:):

Yes, I do plan on having Chara in this story, but just like in the pacifist route, her presence will be very subtle.

At least at first...

xxx

Greasy Goodness

xxx

Standing regally behind the bar counter, Grillby flickered in greeting as the taller of the skeleton brothers walked in. It was unusual to see Papyrus in his establishment, especially alone. Without his brother, the skeleton looked rather awkward and out of place.

"A Good Day To You, As Well, Grillby." Papyrus replied as he sat down on a bar stool. He had been waiting outside the diner for a little less than half an hour and the Snowdin residents were starting to give him odd looks. To avoid being accused of loitering, he'd finally decided to go inside alone. He should have expected that his brother would be late. He always was.

Grillby nodded in acknowledgment before sliding a glass of milk over to his early customer. He'd only just opened a little while ago, and his usual patrons, the Royal Guard's K-9 unit only came in at lunchtime and dinner. Whatever the wannabe Royal Guardsmen was doing here, it was his own business. There was one question, however, that he was just burning to ask.

"Much Appreciated, Good Sir." Papyrus grinned as he accepted the milk. "How Do You Always Know What I Want Before I Order?"

Grillby flickered with a casual shrug before he resumed cleaning out a mug.

"Well, One Day I Might Order Something Different!" Papyrus challenged. "Then You Won't Be So Cool!"

The fire elemental tilted his head skeptically.

"HOT! I Meant Hot!" The taller skeleton tried to backtrack. "You're Very Hot, Grillby!"

The very hot fire elemental crackled in laughter at the awkward skeleton.

"and here i thought you were into 'sexy rectangles'." Sans teased as he walked inside the diner. His brother's voice had been so loud, it could easily be heard from outside. "i had no idea you had the HOTs for grillby too, paps."

"SANS!" Papyrus screeched as he spun on his stool. "Whatever You Are Thinking, I Assure You, That It Is NOT That."

"sure. okay, bro." Sans shrugged lazily, a grin plastered on his face. He knew better than to really assume anything but the set up for that joke had been too much to resist.

"Where Is The Human?" The taller skeleton asked as he squinted at his brother.

On the other side of the bar, the fire elemental flickered in question as well. This was what he had been wanting to know. How had the small child fared once he left? Had she been warm enough? It had been nearly two days now and he had yet to receive word on her condition. To be honest, he had been starting to assume the worst.

"human?" Sans smirked as he shoved his bony hands into his jacket pockets. "what human?"

"Why, Miss Fearia, Of Course!" Papyrus shot back in frustration. "This Is No Time To Joke Around, Sans. Where Is She?"

"he must be thinkin' of some bunny else, right, kid?" Sans asked, tilting his skull to wink at the tiny child hiding behind his bulky blue jacket. "what was your name again?"

Fearia giggled as she played along. Grabbing a handful of jacket, the small child peaked around the shorter skeleton and smiled over to his quickly agitating brother. "I'm FURia." She replied, saying her line perfectly as the lazy skeleton chuckled in amusement.

Not recognizing the tiny creature, Papyrus' grin lessened. "Sans, Who Is This Child?" He asked nervously. Did he loose the human?

"dunno, paps." Sans grinned. "i've never seen... herbivore."

"SANS!"

"alright, alright." The totally NOT humorous skeleton chuckled. "she's right here, bro. no need to get all rattled." He relented as he stepped aside, revealing the tiny human.

"Oh, Thank Goodness!" Papyrus sighed in relief. "I Thought You Might Have Accidentally Brought Back A Different Child." Squinting, the taller skeleton gave the little girl a scrutinizing look. "That IS The Human, Right?"

"yeah." Sans replied simply.

Grillby stared at the human, a small feeling of relief coming over him. So she had made it after all. And she looked perfectly healthy, too. It was really nothing short of a miracle. How such a tiny human found their way into the Underground was a true mystery to him.

Suddenly feeling rather exposed, Fearia brought her pink mitten covered hands up and clasped them together in front of her chest. Looking around the darkened diner, her amber eyes were drawn to the brightest person in the room. A man made of fire! Unconsciously, the little girl reached out and took hold of the skeleton's jacket before attempting to hide behind him again. To her astonishment, he simply snickered and made his way over to the bar, in doing so, pulling her along with him.

"sorry, grillbz, she's usually not this shy." Sans apologized in good humor as he sat down on one of the bar stools.

Now standing in front of the bar, Fearia looked up in shy curiosity. For a moment of tense silence, the fire elemental and the tiny human just stared at each other while the two skeletons watched, one with growing apprehension and the other with a wide grin of amusement. The moment finally ended when the fiery man crackled, stating the obvious.

"i know." Sans laughed. "you wouldn't believe how much trouble i had getting her those clothes. they literally didn't have anything in her size. she's so tiny, we had to go next door to see if the innkeeper's kit had anything that would fit her baby bones."

Fearia shot the offensive skeleton a moody frown. He didn't have to say it like that! She wasn't tiny or a baby!

