Undyne's face couldn't have been any paler that night, and the following morning, her mind was still an incoherent mess of worries, anxieties, and overall emotions that drained her greatly.
Papyrus didn't stay for very long after he dropped the news. He simply explained the basics of the situation, said he'd elaborate more tomorrow morning, and left Undyne with her thoughts.
It was a good thing he exited when he did, Undyne didn't think she would have the strength to stand up straight for much longer.
She always got lightheaded when she was stressed, and surprisingly enough, even when her parents were screaming in her face, words of anger and disappointment, she remained unphased.
She could deal with jabs thrown to her and her character, but Papyrus? Her best friend and the only monster she truly cared for anymore?
Now, that was a different story.
She might have been someone who despised the very idea of conflict, arguing over seemingly trivial things to prove a point she already knew deep down. It was always the same story with every conflict she'd ever faced.
But now she had a choice to make.
She may not have been on friendly terms with Alphys herself, not too surprisingly, as no one in her high school was, but she did know one thing.
In order to get Papyrus out of the deal he'd made with her, she'd have to offer something Alphys couldn't refuse.
An even better deal.
This wasn't something Undyne was taking lightly. In fact, she considered it a last resort.
Once a deal was made with Alphys, it was virtually unbreakable. If in the rare case it was broken, the condition's made when the deal was shook on would be unleashed, and from what she'd heard, the conditions were brutal.
(So brutal, they'd only been broken once. After that, anyone who dared make a deal with her followed through. The conditions of losing to her were at least better than cheating Alphys out of her prize.)
Eventually, people just stopped making deals with her altogether. There were 5 deals made with her in the past 3 years, and not one winner was crowned besides Alphys herself.
Monsters and Humans alike became so terrified of Alphys' capabilities that not only were deals nonexistent between students anymore, but Alphys eventually became considered "untouchable"
Despite being coined a stereotypical teacher's pet by literally the entire student body, Alphys was never bothered by the notorious bullies of the school or anyone else. She had her own private lunch table, and she got first dibs on desk seating, cafeteria food, and library books.
No one dared to mess with her, and the past 7 months were surprisingly peaceful because of this. The school year was winding to a close now, and everyone was about to throw their hands in celebration of it being officially April with no deals made.
Until Papyrus and his ego took him too far once again, and now Undyne was stuck between potentially the worst decision of her life or moving schools altogether.
She sighed as her head began to spin once again with "what if" scenarios and avenues she could take to get Papyrus out of the mess he was in. Hopefully, whatever avenue she took didn't involve the inevitable deal to be made, but she figured, only time would tell.
As the sound of rattling bones approached her front door once again, Undyne knew it was finally time to have that conversation.
She took a deep cleansing breath, opened the door, and began her daily walk with Papyrus to school.
•~•~•~•~•~
YOU ARE READING
Soul-Searching (Alphyne)
ספרות חובבים"You really think you can beat me at my own game?" The girl went against her better nature and nodded defiantly in response. The air was thick with unspoken tension and electricity, and no other words were spoken for a good few seconds. Until, final...
