Saying Goodbye
Chapter 10
Today was a good day.
You sat with Alphys as she adjusted wires in Mettaton's back as he rambled about the shows that he was planning on after his 'break' was over. He had announced to his disapointed fans a few days ago that he was taking some time to himself for about a year for 'personal reasons'. Most of the fans had responded with sadness or downright anger at his sudden deviation from the planned year of shows, appearances and signings, but for once he turned a deaf ear to the public. You all knew the reason, even though none of you had voiced it.
But today was not about that. His maintenance had fallen a bit behind and he had come to Alphys while the two of you were sitting quietly watching television, his speech skipping and jittery. Apparently somebody thought it would be funny to afflict the poor robot with a stutter. You had a feeling you knew who it might be, but you kept your mouth shut and made a mental note to give him a gentle scolding later before congratulating him on a prank well played. You were pretty sure Alphys knew too, as she shot you a look that said 'Seriously?' as she pinpointed the issue and saw the coded message that caused the issue.
"So darling, how have you been feeling?"
You shrug and shift in your chair. You couldn't walk very well anymore, so unless you had somebody around to support you, you were confined to a wheelchair most of the time.
"I've been pretty alright lately. I am on some pretty great drugs, so I don't hurt too bad for now. I was thinking it would be nice to get out of the house for a while. Maybe go to a park or something, if the weather is nice."
Alphys nodded, reaching for a pair of pliers. She never talked while she worked, so Mettaton did it for her.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea! When we are done, we can call everybody and meet up."
You rolled your chair back and reached for your cell phone. If you wanted to be sure that everybody was going to come, you needed to tell them now. You knew you would not eat much, your appetite had dropped off quite a bit the last few weeks, but you knew that your mother would want to make things for people to eat. You would call Sans when he was on his break at work to tell him where everybody would be when he got out.
As an afterthought, you lifted the phone and turned the camera on and snapping a picture of you making a silly face before sending the message and picture out in one big send. You had taken to putting happy or funny things in your messages lately. People always could see how tired and unwell you were all the time, and it made you feel better to put in little reminders that you were still you, even after all this.
Alphys made a frustrated sound as Mettaton squirmed, trying to read over your shoulder as you opened replies from everybody. Pleased with the fact that you knew everybody was coming (you knew Sans would be there, he went where you went, generally) you twisted and pulled a notebook from the bag that hung on the back of your chair. You had a few pages full of lists and notes to yourself, a few silly things you wanted to remember, and a few notes for your friends. You knew that writing to people was probably morbid, but it made you feel better knowing you would be able to leave with something nice to say to them all. You flipped past them to a blank page, rolling away from the robot's curious eyes. These were meant to be private, just between you and the addressee. You had no way of controlling what they did after they received the letters, but for now you could keep it that way.
For the next two hours, all that could be heard was Mettaton's quiet humming, Alphys cranking and snipping wires, and your pen scratching the paper in front of you. It was peaceful, and you were glad.
Days of peace and happiness. That was what you wanted.