"So That's Why Miss Fearia Is Wearing Such Cute Clothing." Papyrus grinned in understanding as he bent down and gently lifted the small pouting human. Placing her on the stool between him and his brother, the taller skeleton gave the little girl a light pat on the head. "Ignore My Tactless Brother, Human. Here," Sliding his glass of milk over to the small child, he offered. "Have Some Milk. It Will Help Your Tiny Bones Become Big And Strong!"

Slowly wrapping her mittened hands around the glass, Fearia glowered down at the familiar looking substance before finally taking a small sip. This wasn't milk! ...it was sweet though, whatever it was, so she didn't dislike it. Smiling slightly, she took another sip.

"hey, kid." Sans started, getting the child's attention. "wasn't there something you wanted to say to grillby?"

Giving a startled flinch, the small child set the glass of mystery milk back onto the counter before first looking to Sans, then over to the fiery bartender standing a few feet away on the other side of the counter. She needed to thank him for saving her life a few days ago. When she had been told that this 'Grillby' was made out of fire magic, she just didn't know what to expect, but looking at him now, she was honestly fascinated ...and a little nervous. But if he was friends with the two skeletons then he must be a good guy!

Hesitating for only a moment, Fearia lifted her hands encased in soft pink mittens and brought them close to her face. With a warm smile, she carefully tapped her chin with one hand before extending it backwards with her other hand in a gentle outward arc. "Thank you very much, Mr. Grillby."

The fire elemental flickered in acceptance and gave the child a small nod of approval. He didn't know what her hand gesture meant, but her intent was perfectly clear. Who knew human's could be so polite?

"Does This Mean "Thank You"?" Papyrus asked curiously as he attempted repeat the gesture.

Looking up, Fearia studied his motions and then shook her head slightly. "No, you're just saying "good". It has to be a little softer if you're trying to thank someone properly. Here, like this. Watch my hands." With a smile, the little girl repeated the movement slower this time so the taller skeleton could see exactly how she was doing the gesture.

"Like This?" Papyrus asked as he tried again.

Fearia gave a happy nod as she extended both her index fingers out from inside her mittens and lightly tapped her fist on top of the other. "Correct!"

"Wowie!" Papyrus grinned. "I Had No Idea Humans Spoke With Their Hands."

"Well, actually..." Fearia started as she reached for the glass of "milk". Wrapping her mitten clad hands around the cool surface, she gave a small smile. "Most humans don't."

"but frisk does." Sans concluded, inserting himself into the conversation. "doesn't she?"

"How'd you know?" Fearia asked, startled by the shorter skeleton's uncanny clarity.

"lucky guess." Sans chuckled. Catching the bartender's questioning flicker, the skeleton let his eye lights drift off to the side mischievously. "frisk is the kid's big sis. she's obsessed with her."

"I am not!" The little girl rejected heatedly.

"really?" Sans asked, his eye lights drifting back to the small child. Arching an eyebrow bone, he grinned obnoxiously. "i mean, you say that, but i think we both know i'm right." He ended his sentence by extending his index phalange bones out and tapping his skeletal fist on top of the other just as he had seen her do.

A small noise of utter disbelief escaped the child and her round cheeks quickly flushed. Turning away from him sulkily, she lifted the glass of "milk", and gulped it down in frustration. He thinks he's just so smart! But he's wrong! She wasn't obsessed with Frisk. No. Her eldest sister just meant the world to her, that's all...

...

Staring down at her hot meal, Fearia was amazed. She had no idea Grillby could cook! Whatever these burger and fries were, it all looked really delicious. Seeing as she hadn't had anything to eat in who knows how long, she was especially hungry right now.

Carefully removing her warm mittens, the small child set them aside so they wouldn't get dirty. Deciding to try a fry first, since the burger was rather large and intimidating, she reached out and took one of the golden sticks. After briefly examining it, she took a bite and was pleasantly surprised. The outside was crispy and salty while the inside was warm and soft. How strange!

"I love it!" the little girl declared with glee.

Grillby crackled in appreciation as he placed another fresh glass of milk in front of Papyrus. Despite his stoic appearance, the fire elemental loved compliments. Though, he wasn't about to let anyone know this. He had to keep up his "cool" appearance after all.

"see, paps? even the kid likes grillby's food." Sans teased as he lifted the ketchup bottle. "why not order something other than just milk for a change. live a little, bro."

"I Never Said I Didn't Like The Food." Papyrus argued as he graciously accepted the milk. "I Just Said It Was Greasy! If I Ever Want To Join The Royal Guard, Then I Have To Watch What I Eat. Stay In Shape!"

"that makes sense." Sans replied, choosing not to argue as he dropped the subject. Far be it for him to remind his brother that the entire Royal Guard K-9 unit ate here every single day. Instead, he redirected his attention to the small human sitting between them. The kid had already wolfed down all of her fries and was now focused on her burger. She didn't seem to know exactly how to approach it.

