Work Text
There were few truly neutral places in the city, they were mostly temporary ones that were agreed upon by gangs or factions for negotiations or whatever else they did. One of the constant neutral zones in the city was a cozy cafe on the fringes of the fondly nicknamed Badlands and the well to do neighborhood of the more law abiding citizens. Two of the more distinctively categorized areas. And let me tell you that being one of the few neutral places in my city could be alot like babysitting toddlers with anger issues and weapons.
"Hay! No line cutting, even if you are head of the Backstreet Boys." I reprimanded the lanky teenager who had been trying to shove his way to the front of the line for coffee.
"That name was just a joke," He whined sullenly and I snorted and handed a customer their latte. "You know the gang is called Southside Snakes now."
"But don't you guys operate on the Eastside?" A girl from one of the actual Southside groups asked with a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised. I really needed to ask how she got them so sharp.
"Well... Yeah. But nothing went well with Eastside." There was a faint blush to the young boy's cheeks as he admitted it and I laughed.
"Eastside Elephants." I suggested innocently and he glared at me while the Southside girl laughed.
"Eastside Egotists." She mused and I finger gunned at her before turning around to grab extra napkins and a handful of sugar sachets for the notoriously messy Baxter who had ordered a black coffee with no sugar because he was trying out a new tough guy aesthetic again.
"When are you going to go back to the butterscotch and cinnamon caramel frappucinos, Bax?" I asked teasingly while handing him the black coffee and wad of napkins with sugar hidden in them. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
"Eh, probably tomorrow. I kinda miss my sweet start to the mornings." I handed him his change which he promptly put in the tip jar.
"Aren't I sweet enough for you?" He rolled his eyes at that and I laughed and turned to the next customer with a smile. "So what'll it be for the head of the Eastside Egg thieves?" His fading blush flared as he glared petulantly at me.
"We robbed that egg truck one time! And that was because of bad info." The Southside girl let out a barking laugh but resolutely kept staring at her phone.
All in all it was a pretty regular day in a chaotic life, the switchblade stayed sheathed and tucked into my pocket and the gun sat under the counter. And then the afternoon came and the day was fucked.It started at 2 in the afternoon, the lunch rush had hit and most of the tables were full. The waiters scurried from customer to kitchen, ferrying plates and drinks. I flitted from the counter to helping out at tables when things became too busy for the stressed out waiters. There was a constant buzz of noise and the feeling of someone brushing at your sides whenever you moved around. It was invigorating and exhausting to feel the presence of so many people.
The door opened and the bell rang and I turned to greet the newcomer only for the words to stick in my throat.
There was a punk ass looking mermaid in my doorway. Before I could fully take in her appearance she was shoved forward from behind and then there was a skeleton in my doorway. The two of them towered above most of the people in the cafe and their presence was even more overwhelming. Slowly the noise and bustle in the cafe died down as every person stared at the two new arrivals.
"Greetings Humans!" The skeleton spoke in a booming voice and I blinked slowly. The skeleton... spoke.
"Heya! We saw the sign for the puzzle contest and we're here to kick your asses." The mermaid announced and I waved to the waiters to carry on service.
"That's on Tuesdays." I wiped my hands on the cloth I kept tucked in my back pocket. "Do you ah... Um-" My awkward fumbling was interrupted by the uneasy mutterings spreading across the patrons.
There was a very distinct 'shink' sound of a switchblade and several people stood up behind me and took heavy steps forward.
At the same time as I started to warn them about the no weapons rule the mermaid lady pulled a glowing blue spear out of nowhere and pulled back her arm to ready a throw. I stepped forward to then warn her about the no weapons rule. The bell rang again and the packed cafe instantly got hotter.
"Aha, Grillby-" was all the tall skeleton managed to say to the well dressed figure made of actual fire. Everything after that seemed like some choreographed scene from a movie, the sudden spike of heat from Grillby's arrival triggered the fire alarm and set off the the sprinklers. The surprising shrill noise started several people into drawing various weapons and the water falling from above caused the flame guy to turn bright blue as his fire flared dangerously close to the blinds, scorching them black.
There were several yells and screams and alot of people scrabbling to reach the door or hide from the sudden waterworks. The gunshot was deafening and started a sporadic chain of shots. I dove to the floor just in time to avoid the spear that was thrown across the room. I cursed liberally while crawling back to behind the counter. Staying close to the counter I leveraged myself up and grabbed the two cans of pepper spray that always had a place on hand.
