Chapter 9

Frisk slammed her door shut and held in a frustrated scream. She stomped over to her bathroom and flung off her soaking wet shirt before cranking her shower on. She pointedly ignored the mirror above her sink, as she usually did when she was undressed.

I'm going to have to get my clothes cleaned tomorrow. Fucking sans, she silently seethed. She worked on peeling off her pants, nose scrunching up at the overwhelming scent of beer. While Frisk had come to enjoy the taste, she had no love for being covered in the beverage.

The prank war between the human and monster had only escalated as the week wore on. Each side growing more creative with their tricks. Frisk had slipped a few ice cubes onto sans' stool as he said down, and sans had used his magic to make her shoe stick to the floor (causing her to trip and fall). Frisk brought in a balloon, managed to sneak behind the mobster when he was a few drinks in, and hooked it onto his belt loop with a paperclip (it took a hilariously long time for him to figure out why people laughed when they looked at him). sans had appeared behind her suddenly, frightening her into screaming loudly in front of a large table. Frisk smeared bacon grease onto the stool that sans always sat on (causing some personal space issues with a few of the monster dogs). sans managed to replace Frisk's work pens with ones that gave her a nasty shock when she clicked them. Frisk greased up the ketchup bottle, causing it to slip from sans' grip and splatter onto his pants. sans used his magic to dump a pitcher of beer onto Frisk while she was talking to a table.

The last prank had been the final straw. Frisk saw red as she marched up to the maniacally cackling skeleton. Her shirt was sticking to her body, the smell of beer, usually something she enjoyed, was almost overwhelming. Upon seeing her approach, sans grew still, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Just as Frisk opened her mouth to let him know just what she thought, a hot hand clamped down on her shoulder. Frisk immediately swatted the hand off and took a few steps away, eyes wide. Her back hit the bar and it took her a moment to realise that it was Grillby who had grabbed her. He shot her a confused look before turning to sans.

"Game over," Grillb said, leveling sans with a serious look before turning to Frisk. After seeing that she had calmed down he asked, "Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Frisk said, hand rubbing her shoulder. Grillby's hand wasn't hot enough to burn, but it had certainly caught her by surprise.

"just some harmless fun, grillz. no worries." sans shrugged his shoulders and winked at the fire monster.

"It's messing with business. Game over." Grillby walked back behind the bar, beckoning Frisk to follow. A chunk of lead settled in her stomach. Was he going to fire her? He was right, the prank war had been interfering with the restaurant. How could she have been so stupid? She knew better than to resort to childish behavior while at work! She knew how to control herself! Frisk's shoulders slumped as she followed Grillby back behind the kitchen door and into his office.

"Go home." Grillby instructed, back to her as he fished through his closet. Frisk felt tears build in her eyes and she furiously wiped them away before he could see. She was an adult. She'd been fired before. Hell, she'd been through a lot worse than this. She could handle it. She could find a new apartment, in a different part of town. Moving around more often was better, anyways. This wasn't a big deal. Nope. Definitely not. So what if she had grown attached to the bar and her coworkers? So what if she had made her first friend in years. She would move away and they would forget about her. It was for the better, really. She knew better than to form relationships. This was a win-win. Frisk could feel her breath begin to hitch and she fought to tame it.

"I-I'm sorry." She muttered, trying to keep emotion out of her voice, "I'll clean the-the apron and drop it off tomorrow." She said, turning to leave. A weight settled on her shoulders when she went to turn the door handle. She looked back in surprise.

"I'm not firing you. You need to change and your shift is almost done, anyways. Fuku can cover the rest of it, she doesn't have any plans tonight and I know she could use the extra cash. Go home, Ruby. Come back for your shift Friday. No more 'pranks'. You can keep the jacket," he said, nodding his head towards the lightweight black jacket currently across Frisk's shoulders, "it's from the lost and found anyways." He finished with an amused crackle.

Frisk smiled.

"Thank you."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Grillby."

Back in the present, Frisk stepped into her warm shower and immediately set to sudsing her body up to get rid of the sticky feeling as quickly as possible. Who dumps beer on people like that? Assholes, that's who! Frisk seethed as she scrubbed. I'll have to get to the Washua-roma by noon if I want to make it to dinner on time tomorrow. Might as well bring all my dirty clothes. Frisk hated doing laundry. Given, she didn't actually do the laundry, a Woshua monster did all the work; Frisk just hated hauling her laundry around and waiting for it to finish. She'd rather laze around on her day off. Or hang out with her best friend.

