Sparks Fly Upwards

.

She really had only gone to the Fireplace as a show of solidarity. It was the only monster-run pub in town and when it opened people either went there to pose for pictures to tag with #monsterally, or to sniff disapprovingly at it and refuse to go in. She had only wanted to prove that humans were capable of being both supportive and at least tolerably calm. It hadn't been her intention to become a regular. But everyone had been so nice and it seemed that monsters treated their bars a lot more like coffee shops, where it was quite normal to hang out with a book or meet some friends for an early dinner or a late snack. Thing about monsters was, they were nice. They were good company. But as nice as they were, Sans, Doggo, Rodrick and all the rest of them, she might still not have come back so often if it hadn't been for Fuku and Grillby.

She had never seen a brother and sister with such opposite personalities. Fuku was vibrant and talkative and just about the most cheerful person she had ever met. She was, quite simply, a joy to be around. It was impossible to be bored with Fuku around and just looking at her bright green flames made a dull day seem better. Grillby was not at all like that. If it hadn't been for Fuku announcing proudly that they were siblings the first time she had entered the pub, she never would have guessed they were related. Sure, they were both fire monsters, but not all the dog monsters were related. But despite the difference in personality she was as fond of Grillby as she was of Fuku. He was quiet, calm, and somehow he made her feel…safe? She didn't quite know what she should call it, but she had felt it from the first time she had sat down at the bar. He had smiled at her and she had smiled back, wondering how it could be that he was smiling while he didn't seem to have had a mouth a moment ago. And then he had spoken.

"What can I get you?"

She had been so ashamed that she didn't understand him. His voice sounded a like the rushing and crackling of newly kindled flames and she had heard that there were words in it, but she could not really make them out. Grillby hadn't been offended, however, he had simply repeated himself and a moment later Fuku had come in from the back room and had rushed up to welcome her. How long was that ago now? She couldn't remember. But it had been a good day.

.

It had been five months, three weeks and two days since the afternoon that she had first walked through the door. Grillby really hadn't been counting, not on purpose, but he couldn't help remembering. He remembered it all…

...

[Five months, three weeks and two days ago]

"You are the first human that has come in here alone!" Fuku gushed. "Are you here for a drink or to eat something?"

"Just for a drink, I think," she answered with a smile. "This is a really nice place."

"Thank you!" Fuku said, sparking happily. "Did you hear that Grillby? Oh! I didn't even introduce us. We are Grillby and Fuku Fire and this is my brother's second and my first pub!"

Grillby laughed softly and she looked at him, surprised by the crackling sound. She smiled at him to hide her curiosity.

"So it's The Fire Place," she said. "Not The Fireplace?"

"No," Fuku said cheerfully. "It's The Fireplace. Well, it's both actually. It's a good name right? It was Sans's idea. Have you met Sans?"

"I-"

"I'll go get him! You'll like Sans, everyone likes Sans!"

Fuku darted off and Grillby gave the girl, who looked rather baffled, an apologetic look.

"Forgive my sister's enthusiasm," he said, taking care to enunciate clearly.

"Oh," she said. "Please don't apologize!" She laughed. "I don't think I've ever been welcomed this warmly at a bar." She changed colour. "I didn't mean to say that," she said hastily. "That was not an intended pun, I mean."

"And what's wrong with puns exactly?"

Grillby chuckled softly and felt sorry for the flustered girl, who was now being introduced to Sans by Fuku and had to defend her sense of humour.

...

[Three months, one week and four days ago]

"Hi, Grillby," she said with a tired smile, sitting down in her usual spot.

"Long day?" he asked.

"So long," she groaned, resting her head on the bar by way of demonstration.

He smiled and patted her sympathetically on her arm. As soon as he did it, he felt confused. He had done it without thinking about it, but it was the first time he had actually touched her, apart from brushing against her hand accidentally when handing her something. She didn't seem to mind, however, on the contrary, she lifted her head and smiled at him. She really looked like she had had a rough day.

"I could make you a magic hot chocolate," he offered. "That would take the edge off your fatigue."

"I thought all your food and drink was magic?" she said, surprised.

