The Queen's Justice - Book 2 of Her Majesty

Chapter 6

Undyne wouldn't let Alphys go.

They were still in the doorway of the suite, still holding each other tight, and Undyne refused to let go. She was still shaking, and Alphys felt horrible for bringing that kind of pain to her, so she did the best she could, and kept stroking her hair and rubbing her back gently, every once and a while whispering that it was okay, that she was okay, and that they would get to the bottom of this.

Every time she did, Undyne simply adjusted her hold so that she held tighter, and soon, Alphys fell silent, closing her eyes and just listening to her fiancée breathing.

Then, in a soft voice, Undyne whispered, "Alphy, I need you."

Alphys pulled away a little so that she could look at Undyne, actually get a good look at her, and saw that she looked miserable. Her eye was dark and dim, the green colour almost opaque, and her face was tear-streaked and pale. Her lips twitched a little, and she looked ready to either scream or sob.

Carefully, Alphys touched her cheek and brushed some of the tears away, and Undyne leaned into her hand and closed her eye, and more tears came.

"Please," Undyne whispered, her voice breaking.

She didn't realise yet that Alphys was trying to communicate to her silently that it was a yes, and that she was scared, too, and needed that comfort, too. So to convey it better, Alphys leaned forward and kissed Undyne, right on her quivering lips, gently.

Undyne grabbed her and deepened it immediately, a small sound of need coming from her, and soon, Alphys found herself stumbling, her legs going weak as she licked Undyne's lips apart. Undyne pushed closer, licking Alphys's tongue slowly, sending delicious chills through Alphys as she did, and soon, she was the one making a sound of need.

That was enough to send fire flooding through Undyne's veins, and she reached down and grabbed at the front of Alphys's blouse, unbuttoning it quickly with her deft fingers, before opening it and slipping her hands underneath and back, unhooking Alphys's bra.

By the time Alphys had shrugged off the blouse, she needed to shrug off her bra, too, and she smiled faintly, always turned on by how efficient Undyne could be.

Before she could even retaliate, Undyne dove down and licked one of her n*****s, causing her to stumble again and gasp, Undyne reached back and grabbed her, holding her steady, before one hand cupped her other breast and gently kneaded it. Alphys had to dig her claws into Undyne's shoulders to stay on her feet, now, as she was pretty sure she no longer had any knees, and she pulled Undyne's face back to hers and kissed her with everything she had, her heart racing and her blood hot.

Undyne reached up once Alphys was steady and pulled away, only to hurriedly tug both her shirt and bra over her head, before she grabbed Alphys by the rear and slid her hands down, catching her at the back of her knees and pulling her off of her feet. Alphys squeaked, so sure she was going to tumble, but Undyne grabbed her and hooked her legs around her narrow waist, before moving them both down to the floor, Alphys on her back and Undyne atop her.

For a moment, there was only this, this intense kissing and touching, the steady movement of their bodies as they shifted against each other, both feeling hot and desperate, now.

When Alphys reached down and tried to tug off her pants, her fingers fumbled, so Undyne unhooked her legs and did it for her, before she wiggled out of her own. The moment they both tossed the two pairs aside, Undyne was back on Alphys, only with no air between them. Their hearts beat against each other as they kissed again, and soon, Undyne's knee reached between Alphys's legs and gently pushed them apart.

Alphys squirmed in order to part them further, panting by now and bright red, her eyes glazed over and her hands scrabbling at Undyne's thighs, and she groaned out, "Oh god, Undyne, please, please take me, please..."

Undyne moaned softly, capturing Alphys into another intense kiss, before doing just that, pressing herself right against Alphys so that hot, wet flesh met hotter and wetter flesh.

They both growled the moment they felt it, and without another moment's pause, Undyne started to move, her pace fast but one Alphys kept up with, her claws now digging into her back and her face at her shoulder, unable to keep herself from biting down a little on the muscular flesh, there. Undyne felt a jolt of pure lust hit her when she felt those teeth, and she pinned Alphys down and moved even harder and faster, crying out as she did.

