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While Alphys was still at the school, attending a staff meeting, Undyne was already at home. She had just finished marking a stack of exams and now needed both paperclips and staples. She knew that Alphys loved to hoard office supplies, so she went to her office and looked for both there. It was purely by chance that she even found the notebook, having knocked it out when tugging on a box of paperclips - but it was curiosity that kept her reading it.
Undyne at first picked up the book to put it back, but hesitated when she saw the title: "A+U, Part 1", and a date. Blinking, she sat down on Alphys's office chair and opened it at a random page, strangely captivated, now. As she read, however, both curiosity and captivation became almost morbid in nature, and she couldn't tear herself away if she tried - and she did, too.
"The day started off badly. Remember, things always start off badly for me, so of course this would be no different. I was spending the day on that research - the less said about that, the better - and never expecting a visit from her, not at all. But suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and when I opened it, there she was. And suddenly the day wasn't so bad anymore.
Tall and slender, yet toned with muscle, she stood so casually, as if she did this every day. Her hair, usually tied back in a no-nonsense tail, was loose and silky red around her shoulders, curving towards her chest like a gentle caress. For a moment, I envied that hair for its close proximity to such an intimate area. Yet despite the thickness of that hair, her sweeping, fan-shaped ears still poked through like an elf's, the transparent membrane adding definition to the hair around them. And though she merely smiled, that smile lit up her entire lovely face, showing sharp and prominent teeth that added mischievousness to it. And though she only had one eye, that eye was so expressive and shining, its dark depths standing out against the yellow around it, the yellow as lovely as the healthiest buttercup."
Undyne had to stop there, one hand touching around her eye in a daze. Her. It was about her, but a kind of her that seemed unreal. The way Alphys described her - and it was definitely Alphys, as no one else had writing like hers - made her seem like a fantastical creature, and not just the random monster that she actually was.
Or... was that how Alphys actually saw her?
Undyne checked the date and saw that it was written long before they started dating - longer, still, before the barrier broke. No, this was written when they were still just friends - good friends, but friends nonetheless.
Confused but still entranced, she flipped ahead a few more pages and read.
This entry, however, was less innocent, and had Undyne blushing scarlet.
"She tasted of gentle salt, of warmth, of something I'd never tasted before that would only be - could only be - her. If it were possible to become intoxicated by the taste of someone, especially so intimately, I was immediately inebriated from her. And I didn't care; I found that I'd rather be drunk forever if it meant being able to be with her this way just a little bit longer."
"Ohhh my god," Undyne murmured, covering her mouth and shifting a little in her seat. So this was what Frisk was talking about: Alphys really had written stories about herself and Undyne together - and had written quite a bit, in quite a bit of detail, too. She hadn't believed Frisk, who admitted that it was Mettaton who had told them. But now, she held the proof right now, in her hands.
The thing was, Alphys was actually a decent writer, which was also why Undyne had trouble putting the notebook back, like she knew she should. It was curiosity for sure, but also enthrallment; she was oddly interested, too. She paused, listening for a moment to make sure that Alphys wasn't home yet, before she flipped ahead and started reading more.
"It wasn't at all the way I'd always imagined it, and I certainly imagined it myriad times, and in great detail. Yet at the same time, I truly know that if it had gone any other way, it just wouldn't of been... us.
For starters, I never imagined Undyne would wear a dress. In the countless imaginings, she always wore her armour. But the moment I saw her in that dress, I decided I never, ever wanted to imagine her in anything else.
It was silver, a glittery silver that seemed to be sewn with actual silver threads, and it fell below her knees in gentle waves. It was sleeveless but with a high collar, similar to a turtleneck but far more elegant, split in the middle and showing the front of her throat. It hugged her modest curves in a gorgeous way, as well as displayed her arms that accentuated her muscles without making them overbearing. She even wore a silver eyepatch. Her hair was braided and threaded with silver ribbons, hanging over her left shoulder, and completing the look were silver, sparkly flat shoes.
She was stunning, and I could barely breathe."
