Forbidden Flame (Mafiatale Grillby x Reader)

Chapter 16- Her Magic's Form

(~Grillby's POV + Time Skip A Few Days~)

I walk inside the base. All I hear is complete silence.

'Everyone went to bed on time tonight.'

I silently make my way down the hall and upstairs. I will admit that it's been difficult being on the opposite schedule as her. Y/N is by herself for from afternoon until sunrise. I can barely focus at the bar without her by my side. Even though I come back here every day, I spend most of the day to sleep before going back to the bar again. It's a pretty vicious cycle. In the few moments that we are together, Y/N has been acting off. She feels bad for upsetting Gaster amongst the other things that have been weighing heavily on her mind lately. Pap gives me updates on Y/N when he can. Apparently, she doesn't leave our room during the day anymore.

'Maybe I should take their advice and close the bar for a few days.. I want her to be okay..'

A few days of not having any work would make most people happy. The only thing it brings me is anxiety. If I want anything good to come out of my life, I have to work for it. Gaster has a similar view of his profession. I sigh and rub my eyes briefly.

'Guess the both of us turned out to be workaholics.'

I open the door to our bedroom. My soul shudders as I find it empty, specifically that Y/N isn't in it. I glance back to the hall and double check that I didn't walk to the wrong room by mistake. I wouldn't be surprised if I did with how exhausted I am right now. Upon closer inspection, I confirm that I didn't. This is our room. "Y/N?" My flames do well to light up the area as I step inside. The bed is unmade with the sheets pushed off to one side. It's undeniable that she was in here.

I knock softly on the bathroom door. There's no answer. I open that door as well and peek inside. She's not in our bathroom either. I stumble back a few steps. The pattern in my fire grows unsteady and restless. My soul is flooded by pure protective instincts at this point.

'Where is my soulmate?!'

"Y/N?!" I look around the room frantically. Maybe I missed something? There aren't any signs of a fight or scuffle. She didn't fall off the bed and fall asleep on the floor like Sans would do. Was she taken? I know for sure that I didn't see her downstairs. My mind is currently going through every worse case scenario. "Y/N!" I call out again with the hope-driven anxiety that she'll come out. With each panicked breath I take in, less and less oxygen reaches my burning soul. As a result, my body of flames struggles to keep its shape.

'WHERE DID SHE GO?!'

A low groan of thunder comes from outside. I glance to the window and find it open.

(~Your POV~)

I take a deep breath in as a gust of wind firmly blows through my hair. Out on the horizon, the sun begins to rise as it brings the start to a new day. The lowest part of the sky is painted in pink and orange. Any color that should be in the area above it is drowned out by darkened clouds. The wind pushes against my back once again. It'll begin pouring any minute now, I'm sure.

'I'll have to go back inside soon.'

My legs dangle over the very edge of the roof. There is a small cement wall to act kind of like a boundary along the roof. When I came up here, I sat down on top of it. It looks like the perfect bench seat if you ask me. My body hesitates to move even though my mind knows I have to. I haven't been outside in days. I want to observe it for a little longer.

"Y/N!" Grillby shouts. I turn myself around to see Grillby climbing up and over the last bar of the ladder. I smirk, "Good morning, you're back!~ I see you found the fire escape outside the window-" "What are you doing up here?! I thought you were gone!" He stresses. I see the elements of his flames are quivering wildly. Grillby's words along with the echo of his racing heartbeat in my chest, it's proven that I scared him. I really didn't mean to. "Sorry, I wanted to see the sunrise. Want to see?" I say gently. I also pat the spot next to me.

Grillby gazes a me for a moment. He doesn't hesitate for too long though. He walks over and sits along the cement parapet beside me. He places his hands on his thighs. As he watches the sun rise ever so slightly, both of his hands firmly squeeze into the fabric of his pant legs. "Ya can't just be runnin' up here without telling anyone. What if you got hurt?" I can't help but smile over him worrying. It's crazy to think that we were nothing than mere strangers before this. Now, Grillby feels the need to protect me every day and I can't even sleep in bed without wanting him there.

'It's just not the same.'

I cup a hand around his cheek and try to comfort him, "If I had, I would've had to wake someone up. I didn't want to bother anyone." ".... I know.." He sighs and places his hand over mine so he can hold it there longer. "Tell me, how was work?" I ask him. He takes a long deep breath. My soulmate's sporadic flames start to calm themselves. The shape of his body becomes more defined again. "Long.." Grillby then turns his face slightly and briefly kisses the palm of my hand. "Why is that?" I play as oblivious with a soft giggle. "It feels like my soul cannot breathe when you're not near me, Y/N." He confesses. Grillby forcibly breaks eye contact with me instantly afterwards. His cheeks blush into a shade of dark blue. I feel heat rush into mine.

'He.. oh my god..'

Grillby isn't exactly a man to express his emotions openly, especially like that. "Grillby.. Are you.. Are you saying that... you love me?" I ask him. My soul falls even harder for him immediately despite not having his answer. It's pretty obvious what he meant by those words. "I-I.." Grillby interlocks his hand with mine.

A loud boom of thunder startled the both of us from the conversation. We weren't given time at all before the clouds above unleashed a downpour of rain. Grillby's fire crackled and hissed loudly as it fought its worst enemy, water. "HEcK! NNGH!" He grunts in pain and scrambles to shield his face with his arm. "H-HoLd On!" I panic. (S/c) magic forms around my hands. At my command, it quickly takes shape into the tool I've had ever since I learned magic to begin with. A curved handle forms in front of me and I grab ahold of it. Things go quiet besides the soft taps of rain that hit above us. Grillby is out of breath as he stares up at the (s/c) colored canopy in confusion. "An.. An umbrella?" He questions. I grow embarrassed, mumbling, "Yeah.."

'Thank god he's okay..'

Grillby stares back at me in complete surprise. I blush more. "I used to be so mad as a kid. I didn't understand why I couldn't have a cool magic weapon like everyone else.. I mean, granted I could still hit someone with it but.." I can't help but laugh pathetically at the image of me whacking someone with an umbrella like the elderly would with their cane.

"Though, thinking on it now that I'm older.." Grillby caresses my cheek with his hand and I lovingly stare into his eyes as I finish, "I'm either destined to be struck by lightning at some point... Or fate wanted yet another reason to make sure I was meant for you.."

Grillby suddenly leans forward. My eyes widen. He pauses himself as his face comes to be within mere centimeters from mine. It's only been three seconds but my stomach feels like it's been turned inside out and my soul is practically running itself in freaking circles right now. His gaze never leaves mine as his fingers trace down to the bottom of my jaw. I shudder slightly at his touch.

"May I?" He whispers just barely over the sound of the rain. My soul pulls and pULLs and PULLS relentlessly within my chest. It wants the same thing I do: to get closer and close the gap myself. I've been waiting for years to meet my soulmate so I could share this moment with them and now here it is. Grillby's here and he loves me and I want this so badly- It's so easy in my mind to convince myself over and over of how much I've desperately come to love him.

"Yes." I answer him quietly. Another low voice of thunder erupts from the sky as Grillby presses his lips onto mine. I close my eyes and relax. I let my body lean towards him and melt into his love as I take it all in.