The next time Alphys came over for anime, Undyne came with her.
Holly suspected this was at Alphys's request, because as soon as the huge monster ducked through the doorway, she pinned Holly with a grumpy scowl. Holly, however, was intimidated only for a moment, because she suddenly remembered that Undyne had not seen Hunter X Hunter, and that needed to be fixed immediately.
"Undyne! I wasn't expecting you to come," Holly told her warmly. Undyne pursed her lips and glanced away. "Alphys and I were gonna watch one of her anime, but… well, there's this action anime I think would be perfect for you. Plus, there are some really cute moments that I think she'll like too." Undyne's… ears? Fins? Whatever they were, they perked slightly, giving away the fact that she seemed interested. Holly grinned.
Alphys, having overheard while dropping off her messenger bag, piped up, "Hey, th-that sounds nice! Undyne likes c-cute stuff too, but she likes action even m-more."
Undyne looked over at her girlfriend with a look of betrayal and grumpiness. "Yeah, shonen anime sounds good." She raised an eyebrow at Holly's surprised look. "What, you don't think I know what shonen is? Pff, please. Alphys taught me all I need to know about anime." She gave Alphys a grin, which was the first genuine smile Holly had seen on her face. It was… very pointy, but infectious. Holly couldn't help but to feel warmed by the expression.
Feeling as though she was finally getting somewhere, Holly bounced in place. "Awesome! I'll go get it and we'll watch together. It's sooo good, oh my gosh you are going to love it! My sister told me to watch it and I'm like, halfway through, but that's okay because now I can see how the characters have developed while I watch it again and…"
As she went on, Undyne glanced at Alphys with a puzzled expression, at which the yellow monster just shrugged. Holly babbled a little more as Alphys plopped on the lumpy couch comfortably. Undyne hesitated, watching how relaxed Alphys acted around Holly and frowning. She eventually picked the spot between Alphys and the arm of the couch and sat down, shoulders unusually straight. Alphys looked up at her girlfriend and gave a reassuring smile before clasping her hand between her smaller claws. Undyne gave her girlfriend one of her rare soft smiles, muscles relaxing slightly.
"Okay, guys! Do you want anything before we start? Coffee, tea, anything?"
"Oh, I'll get myself some water later, probably. B-but I'm good for now," Alphys told Holly. Undyne stared at the yellow monster, wide-eyed and both eyebrows raised high enough to be hidden by her long hair.
"…Undyne? Do you want anything?" Holly asked, this time more timidly.
"Uh! Oh, uh. Nah, I'm good," Undyne muttered, taking her gaze off of Alphys to stare pensively at the coffee table.
"Okay, cool, so we can just start right off." Holly grabbed the DVD remote and plopped herself right next to Alphys, who didn't react to the close proximity. Undyne's sharp eye did not miss this.
Alphys automatically wormed her way under Undyne's arm to cuddle as they usually did when they watched TV together. Holly saw them snuggled up and couldn't stop the big, happy smile that came to her face. Before either noticed her watching them, she played the first episode of the show.
Undyne was a talker, apparently. During the first episode, she was fairly quiet, but once she began getting into the characters and the story, she got more vocal, making comments about what she would have done in that situation or why a character acted a certain way. Holly had to stifle a few comments, because they would have spoiled the show, but she was surprised at how passionate Undyne got about it. She dissected the characters, their motivations, the plot and how things came to be, even the fighting styles. She even got very close to theorizing correctly about a fighting mechanic that came into play much further along in the show, at which Holly's eyes went big. She literally had to tuck her lip in to bite it before she said anything, which Undyne caught right away.
"Ha! You can't hide anything from me, human. That's what happens, isn't it?"
Alphys laughed and patted her girlfriend's shoulder. "Undyne! Don't guess everything and spoil it for us before we get to it!"
The blue monster blinked, gave a sheepish grin, and looked away. "Right, sorry! This show is pretty…" she glanced at Holly, expression souring. "…I guess it's not complete garbage."
Holly tried her best not to laugh, but holding it back just made her snort loudly. Undyne's whole face scrunched in annoyance. Holly jumped up before she could yell about it and dashed into the kitchen.
"I'm getting kinda hungry so I'm gonna make something for dinner!" she announced in a rush. Alphys hopped up, too, surprising Undyne.
"W-wait, I brought… well, it's not much but it's what was in my pantry," she said, and dug into her messenger bag. She produced three packets of instant ramen, all shrimp flavor.
