Chapter Two: Approved
Upbeat music played through the speakers in the back of the studio to the front of the set. The lights from above and the cameras were focused on a gray robot with a microphone in its right hand and a single wheel beneath its body. The grid, which made up the center of its body, glowed as it did all sorts of different gestures. The set design was a simple kitchen, and there appeared to be some sort of freshly made pie sitting on the counter. As is par for the course in Hotland, the location of shooting for this week's episode was rather humid, but it didn't appear to make much of a difference for the television host. His interior cooling system took care of whatever exposure to those elements for him.
After the show's main event, if enough time was granted to him, Mettaton would answer some fan mail from his fans. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but one particular letter couldn't be put up on television. After all, this was a family friendly show.
"And that's all the time we have left, folks! You've all been a wonderful audience! Tune in next time for more of the Underground's favorite TV personality! Only on MTT Network!"
And cut. The cameras were now offline and were ready to be shut off. The robot kept the pose he had for a few seconds before relaxing his body. Another day of being a star had just come to another fabulous end. Though he did love the attention that came from being a star, that didn't mean that he would get tired out from being on live television once in a while. This was one of those days for the widely known Mettaton, but what exactly was so tiring about it was still a mystery to him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about his shows was missing something. He knew what he truly wanted: to be adored by millions and become a star on the surface. But something else was puzzling him. Surely, there must be something greater than what he's been doing. Mettaton had a desire for something that he couldn't even comprehend, which made finding it out even more mind numbing.
Just as he was about to retire for the day, his personal cell began ringing. Mettaton swiftly picked up the phone, gaining back his eager demeanor for whoever was on the other line.
"Hello~? Mettaton speaking."
"H-hey, M-Mettaton." The voice of Dr. Alphys responded. Mettaon could relax now. "I have some great news!"
"Well?" Mettaton waited. "What is it?"
"Well, y-you know how K-King Asgore w-wanted a.. uh..." Alphys stuttered. "
"Yes? Go on." Mettaton replied expectantly.
"Well, uh... I just received word that... Oh, I'm too excited to speak!"
"Oh, just spit it out already, Alphys! The suspense is killing me!" Mettaton exclaimed impatiently.
"Okay, okay! I-I'll just tell you when you get back to the Lab." Alphys hung up before Mettaton could get another word in. He was used to the mannerisms she possessed, but Alphys sounded quite happy in the brief call they shared. He wanted to get back to the Lab to see what the call was about. As for the lone pie on the counter, he figured he'd just leave Burgerpants or another one of his employees with it. Mettaton wasn't built for such functions as eating anyway, so it really wouldn't make much of a difference as to what would be done with it. His main concern was getting the good news.
That is, if he could get there quickly enough. He would usually have fans come up to him and ask for an autograph or a picture, which he didn't mind in the least. After all, he is one to please a crowd even if they were in the high single digits, or high tens if it was a good day. But in some situations, he's been able to come up with a few ways to get away from his own personal paparazzi, such as clever disguises or getting Burgerpants to dress up as him. Now that he thought about it, he did tend to abuse Burgerpants often. However, these thoughts would quickly shift to another topic or whatever was relevant at the moment. To be fair though, Burgerpants wasn't the greatest employee. He wasn't even the greatest of people to him, either. There was always an air of tension between the two, with neither side wanting to compromise.
Still, that didn't stop Mettaton from getting Burgerpants to do his bidding. After all, how else was the poor chap going to get his paycheck?
~~~
Mettaton was welcomed by the pale green interior and monitor on the wall, though Alphys' 'work' desk was always a distraction to him. He would use the word 'work' rather loosely, as that spot was typically used for watching anime and eating ramen. Mettaton could never understand why Alphys wasted so much time on such pathetic cartoons, but if it made her happy then he didn't really have much room to complain. Would he had preferred her to be around others? Absolutely. But for some reason, she's been rather distant towards the outside world and even he didn't know what was going on. On other days, she seemed fine, but when the topic of going out would come up, she would always find some sort of excuse to avoid leaving the lab.
Speaking of which, Alphys had just come up from the elevator, muttering to herself about something indescribable. She carried a stack of papers in her hands as she continued walking before she noticed the robot before her. "Oh, there you are! I didn't realize you would get here so quickly, what with your fans and all."
"I have my ways of getting around them. Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Mettaton leaned forward against the desk.
"As I was trying to say before," Alphys cleaned her glasses with her coat. "Y-you know how King Asgore wanted a security robot to fight any humans that may come down here?"
Mettaton nodded. "I remember quite clearly, Alphys. But if there's still nothing for me on that bargain, you can count me out."
Alphys took out two individual forms from the stack, both signed by King Asgore. "Well, he approved of the designs I gave him for the NEO form and the EX form. It took me a while to convince the king to let me go through with EX, but-"
Mettaton gasped as he looked through the papers. "Dr. Alphys! Do you know what this means?"
Alphys stared at the robot blankly. "Of course I do. I-it means that I can finally get working on the new system and-"
"And I'll finally get to have my new body!" Mettaton interrupted. "Oh, Alphys! I wouldn't know what I'd do without you!"
"Th-thank you, Mettaton." Alphys blushed from the praise. "But it's gonna take some time for both forms to be ready. Which means you're gonna have to stay here while I get everything done. The NEO form's design's going to take longer than the EX form, but some of the components for the NEO form have already been stored in your interface just in case..."
Most of what Alphys said afterwards flew right over Mettaton's head. "But I still get to have a body! A body that I helped design, so I know it will be absolutely beautiful! I can finally achieve my dream!"
"But I thought being a star was your dream...?"
