Work Text:
“and this is grillby’s,” Sans said, motioning to the small, wooden building. It was perhaps a little unnecessary, given that the establishment carried a large sign proclaiming its name, but Toriel didn’t mind. He had spoken to her about the many places that were a part of his life for so long; it was a pleasure for her to see them herself and when she had hastily followed Frisk through the Underground, she hadn’t really had the time to really look at her surroundings.
Now that her child was busy speaking to the many monsters down here one last time before they all moved to the surface, she was happy to be taken on a tour by her young friend.
She looked down at him and smiled.
A skeleton.
She really should have guessed, what with all the bone puns. No wonder he liked it best when she made those jokes as well.
“It looks warm and inviting,” she said truthfully, returning her eyes to the building. “Just right for Snowdin Town.”
“heh, yeah. best burgers ‘n fries ya can get anywhere, too. wanna go try some?” He smiled up to her, the corners of his eye sockets crinkling with genuine joy. It was easy to see how happy it made him to share his favourite spots with a friend he had known for so long, but never seen.
“I suppose it would be a shame not to, before it closes,” Toriel mused. “Who knows how quickly the establishment will be able to reopen on the surface.”
“quick as a flash fire, i bet,” Sans chuckled, making his way to the door.
Toriel snorted when they walked in and she understood what he had been getting at. The owner of Grillby’s was a fire elemental, a living flame vaguely shaped like a human and wearing a handsome ensemble of a crisp white shirt with a black vest on top.
It suited him very well, Toriel thought, snickering to herself. It accentuated his features nicely.
“hey grillbz. think we can have one last order before you pack up?” Sans made to hop up on one of the bar stools out of what was clearly years of habit, before looking back to her. His face grew thoughtful for a second and then he waved her over to one of the booths. Toriel appreciated it; the barstools were simply too small for her and the booths looked more comfortable and capable of handling her size. She didn’t want to break anything.
Behind the bar, Grillby gave Sans a nod, the flames on his head flicking with fondness, indulgence, friendship and mild amusement.
Toriel stared at the display.
She had not seen this in so long, and the last time was from a person she did not wish to think about any more than necessary.
“burger and fries for both of us then,” Sans told Grillby, looking back to her for confirmation. Toriel nodded absentmindedly, staring at Grillby as he vanished through the door leading to the back of the bar.
“you good?”
Toriel blinked and looked back at Sans. He was sitting right in front of her on the other side of the booth, and she couldn't tell if he had used his unusual capability of disappearing in one place and instantly reappearing in another, or if she simply hadn't noticed him walking over.
“Yes, of course,” she told him. She had to gather her thoughts. “It has simply been such a long time since I have last seen a fire elemental. There were none in the ruins. It brings back many memories.”
“oh. right,” he replied. There was a thoughtful expression on his face that quickly made space for his usually cheerful demeanour. “think there’s a couple more of them in hotland. grillbz here is the only one around here though. lotta people say it’s not fitting, but we all appreciate him being here. made sure to give him a warm welcome.”
Even with the surprise of the fiery display, Toriel couldn’t help but laugh. This was exactly why she liked having Sans as her friend so much, even before she had seen him. This was why she had trusted him to look after any humans that came out of the ruins.
How could she not trust someone who could make her laugh regardless of how she felt?
Who shared her sense of humour and knew just the right jokes to bring a smile to her face?
Who used humour deliberately to make others feel more at ease and happier?
“Yes, I can see easily how many monsters here would carry a torch for him,” she said with a wide smile.
It only occurred to her after she said it that this might be a little bit of a slip. She had not thought much about it, but in a way, she had admitted that she considered him attractive. How embarrassing. Was she not too old for this kind of thing? She did not even know how old Grillby was, either, but he had to be younger than she was.
To her great relief, Sans had been distracted by the sound of the door announcing Grillby’s return though, and merely laughed at her pun. He didn’t seem to find anything strange about it.
While Grillby put their food on the table, Toriel kept sneaking glances at his fire, particularly the flames on his head. She couldn’t help it; this fire elemental was simply too expressive! He practically wore his soul on his sleeves. It was impossible for her not to look and pick up on what he was broadcasting so freely to the world.
Where initially there was merely a background flicker of contentment and joy, his flames quickly began to take the characteristic shape of entrancement and attraction.
Oh dear.
Those had not been there when he had greeted Sans. Now, she did not want to flatter herself, but could it possibly be related to her? Underneath her fur, she could feel herself flush. An old lady like her! Causing such a reaction! Scandalous.
But then again, why should only the young get to have all the fun?
Grillby went back to cleaning up behind his counter, clearly readying himself to pack up and move to the surface. She did notice that from where he stood, he could see her easily, and she could see him just as well in return.
How very convenient.
Sans was already biting into his burger across of her, humming low with appreciation for the food. She took a bite as well and joined him with an appreciative noise of her own. While very greasy and heavy, the food did have a rich and pleasant flavour.
“good, right?” Sans asked her enthusiastically. “can’t get food like that anywhere else in the underground. everyone cooks with fire magic, but it’s different when the cook is on fire himself. natural talent.”
