I.... am nut getting involved.

“I love you.” Grillby said, leaning forward to give him a peck on the forehead. A small mouse monster on their way up to the bar stopped, giving the pair a questioning look, and Grillby waved him up. He turned to face the mouse, smoothing his flames back. “Business never stops. What can I get. For you?”

Rewinding

Grillby shook his head, downed another shot, and finally set his half-empty bottle aside. “I will be fine.” He said, clearly. “But whatever you wish to think. I find it hard to believe that you. Do not know how dangerous that child could be.”

A long pause. His eyes drifted to the window, and he nodded in its direction. “You have. Something important to do. And my bar. Is very crowded. We can talk more. In private. Later.”

He sighed, and squeezed Sans’ hand before letting go. “Promise me. That you will come back.”

Grillby shook his head, downed another shot, and finally set his half-empty bottle aside. “I will be fine.” He said, clearly. “But whatever you wish to think. I find it hard to believe that you. Do not know how dangerous that child could be.”

A long pause. His eyes drifted to the window, and he nodded in its direction. “You have. Something important to do. And my bar. Is very crowded. We can talk more. In private. Later.”

He sighed, and squeezed Sans’ hand before letting go. “Promise me. That you will come back.”

Rewinding

* they’re.. they’re not dangerous, grillbz. they just. they got a little upset. a lot upset.

* which is why i’m letting everything cool down first before i go looking for them.

* since i know there’s no way they’re still in snowdin after that.

[✱ He reached up to sort of ruffle a hand through said excited fire, scooting forward on the bar slightly.]

* i’m staying here til i know you’re okay, first and foremost. i’m sorry you had front-row seats. heh.

“Sans.” Grillby leaned forward again. “If you do, I. You should be careful. I am.”

The barman paused, looking down into his shotglass. He emptied into his head-flame again, and ran a hand through the thoroughly excited fire atop his head. “Worried. I know they are your friend, but the child is. Could be. You know. Dangerous.”

Rewinding

* i’d say so.

[✱ Puns.

But also, whiskey. After wiggling out of Grillby’s grasp a bit so that he could comfortably sit on top of the bar, he gladly took that bottle and chugged a good fifth of it before setting it down with a wheeze.]

* i’m gonna.. i’m gonna have a talk with the kid. later. after i appreciate not being dust a little more.

“Oh my god.” Grillby whispered. He reached behind the bar, grabbed two bottles of his better whiskey, and poured a shot onto himself. He lit up brighter for a moment as the alcohol cooked out, set the other bottle in front of Sans, and cast a stern look around the bar (which successfully cowed the onlookers, at the least.) “This one’s on me.” He said, before ‘downing’ another shot.

Rewinding

Grillby took Sans by the hand, then pulled him up to the counter and leaned in to kiss him, his other arm wrapping around the Skeleton tightly. He ignored the “Oooooh!” from the peanut gallery in the bar.

They didn’t know. He’d forgive it this time. 

Grillby took Sans by the hand, then pulled him up to the counter and leaned in to kiss him, his other arm wrapping around the Skeleton tightly. He ignored the “Oooooh!” from the peanut gallery in the bar.

They didn’t know. He’d forgive it this time. 

Rewinding

Frisk might have noticed Papyrus. He didn’t look back, at any rate. He fell back to his heels, staring at the dust.

Something inside the body’s chest sparked, and he jerked violently. Damned prototype couldn’t hold its Determination. The pain jolted Frisk back to the moment, and with the adrenaline (or whatever passed for adrenaline) fading, he whimpered.

Another spark shot off, and his left arm froze up. He stepped back, mouth moving wordlessly as Grillby slowly leaned over the counter. The fire monster didn’t look at Frisk anymore, didn’t acknowledge him at all. Frisk almost wished he would. 

The clock on the wall slowed down. Grillby’s hand stopped inches from Sans’ jacket, and his head snapped up to stare at Frisk, flames roaring. 

The case holding Frisk’s soul cracked, and the world froze around the monsters and the human boy.