Again, they felt it: that deep, visceral connection that happened every time they made love this way.

If they used other methods, like their hands or tongues, there was a tingle similar to it, yes, but only just a little bit stronger than when they touched normally. When they made love like this, with their whole bodies, that feeling intensified to something potent and rich, and it was like they felt what the other felt, thought what the other thought, and felt all the more pleasure and love for it.

Alphys's eyes snapped open suddenly, her teeth still slightly attached to Undyne's shoulder, and they were wide and flashing with yellow.

As she felt herself getting closer - and in turn felt Undyne get closer - she suddenly understood what they had been unable to understand this whole time, and it was so obvious that she felt ridiculous for not seeing it sooner.

But that thought only lasted a moment.

It was quickly replaced  when Undyne suddenly grabbed one of her hands and dragged it down to her gills, uttering a high, drawn-out sound the moment Alphys's fingertips touched the sensitive lines. Alphys gasped, from both her increasing pleasure than the action, and slowly, she trailed her fingertips over Undyne's gills as light as she could, only sometimes moving them closer than she desired when their movements became more and more frenzied.

"Yes," Undyne suddenly growled out, burying her face into Alphys's shoulder, her other hand digging into the carpeted floor beneath them, dragging her nails down it so hard she left marks - marks they'd have to explain later to the hotel staff. "f**k, Alphy, you're so good... don't stop...!"

"Not even close," Alphys gasped out in reply, her eyes squeezed shut and her legs tightening around Undyne's. "Except that... I am...!" she added breathlessly.

"Me, too," Undyne agreed, something Alphys already knew. "Oh, Alphy, you feel... you feel so good, Alphy...!" She gasped, then cried out, her body going rigid and her moves sporadic, her eye shut.

Alphys clung to her, feeling her own control over her body loosen as she teetered on the edge. She heard Undyne cry out her name, just as she cried out Undyne's, and the writhed together, suddenly meeting in a kiss as their orgasms hit, their cries muffled only by their lips.

It was intense, and it coursed through them so strongly that they both could feel nothing else; it never lasted this long any other way, even when they tried to draw it out. Now, they barely had to try to draw it out, and they both whimpered, the feeling so intense it was almost painful, but far more sweet and remaining just on the side of pleasurable.

As it faded, they slowed, then finally stopped, Alphys lying back on the floor, her hands dropping to her sides and her eyes rolling up.

Undyne listened carefully and touched her face, and she stirred awake slowly, her eyes dark and glazed over, before they closed again and she dropped off once more.

This time, Undyne didn't wake her, instead curling close to her and holding her close, covering her like a blanket and resting her head on Alphys's chest, and over her racing heart.

By the time it had slowed down, she had followed Alphys into relieved, satisfied sleep.

Alphys awoke to the feel of Undyne carrying her. She stirred awake, confused for a moment, until she suddenly was gently rested on their bed, and she relaxed.

When Undyne leaned down to kiss her, she jumped when she saw that Alphys's eyes were open, and she was smiling. Undyne smiled in return, and Alphys reached up and cupped her face between her hands, pulling her down for a kiss - something Undyne returned gently.

Then, she pulled away and moved to lie down next to her, curling up with her under the blankets, lying close enough so that their naked skin touched. Alphys sighed deeply, her eyes closing again from this purely sensual feeling, and she smiled even more, feeling so lucky to be able to do this at all.

"Alphy," Undyne whispered, her arms around Alphys, though one hand was positioned to slowly stroke the skin along Alphys's head.

When Alphys nodded, she concluded with, "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Alphys agreed.

Then, just as she said that, she remembered, and her eyes snapped open.

"Undyne," she said, her voice suddenly sharp, and she looked up at her, pulling away a little so that Undyne's hand could no longer caress her.

"Undyne, it's our souls," she blurted out.

Undyne blinked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What? What is? What do you mean?"

"Undyne, that connection we have, especially when we make love," Alphys continued, once again on a verbal train and unable to pause. "That connection that makes us feel our climaxes together, that makes us feel closer and more powerful whenever we touch at all, it's all because of our souls."