He shook his head, shaking sparks left and right. "There is a big difference between magical food and food that was prepared with magic."

"Oh, well, I'd love to try some!" she said eagerly. She always was more interested in than weirded out by magic.

"One hot chocolate, coming up," Grillby smiled.

She watched him prepare her drink with great interest and Grillby could tell she was holding in a lot of questions. This really was rather simply cookery magic, but she looked utterly impressed. It was strangely flattering.

"Here you go," he said, sliding the mug her way.

She studied it curiously and smelled it. "It smells wonderful," she said, sounding a little nervous.

"Go on, try it," he encouraged.

She took a sip and her eyes widened in surprise. Grillby watched a blush spread across her face as the drink warmed her up from the inside. From her body language he could tell the magic was working, sweeping away all the tiredness and irritations from the day.

He watched her try to swallow and she exclaimed in surprise.

"It's gone!" she said. "Where did it go?"

"It's magic," he said, repressing an amused smile. "Not real food."

"But it just disappeared," she said excitedly. "One moment my mouth was full of chocolate and then it was suddenly empty again! Except I can still taste it…and my tongue tingles."

Grillby chuckled. He pretended to mix another drink, but kept watching her. She could not yet exactly tell when he was and wasn't looking at her from behind his glasses. Grillby enjoyed her fascination and watched her as she took small sips and carefully opened her mouth, trying to figure out when exactly the substance dissolved into noting.

"This is the weirdest," she decided. "But I feel so much better." She looked at him with shining eyes. "Thank you."

...

[Two months, three weeks and six days ago.]

Grillby thought it was a pity she always left so early. From what he could gather she didn't even live so far away. Maybe she didn't like the rush? She usually left about when it began to get busy. He didn't even know why he minded. Her leaving when it got busy was good, right? He wouldn't have any opportunity to talk to her – or rather listen to her – anyway. Except he still wished she'd stay. Sometimes she did. When she forgot the time chatting with Fuku, or the dogs coaxed her into playing cards with them. He liked those evenings, it was just nice to see her around the bar while he was working.

This night she was leaving on time though.

"See you tomorrow?" Fuku asked, hugging her goodbye. Grillby would never understand where his sister got the guts to go around hugging everyone.

"Probably," she said cheerfully.

"Is that a definitely?" Fuku tried.

"That is a definitely probably," she replied with a grin. "Bye, Grillby!"

"Good night," he nodded and both he and Fuku watched her swing her bag on her shoulder and walk out of the door.

"Didn't she look nice today?" Fuku chattered. "She had a thing she needed to dress nice for." She made a happy sound. "She's so pretty. Really, the only thing that I'd do, if she'd let me, is use some magic on her hair so it would move. That would look so good on her. Static hair is so…static."

Grillby didn't answer. He tried to imagine her with her locks of hair twisting and dancing around her face like flames being teased by the wind. That would look cute. No. He didn't need to be thinking that.

...

[Two months and four days ago.]

The buzzing of his phone made Grillby look up from his book. It was a message from an unknown number.

*Grillby! You're in the local newspaper!*

This was immediately followed by a rather blurry picture of a newspaper article that seemed to be called "The hot new place in town".

*It's a super positive piece!*

Grillby was on the point of texting back: "Thank you, but who is this?" when he realized it must be her. It sounded like her. But how did she get his number? He grimaced. Fuku.

Nervously he sent a text back asking if it really was her and if Fuku gave her his number. She replied immediately.

*Yes! I told her about the article and asked her to send it to you, she told me to show you myself. She said you'd prefer that. You don't mind, do you?

*No of course not,* he texted back hastily. He racked his brain for something to say. *Is it really a good article?*

*Really good! I'll bring it with me tonight *

Before he could respond there was another message:

*Sorry, gotta go. I'll see you tonight! x*

Fire elementals were always hot, but Grillby still felt his face burn like hot coals.

...

[One month and two weeks ago.]

"Grillby never lets me sit on the bar," Fuku observed. "And I own half the place!"

