ready, then we shall start the clock.” Mettaton grins. 

“READY FRISK?” Papyrus asks. 

Frisk nods. 

Frisk and Papyrus don’t even need to talk. They both just alternate from watching the screen to watching their fingers. They almost seem able to predict what the one needs before the other gets that point in the puzzle. They finish the level in just under two minutes which is a full minute faster than Shyren and Blooky’s time. 

Frisk holds out their fist. Papyrus taps it with his own. 

“"BA-LA-LA-LA-LA!” Papyrus says.  

Alphys spins on her heel to look at Frisk and Papyrus. She all but falls to her knees. 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo! Don’t do these th-things to me! It’s too c-cute!!!” Alphys squeals. 

Alphys’ reaction causes Mettaton to bite his lip to keep a rather loud laugh from erupting. But, when Undyne hoists Alphys across her shoulders, and then winks at him, Mettaton absolutely loses his battle against laughter. Alphys happily continues to squeal as Undyne spins her around.  

The next several games go off without a hitch. It seems like Papyrus and Frisk are unstoppable. Third place is a toss up between Blooky, Sans, and Shyren. But, first and second is a clear battle between Frisk and Papyrus. 

“Our third to last game of the evening, sweethearts is SceneIt! Sadly, I am no longer allowed to play because someone decided that it was unfair .” Mettaton glares at Undyne. 

“IT WAS UNFAIR, AND YOU KNOW IT! YOU SERIOUSLY COULDN’T EVEN LET ANYONE TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS! YOU GAVE PEOPLE QUESTIONS FOR FREE BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T HELP YOURSELF!” 

Undyne leaps on the sofa. 

“Perhaps, it’s best that I leave all you beauties and gentlebeauties to play this one without my hosting as I must admit, I lack self control during this game. Besides, all this announcing has left me a little dried out. Toodles!” Mettaton says. 

“Y-Yeah … p-probably for the b-best.” Alphys shakes her head. 

Mettaton heads for the kitchen, but something catches Sans’ eye. It’s slight, but Sans swears it looks like Mettaton’s wobbling a little bit. 

As Sans continues to watch Mettaton in his peripheral vision, for a split second, it seems to Sans like Mettaton is using the kitchen’s door frame as a crutch. Mettaton puts his hand up to his forehead with a grimace. Then, Mettaton walks into the kitchen like nothing happened. 

Everyone else’s backs are turned, and Sans just happened to turn his head. 

should probably check on him. i have a weird feeling about that. worst thing that happens is i’m wrong, and he makes some kind of joke about it. Sans thinks. 

He gets up and pats Toriel’s hand. 

“gonna grab myself somethin’ too. trivia is probably one of the things i’m worst at if i’m goin’ tiba honest,” Sans says. 

Papyrus glares at Sans over his shoulder. 

“BROTHER, ONE DAY. ALL I ASK IS ONE DAY WHERE YOU TRY TO MAKE YOUR WORD PLAY SLIGHTLY LESS EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL TO LISTEN TO!” Papyrus shouts. 

Sans chuckles as he makes his way to the kitchen. But, the laughter dies as soon as Sans enters the room. He is acutely aware that something is very wrong as soon as he sees Mettaton’s head pillowed on his arms on the kitchen table with a half finished glass of tea sitting in front of him.

“hey, MTT? i noticed ya kinda stumbled in here. ya okay, buddy?” 

Sans pulls a chair up next to Mettaton. 

“‘m fine … tired … long week, darl’ng,” Mettaton says. 

Sans notes how slurred Mettaton’s voice sounds. 

no alcohol in sight. it has to be his battery. someone should have texted him a reminder ‘bout that explicitly. i totally coulda been more specific last night when I checked in. ‘cause last couple days he’s been at the studio, here, and then gone home. one night he was at al’s which was a blessing. still, poor kid probably couldn’t put his week back together if he tried. Sans thinks. 

“how’s your charge?” Sans asks. 

Mettaton grunts. 

“‘s like 5%, but … I think ‘m plugged in? ‘s why I came in here, sweeth’rt.” 

Sans looks down. 

“ya are, in fact … um … not plugged in, pal,” Sans says. 

“Oh? …” Mettaton mumbles. 

Mettaton fumbles with the cap over his charging port with little success. 

“can i just help ya, MTT?” Sans asks. 

Sans realizes that’s a touchy subject only after Mettaton’s eyes fill with synthetic tears. 

“NO! Don’t touch it! I don’ WANT you to touch it!! ” Mettaton says forcefully. 

Sans raises an eye socket as Mettaton blindly swings his arm up over his head for emphasis. This sends Mettaton forward so he ends up face down on his arm again while the other comes to rest over the back of his head. 

red flag. that’s a red flag. gotta be delicate though. Sans thinks. 

“do ya want al or somebody else ta help ya with it, MTT?” Sans asks. 

“No … I got it. ‘s fine, darl’ng. Don’ bother ‘nyone. ‘m fine,” Mettaton says. 

After quite a struggle, Mettaton finally unscrews the cap and gets the cord pulled out of the port. However, he stumbles on his way to plug himself into the wall. Mettaton braces his fall but still lands heavily on his knees. 

if it weren’t for paps and undyne shouting, someone definitely woulda heard that. if they hadn’t already heard him yell before. Sans thinks. 

Sans kneels next to Mettaton who looks a second away from face planting into the kitchen floor. 

“MTT, just sit down and relax, ‘kay? now that you have the cord out, can i just plug it in the wall for ya? i swear i won’t touch anythin’ else below your waist. ‘m jus’ gonna plug in the cord,” Sans says. 

“mmmm ... guess tha’s fine …d’rling,” Mettaton says. 

Sans watches Mettaton to make sure he doesn’t need Sans’ help getting back to the chair. As it turns out, Mettaton is even more unsteady than Sans expects. Mettaton’s knees start to buckle but, thankfully, when Sans needs to be, he can be pretty light on his feet. Sans grabs a chair and begins to guide Mettaton, by the hand, onto it before Mettaton can hit the floor a second time.

“chair’s right behind ya, kid. nice and easy. m’kay? nice and easy, buddy. we’re gonna sit down now. ‘kay? take it nice ‘n slow . how ya feelin’? are ya real dizzy, kiddo? think ya gonna go no power on me?” 

Mettaton nods slowly in response to both questions. 

“... y-yeah ... d-d-dizzy … r-room ... spinning … not … in n’a the … fun … w-way.” Mettaton manages to say. 

Upon having his fears confirmed, Sans gently eases Mettaton’s head between the robot’s knees. Mettaton doesn’t flinch or make any protest as Sans guides him forward, so Sans leaves his hand on Mettaton’s back as he speaks.  

“easy, buddy, wantcha ta keep your head right there. if ya pass out, i don’t want ya ta hurt yourself, kid, m‘kay? if ya fall sideways, floor in here’s tile. ‘s not gonna be fun ta hit with an already spinnin’ head. one concussion this week’s plenty,” Sans says. 

It seems, at least for now, Mettaton allows Sans to touch his shoulders and back. However, Sans just commits to listening carefully to what is and is not wanted. 

Sans waits just a moment longer until he is assured Mettaton won’t move. Then, he turns to plug the charger in the wall. 

“there we go, that’s all settled now, MTT,” Sans says. 

“‘m sorry … didn’ mean for … my battery to get so low … got distracted las’ night,” Mettaton mumbles. 

“hey, buddy, no worries, i get it, accidents happen. don’t sweat it. i forget to do stuff all the time. but, and this is gonna sound totally hypocritical, but … maybe … um … try to remember the stuff that’s important for your health first. wouldn’t want the floor to accuse you of assault and low battery,” Sans says. 

Metton cracks a smile, a weak smile, but it’s still a smile. 

When Mettaton tries to sit up, Sans puts a gentle hand on Mettaton’s back. 

“don’t try to get up yet, ‘kay? how 'bout we jus' take a breather here for a minute. yeah? ‘cause al and paps would offer ta let grilby make me into one of his specials if i let somethin’ happen to ya,” Sans says. 

“N-No … I should be … I should be supporting Papyrus. … I-I feel so foolish,” Mettaton says. 

“don’t, MTT. like i said, honest, accidents happen. ‘s not your fault. i was jus’ thinkin’ that you’ve had kinda a confusing week. somethin’ was bound ta slip. i shoulda texted you specific reminder the last couple of nights ta take care of yourself. you’ve got a lot on your mind lately, yeah? so don’ sweat it,” Sans says. 

It doesn’t escape Sans’ ever perceptive gaze that Mettaton stiffens at his question. 

“It‘s not an excuse. I swear . It’s not … not an excuse.” Mettaton’s voice breaks. 

“MTT. i saw what ya did for paps when he was recovering. ya sang that song ya wrote for him every night since tuesday before ya went home. not ta mention putting together this whole gauntlet thing. ‘kay? i know this was just an unfortunate lapse in judgement. to be honest with ya, i’m surprised your memory is half this functional right now. ya know, with the tour preparation on top of what happened to paps, ‘s a lot. you’re not perfect. so what, nobody is. no matter how great or super he might be, yeah? so, i’m not so naive to love that i don’t see the way your love radius for my little bro. forgetting ta charge doesn’t change that.” Sans reassures. 

Mettaton stiffens, and his eyebrows scrunch together. 

“MTT, we really should get, doctor alphys. do ya want me ta get her now?” Sans asks. 

Sans moves his steadying skeletal hand to Mettaton’s shoulder. 

“N-No. I should … ‘s fine. Don’t interrupt the fun more than I-I have already, darling. Please ,” Mettaton says. 

“i really want to emphasize how much this is not your fault. ‘kay? if you’re not feelin’ well, we should let ya charge upstairs where it’s quiet. ya dropped to like what … 2 or 3% by the time we figured out the cord? al told us ya might start to feel pretty damn sick when ya drop to 10% or less power. i’m surprised ya did so well in front of the whole crew for so long. how about ya take it easy and have doctor alphys come in and check ya out. then, tori can getcha tucked in upstairs so ya can have a nice long nap. how’s that sound, kid?” Sans asks. 

“No. No. I-I’m alright. Th-This … this is fine.” Mettaton insists. 

“ok, ok. but, at least let me hang out here with ya to confirm that you’re as ‘alright’ as ya say ya are,” Sans says. 

“F-Fine, but you’re overreacting,” Mettaton says. 

i, really, don’t think i am, kid. Sans thinks. 

Mettaton groans and massages his forehead with both hands after a particularly loud boom of laughter from Asgore echoes around the lower level of the house. It doesn’t help that the laughter is promptly followed by Undyne whining about playing SceneIt with Alphys being unfair because she has been researching human films for ages with Mettaton to make his body. 

“Come now, Undyne. We cannot ban more people from the game just because you lost. Mettaton was only banned for being a steel trap for movie facts … and more than a bit overzealous. Thus, we were keeping things fair. You only lost by two points this round,” Asgore says. 

Papyrus groans at the pun while Undyne screams.

“WHO DO YOU THINK MADE THE MAGIC STEEL TRAP , ASGORE!?”

Alphys and Papyrus both have to laugh at that.

Sans’ attention is drawn back to Mettaton when Sans catches him moving in his peripheral vision. Sans watches Mettaton press a hand to his chest piece. Based on the sound, it seems like Mettaton is having trouble accessing his artificial lungs.

“mettaton? hey, what’s wrong, buddy? somethin’ hurtin’, kiddo?” Sans asks.

Sans puts a little more pressure on Mettaton’s shoulder when Mettaton groans. 

“talk ta me, MTT. do. you. need. alphys. be honest,” Sans says urgently. 

“‘s nothing … ‘s nothing …” Mettaton wheezes. 

“doesn’t sound like nothin’,” Sans says. 

Sans kneels in front of Mettaton so Sans can see Mettaton’s face better. Mettaton’s brows are furrowed with concentration. 

“talk. ta. me.” Sans drops his voice. 

Mettaton shakes his head. 

“Happens sometimes …always … always passes …” Mettaton breathes hard. 

“have ya told, doctor alphys about this, MTT?” Sans keeps his voice serious. 

“No … ‘s fine … like I said … it always … ngh … passes.” 

Mettaton waves his hand in Sans’ general direction as Mettaton fights for a ragged breath. 

“listen. i’m not an expert or anythin’, but ya look like you’re in pain, MTT. ya need to tell her. is it your artificial lungs? or is it somethin’ else in your core that’s hurtin’? talk ta me, kid,” Sans says. 

“‘s … ‘s not a problem … don’t really need to breathe ‘nyway … just happens … when … when … get … stressed … hard to access … c-c-calming … calming feature … always p-p-passes … passes … always passes … after a f-f-few … f-few minutes. I-I … just … just need t-t-to focus … need … need quiet,” Mettaton says. 

Mettaton grimaces and fights for another breath that doesn’t come. 

“see. now, that sounds and looks like a big problem ta me. if stress is making somethin’ hurt, ‘specially in your core, ya need to tell doctor alphys. ‘kay, buddy?” Sans says. 

“No … no … ‘s fine … ‘m fine. S-Sorry … this … it's shallow and … it’s n-n-not … ‘s not important … ‘m fine, d’rling,” Mettaton says. 

“don’t apologize for bein’ in pain, MTT. ‘s okay that you're not feeling so great. that’s fine, buddy. nobody out there’s gonna hold it against ya for not feelin' good. so, while i’m not gonna force ya ta talk ta doctor alphys right now, ya need ta talk ta her soon . ‘kay? this isn’t shallow. bein’ in pain isn’t stealing the spotlight, alright? she might be able to write a program or somethin’ ta fix it ‘fore ya leave.” Sans reassures. 

