Written By: Gabrielle Elsunset

Fanart By: Luna Valentine

Setting the Stage: So. As most of you know, I've been hard at work on a random Grillby x Reader oneshot I wanted to have a special picture for it, though, so I put off publishing it for a while. Instead, I chose to edit a oneshot. And, loll and behold, there was a oneshot that also includes Grillby! So. Here ya go. You're getting a double helping of Grillby. XD

This happens sometime before the next oneshot that I'm publishing (it should be up later today), and so probably happens towards the middle of the month time period. 

~Your Perspective~

You stare up at the ceiling, and sigh. It's going to be one of those nights where you don't fall asleep again. Recently, Chara has been in almost every dream you've had, and they always end with you dying in some horrible way. At least you're not tense tonight. You, Sans, Frisk, and Papyrus had spent the evening watching children's movies from the surface. It had been a nice change from the usual sci-fi movies you watch with Sans. Afterwards, you and Frisk had decided to spend the night.

Your fingers find a place on your lap, and begin randomly tapping places on your legs, giving your mind something to do while you try hopelessly to go back to sleep. After about twenty minutes of useless tapping, you take a deep breath and quietly get up from the couch, making sure not to let the old thing groan. If Sans caught you out of bed, you'd be in deep trouble with Mr. Boyfriend.

You carefully step over Frisk, and then go into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Well, half midnight—it's really only about 11:30—but everyone else is still asleep. When you open the fridge, however, you are disappointed; its only contents are a half-full bag of chips and some containers of Papyrus's inedible spaghetti. You sigh quietly, and allow the fridge to swing shut.

Some hot chocolate would be nice right now, you think. You turn around to head back to the couch, but before you can leave the kitchen, you remember that there's a bar literally just down the street.

I'm sure Grillby wouldn't mind having me over, even when it's so late. When did Sans say that the bar usually closes? Like, 3 am?

You think about it for a moment, and then silently decide that anything would be better than counting sheep at this point. You don't want Sans to worry, though, so you scribble a note saying that you can't sleep, and so are going back to Toriel's.

At least it's not a total lie, right? you rationalize.

You exit the kitchen and go outside, only to immediately go back inside the house. You forgot that a huge snowstorm had started sometime in the afternoon, and it's still going strong. Looking around, you find one of Sans' jackets lying on the ground. You pick it up and shrug it on. ...It's still warm.

You take a moment to bury your face in the fabric, a smile blossoming on your face. Then you head back outside once again, braving the strong winds as you walk towards Grillby's. The icy snow stings your face, and you have to squint to see where you're going. A strong gust of wind pushes you backwards, and you stumble.

"Crap!" you shout aloud. Then you wince—that was loud.

Oops, you think. Well, at least no one else's out right now.

You don't want to disturb anyone—that'd be mortifying. After a few more minutes of walking, you finally make it to the bar. You half expect it to be closed, so you're surprised when you find that the open sign is flashing red and blue like always.

You go up to the door and quietly push it open, expecting to find a certain fire elemental asleep at the counter. You're again surprised when you see Grillby up and about, doing the thing he loves: cleaning the wine glasses.

"Hey Grillby," you greet him. Grillby raises his hand in response.

"Hello, (Y/N). What brings you here at this hour?" he asks, voice gentle. You shrug.

"Oh, I just couldn't sleep, so I decided to come and visit you. Is that okay?"

Grillby nods, smiling.

"Of course, (Y/N); it is always a pleasure to have you here. Would you like a drink?"

You nod, and head over to the stool nearest to him.

"Yeah, actually. I was wondering if you sell hot chocolate here," you say. Grillby tilts his head questioningly.

"Hot chocolate? I have never heard of such a thing. Is this a surface drink...?"

"Yeah. It's this really good hot drink. It's great for this kind of weather, but I guess you guys have never made it."

Grillby rubs the back of his head, giving you a thoughtful look.

"Perhaps you could teach me how to make it—I may have the ingredients."

You perk up a little bit at the idea, smiling up at him.

"Oh! That's a good idea. Let's see... um, do you have any cocoa powder?"

Grillby nods.

"Yes, we do. I use it to make my cakes when catering."

"Okay, now you need sugar, milk, and a little bit of salt. I'm assuming you have all those ingredients, right?"