"Thirty percent," Grillby reminded her with a grin. She gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I am fully aware of my privilege," she joked, Grillby hid a smile. She had surprised them by stopping by early in the afternoon while they were still setting up for the evening. If she wanted to she could lounge on the bar long out, like he had to frequently stop Mettaton from doing. She could do whatever she wanted as long as she'd stay a little longer.

...

[Three weeks and one day ago.]

"Hey, Grillbz, where is that cute human girl that hangs out here most afternoons?"

"I don't know," Grillby replied. That was a lie. He did know, she was at a friend's birthday, but he didn't feel like telling Eugene that.

"Pity," the fish monster replied with a shrug and walked away.

"What's dampened your flames?" Fuku asked, emerging from the back room with a fresh stack of napkins.

"Nothing," he replied.

Fuku gave him a suspicious look, but didn't ask any further. Grillby hardly knew where to look.

...

[Two weeks and three days ago.]

When she really laughed, she threw her head back. She didn't do that often, but when she was talking to Fuku she did it all the time.

"Having fun, Grillbz?"

Grillby started and looked up. Sans was leaning on the bar and grinning at him. Well, he was always grinning, but now he was grinning with intent. Grillby realized he had been staring right at her with what was probably a dumb grin on his face. Thank the stars she hadn't seen him.

"You got the hots for her, hm?" Sans chuckled.

"Shut up," Grillby crackled under his breath.

"Alright," Sans said and he sat down. "Are you planning to put that down any time soon?" he asked after a moment's silence.

"Put what down?" Grillby asked.

"That torch you're carrying."

Grillby turned around and abruptly left the bar, fleeing to the backroom, followed by Sans laughter.

...

[One week ago.]

"Here we are," she sighed, sitting down at the bar. "My home away from home."

Grillby hummed appreciatively and she smiled.

"No Fuku, today?" she asked.

"She's out with Skay," Grillby told her.

"Hm," she smiled, leaning her chin on her hands. "Peace and quiet at The Fireplace then."

He chuckled. "What's this place supposed to be when she's here then, chaos and noise?"

"No," she answered laughingly. "Peace and chatter." She smiled at him. "It's always peaceful here, you're the peace."

...

[One day ago.]

"Grillby…"

He turned around surprised. She had just left for home, why was she back? Oh, she looked really distressed.

"What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

"My bike's gone," she said. "Someone took it."

Grillby's flames crackled anxiously and he tried to console her. She replied that it happened a lot and that it had just been an old bike, but she looked really upset and Grillby hated to see her like that.

"That's what I get for staying so late," she sighed, rubbing her forehead.

No, he was not going to let her end a lovely evening like this. This had been a perfect Sunday night. Between them Fuku and him and coaxed her into staying almost until closing time.

"I can drive you home if you like," he offered. "No trouble. Fuku can close up."

"Oh, that's sweet of you," she said, with a genuine smile. "But I really don't live that far away. I'll just walk home."

"How far is it?" Grillby asked suspiciously.

"Quarter of an hour?" she said.

"No," he replied decidedly. "You're not walking that far in the middle of the night on your own."

"It's ridiculous to get a car out for this," she protested. "You'll spend more time driving around one-way streets than actually getting to my house."

"Then I'll walk you home," he insisted.

Did she just change colour or had he imagined that?

"What?" she said.

"I'll walk you home," he repeated. No going back now. "Fuku?" he called out.

"Yes?" she said, sticking her head round the backroom door. "Oh, hey! You're back."

"Someone stole her bike," Grillby said. "I'm going to walk her home, can you finish up here?"

"Oh," Fuku said. "I could-" She cut herself off halfway through and said: "Yes, yes I can. And I will. You go ahead."

"Are you sure?" she said doubtingly.

"I insist," Grillby said and he went to grab his coat.

"Thanks," she said with a smile when he came back.

"Don't mention it," he smiled in return. As if a quiet walk with her would be any sort of sacrifice.

"Goodnight, Fuku," she called out.

"Good night again!" Fuku called back.

Outside in the dark Grillby felt oddly conspicuous and bright, but he was also still a little giddy with his own boldness. In an impulse he offered her his arm. She laughed merrily and took it, walking very close beside him.

"You're a real gentleman, Grillby," she said.

"I do try," he smiled.

