*Writing these oneshots fills you with Determination 2 (Undertale AU Oneshots)

♥ Shine (Mettaton x Underappreciated!Reader) [Part 1]

Mettaton had told you to wait in his dressing room while he was doing his show, as you did almost every week with him.

You hesitantly agreed, reasoning that you had nothing else to do. Everyone else, Sans included, surprisingly, had already committed themselves to other things. 

Sure, you thought as you watched your friend dance across the screen in front of a wild crowd, Whatever.

This had been happening for a while now; you talked with everyone like normal, you say "good morning", do things for them, everything that was involved in being a good friend. But... you feel like something was missing.

You sighed, playing with the bristles on Mettaton's name-brand brush. 

Soon enough, the star's show was over, with the crowd applauding and throwing roses and shirts and any other strange thing at the stage. So you waited for Mettaton to come into the room, going on about how great his show was or how good he felt during it.

"Phew! What a performance! The place was packed tonight," a familiar voice breathed as a pair of pink heels strutted into the room.

"Hey, Mettaton," you greeted him with a half-hearted smile.

"Oh, hello, darling!" He wrapped his noodle arms around you in a tight hug. "I just couldn't wait to come back here and see you! Did you enjoy the show?"

You giggled, "I always do, Mettaton. What's not to like?"

He hummed. "Oh, you always know just what to say! That's one of the many things I like about you."

You shifted your feet uncomfortably, trying to hide the shy smile you had. "Thanks," you mumbled.

You hadn't noticed Mettaton eyeing you for a few moments. 

"Is something the matter, darling?" he finally inquired.

"Hm? No, I'm fine," you lied while stretching your arms, "Just tired."

"No, that's exactly what you say when you're not fine. I know you too well to believe that, gorgeous."

Sometimes, how much Mettaton knew about you annoyed you deeply.  

"It's nothing, Mettaton, I promise." You made sure to stare him in the eyes to be more convincing to him.

"Your acting's getting better all the time, ______. I know something's bothering you." He stepped closer with a clack-clack of his heels, a sense of urgency in his expression. "So please..." He took one of your hands in both of his gloved ones. "Tell me."

You shook your head, debating on whether he would understand or not. "I don't know, I just feel... underappreciated," you admitted in defeat.

Gasping dramatically, Mettaton shoots you a confused look. "Underappreciated? How so, darling?" 

Grasping for words, you shrugged vaguely, earning a dumbfounded look from the robot celebrity.

"I'm sorry, I just... It's not easy to talk about this with someone."

"Take all the time you need, gorgeous. I've got all night. Or at least until my batteries die," he joked as he pulled up a chair and sat in front of you. Waiting for you to speak again, he flashed a patient smile.

You nodded, formulating the proper sentences in your head. 

This was the rare side of Mettaton that only you and Alphys experienced; his sensitive side. If you were to tell anyone, they probably wouldn't believe you; that behind that confident, flamboyant persona was a big empathetic softie. It's what drew you to him in the first place. Granted, when you saw him on TV for the first time, you thought he was a big show-off. But after visiting Alphys' lab to meet him, albeit reluctantly, you were proved wrong. The differences between how Mettaton acted on stage and how he acted around Alphys were surprising to you, to say the least. Ever since then, you always welcomed his company whenever he offered it.

"Lately," you started with a shaky sigh, "I've been feeling like I don't get enough," you paused, "Credit. Like, I've been put in the background of everyone's lives."

"Mhm." Mettaton nodded, worry starting to show on his faceplates.

"I just can't help the feeling that as much as I care about everyone here, they wouldn't do half the stuff I would do for them." You started getting a nauseous feeling, making you clutch your abdomen. "And another part of me wants to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe they all love me, but... this nagging thought is making me wonder... Do they even still care about me, if they ever did to begin with?" Your lip started quivering. "Am I enough?"

Mettaton stared at you pitifully. He's never seen you so downcast. And as expected, he wasn't sure as to how to help you feel better. But he wasn't planning on being completely useless to you.