I'll hold your hand through it

by JekkieFan

Summary:

Grillby let out a sigh. Gaster had invited him, and Grillby knew just how much the skeleton disliked the royal galas. He would always get all tongue-tied around those rich patrons. The poor guy was just as scared as he was. Grillby straightened his back, Well, we can’t both be scared. He built up his resolve and grabbed his nicest dress shoes.

In which Grillby and Gaster go to a gala

Grillby put on another bowtie and looked in the mirror.

It matches the suspenders too much, he thought. Or… is that a good thing? He ran his hands through his flames. They flickered and sparked as he contemplated. I always wear suspenders, maybe I should try something new.

The elemental went back to his dresser and pulled out a new bowtie. It shined in a way that complemented his sparking fire. The satin feel lit up with his own light. He went to his closet and pulled out an old vest he had worn to some wedding. It was a similar amber and black, but bore a pattern with lovely, intricate swirls. He made quick work of the golden buttons, and stared at himself in the mirror.

His light caught in the metallic swirl of the golden patterns on his vest. The fit of his clothes were perfect and showed off his form well, the top cutting down into a smooth V over his chest. The satin bowtie looked perfect with the vest, shining like a fancy glass of champagne. Grillby turned to look at his other side. He looked perfect.

His shoulders slumped, This isn’t fancy enough.

Grillby let out a sigh. Gaster had invited him, and Grillby knew just how much the skeleton disliked the royal galas. He would always get all tongue-tied around those rich patrons. The poor guy was just as scared as he was. Grillby straightened his back, Well, we can’t both be scared. He built up his resolve and grabbed his nicest dress shoes.

-

The elemental paled red.

He was gazing up the largest chandelier he’d ever seen. It was made of so many different gems, all of the finest cuts. They cast a kaleidoscope upon the shining floor. The clicking of fancy shoes mixed with the string band playing a soft melody in the corner. What made it worse was the people all dressed in clothes that were worth more than Grillby’s house.

The elemental let out an anxious breath and eased his popping flames. He turned to his skeleton with a bright smile.

Gaster smiled back, but there was no brightness. He squeezed his hand anxiously. The skeleton held onto the elemental’s arm like a lifeline as he scanned the crowd.

“Let’s find… our table,” Grillby suggested, gently tugging his nervous partner through the room.

They came to a table with a nice blue cloth, on which were pristine porcelain plates with the symbol of the Delta Rune painted at the top. On the plates were place cards, their names written in swirling ink.

Gaster sat down and began unfolding his bird-shaped napkin when a fuzzy monster, dripping in jewelry, approached.

“Are you the doctor Gaster?” she gasped.

The skeleton froze like prey before the hunter before signing, “Yes, I am he. It’s nice to meet you…”

“Lady Aveed,” She chuckled. “My family owns the northern caves. We even designed the chandelier for this gala.”

Grillby tried not to pale red. He had heard of the Aveed company, but it always felt so big and distant.

“It looks lovely,” Gaster replied with a strained smile. He held his grin for too long and didn’t say anything else.

Lady Aveed stood there expecting, a thin smile on her face.

“I um,” Gaster half signed a few words, committing to none of them.

“Your… project?” Grillby suggested.

“Yes!” Gaster replied, his hands shaking a little. “I’ve been working on possible modes of travel for this new project.”

“Travel?”

Gaster nodded. He relaxed a little, but only enough to let too many words spill out, “Just the other day I was testing the new tower in the lab. However, we had miscalculated just how much energy it needed to function. When we turned it on, the whole system crashed and created a small blackout.”

“That sounds dreadful!” she gasped.

“It was, however…” He paused, his features swallowed by fear and doubt. “I-I mean, nothing was broken permanently, only an hour without light.”

“What did the tower do again?”

Oh he didn’t explain about the tower, Grillby sighed internally.

However, before Gaster could reply another aristocrat had sauntered his way to the table. “Oh, is this the royal scientist? I heard wondrous thing about your work on the CORE.”

Grillby could only watch as his normally enthusiastic lover became a shivering mess in front of all these well dressed monsters. Gaster held onto that false smile through each conversation. He stumbled through every chat. It seemed that the embarrassed flush was forever stuck to his face. After the fifth spontaneous visitor left, the skeleton reach under the table to squeeze the elemental’s hand. Grillby moved his chair closer, still holding his cold phalanges. With an anxious, pastel blush painting his cheekbones, Gaster pressed a kiss into Grillby’s hand.

The gesture warmed the elemental’s heart, but mostly he was relieved. This was their code for when either of them got too anxious in public. To others it was a simple show of affection, but to them it was a request for comfort. Without wasting a moment Grillby stood, his hand still in Gaster’s, and lead him away from the table.

He took him past the band and out onto an empty balcony. The cool air felt like a balm from the stuffy atmosphere of the ballroom. Grillby let out a long breath and took in the view of the dazzling cave gems. Then he felt Gaster pressing against him. The skeleton buried his face into his chest, catching his breath. Grillby wrapped his arms around his love, using his warm hands to release the tension in Gaster’ back. Slowly, Gaster relaxed in his arms.

“Do you… feel better?” Grillby asked softly.

Gaster looked up and signed, “Yes, much better.”

His eyelights shone a deep violet that rivaled the shimmering gems and complemented the black velvet of his robe. The robe was decorated with ivory pearls that matched the shine of his bones. And that small but genuine smile… Grillby felt like he was falling in love all over again.

Gaster looked at him, “Grillby? Are you alright?”

The elemental took the skeletal hand in his as the band played a casual waltz. “Would you… dance with me?”

A soft lavender dusted his cheekbones, “Of course.”

The violin sung as Grillby swept his lover across the balcony. They swayed in time with music, the deep bass keeping a smooth rhythm. The dark robes trailed around them as they danced. Their souls were pressed close to one another, each radiating warm comfort and love. The music began to swell as Grillby spun Gaster around before bringing him back into his arms. With faces were inches apart, they wasted no time, and shared a gentle kiss.

They pulled away and Grillby gave him a playful smile. “I have… an idea.”

“And what is that?” Gaster grinned.

“… Let’s leave.”

Worry covered his face. “Are you sure?”

“Everyone is… gone.” Grillby soothed. “The rest… are too… wine-drunk.”

The couple peered back into the ballroom to find it mostly empty, save for a few clusters of monsters laughing much too loud.

Gaster chuckled and kissed his elemental’s cheek. “Alright. Let’s go home.”

“And… a movie,” Grillby said. “Your… choice.”

The skeleton’s eyelights sparkled. “Oh! We should watch that space documentary that I found in the dump the other day.”

Grillby smiled and pressed another kiss to his forehead. “Of course… I love you.”

Gaster squeezed his hand to reply, “I love you too.”

Notes:

Happy Valentine's day!

I had a bit of a hard time coming up with something this year. A part of me wanted to write another snugly type of fic, but I really really wanted to do something a little different. Also I will admit that it was very hard for me to write Gaster's social anxiety, mostly because I 100% do this same exact thing. Either I say nothing and appear rude, or I say too much and look like a fool. Hopefully the cute dancing at the end makes up for the cringe lol.

Anyways, thank yall so much for reading. I hope you have a happy Valentine's day and spend it with your loved ones (friends, family, and pets included)