aefenglom | video; un: METTATON

Entry tags:

video; un: METTATON

Name: Mettaton
Date: 02/20
Format: video
Warnings: mention of death (he's better now!), talk of the recent event (Cwyld, kidnappings)

[Propped up against a plain pillow in the Coven's infirmary is Mettaton. His manner is languid, slow, and his rabbit ears are in such poor shape that they no longer stand anymore, sore-ridden and flopped over. Cradled against his shoulder and chest is a man's head, dark haired with a shock of white at his bangs, fast asleep.

Ears aside, his hair... is perfect. He flashes a photogenic smile otherwise interrupted by rabbit-like teeth.]

Hey there, beauties! It's Mettaton again, coming to you live from the... infirmary. [Not very glamorous, suggests his flat tone.] My sincerest apologies to those of you who've encountered me over the past few weeks. I haven't been in my right mind!! And not only that, but I was infected with the Cwyld. It was horrible. Terrible! Disturbing! To clear things up: I don't actually endorse contracting the Cwyld. In fact... Oh my. I died, thanks in part to it.

In the end, I was offed by one of you lovely darlings, before I... Before it got too bad. I was told it was a duo! [Mettaton tilts his head.] If that encounter sounds familiar, get in touch, gorgeous! I want to thank you personally. I promise I don't bite much... Haha.

[The idol pauses heavily, stuck with a smile. This is the more taxing part of his broadcast, and there's a flash of remorse in his gaze. Mettaton is a practiced face, however, so he's able to pull himself together with startling ease despite the overall tone.]

I'm sure many of you know Mikasa Ackerman. It seems... she's departed all too recently. I looked for her. Everywhere. Trust me. [Mettaton sighs; it's clear he's trying to remain composed enough for conversation, but he allows a measure of genuine sorrow to soften his expression.] She's... one of my best friends. She's a remarkable human who never fails to entrance me, no matter how quiet and stoic. She's powerful, protective, and fierce, and you'd know what I meant if you've met her. She's amazing enough to dazzle yours truly!!

...I tried to tell Eren about Mikasa, but I couldn't reach him, either. If anyone knows where... if he's still here, would you be a dear and let me know? He still owes me money!!

[Mettaton smirks playfully, but it fades as he continues.]

Well. Ahem. As some of you may have known, Mikasa and Eren live in a perilous world. It didn't sound... [Mettaton glances aside, disturbed.] I can't help but wonder if she... If they'll be all right.

[A surprisingly thoughtful silence follows, but Mettaton's quick to shake off his reverie with a quiet sigh and a hard blink. He puts his best face forward and continues, addressing more the rest of the Mirrorbound.]

Speaking of perilous... After a week of disappearances, sickness, and kidnapping alike, how are you all doing? Talk to me, darlings. You aren't going this alone!

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[it's a bad thing Gon's gotten used to using the video features of the watch. it's so much easier than typing, but it also means a lot of people get Gon yelling very loudly when he opens up contact, which is exactly what he does when he contacts Mettaton.]

Mettaton!!

[Gon's standing in a hall way, and he's in similar attire to the idol. Gon clutches the sides of the watch, eyes glossing. he knew that Mettaton wasn't himself, and never doubted that... and it's big of him to apologize publicly for that, even though it wasn't his fault. but hearing that Mettaton died is...

distressing. and confusing.]

What room are you in!?

[Wow, Gon's enthusiasm. Mettaton checks at the man laying on his chest to make sure he doesn't wake. He's out like a light.

Second: oh, goodness. Mettaton's not wearing any clothes actually, but he knows what the infirmary gives out. His eye widens, and he blinks, as if doing so would wake him from some dream.]

Gon? Heavens, I—

[Just to be safe, he adjusts the volume. Mettaton proceeds with a smile, but humility softens the edges of his gaze.]

Standing and everything... Are you well enough to be on your feet, gorgeous? [He deliberately doesn't answer for his room, not yet, just to try to help Gon simmer down first.] I have so many questions for you, where to start? Ah...

[He remembers encountering him. He remembers Killua now, more clearly; he remembers feeling aggressively toward him, and remembers still Gon's distress. Surely he pursued him, and surely... this is the result.]

[Gon blinks a little, then his posture becomes a little smaller—not that he isn’t dinky already, but his shoulders drop, his expression softening a little as he straightens up his posture, unclenching his fists. Mettaton is with someone... probably his bonded. who is resting. that’s right. Mettaton isn’t a bad person. and if he’d died, of course there’d be people who were worried about him—wanting to spend time with him, having almost lost him. Gon understands that feeling too deeply for someone his age, probably—having been on both sides of it, though his turn to endure it has only been just recently.

sure, because of Mettaton in part, but that’s not really part of the equation here.]

Of course I am. I’m basically better. I’m more worried about you.

Um, when you’re alone—I don’t wanna bother your friend—but, I’d like to come visit. But! If you have any questions, I’m willing to answer. I know that the Cwyld makes remembering stuff kinda hazy...

How are you feeling?

Don't worry too much about me. I'm all right, darling. I can withstand a lot!

[Despite the way his ears are so neatly tucked out of sight (for they're unsightly), Mettaton looks well enough. He smiles with his teeth; his rabbit-long incisors are pretty long. Longer than usual, perhaps.]