Undyne covered her mouth again, her eye wide. A wedding dress. Alphys had pictured her in a wedding dress, one made of silver. Yet when they actually got married for real, she had worn a dress, true, but one entirely different, in almost every way possible, including the colour. Alphys had never said a word about silver, nor did she protest once she saw what Undyne had chosen.
Reading this now, however, made Undyne wonder if Alphys really had minded, and would have preferred silver...
Biting her lip, she flipped forward more and continued.
"Waking up beside her is a dream come true, one I get to experience every single day. It's not perfect; she sleep-talks, takes up most of the bed, drools, and steals my blankets, but doesn't matter in the end. Every time she opens her eye and looks at me, for reasons known only to her, she smiles - and I feel invincible, ready to take on the day that just began."
"Oh, Alphy..." Undyne whispered, her heart aching. She knew that things had been so lonely for Alphys, even when they were just friends, but to read it, to see it so blatantly between the words she had written with such love and care, was a unique kind of hurt. Reading this brought the depth of the loneliness that Alphys had felt to a whole new light, and Undyne suddenly understood why she'd written this - and so much of it, too.
She stood up and gently replaced the book, then left the office, heading down to the basement and going through several boxes loudly and messily but with purpose. By the time she'd found what she was looking for, it was late, and she knew Alphys would be home any minute, now. With a faint blush added to her set expression of determination, Undyne went back upstairs with her find and waited for her wife to return home.
Not long after, Alphys came home, wearing a grin and holding a huge bag of take-out, one so large that she had to look around it in order to see, as it was too tall for her to look over. "Undyne!" she called. "I'm home--oh!" Her eyes landed on Undyne and lit up, sending a pang right into Undyne's heart, like it always did. "Food!" she added cheerfully, holding the bag up like a prize.
Undyne grinned as well and got up, grabbing the bag easily before leaning down and kissing Alphys gently, her other hand on her cheek. Alphys moved closer and returned it, her hand covering Undyne's lightly as she did.
When she pulled away, Undyne said, "Hey."
"Hello," replied Alphys with a smile, her eyes still bright.
"I, uh, gotta talk to you about something, before we eat," Undyne added, turning back to the kitchen with the bag and setting it on the counter. Alphys took off her shoes and followed, nodding. "It's... sorta personal."
Alphys sat down at the kitchen table. "You can tell me anything. You know that, don't you?"
Undyne smiled at her, sitting down beside her. In reply, she picked up a stack of envelopes from the counter and handed them to Alphys, who took them with a blink of confusion.
"Alphy, I, uh..." Undyne blushed, her smile fading. "I read some of your stories. About us."
Alphys's head shot up, her eyes going wide and her face flashing to scarlet. She made a loud squeak, then dropped the pile of envelopes and stood up quickly. "I-I need t-to go hide for-forever, now!" she announced, her voice high-pitched and cracking a little.
Undyne grabbed her hand quickly and pulled her back before she could. "No! Come on, sit back down, please? It's okay, really. Please."
"Pl-please don't d-divorce me," Alphys suddenly pleaded, looking panicked. "I-I was lone-lonely, and-and--,"
"Sit," Undyne said sharply, and she did, covering her face with shaking hands. "Alphy. What the hell? I'm not gonna divorce you! I'm... gonna make it up to you."
Alphys peered out from behind her fingers. "Huh?" she answered, her voice still tiny.
"I invaded your privacy, duh," Undyne grumbled, the one blushing, now. "I feel like a complete rat for it, but I did it anyway. So... read those, and we'll be even." She nudged the stack of envelopes again.
Alphys lowered her hands and took hold of them again, but she looked at Undyne. "You-you don't think I-I'm gross?" she wondered, sounding as if she couldn't believe it.
"Read those," was all Undyne would say, her whole face almost as red as her hair, now.
Alphys hesitated, then picked one up at random and opened it carefully before reading it.
"Dear Alphy s,
You and me are pretty awesome together, I think. So I wanted to know if you ever thought about being with me like I think about being with you? I mean, not how we are now, but as a couple, you know? Because you and me, I think, would be the best, like a power pair, you know?
Just answer me!
