Care for Some Tea? (Muffet X Reader)

Chapter 4: Enlightenment

You found yourself visiting Muffet more and more often. The two of you were growing quite close. You always had something to do together, be it chatting over tea, playing with Tuffet, or even baking lessons. She had even trusted you with a couple of her secret recipes.

You made your way back to the spider den, eager to spend more time with Muffet. You had put your first meeting with her far behind you. Sure she was still mischievous and unpredictable at times, but she was really sweet under all of that.

"Welcome back, dearie~" Muffet greeted. She was sitting on her web swing, sipping a cup of tea. Her swing lowered until it was hardly above the ground you stood on. "Care for some tea?"

You nodded. Before meeting Muffet, you hadn't been the biggest fan of drinking tea. However, Muffet's tea was unlike any you had ever had. The flavor was indescribably delicious, and even somewhat soothing. You looked forward to it every time it was offered.

You sat on a small clump of web, accepting the teacup and platter Muffet offered you. You eagerly sipped the pleasantly warm beverage.

"So, is everyone still getting along nicely?" She asked, taking another sip while awaiting your answer eagerly.

You nodded. Nothing much was happening. Everyone was the same old same old, really.

Muffet smiled. "You seem to have plenty of friends down here. Perhaps it isn't surprising that you decided to stay."

You gave her a confused look.

"Everyone always seemed so eager to return to the surface...Before you showed up, that is." She looked away, as if she saw something far away. Her voice seemed a little sad. She snapped out of her daze. "Oh, forgive me, dearie. My mind was wandering."

That was the most serious tone you had ever heard from Muffet. You asked if she was okay, genuinely concerned.

She slowly shook her head. "I just never understood the strong desire to return to the surface." She replied simply. "We all live peacefully enough down here. We're all safe and happy."

You took her comment into consideration. She did have a point. You began to wonder yourself. As far as you were concerned, living down here wasn't much different than living up there. Did the other monsters simply want to live amongst humans again?

"I for one would rather not live among many humans." Muffet spat, her tone changing from sad to angry. She took a rather aggressive sip from her cup, pouring more tea afterward.

This was yet another side of Muffet you had never witnessed. You hadn't really noticed such aggression toward humans, even during your first meeting. Suddenly, some of the things she had first said to you began to echo in your head.

"I heard they hate spiders... I heard they love to stomp on them... I heard they like to tear their legs off..."

You felt your heart sink. You began to worry these weren't just rumors she had heard...

There was a long pause between the two of you.

She glanced at you. "Oh dear, I forgot to offer you a spider cookie." She said, breaking the silence. Her tone had lightened significantly all of a sudden.

You shook your head. You were much more concerned about her than your stomach. Even if a spider cookie did sound really good at the moment. You questioned her, even more worried now.

She hesitated a good few moments before responding. "...Spiders don't stay together just because we're a Clan." She finally said, her saddened tone returning. "We stay together to stay safe." She looked away, setting her teacup on its platter and setting both aside.

Your heart sank more. You had never expected to see Muffet so sad. You wanted to help, but you had no idea how.

"We keep to ourselves because that is what everyone else wants. Humans, monsters...Spiders are never the first choice when it comes to socialization." She paused, taking a shaky breath. Was she about to cry? "We have a reputation we did nothing to earn."

Your heart hit the ground, shattering for the poor spider girl and her spider family. You had never considered that even monsters were not fans of spiders. Muffet could quite possibly want friends, but no one gave her a chance until...

A tear escaped Muffet's largest right eye, but she quickly wiped it away. "We believed that things would always be that way. We would only have each other, no matter where we dwelled."

Several spiders had lowered themselves, creating a cloud that looked as if it were about to break into a heavy rain. Tuffet had even made an appearance, occasionally whining as it sensed its owner's sadness and pain.

Muffet held out her hand, one of her spiders crawling onto her hand and down her arm onto her shoulder. It nuzzled her face before looking at you.

Muffet gave you a sad sort of smile. "But, then you came along, (y/n)." She continued. "Despite our first encounter, you came back. And not just once. You continued to return, and you...You gave us a chance that few others have been willing to give."

You looked up at Muffet and her cloud to spiders. They all looked at you gratefully. Not only had you reunited their Clan, but you had become one of their only friends of a different species. Your heart returned to your chest, fluttering a little.

"We are very grateful, dearie. You have helped us much more than you know." She said, getting off of her swing and walking up to you. "We can never repay you for all you have done." She smiled. This smile was the warmest smile you had ever witnessed. Her joy and thankfulness were so genuine, you felt as though you could feel beams of sunlight warming you from the inside out. Your heart fluttered faster and you felt your face growing warm.

Muffet offered you her hand. "You will always be welcome here, (y/n). Consider yourself an honorary spider." She giggled.

All sadness had faded away, replaced with the warm beams of joy radiating from every which way. It seemed as if the entire den was glowing, despite being as dark as normal.

You and Muffet spent the rest of the day baking and playing with Tuffet. You eventually left, still warm and fuzzy inside.

As you walked back home, you were practically soaring. You couldn't remember the last time you felt this full of pure bliss. You probably looked like an idiot walking around in your joyful daze, but you didn't care. Nothing could bring you down at this moment. It wasn't until you got home that you came down enough to start thinking. Your mind began to spin, starting with a single thought before erupting into a massive tilt-a-whirl of ideas and questions. You grabbed your head, trying to gather yourself. You thought of Muffet, and how you had felt today. How you had been starting to feel for a while now.

Were you...falling in love with Muffet? You couldn't be sure. Suddenly exhausted, you flopped onto your bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Despite your confusion and crazy emotions, you are filled with determination.