Pyromantic

Heated Moments

After everyone took a moment to calm themselves, you all took your places around the bar. Sans, Vunde, and Ezra all sat at the bar, in that order, while you stood behind the bar with Grillby.

Grillby wasn't going to make you "work", since it was your day off, but upon your pushing him to let you help out, he allowed you to help with getting things for your small party, while he aided the rest of the customers. He wouldn't budge any further, though, so you gave a sigh and agreed.

Your first job was getting everyone drinks. Sans got his usual order of a tall ketchup bottle, while Vunde and Ezra asked for some sodas. You went back to get their orders, and then thought about what you wanted.

Honestly, you felt a little drained from the entire day. What with the feeling of being betrayed, anger, confusion... and all before you could even have a cup of coffee. That dream still slightly bothered you, but you pushed it to the back of your mind with the other psychological bullshit that crowded it. It's not the first weird dream, and it won't be the last, so, might as well enjoy the nice times.

You hummed as you got done pouring the drinks, and then thought of what would be perfect to lift your spirits- hot tea!

You remembered reading somewhere that warm beverages can be comforting, as they emulate body heat, and who doesn't like a good cup of tea- oh yeah, Vunde doesn't like hot tea. You scoffed as you perused the cabinets for some tea bags and a kettle.

You remembered when you first came to Grillby's by yourself. It was a truly bad day, and the " incident " that followed, certainly wasn't any better. However, you recalled how you felt better after Grillby gave you some chai tea, and then later, spiced chai tea. You smiled at the memory, scoping out the cabinets.

'Hm... I wonder where they could be...' you thought.

~15 minutes later~

"What in the fuck ?" You had to hold back from slamming the cabinet shut.

You had double- no, triple checked every shelf, cabinet, and drawer, desperately looking for either tea bags or a kettle at this point. You were getting very frustrated with the kitchen and Grillby, too.

You had gone and given your friends their drinks about 10 minutes ago, and the bartender was nowhere to be seen, so you could not ask him for his assistance [back when you were still willing to ask, because all you wanted was a cup of fucking hot tea.]

Now, though, it was fucking personal .

"Where in the hell are they?" you hissed, beginning your search for the umpteenth time.

You were too busy interrogating the cupboards to notice when the owner of said cupboards came in and was greeted by a haphazard kitchen and a hazardous looking you. After a moment of watching you ravage a few more shelves, he finally cleared his throat, making you turn around.

" You! " You stomped over to the flaming bartender, accusingly pointing a finger at him, fire in your eyes and malice in your voice. Grillby took a few steps back, but found he could go no further when his back met the wall. His flames flared up before shrinking low.

You were practically chest to chest to him now. You reached forward, grabbing the front of his vest, bringing him down to look you in the eye. He had to stoop pretty low, as you were about as short as Sans.

Grillby's mind went blank, his concentration slipping, allowing his features to be seen. The look he gave you was a blue-flushed, frightened one. The look you gave him was a frightening death glare straight from the pits of hell, but he could feel your breath on his lips with how close you were. And, he couldn't lie, he found it intriguing how forceful you were being. Grillby was definitely feeling very mixed about all this.

It seemed as if you were about to yell at him more, or maybe even hit him, as you had tensed up suddenly.

Grillby was surprised, however, when instead of striking at him, you loosened your grip on him, the fire in your eyes turning to angry tears as you cried out in frustration.

"I just want some fucking hot tea!" You slumped in defeat, resting your head on his chest as you shook with frustration.

Grillby, still pretty confused, brought up one of his arms, give you a soft pat on the back. He wasn't sure what you would do if he tried to do more. He crackled a bit when he spoke.

"Hey," he began softly, voice warm and comforting. "Calm down, you're fine, everything's okay, shoosh, okay?" he continued to talk and rub your shoulders as you calmed down. "I'll get you some tea, just hang on, it's okay,"

Your cheeks were a bit flushed, and your hair was messier than before, but you lifted your head up, nodding to him. It was then that you realized how childish and awkward that probably was, for both parties....

"Um, I'm sorry for... well, for what just happened," Grillby just gave you a chuckle as he walked to a shelf that you had just now noticed because it was up high.

"It's okay," he assured you, "Actually, I thought it was rather intriguing," he added, pulling down a tea chest.

"Huh? How so?" You asked as he set the chest on the counter, opening it up for you.

"Choose what you like," he said, gesturing to the various kinds of tea the chest held. "And, to be honest," He walked over to a cabinet across the kitchen, grabbing a metal cup. "You look quite... different, when you are upset," He seemed to have skated over a word, being very vague in his answer.

"What do you mean, 'different' ?" You asked, finally choosing a type of tea, pulling out a tea bag.

"Well, you know," he was even more vague as he handed you the cup, not meeting your eyes. "Put some water in this, please,"

"I don't think I do," you replied, doing as you were told, and then handing the cup back to him. He took it and wrapped his hands around the cup. You felt a shift in the air and a sudden intense warmth came from him as he began to use his magic.

' Ah, he doesn't need to use a kettle...' You thought, being comforted by the heat he was giving off.

"Grab yourself a mug," He said. You did so, and placed the tea bag inside of it. A moment later, Grillby was pouring in hot water. "There, all done," He said with a chipper tone, but he didn't make any move to answer you.

"Thanks," you bobbed the tea bag a bit, attempting to get it to steep faster. After a moment, you blew on it a bit, and took a sip. The heat and spice of the tea flooded through you, instantly making you feel a million times better.

"Better?" Grillby said, giving you a small smile. You gave him a smile in return, beaming at him as you hugged the cup close.

"Much," You said. "I feel so at home, right now," You closed your eyes, sighing in content as you leaned back on a counter. Grillby watched you, smiling.