"It's closing time assholes!" I yelled above the din and proceeded to spray both cans into the rowdy crowd. The effect was immediate, a cacophony of coughing started and people started to shove their way to the door. The strange newcomers were swept out of the cafe and in minutes everyone except myself was outside and scattering. I dashed to lock the doors and lock up the cash register for the day before quickly going up the stairs in the back and into my apartment above. I opened the windows and hopped into the shower, hoping the water would wash away the pungent smell.
Hours later, after several showers and dousing myself in deodorants and essential oils there was only a vague trace of pepper spray left. I crashed in front of the TV and flicked through the channels, avoiding the news broadcasts about the monsters returning to the surface, not really wanting a reminder of the mess I was ignoring downstairs.
I sighed sleepily and grabbed the blanket draped over the back of my couch and wrapped myself in it, too lazy to move to bed and not wanting to feel alone in a quiet room. I fell asleep with late night cartoons playing softly to drown out the quiet. My alarm went off at 7, my neck was stiff and sore from sleeping at a weird angle and my nose still burned from the pepper spray. I made a noise of general distaste and stumbled into a vague morning routine. Once showered and dressed I stomped down the stairs and into the wreck of a cafe.
I stared blankly at the carnage around me. There were new bullet holes in the wall, along with a still glowing spear embedded in the wall behind the counter. There were still puddles on the floor and scorch marks on the blinds and floor where Grillby, the human/monster torch had stood. I sighed and started with pulling the spear out of the wall and setting it down in the counter, still not quite sure what to do with it but knowing that I sure as hell wanted to keep it. As I puttered around the cafe, righting tables and chairs and rearranging a few pictures and pride flags to cover the less cool looking damage to the walls, I started to make one of my more diabetes inducing frappucinos and snagged a donut or three from the baked goods.
It was two hours later and all that I'd accomplished was rearranging all of my paraphernalia to hide the damage which summed up my life quite nicely. I'd shoved a few batches of biscuits and snacks in the oven so that the wonderful smell would mask the leftover pepper spray and so that I'd get to eat them later. I was sitting on top of a table and surveying the chaos when there was a very loud banging at the door. "Closed!" I yelled and slurped at my drink. The knocks only grew louder in response and this time I could make out voices.
"Read the sign! We're closed and still have half a can of mace!"
The knocking carried on and the voices yelled. My eyebrow twitched and I leapt off of the table and grabbed my new spear on my way to the door.
"You sound like somebody who's tired of wearing their organs on the inside." I snarled and ripped the door open with a scowl only to be face to face with the tall skeleton from the previous day.
"I don't have organs!" He informed me proudly and I felt my grumpiness recede slightly but still tapped the spear on the floor in what I hoped was a threatening manner.
"Yeah well, I'll have to get a more specific threat for you then. Wouldn't want you to feel excluded or discriminated against."
"That's very kind of you, Human." He said genuinely and I nodded awkwardly.
"So uh, the cafe is still closed even if we've had this meaningful conversation." I reminded him before noticing the group of monsters gathered behind him. I arched an eyebrow curiously at the group.
"Actually that's why we're here. We kinda wrecked your place yesterday and we wanted to come by and help clean it up." The punk mermaid said with a grin and waved at me. I waved back automatically.
"That's very kind of you but..." I glanced into the still messy cafe and then back at the eager and apologetic group of monsters. "That would actually be great." I said with a grateful smile. I stepped aside and let the group come inside.
"I'm Y/N, I own this place. It's nice to meet you guys in a more peaceful setting." I introduced myself while kicking a splintered piece of wood under a table in a very non discreet way.
"The pleasure is all ours, Hu- Y/N. This is Undyne, former head of the royal guard and Grillby, the owner of Grillby's." I watched the skeleton with much amusement as he seemed to puff up and hold himself up even higher. "And I, am the Great Papyrus!"
"I like your names. I'm guessing you guys are new in the neighborhood?" I asked while watching Grillby carefully enter the doorway, his flames seemed to burn much lower than previously. It was a clear attempt to not cause more damage and it made me smile at him.
"Yeah, We just moved into a huge house down the road from here. It's pretty awesome." Undyne explained.
"That place has been empty for ages, have you guys explored the area much?" I asked while we all started to clean up.