Mettaton breathes between his knees for a minute with Sans’ hand steadying him. Mettaton grimaces when a breath seems to stick in his throat causing him to cough. Sans runs his hand in a circle over Mettaton’s shoulders. 

“ya sure you don’t want tori and i to set ya up upstairs, at least? you’re clearly not doin’ so well, right now, kid, and ya said it’s easier ta fix when ya have peace and quiet. ‘s okay to ask for some help if ya need it. please, let me get some help for ya,” Sans says. 

But, Mettaton shakes his head and tries to sit up again. But, Sans lightly presses Mettaton back down. 

“nope. not yet, i want ya to stay there and breathe. once ya get a couple good breaths then i’ll help ya sit up. i jus' don’t trust that ya won’t fall if ya sit up right now,” Sans says. 

Sans swears he sees a couple tears slip down Mettaton’s nose as Mettaton fights to get his breathing to regulate again. Sans vows if this doesn’t end in the next minute or two he’s going to bring somebody in to help, at the very least, whisk Mettaton upstairs and out of the noise.

However, it doesn't take too long before Mettaton is able to speak again. 

“See. Like I said, absolutely nothing to worry about, darling. It just *ahem* comes and goes. I’m okay. I’m fine,” Mettaton says.

Sans can’t tell if Mettaton says that to reassure Sans or himself. So, Sans takes it upon himself to make one last attempt to get Alphys involved. 

“one, that ain’t normal. so, it is somethin’ ta worry about. two, ‘s kinda freakin’ me out that this has happened enough that there’s a pattern and nobody ‘sides you … uh … seems to know this is happenin’, like, at all . ‘n three, i really think that doctor alphys would like ta know what’s goin’ on,” Sans says. 

“I-It’s Papyrus’ night to lead the festivities, and he has had a well rougher week than I. My distractedness and … excitement over the t-tour is not worth worrying anyone over. Truly , it’s all nerves. So, I will not interrupt everyone with my … my frivolous problems, darling. It’s all fine. It’ll be alright. I-I … I’m just nervous about the tour. That’s all, dear ... just nerves.” 

Mettaton fidgets with a hole in his jeans while he speaks. 

if this is stage fright, kid. how’d ya get this far? still, i guess this is different. but, while it’s true that paps has probably had the roughest week, this is kinda important for the crew ta know. ‘sides paps wouldn’t want ya ta suffer on his account. if you’d started to struggle any more, or this had lasted any longer, i’d have started yellin’ for everyone to get the hell in here. it was freaky seein’ ya like that. freaks me out enough when al panics, and i’ve seen that a hundred times. so, no amount of sweet talk is gonna change what i just witnessed with my own two damn sockets. you’re hurtin’. doesn’t sit right that ya didn’t want ta let me help with that cord. 

Despite his conflicted thoughts, Sans decides that it’s not worth forcing the issue. If anything, calling the crew in now is going to push Mettaton further away from talking when he is ready. Still, Sans socks this information away for future discussion. If Mettaton is having these attacks, in any way, frequently, it makes Sans question why Mettaton hasn’t said anything to anyone. 

“Do you think I can sit up now?” Mettaton asks. 

“depends, what are ya gonna do when you sit up?” Sans asks. 

“I’m at 35% charge. I can make it through the night. I gotta go get the results from this last game. Soooooo, we can finish the night with a bang!” 

Mettaton springs up and gathers his charging cord. He strikes some kind of silly pose while putting his cord back in his hip port and capping it. 

Despite Mettaton’s eyes glowing pink, the light of joy doesn’t reach them. For a brief moment, it almost seems like Mettaton’s right eye is twitching as the LED light in it flickers. 

While it’s eerie to listen to and look at, Sans knows that there are only two other people who will likely notice any dissonance because, unless Sans was primed, he wouldn’t even notice anything wrong. 

he’s a damn good actor. i’ll give him that. Sans thinks. 

However, no matter how many masks Mettaton puts on, Sans has some faith that Papyrus and Alphys will see those dull eyes and hear that overly happy, bordering on manic, sounding voice and know something’s off. 

If anything, Sans hopes they do because, hopefully, one of them will be able to talk some sense into Mettaton’s thick magic-metal skull. 

Mettaton downs the last of the glass of tea and places it in the sink. Sans watches carefully as Mettaton straightens his back and takes a deep steadying breath before returning to the living room. 

Sans finds himself more concerned when Mettaton puts on the perfect host face in front of everyone after re-entering the living room. 

No one notices that anything has changed since Mettaton left for the kitchen. In fact, everyone in the family room appears to assume that Mettaton really did go off to the kitchen to prevent himself from blurting answers. 

He truly had no self-control the last time they played. Thus, it makes the perfect alibi. 

he knew exactly when ta leave that kitchen to avoid everyone wonderin’ about him. he timed that perfectly. he was also clearly in a lot pain. that was no joke ‘cause he absolutely wasn’t fakin’. kinda wonder if he’s still feelin’ pretty bad. so, he’s struggling with somethin’ . but, what the hell is he hidin’ that has him so worked up and secretive?  Sans wonders. 

Well, Sans, at least, thought Mettaton’s hosting looked normal, but Alphys turns to look at Sans with concern. 

Sans motions towards Mettaton with his head while raising his eye sockets as if to ask if that’s who she’s concerned about. 

Alphys bites her lip and nods an affirmation. 

Sans has to admire her stealth.

The group has moved on to playing some kind of Jackbox game which requires players to design a tee-shirt where images are matched to slogans for points. 

Thus, no one notices that Alphys’ answers are totally off while she texts Sans. It just looks like she’s answering the prompts in weird ways. Besides, Papyrus is the only other monster who would normally notice anything. However, he is too preoccupied with shouting about Toriel’s terrible puns, and Undyne’s … creative use of … well … Sans will call it art. 

Alphys’ text reads:

is MTT okay? he seems, i don’t know, forced? 

no one would probably notice except for me.

maybe papyrus. 

but, papyrus probably wouldn’t because of the concussions’ lingering effects. 

he’s lucky i cleared this. 

but MTT seems TIRED.

like really tired. 

actually he almost looks sick to me even though that’s not really possible 

unless some piece of hardware is broken. 

Sans texts back:

it was worse in the kitchen. 

trust me. 

i think he’s hiding something from us. 

something big. 

don’t think it’s hardware though. 

Alphys asks:

is he safe?

does he need help?

Sans mulls over his reply before deciding on a neutral answer.

He texts:

i don’t know. 

Alphys replies:

not sure how much longer i can keep up this ruse. 

but, that’s not reassuring OR helpful, sans.

not even a little.

Sans closes his eyes in thought. 

Sans responds:

forgot to charge. 

almost passed out. 

real, real dizzy.

exact words

room spinning not in a fun way

seemed like he was in pain.

helped him into a chair and got him to take a quick breather.

he did drink some tea. 

think that helped. 

he’s at only 30-something battery. 

refused to finish charging because he felt bad about forgetting last night. 

really didn’t want to take attention from paps. 

tried to convince him paps would rather him be safe than whatever the hell this is but he wouldn’t listen to me. 

Alphys turns around briefly and looks at Sans with wide and angry eyes. She stares him down before going back to her phone to text him. 

It reads:

WHAT. 

THE ACTUAL. 

FUCK!

SANS! WHY DIDN’T YOU GET ME?! 

Sans replies:

he didn’t want me to. 

Alphys replies:

if there is a next time, you WILL get me no matter WHAT he says. CLEAR?!!

Sans looks up to see her glaring at him with fire seeming to burn behind her bespectacled eyes.

Sans replies:

crystal. 

damn doc, you’re scary. 

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?” Papyrus asks. 

“doc’s trying to convince me to get back in the running to take third. but, i wasn’t sure. still, she thinks i could be totally tee- riffic at this. no shirt ,” Sans says. 

Toriel and Frisk both almost choke laughing. 

“SAAAANS!” Papyrus shouts. 

“My, my what a stinker that was! You should most definitely join in on the next round, Sans!” Mettaton exclaims.

oh, i will, buddy. if only to ensure you’re in my line of sight until you’re safely in the care of your cousin, undyne, and al. Sans thinks. 

“ah. guess i could try. i mean ‘s not like it’ll hurt anything to play. there won’t be any …” 

“DON’T SAY IT, SANS! DON’T SAY IT!” Papyrus warns. 

“ casual tees ,” Sans says. 

“OH MY GOD! SAAAANS! WHY!?” Papyrus shouts. 

Everyone else laughs. 

As Sans sits down next to Alphys, she mouths a “thank you.” 

Everyone is starting to get pretty tired after another hour of playing games. The final game of the evening is, of course, Tetris. 

Papyrus wins the night, but Frisk is only a point behind him. 

Get. You. Next. Time. They sign. 

“AH! YOU THINK SO! YOU WERE A FORMIDABLE OPPONENT, AND, AS SUCH, I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR REMATCH! NEYHEHE!” Papyrus laughs. 

Sans watches Mettaton pull to a shaky stand before putting the last ounces of his energy into his closing announcement. 

“And, with that, we conclude our night, darlings! We shall resume next week with … oh!” 

Mettaton’s face genuinely brightens for a moment. 

“I-It’s my week next week! Well, we shall resume next week with the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables! Drive safe! Goodnight Everyone!” He beams. 

Everyone cheers, and the night winds down as it usually does. 

Everyone hugs before beginning to depart. 

So, if Mettaton lets his hug with Papyrus linger a little longer than usual, to most anyone, it just looks like the two of them are in love. Papyrus’ hand brushes through Mettaton’s hair as Mettaton leans heavily against Papyrus. Papyrus looks concerned for a moment and seems to ask Mettaton something. Mettaton nods his response to the question and leans in tighter.

Alphys and Sans read the word "tired" on Mettaton lips, but that's all they really catch. Still, Alphys and Sans notice that Mettaton’s knees look like they’re buckling a little in the strength of Papyrus’ embrace. Both of them also watch how, for the first time that night, Mettaton relaxes and lets his face fall into an expression that is a mixture of pain, sadness, and genuine affection. Mettaton clearly doesn’t want to leave whatever stronghold he has found to, however briefly, fall apart in Papyrus’ arms. 

Alphys looks at Sans one more time with concern. But, she follows Shyren and Napstablook out the door. 

After reluctantly breaking his embrace with Papyrus, Mettaton slings an arm playfully over Undyne’s shoulder. 

“You know, for what it’s worth, I appreciated the ‘my precious’ joke you snuck in on the Spider Doughnut shirt, Spear Maiden . Muffet can really rival Gollum in creep factor sometimes.” Mettaton winks. 

Undyne supports him as they both giggle at a joke only the two of them really understand. 

“ DUDE! We have to do a re-read or, at the very least, an Extended Edition viewing! I’ve ALWAYS wanted to watch the Extended Editions, but no one let those things fall in the dump!” Undyne shouts. 

They both laugh their way out the door. 

another brilliant cover, MTT. but, we’re gonna get to the bottom of this if only to keep ya safe. we need ya safe, too, buddy. Sans thinks. 

“SANS! YOU’RE THINKING TOO LOUD!” Papyrus says. 

“right you are bro. let’s go to sleep.” Sans smiles. 

Sans ushers Frisk up the stairs. 

“i’ll come down to help clean up later. kay, tori?” Sans says. 

“Oh! No, Sans. Just make sure Frisk has clean pajamas and is ready for bed. That is more than enough,” she says. 

Frisk raises an eyebrow at Sans. 

Think. Loud. Correct. They sign. 

Sans gives Frisk a shrug. “just contemplating new shirt puns.” 

“I’M RETIRING THAT GAME!” Papyrus calls from down the hall. 

Frisk and Sans both share a private laugh before Sans helps Frisk pick some pajamas. He tucks them in before heading to his own room for the night. 

just hope MTT doesn’t do anything too reckless before we have a chance to help him out. paps really loves him. that alone makes him worth protecting. besides, if MTT's not careful, alphys and undyne are gonna be installing baby monitors in his house so they can use the speakers to send him omniscient reminders. 

Sans smiles and falls asleep with that amusing image in his mind.

Chapter Text

When Mettaton stumbles home, both Shyren and Blooky know instinctually something is very wrong. Despite both of them having already turned in for the night, they both hear Mettaton stumbling through the apartment. 

Blooky and Shyren notice from Mettaton’s breathing that it seems like their friend has been crying exceptionally hard. They know that Mettaton definitely thinks they’re both asleep because he talks to himself as he walks towards his bedroom. 

“K-Keep it together … j-just keep … keep it t-together … i-it’s f-fine … fine … y-you’re … y-you’re  … fine … I-It’s okay … I’m okay …” 

Shyren wants to open the door to her room, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t want to scare Mettaton. He sounds terrified, and the last thing she wants to do is make it worse by jumping out of her bedroom. 

Blooky wants to offer their cousin a chance to lie on the floor and feel like garbage. However, like Shyren, they’re afraid they’ll startle Mettaton if only because Mettaton probably thinks Blooky has zoned out for the night. 

Usually, Mettaton doesn’t come home this late. Lately, Alphys texts the pair of them that Mettaton is at her place sleeping on her sofa if he hasn’t come home by midnight. 

They both hear his door close and, if either of them hear him start to cry in earnest, in an effort not to further dismay their friend by making him think that he woke them up, Blooky and Shyren both try to give him space.

Blooky and Shyren’s phones vibrate softly. 

Alphys’ text reads: 

did MTT make it home okay? he didn’t come here, and i’m worried. i know he had a meeting today. 

Blooky texts back before Shyren has a chance. 

They reply:

he just walked in the door. he seemed upset about something. - napsta  

Alphys responds:

how so? what did he say? 

Shyren answers: 

he was talking to himself. he’s alone in his room. i think he’s crying. 

