[Open/Mingle] Friends, beauties, castle denizens, lend me your ears

[mediadarling]

Today in the castle, a number of long sheets of paper have gone up in various well-trafficked locations. They all read the same:

ATTENTION BEAUTIES OF THE CASTLE!!
SIGNUPS ARE HERE FOR THE GREATEST SPECTACLE THE CASTLE HAS EVER KNOWN:
THE TALE OF SIR METTATON THE MAGNIFICENT AND HIS DARING QUEST FOR ADVENTURE AND ROMANCE!!
WRITTEN BY METTATON AND RYOJI MOCHIZUKI!
WITH ACTING, SCENERY, COSTUMES, AND MORE BY YOU!!!!
SIGN UP BELOW:

A pen and inkwell have been left on a table beneath each sheet. Anyone able to read the message will note that while Ryoji's name is written in blue and in the extremely tidy script of someone who doesn't write by hand often, Mettaton's name is massive, magenta, and surrounded by hearts.

Nearby, there just might be an enthusiastic robot and/or teenager lingering to see just how this latest project of theirs is going over.

Comments

I'M SORRY MY DWEEB IS SO RUDE orz

[mediadarling]

If Ryoji glances up, he'll see a small look of sadness cross Mettaton's features--but only for a moment. Mettaton sweeps it away with a smile that's every bit as fond as his words when he says, "Oh, darling.... It's not me you should be apologising to. It's yourself.

"You are beautiful. I only wish you could see it."

Maybe actions will speak louder than words. He certainly hopes so.

And so he slides one hand around from Ryoji's shoulder to the back of his neck and slips the other into his hair, and draws him down for a soft, tender kiss.

[notsogrimreaper]

"I... I appreciate that you think that, but I think..."

He could explain that he's known himself longer, that he thinks he knows how much beauty he actually has. Maybe he could finally confess to his friend, scary as the possibility is, that the monster Mettaton encountered all those months ago was him. Maybe if he had the chance to speak, he could make Mettaton see his true colours...

But he can't speak. Instead, Mettaton suddenly brings him closer and presses his lips to his. Ryoji's face immediately goes red, and it feels like his heart stopped beating. He lets out a quiet noise, though it's hard to tell if it's one of protest, confusion, or affection. His thoughts tangle in his head and then abruptly halt. All he can focus on is the feeling of the kiss. His eyes slide closed.

[mediadarling]

When Ryoji doesn't pull away--well, Mettaton can feel his soul warming his entire body. Kissing Ryoji is so nice; if Ryoji is enjoying it as well, then why in the world would he stop?

His hand slides up Ryoji's neck to cup his cheek, and he steps forward to lean into him a little more.

[notsogrimreaper]

As nice as it feels, it can't last forever, and eventually, the confusion is so great that Ryoji has to pull away. His face is still almost glowing, and he puts a hand in front of his mouth.

"Um... that was... intense."

He doesn't know what to think. He's pretty sure someone would only kiss someone that passionately if they were in love...

[mediadarling]

As Ryoji's lips leave his, Mettaton is smiling. Warmth fills his body; surely no day at the spa could leave him as relaxed as this.

"Did you like it, darling?" he murmurs, only just resisting the urge to smooch him again right then and there.

[notsogrimreaper]

"I... I don't know."

When Ryoji takes his hand away, it's to reveal a slight frown. He feels guilty already, bringing this up, but after all of this, even he feels a bit toyed with. It hurts, and it's confusing, especially when Ryoji has never flirted with another male before.

"I mean, it's not like it actually means anything, right? So I shouldn't be making such a fuss about it." He shrugs.

[mediadarling]

Immediately, he says, "Of course it means something!"

How could he think such a thing after all this time?

...Has he ever seen Ryoji frown before?

"You're my--"

He stops.

Since coming to the surface and beginning to pick up parts in human movies in addition to his own, he's had plenty of costars. They've been people to work with--occasionally friends to keep in touch with after the wrap party--but that's it. He's never kissed any of them. He hasn't wanted to.

Ryoji is his costar, and he's his friend--but the only friends he has who are anything like Ryoji are Blooky and Alphys. And aside from teasing Alphys that one time, he certainly hasn't had any desire to kiss them--far from it.

And yet here he is, not only wanting to kiss Ryoji, but to hold him close, to snuggle with him and drop little smooches all over his handsome face to watch him blush.

Ryoji is his costar, and he's his friend, and he's his....

"Well. You are very, very dear to me, Ryoji Mochizuki, and, if you're willing, I'd like to make the biggest fuss about you that you can possibly imagine."

[notsogrimreaper]

Ryoji doesn't frown much around Mettaton, but... that's what he's doing now. Frowning in a way that suggests he's trying to hide his pain, but in doing so, he only looks more hurt in the process. He doesn't want to be selfish. He doesn't want to expect more from Mettaton, a friend who has already done a lot for him. He has no right to ask for anything else.

But... even so, for Mettaton to be so affectionate and then be so dismissive of that affection hurts. Ryoji sometimes wonders if that kind of attention is better than nothing.

"...costar, right? I'm just your costar."

He sounds more bitter than he intended to. That's not like him. None of this is really like him. But since being with Mettaton, Ryoji has changed. He's started developing feelings he's never really understood, feelings he has only experienced once before, with Minato. He has to get used to what those feelings actually are, and it's making a confusing mess of his thoughts. But if he spends all this time trying to untangle it only for Mettaton to ignore him...

Mettaton does not in fact ignore him. After a few moments of silence, Mettaton speaks up again to shock Ryoji out of his melancholy, and the words he says are genuine, kind, and... and Ryoji must surely be imagining this. His face goes slightly pink.

"...You don't mean what I think you mean, right? You... like to fuss over me because we're friends, and that's what friends do, right?"

[mediadarling]

"I do," Mettaton says, "but...."

He lifts his hands from where they've been resting on Ryoji's shoulders to cup his cheeks.

"I'd also like to ask you to be my prince, so I can fuss over you even more."

He presses a small kiss to his lips.

"What do you think, my darling?"

Everything is moving quickly, very quickly--but that's exactly the way he likes it. Why hesitate when the alternative is so much more exciting?

[notsogrimreaper]

It's moving very fast, and Ryoji at first doesn't really mind. He can be spontaneous once in a while, and really, if doing this will make Mettaton happy, will make someone he cares about so much overjoyed...

But it won't, will it? It won't make Mettaton truly happy in the end. Ryoji doesn't deserve to be his prince. A prince doesn't keep secrets and lie about the fact that they're just a murderer underneath the crown.

Ryoji breaks away from the kiss, eyes wide.

"Mettaton... I... I wish I could..."

He swallows hard. He wants to just leave it at that, but it's not right to keep playing along with this charade.

"I... I need to go. I'm so sorry, I..."

He has no way to properly apologize for this. Nothing he says would be good enough. He just shakes his head, ducks out of Mettaton's grip, and bolts off down the hall.

[mediadarling]

Everything is going absolutely wonderfully...until it's not. Until Mettaton feels Ryoji's lips leaving his, not to come back for something longer, not to murmur happy words to him--but to express regret.

There's real fear in Ryoji's face as he stammers out his words, and before Mettaton can do anything more than call out his name, he's running away.

He gets as far as running a few steps after Ryoji, but he soon stops. He's not sure there's anything he could say to get through to him right now. He can only hope one of Ryoji's friends will find him and look after him. (Maybe he'll put a word in Grune's ear.)

But as soon as he's given Ryoji a little time and space...well. He's not going to leave things at "I wish I could." There's not a chance.