Sans didn't consider himself an easily shaken monster. After facing countless horrors through hundreds of timelines, fighting against the biggest, fiercest enemy that all of monsterkind had ever faced, and escaping to the surface, it was safe to say that he had seen and done his fair share of shit. Sure, he had to deal with night terrors, and nightmares, and bad memories, and the constant fear of experiencing another reset, but he wasn't one that was nervous so easily.
This is what he told himself as he sat on the couch in the middle of Lena's living room at six o'clock in the morning, phone clutched between his bony hands as he tapped on the screen, not the least bit nervous. He was not, in the slightest, flustered at having had such an 'close encounter' with the human he'd been finding himself thinking more of since she'd somehow stumbled into their lives. How had the topic of souls even come up? He couldn't remember. It could have been him, for all he knew. All he could remember was the overflow of emotion, of sensation.
And the color, of course. There were surely not enough words in any human or monster language to adequately describe it in a way that would be even close to satisfactory. The subtle shifting of hues were just too complex, to intricate, to ever put into words. Hell, even just trying to think about it left him feeling at a bit of a loss. He hadn't intended to at first, but he'd been staring at her soul intently, trying to paint its image on the inside of his skull so that he could never forget it. His own soul had throbbed with such longing and desire that it scared him. It wasn't a feeling he had felt in a long, long time. A yearning to reach out and caress her soul, to feel everything that lie within it, what it contained, what it stood for, what it meant, everything. It was wrong. He wasn't supposed to feel things like that about anyone, much less a human. ...But, he did. And, while he had spent quite some time agonizing over his unhealthy curiosity in her soul, all it took was actually seeing it, feeling it, and he came to accept it.
Anyone would be out of their minds not to crave a soul like hers.
There was a touch of lingering guilt as he wondered, afterward, if she really had known what touching a soul entailed. How he was able to feel her soul much more easily now, since his own soul became accustomed to her 'frequency'. The soft, breeze-like waves of magic that pulsed outward from the core of her existence.
She had gone to bed not long after midnight, leaving him, again, alone with himself and his thoughts. It was a position he found himself in rather frequently anymore, and he wasn't necessarily pleased with it. Being alone with his thoughts meant having to sort through them, and his thoughts lately pertained to a certain human, and thoughts about that certain human would bring feelings into the mix, and sorting through thoughts was one thing, but sorting through feelings was definitely not something he looked forward to. He groaned and looked, again, at his phone's clock. 6:15 AM. Another sleepless night, though at least this one wasn't by the cause of night terrors. No, it was a whole new kind of terror. A mixture of fear and contentment that left his skull spinning. Did he feel guilty for touching Lena's soul? Absolutely. Did he regret what happened, though? Not a chance in hell. Heaving a sigh, he leaned his head back against the back of the couch, allowing his arms to fall limp at his sides and his phone to slip from between his fingers.
'What am I supposed to do now?'
The sound of a door opening startled him from his thoughts and he sat up a bit straighter, eyesockets widening only slightly when he saw a mess of brown hair peek around the corner. His posture relaxed a bit and he smiled easily, raising a hand in greeting. "Hey, kiddo. Feelin' better today?" They nodded, expression neutral as they padded their way into the kitchen, climbing up on the counter to reach a glass. Sans barely even had the time to offer to help them when they jumped down, glass in hand, and turned to the fridge. A small chuckle escaped past the skeleton's teeth as he heard, more than saw, Frisk lug out the giant jug of orange juice. "Didn't think you'd be up so early. Must've been sick and tired of bein' in bed." He heard the fridge door close and Frisk appeared around the corner of the kitchen doorway, holding their arms up in an 'X' formation. Sans laughed outright, shaking his head and patting the space on the couch next to him. Carrying their cup of juice carefully with two hands, Frisk crossed the living room and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. When Sans raised a brow at them, they took a long drink of juice before setting their cup down on the floor to free their hands.