Glass picked itself up, the window slowly rebuilding itself like a jigsaw puzzle. Papyrus found himself fully aware of the Load as it happened, just like Grillby, just like Dayma and Flowey and Alphys. His brain itched, trying to reconcile the knowledge that time had passed with the fundamental feeling that it had not, as the damage undid itself in agonizing slow motion.

Frisk’s heel hit the ground, and he spun on it. The bottle Grillby had thrown sailed backward through the air, placed itself neatly on the shelf, the liquor convalescing out of the air it had burned into and settling comfortably into place. The hamburger appeared on the plate, then disappeared back into the kitchen, uncooked magic replacing itself in Grillby’s icebox.

Frisk was halfway to the door when it opened, allowing various patrons to filter back inside in reverse. The window finished rebuilding in front of Papyrus’ eyes, the light flickering into place before its tube had constructed itself again.

Sans’ SOUL appeared in midair as Frisk slipped past the monsters at the entrance, a ghostly cry ripping itself from the robot-boy’s mouth as his body sparked again. Sans’ clothes rose around his dust as it swirled up to meet his soul, filling out with his body in pieces and patches. Frisk ran past Papyrus, too fast in the midst of the Load for the taller skeleton to react to. Down the road toward the empty Ruins, away from any monsters. He vanished into the woods about the same time that the light flickered back into Sans’ eyes. All at once, time reasserted its dominance. The snow fell once more, Grillby jolting from his frozen state into a crackling gasp. His wide, white-hot eyes locked on Sans, and he glanced around the suddenly-bustling bar, struggling to comprehend what he’d been subjected to. “Sans?”

Frisk yelled something through the firewall, and then came charging through it, full speed.  Even they weren’t entirely sure what they were going to do. They just knew two things: Sans was possessed by something, probably a Gaster, and while they couldn’t be entirely sure they were pretty convinced that it was bad news for the entire timeline.

There was only one way they knew of to remove that kind of possession, and they were furious enough not to think it through. Dings represented everything the kid hated, reminded them of multiple years of torture and acting without their own will. If this was going to be- and they were sure it would, eventually, after that empty sans comment- anything like that for Sans, they had to do whatever it took to prevent it.

Their fist slammed straight through Sans’ head without stopping and impacted the counter hard enough to splinter it. 

Even Grillby wasn’t sure how to react to that.

Eating for Two

[He didn’t even bother coming out, instead settling back into a dormant state. If all the child was going to do was shout at him, then Dings would just… decide not to listen anymore. It was a good strategy a long time ago, it would be useful now.]

LET ME KNOW WHEN IT’S OVER BECAUSE I’M NOT STICKING AROUND TO LISTEN TO A HUMAN THREATEN ME.

Dings manifesting only hardened Frisk’s resolve. This was too similar to the terrible memories of the last Gaster he’d known, and Frisk was just as determined to stop this one from hurting his friend, his timeline.

“I won’t let you.” Frisk said, stepping forward into the javelins. Sans’ bones kept their body intact, and they walked straight for the skeleton. “You hear me? I won’t let you hurt my friends, not after everything was finally peaceful! If you won’t leave, I’m going to make you leave!”

Grillby rubbed his face, then spread his arms, a wall of flame separating the two. He could clean the bar up later. He gave Sans a strained glance. “This will not stop him.”

Eating for Two

[He didn’t particularly care about the minor display of affection. Too irritated – too much mental pacing, back and forth, working himself up and the instant that glass shattered he completely manifested and with a flash of grey, colorless javelins flew at the source. It was purely reflexive, but that likely didn’t matter.]

[And gone he was again. Goodness, humans never had any manners. They just killed monsters and broke things and acted like their word meant anything.]

[To the old vet, the parasite, the void creature, it meant nothing.]

“Of course I did.” Grillby said. “I do wonder, though...” The glass of the front window shattered in. It would be a simple fix, magically speaking, but that didn’t exactly help in the moment. Grillby stared as Frisk stepped over the wall, glowering at Sans. They’d taken the apron off, left the spatula behind. 

“I said,” Frisk growled, “Get out of him.” 

