The Queen's Justice - Book 2 of Her Majesty

Chapter 4

"Wh-what?" Alphys squeaked.

Undyne, however, grabbed hold of Alphys and stood up, adjusting her so that she was held - on purpose, she was sure - bridal-style.

"f**k yeah, let's go, when do we go?!" she replied, her voice loud with excitement.

"W-wait--," Alphys squeaked in reply, putting her hands on Undyne's shoulders.

Mettaton stared at both of them in disbelief. "You're joking, right?" he said flatly, turning then to look at Laurel. "That's a joke, right?"

Laurel was beaming. She shook her head. "Nope. I talked to a few people, pulled some strings, and managed to find a few loopholes in the law."

She looked back at Undyne and Alphys. "I can have you married before the sun goes down. It'll be an elopement, true, but it's marriage." She paused, her voice softening. "And I know you've been wanting to."

Undyne nodded, her grin so wide she was showing most of her sharp teeth. "f**k yeah!" she repeated.

"N-no," Alphys said sharply, her eyes narrowed.

Needless to say, it surprised everyone around her, especially Undyne. She looked down at Alphys, still in her arms, her smile twitching a little.

"What do you mean, no, Alphy?" she asked carefully. "You want to marry me, right?"

"Yes," Alphys agreed without hesitation, though her expression didn't change.

"So what are you saying no, for?"

Alphys grabbed hold of Undyne's forearms and used them to slide out of her arms and back onto the floor. Undyne's face fell immediately, though Alphys grabbed hold of her hands and held them tight. She moved close to Undyne and stood on her tiptoes, so that she could be as close to her face as possible.

"Undyne," she whispered, "I want to marry you, yes. But..." She flinched a little. "I-I don't want it to be some rush in the dark. I-I want our friends to be there. I w-want to be able to celebrate our love with th-the people we love."

She looked miserable when she spoke - because she was. To add to it, her eyes filled with tears, and she lowered down onto her feet and looked down, letting go of Undyne's shoulders.

"I'm s-so sorry, Undyne... I-I want to... I w-want to... s-so much... so-so damned much, y-you have no idea... b-but..."

And she broke down, covering her face and wishing the ground would swallow her up beneath her.

Mettaton got up, but Undyne surprised him. She knelt down in front of Alphys and grabbed her into a tight hug, holding onto her with both a firm grip but a tenderness that only she could convey. Alphys immediately clung onto her and started sobbing, and Undyne kissed her wet cheek gently, closing her eye and rocking them both slowly.

Laurel looked upset. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to... I was just..."

Asgore placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We know, my dear, and they do, too. Let them go through it." He kept his voice soft, as well.

"Shouldn't we go?" Mettaton said.

"Could you?" Undyne said suddenly, looking up. "We need a moment. Can you come back later? Sorry, Laurel, it's just..."

"Yes," Laurel agreed, and together, with Asgore and Mettaton, they filed out, Mettaton inviting them to his suite in the hotel, inviting the couple to join them when they could.

Undyne barely nodded, and once the door was closed, she closed her eye and held Alphys closer as she cried.

"I'm so sorry," Alphys sobbed, her voice high-pitched and choked. "I d-didn't m-mean to... I didn't m-mean to..."

"Shh," Undyne answered, kissing her other cheek and rubbing her back slowly. "I know, it's okay. Alphy, it's alright."

"Pl-please, Undyne," she begged, her stomach in knots, now.

She knew she'd just ruined everything, and now it was probably all over; they would only stay around each other out of convenience, and maybe some day they could be friends again...

"Why are you pleading with me?" Undyne murmured, one hand going up and brushing the tears away gently, even as more came.

Alphys dug her claws into Undyne's back, starting to tremble. "Pl-please, Undyne... d-don't..."

Undyne blinked in surprise. "Alphy, you are pleading with me. Why?"

She pulled back and cupped Alphys's face between her hands, using her thumbs to brush more tears away. It didn't work; Alphys kept crying, her face crumpled and a mess.

"Oh, god, Alphy, do you think I'm going to break up with you over this?!"

When Alphys closed her eyes and nodded, unable to speak, Undyne bit her lip and pulled her back, and Alphys buried her face into the crook of her neck.

