Chapter Text
There isn't much in Toriel's house, which she apologizes pretty profusely for. Flowery can't really blame her for that. It's honestly shocking (and maybe a little strange) that she even has one kid's bed.
At first, Seth lays claim to that, because, as they put it, they “value their alone time.” Adorable, really, but he wouldn't say that to them.
He and the other older kids wouldn't be able to fit on it anyway, and Aqua heard sleepover and practically demanded to be included. Orange chose to stay in the living room too, something Flowery is glad about.
It ends up not mattering, anyway, because on their first night there, Seth slinks their way to the living room, dragging a blanket behind them and rubbing their eyes. No one ends up sleeping on the twin bed.
For the first few days, they barely even discuss leaving. Toriel cooks them food and gives them some semblance of schooling. But he feels stuck like a plant with roots too deep in the ground.
He feels guilt gnawing at him like an aphid. He said they'd be back before anyone noticed, but that promise is definitely gone with the wind. Nobody's said anything, but there's no way the camp counselors haven't noticed their absence yet. It's been days. Which means, without a doubt, their parents have been informed.
He wonders what his and Orange's mom thinks.
He stops wondering.
There's a tension through the house as the days go by. Aqua's already bored of the toys Toriel bought. Seth's already read all the books Toriel has. Orange is antsy, sick of a too-small place and clearly homesick. Blue frowns when he thinks he isn't looking. Green helps Toriel cook, but eyes the staircase subtly when they aren't. And poor Yellow seems overwhelmed with guilt.
They need to go home.
Toriel is out of the house when he brings it up. As it turns out, eight people means a lot of grocery runs.
They're mostly laying around. If it weren't for the tense atmosphere, it would almost feel nice. He could pretend that they're just in their cabin at camp, planning a hike or reading one of Seth's stories together, or countless other things. But instead they're underground, acting like everything is fine.
“We have to leaf,” he says, shattering the silence like glass.
Immediately, the others begin chattering, and he sighs with a smile.
“One at a time, everyone!” he says.
“Toriel says that it's dangerous,” Seth says, their notebook on their lap.
Yellow nods in agreement. “She says being humans is illegal here. I don't want us to be criminells.”
“I miss my parents… They are surely so worried,” Blue mutters, grabbing hold of Yellow's hand, and Green nods in agreement and points at themself. They miss their parents too, then.
“I know you're… worried,” Flowery says, “I get it. But we can't just stay here forever, can we?”
“We can't,” Aqua yells, “I'm bored!” Which is logic enough for her, Flowery beleafs.
Seth sighs, staring towards the ground. “I don't want any of us to get hurt,” they mumble, clearly embarrassed by the sentiment.
“I won't let that happen,” Flowery says, putting on his extra serious voice. It gets Seth to look up at him, and they slowly nod. Flowery smiles at them.
“But… We's gonna get in trubble,” Yellow mutters.
It's true. He knows it. There's really no avoiding it, no matter which way he swings it.
“Sometimes, laws aren't just. You aren't bad for just existing as a human down here. If anything, they're the criminals for trying to kill us for it.”
Something shifts in Yellow's demeanor. He still doesn't look that confident, but his tension dissipates. “I guess yer right,” he says, clearly hesitating. Flowery isn't happy about that, but he's found for a while now that getting Yellow to be completely certain about a decision is pretty much impossible. He'll have to take what he can get.
“Orange? You've been quiet,” he says. She's sitting near him on the floor, picking at one of the several blankets laid out.
“I wanna go home,” she says. Her voice is as loud as ever, but there's something choked up about it. It's wavering.
He won't mention it, not in front of everyone else anyway. He does glance at Green, who gives him a nod. The two of them will figure that out soon, then.
“Then let's go home,” he says softly.
He wants to gather some food for the trip, but he just barely got Yellow to agree, and he knows well that “stealing” from Toriel would be too much for him, even if Flowery sincerely thinks she wouldn't mind it.
He ends up leaving a note. It's signed by all the kids. Toriel's been kind to let them stay. It isn't her fault they need to leave. He can't have her worrying about them more than she already will.
The walk downstairs feels slower than it has any right to, even with Seth's attempts to prevent Aqua from running off.
Right as the door is within sight, however, they hear footsteps behind them. The footsteps are heavy, clearly running.
They can't reach it in time before Toriel stands behind them. Reluctantly, Flowery turns.
She doesn't look angry, exactly, but there's a stern expression on her face he isn't quite used to. It isn't the same stern face that she wears when she lightly scolds them. It's something far, far more serious. Flowery freezes under it, for just a second.
“I didn't want to believe it,” she says. Flowery sees the note they left clutched in one of her hands. “Haven't I warned you enough of what they will do to you? Didn't the monsters of these RUINs trying to attack you convince you in some way?” Past her sternness, Flowery sees something else. A sadness he isn't sure how to deal with.
