Chapter Text
“There it is!” Undyne jabbed her finger at the screen. “That’s so cool! Babe, you said you wanted to make me something!”
“But…Undyne, I know I said that, b-but…that’s…gold armor? It looks really neat, but you could crush it with one hand…”
“I bet you could make it work!”
“I could maybe, uh, just…oh! I’ll just make that design with a material that isn’t terrible, and make it look gold! Problem solved!” Alphys paused the screen and got out her notebook. "I bet there’s an artbook with a better drawing of this online!"
This was going to be the best birthday Undyne had ever had. She couldn’t wait until Papyrus got an eye-socket full of her in the most badass looking armor she had ever seen. He would probably try to pretend he was happy for her, but he would be seething with jealousy. It was going to be great!
Alphys worked almost non-stop on the armor from the second she decided she could make it. Undyne’s birthday was close, and she had to figure out how to make an incredibly unrealistic set of armor actually work before then.
Undyne sometimes found her passed out at her work bench, using a pile of papers as a pillow. Empty ramen containers were stacked up around her, blocking out excess light. Undyne admired her, and how dedicated she could get to a project. Undyne would toss a blanket over Alphys’ shoulders and then go into the kitchen and make her something with a couple nutrients in it to leave in the fridge for her to find when she got up.
She’d write "EAT THIS! SO YOU DON’T DIE!!!! I MEAN IT!” and she’d draw a heart around it so Alphys wouldn’t ignore it and go past it for the soda.
Alphys would mumble in her sleep. It was mostly nonsense. When she was awake and working, but she should be sleeping, she would mumble in the same tone, but there would be some meaning to it.
“She’ll impale her own neck on the shoulder guards…have to fix this…oh god…”
“…why didn’t they consult anyone who knows anything….? I wonder if anime companies hire people to design armor? Maybe I should volunteer, for the good of the world…”
“…the helmet weighs more than the entire rest of the suit…”
“…she’ll die…if she wears this…god…why did they put so many spikes there?”
By Undyne’s birthday, Alphys moved like she was recovering from the flu. Her lab coat looked like she had been wearing it for a week straight, which was pretty good. She’d been wearing it for a week and a half.
But she was beaming. She’d won! She stuck a birthday bow on the chest plate and called Undyne in.
“ALPHYS! I can’t believe it! Babe, what am I saying? I knew you could do it! I’m putting this on right this second!” She ripped off the clothes she had on and Alphys helped her figure out the suit.
“You…you look amazing in it!” Alphys said. Undyne knelt in front of her as Alphys finished adjusting the helmet. "I was worried it would look…uh… Anyway! Happy birthday!"
Undyne got up and clanked over to the mirror. "I want to go and kick someone’s ass in this! Let’s get in the car and find some punks!”
“I don’t know about that, but–”
Undyne was already heading outside. Alphys hurried after her.
The sun hit the gold metal and Undyne held her arm up, admiring the gleam. "Alphys!“ She took Alphys’ hand and held her arm up, too.
Alphys’ scales glittered in the light. "Wh-what is it?”
“We match!”