"That's Miss Lena's spot." The mischievous smile couldn't be missed, nor could the sudden flush of blue across the skeleton's cheekbones, to which Frisk breathlessly giggled. Just how much of what they did was obvious...? Oh stars, what if Papyrus had seen? That wasn't a conversation he wanted to have any time soon. "I feel bad for ruining her 'girl night'..." The child suddenly did appear quite remorseful, then tapped a finger to their chin in thought. "...I got it! You should take Miss Lena out, Uncle Sans!"
"Eh? What for?" he asked, feeling himself grow embarrassed. This kid...sometimes it didn't seem like they were really a kid at all, like they were much older inside that tiny body. Frisk huffed impatiently and signed quickly, face splitting into a wide grin.
"To say thank you for helping take care of me! Take her on a date!" Sans grumbled lightly, leaning his elbow against the arm rest and propping up his chin on his hand.
"...not a date," he muttered, giving a pointed glare when the child rolled their eyes at him. "What's got you talkin' about all this nonsense anyway?" The look on their face was unamused, and they raised an eyebrow in a wordless 'really?' gesture. Sans bristled slightly and reached for the remote, turning on the tv and flipping through channels nervously as he tried to ignore the child next to him.
Taking her on a date...? How ridiculous! The kid was just messing with him, obviously, and, might he add, far too damned early in the morning. The weariness must've shown, because there were suddenly tiny fingers prodding at the dark circles underneath his eyesockets, and he flinched a bit until he realized it was Frisk. The look of mild concern on their face prompted him to shrug a shoulder lazily, pulling a larger grin onto his face. "Don't worry 'bout it, kid," he said, reaching out to ruffle the human's hair and laughing when they tried to bat his hand away in earnest.
"WORRY ABOUT WHAT?" Papyrus' voice was suddenly present, sounding as though he were in the room even though he was down the hall and just barely outside of the guest room. His eyesockets squinted the slightest bit as he looked around, presumably for Lena, because when he could not find her, he sent Sans a questioning look.
"She's still sleepin', bro-" he began saying, though the sound of another door opening made him stop, chuckling. "Well, she was."
"OH, I AM SO SORRY, HUMAN. I DID NOT MEAN TO WAKE YOU..." Papyrus turned to the sleepy human, sounding as apologetic as his words portrayed. Lena waved the 'sorry' off with a smile that morphed into a yawn, which she raised a hand to cover politely. "ALLOW THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO MAKE YOU BREAKFAST, THEN!" Whatever little bits of sleep she had been clinging to quickly vanished and she walked around Papyrus and into the kitchen, and Sans bit back a laugh.
"Oh, I've got it! Thank you though, Papyrus!" she said cheerfully, standing in front of the stove as she began to pull out different sized pans. Papyrus whined quietly and followed closely after, peering over her shoulder curiously to try and see what she was doing. He went unnoticed until she turned around to walk to the cabinet across the kitchen, bumping forehead first into the skeleton's bony chest. "Ah! Oh, I'm sor-"
"HUMAN, MAY I ASSIST YOU IN YOUR CULINARY CREATIONS?" Lena was rubbing her forehead as she glanced around the towering skeleton, looking to Sans for help, who simply chuckled and gave a small shrug. He was so helpful.
"Y'know what, sure! Do you wanna help make the pancakes?" The child-like eagerness with which he nodded was so endearing, she couldn't help but smile brightly at him, a smile that extended to her very soul, Sans noticed.
"You're staring again, Uncle Sans."
His skull whipped around so fast that he felt like his head might spin like an owl's, turning to look at the child sitting next to him, giving him a knowing smirk. God, he was, wasn't he? He really needed to get a handle on that.
"You should take Miss Lena out to lunch!" This again..? Sans sighed and cast the child a small frown, preparing to tell them to drop the subject, but they were suddenly hopping up from the couch and running into the kitchen. Though he couldn't see their hands, he knew what they were up to and inwardly groaned.