Alphys replies: 

thanks for letting me know guys. take care of him, if he lets you, okay? let me know if you need something. i’ll be there as fast as i can if you need me. 

Blooky says:

we will. - napsta

Blooky swore they would never do this, but tonight it’s necessary. They silently phase through Mettaton’s door, and they watch him for just a moment.

Indeed, their cousin is crying silently with his knees pulled up to his chest. 

Blooky lies down, to the sound of their cousin weeping, and they lean into what makes them feel like garbage. They lean into the fact that they don’t know how to help their baby cousin stop crying so hard, and they turn the floor into the silent cosmos. 

A calm spreads over the room, and Blooky lies there till they are certain their little cousin is sleeping. When Blooky rises from the floor, they hover over the bedside for a moment. 

Mettaton breathes deeply in his sleep mode. Though, Blooky sees that Mettaton’s brows are drawn together in either pain, sadness, or fear. Though, which of those things, Blooky can’t tell. 

Blooky has never been good with words, and words fail them now, too. But, if their presence can calm their little cousin’s aching Soul, maybe that will be enough. 

For, while Blooky is happy to remain incorporeal, and most often a body holds no interest for them, in this one moment, however, Blooky wishes they had arms so they could hold their cousin close and make him feel safe. 

********

Alphys sighs and sets down her phone. As long as this week has been, and as tired as she is, she desperately wishes Mettaton had come to her instead of going home. 

As Alphys walks up the stairs, she hears Undyne step into the hallway. 

“The space heater didn’t show up?” Undyne asks. 

“N-No. H-He’s home. B-But, Shyren and Napstablook s-said h-he’s in his room c-crying. I-I’m scared for him. Wh-what if h-he’s hurting, b-but he’s afraid t-to come here? Oh … oh n-n-no … wh-what if he’s hurt, ‘Dyne!? Sh-should I g-go over th-there?” Alphys asks. 

Undyne meets Alphys at the top of the stairs. 

“Didn’t you make him, like, virtually indestructible, Alphy? He’s fine. He leaves on tour like right after Christmas. He’s probably just, like, … um … trying to figure out what to do when he goes through customs that won’t get him arrested or something. Besides, right now, there is nothing we can do except get sleep. Tomorrow, we go to that apartment, and we get to the bottom of this. Tonight, we sleep. Got it? Alphy, we’ll take care of him, alright? I promise,” Undyne says. 

Alphys buries her head in Undyne’s shoulder and breathes in deep. 

“You’re right. I kn-know you’re right.” Alphys breathes. 

The two of them fall asleep in Undyne’s room cuddled together in an uneasy sleep. 

Undyne wakes up around three in the morning, and she watches Alphys breathe. 

“I swear you better have a great reason for putting us through this torture, metal man. Because, if you don’t, I will give you one,” Undyne says. 

Undyne rolls back into Alphys’ embrace as she falls back to sleep. 

“But, threats aside, seriously, Mer, you better be fine.” Undyne mutters. 

********

Mettaton doesn’t wake up before noon the next day. 

Not that it really matters. It’s Saturday, after all. 

He looks at the texts on his phone, and he wishes he hadn’t. 

Alphys texted this morning saying: 

MTT, i hope you slept okay. shyren and napstablook told me you made it home. call me when you want us to give you a ride to toriel’s. 

Undyne, Alphys, Shyren, and Blooky all sent him texts last night, too. 

shield bro. you’re freaking me out. and, more importantly, alphy is freaked out. whatever’s going on had better be pretty freaking important. 

but, like, seriously do i need to beat someone up for ya?

MTT, you know you can talk to me about whatever you want right? i’m here for you. i know we haven’t always been great about the whole telling each other secrets thing. but, you don’t have to keep secrets from me. you can trust me. okay? 

where are you?

blooky and i are worried.

did you stop at alphys’ house like you usually do?

do you want us to call you a ride? 

mettaton. are you okay? - blooky

Hey Superstar …

Mettaton almost slams the phone down upon seeing the message from his manager. He claps his hand over his mouth to try to hold back a scream and more tears. He swallows hard before he reads the message. 

It says:

Hey Superstar, thanks for last night. It was a real experience. Hopefully it gives you some inspiration. 

Mettaton pulls his knees up to his chest and rests his forehead on them. Synthetic tears burn at the corner of his eyes as his phone falls from his hands onto the pink comforter. 

He forces himself up on his shaking legs and stumbles towards the shower. He throws the clothes from yesterday off in a pile on the floor. 

Maybe he’ll burn them later. He doesn’t care. 

He never wants to see those clothes again. 

He sinks down in the shower as he shivers. No matter what he does the water doesn’t seem like it can get hot enough. 

Eventually, he finishes getting ready. 

He looks at himself in the mirror, and he knows he won’t fool anyone. 

His hair is frizzy and disheveled despite being washed. His eyes look somehow too bright and too dull. The bags under his eyes surprise him. 

He didn’t even know Alphys designed this form to be able to have bags under the eyes. 

Then, he remembers that he’s completely fused with his body. But, he’s not sure how that would allow metal to form bags under his eyes. 

He presses the heels of his hands to his forehead in frustration. 

He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care how anything is possible anymore. All he knows is that he looks as awful as he feels, and no amount of product or makeup can seem to cover it. 

His phone rings, and it seems like his Soul is in his throat. 

He takes a breath and sees that it’s just Alphys calling. 

“H-Hi, Mettaton. When did you … uh … want to g-get picked up? I-It’s almost three-thirty, and w-we want to be at T-Toriel’s b-by five,” Alphys says. 

“Oh, I … um … must have lost track of time, darling. Whenever you want to come by, we should be ready.” He fumbles.

“You sound tired. D-Did you charge last night? Sleep mode d-doesn’t charge you! Remember? We’ve been o-over this, how many times?!” Alphys reprimands. 

“I-I think I did?” Mettaton says. 

But, now, he can’t remember anything about last night except the thing he most wants to forget. 

“Smooching ghosts? Isn’t that a little risque? But, still … weren’t you a …” 

“That’s not something I like to remember …” 

“But, I think it makes for a good story. Every music superstar needs a good story. Trust me. Really. It’d make for good publicity as we prep to leave in a few weeks. Even though, I’m sure those words were really only a shameless plug to let your family in on your little secret. Say, what do you think they’d do if we took a little trip for two after the tour? I could give you a little private vacation to see of some of the best places this world has to offer. Places best seen … alone?”

His manager leans in to touch his knee. 

Mettaton uncrosses his legs and stands. 

“It’s late. I want to go home. We’ve finished here a while ago, darling. My family is expecting me.” 

Mettaton takes a step back as his manager takes a step forward. Mettaton’s Soul is racing. This is the first time Mettaton has ever tried to flee one of these meetings, and he’s petrified. 

Usually, Mettaton just freezes. 

“Because, you know, kissing the dead … well that’s just dirty enough to get you some truly adoring fans.” 

Mettaton turns to go.

“I’m leaving, darling.” 

Mettaton feels the man grab his wrist and forcefully turn him around. 

“Stay. She did such a beautiful job on your face … you know?” 

The wall comes behind his back before Mettaton expects it. It comes before he can defend himself. 

Something in his back hurts as soon as Mettaton hits the wall. It knocks the wind out of him for a moment. 

The man’s lips are soft against Mettaton’s cheek when Mettaton turns his face. The hand against Mettaton’s cheek and chin burns hot as the man forces Mettaton’s lips to meet his. 

It feels like it lasts a long time. 

Mettaton sinks to his knees once he’s released. His back hurts, and he knows he’s crying. 

“So interesting … a great experiment. You’re a good superstar. You know? The people will love you. But, just remember our little bargain, yeah?” 

Mettaton does remember. 

Just like this time, each previous touch has come with a warning that Mettaton isn’t the only one his manager is interested in and, if Mettaton says anything, someone else is going to get hurt. 

The first time his manager just held Mettaton’s knee and said things that made Mettaton uncomfortable. 

That led to the night Mettaton passed out at Alphys and Undyne’s house. He had tried to walk off the embarrassment and had accidentally run to Alphys’ house on autopilot. Then, his battery started to die when he reached Alphys’ porch. It took every ounce of his meticulous acting not to break down when Alphys asked him what was wrong the following morning. 

The next week, while his manager stood over Mettaton from behind his chair as they discussed tour logistics, the man brushed Mettaton’s neck with his long fingers and then played with Mettaton’s hair. 

He Ubered to Alphys’ place that time because he couldn’t face Blooky and Shyren. He was too shaken up to be with them, and he just couldn’t handle being alone in his room. 

Then, it was a kiss on the cheek that lingered too long before getting pulled into a hug where his managers hands touched the small of his back before drifting lower. Mettaton’s manager made some kind of strange sound as he held Mettaton that time. 

Mettaton asked Alphys and Undyne both to sit up with him and watch a movie that night after going to visit Papyrus. He knew he looked shaken but, thankfully, they seemed to assume that Papyrus and the stress of planning for the tour was the reason. They had no reason to suspect anything else. But, despite falling into sleep mode in the car on the way to visit Papyrus, he didn’t enter sleep mode again that night, even after he had plugged himself in to charge on Alphys and Undyne’s bean bag chairs.  

He shakes his head to bring himself back. He has no idea how long he has been sitting on the floor. But, his phone keeps vibrating with texts. 

He made a promise to Blooky, and Shyren, and everyone else in his make-shift family when they got to the surface that he would never hurt them again. 

Mettaton concludes that having Blooky, Shyren, Alphys, or anyone find him in this state would count as hurting them. 

Yet, he also knows that he’s in pain. 

He wants to shower. 

But, most of all, he desperately wants Alphys. 

Mettaton dreams about knocking on Alphys’ door, breaking down in tears, and charging while going into sleep mode on her lap. Even though he knows this is his fault, he fantasizes that she tells him it’s not as she magically makes the all pain just stop. 

But, then, he remembers what will happen if he tells Alphys. 

Mettaton will not break his promise. 

So, no matter how painful it is, Mettaton forces himself to get up because he can’t stay here on the floor. 

He won’t hurt anyone again. 

He can handle this. 

He’s okay. 

“M-Mettaton? M-Mettaton? Hey, are y-you okay? I said you should plug y-yourself in for a while b-before we head over to T-Toriel’s just to make sure y-you’re good. C-Can you hear me? M-M-Mettaton? You’re f-freaking me out. S-Should I come early?” Alphys rambles. 

Her voice breaks him out of the nightmare that plays on repeat when he’s left alone with his thoughts too long. 

Mettaton shakes his head violently. 

“No! No! It’s fine! I-I’m fine! I’m taking your advice right now, darling. Promise. I dropped you when I was bending over to plug myself in so you couldn’t hear me,” he says. 

True to his word, even if he lied about everything else, he does plug himself into the wall of his bedroom and gingerly lowers himself on his left side. His back twinges as he lies all the way down on the pillows, but he doesn’t make a sound.

“I can come h-hang out with y-you wh-while you charge if you want. It’s n-no trouble,” Alphys says. 

“That would be nice actually. Thank you, dear Alphys,” he concedes. 

“O-Okay, we’ll be r-right over,” she says. 

He sets the phone down. After a few minutes, he hears a knock on his bedroom door. 

“Come in, my lovelies!” 

He tries making his voice sound cheery. 

“oooooh, it’s juuuust us,” Blooky says. 

Mettaton smiles and runs a hand through his hair as the door opens to reveal Blooky and Shyren. 

“Nonsense! It’s just been a long week, and I, for one, am taking advantage of the quiet before tonight's epic chaos.” Mettaton laughs forcefully. “You’re more than welcome in.”

He sits up and faces the door. He forces a wider smile onto his face through the pain. 

“it soooooounds like alphys is coooooming early,” Blooky says. 

“Yes. She seemed worried after last night, and *ahem* I just wanted to make sure that she is satisfied that I am still functional.” He laughs. 

Shyren cocks her head slightly. 

“y-you do re mi don’t look well. y-you sure you want to go tonight?” She asks.

He doesn’t feel well. His head hurts, and he just wants to sleep. His back throbs where … 

STOP! He thinks forcefully. 

“J-Just experimenting with a new look, darling. Sadly, it did not go the way I planned it. But, not all looks can be as perfect as the one who a-attempts them,” he says. 

He is lying through his teeth, and they all know it. 

Yet, just as Blooky and Shyren are about to tell Mettaton they both know he’s lying, all three of them hear a forceful knock on the door. 

Of course … why did I agree to this? How am I hiding from her? They’ll both see right through me even more than Blooky and Shyren have already. 

Mettaton worries his lower lip with his teeth.

“i’ll geeeeet it,” Blooky says.

Shyren casts a look over her shoulder and follows Blooky out. 

“i do re do not trust him,” Shyren says. 

“neither dooooo i, but we’ll juuuuust haaave tooooo wait him ooooout oooor seeeeee whaaat Alphyyyys caaaan geeeeet ooooout oooooof hiiiiiiim,” Blooky says. 

Shyren and Blooky open the door for Alphys and Undyne. 

Alphys heads straight for Mettaton’s room. 

“How is MTT?” Undyne asks. 

“noooot well,” Blooky says. 

“Hmmm … don’t worry. Alphy will fix this. She’ll get him to talk. I’m sure of it,” Undyne says. 

Shyren and Blooky both nod. It’s the truth. Of all of them, Alphys knows Mettaton the best. They all know that she’s the only one who is going to have a chance at getting him to open up. 

Alphys knocks on the door before going into Mettaton’s room. He’s lying on his left side with his charger plugged into the wall from the port on his hip. His hands are cupped beneath his cheek.

“Hey, um … M-Mettaton … you know if you d-don’t want to g-go tonight  … no one’s g-gonna be mad, right? W-We could even bring just a few f-folks here,” Alphys says. 

