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Alphys was used to Mettaton coming over late at night. His cousins were never too keen on wanting to listen to Mettaton’s rambling, so instead he came to his dear friend. She was used to knocks on the door at 3 A.M. and warming up tea as Mettaton dramatically flopped over onto her couch and moaned about this thing and that.
But what she wasn’t expecting was a gentle knock around 12 A.M. and a starry-eyed Mettaton who practically floated into Alphys’ apartment and onto her couch. He sighed dreamily, resting his head against the arm of the couch. Alphys giggled at her friend’s funny behavior and walked into the kitchen.
“S-So what brings you t-to my humble abode tonight?” Alphys asked as she grabbed a mug from her pantry. She heard more sighs from Mettaton in the other room and laughed. She grabbed her kettle and filled it with water before placing it on the stove and returning to the living room. She sat on the ground near the couch and ran a hand through her short, dark hair. “What’s going on, Mettaton?”
“Oh Alphys,” Mettaton started, flopping a hand over the edge of the couch, “I’m gay and warm and over the moon!” He sat up suddenly, only to flop back over and sigh, “I’m a goopy starstruck mess~”
This was certainly a new side of Mettaton that Alphys was suddenly witnessing. She’d never seen him so quivery and giddy and over-the-top happy before. Of course, her first meeting with him was when he was at his worst, but she helped him bring him to where he’s at now, just like he did with her as well. But this was new. And it had Alphys intrigued. Oh so very intrigued.
The tea kettle whistled in the other room, signaling for Alphys to get up and make the tea. She came back shortly after with two anime-related mugs that her girlfriend, Undyne, had gotten her for Christmas last year, and she handed one of them to Mettaton. Alphys returned to her place on the ground and stared at Mettaton intently, the beginnings of a playful smirk tugging at her lips.
“Spill the beans, Metta,” Alphys prodded, leaning in. Mettaton turned to her and sighed once more, not even noticing the evident signs of mischief in Alphys’ face and form. He sat up and took a sip of his tea.
“Well, remember that party you took me to last week? And that guy I was talking to the whole night while I was there?” Mettaton asked. Alphys nodded. “Well, I saw him again today while I was out shopping for new character shoes.” He put the mug on the ground and flopped back onto the couch, his right hand landing on his forehead dramatically.
“He stopped me completely in my tracks! I barely even remembered what I was doing in the mall once I saw his gorgeous tanned face! He complimented my outfit….and then we talked….and then he invited me to lunch! And there was absolutely no way I was going to decline, so I agreed! He took me to this nice little cafe I’ve never seen before, and he ordered my favorite coffee for me….And we talked more...And it was just….the best day of my whole life!” Mettaton explained, rolling over onto his belly and then back over and over as he talked. “Then he….oh god, he hugged me! Now I know I usually don’t get hung up about silly old hugs, darling, but the hug he gave me was just so...warm~ Like the softest cloud just enveloped itself around you! And he whispered in my ear ‘I hope I can see you again soon!’ all cute like and I swear to god I felt my whole body melt at that point!” Alphys was sure if Mettaton continued flinging himself up and down and rolling himself all around that eventually he would just fall off the couch entirely, but he managed to keep himself there as he grabbed his mug and took another sip.
“I barely even remembered the rest of today, the thoughts of his sweet smile and booming laugh kept replaying in my head, and next thing I knew it was midnight and I was plagued with stupid dreams about dating him and kissing him and….other things! So I got up and decided that I needed to come here and ramble or else I would never get my desired beautyrest!” Mettaton sat up, finally, and looked back to Alphys.
“So that’s what’s going on right now with me,” He concluded.
Now Alphys was beyond happy at this point for Mettaton. It was probably true to say that, if she had the ability, she would just get up and start doing cartwheels over just how happy she was for Mettaton. He was in love! And damn happy with it too, it seems. And nothing made Alphys more excited than seeing her friends happy. It filled her with determination to get her lovesick friend the man he so desires at this moment.
