For the LOVE
Chapter 2: Kidnapping is the best form of flattery
[Two months after the car accident]
Two weeks at my new job and already I had gotten a promotion to Asgore's personal assistant. My date book was starting to look like an LA socialite's little black book, with personal meetings for Heads of State and Diplomatic conferences. Who knew that after 20 years of monsters roaming the Earth, they would still have issues traveling and just working normal jobs?
My alarm was buzzing from my crappy side table, informing me that it was 8am on Saturday. Who sets an alarm for a Saturday? Oh right…. Me. I had promised Liz I would go to the Mt. Ebott High School for some assembly they were having for their senior class. Something about Human/Monster relations in the real world after schooling. Yay.
I dressed quickly in a pair of dark wash jeans, some band t-shirt Liz had given me for Christmas and finger combed my hair before I slipped on my black Toms and headed out the door with my purse. The school was only a ten minute walk from the house and the nice May weather seemed to be staying with us a bit longer. The unbearable heat that came with the summer would be coming soon, as well as the tourists that frequented the beach and hiking spots in the area.
The walk was uneventful. Most kids didn't want to be at school on a weekend unless it had to deal with sports and it was still too early for the lacrosse or baseball teams to be there. As I walked into the gym/auditorium it was clear that this was more for the parents than the kids. Adults had filled almost every seat with a few 17-year-olds who looked more than less excited to be awake this early.
Before I was even able to make my way to a chair, Liz pulled me by my arm and started dragging me to the stage door.
"I need your help," She whispered as she pushed me through the door.
"What for?"
"Undyne is super awesome but my arm can't take another punch before it breaks and she's so excited that I'm afraid she won't even realize that she has to go on stage in a few minutes."
"What am I supposed to do about it?"
She stopped at the top of the small steps that lead to backstage and turned to face me. "I…. Might have let slip that I knew you….." she shrugged sheepishly.
"What do I have to do with any of this Liz?" I crossed my arms at the bottom of the steps. I wasn't going to move until she explained.
"Ok…. So Undyne is apparently a big fan or your YouTube channel and she recognized me this morning…." She began using her hands while she talked. Shit…. "And I told her you were coming and now she is so excited…. And you just have to talk to her ok?"
Well shit…. I uncrossed my arms. I had a fan? And actual fan? And it was Undyne? Undyne the Undying?! The Captain of the Royal Guard that Asgore had been boasting about for the last two months?! Holy shit!
I took the stairs two at a time and damn near sprinted to the small "dressing room" closet the high school had on the side stage. I knocked on the door, almost vibrating with excitement. When the door opened (quite violently I might add) there was Undyne. Black wife beater, battered jeans, blue fish scales, smug expression, black eye patch and all! It was a split second of recognition for us both as she threw her arms around me and swung me into the room.
"Holy shit! It's really you! Keyleth! OH MY GOD!" She practically yelled as we swung around in circles.
Breathing in this bear trap she called a hug was impossible so I just wheezed laughter from my position pinned to her chest. It took a second for me to catch my breath when she finally set me down.
"Undyne….. The Undying….. I've heard….. so much….. About you!" I huffed.
"Really?!" The small lights in the room seemed to twinkle in her eyes as she grinned.
"Yeah!... I work with….. Asgore….. As his assistant…"
"No shit? Cool! Oh my god! Can we get a picture? My girlfriend will never believe this!" She said pulling out her phone.
"Sure!"
We posed next to each other (she had to lean down a bit) and she snapped the picture before sending it off.
"Well, Undyne, I would love to sit and talk more but my friend Liz says we gotta get this show on the road. Maybe we can hang afterward?"
"Hell yeah!" she pumped her fist into the air and made her way on stage.
Liz made the initial opening statements and opened the floor for Undyne. She didn't need a mic, and I could hear a very well-rehearsed speech about Monsters and humans from the back room. I flopped into an old folding chair and listened to the adults begin their questions. Well if nothing else, I could enjoy hanging out with a fan after this! An actual fan! Holy Crap!
[After the Assembly]
"You should totally come to my house, Keyleth. My girlfriend has to be your biggest fan and I would be the worst girlfriend in the world if I didn't at least try to convince you to meet her," laughed Undyne as we exited the Gym.
"Well…." I thought about it. What was I doing for the rest of the weekend? Nothing. What could it hurt? The little voice in the back of head said this was probably the craziest of ideas I had come up with but my heart was totally for it. "Yeah! Let's do it! I've never been to Above and it's only an hour away….. What the hell, why don't we make it a sleep over?" I smiled, turning to the fish woman.