"WHAT? THAT IS A SPLENDID IDEA!" Papyrus suddenly burst from the kitchen, holding the child up on his shoulders, them holding onto his skull for balance. "BROTHER! HUMAN FRISK IS WANTING TO SPEND THE AFTERNOON PLAYING! IS THAT ALRIGHT WITH YOU?" A small hand pat the top of his skull suddenly to get his attention, and Frisk began signing right in front of his face. His smile morphed to a small look of confusion before it returned at full force. "AH, I DID NOT KNOW YOU HAD PLANS FOR THIS AFTERNOON. THAT WORKS OUT PERFECTLY THEN! FRISK AND I SHALL PLAY WHILE YOU COMPLETE YOUR ERRAND!"
'That sneaky little shit...' Heaving a bit of a sigh before forcing a grin onto his face, he gave his shoulders a lazy, exaggerated shrug. "Yeah, perfect... Thanks bro." His eyelights met Frisk's gaze and he gave them a hard stare, corners of his mouth twitching slightly when they winked at him. 'You'll pay for that, kiddo.'
Breakfast was made relatively quickly, and by the time they were sitting at the table, Toriel had come to pick up Frisk. Lena asked her how her date went, and her cheeks had flushed a pretty pink, though she tried to keep her expression neutral. She failed, and her smile was almost giddy as she said that it went well. "Just well?" the human woman asked, raising a brow as Toriel took a rather large bite of pancake and nodded. She vowed to get more of an answer later, when Frisk and the skeleton brothers weren't around.
Telling her that Frisk had been sick was difficult, and Toriel had immediately turned to her child with worried eyes, looking them over and spouting countless apologies and concerns. But Papyrus had been quick to pipe up that Lena had been a tremendous help, praising her for her level-headed behavior and her amount of care for her friends. Setting down her fork, Toriel turned to the human, clasping her hands each in a large paw and looking at her gratefully. "My child, I simply cannot express my thanks enough. For you to have taken such great care of my precious child in my absence... I shall never forget it!" Frisk reached out and tugged on his mother's sleeve, getting her attention and signing something at her quickly. She smiled, nodding. "Why, yes, my child! That is a splendid idea!" Her smile faltered a bit, though, and she drew back her paws, touching one to her cheek thoughtfully. "Though, I am afraid I have several tasks today... I'm afraid I simply don't have the time for it."
"Uncle Sans could do it! He was going to be out in town anyway!" they signed, glancing over at the shorter skeleton, who was gripping his fork tightly in his hand.
"Oh, well, that would not be a bad idea..." A suddenly knowing smile came across her features, and she and Frisk shared a small, quiet laugh together before she turned to the rest of the table. "Sans, would you be opposed to taking Lena out in my stead? I would like to, what with school coming back into session soon, but I am busy..." Sans had been trapped, and he knew it.
"Eh, sure. Don't think I'm doin' too much today..." From the corner of his eye he saw Lena look at him, her cheeks flushing a soft red, and she pulled her hair over her shoulder to comb her fingers through it.
"You don't need to thank me, really... It was no big deal. I've helped Brit deal with her sick kids several times. And I work at a school, so I don't really-"
"No, I insist! You must allow us to thank you properly!" The queen was insisting, and Lena had a hard time saying 'no' at times...so it was for these reasons that she found herself nodding, pulling on a small smile. "Good. Now, my child, you said that you are going to be with Papyrus, correct? You do not mind watching them, do you?" Papyrus shook his skull quickly with a wide grin and she nodded. "Very well, then I shall leave that task to you. Not too much junk food!" The last part was said directly to Frisk, and she pointed a finger at them, waving it slightly when they gave her a pouting frown. "...Well! If that is all settled, I had best be going about my business. Thank you so much, Lena, my dear, for helping my family. And for breakfast! It was wonderful!"
"It's no problem, Tori. No need to help with the dishes, I've got them," she said, already getting up and gathering plates to take into the kitchen. The queen protested quietly, but when she was waved off, she simply smiled and headed out the front door, Papyrus and Frisk right behind. The towering skeleton had to duck in order to make sure that he or the child didn't hit their head on the top of the door frame on the way out, and Lena couldn't help but smile as she watched the people she cared so much for.
