kingofthetvworld | VOICEMAIL (MoM)

[Well, when Teddie answers the comm, the light appears to be on and he doesn't look all that tired. In fact, he looks absolutely delighted. And yet despite all this, he appears to be wearing some pajamas of his own, there must've been an attempt to sleep at some point.]

Woah, hey Maya-chan! I had no idea you stayed up this late. Why didn't you tell me sooner?!

[All this time he was wasting his midnight calls on Kaneda.]

[Maya's brows raise-- he seems wide awake! It looks like she was right.]

Nice jammies, Teddie.

[She giggles, and then--]

Yeah, I stay up a lot... but I usually have to wake up early, so I like taking naps in the afternoon instead.

[The best way to live.]

[At her comment, he can't help but raise one of his arms and admire his own sleepwear. They are nice jammies, aren't they?]

Why thank you~ I like to think I'm a bear who can pull anything off.

[Anything.]

But yeah, I totally get what you mean. ...Well, sorta. I'm always up late, too, but that's only 'cause I never realized how much harder it is to fall asleep without Yosuke around.

Although if I had to guess, that's not the reason why you decided to call your favorite Teddie tonight~ So what's up?

I'm sure you can!

[...No, really, Teddy made a really cute cheerleader. He could. probably pull anything off.]

I just wanted a little company, is all. It gets lonely when you're up late alone, don't you think?

[Not that she's lonely, no.

Boy, you don't have to tell me twice.

[And then, there's a pause. Teddie's usual upbeat attitude is dialed down slightly as something comes to mind, no thanks to any previous conversations he had today. He fidgets, eyes drifting off to the side.]

Actually, Maya-chan, I'm kinda glad you called. There was something I wanted to tell you, but I wasn't really sure how to bring it up. Looks like it's either now or never! Heh...

[Huh.

Teddie's not the type to be serious very often, so when he seems to sober up, Maya pays close attention. She frowns a little-- just a touch-- and nods.]

Hey... whatever you need to talk about, I'm here.

[Because that's what friends do, right?]

[Wow, it really is now or never, isn't it? Hearing her want to listen makes him realize that, yes, this is reality right now and no longer the millions of times he's played this out in his head. Deep breaths, he can do this.]

W-Well... we're suppose to be partners, right? ...So...I figured I oughta be super honest when it comes to...everything if we want to work together. And I don't- I don't wanna trick you or anything, please don't think I was trying to trick you. It's just...really hard to explain, so it's easier to just not bring it up.

But the truth is, I'm not human. I'm...I'm not even a real bear.

[Shocker, he knows.]

[Well, that part wasn't shocking at all. She knows he can't be a regular old bear-- but the way he's talking. Does that mean he's something... Well, dubious?

She tilts her head a little, nodding, listening carefully.]

Okay... Well, I didn't think you were tryin'a trick me anyway. So, don't worry about that.

[But, with just a moment's hesitation, she asks; ]

So what are you?

It's kinda hard to explain to people who've never exbearienced it before, but... I'm gonna try my best here.

[Teddie knows damn well he doesn't have to be afraid to tell her these things, she was so excepting of Papyrus after all, it wouldn't make sense for her to suddenly reject him like that. But then why can't he stop shaking? Doubt is a terrible thing, and yet despite how he's drowning in it, Teddie pushes on.]

...T-Try to think about all the bad thoughts and feelings you ever had, the ones you hide away from everyone else. The ones you...really don't want people to know about yourself. You don't have to tell me about 'em, I'm just saying everybody has them, r-right? So...if those feelings ever just...bundled up together and came to life, what sorta thingy do you think they'd make? It'd be...like a monster, wouldn't it? Mindless, mean, scary monsters that attack humans for no reason.

In my world, those monsters are called Shadows, and they're the only things that live there. ...And I really mean the only things, because... I'm a Shadow, too...

[Maya listens, quiet and careful, and then... frowns.

She gets what he's saying, and he doesn't sound like he's lying, but...]

That... doesn't make sense. You're not bad at all.

[Even if he's made of all those things... Teddie wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

At least, she trusts him not to hurt her.]

You're not mindless. You're sweet.

[Teddie looks back up, a mix of both surprise and relief on his face. It gets him to smile, just a little, it's always nice to hear people reaffirm those things about himself. It's enough to regain his confidence, this conversation doesn't seem nearly as bad to him anymore.]

Trust me, I went through a heck of a lot to figure that stuff out. I dunno why, but for some reason I was just...different.

[Understatement, maybe, but without a better answer, it's all he can give.]

I'm just so used to my friends already knowing, that I never really thought much about explaining it to other people. But...you're my friend, too, and you deserve to know.

...Well, even if you are a monster, you're a pretty good one.

[Yeah... like Papyrus!

She leans closer to the camera and grins, trying to get him back into higher spirits. She's not sure she completely understands, but it doesn't matter if she does or not; whatever's going on is real to Teddie, and... well, she's just gotta let him know that she's here, no matter what.]

You're a pretty good friend, too. Thanks for telling me, Ted.

VOICEMAIL (MoM)

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