Archive of Our Own

Mettaton had a routine when he crossed through the threshold of T.V. Time Studios. His heels echoed loudly, exaggerated by the high warehouse ceilings and the lack of any other sounds in the building. He liked to get in early. The small window of privacy before the crazy hustle of production began was a sacred part of his process. It cleared his mind, and allowed him to focus in on himself and his performance.

The clicking of his heels was like a familiar song. He recognized the melody as he reached his dressing room door, the familiar rattling and turning of his doorknob beginning the chorus. Next was the swishing of his coat as he unfurled it from his shoulders and placed it in its designated place. The sound of heels continued as he paced over to his vanity. As he walked past, he didn’t even have to look as he pressed a bright pink button on his CD player. A mixtape was always queued up the previous night, ready to play his favorite tunes as he got ready. When he reached the vanity, he examined his appearance. He tilted his face to the side to examine his left eyesocket, but his routine was suddenly interrupted.

He saw it in the mirror first. Propped up on the long table behind him was the largest bouquet of roses he had ever seen. He gasped and turned, looking upon the flowers with his own eyes. There was an elaborate arrangement of different colored blooms, each and every one a varying shade of pink. They were bundled together in a sparkling vase encrusted with white jewels, tied together with a large hot pink bow. To anyone else, it would have been gaudy. To Mettaton, it was enchanting.

“What the… “, he breathed out the words as he walked over to the bouquet, gently grasping a petal between his fingers. His eyes caught sight of a small paper card tucked amongst the flowers. He grabbed it, seeing that the note was written in shiny, glittery ink.

“My Darling Mettaton, Will you be my Valentine!?”

“Who…?” , his question was interrupted by a gentle knock. He turned to the doorway. Standing there leaning in the doorframe was Mr. Ant Tenna himself, the silliest smile spread across his screen. His cheeks were already glowing pink with bashfulness, but Mettaton knew the man in front of him had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Do you like them?”, Tenna asked. Despite his cool posture within the doorframe, Metta could tell he was absolutely giddy.

“They’re gorgeous, Ant. Why did you -”

“Because you deserve them”, Tenna answered before he could finish, “And how could I not? It’s our first Valentine’s Day.”

Tenna walked over to his side, placing a hand on his waist and pulling him into a long kiss. Mettaton’s eyes slid closed, savoring the moment and the feeling of Tenna’s lips pressed against his. He clutched the collar of his jacket, willing him to stay there longer.

“Plus”, Tenna hummed as he pulled away to meet his gaze with half-lidded eyes, “my babydoll only gets the best I can give him.”

Mettaton hummed back, which quickly turned into a giggle as Tenna buried his face in his neck.

“Yes I will darling”, Metta said after allowing Tenna to savor his neck for the appropriate amount of time.

“Hmm?”, Tenna pulled himself away from Metta’s neck like it was a struggle, “what was that doll?”

Mettaton laughed. He stood up straight and cleared his throat dramatically.

“Mr. Ant Tenna, I accept your offer. I will be your valentine this year.”

“The offer is good for future years too”, Tenna beamed, placing a quick kiss on his nose.

“I think I could be agreeable to that”, he wrapped his arms around Tenna’s shoulders as high up as he could reach. He stared into his screen, admiring the beautiful grin on his face.

As Tenna leaned down to bring their lips together once again, Metta had a thought cross his mind. Even though his routine had been interrupted, he felt perfectly fine about it. More than fine actually. He wouldn’t mind if the sound of Tenna’s voice was a part of his routine everyday, composing the lyrics to the song of his life.