When Undyne looked even more confused, Alphys sat up, her voice growing more and more excited.

"I controlled my magic today, for the first time in the entire time I've been alive, to a degree beyond leading it down cables and wires. I did it without even thinking. And that was because you gave me one of the human souls, and gave me unmatched power, even for a Boss Monster." She grabbed onto Undyne's shoulders excitedly. "But it still has that connection to the souls you have, Undyne! My soul, the one you gave me to keep my original one from shattering, was originally attached to you. And technically, it still is, despite being inside of me!"

Undyne's eye focused and cleared, and she understood. "In a way, then, through you, I still have access to seven souls?" she asked.

Alphys nodded so hard her glasses slid down her nose.

Undyne stared at her. "Was that what they meant, then?"

"Who?" Alphys asked, now the one to feel confusion.

"The human, the ghost, whoever it was who told me to use that soul so save you," Undyne explained. "They said I would still have access to the power I would lose. Is that what they meant?"

Alphys felt her blood go cold, then hot again. "Holy s**t," she whispered, her hands going over her mouth. "Yes. That's exactly what it means."

"You mean to tell me that I still have the power of a god?" Undyne demanded, sitting up with a jolt.

"No, Undyne," Alphys said, her voice muffled. "We have the power of a god. Through some kind of symbiotic connection, we can combine our magic and access that power."

"Holy f**k," Undyne whispered. "Alphy, we can't tell anyone. We can't tell anyone about this, at all."

Alphys was nodding the moment she said it. "We can't even tell Laurel," she agreed. "I know, it's bad to lie, but..." She lowered her hands, looking helpless. "We can't tell anyone. This can't get out. If it gets out..."

She flinched. "Undyne, there's something else I need to tell you."

Undyne nodded, taking both of her hands into her own and lacing their fingers together. With a wavering voice, she explained what the human who had tried to kill her and Mettaton had said, about using Alphys as a means to hurt Undyne, and drive her into an insanity that would cause suicide.

Undyne took it well, though she looked a little pale.

Then, she murmured, looking down at their hands, "She... she's not wrong, Alphy."

Alphys felt like she'd just been slapped in the face, and her hands twitched in Undyne's. "What did you say?!"

Undyne looked miserable, now. "She's not wrong," she repeated, her voice soft. "I... Alphy, if I lost you... I wouldn't be able to go on..."

Alphys pulled her hands away and grabbed her face, hard, forcing her to look at her. "No!" she shouted. "You have to live! No matter what happens to me, Undyne, you have to live!"

Undyne stared at her. "Why, though? Without you... without you, I have no one..."

"You have Asgore, and sans!"

"No, you don't understand," Undyne answered, her voice so soft that Alphys wished she would shout, instead. "I lost Papyrus because I was careless. I was naive. He was murdered because I didn't train him to be a warrior well enough. I didn't train him to be strong, to recognise evil."

Her eye filled, and overflowed. "If I lost you to a human killer, just like I lost him, I would die, too. I would have failed you, too. Because this time, I didn't train myself to protect you the way I should."

"Undyne, we're partners," Alphys protested, feeling desperate, now. The idea of Undyne killing herself over her was terrifying her. "We protect each other. If we fail, we tried our best, and we keep going. We keep living, because that's what monsters do!"

"Shut up," Undyne pleaded, closing her eye tight.

"I won't!" Alphys answered, holding her face tighter. "It's possible I'll be killed, Undyne, especially now that they have their targets on me! I need you to promise me you won't give up, that you won't die because of me, that you'll stay alive for our people, Undyne!"

Undyne's eye opened at that, and to Alphys's surprise, she saw amazement there. "Alphy," she whispered, reaching up and covering her hands with her own. "You just said... you just said 'our people'."

"Well, aren't they?!" Alphys cried, her own tears falling free. "Aren't they?! Don't they need us?! Don't they look to us to make this right, to right this wrong, to make the world right for them?! Don't we owe them that, being who we are, now?!"

