Authors note
Hey guys, here's the next chapter for y'all!
I received a review on the last chapter (yay) which was very nice, however it mentioned to not write Papyrus as mature, or at least try not to. Which is true, the essence of Papyrus is the fact he's quite… oblivious to most things.
However, I just wanted to let you guys know that my portrayal of characters might differ from you! (Which is fine!)
I always try to keep the essence of the character, while developing them along with the story.
So… some events later on in this fic might require certain characters to accept reality, or "mature" a little bit. ;)
That's all I'm going to say… enjoy the chapter!
(Possible triggers- general anxiety and self hate)
-x-
Chapter Five
Papyrus was visibly giddy the entire time you two waited for Undyne's appearance, the both of you were sat in the living area after putting the groceries away, while the skeleton spoke about his best friend, almost non-stop.
From what you gathered from his nearly incoherent ramblings, Undyne was a "very cool" monster lady who helped train Papyrus in the Underground, when they were trapped down there… with cooking lessons apparently, and at the time she was the Captain of King Asgore's Royal Guard.
From the way Papyrus was talking about her, it seemed he really liked her.
That thought alone had left an unsettling feeling in your stomach, one you couldn't explain… and one you felt guilty for even experiencing.
So you didn't quite know what to expect, when the front door flew open forcefully- the second time in just a day.
"Hey Papyrus!"
Undyne was… loud, not as nearly as loud as Papyrus- but a close contender.
As she entered through the doorway, you tried not to stare so obviously.
She was tall, nearing 7ft from the looks of it, and had bright blue skin scattered with scales and scars. Her only visible eye was yellow, the other covered with a black eye patch. Her overall appearance reminded you of an axolotl mixed with a shark, especially with the sharp teeth that were on display as she grinned.
You couldn't help but admire her long red hair, which was tied up into a ponytail.
"HELLO UNDYNE!"
Papyrus quickly got up from the sofa- practically bounding towards Undyne with a grin. The two exchanged a friendly bone-crushing hug, causing you to look away with a frown.
"I brought Alphie along for the sleepover Paps, she finally got a few days off from the lab and I wasn't going to leave my girlfriend behind!" Undyne said, then glanced behind her.
This was when you noticed the much shorter monster, trailing behind Undyne. She looked like a strange mix of a lizard… and was very dinosaur like. She wore glasses and seemed to be very shy, if you read her uncertain smile correctly.
You couldn't help but quirk a smile at her attire, her cute pink t-shirt sporting a cartoon girl with cat ears. You didn't recognise it, but then again you didn't watch much TV.
Relief swept through you at the realization that Undyne and Alphys were a couple… but confusion replaced that emotion.
Why would I care if Papyrus' best friend was taken or not…?
"OF COURSE UNDYNE, THE MORE THE MERRIER NYEH HEH!" Papyrus' booming voice brought you out of your thoughts, and you looked away from the two new monsters- not wanting to be caught staring.
This was when Undyne noticed you.
"So who's your new friend, Papyrus?" Undyne had asked, the look she directed towards you was a mix of curiosity and bemusement. The monster behind her, Alphys- sent you a small smile.
You returned it shyly.
"OH, WHERE ARE MY MANNERS… THIS IS (y/n)!"
Papyrus practically dragged you towards Undyne, the fish monster not hesitating to offer a hand to shake. You took it, and tried not to be overly disturbed and react from the scaly fins you could feel in your grasp.
Undyne's grip on your hand was rather tight, nearing the point of pain.
You barely kept in the sigh of relief when she let go.
"H-hello," You said quietly, with a small smile, trying not to show your nerves. You aren't the most confident with new people, but usually your nervousness went after a while.
You hoped.
"Nice to meet cha' (y/n)," Undyne said, smiling toothily. She seemed friendly enough, if not a little robust, so you relaxed a little bit.
"Uh… same," You replied awkwardly, fidgeting slightly. Undyne turned her attention back to Papyrus, not seeming at all perturbed by your shyness.
Sans' behaviour earlier had certainly made you feel on edge.
"…hah, guess what Papyrus?" Undyne then chuckled, her smirk turning ominous.
"…WHAT'S THAT UNDYNE?"
"Me and Alphys are totally gonna kick you and (y/n)'s asses at Brawl!" Undyne taunted, and you blanched at her words.
..brawl?
"DON'T COUNT ON IT MY FRIEND… IT IS MORE LIKELY WE WILL DECIMATE YOU TWO! NYEH HEH HEH!"