Sans sat still at the table, looking down at his empty plate and spinning the fork between his fingers as Lena disappeared into the kitchen. He could hear the soft clatter of dishes being set in the sink, and it was only a few seconds later that the faucet was switched on, the sound of running water filling the air. He'd been cajoled into it. There was no going back now. (Not that he really wanted to go back anyway. Not really.) It was with a small, resigned sigh that he finally stood up, carrying his own dishes and setting them on the counter next to the sink, where Lena was busy scrubbing them all down. The left basin of the dual sink had been filled with steaming soapy water, the bubbles floating just on the surface, along with now wet bits of floating food. Her hands were pink when she pulled them from the water, and he frowned, wondering if she'd made it too hot. Human skin was so delicate, breaking or burning or bruising at the slightest thing.
"Oh, thanks!" she said suddenly, pulling him from his musings (fuck, he'd been staring at her hands) as she reached for his plate and fork, setting them carefully into the water. The washcloth she had grasped tightly in her hand had been white, at one point, but was now soiled, stained with a multitude of hues from a multitude of things. "Sorry for you getting roped into taking me somewhere..." Her voice was slightly softer, and he didn't necessarily like the inclinations of what she said. Rolling the sleeves of his hooded sweatshirt up to his elbows, he snatched the dish towel from the counter and began to dry the rinsed and cleaned dishes, being careful not to crack them as he stacked them neatly.
"Don't worry about it. I was already kinda wantin' to take you out as thanks anyway." He tried to ignore the small pulse he felt in his soul as he caught sight of her surprised and pleased expression, focusing completely on drying the coffee mug in his hands. The hard bone of his fingertips clicked against the surface nervously before he set it down, reaching for the next one. "Figured it's the least I can do, after helpin' us with Frisk 'n all..." 'And for letting me hold your soul,' his mind added afterward, but he refused to voice those words. "Anyway, I've got nothin' else to do today, so whatever ya want. Figured that maybe I could take you by an old favorite for lunch..." She seemed to perk up at this, pulling the drain plug out and setting it on the edge of the sink.
"Where is it? Would I have heard of it?" Her curiosity made him feel just the slightest bit pleased, and he smiled.
"Maaaybe. Y' might've heard of it. It's the hottest place in town." Obviously unaware, she missed his pun entirely, but he didn't mind. Soon...soon. "Y' gonna grill me for answers, or can we make it a surprise? Promise, the food's good, you'll love it." She seemed to be placated by this, though she was still so obviously curious, but she didn't press the matter any more.
"Alright, if you say so. I'm...looking forward to it." They shared a smile and, after helping her get cleaned up from having company over, he excused himself so he could go shower and change. It was only a couple hours way, after all, until their-...not-date.
| Brit: Oh. My. God. |
| Lena: Oh lord, please, don't start. |
| Brit: You're going on a date? With SANS? The SKELETON? |
| Lena: Yeah, and? What's the matter with that? |
| Brit: ...You gonna get boned? |
| Lena: BRIT! |
| Brit: -CACKLING- |
| Lena: That was awful. You're awful. I can't believe you. |
| Lena: Anyway, yeah, he's taking me out to lunch. Not a date. Just hanging out as friends... |
| Brit: You really think that? |
| Brit: Reeeeeeeally? Because you wouldn't text me so excited if you reeeeally thought that was it. |
| Brit: Did something happen that I don't know about? |
| Brit: It did, didn't it? |
| Brit: Oh my god what the fuck happened? I want details. DETAILS! |
| Lena: I put my phone down for ten seconds and you start blowing it up, omfg. |
| Brit: DE. TAILS. NOW. |
| Lena: I can't deal with talking to you about this right now. Can't. Cannot. I promise I'll call you later but right now I have to get ready, because Sans could be here anytime within the hour. |
| Brit: Yeah yeah, go hang out with bonehead. Leave me here. Alone. Without my girlfriend to keep me company. I understand. It's fine, really. No no, promise, I'm fine. |
| Lena: Brit I can't even with you right now, you know that? I'm gonna get ready. I'm getting in the shower. |
| Brit: Awwww yessss, get all nice and naked and wet for me. ;) |
| Lena: GOODBYE BRITNI |
The auburn haired woman tossed her phone onto the other side of her bed, staring at it with a soft glare before turning to fall onto her mattress. She groaned into the thick duvet and sighed through her nose, closing her eyes tightly. It hadn't been necessarily unexpected for the teasing, but it was more surprising that she felt so defensive over it. It wasn't a lie, any of what she said. It wasn't a date. Just a friend taking another friend to eat as a way of saying 'thanks'. He hadn't even really seemed like he was totally into the idea, either. 'Maybe because I'm a human, and going out in public with me alone means being seen with me...?' She shook her head, and the thought went away. Reminding herself firmly of their experience at the grocery store and the Pyropes. He wasn't racist; it was just difficult to gain his trust.