"Alphy," Undyne said softly, after a moment and during a lull in Alphys's tears. "I'm not f*****g going anywhere."

Alphys jumped a little, then pulled away and looked up at her in surprise and confusion. "B-but... I said... I s-said n-no."

"To eloping," Undyne said, grabbing hold of her face again and smiling. "Not to marrying me. Right?"

When Alphys nodded emphatically, Undyne grinned. "See? We're still gonna get married, Alphy. But if you want to have a wedding with all of our friends and family, the ones left, then, f**k yeah, Alphy!"

Alphys stared at her. "R-really, Undyne?"

"Yes!" Undyne agreed, shaking her a little. "But..." She bit her lip, then blurted it out, "Can we compromise, Alphy?"

"How do you mean?" Alphys wondered, her heart slowing down a little.

"We..." Undyne blushed. "We still elope. We get married. But then, when we can, we throw a wedding, a huge party, complete with a mock-ceremony, for all of the people we love, just like you said."

Alphys blinked at her, thinking about it. She searched Undyne's face, seeing a kind of desperation there, one she hadn't realised had been there for a while, now.

And suddenly, she understood why it was there, and why this was so important to Undyne.

With slightly shaky fingers, Alphys touched Undyne's face and traced her fingertips along the lines of black slowly.

"You're afraid," she murmured, and Undyne's eye wavered. "You're afraid of losing me."

Undyne opened her mouth, then closed it, her face falling. Silently, she nodded, her grip on Alphys tightening as her teeth sank down into her bottom lip for a moment.

Then, she said, "I lost you once, Alphy. I'll be damned before I lose you, again. Marry me, please, Alphy. Be my wife. I promise, I'll make it worth it to you. I'll be loyal, and honest, and trustworthy, and I'll protect you better, and--,"

Alphys covered her mouth with one hand, her stomach suddenly full of butterflies and her heart racing so fast she was certain Undyne could hear it. (She could.) She couldn't imagine the horror that Undyne had experienced when she'd been shot in front of her, let alone shot almost fatally.

That kind of pain was one that she never wanted to experience.

Yet she could see that pain, still raw and bleeding, deep in Undyne's bright green eye.

And finally, she understood.

"Okay," she whispered, lowering her hand from Undyne's mouth. "Let's do it. Let's elope, and when we can, when things are finally they way they should be, we'll have a real wedding."

Undyne shocked her, then; she burst into tears, clearly having barely kept them at bay until just then, and she grabbed Alphys into a crushing hug, one that made her gasp out and then laugh weakly in shock.

But when she heard Undyne genuinely weeping, her own eyes filled, and she held Undyne to her and cried, too, unable to help herself.

"Thank you," Undyne sobbed out, burying her face into Alphys's shoulder. "Thank you, Alphy. You have no idea how much this means to me..."

"Then tell me," she answered gently, smiling faintly when she realised she had just given Undyne the same answer that Undyne had given her once, before.

"There are no words," Undyne admitted. "I can't word it. I'm stupid with words, Alphy. I'm so stupid with words."

"You're not," Alphys answered, stroking her hair slowly. "You're actually v-very good with words."

"I'm better with action," Undyne answered.

When Alphys opened her mouth to reply, Undyne darted forward and kissed her - hard.

Alphys stumbled, but Undyne grabbed hold of her and pulled her close, and suddenly all Alphys could think of was her. She clung onto Undyne as if her life depended on it, and with a low sound in her throat, Undyne grabbed hold of her and stood up, then went right to their bed.

Not much was said during this time, but there didn't need to be, as Undyne was right; she was quite eloquent with action, indeed.

After, lying side-by-side and panting for breath, Alphys sought Undyne's hand and grabbed it, as Undyne was reaching for hers. Both of their palms were damp with sweat, but it didn't matter. They both smiled and squeezed, a sigh coming from Alphys as her eyes closed and her body relaxed.

Then, Undyne moved closer and flipped onto her front, slipping an arm around Alphys's waist and resting her hot face into her shoulder, her eye close, as well. Alphys wrapped her arms around her loosely, lacking the energy for anything but, yet Undyne still understood and snuggled closer, sighing deeply, herself, now.

