Frisk was still explaining to Sans why it was weird that none of the monsters were trying to stop them, but he didn't think it was all that strange. Why would Mettaton send monsters after them to kill them now? They were all getting along so well.
He turned to study them both, smiling once he'd reassured himself that they were okay. Sans was back to his 'not a care in the world' grin, but… if anything, he seemed to trust the human more than he did before their troubling tale. Which… didn't make a whole lot of sense, but he supposed it must have in Sans logic.
And as for Frisk… the child was practically skipping now that the weight of the confession was off their shoulders. He understood that, too. It wasn't that Frisk wasn't sorry anymore, but now that they were free to move on, he felt lighter as well. He patted the child's head.
"It should be this way."
They followed quietly, but when the human hesitated in front of the door, he smiled, and stooped down. "FRISK? I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST, I AM STILL VERY PROUD OF YOU FOR CHOOSING TO DO THE RIGHT THING THIS TIME."
"Even though it was my fault in the first place?"
"WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS; WHAT YOU DO NOW IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU'VE DONE."
Two little arms wrapped around his neck, and he let out a soft, "NYEH HEH HEH!" as he returned the embrace.
Frisk whispered, "Together." before pulling back, and walking through the door, filled with Determination. He and his brother quickly followed, but the robot standing there waiting for him didn't look like he had any plans to try to lock them out anyway.
"WELCOME BACK, BEAUTIES! WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!"
He stepped forward, clearing his throat. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, MATTATON, BUT I REALLY MUST PROTEST ON BEHALF OF MY HUMAN FRIEND. YOU SEE, FRISK DOES NOT WISH TO FIGHT YOU…"
""OH I CONCUR, DARLING. A NORMAL FIGHT WOULDN'T DO AT ALL. WHAT WE NEED TO HAVE HERE, IS THE VERY FIRST EVER METTATON MOVES SPECIAL GUEST STAR EDITION!"
"WOWIE! DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE FRIENDS WITH FRISK?"
"WHO COULD HELP BUT BE FRIENDS WITH THIS LITTLE DARLING? WHAT DO YOU SAY, HUMAN? BYGONES, BE BYGONES?"
Frisk nodded excitedly.
"WELL, IN THAT CASE, COULD YOU HELP ME WITH THE SPECIAL REVEAL?"
Mettaton turned, revealing a large switch on his back. "GIVE IT A FLIP, WOULD YOU, BEAUTIFUL?"
Frisk ran up and pulled the switch, causing a stunning transformation. "Ohhhhhhh Yesssss!"
"WOWIE!"
It was kind of hard to see exactly what happened, but when the flashing lights stopped spinning around the room to focus on Mettaton, he had a face, a head that was separate from his torso, and, perhaps most notably, legs.
As Mettaton addressed the crowd, he leaned down to whisper his question to Sans. "HOW DID HE EVEN…?"
His brother just shrugged lazily. *just go with it, buddy.
"Well now that I'm even more fabulous than before, as if that were even possible, what would you say to replacing the scheduled fight with a pose-off, darling?"
"That sounds awesome, Mettaton!"
"INDEED! HOW SHOULD WE BEGIN?"
"How else? By posing like you mean it! Like THIS!" Mettaton put one hand to his face, flipped his other off to the side, and swung his hips in the opposite direction.
"Pretty good, Mettaton, but you can't beat the classics. Show him how it's done, Papyrus!"
"GLADLY, FRISK!" He put one hand to his hip and the other to his chest in what he hoped would catch on as his signature pose.
"Hmmm. Not bad. Not bad at all. How about this then? What if we were to make things more interesting? Let's break into teams, and make it a contest? I could beat all of you, of course, but to make it more fair, I will allow one of you to be on my team. What do you say, darlings?"
Sans was leaning against the wall and paying just enough attention to realize that he'd been dragged into the show. *wait…
That sounded like a fun idea! But it immediately posed a problem. Two on each team meant that he'd have to choose between Sans and Frisk. He was here to help the human, but… Sans was his brother! They were almost always a team!
"So who's the lucky one? Tick tock, darlings!"
"UM… I… I TOLD FRISK THAT I WOULD HELP THEM…" he turned to give his brother an apologetic look. "I'M SORRY, SANS…"
*naw, it's cool, bro. looks like i'm the third wheel. He shuffled over to Mettaton,still grinning away at his own joke, but otherwise nonchalant. He'd make it up to his brother later. Deep inside, he had to be a little disappointed that he wasn't on the team with their human friend and his super cool brother, even if he was hiding it well on the outside.
"Lucky you, Darling! Hmmm don't I know you from somewhere?"
"OH NO." But before he could warn Mettaton, the robot offered his hand. Sans's eyes twinkled as he shook it, deflating the whoopee cushion live on television.