Papyrus and Undyne stared down each other, both smirking confidently. Both you and Alphys shared a look of dismay.
…Oh no.
Sat back on the sofa, with an unfamiliar controller in your hand. You watched as Undyne and Papyrus tried to set up the Wii U… at least that's what you thought it was called.
Alphys was sat next to you, waiting patiently. She seemed very quiet, but you didn't mind that.
She seemed to be the polar opposite of Undyne… maybe opposites did attract after all?
"Um… h-hi," Alphys eventually spoke up, noticing your glances towards her. You looked away with a sheepish smile, silently berating yourself for staring. It was rude.
"Hey, it's Alphys right?" You said with a smile, trying to be reassuring. It worked, well you thought it did- as Alphys smiled back.
"Y-yeah… um sorry about Undyne and Papyrus b-by the way," Alphys said, with a nervous chuckle. "…t-they're pretty intense when it comes to video games… or anything really."
"I noticed," You said with a laugh, your gaze turning to Papyrus and Undyne- who both seemed to be battling the tangled wires around the TV. It seemed they were losing at the moment. "…but you can't help but love that about them."
"L-love?" Alphys repeated, her tone turning curious. You flushed slightly as you realized your words. "…a-are you and Papyrus-"
"No, no not at all!" You said in a rush, perhaps you said it too quickly- as Alphys didn't looked convinced in the slightest. "…I like him a lot… but as a friend, y'know?"
"Y-yeah, sure…" Alphys nodded, but you knew she didn't believe you. You looked away with a slight frown.
You didn't know exactly how you felt about Papyrus, but you knew the skeleton you met only a few days ago had left a deep imprint on you. You enjoyed his company immensely, even despite your adversity to the thought of opening up, to anyone. Heck, the thought that he might have liked Undyne more than a friend had made you jealous.
Just being around the lovable skeleton had changed you so much in such little time… you felt more open, comfortable and trusting than you have ever been in your life.
…it was very dangerous territory.
"NGAAAAAH!"
Undyne's furious shout brought you suddenly out of your thoughts, both you and Alphys stared with wide eyes as Undyne managed to somehow split a wire in half, in her struggle to untangle them.
"…um… oops?" Undyne said sheepishly.
"U-undyne!" Alphys spluttered, quite loudly considering her shyness. She got up from the sofa, looking at Undyne with a slightly stern expression. "T-toriel won't be happy if you keep b-breaking her stuff!"
"Sorry, babe…" Undyne apologised with guilty expression, scratching the back of her head and still holding the broken wire. "But… you can fix it, right?"
"Y-yeah… but no more breaking stuff, promise?" Alphys said, and to your surprise, she sounded quite assertive. She even turned to Papyrus. "Y-you too Papyrus!"
"Promise," Undyne nodded with a wink, leaning down to kiss Alphys on the forehead, eliciting a bright blush from the shorter monster. Papyrus also nodded ferociously.
"WHY OF COURSE DR. ALPHYS!" Papyrus spoke, his grin suddenly turning sombre.
"…BUT I CANNOT PROMISE THAT I WON'T BREAK BOTH YOUR AND UNDYNE'S HEART WHEN ME AND (y/n) DEFEAT YOU AT BRAWL! NYEH HEH HEH!"
"…oh it is on Papyrus!" Undyne retorted with a smirk, pumping her fist into the air determinedly. Alphys shook her head while tinkering with the wire, looking quite bemused.
After Papyrus and Undyne exchanged some more challenging words, and the broken wire was repaired by Alphys, you realized something.
"Um… I don't actually know how to play this game," You pointed out, not having much experience with videogames. Although they looked like lots of fun.
Papyrus looked completely shocked at this, and you couldn't help but feel like you've disappointed him somehow. But the skeleton regained his surprise, and practically jumped into the seat next to you, looking oddly gleeful.
"NO WORRIES MY DEAR (y/n), WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS' GUIDANCE YOU SHALL BECOME THE GREATEST BRAWLER THERE EVER WAS!" Papyrus said, looking very confident of that statement. You wasn't so sure, but you certainly wasn't going to burst the happy skeleton's bubble.
"Doubt it," Undyne said teasingly, both her and Alphys sitting next to you two on the couch. "We're gonna beat you so hard you'll be begging for mercy… fuhuhu… isn't that right Alphie!?"