By the time you look up again, Grillby has already disappeared into the back. When he returns, he has all of the requested ingredients in his arms. He sets them all on the bar in front of you, and then gestures for you to start explaining. The two of you take a little longer than normal to make the hot chocolate, because Grillby insists on writing down the recipe for future use. After a few minutes, though, the drink is done.

When you first taste it, you instinctively wince, expecting it to taste especially sweet, since the milk in the Underground is artificial. To your surprise, though, the taste is rich and creamy. You smile and set the mug back on the counter, leaning back on your stool and letting out a content sigh.

"Grillby, you really have a gift. This's perfect—reminds me of home."

Grillby's flames turn a little bit pink at your words, and he glances away.

Why is he doing that? you wonder. You don't question the elemental, though, and continue to enjoy your hot chocolate.

"Thank you for making this for me," you say eventually, setting the mug down again. You shift on your stool and pull out your wallet, intending to pay him. Grillby stares at the gold for a moment, but then waves it away. That's somewhat unusual for him—he usually lets you pay without complaint.

"No, you should take it," you say firmly. "You let me use your piano, made me my favorite hot drink, and teach me bar tricks. Let me repay you."

Grillby stares at you for a moment, and then sighs and takes the money.

"Enjoy your drink," he says quietly, turning away.

You take your hot chocolate between your hands, and study the mug. It's ceramic and round, with a blue inside and handle. You take another sip, savoring the flavor. Suddenly, a question pops into your head.

"Grillby?" you ask.

"Yes?" Grillby responds.

"How come you're not in bed? Sans says that you usually stay open until three every night. Don't you get tired?"

Grillby hesitates for a moment, but ends up shaking his head.

"You do not need to worry about my sleeping habits—it is normal for fire elementals to work long nights. I can get all the sleep I like in the morning, before I open."

"Huh," you say, propping your head on a hand. "That's a strange sleep schedule you have there."

"For me, it is perfectly normal. It is just how we flame elementals are; we are somewhat nocturnal. My niece and sister are the same way."

You put your mug down, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You have a niece?" Grillby nods, then briefly goes into the back again. When he returns, he's holding a picture of a green fire elemental in a Japanese school uniform, standing next to a blue fire elemental.

"Woah," you say thoughtfully. "Who are they?"

"The green one is Fuku, my neice, and the blue one is Temperance, my sister," Grillby tells you. "I think Fuku is in highschool now, and Temperance is just a few years younger than you."

The two of you lapse back into silence as you study the picture. Then you quietly sip your hot chocolate, and look around the bar.

This is nice, you think.

The glass windows are frosted from the warmth of the diner, making the light reflected from Grillby a lot brighter than it actually is. You put your hand against the window and make a handprint, then sign your name. You know that the signature will not be there tomorrow, but the cool glass feels nice against your skin. The wind howls outside.

It's too quiet, you think.

"Grillby?" You call.

"Yes?" Grillby responds.

"It's too quiet. Would you mind if I played the piano?"

Grillby jumps at the suggestion, a smile spreading easily across his face.

"Of course!"

You get up, and quickly walk over to the piano. You warm up with a couple of scales, then let your fingers rest on the notes that start Decretum. After playing the familiar song, you start messing around, playing random strings of notes. Eventually, you play a C diminished seventh chord. You like the sound of it, and play it a couple more times, and then go on to roll it.

What would sound good after that? you wonder. Your hands move as if they had a mind of their own, going to play a G minor seventh. You roll this chord as well. Huh. I guess I'll just let my hands do what they want. This sounds kinda cool.

You repeat the chords, and then wait to see where your hands will land. All at once, thunder rumbles, making you jump. This thunder is strange, however. It's not quite as loud as thunder should be.

"Why was the thunder quieter than usual, Grillby?" you ask. Grillby glances up at you, pink flames creating a warm atmosphere as they reflect off of the windows.

"Oh, it must be raining somewhere else. It is freezing in Snowdin—it is too cold for rain, so we get snow instead. The last time it rained..." Grillby shakes his head. "Interesting—I cannot seem to remember, though I know it was within the last few years. How curious."

It's raining somewhere else. You think. I like that phrase.

