"Hey Alphys!" You called out cheerfully as you entered her lab, carrying a stack of books, and DVDs piled on top of each other. "I'm back with your uh, stuff."
Hearing a scuffle of feet, you stopped in your position until Alphys had reached you, taking the pile from you, and placing them on her desk. "D-Did you like t-them?" She smiled, a hopeful look in her eyes.
You chuckled lightly, nodding. "Yes, actually." Alphys had lent you a lot of anime books, and DVDs in the hope of getting you into it. Originally she was only going to give you a couple, but before you knew it, you'd been given a whole pile as she didn't know which ones to choose. Surprisingly, you found yourself quite enjoying what she'd given you, and you'd raced through it all rather fast.
"I-I knew y-you would!" Alphys' smile grew wider, an excited look emerging onto her face.
Now that you could see around the lab, you caught sight of Undyne reading a piece of paper, whilst leaning on her hand which was placed on the table next to her.
"Hey Undyne!" You and Alphys began walking over. "I didn't see you there."
Undyne dropped the paper which fluttered from her hands and onto the table, and turned to face you. "Hey-" She paused, and tilted her head. "Woah, your bruise looks a lot better than when I last saw you."
You grinned, reaching up to touch the bruise. "Yeah, it doesn't even hurt anymore." You shrugged. "Unless I press down on it anyway."
It had been almost 2 weeks since you'd been punched in the face at the party. You hadn't been to a party since, and neither had you seen Mettaton. He'd surprised you with the way he'd acted, but he was still just a star to you, someone you didn't expect to see again. And honestly, that wasn't so much of a major deal to you. Once Jorja had dragged you home and ensured you were settled, she had made you a hot chocolate, before leaving you to get some rest. After a long sleep, you'd woken up already feeling a lot better, but your face was still aching a little. You had already made plans with Undyne and Alphys to hang out, but once they saw your face, plans changed, and Alphys was treating your bruise. She had added some strange substance to your face, and within minutes the pain had faded away. She had claimed it was mainly for the pain, but you were sure it was helping it to heal a lot faster too. Within days it had almost faded away. By the two weeks marker, there was only a faint black mark.
"Well then don't!" Undyne laughed, pushing your hand from your cheek. "Hey, you should have arrived earlier! You just missed Mettaton's tantrum!" A smirk emerged on her face as Alphys groaned, taking a seat on the chair at her desk. Undyne pushed herself up onto the table, swinging her legs. "It was hilarious. Alphys actually got mad!"
Raising an eyebrow, you leant on the table, standing next to Undyne. "Why, what happened?"
Alphys simply shook her head, burying her head in her hands before speaking. "H-he was just m-making such a f-fuss over h-his new show! He's a-always doing t-this. If he t-thinks something i-isn't perfect, he w-won't stop r-ranting… I-I'd just had e-enough. I s-snapped."
Undyne threw her head back in laughter. "It was more than just a snap, you basically banished him upstairs until he calmed down! I never knew you could be so assertive!"
Looking up from her hands slightly, Alphys shrugged. "N-neither did I…"
"Damn, I wish I had seen that!" You couldn't help smirking, imagining Alphys actually shouting was a great thought.
"You should have seen Mettaton's face!" Undyne's laughter died down a little, having finally recovered. "It was priceless. He was in shock!" Pausing, she glanced at you, tilting her head. "Actually, have you ever even met Mettaton?" She frowned at you. "Every time he's here, you're not around."
Raising an eyebrow, trying to act clueless, you folded your arms. "What do you mean?"
"Don't think I haven't noticed punk, when he's here, you're not. When you're here, he's not. What's up with that?" Her eyes seemed to be burrowing into your face, and you felt your cheeks reddening.
You sighed. "I just didn't want to come face to face with him. I've been avoiding him. I think he's too self-centred, and I didn't particularly like the idea of meeting him. But-"
You were about to continue your sentence, both Alphys, and Undyne watching you intently, when the sound of footsteps interrupted you midway. Turning around, joined by Alphys, and Undyne, you caught sight of Mettaton taking steps towards you.
"Did I hear my name darlings?" Ignoring your presence for a few moments, he took his place beside Alphys. "Calmed down?" He directed his question towards her, but Undyne spoke before she could.
"Have YOU calmed down?" She poked him, a mischievous grin on her face.
He chuckled, ignoring her question, his eyes now coming to rest on you. "Hello darling, I don't believe we've-" He froze, tilting his head. "Wait…" His eyes widened as he remembered your face. Repeating your name from his memory, a grin plastered itself on his face. "Long time no see beautiful." He scanned over your face. "Your eye is looking much better than when we last met."
You nodded, managing a smile. "Yeah, thank goodness. It was becoming more of a nuisance. Thanks again for your help by the way."
Laughing a little, Mettaton shook his head. "You don't need to thank me. I wouldn't just stand there and watch them hit you darling."
"Woah, hang on a second." Undyne placed up her hands, stopping the conversation, glancing between the two of you before focusing on Mettaton. "You were there? When she got hit?" She gestured towards you as she spoke.
Mettaton nodded. "It was at my after party."