She walks around the side of the bed, and she puts a hand on Mettaton’s shoulder. 

Mettaton flinches slightly under Alphys’ touch as his eyes snap open. 

“O-Oh! Alphys, darling! I-I didn’t hear you come in!” Mettaton stretches. 

“Mettaton? You feel kind of … err … a little t-too warm? A-Are you … um … are you o-overheating?” 

Alphys’ face is scrunched with concern as she reaches to touch his cheek. 

As much as he longs to let her take care of him, he can’t. She’ll know. She’ll find out what happened and then who will protect Blooky, and Shyren, and Frisk, and everyone else? 

He’s supposed to inspire hope, bring joy, and make people happy. 

If he can’t do that, what is he even good for? 

So, he moves away from what he knows is going to be the first tender touch he has received in the last twenty four hours. 

“I’m fine, darling. You worry too much,” he says.

Mettaton knows the smile he gives her doesn’t reach his eyes. Still, he tries to, at least, keep the tears of pain out of them. 

His back is hurting again. 

“I-I don’t believe you and, wh-while I-I’m not going to p-push you to talk, I … you need to know th-that we l-love you. O-Okay? Y-You know that w-we really love you, r-right? I-If someone i-is hurting you, y-you would, at l-least, tell me , r-right? A-And, I mean this not just as your … your friend, but also as, like, your d-doctor, too. You would tell me if someone was hurting you or if you were hurt?” She takes his hand. 

He gives her a watery smile. 

“O-Of course, darling. Um … what prompted this strange declaration… not that I don’t enjoy the flattery!” He says. 

He knows he fumbled his words. He kicks himself internally for messing that up. 

“O-Okay. I-I’m going to have to trust you. B-But, please, i-if you need anything tonight, o-o-or ya know … ever? … let me kn-know. O-Okay?” She squeezes his fingers. 

He sighs and lies back down on his side. His head is throbbing with a dull ache that comes and goes, but he feels inexplicably tired. He also feels cold somehow like all the blankets in the world wouldn’t be enough to warm him. 

“I-If you need to r-rest, please d-do! W-we don’t have to leave for a-a little while,” Alphys says. 

He nods and closes his eyes. It’s his turn to pick the movie. He has chosen the 25th Anniversary Concert production of Les Miserables. It’s familiar and comforting to him. It’s something he has listened to and watched hundreds of times. 

It’s safe. 

Alphys nudges Mettaton. 

It feels way too soon. 

“W-we should g-go. A-Are you sure y-you’re up for this?” She asks. 

Mettaton aches to tell her that his head and back hurt, and he feels exhausted. Mettaton longs to tell Alphys how his chest feels tight every time he thinks too much. His chest has hurt like this since the first time … he pushes the thought from his mind. He wishes with everything he has that he could just tell her that he spends most of his nights crying once he’s sure Blooky and Shyren are sleeping. When he’s alone with his thoughts, he feels a squeezing pain that seems to extend all the way to his Soul. 

He desperately wants her to just fix it. 

But, he can’t hurt them all again because he promised that he was going to be better than the person he hated himself for becoming before. 

He will not destroy all the progress Alphys has made on herself because, contrary to popular belief, he actually loves his silly friend Alphys and her strong girlfriend Undyne. He adores them both. He knows that, somehow, even worse than killing him, Undyne would stop being his friend. He can’t lose Undyne and Alphys right now because that would truly end him. He can’t tell either of them. For he knows Undyne would kill him if he hurt Alphys, for any reason, in any way.

After all, hadn’t he promised Undyne the same?

Plus, Papyrus would be heartbroken if he knew that Mettaton didn’t care enough about their relationship to tell his manager to stop. Mettaton swallows hard because that means he can’t risk Sans’ ire either. Mettaton actually wants Sans to respect him, and he likes the honorary kid-brother status that he has somehow, undeservingly, managed to earn. 

Lady Toriel and King Asgore have enough to worry about with learning the politics of the Surface. Lady Toriel especially doesn’t need him to add to her stress. She’s raising Frisk as both human and monster, while teaching full time, as well as, occasionally, giving King Asgore tips on policy. 

He will dust himself before he leans on Frisk. They’re only a ten year old child. They have done enough, and they deserve to be nothing but happy. If Mettaton could put a protective shield or bubble over them for the rest of their life, he might sell his Soul to give it to them. 

He supposes he could consider Flowey, but Flowey is … scary.  

How Papyrus has come to see a confidant in that, as Sans so aptly puts it, weed is beyond Mettaton’s ability to comprehend. 

Besides, and most importantly, all of this is a moot point as if he says anything his manager will hurt someone else. 

So, no, Mettaton certainly cannot, and will not, say anything that could bring any pain or harm to Blooky and Shyren. 

He renews his resolve not to tell Alphys because that love she told him that they all have for him can only go so far. 

If they knew how dirty and weak he has been this last month, there is no way they will still love him. 

He cannot tell her. 

So, he tries to smile and put his best face on display. 

“M-Mettaton? I asked a-are y-you s-sure you’re u-up to this b-b-because it’s o-okay if you’re not …” 

“Of course I am, darling!” Mettaton says. 

He brings his legs over the side of the bed and stands. He surprises himself when he doesn’t feel like he’s going to collapse even though his back still hurts. 

Alphys watches Mettaton’s every move carefully. She doesn’t miss the way he seems to stand slowly while bracing his lower back. More worryingly, to her, he appears unsteady on his feet as they walk out of the room. It almost looks like he’s limping on his right leg. 

Alphys doesn’t say anything because she knows she’ll be a stuttering mess if she does. 

This is her friend who taught himself to dance on a single wheel. This is her friend, the performer, who sang the Mew Mew Kissy Cutie theme song at the top of his lungs while both of them were half-drunk just to cheer her up. 

This is her friend who is clearly hurting, and who she can’t help because he refuses talk to her.

Undyne and Alphys exchange a glance. Undyne can see that Mettaton looks awful. Whatever smart ass thing she was going to say about him being Sleeping Beauty dies on her lips when she sees him. 

Undyne isn’t sure what to say. So, she doesn’t say anything. But, it isn’t lost on her that every time she tries to help Mettaton he flinches. 

So, only Alphys is allowed to touch you today? Undyne thinks. 

As they all get in the car, Alphys joins Mettaton in the back and lets him rest his head on her shoulder. He’s asleep within moments of the car moving. 

He’s definitely overheating. That means something’s definitely broken. Why won’t he talk to me? I’m going to have to get it out of him somehow. He’ll need a repair before he leaves in January. Alphys thinks. 

When they get to Toriel’s house, Alphys helps Mettaton out of the car. 

Mettaton finds his way directly to the couch as soon as everyone is inside. He gingerly lies down in his stomach before faceplanting into the armrest. 

Toriel gives Alphys a sideways glance. Alphys waves Toriel off. 

However, when Sans gives Alphys a look, they hold each other’s gaze for a moment as though silently exchanging information with their eyes only. 

So, before Alphys can think about kneeling down in front of Mettaton, Papyrus drops down next to the couch. Mettaton simply burrows further into the well worn armrest. 

“‘m sorry … long week … ‘m tired … dearest.” Mettaton mumbles. 

“DO NOT APOLOGIZE. I WILL ATTEMPT TO KEEP UNDYNE’S ANTICS TO A MINIMUM TONIGHT, THEN!” Papyrus says.

As Papyrus gets up, Undyne offers Mettaton a blanket, but he doesn’t even acknowledge that she’s there. Undyne glances at Alphys for instructions, but Alphys waves her off too. 

Alphys turns her attention back to her ailing friend and kneels next to the couch. 

“Do y-you want tea?” Alphys asks. 

Mettaton nods into the armrest. 

“O-Okay. I’ll be right back, a-alright? Y-You still okay?” She asks. 

Mettaton finally finds it in him to turn onto his side towards Alphys who has her back to the TV. 

Mettaton nods again. “‘m fine, sweetheart. You worry too much.” 

Alphys squeezes his shoulder. For once, she thinks she's actually worried a normal amount because, even if he’s not dangerously overheating yet, he’s warmer than he was in the apartment. 

Mettaton curls up tighter on his side and shakes off a shiver. He runs his fingers through his hair. 

Get it together! Get it together! You have to get it together! He thinks. 

He feels tears pricking his eyes when his lower back starts to burn.

He just wants Alphys, and Blooky, and Papyrus, and maybe Undyne, too. 

He wants to lie down somewhere soft while Alphys fixes whatever is broken in him, Blooky plays music, and Papyrus holds his hand. He briefly wonders, if he apologizes profusely enough for upsetting Alphys and Papyrus, if Undyne would read to him.

Someone kneels in front of Mettaton, and his eyes open to see Frisk. 

Ton-ton. Okay? They sign. 

He gives Frisk a weak smile, and he nods. 

“I’m fine, darling. It’s just been … quite a week,” he says. 

Sad? Tired? They sign. 

“Tired …” he admits. “Very tired, dear heart.” 

Stay here? Frisk asks. 

“T-That might not be a bad idea, sweet,” he says. 

Sleep over! Frisk applauds. 

They lean forward expecting some kind of physical token of Mettaton’s affection. Mettaton smiles and ruffles Frisk’s hair. He completely forgets that they will be able to feel how warm his hands have become when he does this. 

Frisk’s eyebrows scrunch together as they sign. Hot. Sick? 

“Aren’t I always, lovey? No, no. Long week, my darling. That’s all,” he says. 

Frisk gives him a wary smile before heading to sit next to Sans in the back of the room. 

The next person who kneels in front of him is Alphys again. 

“It’s iced just like y-you like it. Can I sit w-with you? Y-You can put your head in m-my lap,” Alphys says. 

Her voice is soft as she talks to him.

“I-I’d like that. It’ll be like old times, Phy,” he mumbles. 

Alphys’ Soul gives a start at that name. He hasn’t used that name for her in ages! 

Something is wrong. He never uses that name for me unless something is wrong with one of us, or he’s nervous. He either just slipped, or he’s trying to be subtle . Alphys thinks. 

Alphys offers Mettaton a hand to help him sit up. Once he’s upright, Mettaton sips on his tea, and it feels amazing to have something take the focus off how much pain he’s in now. He feels achy all over, but it seems to stem from his lower back. So, he takes another sip and centers his mind on the coolness. The next time he drinks, he thinks about the sweetness of the golden flower tea. It’s comforting in its own way. The simplicity of the way that aforementioned sweetness melds into a tartness which then comes back to sweet. It almost tastes like apples but with a lemony aftertaste. 

At least, that’s how he thinks of it. 

Mettaton is vaguely aware that the rest of the family is filling in their spots for the night. 

Toriel is on the plush loveseat in the corner with Frisk between her and Sans. Asgore sits by the door to the main hall with Flowey on the side table next to him. Undyne and Papyrus are lounging on beanbags in the corner opposite Toriel. They likely have a huge bucket of popcorn that, should Papyrus and Undyne deem a character worthy of being beaten up, they will use as ammunition to mercilessly pelt the unsavory characters. 

Sometimes, Mettaton and Frisk will compete to see who can catch more kernels before they hit the screen. 

But, he really doesn’t feel up to it tonight. 

His head hurts too much to concentrate on much of anything, much less small projectiles that are mere vehicles for salt and butter.

Besides, Mettaton knows Toriel only allows Papyrus and Undyne the popcorn because it is easier to clean up than the mess that occurred when they all watched Beauty and the Beast . 

Popcorn can be cleaned with a vacuum once Frisk and Papyrus are no longer in the room.  

Though, nothing can compare with the disaster that he and Undyne caused during Return of the King . 

Despite the near overwhelming exhaustion, he smiles at the memory. 

Blooky and Shyren nestle on beanbag chairs near the sofa where Mettaton is currently lying on Alphys’ lap. 

While Mettaton knows that Alphys wants to sit with him because she thinks he needs some kind of observation, he finds that he doesn’t care that Alphys is on to him anymore. He just wants to be held by his friend. He wants the familiarity of his head in her lap, or, rather, just being close to her in general. He doesn’t feel well, in fact, he’s starting to feel much worse. His head throbs consistently with each of his soulbeats, and his chest feels tight with a pressure that, he knows, only crying will release. But, worst, there’s the burning pain in his back accompanied by an exhaustion and chill creeping over him that he just can’t seem to escape.

He’s confused and, more than anything, he just wants to feel safe and warm. 

Alphys is safe. 

Everything else in the world is scary, loud, and cold.

Right now, Alphys’ warm embrace is the only thing in the world that feels safe. 

“I-I really think we should talk m-more after this is o-over. I c-can tell something’s w-wrong. Something’s b-bothering you. Y-You sure you’re f-f-feeling okay? Do … d-do you want a blanket? Y-You’re shivering p-pretty bad.” Alphys asks. 

Alphys rubs Mettaton’s shoulder as she speaks. 

“No. N-N-No. I’m a-alright. You’re overreacting, d-d-darling.” He mumbles, teeth nearly chattering. 

Mettaton doesn’t know who presses play, or when they did so, but he’s happy to lose himself in the familiar music. 

He snuggles into Alphys’ lap and watches the familiar costumes and listens to the familiar voices lull him into a light doze. Alphys’ hand is gentle but firm against his shoulders. 

The pain in his body lessens for a moment as he listens to the gentle lilts of the wind instruments playing the first instance of his favorite leitmotif while Alphys plays with his hair. 

In his darkest moments, before his initial form was created, he used to associate the pattern of notes with unfulfilled dreams that could never come to pass. 

When they first crossed the Surface, Mettaton associated those floating notes with rising towards the sun, the greatest spotlight, that flame that never dies for the wretched of the Earth or, rather, under it. 