"Y-yeah!" Alphys nodded with a smile, more confident than before. With a glance to the TV, you noticed the title of the game come up, and with a few clicks of a button from Alphys, you were on the character select screen.
There were so many to choose from, and you only recognized a few characters (who didn't know Mario?) before you could make a decision, Papyrus pointed to your controller.
"TO USE THIS ON THE CHARACTER SELECTION SCREEN, JUST POINT AT THE CHARACTER WITH THE CONTROLLER AND PRESS THAT BUTTON," Papyrus explained, and gestured to the specific button. You nodded, trying to get used to the control- it was weird trying to point it in the right way and getting the console respond to it.
But you quickly got the hang of it.
While the others had made their choices quite quickly (Undyne had chosen Samus, Alphys picked Pikachu and Papyrus chose Meta Knight) you were still undecided.
After a short moment, you picked a character called Link. He looked quite cool, and you supposed you could change character in-between rounds if you were still uncertain of your choice.
While Undyne picked a level for the battle, Papyrus tried to teach you the controls. The skeleton was sat quite close, his arm brushing against yours as he pointed at the buttons and explained them with a smile.
You found it hard to concentrate, hoping your blush wasn't obvious.
"…what?" You breathed out, realizing Papyrus was staring at you.
"…DID I NOT EXPLAIN IT VERY WELL?" Papyrus said with a slight frown, as if disappointed in himself. "LET ME TRY AGAIN, THESE TWO BUTTONS ARE YOUR MAIN ATTACKS- PRESSING THEM IN DIFFERENT ORDERS WILL CAUSE DIFFERENT MOVES. COMBOS IF YOU WILL. USE THE ANALOG STICK TO MOVE YOUR CHARACTER, AND THIS BUTTON HERE WILL MAKE YOU JUMP-"
"Oh come on, let's just play already!" Undyne interrupted, seeming angsty to continue the game.
You gave Papyrus a reassuring smile.
"Yeah… I think I understand now Papyrus so thank you," You nodded, and it wasn't entirely a lie. You were confused with some of the explanation, but you got the gist of it.
You hoped you would catch on during the game.
"WELL, OKAY THEN!" Papyrus said, and his gaze turned towards the screen. His next words were taunting yet joyful. "…LET'S GET ON WITH THE BUTT-KICKING NYEH HEH HEH!"
With that, the match began and you braced yourself.
The three monsters seemed well versed in the game, the moment the match began they all moved their characters so fluently while attacking each other… while you moved around quite uncertainly.
Within a minute, Undyne had managed an impressive combo which resulted in both yours and Papyrus' character being flung off the side of the arena.
"Take that!" Undyne shouted with a grin, looking very smug.
"NYEH… DON'T GET OVERCONFIDENT UNDYNE!" Papyrus had retorted, leaning forward with a concentrated expression. It seemed like he meant business.
When the two of you reappeared on the map, Papyrus immediately honed in on Undyne's character- the two battling it out quite valiantly. You moved your character towards Alphys', and began your attack.
Alphys decimated you within a minute, it seemed Pikachu packed quite the "zap".
"…damn," You swore under your breath, becoming quite frustrated. You didn't expect to be any good at the game on your first match, but you felt a need to prove yourself.
However, as you were beginning to lose hope, a pulsing ball appeared on the arena. Undyne and Papyrus gasped excitedly at the sight, and everyone moved their characters towards it.
Undyne had managed to hit the glowing ball, causing it to float towards your character. You understood the gist of the item, and made your character swing at it. The attack connected, causing the ball to shatter and envelope Link in a glow.
"(y/n) QUICKLY, PRESS THAT BUTTON!" Papyrus yelled out excitedly, gesturing to a button on your controller. You were quite close to Undyne's character, so you nodded and pressed the button, hoping for the best.
Undyne's was unable to get away, her character immediately enveloped in a golden glowing triforce. You watched with some growing glee as your character mercilessly swiped at her, and on the last swing Samus was flung out of the arena.
You beamed, quite proud of your accomplishment.
"Ha, looks like someone got bested by the newbie!" You pointed out tauntingly, exchanging a teasing look with Undyne. You didn't expect to be so confident with her already… but it seemed video games did wonders for bonding.
"WELL DONE (y/n)!"
You glanced over to Papyrus at his words, the skeleton was beaming at you with a proud smile.
Strangely enough, you could feel your cheeks heat up. You quickly looked back to the TV, to find Undyne had already killed you during your distraction. You weren't that upset, still pondering your reaction to Papyrus.
