Work Text:
It was a quiet day. Mettaton had come over for a cup of tea, and after plugging in to charge, changed to his EX form. He sat down, careful not to knock loose the wire. He seemed a little down about something and he wasn’t nearly as excited about trying out his new olfactory sensors as she thought he’d be. Regardless, she placed the cup in front of him and moved to sit down herself. Mettaton swirled the small spoon in the caramel liquid before lifting it gingerly to his nose. His eyes slid closed as he seemed very focused on the scent. Once he was satisfied, he placed it down on the table once more.
Alphys watched closely all the while, accidentally placing far too much sugar into her own. As she stirred wildly in an attempt to dissolve at least the majority of the sugar, Mettaton reached up on his chest and adjusted his volume knob.
She huffed at her tea as she lifted her eyes to listen to her companion. She understood why he had adjusted his volume as soon as he spoke. He was speaking so quietly she couldn’t make him out at all.
“What was that, Metta?” She asked in clarification as she brought her tea to her lips and took a careful sip.
“When you put me into this body, did you see my SOUL?”
Alphys nearly choked on her tea. He said it so easily and as if he was completely uninterested despite a puff of exhaust leaving his facial exhaust, hair scattering lightly as his eyes tightened in on his cup of tea. He tapped a lacquered artificial nail on the table, trying to appear disinterested.
“Yes,” she answered quietly.
It was quiet. Mettaton’s pupil contracted further, his visual sensors focusing intently on his tea.
“What color was it?”
Alphys tried her best to hide her surprise. Discussing the transferring of SOULs was always a bit… tricky for her. But she couldn’t decipher the meaning behind his question.
“White?” she offered, confused as to what other options there were.
His eyelids closed a bit as his pupils relaxed, gaze turning towards the table instead.
“Ah.”
Alphys felt suddenly concerned for her normally very energetic friend. This was unlike him and while she wasn’t very good at socializing even she could tell something was on his mind. His fingers ran over the facade on his lower torso chassis, synthetic fingers lightly grazing the slightly protruding white crystalline structure.
“I had always…” he trailed off, making Alphys’s worry spike even higher.
“I had always felt deep down I wasn’t a monster,” he squeezed out a bit too quickly. He paused, closing his eyes with another puff of air blowing his hair around.
“Oh, it sounds so silly saying it out loud,” she could hear his fans working on overdrive as he paused, “but I just… Deep down I always thought I was human.”
Alphys nodded in an attempt to understand something she really couldn’t at all.
“You know?”
Alphys shook her head.
“I don’t understand. We’re all monsters,” she offered.
“I know that, but… Something… has always felt so wrong. I can’t describe it.”
Alphys tilted her head.
“Is that why you wanted me to build you a humanoid form, Metta?”
His eyes dilated.
“You’re not wrong,” he said barely audible even with his speakers at 90%. She could hear his usually largely silent mechanics thrumming in exertion.
“Well…” she decided to humor him since this clearly wasn’t the time to be the realist, “What did you think it’d be?”
He seemed to cheer up marginally at the question but still looked resigned.
“It’s silly, it’s really nothing-”
“If it’s bothering you so much it’s not nothing. I don’t understand but I can at least listen, all right?” Alphys chided as powerfully as she could. Which wasn’t very. Her own voice was beginning to match his own volume and she could barely grind it out. But she needed to be strong, just until her friend felt better.
“Well, I…” A small stiff smile tugged on his lips as his pupils relaxed. His hands possessively grazed over the facade of his SOUL, despite knowing it was nothing more but a representation, “I always thought pink suited me.”
Alphys laughed a little at that. Mettaton looked up, seeming a bit surprised.
“It does suit you!” She assured.
He relaxed then, having momentarily worried he was being laughed at.
“Humans have all sorts of SOULs, don’t they?” he formed it as a question but Alphys felt it was moreso a statement than anything, “all the colors of the rainbow, strong and powerful, beautiful and gorgeous…”
He looked down with a bitter smile at his tea.
“Sometimes I wonder if I am none of those things.”
Alphys chirped in surprise. She quickly covered her mouth as she waved her paw nonchalantly despite the blush on her face.
“Metta, I don’t know if this is my place to say, but…” she gulped and willed her social anxiety to go away just long enough to get through this final battle against her mouth, heart beating far too fast. Finally she let out a deep breath and slowly began, “As y-your friend... “ She closed her eyes, “I think you’re probably the most beautiful person in the Underground!”
She peeked out from a clenched eye and felt relieved at the large smile on her friend’s face.
“You really think that?” he whispered as if unsure he heard her right.
“O-of course! and you’re really strong too! Probably not as strong as U-Undy-ne b-but-” she was rambling and tried to reign herself in, “yes!”
Mettaton laughed at her display, making her blush more. His laugh sounded full this time which let her relax a bit, hoping she could stop saying embarrassing things now. She wasn’t sure if her heart could take any more of this!
“That means a lot coming from you, Alphys,” he said quietly despite smiling widely.
An Upgrade Later:
Mettaton couldn’t understand why as he looked in the mirror he felt like crying. Alas, he had no tear ducts, so he settled for merely trembling as he ran his fingers over the facade on his lower torso, gently scratching the crystalline surface. He turned his volume down to 0% as he shuddered out of sheer emotion, crumpling over as he pulled his arms around himself.
She’d made it pink.