Mettaton was officially winning. Not only had he set up two walkways covered in glowing candy cane ornaments but now he even had an inflatable reindeer in his front yard. He'd even gone the extra mile to string glowing icicles in the trees out back. They'd be a pain in the metal ass to get out in April but that was later, right now, all he wanted was to win.

The ladder beneath him teetered as he stretched to pin the new lights on. The skeleton across the street was a crafty one. Every time Mettaton put something up, he had something better the next day. He didn't know who he was messing with. Mettaton had personally fended off three governing officials and a league of crazy soccer moms who had dared to try to take down his ornaments. He hadn't lost to them and he wasn't going to lose now.

So here he was, in the blistering cold, stringing up new lights around his windows. The skeleton across the street had added nice little yellow lights to his house and now Mettaton was adding in little designs to top him. Snapping the last of the lights in place, Mettaton rubbed the back of his neck. That was four windows down and two left to go.

"HELLO NEIGHBOR."

Mettaton nearly jumped out of his frame. The ladder wobbled and he clenched the window sill to steady himself. Leaning back elegantly, Mettaton looked at the skeleton below him. He was grinning, a little shy wave accompanied the smile. Mettaton smiled back. "Hello," he said in a soft sweet voice. "I don't think we've met yet." 'Unless you count indirectly stomping on all his Christmas decorating pride and self respect' Mettaton thought.

The skeleton grinned. "I'M THE GREAT PAPYRUS," he said putting a thumb to his chest. "YOUR NEW AND AMAZING NEIGHBOR."

Mettaton looked Papyrus over. He was cute with his bright red scarf and wide grin. Climbing down from the ladder, Mettaton stopped a few inches away. He flashed his sweetest smile. "Nice to meet you, darling."

Papyrus's eyes flickered over him quickly and then looked away. "HELLO," orange dusted over his cheekbones. It only made Mettaton smile wider. 'Cute' He thought. Papyrus pulled something from behind his back. "THESE ARE FOR YOU."

Mettaton smiled at the gift. Their fingers brushed as he took the vase of poinsettias. The deep red flowers stuck out in the glow of the snowy night. "Thank you. They're beautiful."

Papyrus rubbed the back of his head. "YOU'RE WELCOME. I THOUGHT THEY WOULD BRIGHTEN UP YOUR HOME ON THE INSIDE. THE OUTSIDE IS ALREADY VERY BRIGHT." They stared up at his new decorations.

Mettaton brushed a finger over one of the poinsettia's soft petals. The cold chill of the night bit through his jacket. Papyrus wasn't wearing much of anything. Mettaton wondered if he could feel the cold. "Would you like to come inside?" He asked without thinking.

Papyrus's smile was enough to keep him from taking it back. With a nod, the two walked inside. The fire in the sitting room crackled and popped in welcome as they closed the door to the brutal cold. Mettaton watched for a second as papyrus admired his house. He smirked. His house was festive inside and out. tinseled mantles and about a dozen wreathes here and there, it was a warm and cozy environment and he prided himself on it.

"YOUR HOME IS LOVELY." Papyrus said, spinning around to take it all in.

Mettaton thanked him and set the poinsettias in the living room. "So," his words were punctuated by the click of the poinsettia vase on the table. "Are you new to the world above?" Mettaton said in a wide comfy dinner chair. He crossed one leg over the other.

Papyrus waved a hand. "NO, MY BROTHER AND I HAVE BEEN LIVING UP HERE SINCE EVERYONE WAS FREED." He sat across from him bouncing as he spoke. "WE LIVED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD UP UNTIL NOW. WE MOVED OVER HERE TO BE CLOSER TO FRISK."

The snow pelted on the windows in small lazy puffs. "You know Frisk?" Mettaton said. Mettaton had met them just before the barrier opened. They'd had a bit of bad blood back then what with him trying to kill them constantly and all but now they were closer. Especially since they only living a few houses away with Toriel. The child even had a key to his house and not even Alphys had that. Mettaton had come home on more than one occasion to find them raiding his fridge.

Papyrus lit up like…well, a Christmas tree. "OF COURSE YOU KNOW FRISK," he said more to himself than to Mettaton. "ALL MONSTERS KNOW THEM, THEY ARE OUR AMBASSADOR AFTER ALL." He gasped. "WAIT, DON'T TELL ME. YOU'RE METTATON."