Now, he wonders if he wouldn’t mind falling down to the familiar pattern of notes that has followed him all these years. 

Will he fall down beloved and surrounded by his friends in the way Eponine is held by Marius and rallied around by the men of the barricade?

While he has already had his greatest dream fulfilled by Alphys, he wonders if she would find it in her Soul to do him one last favor. Even though he knows he has asked Alphys for far too many favors, he hopes that she would take care of Blooky and Shyren, as Valjean did Fantine’s beloved Cossette, should Mettaton fall down. 

Mettaton’s chest tightens as tears form in his eyes. He could never hope to be as pure hearted as Valjean. 

He will never be worthy of that forgiveness. 

No one will come looking for him if he disappears. Not even a half crazed police inspector will hunt him down across the country. His own past actions ensured that fate. 

“I quite like this,” Asgore’s voice rumbles. 

The voice snaps Mettaton back into tune with reality. 

Oh. Valjean’s Soliloquy … yeah … that is King Asgore’s song most assuredly. Knowing his story, he has, in fact, earned that association. Mettaton thinks. 

He fades back into the fog for a while until he hears that song. 

His song. 

How many hours did he spend feeling like garbage swirling in the cosmos listening to his song? 

He can almost feel all of his senses slipping away, as though he was back, in the pink house next to Blooky’s in the underground. He can feel the world dropping out from beneath him surrounded by his diaries. 

The image is both surreal and, somehow, comforting. 

then i was young and unafraid

when dreams were made and used and wasted 

He hangs on each and every word on this human woman’s lips. He clings to every sound and syllable like the sole survivor of a wreckage clings to a lifeline at sea. 

but, the tigers come at night 

with their voices soft as thunder

as they tear your hope apart

as they turn your dream to shame

Tears pour down his cheeks. He digs his fingers into the fabric of the couch. 

Alphys rubs his shoulders before returning to stroke his hair. 

He knows she knows what this song means to him. 

But, it, somehow, means more now. 

he took my childhood in his stride …

Mettaton’s chest twists and tightens. These words hurt in a different way after this past month. The words that this beautiful woman sings fall on him like bombs from the sky. 

He tries in vain to keep the tears at bay. He swipes at his eyes, and he gets his sleeves covered in makeup. 

“I know y-you like this song,” Alphys says. 

She passes him a tissue, and he wipes his eyes as she pats his shoulder gently. 

He nestles back into her knees and closes his eyes for a moment. The applause rings through the speakers. 

Then, the tone shifts. 

Oh No…

No! …

NO!

He forgot about this song. 

They need to skip it. 

He can’t listen to this. 

lovely ladies, waiting for the call

standing up or lying down

or any way at all

bargain prices up against the wall

His chest feels like it’s constricting on itself, and his throat is closing up. He swallows, but it doesn’t help. 

He brings his knees up closer to his chest, and he struggles for a strangled breath. 

He has to calm down. 

Don’t feel it. Shove it down. They can’t know! If they find out, they’ll leave you! Or worse, he’ll hurt them. Don’t hurt them, you prick! Get it together!! Don’t feel it! Mettaton thinks. 

He runs his fingers through his hair before bringing his thumb to his mouth and biting down hard on his knuckle. 

Alphys has placed her hand right between his shoulder blades. 

She might say something but, if she does, he doesn’t hear it. 

lovely ladies

waiting in the dark

ready for a thick one

or a quick one in the park

Toriel’s voice breaks through his racing thoughts for a moment. 

“Is this, um, appropriate for Frisk to be watching?” 

Mettaton knows he can’t answer even if he wanted to, which he doesn’t.

His throat tightens again, and this time he brings his hand up to his chest. He wonders if his Soul is going to crush itself under the weight of the pressure there. The movement makes his back hurt, and he must let out some kind of sound because Alphys leans over. He can see her in his peripheral vision. 

She looks concerned. 

Her mouth moves wordlessly. 

She is talking to him. 

“H-Hey … okay?”

Mettaton hears the words, what feels like several minutes, after seeing Alphys’ mouth move.

easy money, lying on a bed

just as well they never see the hate that's in your head

don't they know they're making love to one already dead?

Mettaton’s vision dilates on the screen. The costumes are suddenly too bright, and music that he has heard, at least, a thousand times suddenly seems far, far too loud. 

The words reverberate in his ears. He can’t quite pick anything apart anymore. 

Suddenly, all Mettaton can hear are those awful and terrifying words echoing in his brain. 

“Smooching ghosts isn’t that a little risque? …“ 

“Because, you know, kissing the dead … well that’s just dirty enough to get you some truly adoring fans.” 

“She did such a beautiful job on your face …”

Suddenly, he knows, with absolute certainty, that he’s going to die here on the floor of the studio. He’s going to die here alone with that man’s touch all over him. 

He’s going to die. 

He’s going to dust.

He’s going to fall down … 

“Turn it off! Papyrus. Turn. It. Off! ” Alphys yells behind her. 

Then, Alphys turns her focus back to Mettaton. Eyeliner rolls down his cheeks as he cries making his tears look almost black. His hand is still pressed firmly against his chest as he sobs.

Alphys’ Soul longs to break for him.

Later. You can fall apart later. Alphys promises herself. 

Sans takes a step closer to Alphys. He gives her a long hard look before nodding his head towards Mettaton. Alphys holds a hand up to tell Sans to wait. 

“Mettaton? H-Hey, hey, ton-ton? Y-You’re safe. You’re safe, o-o-okay? We just turned the m-movie off. It’s off. All gone. You get to tell us when a-a-and if we restart the m-movie, I promise .” She murmurs. 

Alphys can feel just how hard Mettaton wheezes against her knees. Now that most of the eyeliner has been worn away, she sees pink tears, not clear synthetic ones, pour down his cheeks and soak into her leggings. 

It takes Alphys a second to realize that these tears … these are ghost tears. 

I didn’t even think that was possible. Alphys shivers with the thought. 

She takes a deep breath before trying to muster up some authority in her voice. 

“Mettaton, can you hear me?” Alphys asks. 

“I’m gonna fall down …I’m going to … going to fall down … ghh … gonna fall down …”  He pants. 

“I know, I know that’s exactly what it feels like, Mettaton. I know. I absolutely know. It’s so, so scary and i-i-it sucks. B-But, you need to focus on my voice, okay? It’s Phy. Just breathe. Please, br-breathe, ton-ton. Just l-like people do when they s-s-sing songs. I know y-you know all about th-that. Try a big br-breath for me,” Alphys says. 

She presses down between his shoulder blades and runs her hand in a circle. But, upon hearing his next words, it’s clear to Alphys that Mettaton isn’t just panicking.

He’s completely disoriented.

He doesn’t know where he is. 

“I’m gonna f-f-fall d-d-down … alone … a-alone in … i-in t-th-the d-d-dark …” Mettaton sobs. 

“Mettaton, you’re in Toriel’s living room. We’re all together. Everyone’s right here. It’s Saturday night. We were watching Les Miz. Papyrus turned it off because s-something sc-scared you. We’re all here. You’re safe , ton-ton. Y-You’re safe.” Alphys reassures. 

Give me a place, ton-ton. Where are we? What am I working with? Alphys pleads internally.

“N-No … no … st-st-studio … o-office … he’s … ghh … gonna  … he’s g-gonna come b-back … and … I … i-i-it h-hurts … hurts … can’t breathe … but … I-I can’t tell … I c-can’t … ngh … h-h-have to …k-keep th-the s-secret… have to keep … can’t breathe! … I don’t wanna hurt any- …” Mettaton chokes. 

Alphys doesn’t say anything, but she makes a shooing motion with her hand. 

Guys get out. Get Frisk out. Get out! 

Alphys hopes someone understands what she wants because she’s not going to say it out loud.

Everyone else just stares, but Undyne knows Alphys well enough to know exactly what Alphys wants. 

Undyne gets up and half drags Papyrus out the door first before going back for Napstablook and Shyren who hover close to the couch. 

“We gotta give her space to work, guys. We have to trust Alphys to take care of him right now. She’ll let us know if she needs us,” Undyne says gently. 

Toriel picks up Frisk because they’ve started crying. Asgore takes Flowey who just looks confused. 

Sans gives Alphys a look and cocks his head to one side in a silent question. 

Parts . Alphys mouths exaggeratedly to Sans.

His parts . In my lab. Get his parts . He is hurt . I am certain. He is overheating . It’s bad. Hurry. 

Sans nods and disappears.  

“I’m here. I’ve gotcha. It’s just us now, ton-ton. It’s j-just m-me. It’s just Dr. Alphys. It’s Phy, ton-ton.” She murmurs. 

She strokes his hair again as he clings tighter to her waist shaking like a leaf on one of the old trees in the Ruins. Alphys presses her palm to Mettaton’s cheek to thumb away more of his ghostly tears. 

By the Angel, he’s burning up! Shit. I should have been more firm before. But, I can’t dwell on that right now, I have to get him calm so that I can figure out why he’s overheating. Keep it together, Alphys. You can’t fix anything until he’s calm. Calm him first. Then, fix him. Alphys thinks. 

“You gotta breathe for me, ton-ton. Can y-y-you breathe for m-me?” 

Alphys asks as she rubs Mettaton’s back between his shoulders. 

Mettaton breathes shakily, at her request, before trying to speak. 

“If I can’t … bring joy … can’t give … give hope … make people happy… what am I … what am I good … good for? … I have to keep … my promise … or else … ” Mettaton wheezes. 

Alphys pauses for a moment. 

Is that how he feels? Is that what this is about? And what promise? She thinks. 

“You’re good for so, so many things! You’re my f-friend, ton-ton. Y-You’re probably m-my best friend. So … so you’re good for just existing! You’re good just for being a member of our f-family. And, i-it is a family! We tease each other and, some days, we probably e-even get really a-annoyed with e-each other. But, at the end of the day, w-we would do a-anything for each other because l-love goes d-deeper than a-annoyance. So, you’re good for being our s-space heater. You’re good for w-watching movies. But, y-you’re also good for making us feel c-confident and special. You’re good for so m-many things. I could go on forever, but y-you’re not just b-built for making other people happy. No! I made this b-body so you could be h-happy, silly. I wanted you to be able to t-taste, and to feel my h-hugs, and to d-dance like you d-dreamed of being able to, and to, most importantly in my-not-so-humble-opinion, f-f-feel like yourself. We don’t need you to be a s-superstar because you’re our s-star already, ton-ton. I love you. We all love you,” Alphys says. 

Mettaton takes a shaky breath against her. Alphys runs several more circles over Mettaton’s shoulders as he continues to take a few more trembling breaths. 

“Phy?” He groans. 

“Yes. It’s me. I-I’m right here. J-J-Just don’t move, o-okay, ton-ton? Y-Y-You need anything?” Alphys asks. 

Mettaton wheezes again, but he manages to calm himself enough to speak. Even still, his speech is fast, nearly incoherent, and, to Alphys at least, more than a little disturbing. 

“Doctor A-Alphys, ’m sorry. I-It’s my fault, darling … I-It’s all my fault! I ruined everything! I-I was supposed to handle it. Stupid prick … I-I wasn’t supposed to make y-you feel worse! Th-There’s so much going on w-with everyone else, the school … Papyrus … a-and … and I’m s-supposed to br-bring joy . Hahaha! Totally doing that right, dear? And… and t-tonight I-I-I’m m-making things w-worse for you … all of you … and y-you’re d-doing so much better, my dear Doctor Alphys … I’m so proud! …  B-B-But … even th-that’s n-not p-p-perfect … everyone is h-having problems … I … I-I’m supposed to … not supposed to … ‘m sorry, dear. My fault … this is m-my fault … darling … you idiot, stop …I-I should handle it a-alone … b-but … I … I don’t want to ‘nymore… … Shut up … please … please don’t go, sweetheart … don’t leave me alone!!! …I’m scared. I’m scared! I’m scared!! … m-m-make it stop …” He sobs. 

Alphys brushes Mettaton’s hair back as gently as she can.  

“What … No?! Please, by the A-Angel, please, please it’s okay! You’re … y-you’re not … n-not a stupid p-prick. Absolutely n-n-not! Y-You haven’t done anything wrong, ton-ton. You h-haven't. Not even a l-little bit! Of course I’m not g-going to leave! What kind of friend would I be if I abandoned you during a p-panic attack?! On t-top of that, you’re overheating! That m-m-means your core temperature is g-g-getting really h-h-high. Remember, e-even at our w-worst moments, you always kept me s-safe when I was s-sick or sc-scared. So, no, you d-don’t have to apologize for anything. L-Let me take care of you, n-n-now. Just breathe, o-okay, ton-ton? Breathe, and rest. I’m h-here. You’re safe.” Alphys says reassuringly. 

Alphys feels utterly destroyed by the thought that Mettaton would ever apologize for being this terrified and for hurting this much. Hypocrisy of that thought be damned, it still horrifies her.

Mettaton tries to take another quivering breath, but he coughs and wheezes again. Alphys runs a circle over his shoulders. 

“Try to breathe with me, okay? I kn-know. Round two is always th-the worst. Y-You have to try and breathe w-with the circles. Let's try some of those nice big singing breaths so we c-can get your calming feature engaged, okay?” Alphys encourages him. 

Mettaton chokes on another sob and shivers against Alphys with a low whimper. 

“In until the circle comes to a close, and out until the circle comes to a close.” Alphys soothes.

She makes an exaggerated circle between his shoulders as Mettaton breathes in and another as he breathes out. 

“Good job! Can you do a-another big, big breath just l-like that o-one?” Alphys asks. 

Mettaton takes more deep breaths as Alphys runs more wide and slow circles over Mettaton’s shoulders. 