"We moved in yesterday and started exploring immediately. This place was actually the first spot we found and then that awesome stuff went down and Toriel found us because of the noise and dragged us back home." Undyne answered in a grumbling tone and I laughed.
The next few hours flew by, I found myself smiling more often than not while working with them. By the time noon rolled around the cafe was almost back to it's old self with a few more marks and memories to add to it's existing ones. I looked around feeling rather proud of what we accomplished together even if it had been tiring.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Undyne tilt her chin upwards to sniff the freshly baked biscuits. I smiled and stretched to loosen the aches in my back.
"You guys never did get to try any food yesterday, why don't I make us lunch?" I offered, feeling nervous. The three looked at each other and communicated in varying shrugs. Papyrus turned to me with a smile, how was he smiling?
"Do you have spaghetti?" His eyesockets widened as he asked hopefully and I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Not today but I do have cookies and some quiches fresh from the oven?" I offered and Undyne bashed into Papyrus's side in a friendly and violent way to join the conversation.
"That sounds great!" She half yelled and Grillby nodded in agreement from where he stood carefully out of range of flammable things.
"Cool, you guys can come sit at the counter and I'll bring some food out." I said while smiling reassuringly at Grillby before going to the kitchen and grabbing a few foods from the cooling rack and put them on a plate. "Want something to drink?"
There were assenting noises mumbled around mouthfuls of quiche from Papyrus and Undyne and Grillby shook his head curtly.
"Hot or cold?" I asked while grabbing ingredients from the shelf.
"Hot!" Undyne answered firmly and Papyrus nodded along.
"And sweet or bitter?" I added as I switched on the machine.
"Sweet."
"Do you have anything salty?" Papyrus asked and I felt myself melt a little at his hopefulness.
"Yup. You sure you don't want anything, Grillby?" I glanced at the reserved fire guy and he shook his head again.
"Alright then, one butterscotch latte for Undyne and a salted caramel for Papyrus." I said and placed the cups in front of the excited monsters.
It wasn't long before the food was gone and the cups were empty and being used as goals for balled up paper napkins. So far Grillby and I were on an equally dismal score of one because he tended to burn his paper balls and I was a lousy shot.
Undyne and Papyrus on the other hand were neck and neck and very competitive about who would win. I glanced out the window and was surprised to see the sun was setting.
"You guys should be getting home soon." I commented with a half stifled yawn and rested my chin on my hand. There was a yell of triumph from Undyne as she apparently won the impromptu game and Papyrus seemed to sulk in his seat.
"Oh, we shall return tomorrow then!" The skeleton perked up at the thought and I internally died at how adorable he was.
"I think I'll be closed tomorrow as well, the waiters I had weren't the most tenacious bunch. The whole guns and spears and fire thing seemed to have scared them off for good. So until I hire more waiters I don't really feel like opening." I fidgeted with a napkin, tearing off little pieces and feeling a little self conscious under their gazes.
"I could help." An unfamiliar voice spoke and I looked up at Grillby in surprise.
"Wha-"
"It would help me feel better about the damage I did to your cafe." He cut me off quickly in a soft but clear voice. There was something soothing about it, I had a feeling that if I listened to it for long I'd be hypnotized like when one stared into a fire for too long.
Grillby was facing me, the flames where his cheeks would be were a brighter red than before. He was actually requesting to let him help. There was something so genuine about these monsters, maybe it was how they offered the truest parts of themselves without hesitation or how in the space of a day they had become my friends. I knew that I wanted to keep them around, to get to know them and show them the same honesty they had so readily shown me.
I beamed at Grillby and was pleased to see him redden further.
"I'd like that very much." I told him while grabbing a napkin and writing something down. "Do you guys have phones?"
"Of course, how else would I maintain such a large online following!" Papyrus preened and I snorted.
"Here's my number, if you guys ever want someone to show you around or just hang out with then text me." I slid the crumpled paper over to Undyne who was the closest to me. Not able to resist letting my eyes linger on her intricate scales as she took the napkin. The subtle iridescent sheen to her scales was mesmerizing. I glanced up to see her sharp teeth bared in an amused smirk and quickly looked away and cleared my throat.
"Anyway! Message me when you get home safe." I mumbled in a rush while herding them to the door and trying to hide my burning cheeks. Undyne punched me on the arm as she walked out and Papyrus patted my head fondly. Grillby still seemed hesitant and gave me a decisive nod. I definitely needed what he was comfortable with contact wise if he was gonna work at the cafe. And besides, I wanted to be his friend. I watched the three of them walk side by side on the paving, Grillby's flames bright enough to let me follow their progress until the end of the street even as darkness fell.