Eating for Two

[Humans. He knew humans. … Didn’t he hate humans? He lived through that godawful war, after all. Without using his host’s magic he could just… he could definitely… was it worth it? Those god awful… they had those, those abilities of theirs.]

[Humans. Guess Dings hated them after all.]

HOW I LOATHE THE WORD.

[His face shouldn’t be visible. It isn’t visible, but one can imagine how he looks, just the same. Kill him? Where was that human now? He was less a parasite and more a dog straining at the end of its leash, before composing himself once more.]

[Kill him. Ha. Ha ha. They couldn’t get him then. He wouldn’t let them get him now.]

[This was… destined to be memorable.]

“I disagree.” Grillby said. “And I will not. Be able to keep your friend. From doing something rash.” He leaned forward across the counter. “We both know how humans can be.”

Eating for Two

[Kill? Dings managed a mildly humored laugh within his host. Kill. Normally he’d immediately tap into Sans’ magic but now he was actively using what he had left behind, far within the void. The whole thing had started because he was going to be killed.]

[It was so far back and yet still present.]

A REPLACEMENT? OBVIOUSLY A LIE. I HAVEN’T ANY REASON TO BELIEVE ANY OF YOU WOULD WANT TO HELP ME. ESPECIALLY AT THE COST OF ANOTHER MONSTER’S AUTONOMY.

[But he still refused to vocalize directly to Grillby, only telling Sans.]

I MISS MY SHELL. SOMETIMES WE EVEN HAD CONVERSATION.

[That isn’t eerie. No sir.]

“I’ll kill him.” Frisk threatened, in a tone Sans hadn’t ever heard the kid use, and got shoved backward through the fire door by Grillby in return.  Grillby cleared his metaphorical throat (which sounded awfully convincing) and locked the door, buttoning his vest back up. “Understandable or not. This is still unacceptable. Surely a replacement can be found. That’s amicable to both parties.”

Eating for Two

[Magic flared again, this time longer, but Dings refused to show himself. No, this was his host, get your own, mine, you don’t even understand why I’m here you don’t care and I will not, I refuse, you have no AUTHORITY–]

[Temper. Temper.]

[He wanted to show himself. He wanted badly to appear again, to bare teeth he shouldn’t have. But it wouldn’t mean anything, and he knew it. The parasite remained where he was.]

[Sick with rage, he waited and festered. But he was starting to get an idea. If this failed, then perhaps… perhaps something else. Something else indeed. It would need time. Fine-tuning. But… well, anyway.]

[Dings did not fear.]

I WON’T.

Frisk slammed the plate down so hard it nearly cracked. He glared at the space above Sans, his fists clenched.

The silence was broken when the spatula began to bend, audibly creaking.

“If you don’t leave.” He said. “If you’re not out of him by the time that burger is gone, I’m going to make you leave.” Grillby’s flames flared. He pushed against Frisk’s chest with his arm, moving to block any attempt at fighting. His voice crackled and snapped, words coming haltingly. “Frisk. Sans, eat. And. Explain.”

Eating for Two

[A… bot. Ah. That was unusual indeed, and Dings actually seemed interested for a brief instant before recalling exactly where he was. What he was doing. He was slipping… his temper did that.]

[Of course he didn’t obey, just slunk back into his host with an irritated sound. Another time he would have been more cautious about things but…]

[Temper, temper. He screwed things up again, good job. Dings wanted to rest and recover his composure but he couldn’t. He refused.]

…

[Audible silence.]

Grillby rolled his sleeves up. He was about to say something to Sans when the Fire Door banged open.

Frisk wore Grillby’s old apron over his metallic body, brandished a spatula in one hand and a plate of food (french fries and burgers- Sans’ double order) in the other. He pointed the spatula directly at Dings, eyes narrowed, ignoring Grillby’s attempt to block him with one arm. “Out.”

Eating for Two

YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHY I’M IN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND IT INVOLVED PISSING ME OFF.

[That much was nonverbal, heard only by his host, before the parasite manifested halfway out of Sans. Only his head and upper torso appeared, hovering just above the smaller skeleton.]