She decided that the best course of option would be to try and distract herself until it was time to leave, and what better way than to try and find what to wear? She pushed herself up from her bed and crossed the room to the modestly sized walk-in closet, looking over her limited wardrobe and frowning. It occurred to her that many of the things she owned didn't fit as well now, and when she pulled down and held up one of her favorite sweaters and saw it was too small, she groaned and dramatically threw it to the floor. Why did being bigger have to come at such a steep price? Literally. Clothes weren't cheap, and her less-than-teacher's salary wasn't up for a shopping spree.
As she sorted through her clothing, she felt her heart give a nervous flutter within her chest. Why should she be nervous? This was just a friend taking another friend out to lunch, nothing more. It most certainly wasn't a...date. She felt a small pull in her chest that she'd now come to recognize as her soul, and she briefly wondered why it was reacting. 'I don't have time for this!' Shaking her head firmly, she turned back to her closet and, finally, got dressed. Since she wasn't entirely sure of where they were going, she didn't want to dress too casually...but being too formal would be awkward, too! 'Knowing Sans, casual is probably better...' She decided on a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved mint green sweater that hung off her shoulders. 'Why am I so nervous..?' Once she was dressed and had her hair brushed into auburn waves she pulled on her coat and was just about to head over to the skeleton brothers' apartment when a sudden knock from the front door startled her. A hand flew to her chest as she tried to calm her heart rate while her other reached out and pulled the door open.
There stood Sans, dressed in something other than his usual track pants and slippers, for once. They'd been traded out black jeans (my goodness, were they even ironed?) and blue sneakers with the laces cut short and dangling down the sides. He'd also put on a black cotton t-shirt and a deep blue hooded jacket, which he left unzipped. His expression held a hint of surprise, probably from not expecting her to answer so quickly, and he gave her his trademark grin, pulling back his extended hand and shoving it into the pocket of his jacket.
"Hey, y' about knocked me over with your enthusiasm."
"Oh god, don't you start!" she groaned, though she was smiling, and he chuckled as he dodged a shove to the shoulder. "So, I'm ready to go, if you are...though you never said where we were going."
"Y'er right, I didn't." She gave him a slightly exasperated look and he shrugged. "Just a little place from the Underground that got built up here. Good food, good drinks, good atmosphere...figured it might do the trick for today." A small hum of agreement was all she gave at first, leaning to grab her purse and pull it over her shoulder before she stepped out of her apartment and locked up behind her.
"Cool. Are you driving, or am I?" When he remained silent for a moment, she raised a brow, frowning slightly. "...Sans?" This seemed to pull him from his thoughts and he gave a small, nervous grin.
"Figured we could uh...take a shortcut. If y'er willin' to give it a try." Before she could ask what he was talking about, he closed his eyes and pulled his left hand out of his pocket. When his eyes opened again, the little pinprick of light in his right socket had vanished, and his left eye was suddenly filled with a blue, glowing iris. With his hand extended in front of him, he held out his index finger and slowly drew an invisible line in the air...or, it should have been invisible, but a faint trail of his magic remained. Then, suddenly, the space where the line was drawn began to pull apart, creating a gap of sorts. Lena stared, mouth slightly agape in absolute wonder at what she was seeing. She was standing on her entryway, but straight ahead of her she could see a view of downtown, as clear as if it were right in front of her. "...Heh. Kinda trippy, huh?" He sounded so nervous that she snapped out of her reverie, tearing her eyes away from the sight in front of her to glance over at him.