Undyne stared at her, a smile slowly spreading upon her lips, though she still cried. "Alphy," she murmured, rubbing the backs of her hands slowly. "Holy s**t. Do you hear yourself, love?"

"Stop derailing!" Alphys answered. "Promise me, Undyne! Promise me, or I can't marry you!"

The smile vanished, as though she slapped it away, and Undyne jerked back and out of her grasp. "What?"

Alphys covered her face. "I can't marry you if you're going to abandon our people at something so trivial as the loss of my life!" she sobbed out.

Undyne felt a bubble of anger rise up in her. "It's not trivial, Alphys!" she snapped.

"When it comes to peace, it is!"

"Alphys!" Undyne grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands from her face. "Are you listening to yourself?! Are you even hearing what you're saying?!"

Alphys shook her head, her face messy with her sobs.

"You're acting like a queen, Alphy."

Alphys froze, then; even her heart stuttered.

"Everything you're saying is what a queen would say!" Undyne continued. "You're thinking of them - and me - first! That's what a real queen would do, Alphy! We're not even married yet and already, already, you're acting like the queen I knew you would be!" She smiled again - weakly, it was true, but it was real. "My god, Alphy!"

Alphys stared at her, bewildered. She hadn't even realised what she was saying, really; she was just trying to translate her thoughts into words as they came to her.

"I just... Undyne, please..." She shook her head, as though trying to clear her mind. "You need to promise me that, if anything happens to me, you'll be strong."

"How can I predict how I'm gonna react to something so horrible?" Undyne demanded, her smile again vanishing. "How can I even know how I'm going to react to something that... that..." Her voice broke on the last word, and she looked away, her teeth sinking down into her lip.

Then, she lunged forward and grabbed Alphys around her waist, burying her face into Alphys's chest. "Please, Alphy..." she whispered.

Alphys closed her eyes, then placed her hands atop Undyne's head gently, one hand automatically stroking her tangled, loose hair carefully.

"What of me, then?" Alphys wondered. "Would you be okay if I couldn't cope without you?"

"No," Undyne answered immediately - before her eye snapped open in shock, instantly speechless.

Alphys had her painted into a corner, and she couldn't escape.

Slowly, Undyne pulled away and looked at her, and Alphys looked back at her sadly. "f**k," she added, then. "I... okay, Alphy, I get it."

Alphys nodded, holding out her arms, and Undyne moved closer and hugged onto her tight. "But I f*****g hate it, Alphy."

"Me, too," Alphys agreed. "But if we're going to take this seriously, and be rulers on the surface, we need to start thinking about our people, first."

"f**k," Undyne whispered again. "You're right, I know you're right. That's what we need to remember. We're not just here for us, but here for them."

"Exactly, my love," Alphys agreed. "Are... are you going to be okay with that?"

"Oh, f**k yeah," Undyne sighed. "I just..." She looked up at Alphys. "Consider you one of my people, too."

Alphys smiled at her. "Me too, with you."

"Then let's frame it that way, okay?"

"That, I think, we can agree with."

"So you'll still marry me, Alphy?" Undyne wondered. "You'll still be my queen?" She smiled back. "One you practically already are?"

Alphys felt a warmth spread from her chest, to all throughout her body, and she nodded. "Yes, Undyne. Of course."

Undyne then pounced on her and kissed her, pinning her down onto the bed, but Alphys grinned and rolled her over, pinning Undyne, instead, making her laugh.

But not for long - especially when Alphys kissed her again.

"you idiot."

Mettaton jumped, almost falling off of the couch in shock. He must have gone on stand-by mode, because there was sans, standing right in the middle of the room and glaring at him with his hands in his pockets. He sat up quickly, feeling confused and a little sluggish; clearly, it was a sign that he needed to charge, soon.

He blinked several times, before he found the words - well, a word - to speak. "sans?"

"no, asgore," sans answered sharply. "what are you, literally made of nothing but nuts?"

"sans," Mettaton sighed, feeling a bit more awake, now. "What are you talking about? And do make it coherent and without a mess of ridiculous, embarrassing puns, please."

sans's eye twitched from the slight, so he bandied one back. "you love her," he snapped.