I turned back inside and cleared up the few dishes from the lunch before locking up and heading upstairs.
I wriggled out of my clothes and happily threw on pajamas before climbing into bed and dragging my laptop towards me. I put on a background show that only needed 20% concentration to follow the plot and got comfortable under my blanket, huffing and smacking pillows to make them comfier.
It wasn't long before my phone buzzed with a message.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You have been added to Cool Dudes/Cooks/WeebzTheGreatPapyrus: WE HAVE ARRIVED SAFELY AT OUR HOME. ActualRoyalGuard: Yeah and I didn't feel like sending everyone ur number so I just added u to the groupTheGreatPapyrus: THAT IS EXCEPTIONALLY LAZY OF YOU, UNDYNE. IN FACT, IT IS SOMETHING I'D EXPECT FROM MY BROTHER.ActualRoyalGuard: Dude ur the one that never turns off all caps. That's pretty lazy man TheGreatPapyrus: I WISH TO EFFECTIVELY CONVEY MY ENTHUSIASM. Grillbz: So it has nothing to do with the spaghetti that you dropped your phone in?TheGreatPapyrus: NO... THE BUTTON FOR CAPITALIZATION IS MOST DEFINITELY WORKING. THIS IS INTENTIONAL.You: So I guess you could say that your caps button... pasta-way... ActualRoyalGuard: ...Grillbz: ...TheGreatPapyrus: ...You: I came here for a good time, not a long time. TheGreatPapyrus: I BELIEVED IN YOU. You: Tragic. Grillbz: RipActualRoyalGuard: u will be missedTheGreatPapyrus: I HOPE THAT SANS DOES NOT WAKE UP AND READ THE GROUPCHAT. HE CAN SOMEHOW SENSE AWFUL PUNS. ActualRoyalGuard: Yeah, it's like his superpowerGrillbz: I thought his superpower was the skulls that blasted you to dust?? ActualRoyalGuard: True but that's not as impressive as sensing bad puns in the area around him You: Wait, this is an actual gc with other people on it. You: And the first thing I said on it was a pun. You: That was my introduction. Grillbz: It shows that you're really one of us
already. You: Welp.
You still wanna work for me, Grillby? Grillbz: Yes. Though Papyrus may sue you if you keep up a similar calibre of humour.You: I have a feeling that Papyrus would sell out
for a small helping of pasta. TheGreatPapyrus: YOU ARE NOT WRONG.You: @Grillbz Come by at around 9 and I'll help you get used to the way things work before I open up properly. You: @everyoneelseinthegroupchat I am so sorry, please take out your anger on these three. They deserve it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The day was already shaping up to be sunny and warm with barely a hint of wind. I watched in light and loose clothing from my spot at a table outside the cafe as people in suits and formal clothing puffed and sweated as they rushed to work. A few of them frowned or sighed upon seeing my cafe closed as they passed, it was oddly satisfying. Down the street I could see the air shimmer and bend like it did on the hottest summer days. But despite the warmth it was definitely not hot enough to do that.
Ah, I thought with a smile as Grillby came into view. He cut a striking figure in the ordinary crowd on an ordinary street. His body suiting the sharp lines of his crisp white shirt and waistcoat and the tips of his flames seeming like charmingly untameable hair. "Morning." I greeted with a lazy wave as he drew closer.
"Hello again." Lord, I hadn't imagined that smooth timbre to his voice.
"Would you like to talk inside or out here?" I asked and he took in my legs propped comfortably on another chair and then cast a guilty look at my slightly singed doorway. I snorted in a way that could be considered rude but was just so automatic at this point that I didn't stifle it. "Out here." Grillby declared firmly and I nodded at him to sit across from me.
"So I guess I should ask about your qualifications." I mused while absently noting how he smoothed out his waistcoat. "The work can get pretty hectic here, not to mention all the chaos that goes down. If you'd like to work here, even for a short time, I'd need to be sure that you could handle it." "I owned and ran my own restaurant for several years, singlehandedly I should say. I live with Undyne and Papyrus along with the rest of our... family. You've seen just the two of them together, that was them on good behavior." There was a definite note of fondness and exasperation in his voice as he talked about the two of them. "So not only did you run a restaurant on your own, but you wrangle Papyrus and Undyne on a daily basis?" I had to admit I was genuinely impressed by both things. "The resume is looking great already. But this is where things get tricky."