Frisk shut off the shower and stepped out to dry off. The very second she wrapped her towel around herself, there was a knock at her door. Weeks ago, that would have sent her into a panic, now, a grin spread across her face. She practically skipped to the door, keeping a tight grip on her towel. She gave a quick glance through her peephole before cracking the door open.

"Ruby! Wanna come over for a drink? Tay and a couple of her friends are over!" Emily asked as soon as she saw Frisk's face. Frisk didn't need to think about her answer.

"Let me get dressed and I'll be right over?" She replied. Emily beamed up at her.

"Wonderful! Hurry your butt up!" Emily said before skipping back to her apartment. Frisk gently closed the door and walked over to her closet. She had caved the last week and bought hangers to put her clothes on. She quickly dressed in a pair of pants and her casual long sleeved shirt. She threw on her flats and finger combed her hair before heading over to Emily's.

Frisk didn't even knock before opening the apartment door and walking in. Emily was sitting on Tay's lap on the couch while two monsters and a human lounged either on the couch or on a pillow on the floor. Everyone had a drink in hand.

Emily nodded her head in the direction of the booze and Frisk quickly poured herself a bit of monster whiskey before grabbing a spare pillow and sitting down on the floor near Emily and Tay. Those two had spent almost every night with each other since the nightclub. It was obvious that the two women were head over heels for each other.

"Ruby, this is Jeromy, Layla, and Mick. They're all friends of Tay." Each person noded in greeting as they were introduced.
"So Ruby, Emily tells us that you work at Grillby's," The bunny monster, Layla started off, "That's amazing! I've heard so much about it! Are there really mobsters in there every day? Are the drinks as wonderful as the rumours say?" Layla leaned towards Frisk in excitement.

"Well, there's one obnoxious regular who I know is in the mob, but aside from that, there's not much more to say about mobsters there. The drinks, though," Frisk started with a smirk, "Are definitely top-notch."
"Oh yes!" Emily interjected, "They're fantastic! Whenever I have a night off and Ruby is working, Tay and I hang out at Grillby's and partake in a drink or two. That bartender knows his stuff! You could even say his skills are… on fire?" She looked around with a smile as the Frisk and Tay groaned at the particularly bad pun.

"I am breaking up with you." Tay grumbled, playfully poking Emily in the side.
"Fine! If you're leaving me, I can finally pursue the true love of my life…." Emily raised her glass, holding it above her head as if it were some sort of holy artifact, before finishing her sentence with a cooed, "whiskey."

The party broke into a fit of laughter as they cheersed the sentiment. The converstion continued on and Frisk found herself relaxing in front of Tay's friends in a way she never could have imagined. She began to wonder if this was what normal life was like. Casually surrounding herself with virtual strangers without questioning if her life was at stake. Drinking and talking without a care in the world. Making friends.

A few hours into the party, Frisk found herself sitting closely with the human named Mick. He was an attractive fellow with dark hair fashioned with a trendy undercut. He was dressed in a casual, loose outfit that allowed him to sit on a pillow next to her. Frisk couldn't help but notice how attractive the man was. Thankfully, she could easily blame her blush on the monster whiskey.

"So Ruby, eh? Beautiful name, what made your parents decide on it?" He asked in a lower voice, leaning in a bit so Frisk could hear him. A small twinge of guilt flitted through her.

"I don't know, my parents died when I was young, never had the chance to ask." She replied the well practiced lie. Mick's eyes widened at the reply, but Frisk interrupted before he could apologize, "It's fine, everyone asks, I'm used to it. I don't remember enough about them to miss them."

"Hmm.. well," Mick scratched the back of his head, "How did you meet Emily?"

"I moved in next door a couple of months ago. She brought me welcome cookies and the rest is history." Frisk explained with a smile.
"That tracks, she seems like the type to make friends easily." Mick replied with a chuckle. Frisk smiled even wider.
"Oh, she is! She's just so bubbly and wonderful. It's hard not to want to be friends with her. I've even seen her become friends with some drunk woman who tried to fight her! By the end of the night, they were doing shots together and hugging!"
"I don't doubt it! You know, you seem like the type to make friends easily, too. After you open up a bit." Mick said with a slight nudge on Frisk's shoulder. She giggled and blushed like a school girl, the whiskey loosening her up. Frisk was no blushing virgin, but she had never flirted in such a friendly manner with someone.