"This is your magic...?" she asked curiously, turning to glance back at it again. "That's...amazing." Sans released a small breath and chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as though cutting doorways through space wasn't a big deal. To him, maybe, it wasn't. "What is it? Is this teleportation?" Her eagerness caught him off-guard and it took him a second to respond.
"Kinda, but not exactly... More like folding space."
"...So... You use your magic and cut this-" she motions toward the spacial gap, "-doorway, and...and you use it to fold the space between where we are and where you're wanting to go?"
"...Yeah, that's the long and short of it, actually." He huffs, almost looking a little disappointed. "I wasn't expecting you to be so cool with it."
"What, looking forward to giving me a hard time?"
"Welllll maybe. That and just the fact that cutting through space is supposed to be a theoretical concept and impossible in practice except for wormholes and the like...just kinda expected it to be a difficult thing for a human to accept." She raised a brow at him and snorted, grinning.
"I love it when you talk nerdy to me." Sans practically choked on his laugh, unexpected and sudden, and she laughed outright, gesturing back toward the "portal". "So, are we gonna go through, or were you just showing off?" He takes a second to regain his composure and nods, then pauses, face flushing a light blue.
"It's dangerous, goin' through if you don't know what you're doin'. You could get lost in The Void, so, uh... Prolly better if you hang on," he said as casually as he could muster, holding his arms out to his sides slightly, as if asking for a hug. Lena felt her pale cheeks flush a light pink and she easily stepped forward, arms looping around his neck. "Ah...heheh, I was gonna say y' could hold onto my hand." She flushed darker and attempted to pull away, but bony hands had come to rest on her waist, stopping her from moving. "This...works," he muttered gently, not meeting her gaze. "Close y'er eyes goin' through. The Void ain't somethin' humans should see." She nodded shyly and closed her eyes tightly, her face warm as a small breath of warm air hit her cheek. "Hold on," he whispered roughly, and suddenly, she could feel everything fall away around her.
Sans felt his magic surge as they stepped through the doorway and into The Void, where time always seemed so much slower. It was here that he could really stop and notice things, like how her arms tightened around his neck and pulled his skull closer to her neck, pressing closer to him as she, no doubt, felt the space around her vanish. It was a sensation that humans never got to experience, under normal circumstances. Frisk said that they felt nauseous the first time, and part of him worried if Lena might experience the same thing. 'That'd put a real damper on our da-' He cut his mind off abruptly before the word could even completely make it across his thoughts, because this wasn't a date.
The human in his arms made a small noise of distress, a small whine, and he felt her hold on him tighten, fingers digging into the fabric covering his shoulder blades, and he instinctively pulled her closer. He tried his hardest not to be fascinated by the way her flesh seemed to dip beneath his bony fingers, and instead focused on getting them through more quickly. Her breath was warm against the side of his skull, and stars, if he wasn't already having a hard enough time paying attention, he certainly did now.
The time was only a couple seconds, in reality, but it had felt like a solid minute in the Void. By the time their feet finally landed back on 'solid' ground, Sans felt her breathe a sigh of relief. "C-can I open my eyes...?" she asked hesitantly, and he felt slightly guilty when he gently pushed her away a bit, giving a small grunt that supposedly meant 'yes'. It took her a few seconds before her green eyes fluttered into view again, and Sans quickly averted his gaze. They were still standing rather close, his hands on her waist, her hands on his shoulders as she tried to steady herself. "Wow..." Before them stood a modestly sized brick building, the sign hanging over the door lit in orange. "Grillby's...?"
"Yep. Was one of my favorite places to spend time back in the Underground. An old friend of mine runs the place..." He gestured toward the door with a smile and walked forward, pushing the door inward and open as she followed close behind. There was an almost instantaneous chorus of voices all saying his name, and he sent everyone in the room a lazy grin and wave.
"Heyyy Sans, how's it been?!" a very drunk rabbit-looking monster called from the first booth, slurring as he leaned nearly out of his seat. There was another monster sitting behind them, quietly observing the human that had wandered in, as well. Lena felt a touch of nervousness under the intense gaze, but she just gave a small smile and a little wave.
