You didn't know if Grillby saw the note or not, but you came anyway just to keep an eye on things. You showed up earlier than normal and stayed later. You were afraid those nerds would come back, maybe with more people this time. Plus, the monsters seemed friendlier to you. They'd buy you a drink here and there.
The only thing different was you stopped sitting in the back and started sitting at the bar. For…surveillance. It wasn't too different, you still had a view of everything and no one was sneaking up on your back if you turned your barstool towards the crowd. And you got a nice view of the cool shit Grillby was doing. He was doing a lot more tossing and juggling than he used to, and you enjoyed it immensely. You especially enjoyed when he used magic to light shots on fire, because he didn't just light it on fire. The fire danced in a rainbow of colors that made your heart light up just looking at it. You know that you grinned from ear to ear whenever he served one.
You think that the other good human customers liked it too, because they ordered them the most often. Magic to humans was just, way more magical. Monsters were used to it, and unless you were particularly strong it didn't matter too much. Everyone's magic was different so it was expected. Humans though, they could only watch. Which made even the smallest show awe inspiring.
"you stare any harder your eyes are gunna pop out," a familiar voice says as he seats himself next to you.
"That obvious? I'll chill out," you mutter. Sans hits you with an elbow.
"you should just tell him," he says a little loudly. You glare at him.
"Shut up!" You smack him lightheartedly. A moment passes and Grillby comes over with a bottle of ketchup and a refill for your drink. You go to grab it and his hand brushes against yours. You can't help but blush.
"Thanks, Grillby," you manage softly. He looks at you for a moment, and you think you see a faint blue across his cheeks. He nods at you and makes his way toward the back. Sans starts snickering.
"just tell him," he goads.
"I'd rather die," you say dramatically. Sans snorts. "So what are you up to? Did Papyrus like the puzzle store?"
"you know he did," Sans nods, "thanks for telling me where it was. you're a real pal."
"Anytime. I know I've never met him but Papyrus sounds like a sweet guy." Sans nodded.
A lull of comfortable silence came over the two of you. You liked Sans' company. He was down to earth, but there was something under the surface that made you respect him. He seemed like he had more going on than he would tell you, not only stress wise but he just moved like he could hurt people if he wanted. It was subtle, but he had a confidence that only comes with knowing you could kick someone's ass. All in all you wouldn't want to piss him off. At least it didn't seem easy to do so.
A noise broke your thoughts like a nail in a water balloon. Shouting from outside. You jump up immediately to check it out. A group of men hold down a horse monster and are taking turns kicking and punching him outside the bar.
"WOAH HEY." You burst out. you draw your knife from your boot, aiming it at the group. "Get OFF him," you yell. The group scatters like a group of wet cats, jumping into a jeep and squealing away. The horse monster lay groaning and bloody on the dirtied snow. You sweep the surroundings for more trouble before holstering your knife and rushing to the already forming crowd around the poor guy.
"Get him some butterscotch pie, quick!" A plant monster yells. Another monster already had the plate in their hand and was handing it to the shaking horse monster.
"Punk you gotta eat it," one says frantically. Punk takes a tentative bite with his sore and bloodied jaw, and suddenly his face knits back together. He gobbles the whole pie piece down and suddenly he's standing. Despite broken sunglasses and battered leather jacket, Punk appears to be completely healed.
"Holy shit," you say. If only the army had that, maybe some of your friends would still be alive. You don't know the logistics of carrying pie into the battlefield though. You run your fingers through your hair and start to pace, focused on the direction those people came from now that the immediate crisis was averted. You felt like they would come back any second, that they would bring more people and this time they'd be armed. Their escalation was assured in your head, and you didn't have the resources to combat it.