I leaned forward and looked at him seriously.
"I have a very strict policy about discrimination. Whether it's based on race, sexuality, gender or background. If you've got any biases towards any people then I'm afraid that you won't cut it at my cafe. There's already enough negativity in the city and this place is one of the few peaceful zones, you leave everything out here when you come inside." He didn't scramble to reassure me that he was not biased based on any of these things as most people did when I asked them. He sat back in his seat and considered me, his chin cocked at an inquisitive angle. There was definitely something intense about being stared at by a being made out of fire. By staring long enough I could make out the suggestion of human features. There was a certain slant that made one think of high cheekbones and the almost white pinpricks of fire behind his glasses were focused on me. "Why does it matter to you?" Grillby posed the question in an even voice, if I didn't want to answer then I didn't have to. I took a breath and leaned back in my chair, taking a moment to gather the right words.
"Before I owned the cafe I used to work as a bartender. I jumped around from place to place before finding one that I got really attached to." I told him while smiling fondly.
"It was a bar called The Reef, a gay bar. Our town wasn't the most accepting at the time, there was no outright discrimination but there was the type of 'thousand cuts' homophobia. So you'd feel oppressed, isolated and reviled but you wouldn't know it until you were bleeding out." I took a sip of my coffee to calm the outrage and shame that always reared its head when I thought of these things.
Grillby's leg brushed against mine, it was an almost too warm sensation. It matched the heat in my cheeks when I looked at him in a surprise and he nodded at me reassuringly."There was this one kid who came every Tuesday, he wasn't old enough to drink and he never asked for alcohol so I let him stay. He was a really sweet kid, the type of person you wanted to protect and make happy. He had this smile, lit up that bar even during those dreary Tuesdays." Grillby's face shifted where his eyebrows could be and the set of his jaw changed as he frowned but my gaze was set at a point above his shoulder. "From what he told me I figured that he was targeted by some really bad or ignorant people. They made him ashamed and angry at himself, after a few months he wasn't the same sweet boy I met. He started to ask for drinks. I said no everytime and he'd argue with me, screaming matches that usually ended with him leaving in a huff. Once he smashed a glass and it cut my arm. "
I showed Grillby the faded scar that marked the outer side of my forearm.
"He actually cried a little when he saw that he hurt me." I said in a quiet voice while running my thumb over the scar. "But I always let him get away with it. Maybe if I'd been sterner or worked more shifts so that he'd been with me and not alone, then..."
I trailed off and tried to swallow the ache in my throat.
"Take your time." Grillby's calm voice was a reminder to breathe and not cling so tightly to the sharp sensation stabbing at my ribcage.
"One night he came in, with that smile looking a little worse for wear but fuck he was smiling for the first time in ages. He spoke to me like he used to. He made jokes and laughed and ate. It was like a miracle. Seeing this kid, my kid, smiling and lighting up my Tuesday." I couldn't help the sad smile that pulled at my lips as I remembered how he'd grinned and waved goodbye.
"That was the last Tuesday I saw him." There was a heavy silence before I met his gaze.
"They found his body a day or so after. I still don't know if someone else killed him or if he did it himself."
"You blame yourself for his death." He stated it more than he asked and I shrugged.
"Yeah... After that I paid more attention to my city, found out that kids and adults were suffering all over town. Gangs had no place to go to just be regular humans who didn't shoot everything, anyone in the LGBT community had nowhere safe to be themselves and not be expected to put out straight away. There was no support structure in my town." "So I made one." I finished proudly. I then tapped the table with an awkward flourish and ruined the moment.
Grillby snorted and reached out to pat my hand. He should have burned me, and it should have hurt. Instead the brief and brilliant feeling of his hand over mine was warm and comforting enough to soften the sharp edges of years old grief. "I would like to be a part of it." Grillby murmured. I squeezed his hand and smiled at him.
"I'd like that very much."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Grillby nearly burning down my cafe and then feeling indebted enough to sign on as a waiter was probably the best thing that happened to the establishment, and myself if I was being honest.
He was pleasant and warm to all customers, raking in tips that he tried to put in the register when I wasn't fighting tooth and nail to get him to keep them.
