A/N: While I was doing that 'List 12 characters blah' thing, a curious answer gave me an idea for this little fic.
"Suggest a title for Seven/Twelve hurt/comfort fic" - in my first list with Undertale characters, Seven/Twelve happened to be Alphys/Monster Kid, and I thought about "Ruminations" as a title, because I feel that both share a sad past.
Nobody really knows Kid's past. So I thought that, before Undyne saved her, MK...
...Possibly tried to encourage Alphys.
Enjoy!
RUMINATIONS
The computer's screen reflected Alphys' tired and frustrated face, as her eyes were welling up with tears, unable to believe that this had to be the result of her years and years of research. Her claws were shaking with terror above the keyboard, as if all that she's written so far was carefully extracted from a horror movie, descriptions of all the effects that Determination had on those poor, fallen monsters.
She took another sip from her lizard-shaped cup, and left out a few tears to fall in, her claws still shaking. The light above her was flickering on and off, adding more to the - already - desolate atmosphere of the laboratory, and sighed as she placed back the cup on the desk, wiping her tears with one of the lab coat's sleeves.
"I really don't want to continue this anymore..." the scientist thought as she looked around herself, and for the first time in ages, she decided that a walk to Waterfall wouldn't be a bad idea. She needed to distance herself from all this, the projects, the experiments...
...The abominations she created.
The lab's doors opened to reveal the orange-colored lands of Hotland, as the heat was noticeably higher than inside. Taking in the hot air, she started walking towards the River Person's boat station, and gave the strange monster a golden coin before seating herself in the boat with a cat's head in the front.
"I can't go on w-with t-this..." she mutters under her breath as the strange, hooded monster, kept maneuvering the boat, the gentle flow of water breaking through the silence that filled the air.
"Tra-la-la." River Person suddenly interjects, "You cannot run away."
Alphys ignored the monster as she saw her destination coming in view, and waited patiently for the hooded monster to anchor the boat. The small lizard then jumped off the boat and thanked River Person for the travel, inadvertently bumping into Monster Kid.
The small, armless monster immediately excused himself for being so careless, but Alphys did nothing else than smile and gently pat him on his head, while Monster Kid noticed the somewhat absentminded expression the kind scientist had - something about that made him want to follow her, see what was troubling her.
The scientist walked towards the Garbage Dump, and sat on the wooden platform in there, thinking about everything she did so far. She realized that everyone would hate her, that she couldn't tell anyone about the Amalgamates, that she...
...She was alone.
Monster Kid was watching in the distance, not sure what could he do in such a situation. He felt quite alone himself, and he couldn't tell anyone about it - his parents were abusing him - even if he tried to paint them as kind and generous monsters for the sake of keeping the appearances. The small, armless lizard-like monster sighed as he too, felt the need to speak with someone, instead of sitting alone, constantly crying his eyes out, and hoping that he will become one day like Undyne, the captain of the Royal Guard...
...He wanted to be stronger.
Alphys began speaking to herself, and Monster Kid found himself unable to walk away, he was content on listening the lizard scientist monologuing about her life. And found it curious that, for the most part, it seemed like they had a lot more in common than he originally thought.
"I can't believe that I-I'm disappointing everyone. A long time ago, I used to be my parents' pride and joy, and now? They're gone and..." the lizard monster sighed, "...I have no one else to talk to. Since I've performed those experiments, the monsters' families keep calling me, asking me when I can give their dust back."
"Whoa...what is she talking about, huh? I don't understand." the monster child thought as he kept listening in, "She sounds like she's pretty alone...Like me."
"If I just had someone to talk to...I-I wouldn't feel like trash. Yeah...nobody cares about trash, or where it goes." Alphys said, as she rose to her feet, contemplating the abyss before her, her eyes burning with intent...
...The intent of killing herself.
Monster Kid couldn't figure out what was happening, but by the way she was talking, he felt like she just needed a friend. And then, using all of his willpower to stay balanced, he approached the lizard, who kept staring at the darkness before her, speaking to make his presence known.
"Yo! Doctor Alphys!" MK said, trying to be cheerful.
"U-Uh, hi Monster Kid. W-what are you d-doing in here?" the lizard looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Y-your parents must be w-worried at this time!"
The small monster child kicked a small stone down in the abyss, visibly frowning. "Nah, they're not. I don't really think they're that worried."
"MK? Are y-you okay?" Alphys asked, forgetting about her issues for a moment.
"To be honest, Doc...I'm not. And I think they treat me like I'm a turd." MK said, lowering his head in embarrassment.
"MK...Care to t-tell me w-what b-bothers you?" the lizard scientist asked once more, inviting the small monster to sit somewhere further away from the platform's edge.
Monster Kid sighed for a moment before saying, "Okay...but promise me you'll tell me what upsets you. I-I hate to see a friend upset!"
Alphys managed to crack a timid smile as she nodded, ready to listen what Monster Kid had to say. He began telling how he grew up almost on his own, because his parents were too busy belittling him and sending him away, with no concern whatsoever about the small child. They didn't even give him a proper name, calling him Kid or Monster Kid when they needed to see him.
"If I'm doing anything on my own...they scold me for it." the armless monster said as he frowned. "Now it's your turn, Doc."
"Okay, MK. I-I'll try to keep it s-short. I tend to ramble a lot..." Alphys sheepishly excused herself, before recounting her story to the child's level of understanding.
"...W-well I-I grew up in a small house...n-not far from Waterfall, just like y-you. And my parents w-wished f-for me to be i-in a very important p-position, but I didn't really c-care about that. I became, a-after a lot of s-study, the R-Royal Scientist." the lizard scientist took a moment to clean her glasses before continuing, "A-And since then...th-things have gone bad."
"How bad...?" MK asked, his expression betraying curiosity.
"Very. T-that's all I can t-tell..." Alphys said, her eyes shifting from the child to the abyss she wanted to throw herself in.
"L-Look, yo...I don't know how to be smart like you, but..." MK said, "I want to be y-your friend, for real. I-I know I'm not good at friendships, uh..." the small, lizard-like monster smiled, "I-I want to try."
"MK, that's so n-nice of you." the scientist smiled for a moment, "Sure. I-If you want me to teach y-you about s-science...Or w-watch anime..."
"That's a nice idea, Doc!" MK smiled. "Y-you know, you're my second favorite friend."
...
"That kid...partially gave me hope...
He taught me that, despite hardships...
There can be some light in the darkness.
We can find positive things within.
But my true heroine was...
Undyne."
(Hidden entry, number 12)