"So," Undyne whispered, her voice a little hoarse. Alphys turned her head towards her and nodded, so she added, "When do you wanna elope?"

"N-not today," Alphys admitted. "T-too much has happened today... I j-just need a moment to... breathe."

Undyne nodded, nuzzling closer, unable to help herself; Alphys was so warm, and she loved to cuddle close to her. This was no problem, as Alphys felt the same way about Undyne, and shifted so that they were snuggled skin-to-skin; Alphys was certain she was addicted to that feeling.

"I-I th-think..." Alphys then whispered. "Wh-what about... F-Friday?"

"Mm," Undyne answered, sounding drowsy. "Why then? That's only a few days from now..."

"It's..." Alphys went red, wishing the blanket was close enough for her to grab and hide under. "Uh. It's the d-day that m-marks... a month... of-of us... together... in-intimately."

Undyne opened her eye. "God," she whispered. "Has it really only been a month, Alphy? It feels like... it feels like we've been together forever, almost."

"In a way, we've been friends for far longer," Alphys agreed, her eyes still closed, her hand idly stroking through Undyne's now-loosened hair. "But... I suppose trying times m-make things seem more intense." She smiled. "I m-mean, we certainly... sort of... rushed into bed a little."

"Did you feel rushed?" Undyne wondered, looking up at her.

Alphys opened her eyes, now, to meet her gaze. "No," she admitted honestly. "I wanted it, so much, no matter what it meant, even if it had been a one-time thing."

"Never," Undyne growled, hugging onto her tighter and making her laugh.

"But from the outside, looking in, one could argue we rushed into it," Alphys added. "Th-though, I-I was... I've been..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I-in love with you for ages."

Undyne paused, then slowly moved closer, before lying atop her. Alphys smiled up at her, wrapping her arms around her neck and her tail around one of her legs, and Undyne smiled, her face pink.

"Me, too," Undyne admitted. "With you, I mean."

"C-can you wait til Friday?" Alphys wondered, one hand reaching up and brushing the hair from her face, something Undyne leaned into and sighed from. She nodded, and Alphys felt a flutter to her stomach again.

Instinctively, she hooked one leg around Undyne's waist, and Undyne opened her eye and looked into hers, a smile playing on her lips.

"Again?" she wondered.

"Again," Alphys agreed, hooking her other leg around her other hip and pulling her down closer, before kissing her again deeply, something Undyne returned quite eagerly.

Neither of them realised they had fallen asleep until Alphys's phone started ringing. She snorted awake and groped for it blindly, then held it up and mumbled a greeting she was sure was "hello" but was probably more likely "uuuggghh?"

"Alphys!" Mettaton shouted, making her wince and hold the phone away. "It's been an hour, and I've run out of things to say to Asgore and Laurel, and I'm panicking! What the hell are you doing?! Have you two figured it out yet?! Please save me!"

Alphys rubbed her eyes sleepily, lying back down on the bed. Undyne curled up next to her immediately.

"H-how can you n-not know how to entertain anyone?" she wondered. "You're an entertainer, Metta. You m-make a living off of that."

"This is different! I usually can't see the reactions! I can see every single reaction! Save me, Alphysy!"

"Fine, god, we'll be there in a bit." She hung up before he could add anything and tossed the phone over the side of the bed, before turning back to Undyne and curling up with her again. Undyne smiled and held her close, and she sighed deeply in content.

"It's kinda funny when the diva panics," Undyne admitted.

"It is," Alphys agreed. "But less so when you're the target of that panic." She sighed, then slowly sat up and stretched. "We sh-should probably go over."

Undyne watched her for a moment, a lazy smile on her face, something that made her blush and cover her chest with her arms. Undyne reached up and pulled them away, and she smiled faintly, letting her.

"Pretty," Undyne then murmured, her eye going over Alphys's naked body slowly.

"You're crazy," Alphys muttered. "You're the pretty one."

"Do I have to drag you back into this bed and prove you wrong?" Undyne wondered, raising an eyebrow and looking as if she hoped the answer was yes.

Alphys laughed. "No... th-though maybe later. F-for now, let's go."