Someone put a hand on your arm and stopped your pacing. Grillby. He took you by the shoulder with a hand on your back and led you back inside. He sat you back at the bar and started making a drink. Sans came back to sit next to you, but didn't say anything. More monsters filed back in, but the feel was different. It seemed the whole bar was cowed into a lower energy than before. The reality sunk in for a lot of monsters, and you could see it. They weren't safe, even in their own community. Tears stung in your eyes and you refused to let them fall. You tried to keep them safe, but it seems like too big an ask even for you. It felt like you failed. Sure, they had butterscotch pie this time, but what happens if you're late? The police don't come to Little Ebott, the monsters are on their own. They don't have rights. They don't have personhood. If they fight back they'll be "put down" like a rabid animal. There were laws in the works, but that might take years to go through. Especially with public opinion on monsters being so low. It made you sick, it made you angry.
You were in your head so much you didn't notice the hot chocolate in front of you until Sans touched your arm and you jumped. Sans motioned to your drink and you looked up to see Grillby staring at you with a worried flicker of his flame.
"Thanks Grillby," you said automatically, and began drinking your hot chocolate. Grillby always did know what to make you. It's like he knew you like the back of his hand, and the thought made you forget a little about what happened. Grillby was a great distraction.
You thought about his touch from earlier, how it was warm but didn't burn you. You figured it wouldn't hurt you, since he touched cloth and other things all the time. But in your mind he might have been hotter. He was so…comfortable. The touch on your back comforted you immediately. The way he steadily led you and sat you down when you needed it. Grillby was good at filling people's needs before they even knew they had the want for them.
And boy did you want Grillby. While his back was turned your eyes fell down his frame. He was built muscled, but lean. You could see his smooth stomach through his shirt sometimes. His shirt unbuttoned on summer nights, unused to the humidity… You didn't think of it before, but past memories fueled present fantasy. You bit your lip.
Grillby turned and you weren't quick enough. You were caught staring. You must have had a look on your face because a blue blush ran over his face that spread from his nose. You looked down at your drink with wide eyes. Fuck.
Sans burst out laughing. You hissed at him and kicked his shin.
"I swear, Sans," you bury your face in your hands, your face bright red.
"not my fault you have fire in your eyes," he grinned like a demon straight from your nightmares.
"I hate you."
Grillby retreated to the back. You sat for a moment.
"Do you really think a monster would date a human? Even though we're all...Fleshy?" You grabbed your arm, pulled the loose skin, and wobbled it in example.
"there are weirder couples underground," he shrugs. You purse your lips. Maybe Grillby did like you back. Or maybe you creeped him out so much he needed to get away from you.
"Do you think Grillby likes me?" You ask seriously. Sans scrutinized you for a moment, and you thought he was going to laugh at you again.
"yeah kid, I think so," Sans said earnestly. You looked at him with wide eyes, a smile growing on your face.
"Thanks, Sans."
After Sans left and the bar cleared, you loitered again and waited for Grillby. It might be awkward, but you had an offer to make.
Grillby was getting ready to close down the bar and looked at you questioningly.
"I was thinking I could walk you home. I'm a little worried those guys will come back and I wouldn't want my favorite bartender to get jumped," you said, more confident than you felt. Grillby hesitated for a moment, before nodding.
You helped him put up the barstools and mop, which you did a lot of in the military. Grillby grabbed his coat, and opened the door for you, giving you an "after you" motion. You smiled and thanked him again, and the two of you started your brisk walk.
Neither of you spoke, but it was a pleasant kind of quiet with the falling snow. You noticed that he was walking slow, as if to prolong the journey. You grinned at that, what a silly thought.
But then a warm hand linked your arm, and you looked at Grillby. He was observing your reaction. You smiled at him in earnest and made the link more comfortable to both of you, continuing in silence.
The walk ended too soon, and maybe that's why Grillby was prolonging it. You stopped at his door, and he turned to you.
"Stay safe," you said. He brought his hand to your cheek, and you closed your eyes. You brought your hand to his and nuzzled closer.
"...You too…" He said softly. You gave him a hushed smile and dropped your hand. He did the same, and you went on your way into the cold, dark night.