*Blushes in Nerd* (Alphys X Reader)

Chapter 1: Recovery from the Discovery

You had never imagined someone like Alphys could be keeping such a dark, painful secret under tight wraps. Seeing her lab, meeting the Amalgamates, hearing her story...All of it was so much to take in at once. You wanted to help Alphys, but you yourself simply could not handle all of that information at once. You thought it best to avoid Alphys for a while, just to let everything die down a bit. You hoped things could return to what they had been before. You missed your nerdy lizard friend, even if she did call just a little too much.

You stared at your cell phone in your hands, silently hoping it would ring.

Despite your strong hopes, you still jumped when it actually rang. You recognized Alphys' number and scrambled to answer it.

"H-Hello?" A familiar nervous voice came from the other end.

You echoed the greeting.

"H-Hey, (y/n)." Alphys said. She sounded relieved that you had answered. "I-I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

You reassured her that you were doing absolutely nothing interesting.

She laughed her usual little nervous laugh. "I was just wondering if you, uh, w-wanted to come over and watch some anime with U-Undyne and I tomorrow."

You were a little surprised. You thought she would want to be alone with Undyne, or that Undyne would want to be with just Alphys, or both. In other words, you thought you would just be a third wheel, so why was she bothering to invite you?

"I-I just thought it would be nice to hang out together." She explained, noting your pause.

You didn't reply right away. Clearly this was her reaching out to you, trying to mend the tear in your friendship. She obviously understood how you must feel about her and everything that had been made known to you. She wanted your trust and friendship again, and this was her casual attempt to earn it back.

After a few moments of thought, you agreed to join them. You silently hoped it wouldn't be too awkward. You also very much hoped Undyne was okay with you joining the anime date. The thought of her glaring at you the whole time made you shudder.

"Great!" Alphys replied. She sounded more relieved than anything. "O-Okay! See you then!" She hung up.

You exhaled slowly. This would be the first time you visited Alphys' lab since discovering what the basement held. Even though you knew the Amalgamates were now living happily with their families, the thought of returning to the lab still made you slightly uneasy. Your stomach churned a little in protest, as if your very natural instincts advised against returning to the lab.

But, you did miss Alphys. You cared about her, even if she had lied to you. Even back then, you weren't mad at her. How could you be? She was just scared, feeling as though she was alone under the weight of her mistakes.

Now was the time to put the past behind you. Alphys was a good friend, and she didn't deserve to be avoided.

Your mind now at ease, you eagerly awaited the following day's anime marathon.

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You approached the lab. Hotland certainly hadn't gotten any cooler. You were already a little sweaty just from the walk here.

You knocked on the metal door, which was surprisingly not hot, despite its surroundings.

After a few moments, it opened.

"H-Hey, (y/n)." Alphys greeted, smiling. She stepped to the side, allowing you to enter.

You hesitated for a moment. Your mind told you to turn back, that this place was dangerous. But, your heart told you otherwise. This place was not dangerous, not anymore. Everything had been worked out.