He helped me to be a better owner and manager, teaching me ways to streamline costs and organize everything better.
During a particularly busy lunch rush, when the stove had finally died for good, Grillby had stepped in and started cooking every meal with fire magic. Which had drawn in an even bigger crowd and even more tips.
My cafe was running better than it had in years because of him. My favorite part about him working at the cafe though?
Every Tuesday he stayed an hour after closing, and we just... Existed together.
We talked sometimes, but mostly we just sat in companionable silence. When it was just the two of us he liked to use his magic to create tiny figures made of fire. He could make a multitude of things, I often challenged him in requesting extremely odd and specific things. He usually delivered. He preferred to stick to reality though. Creating tiny versions of our friends that imitated them and their habits. Tiny Undyne and Papyrus would adventure across the counter, Grillby miniature would tag along and facepalm at their antics. There were other figures I didn't recognize yet but I wasn't worried. There would be time to meet them too.
Grillby also made a mini me. Mini me mostly snoozed on Grillby's shoulder or endured my curious prodding with very little grace. So it was very true to life. These quiet moments on Tuesdays became something to look forward to during the weeks. And in these quiet moments I started to grow more fond of the enigmatic fire mage than I should have been.
If I was a romantic then I might have said I was starting to fall in love with him. But I was not a romantic, so it was a crush. "We're closing up in ten minutes everyone!" I yelled above the quiet din in the cafe as I flipped the open sign to closed and started wiping down the counters and kitchen.
"Hay do you guys wanna stay for a drink or something?" I asked Grillby as we worked around each other, automatically moving and syncing with each other.
"Regrettably I've got other plans for tonight." He said in a low tone as the tips of his flames flickered. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him, his flames only flickered when he was feeling off balance or conflicted about something.
"You okay, Grill?" I asked quietly and he nodded. I decided it was best to let the matter drop and turned to look at Undyne and Papyrus. The two dorks were already at their usual seats at our table and were clearly waiting for closing time. "Ironically the chances of my cafe catching fire tonight have gone up since Grillby won't be joining us." I teased the two warriors and laughed when the two of them slammed the table and yelled in agreement. I fell into a squashy armchair alongside Undyne and watched Grillby as he buttoned up his waistcoat and adjusted his bowtie before leaving the cafe with a wave over his shoulder.
"Yikes. Is he okay?" I asked the other two and shifted my chair closer to them.
"Yeah, he's just distracted because he's going to go see his mistress." Undyne said with a grin and Papyrus furrowed his brows in confusion.
"What is a mistress?"
"It's a term for a sexual partner who you're not dating or married to." I explained casually while propping my feet up on Undyne's lap.
"Oh." The skeleton replied in that adorable flustered way of his. "Thank you."
"So who's his mistress? And more importantly, who's his partner?" I inquired nosily and with absolutely no ulterior motives. I was definitely not trying to find out if he was single. Definitely not. "He and Muffet have an arrangement of sorts." Papyrus explained as he pulled a deck of cards from his armour. "Truthfully I am not sure what that arrangement is." He added in a sheepish tone and I snorted.
I could see Undyne smirking at me from the corner of my eye as Papyrus dealt out cards.
"What?" I grunted at her.
"You don't wanna know who his partner is?"
"Who Grillby dates is none of my business." I answered blithely and put down a card on the table to start the game. Trying to ignore Undyne's smug face and the fact that I'd been asking about the topic just a minute earlier.
"That's kinda funny." She said in that shit stirring tone and shot a glance at Papyrus, who somehow winked in reply.
"Why is that ?" I sighed tiredly and put another card down only for it to vanish the instant it touched the deck. I blinked slowly before Undyne's voice drew my attention again.
"Because we think that you and Grillby are a thing." If I had been younger I might have let out a slight squeak. It would have been cute and sweet.
Alas I was a grown-up. So I snorted hard enough to hurt my throat. "That's very funny, Undyne. Make fun of my crush on Grillby, why don't you." I huffed and tried to will away the heat in my face.
There was a quiet; "Shit" from Undyne that made me look at the other two. Undyne's sharp teeth were bared in a terrifying smirk and Papyrus's perpetually superior expression was even more smug.
I groaned and held my cards up to my face to help ignore them.
"I told you they were crushing on Grillby!" Undyne barked at our friend who tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Perhaps I should also set fire to something and work here too." He mused and I groaned again.