"What was she doing at your after party?" Undyne scoffed. "We were just talking about how she d-."
Without warning, you nudged her in the ribs with your elbow, sending her a stern look as her eyes locked with yours. "I mean-" She tried to recover, and change her sentence, but luckily Mettaton spoke for her.
"Her friends had won tickets. What does it matter? She was there." Mettaton leant against the wall, inspecting his hands.
"No reason." Undyne quickly decided to drop the subject, much to your relief.
"Okay, well, this has been great guys, but I must be heading off. I'm hungry, and…" You picked up a pot of instant noodles, reading the label a little. "A pot of noodles ain't gonna cut it." You grinned, placing them back on the table. "I'll see you guys later." Just as you were about to turn to leave, you stopped yourself, and glanced back to your friends. "Hey, if you're free Saturday, we could hang out?"
Alphys and Undyne briefly held eye contact with each other before Alphys spoke out. "W-well, actually t-this S-Saturday is, uh, V-Valentine's Day. And-"
"And we were going to hang out together!" Undyne finished for her. "Sorry."
"Oh!" You exclaimed, tapping your head as a sort of punishment for yourself for forgetting. "I completely forgot! No worries, you two have fun! I normally forget those sorts of things."
"M-maybe one y-year, you won't!" Alphys smiled warmly, instantly causing you to smile in return.
"Maybe." You laughed a little at the thought. "Anyway, I'll see you later."
"See ya punk!"
"B-bye!"
As you wave a quick goodbye to your friends, Mettaton catches your arm.
"Hey, may I come along darling? I'm sure you'd like some company."
"Sure." You knew there was no point in arguing, and besides, he was actually right. You would like some company.
Walking side by side, through the open doors, and onto the street, Mettaton spoke up.
"So, where are we headed?" He followed your lead as you took rapid steps.
"Well, originally I was just going to head home, and grab a snack…" You admitted. "But, since you're here, I guess we'll find a café."
"Ooh!" Mettaton clapped his hands excitedly. "I know this little place, it's not too far from here, and its interior design is wonderful."
"Okay, awesome. Lead the way!" You barely finished your sentence before Mettaton dragged you around a sudden corner.
"Down here darling!" He chuckled.
"Hey, no need to be so rough! Just, alert me next time, okay?" Pulling away from his grasp you quickly dusted yourself down before hurrying back to your position next to him.
You noted his choice not to reply which seemed to be a common habit of his.
"Mettaton, c-can I ask you something?" A thought had suddenly occurred to you. For once you were actually managing to prevent an awkward silence.
He nodded. "Go for it sweetheart."
"Do you live with Alphys?" You looked over at him as you walked. "I always thought you didn't."
"I don't." It was simple answer, but you got what you asked for.
You frowned. "Then… why did you allow her to subdue you. I mean, you could have just left? Why go upstairs sulking?"
You caught sight of a brief smile before he shook his head. "Darling… Of course I could have gone home. And I don't sulk."
"So why didn't you?" You couldn't help pushing for answers, you'd always been curious.
"Alphys isn't the most confident of people, as you know. The way she was suddenly acting towards me, was a shock. It was the most assertive she's ever been in the time I've known her. And, to be honest, I was proud of her. She needed that confidence boost, so I simply acted as if she'd really struck a chord with me. I left to go upstairs for a little while." His answer surprised you. It hadn't been what you were expecting at all. "I hope it encourages her to speak out for herself more."
"Huh…" Struggling to think of anything to say, you paused for a few seconds. "That's actually… really sweet of you Mettaton."
"Are you surprised darling?" His question came as quite a shock to you.
"Honestly?" He stayed silent. "Yes. From the way you came across through the television screen, you didn't seem like that kind of caring person at all…" You bit your lip realising how much that must have hurt him.
He sighed, stopping walking, taking time to lean against a wall of a nearby building. You followed his lead. "I don't blame you darling. I have acted rather-" He waved his hand slightly. "Egotistical. But, Alphys is my friend, and despite what you may or may not think of me. I do care for her. She gave me a lot more than you may know."
"What do you mean by that?" You instantly regretted the question, but luckily, he didn't seem to mind so much.
"Let's leave that for another day, shall we?"
You didn't know that much about Mettaton to be perfectly honest. He hadn't been a subject brought up often. Of course, you knew he had been created by Alphys. Was that what he meant? Simply that she created him? Or, is there something more to it? You dropped the thought. If he wanted you to know, he would have told you.
You nodded. "What I said before… About you, through the screen. I don't believe that anymore. Since I met you, I've really changed my opinion on you. You're a lot different to what I originally thought. You're more than just an arrogant star on a television screen. I'm sorry for judging you in the first place."
"Darling…" He reached out, taking one of your hands. "Thank you… I understand why you may have thought of me in the way you did at first, but I'm relieved you think of me differently now. Not many people view me in the way you do. As a person, I mean. Most see me as a star. I'm glad you're not one of them."
He's glad? Why would he be glad about me? Or, relieved?
"Now come on, our food is waiting." Releasing your hand, he began walking again.
Leaving behind your thoughts, you walked by his side.