You continue to work on the developing piece for a few more hours, occasionally talking to Grillby. He doesn't do much, when you aren't asking him questions. He seems content to clean the glasses while he listens to you play.

As the night goes on, the storm begins to die down. Eventually, you thank Grillby for his time, and begin to walk to Toriel's house. When you get to the small, tidy house, you crash on the couch, and dream of pianos and pouring rain.

***

"(Y/N)."

You groan as a gentle tapping on your shoulder rouses you from sleep.

"Five more minutes..."

The tapping becomes more urgent.

"(Y/N), you need to wake up," the voice says. You sigh, and slowly open your eyes. Grillby is standing next to you. You frown, confused.

"H-huh...? Wh-what are doing here, Grillby?" you ask. He smiles and straightens, adjusting his glasses.

"You fell asleep after a while on the piano, so I brought you into the back. I hope you do not mind."

"I fell asleep here? No, that can't be right. I walked back to Toriel's house! I remember!"

Grillby shakes his head.

"No, (Y/N). You must have been dreaming."

Then he blinks, and raises a thoughtful hand to his chin. He seems to have remembered something.

"Oh, yes. Sans is looking for you. He said you were not at his house...?"

Crap, you think.

"Oh, uh, yeah.... Thanks for waking me up."

You stand up, and look around. You seem to be in the living room of Grillby's apartment—there's a couch facing a flat screen TV, along with a coffee table. You can also see a few bookshelves off to the side. The room is very nicely decorated, with painting all over the walls, and a fuzzy rug. A fireplace serves as the room's centerpiece. You can also see the kitchen from here. It's disproportionately big compared to the living room, as though someone had squeezed a full restaurant kitchen into a New York apartment.

Over to your right, you can see a door. It must lead to the bar—you can hear a familiar male voice emanating from the other side of it. You sigh and walk towards it, bracing yourself for whatever chastising Sans has for you. Instead, you find two small figures running at you; one blue, and one pink. They throw themselves at you, tackling you to the ground. You shriek in surprise, and then laugh when you see Sans and Frisk hugging you.

"Guys, didn't you see my note?"

Sans frowns.

"Note? What note?" You hug Frisk tighter than you, playfully poking her in the ribs.

"I put a note on the fridge—I couldn't sleep, so I was gonna go back to Toriel's."

Sans shakes his head, scowling slightly.

"No, I didn't see anything like that. It must've gotten lost or something."

"Oh, okay," you respond. Frisk taps your shoulder.

Hey sis, she signs. If you went over to goat moms, then how come you're at Grillby's?

"Uh..." you say uncertainly. "I, uh, came here to practice for work. I-um... was planning something special today! Yeah."

Sans looks up at you, an interested grin on his face.

"Oh yeah? What'cha gonna do?"

You cringe inwardly, trying to resist the urge to clench your teeth. Why'd you have to lie? You didn't even do anything wrong.

Think fast, (YN).

"Um... I'm gonna play an original..." you mutter.

"An original?" Sans muses. "Meaning... you wrote it?"

"More or less," you say vaguely.

Sans beams at you, excitement plastered all over his face.

"I can't wait to hear that," he says. "An original by the famous composer (Y/N), huh? This is gonna be awesome."

You blush at his praise, and squirm nervously at the mess you're getting yourself into.

"Thanks, Sans..."

Wait... When did'ya have the time to work on an original? she asks. You glare at her, silently cursing how observative she is.

"Hey, I do have some spare time, okay?"

Frisk giggles, and you playfully poke her stomach. She giggles harder, wildly trying to twist out of your grip. When you eventually let her go, Frisk turns around to sign at you.

I'm gonna go play with monster kid, okay?

You give her a permissive nod, and off she runs.

You go and sit down at a table and sigh.

"How does she have so much energy?" you ask Sans. He shrugs.

"I dunno. It seems like all kids have the energy to run around Waterfall a million times."

You nod, then stare out the window. Sans leans in from across the table, raising a bone brow as you yawn explosively.

"Hey, are you okay? You look exhausted," he notes. You look at him, and give him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine," you say. "Hey, um, I really should get back to working on that piece... thanks for coming to check on me. Sorry if I scared you that badly."

"S'okay, Buttercup. You should get back to work then. See ya."

