Her Majesty

Chapter XIX - The Key

Alices held Undyne close as she calmed down, stroking her hair slowly and kissing her forehead several times. Undyne had collapsed on her, tired at last, gasping for breath and shaking, her eye closed.

All the words she had wanted to say were gone, now, instead finding herself only communicating with action. She buried her face into Alices's neck, and felt Alices touch the top of her head lightly, her other hand gently caressing up and down her arm.

"f**k," Undyne whispered again, her voice breaking.

Alices blinked in shock, her hands stilling. "What's... what's wrong?" she asked. "Undyne... did we... go to fast?"

"No," Undyne answered, though now her voice was muffled, her face hidden in Alices's shoulder, now. "I... I can't..." she added, her voice suddenly breaking.

Undyne then, to both of their surprise, started crying.

Alices pulled her closer and held her, kissing her forehead gently and stroking her hair. Undyne curled up into her arms and couldn't stop, now, despite desperately wanting to.

Alices, however, didn't seem panicked about this. In fact, she kept stroking her hair, kept kissing her forehead, as she cried, and Undyne felt her heart aching.

After all that's happened, of all the things I can't believe are real, this is what I have trouble accepting as real: that Alice and I just slept together...

Alice and I love each other...

Alice and I...?

Alices was nervous, but she kept it back, knowing that Undyne needed her right now, and needed the version that was calm. She just hoped that the tears weren't what she was afraid they were: disappointed and regretful.

"When you're ready, okay?" Alices then whispered. "Do... do you want water?"

Undyne smiled despite herself, her bottom lip quivering. "Alice..." she whispered, her voice wavering. "I want... you."

There. She finally got it out.

Alices, however, apparently didn't get it. She smiled in return, her eyes warm. "You have me," she answered kindly. "You... you've had me f-for a while."

Undyne shut her eye for a moment, then sat up beside her, reaching up and pulling the hair away from her face, revealing both of her eyes - as she was still without an eyepatch and had been using her hair to hide the lack.

She watched Alices carefully, but all Alices did was sit up beside her, placing a hand on her knee lightly. Her gaze didn't waver, not even when her eyes landed on her left eye - or rather, the socket - and she leaned forward and kissed her cheek gently.

Undyne stared at her for a moment, speechless for that time.

Then, she managed to say, "Alice, what do you see when you look at me? At my... my eyes?"

Alices searched her face again, her cheeks going pink. "I-I see..." She swallowed, lowering her head shyly. "Undyne..."

"Tell me," Undyne answered.

"You," Alices blurted. "I just see... you. I m-mean, your eye is different, and sometimes there's a spark of light in your left, and other times I can feel you stirring power in the air and you don't seem to realise it, but..."

She took a quick breath. "I j-just see you. I-I'm sorry, that's bad, right? Because you're different, now?"

Undyne let her hands drop, finding herself smiling again. She relaxed, both in posture and expression, and Alices felt relieved.

"Alice," she then said, taking one of her hands. "I..."

There was a loud knock at the door, scaring them both into clinging to each other for a moment.

Then, it was as if they suddenly remembered where they were, and they exchanged a shy smile at that.

"Food," Alices observed.

Undyne nodded and got to her feet, stretching out slowly before leaning down and grabbing Alices's coat - both actions having similar effect on Alices. Especially when Undyne shrugged the coat on with a wry grin. The sleeves were a little short, and the hems only reached to her knees, but oddly, Alices kind of liked it.

Undyne grinned, brushed her hair over her eye with her fingers, then leaned against the door. She opened it a tiny bit, keeping out of view and holding her magic in reserve.

"Michael?" she asked softly.

"Pizzas...?" was his confused answer, which made even Alices laugh (and fall back onto the bed in a heap from that laugh).

Undyne opened the door just enough to grab them with a grin, catching a brief look at his expression - confused amusement - before she shut the door and held up the boxes in triumph, this time laughing along with Alices.

For a nice, warm moment, they lay in bed together and ate pizza, both finding the entire situation hilarious. It really was out of an old anime, if one thought about it, and it delighted them both to admit it.

"Mm," Alices said, her eyes closed. She held up a slice of pizza. "Taste this and be its slave."