"Fuhuhu… not so cocky now huh?" Undyne chuckled, with a challenging smirk. You shook yourself out of your stupor, and sent her an equally challenging expression.
It was on.
You were getting better and better at the game as you played, your confidence rising with each kill.
By the time the match ended, it wasn't clear which team won.
The four of you waited with baited breath, as the screen revealed the winners.
BLUE TEAM WINS!
Flashed across the TV, and Papyrus let out a cheerful shout in response. You glanced at him with a smile, and nearly squeaked aloud when he enveloped you in a bone crushing hug.
"YES WE DID IT! BUT I'M NOT SURPRISED!" Papyrus said giddily, still hugging you. While you usually avoided contact with people if possible, the hug was… really nice. "WITH SUCH A GREAT PLAYER LIKE ME, WE WERE BOUND TO WIN NYEH HEH!"
"Alright, alright… you can stop gloating now bonehead!" Undyne interrupted gruffly, leaning over you to noogie Papyrus. He had to let go of you as he inched away with a laugh, you couldn't help but feel disheartened at that.
After the excitement of winning the match died down, the four of you kept playing for another hour. It was after seven more matches, four of which you won- that you needed a break.
"Um… I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be back in a sec," You said before another match could be started, you received nods from the others.
You quickly made your way up the stairs, and into the bathroom.
It only took you a few minutes to do your business and wash your hands. As you left the bathroom and approached the landing of the stairs, you could hear the monsters conversing between themselves.
You inched further towards the wooden rail to eavesdrop, curiosity taking over.
"So, Papyrus… what's the deal with you and this human girl?" Undyne said, luckily she was quite loud, so you could hear her perfectly. You couldn't help but notice that her tone was very… suggestive.
"…WHAT DO YOU MEAN UNDYNE?" Papyrus seemed confused, causing Undyne to guffaw loudly.
"I'm not dumb Papyrus, I noticed your little… flirting thing going on!" Undyne pointed out with a toothy grin, her words caused your face to heat up with embarrassment.
Flirting…?
Papyrus paused for a moment, and you couldn't breathe in the moment it took him to speak.
"NYEH… WE'RE JUST FRIENDS UNDYNE!" Papyrus said, sounding quite unsure of himself. You could feel your chest constrict at his words… you felt disappointed strangely enough.
"Oh come on!" Undyne had nudged Papyrus, not seeming to believe him in the slightest. "It's so obvious that there's something going on, and hey, I ain't here to judge if you like a human in that way… she seems harmless enough-"
"U-undyne," Alphys interrupted timidly, placing a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. She seemed to notice Papyrus' uncertainty, the skeleton uncharacteristically quiet. "M-maybe you should back off a little?"
"Okay babe… but I know something is going on!" Undyne said with a huff, accepting defeat for now.
You wondered how you could go downstairs without them realizing you heard everything, you waited for a few minutes before descending the stairs, trying to keep your face as neutral as possible.
Papyrus beamed as he noticed your presence, now seeming unperturbed by Undyne's questioning. You sat next to him with a shaky smile, willing to forget the whole conversation you just heard.
But that was hard.
You've never liked someone romantically, or at least you didn't think so. Papyrus clearly only saw you as a friend, like he said- and you felt the same.
…liar.
You resisted the urge to shake your head, to prevent looking insane. You instead tried to bury the confusing muddle of emotions that enveloped you when you thought of Papyrus.
…to no avail.
Papyrus was addictive and all-consuming, just thinking of the odd skeleton brought a smile to your face… you could lie to yourself, and say that the fuzzy feelings you always seemed to feel around him were due to his unconditional kindness.
After all, you were starved of such affection.
But you didn't feel the same fuzzy way about Toriel, or Frisk. It was obvious Papyrus was very special to you, more special than anybody you've ever met in your life.
But to admit that you might… like him... in that way.
The thought alone terrified you. It made you want to puke, run away and never come back.
You knew it wasn't Papyrus' fault in the slightest, he was everything a person could want in a romantic partner. But your deep rooted insecurities and fears prevented you from even thinking of making an advance…
…as if he would like me anyway, I would just be a burden to him… he's probably only nice to me because he pities me. That's it. I should just forget it.
Letting out a deep shaky sigh, you didn't realize you blanked out for a while. When you looked over to Papyrus, he was staring at you with concern.