“We have to go back,” Flowery tells her, looking her in the eye. “We have lives up there.” Camping trips at the foot of a mountain. Blue teaching Yellow to make flower crowns. Aqua eating all the marshmallows before Green can make smores from them. Seth's stories around the fire, as Orange tries to add a million plot twists and explosions. They need to go back up. They can have that here, but it isn't the same.
“You may not get to live life at all if you leave this place. He… Asgore, he made a promise. And while he hasn't been able to fulfill it yet, I doubt he will hesitate to do so. I know him better than anyone, even now.”
It's clear to him that Toriel is genuinely concerned for their well-being, but there isn't much he can do for her. He doesn't think staying is an option.
“I understand that, really. But you can't keep us here!” he says. He sees a few of the others nod. Orange's grip on his hand tightens.
“Then prove yourselves… Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive!”
They haven't entered many battles during their time in the Underground. The few Froggits that approached them were quickly intimidated by Toriel herself. The closest they had was against that training dummy, though Toriel again ended the “battle” after they gave it a few kind words. Even Napstablook was mostly conversational once they noticed Toriel. Apparently the two of them knew each other well.
Flowery looks around. Seth's eyes are huge behind their glasses. Orange is clutching Flowery's hand like a lifeline. Aqua… well, she doesn't seem to quite get it. She thinks it's a game, he's sure. Blue and Yellow are protecting each other, and Green stares at Toriel, looking almost disappointed in her.
Flowery stares at Toriel long and hard, and he hears a voice at the back of his head. “Knows what's best for you,” they whisper. He doesn't react. He won't admit he's been hearing them since they landed down here. Not now, anyway.
The fireballs are a surprise, and one that everyone works hard to dodge. Their SOULs move with varying levels of success. Flowery feels fire singe his arm a bit, and he lets out a hiss of pain.
She doesn't seem much for conversation, even as all of them try their best to say something. He thinks that this is a poor excuse for protection. But even now, he isn't truly angry at her.
He takes the brunt of the attacks, pushing everyone, but especially Orange, Aqua and Seth out of the way. The three of them are just so little. It's his responsibility to make sure they don't burn. If he can't do that, why is he even here?
Still, the burns add up slowly. It hurts, he can't pretend they don't. But that doesn't matter. It can't matter.
Once again, he pushes Orange out of the way.
He doesn't register that anything is wrong until he hears her scream.
Was she hit? Did he fail?
He coughs.
He cannot stop coughing.
Oh. It hurts, more than anything. He can barely think through it, through the fire charring his skin, burning him from the inside out. He wheezes, and falls.
Above him, Toriel's eyes are wide, her hands in front of her mouth. The fighting has ceased.
Near him, crouched on the ground, is everyone.
Orange is crying, and he wants nothing more to reach out and comfort her, soothe her like he has been for eight years now. But he coughs, lets out a poor attempt at a scream, and cannot do much else.
Aqua is confused. Seth is holding onto her, crying. Green is trying their best to give him something, anything to help. Blue is talking to him, words he cannot fully grasp. Yellow is hyperventilating.
He cannot do a single thing to help.
He reaches a hand out, slowly. Orange sobs, and his eyes flutter closed.
Then, he wakes up to a cacophony.
His knees buckle and he falls to the ground. Somehow, he's outside Toriel's house, near one of those little glowing yellow stars.
He coughs, though the smoke no longer fills his lungs.
“Flowery! Flowery!” Orange yells. She's still crying, on the ground in front of him.
“I'm… I'm alright,” he mutters, his throat unnaturally dry.
“Nuh-uh! No! You burned, you, you…” Orange sobs. Flowery, still on the ground, pulls her into his arms.
His vest is wet with her tears, not that it bothers him. He rubs her back. He looks up, the rest crowding around them. Aqua is looking around, visibly unsure but clearly upset, while Seth clutches her hand tight as possible. Yellow is confused too, but he's crying. There's such a stark relief on Blue and Green's faces, and he isn't sure what to do with that.
“What happened?” Seth asks, staring down at the star. “She was fighting us, and then… It makes no sense!”
“Perhaps… was it this star?” Blue asks.
“Didsit save you? Is that what it meant by that?” Yellow asks.
“Uuu, nice star, nice star!” Aqua says.
“I… suppose it did,” Flowery says. What else is he meant to think?
“Maybe it's like… saving in a game?” Seth suggests. “You… you,” they pause, glancing at Orange, who is still sobbing against Flowery's chest.
He gets the memo, at least. He died, somehow. It hurt more than anything. But Orange is upset, and no one wants to make her cry even more. Flowery runs his fingers through her hair.
It takes a while, but soon Orange's tears begin to dissipate. She lets out some hiccuping breaths, and Flowery stands, holding her. It isn't really easy to carry an eight-year-old, but Orange is smaller than most kids her age, and he would do anything for her.
He still feels the phantom burns across his body, the ghost of smoke in his chest. He's choked by nothing at all, and he doesn't want to face this again.
But, he thinks as they walk back into the house, they have however many tries they'll need, now. He smiles.
He will burn a million times over if it means the rest don't have to.