"You're kiddin' me, right?" Rus blankly stared at Sans as they stood outside Asgore's two story home in the suburbs.
Sans gave a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders, "C'mon buddy. You've been holed up in your room for three months now. A little socialization could do ya some good."
Rus rolled the glowing orbs inside his sockets, "I guess. Doesn't mean I'm gonna like it."
Sans gave the taller skeleton a small pat on the shoulder as he closed one of his sockets, "Just give it a shot. If it's really not for you, I'll take ya home," he promised.
"Alright," Rus sighed.
Sans grinned and turned toward the door. As it opened, pop music and a dull roar of conversations spilled out the crack. Sans stepped inside and Rus quickly followed after him. He took a moment to glance around the living area. There was a combination of monsters and humans chit chatting, getting drinks, dancing, laughing. Rus could feel his ribcage tighten as discomfort creeped down his spine.
"Hey, uh, Sans. I think-" Rus began, but as he looked down, the smaller skeleton had already disappeared into the crowd, "... So much for stickin' by my side," he huffed under his breath. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet and stuffed his hands into the pouch of his hoodie.
"Hello Rus! I'm so glad you could make it."
Rus turned to see Toriel approach. He gave a shy smile and shrugged his shoulders, "Hey Tori. And yeah. Sans kinda dragged me here. Said it'd be good for me."
Toriel gave a soft smile in return, "I appreciate the effort you're putting forth."
Rus rubbed the back of his skull, "So, who's this party for anyway?"
"Well~" Toriel exclaimed, "This is the anniversary of the Monsters returning to the surface. So it's for everyone! We're celebrating our freedom. And we're celebrating Frisk for saving us."
Rus cringed at the name before he glanced away, "I see," he murmured.
Toriel's expression fell for a moment. Then she placed a hand on his shoulder, "I don't expect you to join in that part. But I'd like to remind you, our Frisk is different. They love monsters. They love you-"
"They don't know me. And I'd like to keep it that way," he told Toriel and placed a hand over hers, "I don't wanna be rude or cause tension. It's suppose to be a party after all. So let's celebrate."
The smile returned to Toriel's face before she ushered Rus further into the house, "Let's get you a drink."
Rus let the goat monster push him through the party as they made their way to the snack table, "I'm good with just a soda. I'm, uh, a bit of a lightweight."
Toriel giggled at his pun as she poured him a rootbeer. Before he could say more, Rus felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind. He blinked roughly and was hoisted up into a tight hug.
"Rus! The Great Papyrus is very thrilled to see you!" his alternate self exclaimed.
Rus gave a sheepish chuckle, "Mind puttin' me down, big guy?"
Papyrus released Rus before he moved in front of him, "Forgive me, other me! I was just happy to see you!"
Rus scratched the side of his skull, "Heh, glad to see you too Paps," he took his soda from Toriel and sipped his drink as the other two began to converse about the party so far. The dull roar of the crowd and loud music made it hard for him to concentrate on the conversation.
"Hey, I'm gonna go out for a smoke," he called to them and made his way to the back door. Once outside, the skeleton gave a small sigh of relief. The start of the cool, fall air made it easy to breathe.
Rus reached into his hoodie pouch and tugged out a pack of cigarettes. Once he stuck a smoke between his teeth, he began to pat himself down for his lighter. His sockets widened a bit and the skeleton groaned to himself as he facepalmed his foreskull. "Dammit, I must have left it at home."
He heaved a heavy sigh and was about to put his cig away, but stopped as he felt a warm hand slip onto his shoulder, "Need some help?"
Rus looked up to see a fire elemental. Two glowing ember eyes stared down at him from behind his glasses. Before Rus could respond, the other monster pressed the tip of his finger to his cigarette. It glowed for a moment, then he pulled it away. The flaming monster pulled out a smoke of his own and lit the same way before taking a long drag.
"You must be Rus. Sans has told me a lot about you," he spoke softly. He exhaled a large cloud of smoke, then held his hand out to the skeleton, "My name is Grillby."
Rus blinked a few times as he felt his cheekbones heat up with soft embarrassment, "Uh… Oh! Eheh… Yeah, I'm Rus. Nice ta meet ya," he took his hand.
Grillby chuckled softly as they shook hands, "You're not much of a socializer, are you?"
Rus released his hand before scratching the side of his face, "Hm, not really. I mostly keep to myself." The skeleton took a drag of his own and leaned back against the building.
"So I've heard. Sans and Papyrus have told me that you've been cooped up in that lab down inside Mt. Ebbot." Grillby stated.
"Yeah…" Rus murmured.
Grillby watched him careful for a moment, "Have you been living down there too?"
"Yeah. It's nice to stay in a place that's familiar. Sans and Pap visit sometimes. And try to get me outta there every once in a while. But, uh, being around a bunch of humans kinda make me uncomfortable."
Grillby hummed softly, "Humans aren't all bad. But I'm a bit bias at this point." the flaming monster finished his cigarette before putting it out in a patch of dirt and threw the butt into the outside trash.
Rus rubbed the back of his skull, "Yeah, that's what the other two say. But, uh, old habits die hard I guess. 'Sides, I usually have a lot of work to do."
Grillby turned toward Rus, then gave the top of his skull a small pat, "Well, never be a stranger. It would be nice to see you around more," the fire slipped a piece of paper under Rus' beanie before he moved away, "Have a good night, Rus. I hope we can enjoy each other's company more." With a wink, Grillby walked off down the driveway.
Rus watched him go. Once he could no longer see the fire, he reached into his beanie and pulled out the paper. He unfolded it to find a phone number written on it.
"... Did he just hit on me?"