You could've lit an entire skyscraper with the excitement coming off of Undyne.
"OH MY GOD! I'VE GOTTA CALL ALPHYS!" she ran off to her black SUV in the parking lot. "MEET ME BACK HERE IN 20!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" whispered Liz from my left side.
"I felt it Liz… That pull in the middle of my chest… the minute she hugged me…." I placed my hand on my chest. I could feel my heart beat, just below my fingers.
"Ok. Well, I'll help you pack. You'll need your laptop too. I have a feeling you'll need to record EVERYTHING," she laughed as we began to pick up our pace.
Maybe it was the sun peeking out from behind the clouds but I could swear my chest was brighter beneath my hand.
[Sunday Morning at 7am]
I cracked open my eyelids and stared at the white ceiling of Undyne's house. I had fallen asleep on the couch after eight episodes of Soul Eater, about twenty rounds of Guitar Hero, and more spaghetti then was probably recommended for a human to consume. We had recorded almost every minute of it on my laptop and posted it immediately.
Alphys was the cutest, most nervous creature I had ever met. It had taken a full ten minutes of Undyne's coaching before she had even moved into the living room to hang out and after that she had peppered me with every question that she could come up with.
I could hear the couple getting ready for the day and I began my own stretching from the couch.
"G-g-g-g-good Morning!" Alphys called from the stairs.
"Morning!" I called sleepily from the corner of the couch. I cracked my back as she came down the stairs in a small blue dress and flip-flops.
"W-w-w-we were g-g-g-going t-t-t-to breakfast w-w-w-with a c-c-couple of c-c-c-close friends. W-w-w-would you l-l-l-like to c-c-c-come?" she stuttered from the bottom of the stairs.
"Sure! Why not?" I yawned. "I just need to change first…"
"Showers upstairs!" called Undyne from their room.
I grabbed my bag and moved around Alphys, frozen at the bottom of the stairs. She only came up to my chest but I couldn't help patting her on the head as I raced up the stairs. I swear she turned the brightest shade of red.
Liz had packed me a printed maxi skirt and a white shirt for the day. As I changed, I caught a glance at myself in the mirror. My blue eyes seemed lighter today. I was always intrigued about them whenever I looked in the mirror. Apparently I had had green eyes when I was born, (which had really thrown the doctors when my identity had been discovered) but I really liked the blue.
Ten minutes later and we were walking into the local hotspot, Grillby's. We seemed to be the first to arrive and worked on making a table for the rest of our group of eight near the bar. The manager seemed to know what was going on and began setting the table. At first I was sure that the monster made of fire would send it all up in flames but as we sat and he began filling glasses of water, I began to appreciate the silent man. Faster than I could track he started signing at Undyne.
"Just the usual group Grillby. Plus one of course!" Undyne gestured to me before punching me in the arm. "This punk is one of our favorite video makers on that website YouTube! I found her at Mt. Ebott High School and kidnapped her for the weekend!"
More signing from Grillby had her laughing out loud.
"I didn't really kidnap her! I promise!" She laughed.
As we waited for the others to arrive I began to fidget. Who all was coming? We're they all monsters? We're there any humans in this town? What the hell had I gotten myself into?
It didn't take long before another couple walked through the door. This time I recognized one of them.
"King Asgore?"
"… Lauren..." he murmured as he made his way to the table. An older goat-like lady trailed behind him, linked together with him by the hand. "Lauren! Good Morning! It's wonderful to see you!"
"Oh yeah! You guys work together!" Undyne laughed from her seat.
"How are you here in Above Lauren?" Asgore asked as he pulled out a chair opposite Undyne.
"I found a fan and we had a sleepover!" I laughed, rising from beside Alphys to shake his hand.
"Well, welcome! This is my wife, Toriel!" he gestured to the heavily pregnant goat woman lowering herself into her chair.
"Hello! It's very nice to meet you!" I waved.
"It's nice to meet you too! I've heard so much about you from Asgore and I was hoping we could meet!" Toriel laughed from her chair as Asgore sat at the head of the table. "I'm so glad he was able to get a decent assistant. The last one…. Well, let's just say I am VERY glad YOU are working with him."
I had heard of the guy I had replaced. He had had a thing for hiding paperwork and just making everything more difficult.
I smiled from my seat. This wasn't so bad after all… What had I been panicking about?