Undyne"
Alphys looked up, blinking slowly. Undyne was staring down at her hands, which were tangled and in her lap, squirming a little from embarrassment and refusing to look at her. "Undyne," she said softly.
"Yeah. Uh, they're the letters. The ones I never sent, okay?" Undyne blurted out. "Go on, read another one."
"B-but, Undyne--,"
"Do it, nerd!"
Alphys bit her lip and picked up another one.
"Alphy,
I wanna call you Alphy til the day I die, okay? I think it suits you better because it's cuter than Alphys, and you're so cute, so I guess, can I call you Alphy, now? And can it mean that you and I are together? I want that, too, so much. I probably should have started with that. Whatever. With your brain and my brawn, we can break the barrier ourselves!
But if you don't, that's cool, too!
Undyne"
Alphys looked up again, and this time Undyne was able to meet her gaze. She jumped in surprise when she did; Alphys's expression was so kind, so tender, that it startled her. She hadn't expected that.
"So that's why you call me 'Alphy'," Alphys said softly, smiling at her. Undyne bit her lip and nodded, scratching at her cheek in embarrassment. "I thought you just hated the double-s."
"I do," Undyne agreed. "But the main reason was what I wrote."
"Undyne--,"
"Alphy," Undyne cut in. "Read another one."
Alphys sighed, picked up another random envelope, and did so.
"Alphy,
I can't sleep so I'm gonna write this and hopefully have the ovaries to actually send it to you for once. I absolutely adore you. I'm awake because I miss you. I wish you were here with me, in my bed, not because I wanna do dirty stuff (though I wouldn't say no to dirty stuff) but because I just want to hug you and hold you til we fall asleep. I'm sick of always holding back, of hiding all of this, but honestly, I'm scared that if I tell you and I die, I'll break your heart. I never, ever want to break your heart, Alphy. When a human comes down, I have to kill it, but there's a chance it'll kill me, first. If we were together, that would hurt you so much more, and I don't want that. Fuck, I'm never gonna send this one, am I? Whatever. I love you, Alphy. I love you. I wish you were my wife. I wish we could take over the world. I wish I could make you proud.
I wish I had ovaries of steel.
Undyne"
Alphys bit her lip, staring at this letter for quite some time. There were slight marks on it, reminiscent of tears splashing on the paper while being written on. It took every ounce of willpower for her not to do the same to it at that moment. When she could, she looked up at Undyne, and opened her mouth to try and speak, but again Undyne interrupted her.
"Alphy, listen," she said. "I didn't mean to invade your privacy, but I did. I'm sorry. This was the only way I could think of to make it up to you."
"Making it up to...?" Alphys stared at her for a moment. "You... you don't think I'm disgusting for what I wrote?"
Undyne jumped, glaring at her furiously for her choice of words. "No! Never! I just... uh..." She looked away. "I can't live up to your standards, Alphy. From what I read, I'm not even close."
"Undyne--,"
"So, the letters," Undyne interjected. "Those are the ones I could never sent, but that I kept anyways. I totally understand you, Alphy. I understand what it's like to be that lonely." She looked up again. "So if you're gross, I am, too."
"Undyne," Alphys said, her words spilling out quickly before she could be interrupted again. "You've surpassed everything I ever wrote, and I only keep those books because they were a comfort, like a blanket, but made of paper, and I haven't even read them ever since you kissed me at the beach, so you don't have to worry about that, because you're so much better than anything I ever wrote down, so much better, Undyne! So, so much better, because you're real, you're you, and I like you way better than a stupid fantasy of you." When she ran out of breath, she blushed, looking away.
Undyne was staring at her, a small smile curling her lips. "Alphy, c'mere," she said gently.
Alphys smiled shyly and went over to her, and she was immediately pulled into Undyne's arms and on her lap.
"Alphy," Undyne concluded, wearing a wry grin. "We're fucking nerds."
Alphys burst into laughter, burying her face into Undyne's shoulder and clinging onto her tight. Undyne started laughing, too, while keeping her as close as possible. She would always hold Alphys close, no matter what.
They were nerds, that was for certain. But they were nerds about each other. There was not much better than that.
--THE END--