Glowing Flames

Cookies and Coffee

It has been a long day. It was never easy for Gaster to do the things he needed to do. The guilt was eating him up from the inside, and he just couldn't get their screams out of his head. He was so exhausted and tired, he wanted to do nothing but sleep. But he knew, that if he would put himself to rest now, his dreams would be plagued with constant nightmare, like ever so often. He couldn't do this at the moment. He needed something to get his mind off things.

He walked through Snowdin, footsteps crunching the snow under his feet. He suddenly found himself right infront of Grillby's. He liked going there. He was there when it opened for the first time. Grillby was so happy he finally had a purpose in the underground, and that his dream finally came true. He stepped inside the restaurant, and was immediately hit by the sudden warmth that always seemed to exist here. He wasn't even surprised by this, since Grillby is literally a walking flame. Grillby was behind the counter, washing the dishes like he always does. Gaster never found out how he managed to be so collected and calm, even after working literally every day. When Grillby heard him come inside, he looked up and put the dish aside. Gaster approached the counter, and sat down infront of him, like he had been doing for the last 150 years.

"Good evening Dr. Gaster. It's nice seeing you here again."
He signed, but he did not speak, unlike Gaster. Grillby was mute, which was why he was forced to use sign language to communicate. Maybe that was one of the reasons they got along so well. Although Gaster didn't think they were really "friends". It's not that he didn't want to be friends with Grillby, he appreciated him a lot, but it was extremely difficult for both of them to get closer to the other. They both weren't exactly.. talkative. Grillby in a literal sense, of course, but he didn't sign that much either. Gaster on the other hand, could both speak and sign a lot, especially when you asked him about his favourite topics. And there were multiple occasions where Grillby asked Gaster about one of these topics, and was then forced to listen to him for hours. He didn't mind though. He listened to everything he had to say with great joy. But Gaster was very bad at anything emotion-related. He just didn't learn it well when he grew up, his parents had always done a bad job at giving him the emotional connection he needed. Now Gaster thought it was normal to suppress your feelings to not make the others uncomfortable. There was no real progress from both sides, causing them to have known each other for at least 150 years now without getting any closer than they are right now.

"Good evening to you too Grillby."
It was always nice being here, especially after a long and exhausting day. Being here always made him feel like his energy is slowly being restored, making him feel better, physically and emotionally.
"You look like you had a long day. I assume you want the usual?"
Gaster just nodded. He didn't know how he did it, but Grillby always seemed to know exactly what he wanted. Even when he asks for the usual, he always makes the coffee slightly different every time, and it always fit perfectly. Grillby turned away, and began grinding some coffee beans. Gaster always enjoyed the atmosphere of this place. It made him feel all cozy and safe, something he didn't really expect to feel in the underground. As Grillby was making the coffee for him, Gaster summoned magic hands infront of him, so he could still see what he was signing.
"Do you ever go to sleep? No matter how late I turn up here, you always seem to be here, working the same as ever."
He was genuinely curious. There was barely anyone here at this hour, so why bother keeping the restaurant up for such a long time, when he could rest? It's not like his own sleeping habits were any better, but he just needed to know. Grillby finished filling the cup with milk before he signed. Unlike Gaster, who could just summon his magic hands when he couldn't use his own, Grillby always had to sign with his actual hands. He turned to Gaster, and started signing, his hands making those steady movements Gaster always admired a little.
"I know you always arrive at these late hours. So I keep my restaurant open for a little longer. You never noticed, because you always go right back home, but I actually close the restaurant when you leave. So yes, I do sleep. What about you Dr. Gaster? No matter how long you are gone, you never seem any less tired. Not in the morning and not in the evening."
It was unusual for Grillby to say this much, as he was usually the one listening, not the other way around. However, Gaster asked him a question, and he wanted to answer it as good as he could. And he was also genuinely curious if Gaster ever slept. He knew he wasn't the only one who noticed the scientist's chronically tired state.