"Y'care if we sit at the bar?" Sans suddenly turned and asked, and Lena shook her head quickly as he led her up to the bar. Standing behind it was a man made entirely of fire, or that's how he looked, wearing a nice dress shirt and vest, complete with black bowtie. 'How do the clothes not burn...?' Sans hopped up onto one of the stools and just as Lena was about to sit down as well, he quickly slid a hand over the cushion, pulling something off of it. He was holding up a whoopie cushion, setting it on the seat on the other side of him. "Some weirdo goes around puttin' these things on all the seats. Crazy, huh?" Just from the look in his eye, she knew it was him, and was thankful for being spared.
"It's no problem. I'm sure everyone thinks they're a gas," she said, earning a series of laughs from everyone around the bar.
"Nah, it totally blows. But I'm not one to raise a stink over little things like that." The look on his face was amused and god, were they seriously sitting here making fart jokes? "Hey, Grilbz. How's it goin'?" he asked, and the fire elemental across the bar from him crackled and hissed softly, sounding like a campfire. The surprise must have been evident on the human's face because Sans chuckled and held a hand out toward the walking inferno, gesturing at him casually. "This hot stud here is my pal, Grilby. He owns the place, keeps this place lit up." A dissatisfied hiss came from Grillby, who simply shook his head at the puns. Lena could sympathize. "Grilby, this...is Lena." The elemental cast the skeleton a questioning glance, who simply waved him off.
"It is nice to finally meet you," a smooth voice said, startling her slightly, as it seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"O-oh, it's, um... It's nice to meet you!" Smiling, she reached a hand out without thinking, and Grilby actually flinched back slightly. He blinked in surprise at Sans, who shrugged and grinned, and gave a small chuckle as he reached forward to shake the human's hand. It was...warm, but it didn't burn her, like part of her might have expected. She could feel the faint crackle of magic on her skin, but otherwise it was a normal handshake.
"Will I be getting you the usual, Sans?" Grillby had now turned back to the skeleton, who was watching the interaction closely. At the question he turned to Lena, raising a brow.
"Burger and fries okay with you?" he asked, his smile spreading wider when he received an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah, two usuals." The fireman (ha) nodded and turned and disappeared into the back, and Sans turned to Lena with a bit of a curious expression. "Didn't think you'd be up for handshakes so quickly. Humans are kinda put off by the whole 'made of fire' thing."
"Ah, well... Truthfully, he's not the first fire elemental monster I've met," she said, the corners of her lips turning up in a fond smile as she thought. "I knew a fire elemental in college..." Grillby reappeared and set a plate down in front of each of them, pulling a bottle of ketchup from under the bar and sliding it over to Sans. "She was a real sweetheart, beautiful! I'd never seen green fire before, but she was gorgeous... I have a picture of the two of us up in my apartment somewhere. We didn't hang out too often, but I tutored her in English and comprehension during her freshman year. I tried to push to get her to be my roommate, but the college wasn't...well, they weren't allowing monsters to live on campus at the time. It was stupid, and I was really upset about it, but she just apologized, and told me not to worry about it. I wonder how she's doing now..."
"She is working on getting a degree online while living at home. Stubborn and still thinks she knows best, but she's doing well." Grillby's voice startled her and she looked up, embarrassed. He gave a small, hissing chuckle and sent her a warm (heh) smile. "I never would have thought that the Lena who took such good care of my daughter is also the one who is taking such good care of my friend. I really ought to thank you, Lena." Her face flushed a light red and she shook her head modestly.
"No, really, it's nothing. That's just how you're supposed to treat people..."
"And it is exactly that reason that makes you so amazing..." The amount of fondness that was being expressed on his face was obvious, and when they heard the clatter of a ketchup bottle hitting the counter, she jumped. Grillby turned to Sans with a small smirk. "Consider this meal on me, as a way of giving my personal thanks to your date." Sans, who had been in the middle of taking a bite of his burger, gulped loudly, dropping it back onto his plate.