“It is very delicious,” she agreed with a chuckle. “And I suppose you are not wrong in your assessment.”
Stretching out her hand, she conjured a small fire, just big enough to cover her palm entirely. She hadn’t done this in a while, had in fact deliberately tried to forget about it in the aftermath of her fallout with Asgore. But she now found it surprisingly easy to get back into it. To shape the fire to her will and have the flames assume the shapes that meant appreciation, curiosity, gratitude, satisfaction.
For the food, of course.
“Fire magic can be a very fickle thing,” she explained while Sans watched the fire in her hand with interest, without apparently noticing anything off with it. “It takes centuries of hard work to master if you do not have an innate affiliation with it, and even then the degree of fine control will usually not match those to whom it comes naturally.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Grillby stare at the small flame in her hand. His fire spelt embarrassment, but also fascination and again, attraction.
So it seemed she had been correct in her assumption after all.
Did she dare to be more forwards?
Clearly it would not be entirely unwelcome.
She decided that after so many years of isolation in the ruins, she deserved to have a little fun. It took her very little effort to mold her little fire into the correct form to show Grillby her interest, her own attraction to him and her mixture of nerves and forwardness.
The flames on his head burned a little brighter at that, and a little higher. He was blushing, but he was also happy to see his interest returned. A positive development. Toriel suddenly felt like a young maiden again and had to fight down a sudden fit of giggles.
“so which are you?” Sans wanted to know, still munching away while watching her.
“Fire magic is a natural ability for me,” she explained after having finished a bite of her own. “I use it as attacks, for cooking, and for many other useful things.”
As she explained this, she shaped the fire in her hand into a cheeky flicker akin to a wink, and the specific shade of reddish orange that signalled salaciousness and desire.
Useful things indeed.
Grillby nearly dropped the glass he was cleaning behind the bar, his fire burning much too high for a moment, before he managed to get it back under control. He didn’t manage entirely and she suppressed a knowing smirk behind the mask of gentle and motherly friendliness that she tended to wear. To know that she was still able to turn someone’s head like that felt like a soothing balm on her soul.
“sounds cool,” Sans commented while popping a few fries into his mouth. “do ya got any other interesting types of magic?”
“I am also a capable healer and know the basics of blue and orange magic, although these last two do not come quite so easily to me,” she said. She had tried to eat slowly over the course of their conversation, a couple of bites here and some fries there, but now she already found her plate empty. The portion sizes were rather small for someone her size.
Grillby signalled that he felt sorry for this with his flames, still flustered and clearly trying to stay professional, although he couldn’t hide how affected he was by her flirting.
To think, that she would be flirting after so much time.
It was fun!
She changed the shape of her own flames to tell him that there was something else in the room she found quite appetizing and would love to taste.
When a small puff of smoke escaped his head and his fire turned red completely, she initially wondered if she had gone too far. But then he signalled readiness, eagerness, interest, and impatience in rapid succession. He looked lovely like that. His passionate display was both endearing and exciting and left her wondering how he would look in other situations, how his tendency to show his emotions so clearly would translate when applied in a more intimate context.
Goodness, she had to stop herself.
If she kept going like this, she would flush so much that it would become noticeable. Sans was already giving her a funny look now, and she did not want to end up in an embarrassing situation for all of them.
Quickly schooling her expression into something more neutral again, she dispelled the flame in her hand. She had made her interest clear and if she dragged out her demonstration in front of Sans any longer, he would surely notice that something was off. Instead she kept chatting with him about different types of magic while he finished his meal. All the while she kept stealing glances at Grillby, who needed a bit longer to cool his fire to the point of looking normal again. They were both quite lucky that Sans did not turn around, too distracted by the food and the conversation with her.
“welp, i’m full,” Sans eventually declared, after he had not only finished his food but also drank a whole bottle of ketchup on top of that.
“Then shall we pay?” Toriel asked.
“don't worry, i got it. grillbz, put it on my tab, ok?”
Sans finally turned to back to Grillby, who nodded politely and then hesitated as they got up. He seemed to come to a quick decision when he walked around his bar and came to a stop in front of Toriel and handed her a piece of paper. His flames spelt hope and a question.
“grillby?” Sans asked.
“Thank you,” Toriel said and took the paper. She could see the number on it. Grillby’s fire flickered with happiness and anticipation, causing the giggle she had suppressed earlier to escape her. “I look forwards to speaking with you again.”
“.......................me too,” Grillby said, his voice a low rasp that she found quite pleasant.
“uhm,” Sans said.
“Come, let us go back and prepare for our move,” Toriel prompted, still chuckling to herself while she led the way out of the establishment. Sans trailed behind her with a frown on his skull.
“i noticed ya looked kinda funny back there, but… how did ya talk to him? did i miss something?” He was obviously confused by the whole exchange. Toriel didn't want to laugh at him, but his expression was quite funny so she allowed herself a smile at least.
“I did say fire magic is quite useful for many things, did I not?” she pointed out.
The dawning realisation on his expression finally did it. Her laughter echoed across the Snowdin street bright and clear, like the spark of a match being struck.
It felt good.