"Obviously, that too. Imagine if I had both, though." Mettaton's head once again got stuck in the clouds and hands up above the top of his body. "Millions of adoring fans up there just waiting to see what I've got!"
"I'm glad you're psyched and all, but there may be a small drawback..." Alphys put a hand behind her head.
"And what would that be?" Mettaton started to come down from his high when he heard this.
"Well, uh... you may have to spend a few days at a time in here. So I can see what works and what doesn't, make sure nothing's out of place and such."
"But Alphys, what about my show?" Mettaton pressed both his hands together. "I've got fans that need to be entertained!"
"D-don't worry, Mettaton!" Alphys exclaimed, trying her hardest not to upset him. "By the time you're back on the air, the production of your EX form should be at least halfway finished! Well... If I work fast enough, that is."
"And what about the body I have now?" Mettaton pressed on. "Oh, please don't tell me I'm gonna be stuck as some half calculator, half cyborg mess! I can't afford to have my image be ruined! My fans will be so disappointed!"
"Please don't get too upset!" Alphys put her hand on the back of Mettaton. The only indicator of what he was feeling was through his tone of voice. "L-look, I'll make sure nothing happens to your basic form while I'm working on you, okay?"
"You will?" Mettaton asked hopefully. "Because if you don't, I have a certain little instrument that hasn't been used in a while. It would be a shame if you happened to.. oh, I don't know, run into it."
"Mettaton!" Alphys grew irritated at the sudden threat. "You can't just threaten me with a chainsaw!"
"It's not a threat if it means my career may be on the line." Mettaton replied smugly.
"This isn't just about you, y'know!" Alphys became more annoyed. Before walking away, she came back with one last comment. "This is also about the safety of the monsters here! Sometimes I don't know how to deal with you..."
That was the end of that conversation. Alphys went back to work, and Mettaton was coming up with new material for his next show. The two avoided each other since that heated moment, presumably to calm down both parties before it would escalate even further. Mettaton thought that he could just ignore what happened and focus on his show. But the silence inside the building became maddening to him, and he started feeling... guilty? No, one half of him felt as though he was in the right. But on the other hand, he did feel like the addition of the chainsaw was taking it a little too far. Finally caving into his conscious, he took the elevator down to where Alphys was working. She didn't seem to notice him come in, as she was too busy with making the individual parts for the
He was surprised that Alphys was continuing to go through with this. He almost expected her to have thrown them away by now in a fit of anger. Mettaton cautiously tapped at her shoulder. "So... you're still making my body?"
A sigh escaped Alphys' lips. She shook her head and readjusted her glasses. "Well, it is what you and Asgore want. You want your new body and Asgore wants his anti human security device. But please, don't bring up the chainsaw again."
Mettaton made a crossing gesture where his heart would be. "Cross my heart, Dr. Alphys. And I apologize for taking that one bit too far. I was definitely out of line back there. You know how I can get sometimes."
"You can get rather into your emotions, I know." Alphys turned to face Mettaton. How she had this much patience for Mettaton was something even she couldn't figure out. "But even if you can be a pain sometimes, I'm still gonna stick with you."
"And why is that?"
"Because... because..." Alphys stuttered. "Because I think of you as a friend."
"Oh, Alphys..." Mettaton was touched by the statement. If he had a face, it would spell out enchantment and happiness. He placed both hands on his grid. "I'm so flattered! Thank you for putting up with my antics so much!"
With that said, Mettaton caught Alphys in an embrace. Alphys was caught off guard by this sudden contact until she realized what he was trying to do. The moment started off tender, but then started to get awkward when Alphy's face was starting to get smothered against Mettaton's front side. "Uh.. Mettaton? Could you, um..."
"Oh! Sorry." Mettaton immediately released his grasp on her. Another moment of awkward silence lay between the two like a thin barrier.
"So..." Alphys tried to break the ice before clearing her throat. "I'll just be getting back to work."
"Oh, yes. Indeed. It'll only be a matter of time before people begin to get bored with this box form. Ta ta~" Mettaton waved back at Alphys before heading towards the elevator.
"Mettaton, wait!" Alphys called back, a lingering thought remaining with her long after what had been said and done, and even beforehand.
"Hm? What is it, darling?" Mettaton asked, waiting for Alphys to answer.
"Umm..." Alphys stuttered. "Oh, nevermind. It's not that important, anyway."
"Okay, if you say so Doctor." Mettaton shrugged and slid inside the elevator, taking him back up to the first level.
Alphys let out a heavy sigh and slowly went back to work. Even after Mettaton was long gone, Alphys regretted not asking him about their current friendship status. Since he became a star in the Underground, it was as if the only time Mettaton ever really needed her was either with repairs or with something relating to his show. Did Mettaton truly feel the same about being her friend? Or was she nothing more than just a scientist to him? Alphys couldn't bear to think about what would happen if he found out what she had done, and what she is still doing. Just the mere thought of the past was beginning to distract her from working on the EX form.
She looked down at the notes that she and Mettaton jotted down for both the NEO and EX forms. Alphys left the design aspect up to Mettaton for rather obvious reasons, while she would take care of the technical aspects. Granted, some of these design choices that he had were questionable, but these are his bodies after all. It's not like she would be using them any time soon. Those notes helped make Alphys feel a little better, what with the inside jokes that came from the notes the two came up with.
She knew well that she had to get a few materials for both bodies, which Asgore was more than happy to give the funds to. But still, she wanted to try the dump to see if there was anything worth salvaging. Alphys knew that there had to be something out there worth saving. She just hoped that Mettaton wouldn't mind too much.