Holly's gaze fell on the ramen and she giggled. "Oh, Alphys, you can't live on those forever, y'know," she admonished. Alphys blushed and shrugged.
"Hey! Those are delicious. She can have as many as she wants," Undyne insisted, coming to her girlfriend's rescue from the living room. Holly held her palms up.
"Okay, okay. Well… hmm. I think I can work with this. But I'm gonna kick this up a notch and make something actually substantial," Holly said, now foraging in her refrigerator for items that could go with the ramen noodles. She pulled out a carton of eggs and green onion, as well as a couple of sauces.
"Can I see those?" she asked Alphys. Holly took them and filled a pot with water to boil, letting it heat up while chopping up the green onion.
"What are you doing?" Undyne asked, walking into the kitchen and watching Holly work. Holly caught Undyne's hands twitch as if she wanted to grab a kitchen utensil, but she restrained herself.
"Making an actual meal out of an instant one," Holly answered. She stooped and grabbed a small frying pan and a colander. "I'm gonna boil a few eggs and flavor the ramen with those—" she pointed to the chopped onions—"And some of the sauce I pulled out. It's not much, but it'll probably have less salt the way I make it, and it'll come with actual protein."
"Holly likes to cook," Alphys told Undyne with a hint of pride coloring her voice. At the hurt look Undyne gave, the short monster backpedaled. "B-but! It's, uh, n-not like yours, Undyne! She just spices up pre-made s-stuff, you know, not like how y-you m-m-make things from scratch! Eh heh…"
Holly raised an eyebrow and watched them out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, I just kinda learned how to do this stuff living on my own… Meals from scratch gets expensive, but all the cheap stuff needs a little boost. Humans need a balanced diet or they get unhealthy," Holly explained. The wrinkled in Undyne's brow smoothed.
"Oh yeah, I forgot how wimpy you humans are," Undyne jabbed, her toothy smile reforming. It was definitely not a touchy-feely expression, but better than actual anger, at least.
The two monsters stayed back and watched as Holly sliced up the eggs and strained the noodles, putting only two packets of seasoning in ("But that's not how you make them?" Alphys had insisted). Holly made up three bowls with the egg slices laid out on top, feeling pride in how nice it all looked.
"Here ya go, guys," she gave the two monsters their bowls at the table, giving Alphys a set of chopsticks from leftover Chinese food Holly had had a while back. The little monster always insisted on using them, and Holly had a suspicion it was because it made her feel cooler.
They mostly ate in silence, with Alphys and Holly chatting about Hunter X Hunter (Holly dropped a few hints here and there but didn't give anything away about future episodes), and Undyne watching the two with pursed lips from time to time. Holly sometimes caught a flash of something akin to pride when Undyne's eye fell on Alphys. The two of them cared about each other very much, obviously. Holly couldn't help the pang of envy that settled in her gut when the two touched each other or exchanged private glances.
Holly could see exactly why the two fell for each other. Both were passionate about life in their own, unique ways, and about different things, but in a way that fell into place with one another. And while Alphys had confessed several times that she felt that Undyne was out of her league, and that she was so lucky to have her, Holly could see the same look of admiration in Undyne's face whenever she looked at Alphys. Holly wished someone would think that highly of her…
The noodles were eaten fairly quickly, Undyne having made it into a silent competition of who would finish first. Holly picked up the dishes and headed to put them in the dishwasher, while Alphys made her way to the couch.
"Hey, human." Undyne had followed her into the kitchen. Holly paused, glancing up in surprise—Alphys was in the living room, so there wasn't any reason for Undyne to be in here, alone with Holly…
"Hey, Undyne." Silence fell over them. Holly straightened up and gave the monster her full attention. "Is there… did you need anything?" she asked timidly. Undyne reached up to rub the back of her scaly neck.
"Yeah, I… I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for being friends with Alphys."
Holly blinked. "Uh… sure, Undyne. I mean, I didn't exactly…" Oh, how to word this. "I like Alphys because she's nice, and, well. We're both pretty big nerds, so. I hang out with her because I like her company, is all," Holly explained. Undyne gave her a scrutinizing look before chuckling dryly.
"Yeah, I know. You didn't befriend her for me. But thanks anyway," Undyne said, cutting right to the point. Holly winced at her bluntness. Seemed Undyne was more shrewd than she let on… "Listen, I know I was out of line when you invited us over a while back." Her mouth twisted as if she hated the taste of the words coming out of it. "But I want you to do me a favor and dance with me."
What. Holly frowned, head tilting. "Uhhhh… what? D-dance with you?" She wasn't sure she'd heard correctly, but Undyne was nodding and holding out a webbed hand.