"~GOOD MORNING DAHLINGS~!" rang a metallic voice from the front door. We all turned to look at the robot (man….. I think?….) high-kicking through the doorway and a tall, lanky skeleton hooked on his arm. The transgendered robot seemed to dance his way to the table, the skeleton seemingly unfazed by his antics.
"Good morning Mettaton! Papyrus, how good to see you! Is your brother on his way?" answered Asgore from his chair.
"sup?" came a voice right behind me. I jumped out of my skin as I turned to look behind me.
Another skeleton, shorter than his brother by about a full head (but still taller than me), stood behind me. He had on a light blue hoodie, unzipped to reveal a white band tee, dark ripped jeans and a pair of beat up sneakers. He was smiling but I could feel him staring into my soul with the white pinpricks in his eye sockets.
"Sans! Don't scare the human like that!" yelled Undyne. "Alphys and I brought her along and she's Asgore's assistant," she explained to the curious faces of the newest arrivals.
"Well, now that we're all here, shall we eat?" asked Asgore as Mettaton, Papyrus, and Sans took their seats.
"YES PLEASE! I CANNOT WAIT FOR GRILLBY'S BREAKFAST SAPGHETTI!" exclaimed Papyrus.
Breakfast spaghetti? What the hell is breakfast spaghetti?
Sans must've seen the confused look cross my face from his seat next to me at the opposite end of the table.
"it's just spaghetti covered in syrup" he mumbled to me as he slumped in his chair.
"I get that but why?" I whispered.
Sans laughed. This apparently seemed to surprise everyone at the table as they stopped everything and stared at the two of us. I blushed under all the eyes as Sans seemed to regain his composure.
"that was good kid. i haven't laughed like that in a while," he chuckled. The rest of the table seemed to go back to their normal discussions albeit a little quieter so they could listen in. "so undyne kidnapped you did she? why?" Again I could feel him staring into my very being.
"Apparently my YouTube channel is a favorite for her and Alphys," I shrugged as I kept my eyes down on my empty plate.
"wait… you're keyleth?" he sat up a leaned his elbows on the table.
I nodded, still not looking up from my staring contest with the china.
"it's a personal favorite of mine too" he chuckled. At this I sat up a little more and turned my head to him. He liked it too? Why?
"i get that look on your face kid. yeah. i like it too. mostly that one where you were lip-syncing with a giant bruise on your head." He placed his skull in his right hand and closed his right eye.
"Oh…. Yeah…." I laughed. "I had just gotten out of the hospital from a car accident and I had needed a bit of a pick-me-up." I smiled. He seemed more relaxed now.
All of our discussions were interrupted a bit with ordering breakfast. I had picked a Belgian waffle, which seemed to impress Sans. After Papyrus ordered his 'breakfast spaghetti', I turned to Sans.
"Is it any good?" I whispered behind my hand.
Sans seemed to think about it for a minute.
"sure. if you like that kind of thing," he shrugged.
I couldn't help but think he hadn't wanted to say anything about it that close to his brother.
[After the Food Arrived]
'She is talking to everyone at the table and it seemed so normal to have her here', Sans thought. He had been watching her interact with everyone, from passing butter to flattering Mettaton for his most recent screen work.
Now she was finally turning her attention to her waffle. He had been surprised at her choice. Most people didn't like them because it just eventually became a syrup transport device. He watched as she cut a small corner of the waffle to taste the pastry. She seemed to like it and grabbed for the bottle of syrup that Grillbz had placed by the both of them. He watched as she drowned the plate in the sticky sweetness and took another bite.
The moan that came out of her closed mouth made him blush all shades of blue.
"WE SHOULD'VE WARNED YOU THAT GRILLBY IS KNOWN FOR HIS HOMEMADE SYRUP!" laughed Papyrus in between bites of his spaghetti. Grillbz had finally broken down and offered the dish for breakfast a few years ago but it seemed only Pap ever ate it.
He watched as the human realized what she had done and turned beet red. What had Gore said her name was?
"Maybe YOU will be able to convince Grillby to bottle it for sale, Lauren! I've been trying for years to get him to sell me some so I can bake it into some of my pies!" said Toriel, her fork pointed at the bar with a piece of her quiche on the end.
Lauren. That was the human's actual name but she seemed to flinch every time someone said it out loud.
"I don't know about that Mrs. Toriel," she blushed. "I would rather make everyone else come here to try it…"
"~Do you like sweets dahling?~" crooned Mettaton.
Lauren nodded as she began to eat the waffle, seeming to enjoy each bite.
"~Well, then we will have to have a girls day and go to Muffet's!~" Mettaton clapped from beside him.
