A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews and encouragement. It really brings me happiness and motivation :)
Apologies in advance for OC-ness, I tried hard to keep everyone in character but they may slip out at times.
I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks again for reading!
Somehow, everyone managed to fit on the small sofa together. With Frisk perched on the arm and Sans at the side of her, an arm wrapped around her waist in case she were to fall. Alphys next to him, butterflies in her stomach due to the close proximity of Undyne who was slouched in an undignified fashion, taking up most of the room. Then came Papyrus who was selflessly crushed into the corner seat and was being practically pulverised by his boyfriend who sat happily on his lap, smiling like the cat that got the cream.
'This is it.' Frisk said, her voice filled with melancholy. 'We've reached the end of the road. Deathly Hallows Part 2 is upon us. Are you all prepared?' Everybody sighed sadly in unison and nodded. Mettaton reluctantly untangled himself from Papyrus to grab the remote before retreating to his boyfriend's warmth again.
The movie played.
Throughout it, many tears were shed. Perhaps it was because of the compassion they all shared for Harry Potter, his many friends, and the wizarding world. They'd followed his journey every week without fail and had grown to love the world and characters, even Voldemort, who had continuously been an ass.
Maybe it was empathy. For the adventure they had shared. The enemies they had conquered, and grown to understand. The inner conflicts they had all faced and overcome.
Whatever it was, tears blurred everyone's vision and they took comfort in the bodies which were uncomfortably pressed against them. Frisk had shuffled off of the side and onto Sans' lap. He held her tightly and whispered words of adoration into her hair as tears streamed silently down her face. Alphys and Undyne's hands were clasped together and they were both smiling at the characters lives in the future. Mettaton had shifted positions for the duration of the film and now slumped over the back of the sofa with his head resting on Papyrus' and leg hooked over the arm. The skeleton didn't mind though, he loved Mettaton's little quirks, no matter how frustrating.
'I suppose it's time for your legendary spaghetti, Papyrus. After that rollercoaster of emotions, I'm starving!' Undyne said cheerfully. She raised her eyebrows at Alphys in silent communication, checking that she had brought extra food just in case it was horrific.
Papyrus' eyes widened.
The spaghetti.
They had been having so much fun, he'd completely forgotten about the spaghetti which had been cooking for an extra half an hour. The panic set in. The surprise he'd been planning for months now, it could be ruined. He'd spoiled it all. Tears filled his eyes and everyone watched him with the same confused expression on their faces.
'Paps, Are you ok?' Frisk said cautiously, not wanting to upset her friend further.
'If you'd all kindly sit at the table, I will prepare the food and bring it in soon.' He turned briskly out of the room and into the small kitchen. Everyone else left to sit at the table, murmuring worriedly. Sans lingered behind for a while before deciding to leave his brother alone.
It was a disaster. But a disaster that was still edible. Just.
The spaghetti was limp and lifeless. The passion that Undyne saw in his cooking had dissipated along with the water that had boiled for too long.
But it was still edible. He was determined to make it so.
Salt, pepper, spinach, rosemary.
Papyrus could feel his flames of passion igniting as he stirred. He glimpsed at the object that had been weighing on his mind and knew that no matter how substandard his meal was, he wouldn't care. He'd love Papyrus no matter what and that was all he cared about. He served the spaghetti up and brought it through on a large tray carefully. Frisk leaped up in joy when she saw the mounds of pasta covered in tomato sauce. Papyrus quickly hurried back to grab Mettaton's plate, making sure he added the finishing touch before bringing it to him.
Everyone thanked Papyrus for the meal and then shovelled spaghetti into their mouths, some more hesitant than others. Papyrus watched their expressions intently, he knew that his cooking had flaws, he wasn't stupid, but he kept striving to make it better.
With that thought still held in his mind. Mettaton started choking.
It wasn't just a coughing bout or a severe clearing of the throat.
He was choking.
Undyne was the first to take action. She stood abruptly and pulled him out of his chair.
'Undyne! Be careful, he's fragile!' Papyrus screeched, running to get a glass of water. His cooking needed improvement, yes, but surely it can't have been that bad.
Unless it was that.
Gods, what had he gotten himself into?
Undyne heaved and pressed Mettaton's stomach with all of her might. She didn't do all that training with boulders for nothing. His face was beginning to turn purple and he was gasping for breath, to no avail. Alphys had her hands in her hair, unable to move from fear.
