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[deaftly]

--shit's supposed to record my voice? Why the fuck would I want to leave a message on this thing anyway? They should know who the fuck they're calling if they're calling me in the first place, and obviously I'm not gonna pick up if I don't like them so...

What do you mean it's already recording?

Comments

[deaftly]

...When did you stop being friends? Did something happen?

[Something more than what you said on live TV, apparently??]

[ratingspoint]

Not really...? Some friendships just don't last, it's not because of anything specific that happened.

[...You know how they say that the common denominator in all of your failed relationships is you?

Mettaton does not seem to have ever heard that particular saying and as such his self-awareness is thoroughly at zero right now.]

[deaftly]

[Naki's quiet for a moment, but not because he's thinking about that saying. He actually doesn't recognize it, to no one's surprise... Instead, he's wondering if his friendship with Mettaton will last.]

...I guess you're right. I don't really like that idea, but... nothing lasts forever.

[ratingspoint]

...You seem upset, darling.

[That's...well, it's gentler than it could have been, anyway, and it's avoiding the harsher sentiment of "why are you weird and sad now" that comes immediately to mind; it's actually pretty patient-sounding, all things considered. Probing, a bit, but not really demanding anything.]

[deaftly]

Well... yeah, I don't really like that idea. That's all.

[He's not sure that's actually all, but that's all he's been able to work out, at least. Feelings are hard, Mettaton.]

[ratingspoint]

[Don't they just suck a lot.

He'll shift position, though, moving so that he's sitting more in front of him than next to him; even so, he doesn't reach out to touch or anything.]

Hey, come on. I'm not trying to just move on without you. And I'm not going to forget about you! Far from it, you've been great. I like you a lot, and nothing's going to change that.

[...]

I know what I just told you about what happened with my cousin and everything, but...you're not going to lose me or anything, okay? I mean it.

[deaftly]

[Maybe someone else would have questioned that, especially after hearing about Mettaton's cousin, but instead Naki just nods.]

You'd better not, alright?

[It's lacking any of the anger that was there last time though and while it's not pleading, it's getting pretty close.

Naki doesn't do well with loss and he's not about to lose anyone else close to him. He really doesn't want to lose Mettaton, especially not to something like that.]

I'll be pretty fucking pissed if you do.

[The threat is only half-hearted at best.]

[ratingspoint]

Enough to leave me five hundred messages?

[...Mettaton, did you really.]

[deaftly]

At least five hundred.

[POUT!!!]

[ratingspoint]

Well, then! I'm convinced. It's entirely in my best interest to make sure you're not pissed off.

[It's light, but he does mean the implicit agreement that he's going to try, okay.]

[deaftly]

Well yeah, of course!!

[...]

Thanks, alright? I appreciate it.

[He's going to be cramming more candy into his mouth so he doesn't say anything else embarrassing, alright...]

[ratingspoint]

Of course, Naki-darling! Anytime.

[What he does then is a little on the awkward side, but that doesn't stop him from doing it; he just...reaches out and kind of pets Naki's head a little, the result landing somewhere between a headpat and stroking his hair properly and yet managing to actually do exactly neither.

...It was an attempt at affection, okay.]

[deaftly]

[That gets him to freeze up for about half a second before he relaxes into it and sort of... headbumps Mettaton's hand like an enthusiastic cat. He seems to realize what he's doing quickly however, because he looks sort of mortified when he pulls back.]

Um. Yeah. Definitely!

[...that didn't just happen!!]

[ratingspoint]

[OH NO oh god that was actually really cute

i mean it's just going to kind of result in reaching out again for...more...pettings? very confused pettings

...eventually he will realize that he is sitting here petting a person and that's probably a little strange but you know what that realization can wait for a while, right now there are pettings]

[deaftly]

[OH MY GOD YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE, NAKI IS 5x WEAK TO PETTINGS

so he'll just sort of... lean into that

and headbump your hand again and just sort of... look mildly annoyed by this

but it's nice, okay...]

[ratingspoint]

[...so much petting, this is weird and fascinating

although, um]

...Can I ask what you were back home? And don't say "not human", I know that.

[...THAT IS A REALLY ROUNDABOUT "DOES EVERYONE IN YOUR SPECIES DO THIS OR"

look he met a girl who is literally a dog or something earlier he's curious]

[deaftly]

Not human-- oh.

[HE IS NOT A DOG OH MY GOD it's not his fault ghouls are really weird!!]

Um. We're called "ghouls". And don't be a smartass and ask if we're zombies or ghosts or something 'cause we're not.

[Normally he wouldn't tell Mettaton. But Mettaton told him a secret, so it's okay for him to tell Mettaton this, right? Right. As far as Mettaton needs to know, he's the only one of his kind here, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.]

[ratingspoint]

And what's wrong with being a ghost...?

[...mettaton you ditched it for being a robot instead, you don't get to pull that- ]

...You know, I was thinking you were a vampire or something for a while.

[deaftly]

There's nothing wrong with being a ghost. But for some reason everyone seems to think "ghoul" and "ghost" mean the same thing. Or "ghoul" and "zombie". I'm definitely not a fucking zombie, that's fucking gross.

[But as for a vampire--]

What the fuck, vampires aren't real!

[...naki you're talking to a ghost possessing a robot and you eat people, is this really what you're going to focus on]

[ratingspoint]

Right? But apparently they are in other worlds, and it would make sense...

[Anyway.]

But really. People like to insist that ghosts are actually dead people? When...no. No, not really. No.

[deaftly]

...But aren't they? That's what stories and stuff say. They're not where you're from?

[He really shouldn't be surprised...]

[ratingspoint]

They're monsters just like everyone else, sweetheart, and our bodies are very deeply connected to our souls. Once our bodies die, our souls won't last, either.

So dead people sticking around in any form, ghost or otherwise, isn't possible for us.

[deaftly]

Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense.

[As much sense as anything in your world makes, anyway.]

My world's closer to this one, we have ghost stories and shit. But obviously we don't have Ghost-type Pokémon, so it's just... people-ghosts. And they're not real.

[Probably.]

[ratingspoint]

Huh.

[...]

So what...are you, exactly, if you're not a zombie or a ghost?

[deaftly]

A ghoul. We look like humans, but we're way stronger and faster and we've got a kagune that we can use as a weapon. It's uh... a part of our body? Mine's...

[He pauses, trying to think of how to describe it.]

Can I borrow your book? I can draw it.