#aaaaaah shorby my dear

[theninjamouse]

So I know this happened a while ago but I really want to know. So do you remember snowtown inn the shorby short story? Well I have always wondered what was going through grillbys mind while shore was lost and when they found her.

HI sorry this took a bit, I got hit with that post vaccine fever and it completely knocked me on my butt for a few days. For those who haven’t read it, on my ao3 there’s a short called Snowstorm Inn that you can check out. I would link it here but tumblr has deemed all links Evil and Rude

Short answer: Panic

Long answer:

Grillby doesn’t doubt your abilities. Truly, he doesn’t. However, whether through some cruel joke of the universe or sheer bad luck, accidents are unfortunate, but rather common occurrence when it comes to you.

If he’s being honest, your alarming lack of self-preservation is also probably to blame. That and your ravenous need for…excitement? Adrenaline? He’s not quite sure what exactly it is that drives that gleam you get in your eyes. It’s part of the reason he was so drawn to you in the first place but by the Angel does it drive him mad sometimes.

He wasn’t surprised that you decided to stay out on the mountain for a few more runs when he called it quits. The growing cold and snowfall had gone from a mild inconvenience to a steadily painful prick against his exposed body but that doesn’t seem to bother you (though your red nose and sniffles said otherwise). But aside from the hilarious and thankfully harmless tumble and a few bruises, you seemed to have enough of a handle on skiing that he felt only a small bit of trepidation about leaving you on the mountain.

But that’s par for the course with him.

So, he’d tucked his scarf around your neck, quietly hid the flutter in his Soul at the sight of you snuggling against his residual warmth and headed back to the lodge with a small knot of anxiety in his chest.

It’s nearly dark now. What’s left of the setting sun is utterly hidden behind the predicted storm that blew in with terrifying speed and intensity.

And you’re not back.

Grillby is sat in a chair near the large window, foot tapping against the ground. A mug of cider is forgotten on the table next to him. His phone rests in his hand, more of a useless thing for him to fiddle with for all the good it’s doing. He’d tried calling you but it had gone straight to voicemail. Stupid, useless thing. He thought these things were bad enough in the underground, with spotty connections and dropped calls but out here, you get one bloody mountain in the way-

The sudden ring and vibration in his hand just about ejects his Soul from his chest with the force of his jump. Flickering harsh reds, Grillby fumbles for the answer button, not bothering to even look at who’s calling him. “Shore?”

The voice that answers him is decidedly not Shore, and Grillby’s Soul plummets into his gut. “Um, it’s me,” Undyne says. It’s hard to hear her, there’s a harsh whistling that probably means she’s still out in the snow.

“What’s happened?” The words are tight and Grillby is already getting to his feet, turning to head back to the lodge exit.

What Undyne says next stops him dead in his tracks.

“Shore’s missing.”

“What do you mean missing?”

Frisk, Sans, Toriel, Asgore and Alphys all look up from their card game, alarm clear on their faces at his words. He ignores them.

“Exactly that!” Undyne snaps. She takes a breath, the sound crackling in his ear. “Paps and I got the bottom of the mountain and she didn’t show up. We waited and waited and tried to go back up but they’d shut the lifts down and the storm started and I can’t see anything with all this stupid snow-!”

Grillby’s started walking again without realizing it. “I’m on my way.”

“No, you can’t come out in this.” Undyne’s voice is sharp, the voice of a captain. “This isn’t like the storms in Snowdin.”

“You think I care about that?” he snarls. “Shore might be hurt!”

“You’re only going to get yourself hurt out here, okay? Look, the resort people are getting mobiles and a search team together. They’re trained for this. Paps and I are going with them, but you need to stay at the lodge, let the others know.”

“I’m not-”

“Stay. Inside.” Undyne hangs up on him.

Stay inside? Not a chance in hell.

A hand on his arm stops him with surprising strength. Sans, phone in his other hand, shakes his head. His usual smile is grimly thin. “grillbz, it’s seriously bad out there.”

“Is that supposed to convince me to just stay here?” Grillby pulls him arm away. All it takes is a blink and Sans is standing in front of the door that leads outside.

“no, i’d hope your own common sense would do that. shore’s the one who’s supposed to-”

“Do not finish that sentence.”

