Chapter Text
Empress Alphys sat on the throne like a toddler sitting in their grandparent’s straight-back chair. She was way too small for the giant thing, but she couldn’t bring herself to relegate it to gathering dust somewhere in storage. It wasn’t that she was fond of the former Queen. No, she hated her. What it was was that Alphys, on some level, didn’t want to get in trouble with the monarch who had barely tolerated her. It was silly and she wished it would go away, but there it was, plain as day.
She went through her days in a daze. She got dressed in her stupid “queenly” robes that made her tail ache and set her dysphoria off every time she looked in a mirror. She ate the food in front of her without tasting it. She left orders for people to read and found herself feeling nothing when she found them in tears. She knew it was just the shock. With so many dead so quickly, how could she be in anything but shock?
What finally woke her up to the fact that the world really was changing and she really was in charge was a pile of dust. It wasn’t the neatest she’d ever seen. Bits and pieces had floated in the building’s breezes, ending up all over the linoleum floor. It floated in the air, no doubt getting into the ventilation system. It clung to trash and treasured objects alike, turning everything into the same dull grey shades that the Capitol was painted in. The worst part about that dust? There was a hypodermic needle and a bottle marked with a skull in the middle of it. Well, maybe that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that Alphys could smell her scent on it. The dust belonged to her Omega, Undyne. Her former Omega now.
Alphys stood up from where she had kneeled next to it to get a better sniff of the dust and turned to her lackeys. She couldn’t afford to let them see tears in her eyes right now. It wasn’t like any of them really knew her. They needed a strong leader. Tears could wait.
Her eyes were like steel when she said to her guards, “Sweep up her dust and put it on the books in the bookcases upstairs. She especially liked the ones with the dog-eared humanoid monsters. I have an urgent task I need to complete. I can handle myself, as you know considering I beat your whole squad in training in the last tournament. I’ll meet you back at the Palace.”
Most of her guards looked nervous. Only one had the courage to question her. “I’m sorry, Empress Alphys, but we need more of an explanation than that. You know we have to have more than that. It’s not that we don’t believe in you, it’s that we have to write it in the logbook.”
Alphys smiled, showing off her gleaming teeth. “Good job, Sergeant.”
The monster frowned slightly in confusion. “Um, your Majesty, I’m only a Corporal. I’m not up for Sergeant until next year.”
Her smile grew. “You had the guts to stand up to me on a point of order despite my rank. That’s the kind of attitude I like to see in my guards. Question authority. Think about the morality and ethics of what you’re doing. Be suspicious. There’s some things in our world that need to change, and I’m going to change them. I want people around me who will tell me if I’m making a mistake, not blindly obey. So, you’ve been promoted!”
She sucked in a breath, letting her smile fade into a serious expression. “As for your request, Dr. Undyne was my Omega for many years. I’m going to be going into rut in a few days, so I need a new Omega. I know who I want. I’m going to get him.”
The guards nodded understandingly, although most of them looked a bit jealous. Everyone knew about an Alpha’s need for an Omega or Beta to help them through their rut. Technically, since she was Empress, she could claim any Omega that she wanted. There was only one other Omega she’d ever been interested in besides Undyne, though. The thing would be to track him down.
It took Alphys a long time to track him down. She was surprised at how weird people seemed to be about him. The rulekeepers tended to act like they hated him or thought he was disgusting, but she could see the pity in most of their eyes. The ones she didn’t see it in she hoped were just thinking of something else. Then there were the rulebreakers. They seemed to feel a mixture of annoyance, frustration, and fear. Interesting. She’d have to deal with that later.
She finally found him on the edge of the slum district. He was leaning against a building, dressed in a red tube top cut with a heart out of the center of the chest, a short black skirt that was too tight on his summoned ecto-body, and a pair of high heels that he should have known better than to wear in these streets. She could see something dripping down his leg.
Alphys growled and stomped over to him. He didn’t notice her until she was right on top of him. He jumped when he saw her and started to shake. She frowned, then realized he was probably afraid about her growling. She stopped and took up a position leaning against the wall next to him, warning off any other monsters who might try to take advantage of (or, stars forbid, pay for) her friend. She would never get used to how much taller she was than him. He was only 3’3”, and she was 4’9”. You would think he was the younger one, but no, she was! It was ridiculous! She had plans for how to handle it. Now she just had to get him to agree.