In Alphys’ peripheral vision, Sans appears with a soft pop and sets the box of parts next to the couch. He leaves with another pop as quickly as he came. 

“I-I’m afraid, Phy. I-I’m so … so terribly frightened. I-I c-c-can’t … every t-t-time I close my e-eyes … I-I see it. … i-i feel it, phy … I w-w-want it to go away, d-darling.” Mettaton whispers.

“What are y-you afraid of? Wh-What do y-you see? Wh-Wh-What d-d-do you f-f- feel? Please, t-talk to me. Talk to m-me like we u-used to in the fan club, ton-ton. I promise I’ll l-listen. I’m n-n-not going anywhere, ton-ton. Just trust me,” Alphys says. 

That seems to be the exact thing to say to get the floodgates to open. Finally, Mettaton tells Alphys everything . 

He clings to Alphys as he hiccups on sobs between his words. If he had a flesh body, Alphys realizes that she would be worried that Mettaton might make himself sick. In an effort to protect him, Alphys gently maneuvers Mettaton so he rests against her shoulder where she can hold him more securely. Alphys brushes his hair with her claws and tries to keep synthetic hair out of Mettaton’s eyes and mouth. 

As Mettaton continues explaining the last month of abuse, Alphys does her best to blink away her own tears. 

“A-A-And i-it’s n-n-not like … like … *hic* it was … that b-b-b-bad … ‘till yesterday … but … b-but … *hic* I-I-I d-didn’t w-want it … e-ever! I’m *hic* n-n-not a … a … a *hic* cheater , d-d-darling! I … I swear, Phy! I’m not! I’m not!! ” 

Mettaton’s entire body shakes with the force of his tears. He keeps muttering something about being “sorry” and “please forgive me, darling.” 

Alphys is stunned into silence, for a moment, until the force of what he says really hits her.  

“What!? No! N-No, no, no, no, no! O-O-Of course not! Oh, ton-ton … no. Oh … oh … oh… shhhh … there’s …there’s n-n-nothing to forgive, ton-ton. I promise! No o-one would ever even b-b-begin to think that! B-B-Besides … all of it was that b-bad! You sh-should have never had to g-go through any of that. I-If you d-didn’t w-want to b-be touched, y-you sh-should never h-have been t-t-touched! Oh … oh … ton-ton. So, y-yes, it w-was all v-v-very, v-very, very b-bad,” Alphys says. 

Now, no matter how hard she fights, Alphys finds tears rolling down her cheeks. 

She slowly and carefully pulls Mettaton closer, and rocks him gently, when a particularly forceful hiccuping sob shakes Mettaton’s upper body. Alphys watches Mettaton press a hand to his mouth in an effort to stop the sound from coming out, but he just breathlessly keens around his hand. Alphys feels him shuddering against her shoulder as he buries his face there. His tears go suddenly, and eerily, silent. 

Alphys slowly rubs his back in swooping circles as fire burns in her Soul.

Of course, he’s scared. He has barely had a body that can feel sensation for two months. Well, I guess closer to three, but still! And, one month of those two to three has been living in this hell! The first month he really started to feel things was marked by painting a school and … and what? … watching movies on the weekends? He had no reason to suspect any of this! So, of course, he’s confused! Of course, he’s hurting! I’ll kill that asshole!!! No one goes and shames my friend and convinces my friend that everyone will just leave him because of some combination of his nativité and his past mistakes.

Alphys’ eyes blaze with anger. 

Angel, we are so stupid. And … and he thinks everyone else has had it tougher … or even just that he would be bothering us with … with this? I mean not that we need to compete but, by the Angel, how could he not see that we would want to give him some help, at least? Ugh! Now, everything makes sense! No wonder he kept flinching when ‘Dyne tried to touch him. No wonder he only trusted me to help him today! He has been suffering so much, and for so long! By the Angel, a whole MONTH!? And … nobody had any clue. Nobody came to his rescue because we. didn’t. know. But, we should have known. In retrospect, everything makes sense! Oh! I’ll find that human thing, and I’ll kill him. I swear I’m gonna kill him and place his rotting SOUL on display on my desk as a little desk ornament. Alphys thinks.

Despite her murderous thoughts, Alphys just hushes Mettaton and continues to rock him slowly and resumes playing with Mettaton’s hair the way she knows he finds relaxing. 

“It’s okay to cry. J-Just cry. Just cry, ton-ton. Let i-it all out, o-okay? You c-cry for as long as y-you need to cry. I-If that means we stay h-here all night, th-that’s fine. If … if we stay here f-for a year, that’s fine. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry th-that happened to you. I’m so sorry we didn’t try to figure out you were hurting sooner. I w-won’t say it’ll be o-okay, but we, o-our family, won’t let him hurt anyone else. Blooky is safe. Shyren is safe. Frisk is safe. Everyone is safe. Th-That I can promise. Just … thank you for telling me i-if only so I can k-keep you safe. Y-You’re worth keeping s-safe, too. O-O-Okay, ton-ton? You are worth keeping safe . Let us k-keep you safe now. You’ve d-done m- more than enough to k-keep us safe. L-Let us take c-care of you, ton-ton. We love y-you, o-o-okay? Y-Y-You’re so loved. So, so, so loved.” 

Alphys stops stroking Mettaton’s hair so she can focus on gently rubbing his quivering shoulders. 

“I gotcha, ton-ton. I gotcha. Let it all out. You’re safe, ton-ton. You’re safe . We love you so much.” 

Alphys repeats this mantra while Mettaton’s silent weeping continues. Alphys alternates between playing with Mettaton’s hair and running circles over his shoulders and mid-back. Alphys never once stops cradling Mettaton as close as she can in an effort to remind him that he is not alone. 

It seems like an eternity, despite being just less than an hour, before Mettaton’s sobs finally die down.

However, as Alphys goes to help Mettaton lie back down in her lap, he gasps and braces his back with his hand. His eyes are blown wide in agony. Alphys almost feels the air escape from his artificial lungs. Alphys stops as soon as she hears him gasp and slowly moves him back to her shoulder. 

“ton-ton? W-What is it? A-A-Are you in pain?” Alphys asks. 

Mettaton nods tearfully. 

“Physical p-p-pain? I-I-Is … is there a sp-spot on y-y-your body that hurts?” Alphys prompts.

He gives another small nod. 

“Where exactly d-does it hurt? C-Can you tell me in w-w-words or d-do you need t-to p-point?” Alphys asks. 

“my … my back … a-angel … m-m-my back … ‘s l-like ‘s burning …l-l-low … low back … m-might pass out …’s … ‘s so bad …” He says breathlessly.

Tears roll down his cheeks, and Alphys notes, with only minor relief, that his tears have returned to the clear synthetic ones that she designed herself. 

Following that realization, Alphys’ eyes dart to Mettaton’s lower back and, then, they widen. 

He hit that wall with intent to hurt ... by the Angel, it actually happened. He’s fully fucking fused with this body! But … that means …that means he can take physical damage with cruel intent!! His central cooling fan … that’s … that’s in his lower back …  the crueler the intention …  the more it … HOW LONG HAS THAT BEEN BROKEN, THEN? LIKE … WHAT?! A WHOLE ANGEL DAMN DAY?!?! No wonder he’s so lethargic and doesn’t feel well!! He has been feverish and scared, with no relief because that fan is broken, basically on his own, for almost twenty-four hours?!?! Poor, ton-ton … UGH! Why does the universe always conspire against both of us!!?? Shit. Damn. Fuck! She thinks.

With her thoughts racing, Alphys props Mettaton up on the sofa using a throw pillow and one of the armrests. Mettaton’s arm shakes as he leans heavily on the couch; everything in his posture speaks to how little energy he has left in him. Mettaton’s hair falls limply over his face, and his eyes keep slipping closed from exhaustion. Alphys isn’t sure what scares her more, the way he trembles, or the fact that his usual larger-than-life, performance ready façade has crumbled giving way to his current disheveled, and almost childlike, appearance. 

Alphys cups Mettaton’s cheek gently in her claws. She uses her other hand to brush his hair out of his eyes again. She briefly considers pulling his hair back but decides not to if only because Mettaton seems to calm down more when she strokes it. 

So, as Alphys wipes some of Mettaton’s lingering tears away, she wonders how long it will be before he cries himself into forced sleep mode. She knows it very well could be soon. So, Alphys knows she needs to help him understand what happened to his back so she can repair it as fast as possible. Thus, she taps Mettaton’s cheek softly with her thumb to get his attention. 

“Hey, ton-ton? W-While I-I can’t fix much, I can make the pain in your b-back go a-away. So, ph- physically, I th-think I c-c-can make y-you feel a l-little better. A-Alright? Sans brought your spare parts b-because I th-thought s-something might be br-broken when I felt you overheating. The fan in y-your back, the one that c-cools you down, it isn’t working right now. It’s broken. Th-That’s why you f-feel so sick and why y-you’re so sleepy, ton-ton. So, is it o-okay if we bring s-someone in to help us fix th-the fan? All I’m gonna need you to do is lie down on your tummy in power off mode. B-But, we need th-that e-extra set of hands to help keep you comfy and safe while I fix it. Even powered off, it wouldn’t be s-so good for you t-t-to … um … f-fall off the s-s-sofa? A-Alright? But, I can fix it. I know what’s wrong, now, and I can fix it. I’ll make your back feel all better, ton-ton. I promise.” Alphys reassures. 

Alphys tries to keep her voice calm and gentle even if it means using several more simplistic words. Alphys just hopes her tone is soothing and not patronizing because she definitely doesn’t want to patronize him. 

Alphys is encouraged that her tone has the desired effect when Mettaton just nods his understanding and reaches for her hand. She takes his hand gently and rubs his knuckles. 

“‘m tired … ‘n ‘m ready … f-for the … the hurt t-to … to st-stop, phy … d-darling.” Mettaton rasps. 

“Okay. Then, I’m going to text Undyne to come back in to help us. Is … i-is that o-okay? Or d-d-do … do you want somebody else?” Alphys asks gently. 

 “‘wyn i-is s-safe. she … w-won’t hurt m-me. undyne’s my … shield s-sister l-like … eowyn ‘n *ahem* m-merry … but, d-do you …*ahem* you think sh-she’ll be m-mad at me for … *ahem* for m-m-making you upset?” 

Mettaton’s voice waivers with pain and lingering emotion. His voice keeps getting weaker as he talks more. Alphys drops Mettaton’s hand and begins stroking his cheek again with her thumb. He leans into her claws as she cups his cheek. 

He’s really getting hot. He’s gotta be so uncomfortable. We should wash his face with cool water as soon as he’s powered back on because I can’t imagine the tear-sticky makeup is making this any better. Alphys notes as she replies to him. 

“No! No. She won’t be mad at you. Sh-Sh-She’ll be m-mad as hell, b-b-but n-not at you, ton-ton. So, you’re r-right. ‘Dyne won’t h-hurt you. N-No one’s gonna h-hurt you. I promise . O-Okay? No one is gonna h-hurt you anymore.” Alphys assures. 

“so … undyne w-will still be my … my friend even though … i wasn’t st-strong enough … to … n-not to make you sad … phy?” 

If possible, Mettaton’s voice softens even more, and he hangs his head as a few more silent tears fall down his cheeks and off the end of his nose. 

Alphys’ Soul sinks, but she lifts Mettaton’s chin. He has to hear this. 

“You are so strong, and, even st-still, it wasn’t you who m-made me sad. I’m s-sad because someone h-hurt you . So, of course ‘Dyne will st-still be your friend. In fact, she’ll probably be ready to wr-wrap you up in bubble wrap and d-d-dare anyone who tries to touch y-you to get well acquainted w-with her spears. O-Okay? I promise,” Alphys says. 

Mettaton actually manages a small smile at that. But, it’s short lived. The pillow supporting his back slips just a little, and he hisses with pain. Alphys is quick to support his back again. 

“I-I’m gonna t-text ‘Dyne now. Wh-Why don’t you rest your voice o-okay? It sounds l-like it hurts to talk. I’ll let you know if I-I need you to answer a-anything,” Alphys says. 

Mettaton nods. 

Now that Alphys is satisfied that Mettaton is calm, safe, and understands the procedure, Alphys grabs her phone from her pocket with the hand that isn’t continuing to support Mettaton’s pillow. 

She texts Undyne:

need you 

figured out what’s wrong

been down cooling fan for 24 hrs 

very VERY bad

need you 2 hold him 

i fix

Undyne replies:

in hallway

tell him ur right about the bubble wrap

k? 

Undyne sprints into the room, phone still in hand. She looks up before kneeling next to the sofa. 

“What can I do to help?” Undyne asks. 

Undyne pockets her phone and is immediately dialed in on Alphys’ words. Her soldier’s training is apparent on every feature in her face and body, and Alphys couldn’t love her more for it. 

“Okay. Mettaton, ‘Dyne, here’s what we have to do. Mettaton, we have to take your shirt off to give me access to your back panel. B-But, first, we’re going to transfer you to Undyne’s lap. Okay? So, you’re going to lie on her lap while I work. Th-Then, I’m g-gonna replace the f-fan before w-we set y-you up to r-rest upstairs. I-Is that okay? I-I need verbal confirmation, a-alright?” Alphys asks. 

He nods and says, “y-yes.” 

Mettaton clears his throat a little bit after speaking which makes Undyne bristle at how hoarse Mettaton’s voice sounds. 

“Okay. Good. S-So, ‘Dyne is going to lean you forward nice and gentle,” Alphys says. 

“Easy … easy, space heater. I gotcha. I gotcha. Try not to tense up, big guy. But, I’m sure the pain sucks ass, MTT,” Undyne says. 

Mettaton grits his teeth as Undyne brings him closer to lying flat but, eventually, Undyne eases him onto her lap. She rubs his shoulder with uncharacteristic tenderness. 