Mettaton froze, carefully keeping his face blank and his body still. "I don't know what you're talking about," he answered right away, managing to keep his voice even.

sans took a few more steps forward, his eyes narrowing and dimming. "you love her," he repeated.

Mettaton took a moment, trying to figure out how to calm himself down, as all he wanted to do was run away and lock himself in the suite's bedroom.

He didn't want to face this right now. He didn't want to deal with this right now.

All he wanted to do was rest and try to forget that Alphys was almost killed in front of him, and all he'd done was stand there and gape.

Carefully, he said, "I don't know if you know what you're talking about."

sans smirked, something that infuriated him. "you absolute i***t. do you think i'm blind? she might be, but i sure as hell am not. i might have had to handle a few things before now, but that doesn't stop me from knowing what's going on. you. love. her. and it's pathetic, mettaton."

"Get out," Mettaton snarled, anger flaring up in him. "Get out, sans!"

"i get why," sans instead continued. "i mean, she knew you before, when you were still a ghost. she helped you transition into what you are today. she built your body, cheered you on from the sidelines, all while you ignored her and focused on your products and limelights and tv shows and pretended you did it all by yourself."

"Shut up, sans!" Mettaton answered, his voice growing louder, his fingers digging into the cushion he sat on.

"and then, when that thing started killing people, you suddenly realised she could die, too. and you realised that you couldn't be without her. you went back to her side and helped her, with everything you had, and why?"

"Get out! Now!"

"because you love her."

Mettaton stood up and lunged at him, grabbing him by his bony shoulders and slamming him into the wall.

sans barely blinked, merely shrugging and smiling once he landed, but Mettaton was furious, now.

"Why are you doing this?!" Mettaton demanded. "Why do you love to do things like this, to needle people into making them so angry?!"

He suddenly smirked, but it was not a gesture of mirth. "Is it because you're so devoid of emotion yourself that you love to make others emote? As I recall, you barely reacted when your own brother was--,"

sans's face darkened, and he shoved Mettaton back before he even finished.

Mettaton stumbled, but only a step, as he was still far stronger than sans was.

"you go too far," sans snapped, his eyes dim and his left hand twitching.

"And you think you don't?!" Mettaton shouted. "You think you haven't crossed a line by saying what you're saying?!" He felt his soul ache. "You think I don't know that I love her?! You think it isn't torture to know that I can't do a damned thing about it?! That she's so happy, and it's a happiness I could never give her, ever, not even in a million years?!"

sans eyed him for a moment, before he replaced his hand back into his pocket. "so you do know she's happy, then."

"Of course I do," Mettaton answered. "What are you, daft as well as tactless? I know she's happy. She's..."

He paused, looking away, his hand on his chest. "She's so happy. I've never seen her so happy before, in the years that I've known her. For almost as long, I've watched as she's yearned first for Asgore, then more intensely and maturely for Undyne." He smiled weakly. "Do you know how hard it is to have to watch someone you love fall for everyone else but you? I was right there, right beside her, and all I was..."

He lowered his head, so his hair hid his misery.

"you know you're partially to blame for that," sans said, though his voice had softened. "you chose to ignore her, to push her aside, while you focused on yourself."

"I know," Mettaton agreed, his voice quiet. "Because I couldn't handle being ignored, myself."

sans sighed, then placed his hand on Mettaton's shoulder gently, surprising him into looking at him. "i'm sorry," he said honestly. "i didn't mean to explode at you. it was just driving me crazy, seeing you act like the way you've been. i knew the last straw for you would be that shooting - and i was right, wasn't i?"

Mettaton smiled wryly. "Yes. I was going to go back Underground tomorrow."

"can i change your mind?" sans wondered. "i can keep you company, be a friend for you. i..." He paused. "i'm pretty damned lonely myself, lately, for... obvious reasons."

Mettaton looked at him regretfully. "I'm sorry about what I said, about Papyrus. That was a d**k move."

sans let his hand drop and he smiled, shrugging. "you could say my entire visit has been a d**k move to you." He looked around. "besides, this place is pretty big, and it looks kinda lonely. i could use a place to crash while i stay on the surface for a while."