"What can I say? Emily has completely corrupted me. Alas! I shall forever bemoan the loss of my introverted lifestyle. Boo-hoo." Frisk brought her hand to her head in the mockery of a swoon.

"Yes, you're completely ruined! What a pity. Going to parties, speakeasies, and shindigs, what an absolutely horrid existence," Mick replied, equally as dramatic, "But, I am a generous soul. I'll still accept you, even if you do…" Mick gave an exaggerated shudder, "dance."

"I am forever grateful," Frisk replied, clutching her shirt above her heart, "So tell me a bit about you, Mick. What do you do?"

"Oh, you know, nothin' special. I'm pretty much just an errand boy for a warehouse East-side." Mick shrugged, "Pays well enough, but it's not exactly glamorous."

"Pffft, you're talking to a career waitress. Trust me, I understand. It's not something to write home about, but it's honest work and has its perks."

"Cheers to that." Frisk raised her glass to meet Micks.

Hours passed and Frisk knew she had to call it a night. She still had to go to the Washua-roma early on the next day. She also didn't want to be too hungover for dinner with Papyrus, it seemed like it would be a great time! She quickly finished her drink.

"Well, Mick, it's been real swell, but it's time for me to hit the hay. I have a busy day tomorrow." Frisk said, standing up. Mick stood up as well.

"So soon? It's only…"Mick looked at his watch, "DAMN! It's already two? It feels like ten at the latest!"

"Time flies when you're drinking with friends. Anyways, I should let Emily and Tay know I'm bouncing." Frisk replied awkwardly. She started to walk over towards the couple. She noticed that Mick followed her.

"Hey, guys, it's time for me to go. I have to get ready early tomorrow for dinner with Papyrus." Frisk said once she was close enough to the couple. They were entwined in each other and leaning heavily on the kitchen counter. They barely broke apart to speak with Frisk.

"Oh no! What time is it? I need to grab the wine! And I need to clean this place and-hic- I need to - to...ummmm, what else do I need to do, babe?" Emily poked Tay's shoulder.

"Get breakfast with me. We're going to need the hangover cure." Tay replied, giving Emily a small kiss on the nose. Emily burst out in adorable drunken giggles.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Em. And maybe you, too, Tay?" Frisk asked.

"Depends how bad the hangover is, but maybe. See ya around, Ruby. Have fun tomorrow if I don't see you before I head home." Tay replied with a wink.

Frisk made her way to the door. Before she could put her hand on the doorknob, Mick gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, so I really enjoyed talkin' to you tonight. I was wondering if maybe I could grab your phone number? Maybe we could go out for coffee….or I might even be willing to engage in some debauchery with you if you insist." Mick said with an awkward laugh. Frisk blushed.

"I actually don't have any sort of phone. I know I'm way behind the times; I'm saving up to buy a mobile. Umm, but if you would like, I work at Grillby's. "Frisk blathered on when she saw Mick's shoulders slump a bit, "And we could plan something if you drop by! I mean, I would like to plan something, if that's okay."

"I would love to," Mick replied with a wide smile, "May I walk you home?"

"I'm not sure, that would be such a long walk, do you think you could handle it?" Frisk asked with a playful smirk. She laughed at Mick's visible confusion. She grabbed his hand and walked the twenty feet to her apartment door. Mick laughed and shook his head.

"Well, damn, there goes my scheme for spending some extra time with you tonight!"

"I'm far too clever for scheming, good sir! Far too clever!" Frisk gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, "Thank you for the offer though, Mick. I really did enjoy tonight."

"Me, too. I look forward to seeing you again. Soon." Mick looked deep into Frisk's eyes, "You have a good night, Ruby."

" You, too." Frisk said, sure that she was redder than any tomato at the farmers market. She awkwardly went into her apartment and closed the door behind her. After locking the door, Frisk walked over and flopped into her bed, grinning like a madwoman.

A/N:

Hey, y'all! It's been a crazy year! I'm so so so sorry it took me this long to update this super boring chapter. I had to fight to write it because I knew it was going to be super boring! Don't worry, the next ones will pick up a bit. All the pieces are falling into place. Thank you all for your patience and your reviews! They keep me going!

I hope you all are happy, healthy, and safe! Stay careful out there!