Undyne burst into laughter but was game, leaning over and taking a generous bite. Then she groaned and lay back down, raising her hand only to flash a thumbs-up. Clearly, she agreed with Alices's assessment.

Alices laughed, finding a sudden bubble of giddiness crash into her. She put her slice down and instead lay down next to Undyne, curling up against her and hugging onto her. They were both still naked, hunger and laziness - as well as mutual admiration - keeping them without clothes for now. Undyne put an arm around Alices's shoulders and held her tight, though she did keep eating.

"Undyne," Alices said, looking up at her.

"Yup?" Undyne replied, smiling at her.

"We're doing good so far. You know that, right?" Alices was sombre, her eyes focused and clear. She had Undyne's full attention, now. "That despite it all, we're doing okay?"

Undyne lowered her slice of pizza, looking a little shy. "Do you have some kind of psychic power I don't know about?" she wondered, only half-kidding.

"Er," Alices replied, taking her seriously. "No, I just... understand. I notice you sometimes pausing, looking sad, and I know you're thinking about..." Her smile faded for good, now. "Papyrus, and everyone else who got killed."

"Yeah," Undyne agreed.

"But, Undyne..." Alices then continued, looking up at her again. "Look at where we are. Look at what we're doing! You've done a good thing, you really have."

"you did a good thing. but you can do even better."

sans said that. Was this what he meant?

Am I doing even better? Am I doing this right at all?

Her gaze met Alices's, and she saw those eyes light up when it did. Undyne wondered if Alices even realised her eyes did that every time. She also wondered why she, herself didn't notice sooner.

"We still have tons to do," Undyne admitted.

Alices nodded, something that Undyne found herself grateful for; if she had tried to pretend otherwise, it would have been with empty words, and Undyne didn't want those.

"We do," Alices agreed - before she blushed. "I-I mean... uh, you do. I'm just here... if you need me."

Undyne sighed, surprising Alices - until she found herself grabbed and brought to lie down right on top of Undyne. With a squeak, she lay still, her hands resting on Undyne's shoulders, and when she met that bright green eye, she blushed even more; Undyne looked irritated.

"Alice," she sighed, reaching forward and cupping her palms around Alices's face. "It's 'we.' The moment our feet touched the surface, it's been 'we'. Hell, the moment you called me, even." She grinned, trying to hide her own blush - and failing miserably. "So stop trying to get out of it!"

"N-no!" Alices protested quickly. "I-I'm not! I j-just don't w-want to be pushy or too clingy and freak you out!"

"No," Undyne answered. "Be pushy and clingy, please. I like both."

Alices made a face at that, which only made her laugh.

"Alice, do me a favour if you can?" When Alices nodded, Undyne went on. "Just... assume, okay?" When all she got was a confused blink, she elaborated. "You and me. Us. We. Assume that whatever you see us as is fact, because it is."

She turned a little, so that they faced each other, and she smiled at Alices, who blushed but smiled back.

"Trust me, okay? I'm..." Undyne swallowed. "In. I'm all in."

Alices reached up and touched her cheek, biting down on her lip, hard, to keep from crying. Despite her attempt, Undyne still noticed, and immediately pulled Alices to her. Alices clung onto her, and she heard a faint, choked-up sniffle.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Undyne wondered sadly.

Alices shook her head. "I do," she answered, her voice small. "I'm just.. am I dreaming? Pinch me." She held up her hand.

"No," Undyne answered flatly.

"Do it," Alices insisted. "So that I know I'm awake."

Undyne raised an eyebrow, then grinned deviously, reaching down and trailing her hand over one of Alices's breasts - startling her into jumping a little - before very gently and very lightly pinching her n****e.

Alices jolted again, squeaking in surprise, before she paused - then burst into laughter.

"That works!" she decided between giggles, burying her face into Undyne's shoulder again and closing her eyes, smiling so wide it hurt a little.

"So you believe me, then?" Undyne wondered.

Alices nodded, her claws digging into Undyne's back a little, and she shifted closer.

Before Undyne could even ask, she felt Alices graze her teeth along the curve of her neck. Undyne inhaled sharply, instinctively curling around her and closing her eye.

When Alices raised her head, Undyne grabbed her face and pulled her close, kissing her so deeply that she closed her eyes and lost all thought - save the ones focused on the one kissing her.

