It's Your Birthday

And I'm All Alone

Excluding the most important holidays, there was only one other day a year that Grillby's was closed. The lights inside would be turned off, the shades drawn and the doors locked. That this day was a day Grillby's was closed was normal for everyone by now. It had been a constant for more than ten years now. The regulars were out of a place to hang out for the day, but it was okay. Grillby didn't ask for much, just that you pay for what you eat and don't cause a ruckus in his restaurant, so everyone was more than willing to give him this day.

If anybody had bothered to go to Grillby's and look inside by peering through the gaps in the shades (which no one ever did), they would have seen that the lights were indeed off, but there was still light inside. It came from the fire elemental that was seated at the bar, alone, his flames dimmer than normal. Grillby was quiet by nature and by choice, as his voice was more of a whispered hush than anything deep and resounding. The normal hustle and bustle of his restaurant resulted in noise too loud to be heard over, so him being quiet was never an indicator that something was wrong. Normally only Sans could perceive small changes in him and his mood, and recently, Sans had seemed distant and quieter than normal.

Grieving for the death of a loved one in the underground was different than in the human world. Grillby remembered the years before the war began and they were driven underground quite well. When a human would die, the family and friends of the human would attend a funeral, and the other members of the community would not be affected. When a monster died, the shattering of their soul, the absence of their magic, was something everyone was able to take note of. All monsters would be there to give support to the dead monsters family, even if they didn't necessarily know each other.

Maybe that was what made all this so hard. The lack of solidarity in his grief meant that he carried all of it all on his shoulders, with no support from anyone.

The lack of solidarity was due to the fact that no one remembered. No one remembered the man who had saved them from a life of darkness and cold, and even from an illness that had threated to destroy their entire population.

No one remembered W.D. Gaster.

________________________________

When the war had raged on the surface, everyone had lost someone. Attacks from humans in the beginning often meant many monsters – both soldiers and innocents – perished. One of these had included Gaster's partner. She had been sickly and weak anyway, especially after she had given birth to both Sans and Papyrus. She had died in a fire when their village was attacked during the night.

Grillby had been friends with Gaster since they were children. Naturally he was there to comfort him. They were both called to serve on the offense as the war began to reach its peak. Sans was left to raise Papyrus largely on his own. Gaster regretted that for the rest of his life. He had never wanted to leave his boys alone. Grillby and Gaster came home as often as they could (home was Grillby's house. The humans hadn't yet gotten there, and with nothing but elementals around, they sure seemed hesitant about coming). Grillby had no family, not anymore, but the water elemental that lived near him (she was nice, even if she was made of water) helped look after the boys.

Grillby loved the boys, just as much as if they were his own children. Sans had begun calling him 'Papa'. When he had first done it, Gaster's face had been dusted purple, and Grillby couldn't stop laughing. He was happy he was able to be a part of the boy's lives, even if it was like this.

They lost the war. Grillby and Gaster had known they would. They were forced underground and sealed within.

As they moved into Home, the both of them found the newly established town of Snowdin to be the best fit for their home. Grillby's was opened, Gaster became the Royal Scientist, the boys were put in school, they each had their own houses. They were happy, despite the occasional fuss Grillby raised over the fact that Gaster was neglecting himself by maintaining his duties as Royal Scientist and as a father. During those times – usually during weekends – the boys stayed a night or two at Grillby's so Gaster could rest and recoup. Often times, Gaster would come and join them for dinner before the boys went home.