Word prompt: Legs

Characters: Monster Kid and Metaton.

Additional characters: Undyne, Alphys and unnamed bullies.

Theme: Hurt/Comfort

"What a loser!"

"Ha, yeah! Can't even walk ten feet without falling flat on his face!"

"T-that's not true!"

Monster Kid sat sniffling as he felt the trickle of blood oozing from the cut on his cheek. It was true; the bullies were right. The scratches etched across his body proved it.

"How come you don't have any arms?"

"Yeah! Where are you arms? Not only are you pathetic, you're deformed!" Their words stung, leaving an unbearable pain afterwards. They reduced his aspirations to nothing before targeting whatever was left. He fought back whilst pretending that he was as strong as someone like Undyne. Undyne was amazing! If anyone dared to mock her, they would face her fists or a barrage of her sharpest spears. Undyne would always look out for him. She would arrive to pick him back up after a horrible tumble and brush him up. Every time they brought him down, she raised him. This time, it might NIT be enough.

Monster Kid had always been sensitive when it came to his lack of arms. It was no secret. It was what made him an easy target. Undyne asked him plenty of times why he did not just have Alphys build him a pair. Monster Kid would never tell but he often hoped he could prove that he did not need a pair of arms to make a difference. He desperately wanted to prove that having some parts 'missing' was fine and he hoped to encourage others like him to believe it too.

Monster Kid often wondered how many times Alphys had patched him up. It must have been more than he thought as Undyne kept returning to the school and demanding for something to be done. Multiple solutions had been discussed but he found that the bullies would always look for loop holes. They always found them.

"Had a bit of a scuffle, Darling?" The voice made Monster Kid snap out of his thoughts. Mettaton (or rather his head and legs) lay on a similar table

"Heh, yeah. Sorta..." He replied smiling sadly back at the robot on the opposite table.

"Was it those brutish bullies again? Honestly, something ought to be done to reprimand them!"

"It's no biggie..." Monster Kid swung his legs backwards and forwards in a nervous rhythm. Mettaton scoffed.

"No biggie? Darling, your cuts are oozing with blood! Those brats have gone to far this time. What was their motivation?" Monster Kid muttered back a response, causing Mettaton to press further. After a while, Monster Kid told Mettaton about how the bullies had highlighted his lack of arms and how crushed they made him feel. Mettaton"s flawless face melted in sympathy and discomfort.

"Oh, Darling. How awful! Now you listen to me. They made scrutinise you for not having arms but that should not deter you from the fact that you're a wonderful monster. They may mock you but only because they are twisted enough to not see a truly sweet child. Look at me. I'm like you aren't I? No arms with plenary of haters but I still have something they don't."

"What's that?"

"Wonderful legs."

Monster Kid gave a small laugh. " You have that but what do I have?"

"Why, the same! Do not let one simple, insignificant feature hold you back. You can become a truly magnificent star! "

"Y-you really think so?" Monster Kid looked bashfully at the robotic star, voice quivering in awe.

"Absolutely Darling! Now, do me a favour. Once you're all cleaned up, you go out there and you show the world how tremendous you are!"

"Yeah! I think I will!" Monster Kid cried back in excitement, slowly but surely building his confidence.

"And you tell those brutes, 'sticks and bones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.'" Monster Kid began to hurriedly whisper the phrase over and over until the rhythm became etched in his memory. He was still softly chanting it when Alphys told him he was ok to leave.

As he neared the exit, Monster Kid turned around and said "Thank you Mettaton." The robot smiled softly at him.

"You're welcome..."

Grinning, Monster Kid confidently strolled out of the door. He stumbled and fell but got up again immediately, refusing to let his fall get the better of him. Instead his smile got brighter as ne remembered his talk with Mettaton and was reminded how truly remarkable the robot was. It gave him the hope that he would one day aspire to something akin to the star and if Mettaton believed he could then so did he.