"Yeah, yeah, it's not a human thing. Just do it, wimp," Undyne insisted, staring Holly down. The woman looked down at the extended hand (it had to be twice as big as her own) and back up into Undyne's hard gaze.
"Um. I… guess? I'm not very goo—whoa!" Before Holly could finish the thought, Undyne had yanked Holly into the space between the living room and the kitchen, where Alphys looked up curiously from her phone.
"Alphys! Put on the song!" Undyne demanded, a manic grin sliding up her features and lighting up her visible eye. Holly was reminded of a cat's slit pupils in the sunlight.
The shorter monster's mouth dropped open and she stared for a second before leaping up as if burned. "Okay! Y-yeah, the song, hang on—"
Alphys pulled out a battered jewel case that had several cracks in it. It contained a CD that was mostly blank, except for messy letters written on it in Sharpie. Already knowledgeable about Holly's DVD player, she popped it in and switched the mode over to CD so the correct sounds would play through the speakers.
"All right, human, try to keep up with me," Undyne challenged, eye gleaming dangerously. Holly glanced over at Alphys, whose claws were clasped together near her face. She gave Holly an encouraging grin.
"Okay," she sighed. Undyne's pointed grin grew wider. She rolled her muscular shoulders, tilted her head to crack her neck, and shook out all of her limbs. Holly was reminded just how huge Undyne was. She licked her lips nervously. She followed Undyne's suit, though, and shook her body out a bit. It had been a long time since she'd attempted dancing—or anything physically taxing, really. The most she did was walk up and down stairs when it was required at her job.
The music started, surprisingly loud. Holly glanced at Alphys who shrugged, then gestured at Undyne earnestly as if telling Holly to pay attention.
A beat began thumping and Undyne moved. Holly wasn't sure what kind of dance this was, but she was reminded of those old kung-fu movies, except to a rhythm. Undyne's movements were decisive, but fluid and graceful. Holly attempted to mimic her, but her feet stuttered awkwardly. She stumbled and landed on one knee, palms splayed on the ground from catching herself. Holly's cheeks burned. She felt ridiculous, but Undyne was watching, waiting. Holly clenched her jaw and pushed off the ground to stand again.
Determined, Holly redoubled her efforts, concentrating on how Undyne slid from one foot to the next, seeming to lead with her hips or shoulders, every move starting from the center of her lithe body. She wasn't as tall, or long-limbed, or graceful, but Holly could at least attempt some of the moves Undyne performed. Hip twist, knee, bend, place a foot. Arched spine, swing back, shoulder back, turn.
She could do this. Holly was getting the hang of it when the beat of the song pumped up. Undyne sucked in a breath, and then she was a blur of limbs and movement. Holly imagined Undyne as her opponent, unconsciously curling her lips into a snarl. This was a challenge, and Holly was not going to back down. Undyne bared her teeth in response.
The monster kicked high above her own head, then slid around to get behind Holly and grab her waist. With surprising deftness, she led Holly's movements. The human woman allowed her body to be moved to the beat, at once point even closing her eyes. She dipped her shoulder with Undyne, sidestepped with Undyne, fell back into the crook of Undyne's elbow, only to spring up and do a half-turn. The music thrummed somewhere inside of Holly's chest and she forgot the awkwardness of dancing with some monster she barely knew, she forgot her shame and the fact that her body was groaning in protest.
Now she was adding her own steps, hips swaying, eyes locked with Undyne and then away again. She threw her arms out and tilted to keep balance as she stepped from the ball of her foot to the other in a criss-crossing pattern, ducking and weaving around Undyne. She still was hardly what anyone would call a professional dancer, but Holly was moving boldly now, just as decisive as Undyne and almost as energetic. Holly began to think of herself as Undyne's equal, when something in her head clicked.
This was Undyne. This dance showed how competitive Undyne was, how passionate, how strong she was. Holly laughed breathlessly.
Then her chest began to glow. There was a thrumming deep within her that was alien, and yet…
Undyne's face lit up both literally and figuratively as her chest glowed a strange teal-green color, the light pulsing like a heartbeat. Holly saw a bright shape that resembled a cartoon heart emerge from her chest. The light was so bright, it hurt her eyes, but she did not look away.
Another perfectly shaped "heart" emerged from deep within the core of Holly's body, and she understood without question that she was suddenly bare and vulnerable. It was a brilliant ultraviolet color, and something about it seemed warm, intimate, and very familiar…
She stopped dancing and the lights faded away. Undyne followed suit a moment later, the heart pulsing with light over her chest and settling back somewhere in her ribcage. She was smiling.