Well. If you wanted to come by and visit, as long as you could keep quiet... [Mettaton brings a furtive finger to his lip in demonstration, smile gentling.] We share this room, you see. The nurses. They don't see me as anything but a possession! The nerve.

I've been better... But tell me. I remember seeing you sometime this month. [It's true; the Cwyld and death befuddle the memory. Mettaton's hand rises to press against his temple, as though his head hurts. (It does not. He's a robot.)] What was... What happened?

Well, I don't doubt that... [Gon trails off with a blink. that's besides the point. just because someone can withstand a lot doesn't mean that they don't suffer. Gon himself is a prime example, but moreso is his Bonded, Killua. but he's lead away by that thought by Mettaton's next words, and it's clear Gon's attention is rapt.]

Don't you like that? I was happy once I was able to be with Killua.

[it doesn't occur to Gon in the moment that, of course, not everyone feels about their Bonded the way Gon does about his. but again, his mind is elsewhere (continuously).]

Ah...

[Gon's expression falls, worrying his lip, expression a little uneasy. he doesn't want to make Mettaton feel........ bad. it's in the past, and it wasn't really Mettaton, per se; just like when Killua would disassociate due to manipulation and commit baseless, callous murder. that isn't Killua at all. it's not his true nature.

but, were he Mettaton... he'd want to know, too. Gon rubs the back of his neck, eyes hesitantly rolling back forward to look at Mettaton through his little screen.]

...I'm not totally sure. You attacked Killua, I guess; I came to him, because I sensed the danger through the Bond. When I got to you, he'd torn off your arm, and I was pretty confused... but Killua told me you were infected. And I could tell it wasn't really you you...

You were hostile, but... you didn't attack me. You recognized me.

Killua was taken, though, by the cult... so I had to go, cuz I knew he was in danger, and I didn't know what to do about you.

I'm sorry.

Oh. If they'd parted us... You're right! I'd just move back in with him. [Mettaton snickers, because he'd absolutely be right back in Emet-Selch's company were they split. If there's any nerve involved, it's simply treating him as an object unworthy of a bed at all. Mettaton would like a bed so that he could decline it and take his Bonded's!

But that's a matter for the past, as Gon veers thoughtful. Mettaton blinks, smile dropping as he gets something of a bad feeling... one that's gradually confirmed.

He begins to nod along in recognition. All of this... Yes, he remembers it with more clarity. It was less the mind control and more the recent death that has his memory muddled. He hums, regarding his own arm—an arm he must have gotten attached. Alphys? Surely, Alphys. (She didn't say anything about it when she came to visit...)]

I... I see. So I was an accessory to his kidnapping. ...

[That was disturbing to consider. Mettaton... knew somehow that the Evergreen Circle was planning to stage a kidnapping. It wasn't something he felt was important to prevent for some reason, and he's not even sure if he actually learned about it at all, or if it was just a Puca sense for some unknown danger. He sighs, gazing down at Emet-Selch.

He knew it was happening because he'd acted upon it in one way only, and that was to prevent his fiancé from being kidnapped by... kidnapping him instead. Turns out this wasn't the only kidnapping he was somehow part of.]

He's right. I was infected... But there was nothing anybody could do to get me cured. [MTT shakes his head no.] I'm glad you found him in the end. Is he alright...?

[He feels guilt. It's the same strange guilt he feels for Emet-Selch's situation, where he can't quite figure out why he'd done that thing in the first place. Such is the power of mind control.]

Um...

[Gon doesn't want to worry Mettaton, but again, he can't be dishonest with him. or most people, really, in most ways.]

He will be. His constitution is crazy! You wouldn't believe some of the stuff he's survived, [Gon says with an earnest lean forward, his eyebrows raising.] He's from a family of assassins! And he was tortured since he was a baby, basically, to build resilience and tolerance... We survived a war together too, kind of, back home.

It's probably gonna be harder for him to get over the feelings of having lost control, and having done something bad. But that'll be okay too.

Killua's always okay [something Gon knows is a lie, but why wouldn't he just gushingly inject the impression that he's indestructible to his peers?], but he'll be especially okay, because I'm here with him!!

So don't worry.

Edited 2021-04-01 02:39 (UTC)

[None of this particularly surprises Mettaton because he knows humans are tenacious. When you live among a race of creatures who could die from hitting them around a little, humans are a formidable, stubborn force to be reckoned with. He nods along, somewhat listening.

Assassins... Tortured since infancy... Wars... Yes. Sounds rough, his nod says. (Give him a moment.)]

I'm sure you'll both be all right in the end, darling. You humans can weather the storm, no matter what elements it surprises you with.

[He smiles warmly. He really does like humanity, and he smiles even wider for Gon's reassurance that he'll stand together.]

And with a cheerleader like you, how could he stay down for long?? But if there's anything I can do for you two, well. I'm bound to be back in action in no time!! Ohhh yes! As a robot.

[He smiles, and it's bright and easy.]

. . . . .

[Mettaton's focus glazes over. His smile drops. His lips part; he raises a pointer finger.]

...Wait. How... How old is—

[Mettaton was just about to ask how old a baby is (to be tortured?????), but not because he doesn't understand babies. He's just suddenly... flabbergasted. He stammers, and his voice is no louder than a mumble when he next speaks.]

So that actually happens to humans... Being treated so horribly...

[The movies and their war-hardened, traumatized human protagonists... are real......]

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video; un: METTATON

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1/2 god, GON

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