They walked through the night, mostly in silence, but it was a very comfortable silence. Grillby wished he dared to wrap an arm around her waist. But walking like this was enough, it should be enough anyway. She was so close. He glanced at her and was pleased to see the troubled look had disappeared from her face. He hoped wouldn't remember this night just for the stolen bike. He hoped she'd want to stay late again.

"This is my street," she informed him after what seemed like no time at all.

When they arrived at her door she let go of his arm to get her key out of her bag. Grillby felt the cold air rush in where she had been and his flames dulled ever so slightly.

"Thanks Grillby," she said with a happy, tired smile. "You're the best."

She opened her arms and Grillby obligingly leaned down for a hug. He should be used to hugging her by now, but he still wasn't. She smelled wonderful, she always did. She let go so he did too and he watched as she searched her keys, passing over the right one several times before she muttered something sarcastic at herself and stuck the right key in the lock. He felt a smile twitch on his face and the genuine feeling of affection glowing in his soul made him speak before he could stop himself.

"Could I just say something?" he asked.

She turned around, looking at him attentively. "Yeah?" she said.

"I…I think you're lovely," he said.

She stood very still and looked at him with a slightly bewildered look on her face. Grillby was sure he was sending sparks up into the sky like crazy, but tried to pretend he was calm. She opened her mouth and closed it again like she was at a genuine loss for words and the silence between them grew. Just when Grillby was convinced she was searching for the gentlest way to disappoint him, she suddenly took a step towards him, stood on her toes and pressed a kiss onto his cheek. Her lips were cool and soft and Grillby was frozen while she kissed him. Then she drew back, blushing bright red and ducked hastily through her front door, with a mumbled squeak that he knew rather than heard was a "good-night". Dazed he turned around and began walking back, not even aware that he was shining so bright he was drowning out the light of the streetlights completely.

...

[Today.]

She really had only gone to the Fireplace as a show of solidarity. How was she to know she was going to fall in love with a monster? She hadn't even noticed it happening, it all went so gradually. Grillby was just…nice to be around. He made her smile, made her laugh, made her feel warm and appreciated. "I think you're lovely." What did that mean? Why had she kissed him? Well, because she had really wanted to kiss him. It was Monday and she had lots to do. Just as well, or she might have actually gone mad. She could hardly remember how Grillby had reacted to her good-night kiss. He had seemed shocked more than anything. That wasn't very promising. But…when he told her she was lovely, he had really looked like…like he… She shook her head, surely he would have kissed her back if he felt that way. Except she hadn't really given him the time to do that, had she? She had run away. In her defence, if she hadn't run away she would have snogged him. Maybe she should have… Grillby wasn't exactly shy, but he certainly wasn't brazen. Maybe he just wasn't the type of guy to make the first move. Except he had, hadn't he? Last night. She groaned. This was ridiculous. Had they really been hanging out all this time without finding out they both wanted more?

…

Grillby was doing laundry when the bell rang downstairs. The bar was closed on Mondays and he wasn't expecting anyone. Unless. He felt his fire flare up. Maybe she had come to see him? Nerves made sparks fly from his face as he ran downstairs. He had considered going to see her, but he didn't know when she would be home and it had rather seemed like she needed some time to think things over, judging from the way she had run inside last night.

He hurried to the door and swallowed a shower of sparks, it really was her.

"Hi!" he exclaimed, opening the door, but the word was nothing more than an overexcited crackle.

"Hi," she said, turning bright red.

They looked at each other and suddenly she shook her head laughingly. "Yeah, I'm not very good at this," she said.

"That makes two of us," Grillby said, relieved. "You want to come upstairs?"

"Yes," she smiled warmly. "I do." She had seen the upstairs apartment before, Fuku had shown her around. Brother and sister lived there together, but Grillby was home a lot more than Fuku was and the décor reflected this.

Grillby closed the door behind them and looked at her, standing in the middle of his living room, looking equal parts happy and awkward. What was he supposed to say? Maybe he should offer her something to drink? Maybe he should say "what can I get you," like the first time they met.

She was asking herself roughly the same questions. She hadn't known what to say yesterday and she didn't know it now either. Suddenly Grillby was in front of her with an answer, he kissed her.