"I just outed myself, didn't I?"
"Yup." They crowed in unison and then slammed their own cards simultaneously on the deck. I did not get a fright from it. After a few turns of whatever... Game we were playing I smoothly brought the topic up again.
"So do you think he likes me back or..." I trailed off awkwardly.
"Gonna be honest with you, I can't tell." She replied nonchalantly. "I never really went to his diner much and I didn't see him around. It's weird when you think that only since we came up top that we got to know Grillby better."
"Adversity and being a minority tends to unite people more." I shrugged.
Undyne hummed in agreement but Papyrus paused to look at me critically for a moment.
"Have you found that to hold true for you?" He asked in a quieter voice than usual.
"I... Not always, I guess. Humans tend to be rather nasty. Even to people who they can identify with. What was it like underground?" It wasn't often that I directly asked about their previous home. They had left it behind so readily for a reason, and it was probably one they didn't want to discuss with the human descendant of those who put them there in the first place. "There was a royal guard for a reason." Papyrus said in a regretful voice. "After coming to the surface, I can see that we were fortunate in how things went. Based on the time we've been here I'd say that monsters aren't quite as violent as humans." He concluded in a matter of fact tone and I nodded and didn't bring up the hard set to Undyne's expression. "Do you guys have any er... Courting rituals?" I asked tentatively and immediately felt regret as I saw Papyrus perk up far too quickly. He reached into his armour, how much was in there? And pulled out a battered book as Undyne groaned.
"Dude! I told you to throw that manual away!" She moaned and Papyrus sniffed haughtily at her.
"This dating manual was how I got my first ever date with Frisk." He retorted and Undyne groaned again. Wasn't Frisk the child that had freed the monsters?... "Step one!" Papyrus cleared his throat of... Nothing. "Push your partner against the wall and..." He stopped suddenly and his cheekbones glowed bright orange for a moment.
"That's step eleven, Papyrus." Undyne commented while looking far more interestedly at the dating manual. The skeleton squawked when Undyne pulled the book closer to her and started flipping further.
"Oooh, there's some mentions of teeth here." She crowed with delight and I let out a bark of a laugh. I leaned closer to her and peered at the book with a tad more interest too.
It wasn't long before the relatively quiet evening devolved into a rowdy card game that I still had no idea how to play while Undyne occasionally read something... Titillating. By the time night had truly fallen the other two were on their way home and I was stretched out on my bed with my phone in hand. I thought about my new friends while climbing under a blanket and getting comfy. They were so bold and unapologetic about themselves and their feelings. Even Grillby, who was more conservative than them, was an open book most of the time. Even as I asked myself if it was worth risking my friendship with Grillby I was already messaging him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You: Hay Flame Boi. Grillby: Hello Non-flame Boi You: Wow, inventive Grillby: About as inventive as Flame Boi. You: Touché You: So I'd just like to say something. Grillby: You usually do. You: I came here to have a bonding moment, and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now. Grillby: Is this an official bonding moment or can I make sure that Sans hasn't fed Frisk only ketchup for the whole day? You: This is an official bonding moment but go make sure the young one is fed actual food.You: Who only eats ketchup??? That's just nasty.Grillby: Sans. Grillby: It's a source of contention in the house. You: He should at least eat tomatoes instead. That's a vegetable and is the basic component of ketchup besides the sugar and copious amounts of additives. Grillby: He eats hot dogs. Or hot dawgs as he calls them. You: This is a skeleton like Pap right? Grillby: Yup. You: No fucking wonder. Grillby: Don't make me laugh while I'm making food for Frisk. I just charred their noodles. You: Tell them it adds flavour. Grillby: Is that what you tell your customers? You: I will spray you with a hose. Grillby: You couldn't put out this fire. You: You're right. You're too hot ;) Grillby: You're not wrong. Grillby: Frisk has been fed. Grillby: What did you want to tell me? You: Oh yeah. You: So since you started working at my cafe we've gotten pretty close. Grillby: I'd like to think so too. You: I like who you are. Grillby: I like who you are too. You: I mean I want to kiss you type of liking. You deleted this message You: Glad to hear it. You: Goodnight Grillby. 'You yellow bellied coward', was my last thought before turning into the pillows with more violence than needed and going to sleep with a sense of anxiety.