"Y' got it all wrong, Grilbz..." he said, eyesockets narrowing slightly as Grillby gave another hissing chuckle, turning and disappearing into the back again. "Hey! ...Damn hothead." He glanced over at Lena who was giving him a strange look, brows slightly furrowed. When she noticed his attention on her she quickly smiled, diving into her burger and fries. 'What, was she happy he called it a date or somethin'?' Frowning slightly, he took a large swig of ketchup, willing the pale blue to disappear from his cheekbones.
"Oh my god... Is this real?" Sans laughed as his eyelights scanned over the sight before him, eyesockets crinkling with mirth. Lena was sitting on her bar stool, turned with her back to Grillby, who was keeping a careful eye on the room. Lesser Dog had, not long after they'd finished eating, come over to the bar for a drink, and Sans had introduced them. She'd made the mistake of reaching out to give them a handshake. Lesser Dog had immediately taken the offering of her hand as her offering to pet him. This was how she found herself covered in dog, the monster's neck hanging across the bar as he panted, tail wagging wildly. The poor human was giggling helplessly, scratching the dog under the chin and behind the ears, and no.
He was not the slightest bit jealous. He wasn't, because that would be ridiculous, and there wasn't even anything to be jealous of. He wasn't watching as her soul bubbled brightly with her cheerfulness, pale green tendrils of aura reaching out and practically petting Lesser Dog's soul. He wasn't...until Lesser Dog leaned up and licked her cheek, releasing a soft 'mrrr' noise. What the fuck even was that? Dogs weren't supposed to purr. She cooed in response, increasing her efforts, moving to scratch at the dog's extensive neck.
"Hey, L.D., you oughta get back to your poker game," Sans said cooly, his eyelights meeting the dog's eyes and raising a browbone, his grin tense. The dog whined softly, retracting its long neck and giving Lena a small wave of its paw, which she readily returned. She seemed a bit sad for him to leave, and he huffed irritably, squirting a heavy amount of ketchup into his mouth.
"He's so sweet! It's too bad he had to go... Hey, do you think he'd mind if we joined in his poker game?" she asked, leaning to look over at the dog who had returned to its table. He looked to be playing against himself, despite the table full of dogs near him.
"Dunno. 'm not really a fan of poker." His words were clipped short, and Lena took notice quickly, looking over at him with a small concerned frown.
"Everything okay...?" she asked hesitantly, and Sans cursed mentally.
"Just dunno why you're wantin' to spend so much time with someone else on our date."
The words were out of his mouth before he really thought them through, and his eyes went wide, setting the bottle of ketchup down on the bar so forcibly that a bit of ketchup flew out the top. "I mean..." 'Shit, shit, shit-' Grillby was giving him a cheeky smirk and he swore, if it wouldn't hurt him, he'd have squirted the rest of the ketchup in the bottle at him just to wipe that look off his face. Was his face glowing? Shit, it probably was.
"...You're right, Sans. I'm sorry." He chanced a glance at her from the corner of his eyesocket and felt his soul flutter at the truly apologetic expression on her face. How was he supposed to be mad when she made a face like that? Huffing out a small sigh, he shrugged his shoulders dismissively.
"'s fine, don't worry 'bout it. Ready to head back?" She nodded and he hopped down from his stool, giving Grillby a wave over his shoulder as he quickly exited the building. The brush of cool air against his face was welcoming, considering how hot his cheekbones felt. He wanted to blame it on sitting at the bar so long. He heard the door close behind him and, after a few seconds, the shuffling of shoes on the sidewalk next to him. "Shortcut, or d'ya wanna walk?" She frowned slightly in thought, pondering both options, then she shyly held her hand out to him.
"Can we walk...?" She looked so unsure and flustered, and fuck, he couldn't even think of stopping himself as he grasped her hand in his own, holding onto it loosely. The glow from her smile and soul brightened the space between them, and he averted his gaze as they began their trek back to the apartment. He tried to keep his mind off of how soft and warm her hand was, or how perfectly it seemed to fit in his own.
He failed.