After, they ended up drifting into a light doze, from the combination of food and s*x.

Therefore, when Alices's phone suddenly vibrated and chimed at once, it scared her so badly that she shrieked and was sitting up to shield Undyne before she was even fully awake. Undyne woke up from that, shocked - but it was something she would not only remember later, but at a crucial moment, to boot.

Alices then realised it was her phone, and she grabbed it, answering it with a drained, "Hello?"

And immediately she winced, holding the phone away for a moment. Undyne's eye went wide; it was Mettaton, and he was actually yelling.

"Why haven't you answered my updates with updates, Alices?! You promised you would! That was the deal! You better have a good reason why! I was ten minutes away from coming to get you!!"

She waited until he was done, before she placed the phone back and said, very softly, "I'm sorry I scared you."

This was met with silence, one far more eloquent than his words had been. She could hear him squeaking a little, clearly swallowing more snarky replies, since she already knew why he was giving them.

"If I tell you what's happened, will you forgive me?" she wondered.

Mettaton was silent for a moment before he said, "Of course."

Undyne then leaned over and grabbed the phone from Alices, surprising her. "Hello, diva," she said cheerfully. "Guess what?"

"No," he answered. "Put Alices back on."

"Nope. We're in a hotel."

Mettaton was quiet again. "A hotel?" he echoed.

"Yeah! Apparently there's a small group of humans who already knew about us, and right now, they're protecting us. So we're okay, and you don't need to yell anymore, okay?"

Mettaton sighed. "Anything else, Undyne?"

"Yeah," Undyne replied, her grin going devious. "Alice and me did it--,"

"Undyne!" Alices yelped, grabbing the phone back quickly and covering Undyne's mouth. She then put the phone back and said, "I'm sorry! We really are fine, I swear--,"

"Alices."

She paused. "Yes?" she squeaked.

"Is what Undyne said true?"

"Yes," she admitted, still squeaking.

"Are... are you happy, Alices?"

Alices paused, the tone of his voice surprising her. He sounded wistful, almost. But also oddly gentle.

"Mettaton," she murmured, lowering her voice and hoping that Undyne was too distracted by the pizza she nibbled at to hear. She closed her eyes and smiled, a hand going to her chest. "I'm... s-so happy. Despite all, b-because of her... yes. I'm happy."

"What if it doesn't last? And you get hurt?"

"Then at least I have the memories," she answered, meaning it.

Mettaton again was quiet, before he finally concluded, "Okay. But please don't forget like that, again. I got really scared, okay?"

"Okay," Alices agreed, wishing she could hug him. "I'll text you right on the hour, okay?"

"Please, darling. That would mean a great deal."

"I'm sorry," she insisted. "The time... I j-just..."

"Alright, alright, spare me the details, he replied, sounding more like himself, again. "At least until later. Then spare me none."

Alices laughed, both in shyness and relief. She agreed, and they hung up amicably.

"Sorry!" Undyne grinned, though she didn't look sorry.

Alices smiled at her, before leaning over and curling up into a ball against her.

Undyne wrapped an arm around her and kissed her nose. "Hey, Alice?"

She looked up, her hands curling around Undyne's thigh. "Yes?"

"I'm not going anywhere that's not with you," she answered, her expression suddenly quite serious. "Okay? I meant it when I said I was all in."

"So did I," Alices agreed softly, her eyes closing on their own, feeling everything - the entire day and a half, truly - catch up on her and begin to drag her down into what she knew would be a heavy sleep. "Undyne, I love you, and to me, that's all in."

Undyne bit her lip, her eye wavering. She knew that, once they left this room, this contented bubble they shared would burst, and things would never be this easy again for a long time. But she also knew that Alices also knew this, and yet she was not only still here, but vowing never to leave.

"Alice," she whispered, "I... I wanted to ask you, before, but we got so... distracted..." She smiled shyly. "This... this whole thing, it's made me realise... I don't want to be alone, anymore. And... I just want to be with you. For... forever..."

Undyne swallowed hard, her voice wavering. "What... what do you say?"

For a moment, Undyne thought Alices had fallen asleep, and she sighed, both annoyed and relieved, in a way.

Then, she heard Alices whisper, "Yes."