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I needed milk for coffee and red liquorice because I liked red liquorice. This was a desperate need at 10 at night. So there I was in the dairy aisle, with several packets of liquorice in my basket and my phone in hand as I texted Papyrus a picture of milk with the caption; "Bones." I let out a small laugh at my own terrible joke and grabbed a carton of milk off the shelf. "So you're the human." I paused in my texting and looked up. My first reaction was a vague sense of terror that I ignored in favour of being polite. "I'm one of many," I quipped and slipped my phone into my pocket. "Not to him. To Grillby you're the only one." She was a spider. A huge ass spider with the eyes and legs and clear hatred for humanity. She had three separate trolleys that she was pushing around. I could see one was filled to the brim with flour and sugar. "You know Grillby ?" I perked up at the mention of him and she let out a layered laugh. "Oh, I've known him since he tried to burn my house down." "Wait what.""Why that must have been some years ago now," she mused to herself as she picked up boxes of milk and dropped them into one of her trolleys. "He tried to burn down my cafe and my house," I told her and she squinted... too many eyes at me. "He must really like you then," she declared. I felt obligated to buy the spider lady a cup of coffee for saying that. "Muffet?" She nodded and somehow sipped at her cup of hot chocolate. "So how do you know who I am?" I asked with a reasonable dose of suspicion. Muffet shrugged several shoulders. "My friend has taken quite a liking to you. He's described your smile so often I recognised it the minute I saw you." She smiled. "Also I scrolled through your entire Instagram profile when he told me about you." That's how you knew people were best friends. Cyber stalking crushes was a requirement. Wait... Crushes... Play it cool, be subtle about this. "Did he say he likes me?" I blurted out like a tactless fool. "He did. He spent two hours talking about you when he came over earlier." Her voice was fond and very amused, like she couldn't wait to tease him about this. I wanted to do something dumb and dramatic. I wanted to commit arson or kiss someone. And there was someone who was perfect for both of those. "I have to go. It was lovely meeting you and thanks!" I grabbed my ice coffee and shopping packet before jumping to my feet and waving maniacally at Muffet as I ran out of the store. I pulled out my phone to message Grillby as I jogged along the sidewalk while keeping an eye out for any danger as I made my way past the cafe and headed for the house down the block that was still lit up and echoing noise in the quiet night. I stumbled into the doorway, panting and cursing my love for baked goods. It wasn't even a minute before the front door was opened and warm light spilled onto their porch like Sunday afternoon sunlight had a home and it was with the angel that opened the door and ushered me inside. She closed the door and gently herded me further into the hallway, fussing over the cold and my complete disregard for it. "Did you run here, my dear?" She didn't really ask but she did sound concerned so I smiled reassuringly but didn't speak because I still had a stitch in my side. "Ah, Grillby, I think your friend needs some water." I shook my half empty cup of ice coffee and huffed. "I just need... a minute." It was unnerving having a monster mom in her dressing gown and a fire mage in his PJs watching you as you got your breath back. "Sorry, Toriel right? It's great to finally meet you," she pulled me into the most calming hug I'd ever been dragged into. "would it be okay if I talked to Grillby for a few minutes? I know it's late-" "Have fun!" Toriel wished as she already headed up the stairs and passed Grillby on her way up. "Hey," I greeted softly and stopped at the foot of the staircase. "Hi," he said in a way that said alot more than hi. I smiled up at him and saw his eyes crease as he returned the smile. "I wanted to tell you something earlier," I murmured as he tilted his head and grasped my wrist in a loose grip."Tell me now," he said with a hum as he tugged me onto the same step as him. He was so warm, hot like a summer night where you leave windows open and the blankets in a rumpled heap on the floor. He was the heat beneath your skin, and the sheen of sweat on it. He was unbearable and yet so much better than the easy isolation I'd stayed in before. I kissed him. Even after I closed my eyes the roiling and writhing colours of his flames danced in my vision. Warm orange as I slipped my arms around his waist and flickering yellow as his hand cupped my jaw. I pulled back slowly, a smile already on my face as I looked up at him like a dork. "I think you're pretty neat," I confessed. "I think you're pretty neat too," he laughed and lead me up the stairs. "You can stay here if you'd like, it's late." It was an easy choice; run home in the dark or follow the hot fire man to his bedroom and tease him about his pyjamas. "So you sleep in a One Direction T shirt." I said slyly."They'll get back together," he mumbled defensively and I laughed and twined our fingers together. He really was pretty neat.