Sans doesn’t flinch under the surge of heat as Grillby struggles with the urge to simply shove the skeleton aside. But his eyes flick to the window where now the snow is falling so heavily the mountain itself is completely obstructed.

“Grillby.” Asgore’s heavy paw lands on his shoulder, making him flinch. “I’m s- absolutely certain that Shore is just fine. I just spoke to the resort staff and they’ve already sent out a team to go up the mountain.”

“And that’s assuming that Undyne and Papyrus don’t find her first.” The queen, with practiced calm, gives Frisk’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “She would not want you hurting yourself looking for her. She’s capable and I know that she is just fine. Come sit down and we’ll all wait here.”

It kills him. It absolutely kills him. But they’re right.

So he sits.

And he waits.

~~~

It takes an eternity. Every time the door opens, Grillby gets to his feet, only for disappointment to sink his flames low. Undyne is forced to come inside, her body simply giving out at the plummeting temperatures. Grillby actually has to be held back at that point, only the fear of burning Asgore stopping him from forcing his way outside. You’re human, you’re warm-blooded so at least your body will last longer but gods he’s terrified. He can’t stop picturing you curled in the snow, frozen, hurt, hunted by any number of the creatures that live out in the deep forests of the mountains.

By the time you’re found, a small crowd has gathered in the lobby of resort. Staff, guests, people who are drawn in the by excitement of a missing person.

Then, shouts. A commotion. Grillby had long ago given up on sitting and he runs to meet the crew that bursts in through the doors, bringing with it a terrible wave of cold and snow that makes his flames gutter.

His fire sinks even lower when he sees you. Your skin is blue. Your lips are color of a horrendous bruised purple, bits of ice and snow clinging to your eyelashes. They’re flickering weakly but it’s the only movement from you at all.

He shoves closer, let him through, he needs to get to you!

One of the rescue team sees him, eyes widening for a moment before tightening with resolve. “Come with me, this way.”

He follows, his Soul wailing silently in his chest at the distance that still remains between you as the rescue team carries you into a side room, shutting the door firmly behind him.

You’ve started to shiver, soft gasps leaving your purpled lips. The humans are peeling off your layers, exposing your skin, what are they doing?

“Can you control your temperature fully?”

He blinks. It takes him a moment to even process that one of the humans is addressing him. He would almost be insulted if he wasn’t nearly out of his mind with panic. “Yes.”

“Come over here, quickly.” The human gestures to Shore, now laid nearly bare save for undergarments but that is quickly covered up by a some kind of shiny silver blanket. “You need to warm her up.”

“Go slow; too fast can trigger shock.”

It’s a true testament of strength that he is able to cool himself at all, when every instinct screams at him to flush himself hotter, warmer, until your skin returns to the soft warm tones he knows so intimately.

He can’t stop the pained gasp that escapes him when he feels how utterly cold you are. Like a stone, like metal in the ice.

Like the dead.

He wraps his arms around you, sinking down to the ground so he can pull you into his lap. His fire crackles reassuringly, tongues of flame creeping slowly over your skin in the thinnest layer he can manage. Come on, come on.

You stir. He nearly sobs.

With the softest of groans, you turn your face into the hand he has placed against your frozen cheek. Melting ice, or maybe tears run slowly from your eyes and sizzle against his fingers.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you,” he murmurs.

Now that your eyes are free of ice, your eyelids fight to open. A soft and wobbling smile comes to your face. “’m okay,” you croak, as if you weren’t lying nearly frozen to death in his arms.

Grillby’s core shudders. “Yes,” he breathes. You are now.

He’s going to make sure of it.

“I’m cold.”

“I know sweetheart. I have to warm you up slowly.”

“That’s dumb.”

Dear Angel. That light hearted and slightly annoyed tone is so completely you that he can’t help a small snort that perhaps lets loose more of the emotion in his chest. “Yes, yes it is.” 

“Can I sleep?” 

He glances to one of the other humans. “Is that okay?” 

They nod and so he runs a thumb over your face and whispers, “ Yes. You can sleep now. I’ll keep you warm.”

The smile you give him makes his flames quiver and as your eyes close and you slip off to sleep, he hunches over to hide his face in your hair and shakes and shakes and does what he does best. 

He keeps you warm.

#grillby #grillby/reader #grillby x reader #undertale #OoF extra #Snowstorm Inn #OoF oneshot #aaaaaah shorby my dear