Sans hadn't been all that surprised when it had become apparent that the small child didn't seem to understand what "burger and fries" meant. You would think that the term would be somewhat universal. But, maybe not for someone from a primitive time period. And from the way she had devoured the greasy golden fries, this must be quite a treat for her.

After inspecting the burger and picking at it for about a minute, the little girl finally decided to try and pick it up. Alarm bells went off inside Sans' skull, warning him of the impending disaster. The burger was just too big and her hands were just too small. This was about to become a greasy mess!

"need some help there, kid?" Sans offered. His outward appearance suggesting nothing but calm apathy for the situation.

"Mh hm." Fearia shook her head as she continued to try to find the best angle to lift the ginormous burger. She was determined not to let the size of this mysterious food stop her.

The lazy skeleton hesitated for a moment as he racked his skull, trying to find a quick solution. How do you help someone who doesn't want help? ...Oh, right. He smirked to himself. You trick them. The kid didn't know anything about burgers or the "customs" for going about eating them. "i guess i forgot to tell you," Sans casually began. "you're supposed to cut those to make them easier to eat."

"Really?" Fearia replied in surprise as she dropped the burger back onto the plate. She had no idea! But, it kind of makes sense. "I didn't know." She admitted, embarrassed of her near faux pas. Seriously, how was she supposed to know this?! But wait... Looking around her plate she noticed the distinct absence of any knives. "How do I cut it?"

Grillby flickered in amusement as he watched the situation play out. The lazy skeleton was more clever than people gave him credit for. Crackling slightly to get the little girl's attention, he nodded to her before reaching over and retrieving her plate. Quartering the burger with expert ease, he gently slid the plate back.

The fire elemental felt a little guilty for not realizing this problem beforehand, but in his defense, he had been more worried about whether or not the tiny human should even have any food to begin with. What if it made her sick? Humans weren't used to consuming food made of magic. However, when Sans had revealed that she had eaten some of his brother's spaghetti and hadn't died yet, he had been effectively persuaded. The poor thing. Grillby made a mental note to bring her another meal when he dropped by their house later. He refused to believe that Papyrus' spaghetti could even be considered an actual food. Not yet.

Fearia thanked Grillby once more before turning back to her now manageable burger. Picking up a quarter of it, she smiled. This was so much easier now! No wonder people cut their burgers. Taking a big bite, her mouth experienced an explosion of flavor. "Mmm!" Never in her short life had she ever had food as yummy as the food she'd been treated to in the Underground. More than anything, she wanted to share some of this with Frisk.

A little while later, Sans was about ready to suggest that they mosey on out. The kid had finally finished eating and they needed to vacate the diner before the usual crowd came. He couldn't believe how much the small child had eaten. There was no way such a tiny human could eat all those fires and an entire burger. That's what he had thought. Oh, how wrong he'd been. Where had she put it all? The kid must have some kind of pocket dimension for a stomach.

Lost in his own musings, Sans only vaguely acknowledged the diner door opening. It was only when he heard a small gasp then an excited "Doggy!" did his attention snap back. Too late. The kid had already hopped off the bar stool and scampered across the room.

Damn it, kid. Why hadn't they left two minutes sooner? The shorter skeleton could feel himself start to sweat. This was bad. Any moment now, this place was going to be crawling with all the members of the Royal Guard K-9 Unit and right smack dab in the middle would be an oblivious tiny dog loving human.

The Lesser Dog's ears perked at the sound of a familiar voice. It was that nice child who had pet him the other day! He had wondered where she went. She had given him so much inspiration! Spotting the tiny child, Lesser Dog began panting excitedly.

Setting his sword and shield down at the spot by the door designated for weapons, Lesser Dog knelt down and patted the small child on the head. He owed her more then a few dozen pats. The girl laughed happily before throwing her arms around him, or as much as she could, she was very small after all.

Sniffing the little girl curiously, Lesser Dog concluded that, yes, this was indeed the same child. She did smell a little different, a mix of snow bunny, greasy food, skeletons, and something else, but it was her all the same. Panting happily, he gave her a wet slobbery kiss on the cheek making her giggle.

Papyrus watched the scene play out in abject horror while his brother simply looked mildly incredulous. The Fire elemental, on the other hand, flickered between worry and wonder. The tiny human had a way with dogs, who would have guessed? A quick crackle brought attention back to the matter at hand.

"you're right, grillbz. we'll see you later." Sans nodded to his friend. "paps, i think we should get going before this gets more complicated."

"I Couldn't Agree More!" Papyrus replied with enthusiasm. He didn't want to be in a room that would soon be filled with dogs. How the human could like them that much was beyond his understanding.

xxx

Oh, wow! Puns and Sign Language all in one chapter.

(In all honesty, I'm not very good at either... But I tried!)

...

In the next chapter, Sans sends Papyrus and Fearia out on a mission.

xxx

Thanks for reading!

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Sheii Bae~