He pressed his glove to his face, shaking his head in embarrassment. "SANS, REALLY? IS NO ONE SAFE?"
His brother just winked at him, but proceeded to answer Mettaton. *yep. i was the bush, remember?
"Well, yes… but I could have sworn I know you from somewhere else…"
"SANS HAS A COMEDY ACT AT THE MTT RESORT."
The look on Mettaton's face was unreadable. "Ah yes! That's it. Let's just pose today, shall we, Darling?"
Sans shrugged.
"Alright. Good luck all!" With that Mettaton struck another pose, throwing one leg into the air. "Alright to all my fans out there, you'll be the ones judging this, Darlings!"
Papyrus turned to encourage Frisk to do their best, only to find Frisk already posing up a storm. They obviously had experience in this sort of thing, from the way they were strutting the stage, and blowing kisses at the camera.
The music was certainly catchy enough. He tried out a few new poses. None of them felt quite as perfect as his favorite.
Mettaton wasn't having any trouble keeping up with them, but he did seem to be having a little trouble with his partner. "Um, Darling… it's time to pose, now!"
*i am.
Oh dear. He winced, shooting a glance to the other side of the little room. Sure enough, Mettaton was contorting his more agile robot body into one new pose after the other, and Sans was just standing there, with his hands in his pockets.
He whispered across the stage, "UM… GOOD START, BROTHER… BUT… MAYBE TRY A FEW OTHER POSES?"
*ok.
Naturally, he didn't move.
Mettaton frowned in suspicion. "Are you cheating to give them a chance to win? It won't be enough, Darling!"
"NO, NO… SANS ISN'T CHEATING… HE'S JUST… BEING… SANS." He clasped his hands over his head and kicked one foot out to the side. "YOU HAVE TO MOVE TO MAKE A NEW POSE, BROTHER."
*ok.
Sans shuffled slightly, so that he was standing sideways in the exact same pose. Proud of himself for being so difficult, no doubt.
Oh well. Mettaton was surely able to make do, even if those leg poses did seem to be getting slightly out of hand.
Frisk twirled beside him, showing off another great pose.
"Essay time! Alright everyone, we'll all get our own keypads in a second, and will collaborate to work on an essay about the debut of my new form. Keep it fabulous! Don't hold back!"
When the keypad with a screen popped up in front of him, his mind was still scrambling to think of something to write. Mettaton was still posing, and Frisk seemed to be thinking carefully.
Oddly enough, Sans was the only one that didn't have to think twice about what he was going to say. Frisk laughed, and started typing, too. He scrambled to catch up.
"Time's up!"
He frowned a little. What they had… needed some serious editing. But Mettaton seemed thrilled with it.
*papyrus is the coolest. "I know, right?" "WHILE THAT IS TRUE, THIS ESSAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT METTATON." "Right. He's got legs now." "Oh yesss! Legs, legs, legs, Darlings!" "UMMM, OKAAAAY?" "I'm having a super fun time with three of my beast friends. Wish the rest of you were here!" "I THINK METTATON HAS PUT ON SEVERAL NEATO SHOWS TODAY, AND DESERVES CONGRATULATIONS FOR BEFRIENDING THE HUMAN!" *'legs'cellent point, bro. "Did somebody say, LEGS?" "SANS, DON'T YOU DARE!" *i 'leg'itimately don't know what you're talking about. "SANS!" *aw, paps, i was just pulling your leg. "SANS! STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" *are you b'leg'ging me to stop? "SANS, DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE! WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY SERIOUS POSE OFF, ON TELEVISION. CAN WE JUST NOT DO THIS NOW?" *but, bro, you're leaving me without a leg to stand on! "NO MORE PUNS!" "He can tell all the puns he wants to if they're about leeeeegs." "BUT THEY'RE NOT EVEN FUNNY!" "I thought they were a little funny." *heh, thanks kid, but the robot just ruined it for me. besides… "DON'T YOU DARE!" *i know when i'm… "SANS, I WAS GOING TO MAKE YOU SPAGHETTI!" *…de'feet'ed. "NO SPAGHETTI FOR YOU!"
"Well that's certainly a keeper! Let me file it away for later… there we go! Now then, let's get back to posing, Darlings!"
He shot his brother a waning look. "SANS…"
He gave a sigh. *alright, alright. At least he was posing now, even if it was in the most lazy way possible. He was barely moving his arms.
"COME ON, FRISK. LET'S SHOW THEM HOW IT'S REALLY DONE!"
The child clapped excitedly as he kicked it up a notch. They'd covered a good deal of the poses he could think of, but so far, they'd all been on the ground. All he had to do was gesture to his brother. Sans grinned, stopping his posing, and, ironically, stepping into a more impressive pose than he'd been doing before anyway.