And with that, he teleports away.

***

After hours and hours of practicing "It's Raining Somewhere Else," (yes, that's what you decided to call it), you play through the whole thing one more time. You play it flawlessly, and as soon as you play the last chord, you throw your hands up in the air and sigh. According to the clock, you'd been playing for about three to four hours.

Why on earth did I lie to Sans?! you ask yourself. It would have been so much easier to just have told the truth.

You check the time. It reads 11:30, so you still have about half an hour before work starts. Grillby had moved the performance to 12:00 when you explained your situation.

Bless that man's heart, you think. You get up from the piano and go to the kitchen to wash up before work. When you walk back out again, Sans is sitting in one of the booths, playing on his phone. When he sees you, he turns off his phone and makes a patting gesture, inviting you to sit next to him.

You wave, then make your way over to the booth.

"Heya," he greets you. "How's the piece going?"

You shrug, trying your best to seem nonchalant.

"Alright," you comment. "I'm pretty nervous about the performance, but it'll go fine, I think."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it, Buttercup. Does it have lyrics?"

You nod.

"I haven't sung them along, but I know the words."

As the two of you continue to talk, you notice that there are more monsters filling Grillby's than usual.

Sans must have told them about my original, you think.

"Sans, why are there more monsters than usual today?" You poke him playfully, making him blush.

"What? I wanted them to hear one of your own songs. They're always beautiful."

The last comment brings out a blush from you. Looking for a way to escape the compliments, you notice Grillby standing by the bar. He waves you over.

"(Y/N), it is time for you to start work. Good luck!"

You walk over to the piano and take a bow. The monsters begin to clap, but stop when you sit down on the bench.

"Hello everyone!" you exclaim, smiling. Monster Kid and Frisk wave at you, and you return the gesture.

"So, as most of you know, I'm going to be playing an original today, and also be singing with it. Um, that's all. I hope you like it."

You take a deep breath, and then begin to play the opening chords.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths, (Y/N).

When your entrance comes, your voice cracks a little bit, but you keep going strong.

https://youtu.be/fLxOzwRyPDw

"Though it's faint, I know I hear other calling far away, from a little world.

Oh hello, can you tell me who's there, a knocking? As we laugh through another day.

'Cause you know, the whole reason that I'm talking's just to be with you.

When you're gone, I still wonder if you'll be alright. As we pass through other play. Can't you tell, I want to hear you're alright, say, you'll be okay.

Though I wonder and ponder what's happening, around the other side. Us together it's better if we just put those memories aside. They always say that it's raining somewhere else, somewhere else.

Even though, it's time for us to say our goodbyes, going back to our little worlds. And although you can't see the tears in my eyes, I'll hear you again.

Well so long, until we meet again tomorrow, and we'll laugh through other day. I can hold off all my sorrow, I'll see you again..."

You hold the last chord, then take your hands off the piano. There's a moment of silence.

Crap. Did no one like it? You think, panicked. Then, suddenly, a huge cheer erupts from the crowd. Everyone is clapping and whistling. Monster Kid rushes up to you.

"Miss (Y/N), could I have your signature please?"

S-signature?

You scribble something down, still in a daze.

They... they actually liked it... you think. Wow.

Sans comes towards you with Frisk, huge smiles on both of their faces.

"Heya. Do ya wanna get outta here and relax for a little bit? You look dead tired."

You chuckle quietly and nod, too exhausted to get on Sans' case for the pun. He offers his hand to you, and you take it. Then the world collapses in on itself, and everything goes black.

You arrive at the skelebros house and collapse on the couch in exhaustion. Sans comes over and hands you a blanket. You take it with a smile.

"Thanks," you say.

"Why don't you get some rest while Frisk and Papyrus make lunch," Sans says. You begin to protest, wanting to help, but you know that not having rest could be dangerous in Papyrus' kitchen.

You sigh in agreement, and lie down.

There's no way I'm going to be able to fall asleep, you think as you stare at the ceiling once again. But, this time, you're proven wrong as you begin drift off.

Today was fun, you think lazily, falling asleep. Today, you don't dream of Chara and being stabbed. Instead, you dream of a tranquil, quiet place where you can hear it raining somewhere else.