“IT IS SO.” At least Dings wasn’t going to deny anything right now. Not yet. “THERE IS A REASON FOR THIS, OF COURSE… ONE I DON’T INTEND TO MENTION.”

This was a m e m o r a b l e appearance…

“I am saying-” Grillby, of course, noticed the flare. He didn’t decide it was important until Sans filled him in. Then he reached up and undid his tie, calmly. The front door wasn’t wreathed in fire a second ago, though. Perhaps the gentle way he tossed his tie behind him was a ruse. Either way, he reached over and tapped his screen a few times before sliding it out of the way. “Is that so?” He crackled, starting to unbutton his vest. There was another commotion from the kitchen, and the Fire Door cracked slightly, a glowing pair of eyes peering out of the darkness.

Eating for Two

[Now seriously. SERIOUSLY. Now he’s stressed out, angry, and panicking, and it’s a damn good thing that emotions can’t spill over.]

I DON’T KNOW WHY I DIDN’T ANTICIPATE YOU DOING THIS. BUT I DEFINITELY DIDN’T EXPECT A RESPONSE LIKE THAT.

[He’s mostly mad now that the stress has overflowed, leaving only irritation in its wake, but he isn’t going to bother correcting Grillby. Instead… for a brief instant, the parasite himself flares his magic. Grey, clear magic.]

I BOTH SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPECTED THIS AND YET I CANNOT BELIEVE.

There was a small commotion from the kitchen, and Grillby glanced back at the door. Then he turned to Sans, took his glasses off, and leaned across the counter. “I do not know how you non-fire monsters reproduce, and I am not angry.” He said, slowly. “But I would like to know who you are involved with so intimately.”

Eating for Two

[O o o o p s. Well changing anything at this point would make it blatant that something was wrong, so Dings would just have to endure through it. Whether Sans chose to explain or not – it wasn’t entirely up to him. Making changes cost the parasite energy, and if he wanted energy, he’d have to feed off Sans, but Sans didn’t have enough energy, so he couldn’t make changes.]

[So. No altering. Not here. Not yet.]

[Damn it. He hated having to keep up with a conversation this way. Why didn’t Grillby use asterisks like every other godforsaken monster.]

“It was a gift.” Grillby pushed his glasses up. Double order. He tapped it through. “I have an assistant in the kitchen for the day. It was his idea, and he paid for it. Honestly, Sans, it’s easier to input the zeroes at the end of your tab this way.” He leaned forward on the counter. “Double, though? Don’t tell me you’ve been working hard to build up an appetite.”

Eating for Two

[Anxiety getting worse. Dings was only minutely amused by the mention of that infamous ‘tab’, but it dropped when he recognized that one of the anomalies was indirectly addressing his discomfort. Fuck. He hated those guys.]

[He could also practically feel suspicion rising on Grillby’s end. Or was Dings just seeing things that weren’t there? Was… he could’ve sworn for a second that his host could sense how he felt, but no, that also must have been just his imagination.]

[Maybe getting ‘dusted’ was a bit more terrifying than he would’ve liked to let on. Who knew. The parasite snapped back into the present, briefly wondered if there was some communication here that he was missing. Maybe.]

“Of course.” Grillby pulled over a screen attached to his bar, swiping it a few times. “Your usual?”

He paused, narrowing his eyes. “I already keyed your tab into the new register, by the way. Easier than paper.”

Eating for Two

[Oh. Oh geez. Dings wasn’t exactly sure how to handle this situation, though he now had to see things through asterisks only. Great. This would limit his ‘visibility’ considerably.]

[Right now, discovery… concerned him? The parasite wasn’t even sure why but a wave of anxiety swept over him and he tried to swallow it back down. And then, when Grillby’s actions came across. Nothing.]

[Just * ………………..]

[So, of course, the parasite had to be active to get anything out of this, only catching the ‘worried’ bit as he listened in. His presence was definitely more noticeable to his host now, a sort of odd, gentle weight pushing down on Sans.]