"You want to stay on the surface, now?" Mettaton wondered, surprised.

"yep," sans agreed. "i think, after what happened to alphys, i need to be. can i use your couch?"

Mettaton laughed, and this time for real, too. "You can use the bed, sans. I don't use it. I use the chair in the bedroom to charge."

"heh, thanks," sans replied. "this setting is pretty sweet, i'm not gonna lie."

"The Minister clearly cares about us," Mettaton agreed, rubbing his eyes a little. "If she's willing to put up so much expense for us."

"you trust her?" sans wondered, opening the fridge and peering inside.

"I didn't, not at first," Mettaton admitted. "But she's proven herself to me. She did the moment she set up that huge wall of human pillars at the barrier place, to keep everyone out - and everyone in."

sans found something he liked and pulled it out, closing the fridge and turning back to face Mettaton. In his hand was a very small bottle of Dijon mustard.

"then i guess that's as good a reason as any," he agreed.

He paused, then looked Mettaton right in the eyes and said, "you know, my bro was a huge fan of yours, before the s**t hit the fan."

Mettaton blinked in surprise. "He was?"

"yep," sans replied, walking around and pulling out drawers until he found utensils. He grabbed a spoon, popped the mustard open, and started to eat it. "always staying up to make sure he caught your latest, be it a lame infomercial or one of your attempts at niche programing. it was really annoying."

"How are you eating that?" Mettaton answered, confused by this simple act of sans eating the mustard - and it vanishing into his mouth.

"what i'm trying to say is," sans replied, ignoring his question. "one of the reasons i came up here to help you was for him. he liked your work. i don't want you to lose that spark because of something - i know - you can't control just yet, but will, someday soon. i'm here for him, but..." He shrugged. "maybe you and i could be friends in this crazy world. i think that would make my bro happy."

Mettaton was silent for a moment, before he said, very softly, "I'm willing to try that out."

sans nodded. "cool. now go charge. you look like death."

Mettaton made a face. "I can never look like death, darling. I am gorgeous no matter what."

But he stood up and started towards the bedroom anyway.

"don't call me darling," sans answered, sounding like he wanted to vomit.

"You're not special, sans," Mettaton replied as he walked. "I call everyone 'darling', even if they're anything but."

sans snorted, holding up a thumbs-up, even though, by now, Mettaton couldn't see it. He'd definitely won that round. sans also wondered if he'd ever be able to win a round with Mettaton.

well, he thought, licking the mustard from his fingertips. now's the chance to find out.

This would be a very interesting friendship, indeed.

Instead of falling asleep like usual, Alphys and Undyne decided to turn the TV on and watch it from their bed.

That was one of the things they liked about the hotel the most: the fact that humans liked to put their beds in the same room as their TVs. Laurel had already told them which channel was one devoted to news, so they clicked on it, hunkered down in a nest of blankets and bare skin, and watched.

At first, it was mostly about human goings-on, something that Undyne groaned at but Alphys found fascinating. She thought it was interesting, how humans could jump from one topic to another, especially when they so seemingly didn't connect or segway into each other. For example, at one point, they went straight from a news about a murder in the city to the weather.

It was strange, especially when the humans kept their composure when reporting something so dire - only to immediately switch gears into something almost cheerful and frivolous.

Undyne was lying back and on her phone when the news finally came on about the shooting at the dress shop. The moment she heard, she shot up and tossed her phone behind her, her eye wide and her mouth small. Without looking away from the screen, she grabbed Alphys's hand into hers tight, and Alphys held it between her own and in her lap, unable to ignore that it was shaking.

They were pretty calm about it while reporting it, calling Alphys by name and title and explaining that someone who appeared to be anti-monster fired a gun at her, and that she used magic to defend herself. The reporter, when they came to the magic part, looked sceptical and actually broke their impartial facade for a moment, until they got an interview on, and the owner confirmed and described it.