He felt the gravity reverse in his soul, and found himself falling upward, to the ceiling. He quickly struck a pose, not really caring that it was his signature one again. It was upside down now!
*heh… can't top that, buddy.
He smirked down at his brother, ignoring the pun, for now, and just striking every neat pose that came to mind.
Mettaton kicked it into overdrive, not seeming to care who was winning anymore, which was good, since, technically, he wasn't sure Sans was even allowed to help him. He nodded to Sans that he was ready to come down. Sans reversed the gravity to the side, allowing him to walk down the wall, posing as he went.
"Let's bring in some props, Darlings! Oh… dear."
Frisk looked over, worried. "What is it Mettaton?"
"The prop department didn't get the memo that it would more than just the two of us."
"DO WE EVEN NEED PROPS?"
"Oh yesssss, Darling! Of course. Props add drama. They add character! They let you shine brighter than… hmmm, there's an idea."
"WHAT?"
Mettaton grabbed Sans by the shoulders and scooted him over. "Here. Use this as a prop. That way we'll have enough, since a prop doesn't need a prop."
Sans just stood there as tiny little Mettatons brought in an umbrella for Frisk, and a rose for Mettaton, the music speeding up. He crossed his arms, and put his fist to his chin thoughtfully, staring down at his grinning brother. How was one supposed to use their sibling as a prop?
After a moment's consideration, he turned Sans to face the camera, and leaned his elbow on his brother's head, putting on his most thoughtful pose. Sans chuckled amiably, making him realize that he'd just been responsible for a visual pun. Oh well, it was clever and subtle, at least.
"Quickly now, Human… what is the coolest pose you know?"
Frisk didn't hesitate. One hand flew to their hip, and the other went to their chest. He felt a tear coming to his eye as he beamed in agreement.
Coolest poses aside, he noticed that Mettaton was starting to slow down about the same time Frisk did. "UM, METTATON?"
"You should really take it easy before you run out your new battery."
"NONSENSE… I COULD KEEP THIS UP FOREVER…" But it was clearly taking it's tole on him, nonetheless.
"Slow down, Mettaton… please… you can always debut the SECOND release of your new body."
The star reluctantly stopped posing. "I'M NOT TIRED AT ALL, DARLINGS! BUT… SINCE YOU CLEARLY ARE… THAT BRINGS OUR PROGRAM TO A CLOSE. WEREN'T THEY ALMOST AS WONDERFUL AS ME? DON'T FORGET TO VOTE, BEAUTIES!" He waved, signaling for the camera's to turn off, before turning around.
"YOU'RE RIGHT, BEAUTIFUL. UNFORTUNATELY, I WON'T BE ABLE TO GO ON MUCH LONGER USING THIS FORM. WOULD YOU MIND, DARLING?"
Frisk flipped the switch again, just as the lights were dimming down, and Mettaton somehow reverted back to his original form. The robot gave a sigh, looking down at himself.
He frowned. "METTATON, YOU HAVE NO REASON TO BE SAD. I UNDERSTAND. IT MUST BE LIKE THINKING OF SOMETHING ELSE TO WEAR AFTER MY BATTLE BODY. BUT… YOU'RE STILL YOU."
"THAT'S TRUE."
"Sure it is!"
"WELL, THANK YOU, LOVELIES. I… THE LAST TIME I HAD THIS MUCH FUN I… I… YOU KNOW… THERE'S SOMEONE I SHOULD GO SEE. I OUGHT TO HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO GET TO WATERFALL… BUT… WILL THEY WANT TO SEE ME?"
Frisk beamed. "Of course they will! I know for a fact that Nastablook watches your show. He'll be thrilled to see you!"
That seemed to cheer Mettaton up considerably. He waved his thanks to them. "STAY BEAUTIFUL!"
Mettaton wheeled away, as both doors opened. They walked on ahead, each of them silent. He supposed they were wondering how to convince the king to let Frisk go, just like he was.
Suddenly, Frisk stopped short, turning to look behind them. "Wait a second… oh no! Oh no, oh no!"
"WHAT IS THE MATTER, FRISK?"
"Alphys! Papyrus, I think I messed up. I hope it's not too late!"
*you hope what's not too late, kiddo?
"I'll tell you on the way! Right now, we've just got to get back to the lab!"
A/N: A Human: I really can't thank you enough for your enthusiastic review! Sans and Papyrus are both just such wonderful characters, and so much fun to work with. I would have loved the pun if you'd decided to use it, ;D. I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story!
I guest as much: Thanks for the review! The sad might be getting real again in the next chapter, but stay determined!
Thanks to everyone out there still sticking with me! You guys have been nothing but supportive and awesome, and I really, really appreciate it!