Had he been with another fire elemental Grillby would have let a little of his solidity go in favour of letting their flames mingle freely, but now he did the opposite. He made sure he felt steady and solid as he pressed his lips to hers. To his intense relief she kissed back immediately.

The kiss did not take her by surprise as much as the sensation of it did. This was not like the peck on the cheek she had given him. This was a real kiss. She felt wrapped in warmth and wonderful as it felt she could only think of one thing: what did fire taste like? Her eyes were closed, but the warm, fiery light of Grillby's flames was trickling through the veil of her lashes and was dazzling her. She opened her mouth.

Grillby was too involved to be hesitant and followed immediately.

What did fire taste like? Fire tasted wonderful. It tasted like breathing in the smell of a distant campfire and felt partly like drinking a hot drink and partly like something almost electrically tingly was spreading through her tongue.

She was too lost in the sensation to wonder what it would be like on Grillby's end, but the truth was that he was almost as overwhelmed as she was. He had kissed mammalian monsters before, so the sensation of the wet coolness that wasn't quite cold was not new. But she tasted distinctly different. She tasted human. He couldn't really describe it. It was partly sweet and partly salty and… She broke away and he followed, opening his eyes to look at her. Her own eyes looked up at him from a blushing face.

"Is this what magic feels like?" she asked, breathless. She was glowing with heat and happiness and she was sure she could feel something humming deep inside her.

"I don't know," Grillby said, drawing her a little closer. He wasn't going to let her go now. She had kissed him back, she really did like him. "What does it feel like?"

She looked up into his face, leaning against him with her hands resting against his chest. "Warm?" she said, trying to find the right words. "And tingly. Like… Like someone humming against your skin."

He'd like to do just that. Hum against her naked skin. Grillby blinked, maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself.

It was hard to read the face of a fire elemental, but she had had several months to practice. She was pretty sure she understood this look. "Hey Grillby?" she said. He looked down at her and she grabbed his collar and pulled him into another kiss.

Grillby tightened the arm he had around her waist and his other hand found its way up into her hair. Her skin was so soft and so cool. It was the feeling of the taste of her mouth.

She felt like she could feel the flames of Grillby's hand swirl through her hair and wondered, not for the first time, how fire could be fluid and solid at the same time. Because that's what it felt like, like something that flowed but nevertheless did not give way. In an impulse she leaned her head back into his hand, effectively breaking off the kiss. He looked at her with intensely burning eyes from behind his glasses and she reached out carefully to touch his face. She had never touched his face with her hands before and she felt Grillby's attention shift when she did. She was almost afraid to apply any pressure, but when she ran her hand down his neck she felt that he only felt fluid and unsolid until she applied pressure.

"Do I feel cold to you?" she whispered curiously.

She began to draw back her hand, but Grilby moved his head towards it so she kept stroking his neck.

"It's cool, not cold," he said softly. "It's nice." Nice was not the right word. It felt so much better than that.

She smiled and tried to stroke through the flames that she imagined were his hair with her free hand. Her fingers went right through the flames, but they did swirl around them a little more wildly than they usually moved. It almost looked like there was a pattern to their movement, she tried to move her hand in the same direction and Grillby almost closed his eyes.

"Am I not too hot?" he asked. All of this was new to him, he needed to know she was comfortable.

She swallowed a teasing reply and answered: "No, you're warm."

Grillby moved the hand that had been tangled in her hair to her face and thoughtfully brushed past her cheek and lips. She sighed a little and Grillby wondered what he had done to deserve this. She closed her eyes and parted her lips and he leaned down and kissed her a little more forcefully than he had meant to. She didn't seem to mind though and kissed him back with equal enthusiasm.

She hadn't expected him to be like this. What she had expected she hardly knew, but not this. She liked it though. With every kiss he was growing more confident and she wondered if all he needed to know was that she really wanted this. Because she did. She really did. By way of encouragement she wrapped her arms firmly around his neck and put a little of her weight on him. He was clearly not expecting that and they took a few stumbling steps through the room together. She was pretty sure the couch was near enough to fall back onto. She was right.

