The air was a little chilly and you regretted leaving without a jacket, the sun doing little to nothing to warm you, and you tried rubbing your hands together to stay warm.
After some time of walking and shivering you came across a little line of stores, the majority being run by monsters.
Considering your town was near Mt. Ebott, you weren't very surprised. As you continued along the strip of stores and establishments, one building in particular caught your eye.
It looked more like a cabin than a business, a welcoming warmth radiating off of it, and a large sign near the door that read 'Grillby's'.
The name sounded familiar, and you decided immediately you liked it. With the nice comforting vibe, slightly worn look, and warm light spilling out of the windows which upon closer inspection had a "Help Wanted" sign in it.
You grinned from ear to ear at it, knowing exactly where you wanted to work.
You pushed open the door and became instantly warmed, a light jingle sounded above the door to notify your presence. There were many monsters and a few people eating food. 'So definitely a diner' you thought to yourself.
Then you remembered why you heard that name before.
Grillby's was a huge competitor of Muffet's, managing to steal many of her customers.
...
You suddenly liked this place even more than you thought you did.
You shook out of your daze and realized you'd been standing there for a while, most of the patrons turned towards you looking confused and apprehensive.
You felt the heat in your cheeks as you walked forward and pretended to ignore the staring. Apparently they didn't normally see new faces often.
Eventually the chatter started back up and you were ignored. You're gaze drifted to a man cleaning a glass behind the bar and felt your heart stop for a moment.
The man wore a nice white polo shirt paired with a very stylish vest and bow tie. But that wasn't why you kept looking at him.
He seemed to be completely made of.. fire?
You couldn't help but intently stare at him in utter shock and disbelief. Orange flames danced in the form of a muscular man, having seemingly no face except for having glasses over two light slits of white which you assumed to be his eyes.
Which were now looking right back at you.
You looked down at your feet in embarrassment, the floor had suddenly become very intriguing. You continued to the bar very aware of his quite literal 'burning' gaze.
You took a seat and risked a glance up.
He had finished cleaning the glass and was looking at you curiously, head tilted to the side with a look of innocent wonder. A blush rushed to your cheeks and, to your dismay, refused to leave.
You cleared your throat and put out your hand in greeting.
"Hello sir, my name is (y/n)(l/n), I noticed you were looking for help and I have come to apply for a job."
He reached forward and took your hand, grasping it firmly and giving it a gentle shake. His hand hadn't burned you, but radiated a nice warmth.
"It's a pleasure to meet you (y/n), I am Grillby."
You looked at him in confusion, how in the world was he talking? You kept looking at the place where you figured his mouth would be and saw a small and barely noticeable line. He chuckled at your wondrous expression, a light, warm, deep sound that fit him very well.
"I see that you are getting acquainted with my face, do not worry, if you work here you will see it a lot."
That one got a little chuckle out of you. "I'm so sorry for staring, I've just never met a monster quite like you before."
A tint of blue came to his face and he nodded. "I guess I do appear different than the others, I am the only fire element I know of other than my little one."
You realized you were still holding his hand and let go, immediately missing his warmth. "You have a kid?"
It never struck you that he would have a wife or husband, it was really a shame- wait what?
You barely knew him!
Jeez you see one 'hot' guy and you're suddenly wondering if he's single.
Hell you didn't even know how old he was!
You needed to get a hold of yourself!
"Yes, I have a little girl named 'Fuku'. She is a little ball of excitement and incredibly bright for a 4 year old." His eyes were lit with pride over his daughter and you grinned at how adorably fatherly he could be.
"Where is she now? I love kids so much!" Although this was kind of kissing up to Grillby, you couldn't help yourself. You really did like kids and wanted to meet her.
Then a thought struck you and you sheepishly added, "I mean unless if you're significant other is with her right now..." Grillby's bright flames grew a little dimmer.
"No, my wife has been gone for a long time."
How absolutely
stupid,
stupid,
STUPID of you!
Obviously his wife is no longer with him and you brought him back to a painful time! Good job!
"Oh then where is Fuku now?" You sputtered quickly, attempting to redirect the conversation.
His flames seemed to come back brighter at the mention of his daughter. He must really love her.
"Oh she's at school now, but she'll be here sometime around 4pm" He seemed lost in thought for a moment, his flames bright and warm.
He shook his head and looked back at you, almost as if seeing you for the first time. "Ah yes, I should probably interview you before I get ahead of myself."
He gestured for you to follow him behind the bar. You hopped off the stool followed him to a door that said 'Fire Exit'. You chuckled slightly at the irony and followed him in.
The back consisted of a small kitchen and an attached room. Grillby sat down at a table in the room and gestured for you to take a seat.
You sat across from him as the interview began.
"So (y/n), what is your experience?" You ticked off the long list of businesses you had worked for in the past, most of them being in the food industry. You finished with Muffet's Bakery and felt the word slide off your tongue like bitter poison.
So perhaps you were still just a little salty about being fired.
Grillby eyed you and tilted his head. "Why did you leave Muffet's?"
The question was fair, it made sense to ask what had happened for you to no longer work there. But having the whole thing still fresh in your mind from that morning did not help your attitude.
You let the entire event leading up to your unemployment burst out angrily, your volume so loud it was practically shouting, and your tone a distinct deadly rage.
You ended the story with a breath of relief, glad to finally get the event off of your chest and vent to someone. Grillby's eyes widened and his slitted mouth was slightly agape.
The blush that had finally left you returned with a vengeance.
"I didn't mean to yell I'm so sorry it all just happened this morning and I guess I'm just still angry about the whole thing and-" You stopped talking and looked at Grillby, very obviously trying not to chuckle with a hand over his mouth. Then he suddenly seemed unable to hold his laughter back anymore and began to snicker.
You thought about how silly that rant must've sounded and started giggling along with him.
You eventually collected yourself and spoke again.
"Anyways, yes, that is the ridiculous story of why I was fired from Muffet's Bakery."
Grillby nodded and regained his composure. He continued asking you a few more questions about your personal life and anything else that you took part in.
You told him about your singing career that was just beginning to take off but wasn't much at the moment, your obsession with drawing, and your love of cooking. He nodded and stood when you had finished speaking.
"Well (y/n), I will expect you here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8am to 11pm, we open at 9:15am sharp and close at 10:45pm. I know that the hours are long but I pay well and the work isn't rigorous. There will be breaks and a lunch break, and it will be expected that you help open and close the bar with me. If anything needs to be changed just talk to me, I can be very flexible. Does that sound alright?"
You looked up at him happily with a stupidly large smile taking over your face. You stood up and couldn't stop yourself from hugging him with joy. "It's amazing! Thank you so much I will not let you down!" You said, releasing him from your grasp and grinning broadly.
He was taller than you'd noticed, being at least 5'7". Being 5'4" you had to look up at him to meet his eyes.
His entire face was a bright blue and he chuckled nervously before clearing his throat.
"W-well I guess we should continue outside, I'm sure someone needs a refill by now."
You nod and follow him back out to the bar, deciding against asking what the blue meant. It seemed to be some kind of indication that he was flustered, like a magical blush.
'Heh, cute.'
You sat down at the bar again and, true to his word, Grillby ran about getting refills and taking orders. He asked you to wait a moment and he went into the 'Fire Exit' to cook.
While you waited for his return, you heard someone clamber into the chair beside you.
You turned to look at the stranger and just about had a heart attack from what you saw.
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Lol cliff hanger sorry-not-sorry
:3
~Reese