Mettaton nodded.

Papyrus squealed. "HOW DID I NOT RECOGNIZE YOU? YOU'RE ON TV ALL THE TIME. I LOVE YOUR GAME SHOW."

Mettaton felt his cheeks warm. "Thank you, Darling. It's always nice to meet a fan."

"FRISK TALKS ABOUT YOU ALL THE TIME. WELL, THEY DON'T TALK THEY SIGN BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. THEY LOVE YOU A LOT."

Mettaton's heart warmed as he thought of the child. "I love them too." He said and meant every word. It wasn't often he cared about people. Most people got close to him because he had money or because he was famous. Frisk was an honest child with honest intentions and he loved them more than he could say.

With a grin, Papyrus clapped his shoulder. "WELL, ANY FRIEND OF FRISK IS A FRIEND OF MINE. YOU SEEM LIKE A GOOD PERSON AND I'M A GREAT JUDGE OF CHARACTER."

Mettaton's cheeks warmed again. Papyrus seemed like a sweet person. Now that he thought about it, he had heard of Papyrus. Looking over the skeleton, he watched the way he bounced in his seat like an overly excited puppy. It was adorable. Papyrus had his own sort of shine that Mettaton had never seen before. He liked him even if his presence made that he shined a little less in comparison. Zoning back in in the middle of Papyrus's tangent, Mettaton listened to him talk about Frisk, Spaghetti, and his brother who's name was apparently Sans (another name he'd heard of before). His whole body moved when he spoke. Mettaton watched the way his spine dipped and his smile brightened.

"Papyrus?" Mettaton said. He loved the way the other's name felt on his tongue. Papyrus's head snapped up. He grinned at him. He was always grinning. It made Mettaton grin. "I host a Christmas party every year for all the monsters in the neighborhood. Frisk will be there too with Toriel. You should come. Bring Sans with you."

Mettaton had thought he'd seen Papyrus grinning before but he was wrong. Papyrus was grinning now and it lit up his face in the most adorable way. To think that grin was directed at him, it made Mettaton's heart skip a beat.

Papyrus took his hand. "YOU'RE REALLY NICE. I LIKE YOU. SANS AND I WOULD LOVE TO COME TO YOUR PARTY."

Their connected hands sent a warm pulse thought Mettaton as he felt their souls interact. Something about it felt natural. He grabbing a Christmas card from the pile he'd be sending out later in the week. "Here's the time and date." He said.

Papyrus quickly scanned the card as they got up and walked to the door. "WE'LL BE THERE. HAPPY HOLIDAYS." He said as he left.

Mettaton closed the door behind him. Rubbing his hands together, he placed one over the frame covering his heart. That weird feeling in his chest was new. He'd never felt anything like that. Looking over his heart, he wondered if maybe he was malfunctioning. He tapped the frame with a frustrated finger and sighed.

A rapid knock fired against his door. Opening it, Mettaton pecked out to see Papyrus standing there. That weird feeling started up again and he covered his heart, feeling exposed. He fought down the feeling and smirked. "Yes, love?"

Papyrus pointed to his house. "AS A FELLOW LOVER OF CHIRSTMAS DECORATIONS, I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THE NEW ADDITIONS I ADDED TO MY HOME. I SAW YOU ADDING MORE TO YOUR HOME." He clicked a button on a remote control in his hands and his house across the street lit up with a new inflatable Christmas tree in the front yard and a fairy light santa on the roof. Papyrus turned to Mettaton. "SPEACHLESS, RIGHT?"

Mettaton was in a bad place right now. He stared at the decorations across the street. They were cuter than his. They were better than his. He would not stand for it. "They're lovely. I can see the work you put into him." He had to give credit where it was due. The house was nice even if he'd rather pull his own heart out than say it outloud.

Papyrus grinning put his mood at ease. "WHY THANK YOU. I AM A GREAT DECORATOR." He grinned one last time before saying goodbye and running across the street.

Mettaton closed the door behind him. Slumping over onto his floor, he grabbed his phone. First, he needed to call Alphys to ask about the funny feeling. She might know what was wrong with him. As the phone dialed, Mettaton stared out the window at the house across the street. It was beautiful. Too beautiful. Closing his blinds, he fell onto his sitting room couch. First thing in the morning, he was going to Home Depot. He needed more decorations. A lot more.