"Heh," Grillby laughed, trying not to lie too heavily on top of her. She looked up at him delightedly and kissed his neck, which was closest to her mouth at the moment. Grillby took in a sharp breath and enjoyed the feeling of her nuzzling his neck.

Gently she nudged him until he sat up so she could have a little more freedom of movement. She was about to plant a more thorough kiss onto his neck, when she hesitated.

"I can't…hurt you right?" she asked. She vaguely remembered something about Grillby joking that he never touched water. They had just been snogging, but she would rather ask than find out that licking him actually hurt.

"No," he laughed. Somehow her uncertainty made him feel more confident. "I promise."

She smiled, relieved and a little embarrassed for her sudden question, and playfully took his hands in hers. "Are you sure?" she asked and she lifted one of his hands to her lips and kissed it.

He watched her with a strange, admiring look on his face. She kept looking into his eyes as she opened her mouth and slightly licked one of his fingers. The feeling of her tongue against his flames was amazing. It almost tickled and the coolness of it sent a pleasant shiver down his arm. She took his index finger in her mouth and sucked on it, finally breaking eye contact. Grillby felt a grin spread across his face. If she wanted to play, he would play back.

She felt a pleasant tingle in the hand he was holding in her lap and glanced down. "Oh," she breathed.

Small orange flames that seemed no longer part of his physical body were dancing along the back of her hand before dissolving back into Grillby again.

"How are you doing that?" she asked, delighted.

Grillby smiled. He loved the way her eyes lit up whenever she had a chance to experience magic. Or was it just his magic?

"Watch," he said and he took both her hands, turning them palms up. He held her hands in his and let a bright red flame dance in the hollow of her hands. He made the fire spark brightly just before he broke it into little flames that dances past her wrists and tickled her fingertips after dissolving into nothing again.

It was the most wondrous, beautiful thing she had ever seen. For a moment she remembered what it had been like seeing fireworks for the first time as a child, slightly overwhelmed and full of adoration.

"How come your fire doesn't burn me?" she asked, fascinated.

Grillby's smile faltered and he held onto her hands a little tighter. "I would never hurt you," he said, his voice a low crackle.

She looked into his face and was immediately sorry. She hadn't meant it like that. "I know you wouldn't," she said earnestly. "Of course you wouldn't. You are the kindest, gentlest guy in the world." And she kissed him as sweetly and gently as she could.

Grillby felt lightheaded, he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer to him until she was almost sitting in his lap.

Eager to show her appreciation she moaned into the kiss. The hot, smoky bonfire taste was downright intoxicating, but she was now a little less overwhelmed and was capable of somewhat disentangling the storm of sensations flowing through her. The hot, tingling feeling has spread through her entire body and seemed there to stay, making her feel like she had been sunbathing for a day straight. As she kissed Grillby with enough conviction to leave very little room for breathing, she noticed how strange it was that his tongue could be dry without being unpleasant. The next thing she became aware of was his lack of teeth and the fact that his tongue did not at all move like a normal tongue. Her hand found the back of his neck and she pressed her fingers down until she felt solid heat pressing against her fingertips. Grillby made a sound that was dangerously close to a growl and two strong, hot arms closed around her waist. When she broke away for air Grillby immediately pulled her closer towards him and pressed a kiss against her neck, just below her ear. She let out an involuntary sigh and he lifted his head to look at her.

"What were we talking about?" he asked, a little short of breath.

"You," she said lovingly and in one movement she got to her feet and sat down on his lap. She pulled aside his collar and kissed the spot where his neck joined with his shoulder. Grillby closed his arms around her again and despite him being still fully clothed for a moment she imagined herself being engulfed in flames. It was strange to kiss something without skin. His flames were hot and soft against her lips and face. Or at least her brain was telling her they were soft, perhaps it was only the closest comparative sensation it could find. Grillby was making appreciative noises and she wondered if she felt the temperature rise only because she was closer to him or because he was actually getting hotter. She nuzzled his neck and wondered to what extent he would like what humans generally liked. This thought impressed a little too suddenly upon her what she was about to do. You are making out with a monster, a slightly distressed voice suddenly piped up. You are thinking about having sex with a monster. You are thinking about having sex with fire. You are-

She inhaled, filling her lungs with the intoxicatingly fiery smell and in an impulse she opened her mouth and gave Grillby's neck a gentle lick. She heard him gasp and giggled. If he had had ears, she would have nipped at them and she was just wondering if biting him would even be possible, when she felt his hand in her neck. He pulled her up towards his face and kissed her, rather more roughly than before. She moaned into his mouth and grabbed the front of his shirt.