'Alphys, isn't there a way to stop this that doesn't end with Undyne permanently destroying his body!?' Frisk cried out, tears welling in her eyes.
'The switch!' She exclaimed. 'There's a purple switch at the back of his neck which says 'eject'.' Undyne pressed it violently and stepped back as the contents of Mettaton's stomach was well and truly ejected onto the table.
Sans started laughing. Frisk glared at him but her stern face dissolved into laughter. Alphys still looked horrified and Undyne stroked her hair in reassurance.
'How the hell did you manage to choke on very well cooked spaghetti? You numbskull.' Sans said, still laughing. Mettaton put his hands on his hips and tossed his hair dramatically. He hated it when people tried to damage his reputation, friend or not.
'It wasn't spaghetti that caused my near death experience. It was something solid actually.' Mettaton said defiantly. He scanned the table for the perpetrator and his eyes widened comically when they landed on it.
It was a ring. A ring covered in regurgitated spaghetti but it was still identifiable. He sat down carefully, for once not trusting his legs.
Alphys and Undyne had matching grins.
Sans was speechless.
Frisk had already left the room screaming.
When Papyrus entered grasping a glass of water, the room went silent. If he had a heart, it would have pounded right out of his chest by now. He glanced briefly at Mettaton who was staring at him with tears in his eyes. Papyrus clenched his fist; he'd really messed up his chances now.
'D-did you…' Papyrus trailed off and looked down at the floor. Mettaton stood up slowly and walked towards his boyfriend. He stopped in front of him and lifted his head up so their eyes met.
'Papyrus.' Mettaton said loudly, trying to break the tension. 'Was that object that I nearly died on what I think it is?' You could almost hear Frisk's eyes roll.
'I think so. I mean, you might have choked on something else I suppose.' The skeleton said nervously.
'I see.' Everyone settled into silent anticipation again. 'Well, this is what I choked on.' He handed Papyrus the ring, which had been thoroughly cleaned multiple times.
'I never thought that it could cause so much damage!' Papyrus said wistfully. 'All I wanted was to propose in a way that seemed—' He was cut off by Mettaton embracing him. He laughed into his shoulder and hugged him back.
'Ask him already, Paps!' Frisk said and writhed in her chair impatiently. Everyone nodded in agreement, except Sans who narrowed his eyes at Mettaton threateningly.
Papyrus blushed profusely and stepped away from his boyfriend, trying to conjure his overly thought out speech into words. 'We've been together for a very long time now and uh…' Mettaton gave him an encouraging wink, which only made him more flustered. Sans banged his head on the table in despair.
'You're the great Papyrus remember? You can't let a basic task like proposing to someone defeat you.' Sans said, smiling. Though his brother had grown so much since they had met Frisk, he still needed convincing of his self worth every now and then. Luckily, Mettaton's endless confidence just seemed to give his brother that push he needed. Undyne roared her approval.
Soon enough, the room was filled with chants and table banging.
'Mettaton. I'm really sorry for nearly killing you.' Papyrus called out above the commotion.
'Don't worry about it, darling.' He replied laughing.
'I really love you.'
'I really love you too.'
Papyrus held out the ring, spinning it between his fingers. They had discussed marriage before but both knew that it wasn't a necessity, if they were to do it, it would be more for the sake of memories rather than the blessed bond.
'For the drama?' Papyrus asked nervously.
'Darling you know me too well.' Mettaton smiled and let him put the ring on his finger. The house erupted with cheers. Undyne put some music on and everyone began dancing round the house together. Frisk danced slowly with Sans and she wiped away his tears.
'Don't cry Sans, Mettaton isn't that bad.' Her eyes shone with tears of her own.
'I'm not crying. I'm catching tears.' He said as he swung Frisk round in time to the music. His girlfriend snorted at the reference and they both began laughing.
Papyrus and Mettaton smiled at each other, eyes crinkling in the way that they do when someone is genuinely happy. They were dancing, holding each other close and spinning to the rhythm, caught in a whirlwind of joy and trust and love.
Love for each other, love for their friends. It was overwhelming and beautiful all at the same time.
The weekly occurrence that never differed had turned into something so much more. But it was ok. As long as they had each other, nothing could stand in their way. Not even Mettaton's excessive wedding planning.
But that was a whole other story.
A/N: And it's finished (at least for now anyway!) I wrote three times as much as usual so I hope it was worth it!
Pretty please tell me what you thought about 'Warmth' and if I should carry it on.