“M-Mettaton…” Alphys started, a little tear in her eye, “You’re in love~” At those final words, Mettaton’s Cloud Nine had suddenly evaporated, and he was left to fall back to reality.
“In love?!” Mettaton shouted, rising to his feet. “Darling, I don’t fall in love with people. People fall in love with me!” He paused, resting a hand on his chin. “Though, being in love with Papyrus doesn’t sound too bad….I mean he’s sweet, and he’d certainly take care of me…” He quickly shook his head, shooing away more thoughts of a domestic life with a man he’s only met twice.
“Aw, come on, Metta! D-Don’t be like that!” Alphys said from the floor, “I-I fell for Undyne after I first met her! I-It’s natural to feel that way with someone who’s very compatible with you!!” Her words meant to be encouraging, but it only made Mettaton panic more.
“Compatible?! How are we in any way compatible?! He’s this caring, sweet, selfless guy and I’m this overly dramatic, narcissistic asshole!” Mettaton replied, his volume increasing. Now Alphys was trying to both relax Mettaton into the idea of being in love and lower his volume so she didn’t get the cops called on her. She stood up and nervously walked to Mettaton.
“W-Well, I wouldn’t call Papyrus selfless. He’s pretty self-centered if you ask me-” She was cut off by Mettaton spinning around to face her, his eyes narrowed. “O-Okaaaaay, didn’t word that correctly. B-But still! You two have a lot in common! Y-You’re both tall...and you both t-talk loudly….a-and...hehehe, I guess there really isn’t a whole lot I can think of right n-now!” Her words were only making the situation worse, as Mettaton, now deflated and mildly confused, was walking toward the door. Alphys had to think; what would her favorite anime protagonist do?
Besides throwing themselves on their knees and sobbing out Mettaton’s name, they probably wouldn’t do much. Alphys really needed to start watching better anime.
“M-Mettaton wait!” She called out, not very loudly to prevent a noise complaint. Mettaton halted his movements, looking back at Alphys. Alphys walked slowly to him, her chubby cheeks dusted red with blush. “I-I still think y-you shouldn’t disregard your feelings about Papyrus. I know how you’ve been hurt by so many people, and I know how you’re afraid to open yourself like that again. I was the exact same way, remember? I had those thoughts too. T-That’s the whole reason why we met. But I allowed myself, slowly, to open up to Undyne, and look where we’re at now! Dating almost four years and I still love her as much as I did the first day I met her in highschool! S-So...what I’m getting at is...d-don’t….don’t disregard that little lovesick birdie in your head, okay? If it’s meant to work out, t-then it will. A-And if it isn’t...well at least you gave it a shot, r-right?”
Mettaton’s frown dropped to a expression far beyond man’s comprehension of emotions. It’s that in between emotion of feeling absolutely nothing and feeling everything all at once. Those sort of cancel out, leaving just a state of ambiguity for the onlooker to be left wondering by. Then, he smiled. A tiny twitch of a smile that then broke out into a full one. Mettaton walked to Alphys and wrapped her in a big hug. He didn’t know how she did it, but the words she spoke to him always left his mind at ease.
“Thank you Alphy,” Mettaton said as he hugged her, “I really have no idea how it would work out, or how Sans would feel about seeing me around his brother, but I’m...I’m willing to try this whole ‘having a really awful crush on someone’ thing, if it means being near Papyrus more.” Alphys smiled and hugged Mettaton back.
“Oh please, w-why would Sans have a problem with you? That guy’s got zero beef with anyone. B-Besides, he doesn’t even know you!”
Mettaton remembered a messy, unforgettable night about two years back, and he blushed awkwardly.
“You’d be surprised, darling,” Mettaton said, leaving the topic at that. Alphys didn’t question it further.
The pair spent the rest of the night, or should I say early morning, watching B-listed romcom anime while drinking tea and eating chips. Occasionally Alphys would make the clever jab at Mettaton by stating how the over-the-top couple on the screen was going to be him and Papyrus in a year, while Mettaton countered by stating how the mushy gushy lesbian couple was Alphys and Undyne right now.
It was a good night for one person who was over the moon and another who was watching from the ground.