"She was a hero," the owner added. "She didn't even hesitate. She just defended herself and her friend, and saved them both."

Alphys felt her face burn when she heard this. She didn't feel anything like a hero. She felt like someone who'd been scared, and desperate to survive, and ensure that Mettaton survived, too; he didn't deserve to die because of her.

"I had no idea my employee was a bigot," the owner continued flatly, looking furious, now. "I've fired her, and I'm glad she was arrested. I hope the doctor presses charges, and that... that horrible person goes away for a long, long time."

Then, she said something that made both Alphys and Undyne groan in dismay.

"She was only there to get the right dress for her wedding. To be attacked, on such a special day, is disgusting."

"f**k," Undyne groaned, covering her face and lying back again. "f**k, f**k, fuck."

Alphys reacted far differently; she covered her face, too, but she hunched over and started to cry. They weren't sobs, but quiet, humiliated tears, the kind that comes with a deep shame and the desire to reverse the cause of that shame.

Undyne immediately sat up and put her arms around her, and Alphys leaned into her embrace but kept her face hidden, unable to stop her tears.

"Alphy, it's okay," Undyne murmured, kissing her cheek, then her forehead, gently, rubbing her shoulder with one hand and gently caressing her forehead with the other. "It's alright. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is," she answered. "If I hadn't gone out, if I hadn't asked Mettaton to go to that store, if I had just stayed in and had him bring the dresses here, or--,"

"Or what, Alphy?" Undyne asked, her voice so sharp that Alphys lowered her hands and looked up at her, surprised.

Undyne looked angry, it was true, but Alphys could tell it wasn't at her. Rather, she was angry at the situation. "You hide here, always in the hotel, like someone under some kind of stupid house-arrest?"

"N-no," Alphys murmured.

"Look," Undyne continued, effortlessly pulling Alphys onto her lap and holding her close, her arms and legs around her so snugly that she immediately felt comforted and loved. "We're the ambassadors, whether we want to be or not. If we hole up in here like mice and show the humans we're scared of them, then none of them will take us seriously. And how do you think McCallion will see us, then? She'll see us as cowards, or worse - not serious about forming serious bonds between our peoples."

Alphys was quiet, her eyes on Undyne's, taking every word to heart.

Undyne smiled gently, reaching up and brushing her tears away. "By going to that store today, you obviously took a risk, one that proved to be bad. But you also showed that you're brave, and you're not gonna let anyone scare you away from trying."

Undyne kissed her nose. "And if you're anyone, Alphy, it's someone who always tries, no matter what."

Alphys bit her lip. Otherwise, she knew she would start to cry again.

"So, okay," Undyne sighed. "It's out. They know we're getting married. Laurel's gonna spazz out, but it's fine. No one knows when, or even where. All they know is that we're planning on getting married. It's legal, according to Laurel, and I trust her. Don't you?"

Alphys nodded. By now, it was easy to trust Laurel, as it was clear that she not only liked them, but cared about them. She remembered, distantly, that when she'd been shot, Laurel had been on her phone and yelling into it - in tears. Alphys never forgot that.

"Then we gotta keep trusting her, and prove that we're not cowards. Because I sure as hell am not a coward. And Alphy," Undyne leaned over her shoulder and rested her chin on it, smiling and pressing her cheek to Alphys's. "You're not, either, no matter what you may think."

Alphys stared at her. "H-how did you...?"

"Because I know you, you nerd," Undyne replied with a kind smile.

"You... you really do, don't you?" Alphys agreed, finding herself amazed by it. She never thought, in all of the years she'd been alive, that anyone would see her as anything but a coward, especially after what she'd done with her DT research.

Now, the bravest person she'd ever known, was telling her that she was brave, too. It was enough to bring her tears back, though she struggled hard to fight them.

Undyne, however, noticed, and carefully took hold of her - she always knew how to hold her so effortlessly, with such an ease, despite Alphys being plump - and turned her around so that they faced each other.

Alphys at once hugged onto her, closing her eyes and getting lost in the feel and scent of her, and Undyne held her tight.