I need to finish things I start, I swear…but here we go. A crossover of my two favorite things, because I can (and because I have so, so many ideas).

Credit for the cover image goes to d0nkarnage of Deviant Art! Used with permission. Link (remove the spaces): a rt/Grill by-573387014

Please note that this story contains spoilers for both Death Parade and Undertale.

Sepia light filtered down from somewhere far above, catching with it drifting motes of dust.

The child opened their eyes. The smell of pollen met their nose; it seemed they were lying prostrate in a patch of yellow wildflowers.

"…"

A small groan escaped their lips. Their head was pounding; what had happened?

"Auhuhu. Good morning, dearest~." A spider-like woman with six arms and an array of eyes extended a hand. "It seems you don't remember a thing."

The child recoiled in fear, eyes widening.

"Oh? What's the matter? Haven't you seen a spider before?"

"…Not one that tall, no." Though still tense, they took her hand, and she pulled them up.

"Hm, it seems you really don't remember, then~. Come with me sweetie." She led them to a door across the room.

"…Are you a monster?"

"Indeed, I am. Haven't you seen one before?"

"…Only in picture books, I think…"

"Ah, so that explains it. Well…" The two reached an elevator, and she pressed a button. "You should probably get used to it, then. We're all monsters here, dearie; it's rare that a human ends up here."

"…Where am I, anyway?"

"Ah, it would spoil the fun if I told you everything! We're at ViGrillby's, sweetie; a bar where…" she laughed childishly as the elevator doors opened. "Well, you'll see."

A monster with blue fur and rabbit-like ears bounded out of the elevator.

"Miss Muffet! It's so great to see you! Which floor today?"

"Let's go to floor 20 this time, okay~?"

"Aaaaall righty!" He pressed a button, and the doors closed. The child could feel the elevator descending beneath their feet.

"So, Miss Muffet, how're you feeling today? Is Grillby all right? You guys always look so lovely!" He grinned, and the child wondered if his effusive demeanor ever wore off.

"Hey! I heard there's supposed to be a new pair of so—"

Muffet's many eyes had slowly glazed over through the course of his chatter, but now they flashed red. She clamped a couple of hands over his mouth.

"Just the floor will do today. Got it~? Auhuhu."

He nodded, sweat trickling down his face.

The control panel dinged, and the elevator stopped. Once again, Muffet grabbed the child's hand, and the two stepped out of the elevator.

"…He's not coming with us?"

"Oh, no, sweetie; he lives there."

The child couldn't tell from the spider's ensuing laughter whether or not she was serious.

They rounded a corner, and a room of orange and amber opened up before the child's eyes. Large chairs in red and brown and short tables were scattered about an open floor. Lofts overlooked the room, and the child swore they could see shapes like spectators within them. A crystal chandelier reminiscent of a ball of fire hung overhead, casting a warm glow over the room. To the side was a bar, stained-glass windows illuminating a simple wooden counter lines with swivel chairs. Bottles of all kinds filled the shelves, arranged with care; and the monster behind the counter…

The child blinked. Was he made of flames? It seemed so; but how come his simple black suit didn't ignite? How come his glasses didn't melt and drip on the floor?

"Grillby. It's finished." Muffet led the child to the fire-creature. "This little one will be assisting you until we…get everything sorted out, so to speak~."

Grillby nodded, setting the glass he was wiping on the counter. He turned, and extended a hand.

"Good evening. My name is Grillby. I look forward to working with you."

The child hesitated.

"…Ah. That's right. You've…" He paused unnaturally, as if searching for words. "You've never seen a monster, have you?"

They shook their head.

"Hm. Well, it's perfectly safe. See?" He opened a lid built into the counter and pulled out an ice cube. "I can control my body's temperature."

For a moment, the cube remained unmelted in his hand; then, with a flash of light, it disappeared into steam. The child flinched, and unconsciously took hold of Muffet's skirt.

"Ahah, it's fine. Well…" he bent down, and ruffled the child's hair; they jumped, but slowly relaxed at how cool his hand felt to the touch. "So, what should I call you?"

"…I don't remember."

"That's a dilemma. Hm…" The flames composing his head simmered down to embers as he thought, then roared back to life. "I know!" He scanned a finger across the rows of bottles. "Scotch, Gin, Sch—"

Muffet grabbed his hand.

"Dearest, are you really going to name this poor child after your…booze?"

His head simmered down once again; he seemed upset, or maybe embarrassed.

"I…think they sound like nice names."

The two of them looked down at the child.

"…Really. Um, I like how Scotch sounds. It…reminds me of butterscotch, for some reason."

Muffet scoffed. "Well, to me you look more like a sweet little Macarona, but…" She turned to leave. "I'll leave you to it. The first pair will arrive in about an hour."

With that, she headed back toward the elevator, and Grillby and Scotch were left alone.

"So…what do you do here?"

Grillby picked up the glass once more and continued polishing it.

"I'm a bartender."

"…Can I…help you with that?"

"Probably not so much with the alcohol bit, but…" He pushed his glasses up. "Want to learn how to make a good sandwich?"

"Sure."

A tray of bread, meat, cheese, vegetables, and condiments stood before Scotch. They had to kneel on a stool to reach the bar, but they were determined to learn the secrets of sandwich-making.

"All right, then. Show me what you can do."

Their eyes scanned the array of food.

"…Don't you have any peanut butter?"

"U-um, no."

"Hmm…" Their eyes scrunched down; then, they grabbed two pieces of bread, a slice of turkey, and a piece of cheese.

"…Okay. How's that?"

"Not bad…not bad. But watch what it can become."

Grillby slid a knife into a loaf, cutting the bun in two lengthwise. He took a few pieces of ham and turkey, rolling them in on themselves before placing them on the bread. He added a few carefully cut slices of lettuce, onion, tomato, and cheese on top of it; and, as if an afterthought, a dash of vinaigrette.

"And then…if you really want to…"

He took the sandwich between his hands, and they began to grow brighter. A trail of steam arose as the scent of toasted bread filled the air.

"Fire magic. It's the best for cooking…"

When he was finished, he cut it in half, handing one portion to Scotch.

"Now, what do you think?"

Scotch took a bite, and their face immediately lit up.

"Wow!"

Grillby caught himself smiling as they quickly finished off the sandwich.

"…Although, that wasn't fair. You never told me you could do that."

Before he could reply, a mechanical voice filled the room:

"Hello? Darlings? This isn't at all what I asked for in the rider!"

Notes/Manizu Chatter

Eeeeey The Gray Garden reference.

Ginti's bar in Death Parade is implied to be called Viginti (latin for 20), so…this takes place on the twentieth floor of the building here, because it works so well with Grillby's name. Despite this, I would consider Grillby to be more similar to Decim. (I want to have a character later appear in Ginti's role, but I'm not sure if I can pull that off. It'll probably be a cameo if anything.)