“Damn, you really are on fire, dude. It’s no wonder you feel so crappy. But, we’re gonna fix that. M’kay? You are being so tough, MTT. You are so, so crazy tough,” Undyne says.

“Okay, now we’re going to slide your arms up and out of the shirt y-you’re wearing. N-Nice and easy. Good job. You’re d-doing so well,” Alphys says. 

Undyne helps Alphys throw the shirt off to the side. Alphys thanks every deity she can call to mind that Mettaton decided to wear hip hugging jeans so they didn’t have to try to get those off or, rather, cut them off. 

Alphys runs her claws through Mettaton’s hair as she talks. 

“Now, we’re going into p-power off. Your back will feel so, so much better when you wake up. I know  it hurts r-really bad right now. So, w-we’re gonna fix it. O-Okay? Then, like I said, we’re gonna take you u-upstairs before I turn you on a-again so you can r-rest. You need to rest b-because, even after w-we fix the fan, y-you still might n-not feel very w-well until late tomorrow o-or even the day after. It could take a-a while for the p-part to w-work, and l-longer for it t-to actually finish c-cooling you d-down. B-But, but the p-pain in your back is going to be gone. That’ll be all done. I’ll make it better, o-okay? A-At least, we’re gonna s-solve one problem,” Alphys says. 

Mettaton nods weakly, and Alphys turns him off. 

After everything that has happened, Alphys has to take a quick breather before starting her work. Powered off, Mettaton almost looks dead. Eyeliner and makeup lingers on his cheeks, and his hair sticks up randomly in all directions. So, while she knows he’s not fallen down, it doesn’t sit right with her looking at him so limp and vulnerable. 

Even powered off, Mettaton’s SOUL is still inverted to look human as it glows with a pinkish light. Mettaton’s eyes also glow a dim pink around the edges of the LED, despite his eyes being fully closed, and his battery being powered off. While his eyes have nowhere near the vibrancy they usually do when his battery is live, and his eyes are open, the fact that they glow at all surprises Alphys a little bit. 

Alphys opens an app on her phone to make sure that there’s no electricity running through Mettaton before beginning to make her repairs. 

She confirms her suspicions that there is no electricity running behind Mettaton’s eyes but, instead, it seems that Mettaton’s SOUL is what powers the lights. Alphys wonders if it’s because Mettaton, in his Soul, wants to tell her, to reassure her, that he’s alive. 

If I had any doubt he was fully fused before, it’s completely gone now. Alphys thinks. 

Therefore, after assuring herself she won’t be shocked by free flowing electricity, and taking a few more calming breaths, Alphys grabs a screwdriver and sets to work quickly taking off Mettaton’s back plate. She places the screws in a ceramic pencil holder on the coffee table. Then, she puts the back plate against the couch. 

Bless you Angel. Bless you … this could have been so much worse. Alphys thinks to herself. 

While none of his nerve wires have been severed, despite the broken fan parts being dangerously close to touching several of them, some of the wires in the fan itself have partially melted. Alphys realizes that the melted wires would explain the burning sensation Mettaton had described. Alphys hypothesizes the motor was probably still trying to run despite the fan being broken. She remembers that, while she programed the fan to stop running, his motor must run on a separate system. 

I’m so sorry. You must have been in excruciating pain that whole time while you were anxious and overheating to boot. You were so brave. You are so brave. I’m so, so sorry. 

Alphys tries to send her love to him as she finishes scraping melted wire out of the port where the fan connects to the motor. 

Alphys praises her past-self for having the foresight to get at least three sets of duplicates for all of Mettaton’s most important parts. 

Alphys pulls out the broken pieces carefully, and she looks at the serial numbers. Then, Alphys digs through the box and finds the replacement parts. Alphys triple checks to make sure she removed all the melted wiring from the plug. Finally, she inserts the new fan into the port where she removed the broken one.

Alphys pulls up a file on her phone, and she sees the pieces have been accepted. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to replace the motor. Even still, as she told Mettaton, it’s going to take some time for the new fan to fully connect to his software system. Additionally, Alphys knows his software is going to be slowed because of the heat. It could take until afternoon tomorrow for the piece to connect and actually start working. 

He is going to feel like absolute shit. And, we’re going to have to be really careful with him. If the heat starts affecting his CPU … bad things could happen. But, that’s not overly likely. I think? Though, all of this is so far out of anything I remotely considered as a possibility. Stop. Breathe. I gotta stay positive. He’s just going to feel like crap and need lots of TLC. Nothing too hard. You nursed Bratty and Catty back to full HP hundreds of times. It cannot be any worse than that. Alphys’ thoughts race as she screws Mettaton’s back plate back into place. 

“Done. All done. It’s a-all done.” 

Alphys sighs with relief. 

Alphys leans forward on her arms and face plants into the couch. The full extent of everything that just happened hits her all at once. Alphys takes a shaky breath. 

Someone hurt her friend. 

Her best friend could have fallen down.  

If Mettaton had tried to continue to hide his injury, he surely would have dusted himself. 

They are all so very lucky that he managed not to hurt himself more in the past twenty-four hours. 

Especially during that panic attack and when he was crying on my shoulder. That he didn’t make any movements that were sudden enough to sever his main line is an absolute miracle. I … I couldn’t have repaired the whole CNS in time to stop his Soul from dusting. The best I could have done was duct tape it and pray. Alphys swallows hard at the thought. 

“You were amazing, Alphy. You did so well,” Undyne says. 

“I-I just did wh-what I h-had to do. But, we should t-take him upstairs. I-it’s going to be a h-hellacious next twenty-four hours o-or so for him,” Alphys says. 

“Can I lift him the normal way this time? Like, I can move his back, right?” Undyne asks. 

“Y-yeah. You can move his back. But, be gentle! Nothing rough. He’s insanely fragile right now. I-I don’t wanna freak you out ‘Dyne. S-So, I’m n-not giving details, especially s-s-since I know everyone’s listening next door, b-but this is bad l-l-like bad-bad.” Alphys warns. 

Undyne nods her understanding before taking a knee next to the couch. 

“I’m gonna pick you up now, ’kay, MTT? Then, I’m gonna take you upstairs like Alphy said we would. M’kay? We’re gonna get ya nice and comfy-cozy in Alphys’ old room ‘cause, apart from Frisk’s room, it’s the closest to the stairs. We’re goin’ up in three, two, one. I gotcha, space heater. I gotcha,” Undyne says. 

Undyne knows Mettaton won’t answer but she feels like she should tell him what she’s doing to him anyway … given the circumstances. Undyne’s Soul hammers in her chest as soon as she lifts him up bridal style. Undyne cradles Mettaton close to her for a moment before wrapping a protective arm around his head. Only then is Undyne satisfied that he is secure as she walks towards the main hallway. 

When Undyne carries Mettaton into the hallway where Blooky, Shyren, and Asgore are waiting, Alphys notices that Papyrus and Sans are mysteriously missing. 

Alphys gives Undyne a look. Undyne makes a face that’s somewhere between grief-stricken and fearful. Then, she mouths “tell you later.” 

Blooky and Shyren both attempt to approach Undyne and Alphys but quickly decide it’s better to wait. 

When Alphys and Undyne are near the top of the stairs, Toriel exits Frisk’s room. Toriel covers her mouth with her hands as Undyne ascends the stairs with Mettaton pillowed against her chest. 

“Is he alright? Is there anything I can do?” Toriel asks Alphys. 

“We need cool towels. H-H-His central cooling fan broke in an …” Alphys awkwardly pauses. 

“In an accident. The fan h-has been down for nearly t-twenty four hours. I-I only had s-suspicions until he finally told me j-just now. U-Undyne helped me with the repair. But, we have to g-get him cooled down or something could short circuit. T-That would be … um … h-harder to f-fix and c-could cause permanent d-damage.” Alphys explains.

“Of course! I shall prepare what you need right away,” Toriel says. 

Undyne walks into Alphys’ old room, and she gently places Mettaton on the bed. Alphys pulls Mettaton’s charging cord out of the covered port in his hip, and she plugs him into the wall outlet closest to the bed. 

As Alphys moves to power Mettaton back on, Undyne interrupts with a question. 

“Can’t we just leave him off until the fan turns on? Or ya know … he cools down? Wouldn’t that be the … ya know … nicer thing to do?” Undyne asks. 

Alphys smiles sadly while shaking her head. 

“No. I-If he’s p-powered off for too l-long he’s g-going to be extremely d-disoriented when h-he wakes up. I cannot do th-that to him r-right now. The n-night terrors w-would be brutal by the time he was c-c-cooled all the way down. If … if he were even a-able to come b-b-back at all. So, h-he has to be powered on. Th-That and his b-battery has to be l-live to calibrate the part. I-I can make transfers o-or replace p-parts with him powered o-off, and I prefer it because I’m less likely t-t-to shock myself, but t-they don’t calibrate u-unless his b-battery is l-live. B-But, h-he can ch-choose sl-sleep mode through most of the calibration. We’ll j-just have to wake h-him up to g-get him to drink e-enough to keep his m-magic strong and h-his steam s-sytem functional. B-But, I hope h-he sleeps. Tomorrow … um … i-it’s not going to b-be pleasant.” Alphys explains. 

With everything settled, Alphys powers Mettaton back on before going to do a quick check to ensure the charging cable is secure in the outlet. 

Mettaton’s eyes flutter. He opens them slowly with a groan and then snaps them back shut. He opens them just enough to see Undyne kneeling next to him. 

“We moved you up to Alphys’ old room, MTT. Remember? Alphys said we were gonna bring you upstairs so you could rest somewhere comfier than the couch,” Undyne says. 

Mettaton nods his understanding, but his half-lidded eyes still search around the room.

“phy?” Mettaton asks weakly. 

“I’m right here, Mettaton. R-Right here. Y-You okay?”Alphys asks. 

She rushes to his side so he can see her. 

“I-I don’t feel good, Phy … darling, everything h-hurts … my head … especially … ‘n ‘m really … tired. Is … is it odd to just … just want to sleep, dear? Phy, all I want … want is sleep.” Mettaton grimaces. 

Some part of Undyne is relieved by the fact that his voice is stronger than when she heard it downstairs. She realizes that he must be responding to being plugged in, but that relief is short-lived when Mettaton shuts his eyes before bringing a hand to his head. He tries to rub the space between his eyes as he speaks. 

Alphys takes Mettaton’s hand, and she squeezes it gently. 

“Not at a-all. Between the p-panic a-attack and the broken fan, you’ve g-gone through a lot. I’m sure you’re not f-feeling well, and you h-have every r-right to be completely e-exhausted,” Alphys says. 

Mettaton nods and grimaces again as he squeezes Alphys’ hand gently. He lies back and tries to get comfortable, but he struggles to pass into sleep mode. Alphys rubs Mettaton’s arm when he winces. 

“Anything I-I can do?” Alphys asks. 

“No, darling. ‘s just my head … it’s hard to go into sleep mode n-no matter how much I want it. It hurts too much, Phy.” Mettaton whispers. 

Alphys notices that Mettaton has kept his eyes closed nearly the entire time since she has powered him back on. 

We’re really going to have to watch out for his CPU. The headache is making me nervous. Wait … did he hit his head too? Alphys thinks. 

“Hey, ‘Dyne c-can you turn the lights o-off? If I need them to see l-l-later, I can always turn them b-back on,” Alphys says. 

Undyne nods before flicking the lights off. Undyne makes her way back to the side of the bed. 

“Ton-ton, I r-really need to know b-because the h-headache is so bad, a-and you’re so tired, wh-when … when your back hit the wall … um … d-d-did you hit your h-head, too?” Alphys asks. 

Alphys squeezes his hand tight when Mettaton flinches at her question. He slowly shakes his head “no,” and he instantly regrets it. He closes his eyes tight, and bites his lip. 

“Thank y-you. I’m sorry. I-I-I just n-needed to m-make sure th-the headache was c-coming from the h-h-heat not … um … something e-e-else.” Alphys explains. 

Undyne can feel the tension in the room, and she knows she needs to find a way to diffuse it before everything explodes. 

“Well then, we’re just gonna have ta getcha cooled down, space heater. Alright? That’s gonna make you feel a ton better, and, besides, we don’t want you burning us, now, do we? You’re our heater not our furnace.” Undyne teases. 

A weary smile passes over Mettaton’s face as his eyes open to gaze up at Undyne and Alphys. Alphys notices that there’s an overbright flicker to the LEDs behind Mettaton’s eyes. Alphys also realizes that LED lights in Mettaton’s cheeks have started to glow brighter, mirroring a feverish flush, as his core temperature rises. 

Before either Alphys or Undyne has much time to think about Alphys’ overcommitment to realism, Toriel knocks softly at the door. 

“I have what you requested, Dr. Alphys,” Toriel says. 

Alphys gets up and quickly takes the cool towels before leading Toriel further out into the hallway. 

“Is everyone alright after … um … a-all that? H-How much did everyone h-hear?” Alphys asks in a whisper. 

“Only as much as he wanted us to.” Toriel whispers in a way that barely conceals her fury. 

So, everyone, except hopefully Frisk, somehow heard pretty much everything he didn’t say in a whisper but, for his sake, they’re pretending not to. Alphys concludes. 

Alphys nods. “Thank you.” 

Alphys scurries back into the room and over to Mettaton’s side. She wipes his face down with a cool towel. She’s careful to remove all of the makeup from his face in an effort to get him comfortable. Alphys smiles as Mettaton leans into the coolness and closes his eyes. He finally seems to be able to access sleep mode. Alphys folds a towel and places it behind his neck. Then, she lays the final towel over his forehead. 