"Oh I would love to Mettaton, but I have to go back home today. My sister is probably worried sick about me by now…" Lauren sighed.
"Sister? I thought you didn't have any family?" questioned Asgore.
"Well, she's my best friend, roommate and the closest thing I've ever had to a sister, so we just call each other sisters," she explained.
"No family?" Toriel asked.
"Oh… it's…. um…" Lauren stammered.
"Kid woke up at age 9 with nothing. No memories, no family, not a damn thing. Pretty strong right?" munched Undyne. She flashed a thumbs up at Lauren.
"That is awful!" exclaimed Toriel. "What happened?"
"Well, I was found on a road near the city. I had apparently been in the woods for a few days but I couldn't remember anything. The doctors at Mt. Ebott General Hospital had had my DNA on file and were able to determine that I had been missing after my parents had died in a car accident two years before. Other than a few bumps and bruises and a weird change in eye color, I was fine and they put me with Child Protective Services. I was never adopted but I had a nice foster family for a few years and I went to school like any other kid. I took classes in community college for Human Relations and got a Bachelor's Degree from MEU. I'd been working as a waitress and living with Liz until I landed my dream job," she stated bluntly.
Sans could see she was uncomfortable but none of them could tear their eyes from her face.
"wow… that's pretty heavy kid," he sighed.
"Eh…. It's nothing. I, at least, had motor and speech skills so they didn't have to start from scratch. I try not to think about it much and just go day by day," she smiled at him.
It was like she lit up the room with that small, sad smile and he could feel it in his soul. He could feel his face turning blue with his blush as everyone smiled back at her.
"Well! You are always welcome here with us Lauren!" smiled Toriel.
Now it was her turn to blush.
"Thank you Mrs. Toriel…."
[After the Meal]
Asgore had insisted on paying this time, to Sans displeasure. Sans thought he should be saving his money for the new baby but Gore wasn't one to shirk from his duties.
"We should do this again next weekend, Lauren!" said Undyne, her hand in Alphys' as they strolled to her big black SUV in the side lot.
"Wish I could Undyne, but I have a feeling that I'm gonna be too busy. Asgore has a dinner with a bunch of diplomats next weekend and I still have to arrange for transportation and everything…." Lauren sighed.
"I thought we had transportation to the even already handled Lauren…." murmured Asgore.
"Oh we do! It's my transportation here to meet you that is the problem! The car accident before we started working together killed my little car good," she chuckled. "And with our rent going up every month, even with my wonderful new salary, I haven't been able to save for a car again…."
Everyone had followed the girls out to the car and they all stood around the vehicle. Unwilling to leave Lauren just yet.
"well…. pap and metta were thinking about moving in together and that will leave me with two extra rooms soon…." Sans muttered.
"SANS! I…. I HADN'T TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT YET!" Papyrus blushed as Mettaton kissed his cheek.
"That's so wonderful you two!" clapped Toriel.
"ah… i head you two talking about it the other night. should've happened sooner…."Sans chuckled. He turned to the human. 'what the hell am i thinking?' "it's not much but we could work out some rent and then you wouldn't have to commute too much for things with gore…." He scratched the back of his head.
'she knows nothing about me and i know nothing about her but what i've looked up on the internet plus i've been watching her stupid videos like a religion…. but i can feel the pull of my soul. if i don't do this now…' he thought.
"I'd have to talk to Liz…." She blinked at the sudden offer. "I mean…. She was looking to transfer. You guys have a school here right?" She turned to Toriel.
"YES! I would LOVE to have another teacher with me! Especially with this little one on the way!" Toriel rubbed her belly affectionately.
"Wow…. OK!" Lauren finally turned to the car door. Before she stepped in she turned around. "Um Sans?"
"yeah?" he stopped in his tracks and turned toward the car.
"How…. Um…. How would I contact you?" she blushed, on hand on the door and one foot in the car as she turned to look at him.
Everyone has walked back towards Grillby's and Alphys and Undyne were already in the car, so it was just the two of them. Feet apart with nothing between them but the gravel of the parking lot. Even from here he could feel the pull of his soul, drawing him back to the car and damned if he didn't want to answer it.
But it scared him as well.
"undyne has my number" he said turning to follow his brother and his boyfriend.
As the car pulled out of the parking lot behind them, Sans felt his phone vibrate in his jeans.
/Hey Sans. This is my number. I'll call you soon?/
/sounds good kid/
He could feel his heartbeat pick up in his chest. Damn, he couldn't wait for that phone call. Maybe she would laugh? Time to brush up his material.