"That was…" Holly began, not sure of the words to use.
"That was amazing!" Alphys's voice carried over to the two dancers. The spell broke and Holly was aware of the space outside of the dance now—Alphys had turned down the music and rushed over, hopping up and down. "Oh Undyne! Did you see? I told you she was—"
"Wait, wait! What… what was that?" Holly asked, leaning on the back of the couch and catching her breath. Alphys grabbed Holly's face and squealed, smooshing the human's soft cheeks between her claws.
"It was our dance! Monsters d-dance to see if we are compatible with one another, two souls can communicate more clearly through emotion, you see, s-so when you and Undyne resonated together—"
"It means," Undyne interrupted, putting a webbed hand on Alphys's shoulder. "That me and you will get along just fine." Holly frowned and Undyne laughed before wrapping an arm around her. Holly noted how warm and smooth her scales were with curiosity. "Fuhuhuhu, it's kinda hard to explain, human. Basically, monsters dance with each other to get to know each other better, or to fight. When you dance for the former reason, it's sorta like a test. If your souls like each other, they glow, like ours did. If they're incompatible, nothing happens. The two monsters just weren't meant to be involved with each other," she explained.
"Huh," Holly muttered, brow furrowed. "So… me and you… does that make us friends now?"
Undyne chuckled. "Well, not yet. But it means we can be. See?" She ruffled Holly's hair with a smile.
Holly was flabbergasted. Undyne was acting completely differently than from before they danced—instead paranoia and hostility, the monster displayed affection. It was almost too much to take in. "I, uh… d-do all monsters do this?" she asked. Alphys pushed up her glasses, calmed but still smiling slightly.
"Yeah, we do. All of us have d-different dances we're born with. Undyne does capoeira, and I do mostly K-pop style," Alphys told her.
"Wait, you guys are born knowing how to dance? Specific dances?" Holly rubbed her temples. "That's… well that's really cool, actually." She looked up at Undyne. "So your dance is kinda like fighting, but not. That suits you. But," Holly looked back at Alphys. "Do… do humans have dances, too?"
"Yeah! Frisk's is ballet. Uh, the kid who came with us from Underground," Undyne said. "Humans don't have magic anymore. You guys aren't made of it like we are, but once upon a time, you knew how to use it. The magic, and being around it, is what wakes up your dance. Since monsters have it inside 'em, we're just born with our dances."
"So… what's mine, then?" Holly asked, frowning. "I was just trying to dance with you, but I highly doubt my dance is capoeira. It just… doesn't seem to fit."
"Well…" Alphys tapped her chin with a claw. "Frisk was around a l-lot of magic all at once, because the Underground was full of magical residue from all the monsters living everywhere. So with you, you'd probably just have to hang around a lot of monsters." She tucked her arms around her. "B-but I dunno if that means you'd have to be around a bunch at once, or if a little magic all the time would wake up your dance…"
"Eh, you can worry about that later. Besides, now that you're cool with me," Undyne tilted her head back and put a palm on her chest. "You're sure to meet Papyrus. And he's friends with everyone."
"Papyrus?" Holly asked. Undyne's shoulders shook with laughter.
"Fuhuhuhu! Yeah, he's a skeleton monster. Him and his brother live next to where Asgore and the others do. Pap gets along with everyone, so you don't need to worry," Undyne explained.
Skeleton monster? Holly's mind immediately came up with the Claymation skeletons with shields and swords from the old Sinbad movie and she had to stifle a giggle. Living skeletons! Sometimes, RPGs and other games were spot-on when making up fantasy monsters.
Alphys yawned widely, catching Undyne's attention. She pulled her phone from her pocket and pursed her lips. "Ehh, it's getting' kinda late. Alph has to get up early in the morning and I wanna walk her home. But, uh." Her cheeks darkened. Wow, Undyne blushed? Holly wasn't sure if she could get used to this softer side of the monster. "Maybe I could come over again sometime? That anime was pretty cool and I don't wanna quit watching when I've gotten so into it already," she finished quickly. Alphys grinned from behind Undyne at Holly.
"Yeah, of course you can, Undyne! I'd really like that," Holly agreed. Undyne gave one of her huge, pointy smiles.
"All right! Seeya next time, then. C'mon shorty, let's hit the sack," Undyne said, helping grab Alphys's things and heading for the door.
"Thanks for dinner, and… e-everything else," Alphys added, waving as they finally headed out.