Skeleton Sillies! (A Oneshot Book)

An Easy Exchange

(A Grillby & Muffet-Centric Oneshot. Requested by @Unamzi. Hope this is satisfactory!)

Cw: Slightly suggestive dialogue. (Minimal, though. Just Muffet with a causal flirt here and there.) 

It was early in the morning. However, there was no brisk air, no cool breeze, no crunches of snow underfoot. Just Grillby, walking through the warm, sleepy city. 

Moving to Snowdin was taxing on him, a being of fire, in a field of snow, very impractical. He enjoyed the heat of Hotland, his home. It was nice to let his flames lick the air and be refreshed. A very pleasant sensation. 

On top of that, there was his dear friend, Muffet, the esteemed baker who often overpriced. He had tried to bake back in Snowdin, he recalled, but the fire of his oven always died, flickering out pitifully. That was when he caught wind of a baker in Hotland, willing to cater for the right price. 

At least, the food was worth its weight in G, moist, soft, sweet. There was really nothing wrong with anything she baked, except for the unsettling thought of there being spiders in it. 

Grillby remembered being averse to the thought of feeding his customers spiders, but, it actually worked out quite well. 

"Grillby!" Muffet perked from behind the counter as he walked in. The shop didn't open for a little bit, but she left the doors unlocked, just for him. "Here to pick up your shipments, Deary?"

Grillby nodded, taking a seat at one of the bar stools closest to the counter. The reflection of his flames glittered in Muffet's beautiful, sparkling eyes. 

"Ok! Do you have the money?" Always to the point, she was. Many arms worked on cleaning out a few extra measuring cups, as the other two settled on the counter, tapping gracefully as her fanged smile grew. 

Another, silent nod. Grillby placed a pouch on the glass counter, his gaze dropping to the many pastries beneath. Donuts, pies, cookies, muffins, all sitting just beneath the surface, taunting him almost. 

"If you want one, you could always ask." 

When Grillby looked up, flames sparking, Muffet sat with her head perched in her hand, pouch gone and replaced by a stack of boxes. She grinned at him, those many eyes blinking slowly as she brushed a hair from her face. 

"Every bit helps." 

Grillby didn't reply, instead, he tapped the glass, pointing to a little cupcake, the frosting shades of yellow and orange, with the actual cake having a red velvet base. It looked warm. 

"Good choice!" Muffet commended, a small spider slipping into a segment in the glass, weaving around other sweet treats, and selecting the one Grillby wanted. "That one's a favorite! It looks like fire, doesn't it?" 

Grillby supposed the cupcake could have some likeness unto flames. As a being of them, he would say so too. 

"Be careful holding it though," Muffet warned as the spider placed it in a to-go box, before placing it onto the counter. "It's hot, just like you." A sultry wink.

Grillby laughed, accepting his box with a quiet chuckle. The flames on his head picked up in the slightest, temperature climbing a little. He signed a small 'Thank you' before reaching into his pocket, ready to pay what was owed. 

A small, purple hand reached out to pat his. Soft flames licked at her palm as Grillby stopped in his tracks, eyes locking with Muffet's. 

"There's no need for that." She said, reeling back. "It's on the house." She grinned. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Yeah, the temperature definitely jumped as Grillby hid his face behind the stack of boxes he picked from the counter, his cupcake at the top. He gave a vigorous nod of his head, thankful, and Muffet simply smiled wider. 

"Alright now, get going!" Her army of arachnids suddenly came spilling from the walls, the counters, the tables and booths. "I'm opening in five!" 

Grillby hurried out the store, careful not to step on any spiders as he looked around for the riverman. He needed to get back to Snowdin before opening time. 

—Hours Later—

Muffet was sure to bundle up before she made the journey from Hotland to Snowdin. That was not a trip you made without planning ahead. 

Sooner rather than later, she had arrived, donning a winter coat and snow boots. Time to check up on her fiery friend. 

Walking into the establishment, the first thing she noticed was the temperature difference. It was much, much warmer in here, and even a coat rack by the door, where she immediately shed her coat and hung it up on one of the empty hooks. 

There were a lot of patrons here. Dogs, monsters, a skeleton at the counter. Nothing Muffet would ever envy Grillby for. They were commercial partners, after all. 

Speaking of Grillby, he was actually right there at the counter, cleaning a cup as Muffet walked up, sitting on one of the barstools, a seat away from the skeleton. 

"Hello." She purred, a slight tease to her tone as she smiled at her flaming familiar. "Fancy seeing you here, isn't it?" 

Grillby spared her a small, shy wave, the flames atop his head dancing, crackling audibly as the skeleton looked to Muffet, then Grillby. 

"Woah." He said, brow bones raising as he looked Grillby in the face. "Guess I better go...Paps is waitin'." As soon as he finished the sentence, he was gone, disappearing with a cheeky wink as Grillby's expression morphed into something much less relaxed. 

"Is something the matter?" Muffet asked, reaching out and catching Grillby's arm. He rapidly shook his head, sparks flying before he too disappeared, except he went through a door in the back of his shop. 

Oh, that silly hothead. If she'd known her presence would rattle him that much, she'd have told him she was coming.

Grillby popped back in with a menu in hand, and a cup of water. Sliding it to Muffet, he stood idly before her, twiddling his thumbs, since the glass he was scrubbing was long since cleaned. 

"I'll have the fries." Muffet said, two hands flipping through the menu, while another two searched her purse for the correct amount of change. 

She set the coins on the counter and watched as Grillby took them, producing a cardboard container with fries inside. Peacefully, she ate them, content with the quality of her meal. 

"You know," She started, a one of her eight-legged companions skittering out to take one of the fries up her sleeve, presumably to eat. "You make a mean batch of fries." 

Grillby grinned with his eyes, hands clasped together in a quiet display of his gratefulness. The two mostly sat in silence as Muffet ate, the drumming jukebox and background noise more than enough for both. 

However, the sentimentality was lost on neither of them. 

"Thank you for the food." Muffet chirped, leaving her seat as Grillby nodded, taking her trash to the can as many eyes batted, playful. "It was almost as sweet as you." 

Clearly flustered, Grillby cleaned up Muffet's spot, her flattery never failing to get a rise out of him. 

"I'll be going now." Muffet dismissed happily, heading for the doors as the sounds of the bar faded behind her. 

"Until next time."

~~~~~~~~~~

Woooo that was something huh? Tbh I never realized Grillby was a fire dude living in a snow place until I wrote this. Also, just wanna say I kinda headcanon him as mute. He doesn't talk in game, so why talk out game, right? 

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

- De Moogus 

(Requests are still open!)