“Blue, what the fuck do you think you are doing?” She asked conversationally.
If she hadn’t known him as well as she thought she did, she would have thought that he was bored with her. As it was, she knew he was scared. Stars, did she want to know why. She needed to know why. She couldn’t know why Undyne had… had… so she had to know this.
“SINCE STRETCH IS… NO LONGER IN THE SERVICE OF THE QUEEN, I CAN NO LONGER LIVE IN OUR OLD HOUSE. THIS WOULDN’T BE A PROBLEM, EXCEPT… WELL, STRETCH STARTED INSISTING HE CARRY AROUND ALL OF OUR MONEY A FEW WEEKS AGO, SO I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE 1G ON ME WHEN HE…” Blue’s voice faded away to nothing.
Alphys took pity on him. “So you’re out here raising the money to get a new apartment? Why didn’t you just come to me? I said I’d help you if you needed me when we first started training together, didn’t I?”
Blue’s wince was almost invisible, but she saw it. Hmm. When had he been hurt that she hadn’t been able to help him? She vowed to find out. Later.
“YOU’RE THE EMPRESS NOW, ALPHYS. YOU SHOULDN’T BE WASTING YOUR TIME TO HELP A RULEBREAKER LIKE ME. I’VE BROKEN EVERY SINGLE RULE THERE IS AT SOME POINT OR ANOTHER. I’VE BEEN A PROSTITUTE, AND I’M DOING IT AGAIN RIGHT NOW. I’VE GAMBLED WITH OTHER RULEBREAKERS TO GET ACCESS TO FOOD AND HOUSING FOR STRETCH. I’VE TRIED TO DROWN MY WORRIES IN ALCOHOL. I’VE DISOBEYED AUTHORITY ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. I’M VERY SUPERSTITIOUS. I WAS AT FAULT FOR CRIMES AS A VICTIM AND TRIED TO BLAME IT ON OTHERS. I’VE BROKEN CURFEW AS A CHILD. I’VE WHISTLED TO GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION. I’VE LITTERED WHEN I COULDN’T FIND ANY PLACE TO PUT MY TRASH. I’VE BEEN DISRESPECTFUL. THE ONLY ONE I HAVEN’T BROKEN YET IS FALLING DOWN, AND I-”
“Don’t even think about it, Blue. You’re not Falling Down, you’re not selling yourself anymore, and you’re not a waste of my time. I’m taking you back to the Palace with me, and you get to choose why I’m doing it. I’m either bringing you in to be my secretary, because everyone seems to hate my handwriting but you, or I’m taking you back to claim you as my Omega. You pick.”
Alphys watched the hesitation on his face. When she saw him look in the direction of the labs where Undyne had lived she said, “Undyne… isn’t around anymore, Blue. Just like Stretch, only she did it herself.”
That got his attention. He stumbled away from the wall and almost fell over. She caught his arm and stood him up, but he determinedly hugged her. “I’M SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, ALPHYS. I KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO LOSE A D-D-DATEMATE. I KNOW YOUR RUT IS COMING UP SOON. WHY DON’T YOU USE ME TO GET THROUGH IT AND THEN TAKE THE TIME TO PROPERLY COURT SOMEONE YOU REALLY WANT? I DON’T M-”
Alphys scooped him up and pressed him against the wall, staring straight into his eye lights. “Blue. I have never, ever been attracted to anyone but you and Undyne. Ever. If you don’t want me I’ll find a Beta to make do with, but I can’t just fuck you and leave you alone like everyone else in your life has. It’s either a full claim or nothing but friends, understand? Either way I’m going to take care of you so you don’t have to do this anymore. I know you hate selling yourself and getting fucked by people who don’t even bother to pay half the time. I’ll help. Please?”
He struggled feebly, then submitted to her hold. Oh, how she wanted to kiss him, but she refused to do it without his consent. She watched as that sunk into his soul, and then watched the wheels turn in his head. Then he nodded and, blushing, said, “I’ll be your Omega. Please, Alpha, take me home.”