Grillby was making an effort to hold back. He wasn't quite sure how far she would be willing to go and he didn't want to make a wrong move. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her. Then again, this wasn't the work of a moment, was it? Maybe she'd been eyeing him as long as he had been dreaming of her? What a moron he had been if that was true. He lifted her off his lap and back onto the couch, leaning over her to see if she would lie back or push him away.

She let herself sprawl out across the couch cushions and as soon as he pulled away from the kiss she looked laughingly up at him. "Can I stay the night?" she asked. Surely that was clear enough.

"Oh please," Grillby breathed, finally letting go of his last apprehension. "Please stay the night."

He leaned in and trailed kissed down her neck, pushing the fabric of her shirt aside in the process. She squirmed underneath him in the pleasantest way possible. Hot, dry kisses were so…different. It was hard to wrap her mind around it, but it was lovely. She moaned in surprise when she felt his mouth grow hotter as he pressed it against her skin and then cooler again as his tongue of flames licked past the same spot. The sudden change in temperature was strangely thrilling. A pretty good substitute for a love bite, she thought. She heard Grillby chuckle with a strange, crackling rumbling sound and pushed herself up so she could reach his neck for a bit of revenge. If she could lick him, she could bite him. She did, very softly, but she let go immediately with a surprised gasp. Her teeth tingled strangely.

"Sorry," Grillby grinned, guessing whatever had surprised her had to do with his magic.

"Come here," she laughed. "Let me try again."

Instead of offering her his neck he kissed her on the mouth again. She gave in immediately and he felt her hands trying to undo the buttons of his vest.

She worked one arm around his neck and one around his waist and pulled until he let his arms give out and lowered himself fully on top of her. She was sure the orange light of his flames flared brighter every now and again, the difference in light intensity reached her eyes even when she had them closed. She slid a hand under his now loosened vest and up his back. She could feel the movement of his flames under the thin fabric of his shirt. When she had slid her hand up as far as it could go, she dragged it back down, her nails scraping along the fabric. There was that rumbling growl again, it made her feel giddy.

Grillby made an effort and disentangled himself from her a little. He looked at her. She looked very pleased with herself and very pink in the face. He couldn't tell if it was because she was hot or because she was blushing. He would have to be careful not to overheat her. His flames would never burn her, but humans weren't very comfortable at temperatures higher than their own bodies.

"Did you want to sleep here, or…?" he said, grinning.

"Oh!" she said with a teasing smile. "Does this mean I get to see your bedroom?"

He grimaced.

"Have you tidied?" she asked, pretending to be serious. "That was your excuse last time for not showing it to me ri-"

Grillby suddenly moved so fast he nearly startled her. In a moment he was off her and standing beside the couch and the next moment she was in his arms. She laughed and actually almost squealed in delight when her carried her effortlessly out of the room. He was a lot stronger than he looked.

"It's a good thing your apartment is two-story," she whispered, leaning her forehead against the side of his head.

"Why?" he asked amusedly.

"Because I've always wanted to be carried up the stairs," she muttered against him.

Grillby laughed out loud. It sounded like a roaring campfire and he carried her up the stairs while his flames flared brighter. He had thought of doing this so many times and maybe none of this had gone exactly as he had imagined, but it was still better, because it was real.

A/N: Since M is the highest rating acceptable on FFnet I have to cut the story here, if you want to read the more smutty ending you'll have to visit the version of this story I uploaded to AO3 under the name Moonfreckle (archiveofourown /works/10076915). I'm sorry for the diversion, but this is the first time I've written anything this smutty and boy was I nervous about uploading it. I didn't also have to worry about content rules.