Alphys holds Mettaton’s hand and rubs his knuckles with her claw until she’s certain he’s sleeping. 

“We’ll need to r-replace the cool compresses and try to get h-him to drink s-something n-nearly every hour. I-I also want t-to stay up a-and observe h-him all n-night and th-throughout tomorrow until the fan starts working. Pr-Probably, even a-after it starts w-working, because, w-with his core temperature this h-high, it’s going to take awhile f-for the f-fan to bring it down. A-And … well … I-I’ll stay with him for now, b-but I don’t th-think it’s … um … a good idea? … for me to stay up for more than f-forty-eight hours,” Alphys says. 

Alphys almost forgets Toriel followed her into the room until Toriel responds to Alphys’ rambling. 

“No. I do not think that would be a wise choice either.” Toriel agrees. 

Silence hangs heavy on the room for a moment before Toriel speaks. 

“I will inform everyone that they should remain here. That way we may have many hands to make the work light. Someone will bring fresh towels and something cool to drink every hour while you take your vigil, Dr. Alphys,” Toriel says.

“Th-thank you. That w-would be great. I-I’ll stay with h-him until, l-like, mid-morning t-tomorrow. I d-don’t think I-I’ll sleep very w-well until I-I see him all the w-way through the n-night,” Alphys says.

Toriel nods before gently shutting the door on her way out.  

Undyne puts her hands on Alphys’ shoulders, and Alphys finally weeps quietly. 

Undyne leans down and wraps her arms around Alphys. 

“You are so strong, Alphy. So is he, you’re both so tough. You’ll get through this. We’ve beaten every obstacle these humans have thrown our way so far,” Undyne says. 

Alphys nods into Undyne's chest before taking a long deep breath. 

“I-I suppose … I just w-wish w-we … he especially, didn’t have to. ‘Dyne he m-m-must feel so alone. I-I’ve never ever seen him, or a-a-anyone, even myself, th-that broken. When h-he cried so hard h-he w-w-went silent …” Alphys says, shaking her head. 

Undyne nods. She rests her chin on the crown of her girlfriend’s head for several minutes before Alphys relaxes into Undyne’s touch. The two of them finally break their embrace when they’ve both drawn enough strength from each other. 

“I’m going to go check on Papyrus. He’s fine. He’s just … angry. When he heard that … the thing about the … um … cheating … he finally lost it. He has that, like, same thing with his eye that creeps me out when Sans does it. Sans rushed the two of them downstairs after he saw it. So, I’m gonna go make sure Sans got him to calm down. But, then, I’m going to try to get some sleep. Alright? That way I’ll be fresh for tomorrow,” Undyne says. 

Alphys stares at Undyne slack jawed for a moment before nodding her understanding. 

Finally, Undyne kisses Alphys’ cheek before she leaves. 

Once she is alone, Alphys climbs into the bed next to her friend. She curls around Mettaton, and she lets his head fall onto her chest. 

Alphys reaches out and softly strokes Mettaton’s hair. He settles into her touch, but he doesn’t wake up. 

Alphys gathers all of her waning resolve and begins to speak.

“I hope you kn-know that w-we can stay curled up in bed for eternity … just like old times. We can lie on the floor and f-f-feel like garbage. E-Except, instead of rambling about anime, or comics, or my terrible life ch-choices, we’ll talk about w-whatever you want. We can talk about dancing, m-musicals, fashion, or we can just … just s-sit in the quiet. I w-want to make you feel safe again. We can talk about those other things too … f-for nostalgia … if you wanted. But, we don’t have to change out of our pjs. We don’t h-have to take on the world. We can eat waffles in bed, or have hot cocoa on the couch, or iced tea in the snow, or w-w-whatever makes you happy. I just want to see you smile … r-really smile again. I want to see you smile like when you f-f-first felt your fingers, or when you t-t-tasted butterscotch pie, or when Papyrus c-called you beautiful.” 

Alphys turns the cloth on Mettaton’s forehead. 

His apology for the panic attack stings like needles at the core of her being all over again. She can’t believe that Mettaton’s manager would use her friend’s art to hurt him, taunt him, and finally convince him that they would all abandon him if that man took their Mettaton away. Alphys knows that she would track Mettaton to the ends of the earth to bring him back safely, and everyone else would follow right behind her. But, Mettaton didn’t know that, and that thought makes her feel like knives are piercing her Soul. 

Despite the beauty of their creations, humans can be so cruel … and so convincing when telling lies. While Alphys has lied often, she is rarely convincing. 

Alphys breathes deeply and finds her voice again. 

“What I wanted t-to say downstairs w-was, you don’t have to give other people hope or be a star if that’s not y-y-your dream anymore. D-Dreams change when we change. Because … for what it’s worth anyway … you’re already my star. I can be the sky you h-hide in or shine from. But, please, know that you’re my star whether you make it b-b-big here or not. If you don’t make it big, you can always travel other ways. Go see the world as a bl-blogger or s-something. You always l-l-loved to write. Or, at least, I-I assume you do if your, like, 50 diaries and 1200 notebooks of song lyrics are a-anything to go by. R-R-Regardless, you’re my star whether you, a-and your f-family, challenge that terrible h-h-human or choose not to. You’re my star because y-you’re my friend. You’re my star because together we did what we b-both thought was impossible. And, s-so, if you can’t trust me as your friend, trust me as the doctor who gave you what you most wanted because … because I-I’m not giving up on you. O-Okay?” She whispers. 

Mettaton’s artificial lungs fill with air gently moving his chest up and down in an effort to cool his overheating body. As Alphys continues to play with Mettaton’s hair, Alphys realizes if she leaves it untied that it will quickly become uncomfortable because of the damp towels. So, she ties Mettaton’s hair back with the spare hair tie she always keeps for Undyne. 

Then, Alphys rolls onto her back for a moment so that, if he wakes up, he won’t see her crying. Well, at least, he won’t see her crying immediately. 

“And, please, Angel, please, don’t let that awful person take a-a-away the love he found for and i-in this b-body. Don’t let him lose his sp-spark because he is h-h-hurting. But, if that spark h-has to g-g-go, can you just give me a s-sign that it will come b-back someday? Please, I don’t ask for m-much. But, d-don’t l-let him p-permanently let go of all he’s w-w-wanted so much. He’s n-n-not perfect, but are a-any of us? Still, w-w-we try … r-right? He has worked so, so hard. Don’t p-p-punish him like th-that.”

Alphys doesn’t know when she turned this ramble into a prayer. But, she has, and she means every word. She can’t bear to watch him struggle with his body like he did before. She couldn’t bear it if he stopped being himself because of what someone else did. In the end, it will be his choice. She knows that. But, she also knows she will be unbelievably sad should he never find his way back to loving himself as he is.

So, she prays for him. She prays for them both. She doesn’t want to lose Mettaton as he is because he doesn’t deserve that. Her friend deserves to be saved if only because most everyone deserves mercy and a new beginning to their story. 

Isn’t that kind of the point of that musical he likes so damn much? I … I actually don’t remember anything about it except that one song he likes. Ton-ton, I promise I’ll watch whatever musicals you want  I won’t even complain … much … when we do. I’ll even try to keep track of the plot. Alphys promises.

As Alphys watches over Mettaton, she rests with his head on her chest warming her up … just like old times.

Chapter Text

The laser beam almost cuts off Undyne’s hair as it shoots through the room when she opens the door. 

Undyne’s eye widens as her face takes on an expression of equal parts terror and wonder. 

Every surface in the room smolders with embers left behind by the beams of orange fiery light coming from the mouths of giant dog-like skulls that appear and disappear, seemingly, at random. 

Sans stands off in a corner waiting for it all to end. 

After watching Papyrus’ great display of anger for several minutes, Undyne sees Papyrus fall to his knees. 

Fiery orange tears spill down Papyrus’ cheeks as he buries his face in his hands and lies on the ground. 

Undyne swallows before taking a tentative step into the room. 

“undyne. go.” Sans’ voice is low and hollow. 

However, Undyne doesn’t say anything to Sans, and she certainly doesn’t follow his direction. Instead, Undyne keeps walking. She ignores the blazing orange fire. She steps around splintered pieces of wood, ripped up leather, and shattered chains from punching bags. 

Somehow, in all of the chaos, every single training dummy remains untouched. 

Undyne hesitates a moment before kneeling in front of Papyrus. 

Undyne has always known that Papyrus was stronger than he appeared. Papyrus is, somehow, stronger than a boulder and sweeter than any flower on Earth or under it. However, witnessing this, Undyne discovers that Papyrus’ magical control must be impeccable, because Undyne has never seen Papyrus do anything like this no matter how hard she has pushed him. 

Truly, Undyne has only seen magic like this once, and it’s on a day she would rather forget. For, the only time Undyne remembers anything like this at all is when Sans stepped in and killed the human who took her eye with one of those … creatures?

No, not creatures, those weapons. 

Undyne shudders at the memory before returning to the task at hand. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Undyne knows she ought to say more, but there are no other words to say when grief runs this deep. There is nothing she can offer that can repair the damage that has been done. Undyne knows that.

For, there are two days every year that Undyne has always committed to sitting in silence with Asgore making tea and watching the dusty shadows of two small children run amok in New Home. The day always begins and ends with the same five words. 

“I’m sorry. I love you.” 

Undyne means those with the depth of all she is every time she has said them these past sixty-two years. For, Asgore may have become her mentor at nineteen, but he became her father at twenty-eight.

While Undyne has never called Asgore “Dad,” the word weaves itself into the intricate tapestry of their lives. The first thread appeared in their sparring match, and more spawned over the decades of lessons on fighting, tea, gardening, and living. The word “Dad” means nothing in comparison to the feeling of Asgore nurturing Undyne throughout her life. 

She loves him. She is his. 

Undyne is Asgore's to nurture, his to command, and his to pour his love into.

Undyne is a simple monster, and there is nothing more than that to her relationship with Asgore. There has never needed to be more. 

Undyne shakes herself from her thoughts as she looks down at Papyrus. She realizes that he hasn’t moved. So, she speaks a bit louder and with more force. 

“I’m so sorry.” 

Papyrus shoots up from the ground at her words this time. He looks at the wall behind her before saying anything. 

“WHY ARE YOU SORRY? YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING.” 

Undyne stiffens at Papyrus’ words. She knows he means that she didn’t do anything to hurt Mettaton. Of course, logically, she absolutely recognizes that's what he means. Still, there’s something about the hardened bitterness to his voice that pierces the core of her being like a spear. 

“That’s why I’m sorry!” 

Undyne risks scooting forward so the knees of her ripped jeans touch Papyrus’ bared boney ones. The two of them sit that way for a long time. This is not their usual silence, and Undyne despises the dead air. Papyrus wants to say something. Undyne can feel it in her Soul. 

Finally, Papyrus asks exactly what Undyne expected he would. 

“WHY?”

Undyne thinks carefully. There are a hundred different “whys” that Papyrus could be pondering. Yet, after thousands of kitchen fires, hundreds of puzzles, and decades of friendship, Undyne knows exactly which of the hundreds of “whys” Papyrus needs answered. 

“MTT didn’t understand the difference between hurting us and us hurting for him, Papyrus. So … NGGGH … I guess, his brain got twisted up in human lies! And! Because … because he loved you too much to hurt you. MTT loved us all too much to hurt us.” Undyne whispers.

For a moment, the two of them just breathe alongside each other. They don’t look at each other. They just sit staring at opposite walls as they breathe. 

Finally, Papyrus falls into Undyne’s arms and sobs.

“I’LL KILL THAT MAN. I’LL FUCKING ANHIALATE HIM. I CAN DO IT! I CAN! EVEN IF I SHOULDN’T, I CAN! ” Papyrus screams. 

“I know … I’m sorry. But, feel that to it’s maximum power, Papyrus. In order to be of any use, you have to feel your anger, tap into your sense of justice, and don’t hold back! I beat the shit out of things when I get angry all the time! It helps me clear my head. Feel. Your. Damn. Fury. So … so that tomorrow you’ll be fresh and ready to do the practical thing, dude. But … right now … feeling angry is the practical thing,” Undyne says. 

“I HATE THAT HUMAN. I HATE HIM! I’VE NEVER HATED ANYONE BEFORE, I’VE NEVER LOST FAITH IN ANYONE BEFORE, AND I NEVER WANT TO AGAIN! BUT, I CAN’T FORGIVE HIM. I CAN’T BELIEVE IN HIM.” Papyrus says. 

Undyne closes her eye. 

“Not every monster, person, human, or whatever deserves that trust, nerd. I know you want to believe that everyone can be redeemed, but not everyone can. Your faith is so … UGH … you’re too good, Papyrus! You’re allowed to hate that asshole!” Undyne says forcefully. 

Papyrus dissolves further into tears. Now, Undyne is certain that Papyrus has run out of words. So, she holds Papyrus tight. 

Then, Undyne looks over at Sans. Sans stares at the wall behind Undyne. His skeletal fingers are clenched in tight fists. His expression is completely unreadable but, somehow, Undyne can tell Sans is barely containing his anger. 

Suddenly, Undyne sees Sans look at his phone. His eye sockets widen, and he disappears. 

Undyne has known both Sans and Papyrus well over the course of her time as the Captain of the Guard. There have been seldom few times that Undyne has ever seen either one of them truly angry. 

This is the first time that she has ever seen both of them wrathful, and Undyne wishes with everything she is that she can prevent anyone from ever seeing it again.  

********

Meanwhile, Alphys scrolls through her phone trying to stay awake for as long as she can. She knows, curled up this close to Mettaton, that she’ll wake up if she feels him move. Yet, still, she doesn’t really want to sleep anyway. 

She worries she’ll hear him sobbing against her knees in her nightmares.