"…ARE YOU ALRIGHT (y/n)?" Papyrus asked worriedly, and you felt some guilt at causing that. "…DO YOU NEED SOME SPACE IN YOUR ROOM, LIKE LAST TIME?"
You smiled, although it was strained.
"Huh, what's wrong?" Undyne asked you, sounding a little bit concerned. You could feel her cool hand grip your shoulder. It surprisingly helped to ground you further. "You ain't having one of those anxiety thingies are you?"
"A-anxiety attacks Undyne," Alphys corrected, and the shy monster sent you a reassuring smile. "I-I understand (y/n), I g-get them too... um… deep breathes h-help a lot."
You looked between the trio, and you forced yourself to take a deep breath. The anxiety that was building alongside your negative thoughts disappeared, the sudden urge to run was replaced with gratitude.
Just having people who understood, and who were willing to help even if they hardly knew you- it was nice.
"Thanks… um… I'm okay now though," You said quietly with a small nod, feeling quite embarrassed for causing concern. You looked down at your lap, fidgeting slightly.
"Um… m-maybe we should stop playing," Alphys suggested, glancing to the TV. "Uh M-mettaton's show should be on soon-"
"Ugh… do we have to watch him?" Undyne asked with a groan, while Papyrus perked up instantly. You were confused.
"…who's Mettaton?" You had to ask, it seemed there was so much you didn't know. Papyrus gasped at your words, looking quite surprised.
"YOU DON'T KNOW METTATON!?" Papyrus said bewildered, and he immediately reached out for the TV remote, flicking through the TV channels. "WE MUST IMMEDIATELY RESOLVE THIS ISSUE, I ASSURE YOU THAT BY THE END OF HIS PROGRAM- YOU WILL LOVE HIM!"
"Don't get your hopes up," Undyne sniggered, and Alphys poked her in response- trying to look stern… but it was difficult for a small monster like her to look threatening.
"B-be nice!" Alphys said with a huff, but she couldn't help but smile softly when Undyne snuggled up next to her, the fish monster wrapping an arm around her girlfriend.
"Okay, okay…" Undyne shrugged, placing a chaste kiss on Alphys' forehead- who reacted with a squeak. It was pretty cute.
You turned your gaze back to the TV, wondering who the hell Mettaton was. You assumed he was an actor of sorts, considering he had a show on television. You wondered if he was a human or monster, as you've never heard of him before.
"OH, HERE WE ARE!" Papyrus cheerfully exclaimed, as he finally found the right channel. The skeleton then leaned forwards with a giddy expression, already enraptured by the screen. You couldn't help but smile at his reaction.
Flashed across the screen, in bold pink letters were the words MTT broadcast will resume shortly!
A moment later, the screen transitioned- revealing a spotless pink kitchen. A bold title appeared above the set.
Cooking with Mettaton!
Suddenly, a tall and quite attractive humanoid being strutted on screen. He stood behind the kitchen counter with a smirk, wearing a short pink apron and white chef's hat… you assumed that this was Mettaton.
Mettaton was quite the feminine man, and he was looking at the camera with a sultry expression.
"Oh hello my darlings!" Mettaton crooned, it seemed like he was almost constantly in a pose… you weren't quite sure what to think of him yet. "Welcome to my fabulous show, 'Cooking with Mettaton'™!"
"Today I shall be showing you, my wonderful viewers, on how to perfect my infamous dish… the Glamburger™!"
Mettaton then revealed a bright pink burger, covered entirely in sequins and jewels. You couldn't help but stare in confused revulsion.
…I really hope they're edible.
"OH, I SHOULD WRITE THIS ALL DOWN! I MAY BE ABLE TO APPLY IT TO MY SPAGHETTI!" Papyrus said, mainly to himself. You watched with wide eyes as the skeleton procured a notepad and pen, intent on writing notes.
You didn't have the heart to point out to how glitter and spaghetti couldn't possibly mix well, you instead kept quiet and continued watching the show.
It was like any other cooking show, but perhaps more flamboyant and glittery than usual. Mettaton was very suave, and after a while you found yourself entertained by his glitzy personality.
You leaned back against the sofa cushions, content on relaxing and enjoying some mindless TV… but you couldn't help but glance at Papyrus every so often, your earlier panic resurfacing again as you looked at the skeleton.
Luckily he was quite absorbed in the show, so he didn't notice your obvious stare.
You knew you couldn't reveal your feelings to him, the thought alone was nauseating. But you couldn't deny, not even to yourself… that you had a serious crush on the skeleton.
…shit.