Chapter Text
He noticed the sky beginning to grow lighter.
A familiar chorus of voices drifted toward him. As his friends came into view, relief washed over him. He stepped out of the alleyway, and the way their faces lit up at the sight of him lifted his spirits even higher. After everything that had happened, seeing them made the entire night feel worthwhile.
"Flowery!" Aqua shouted, sprinting ahead before throwing herself into a hug. Flowery stumbled back a step but managed to keep his balance.
"Whoa! Hey, boys!" Flowery beamed as he held her carefully in his arm.
"Where were you, big brother?" Orange asked, scurrying up and tugging on his pant leg. "Did you see any humans with tails? I haven't found one yet."
"I..." Flowery hesitated. Should he pretend he'd explored the whole town? But he wouldn't even know what to make up. "To be perfectly honest," he admitted with a sheepish smile, "I only really stepped outside to see the stars."
Blue twirled happily. "Oh, wonderful! Aren't they magical?"
"They are," Flowery said, glancing up one last time.
"You came out here on your own?" Seth asked, tilting their head.
Flowery nodded. "Yes, yes... I still have a lot more to see. But one thing at a time..."
The flowers exchanged amused glances.
"You know," Blue said, "leaving by yourself..."
"...was pretty brave," Orange finished.
Flowery smiled at the praise, though he couldn't agree. They didn't know he'd spent nearly the entire night terrified. That he'd hidden away in an alley, too overwhelmed to move. That the only reason he'd come into town in the first place was to avoid facing Asgore after everything that had happened between them.
There was nothing brave about that.
But he wasn't about to tell them.
Lately, he had begun questioning his own competence. Along with every other insecurity that had taken root, he sometimes found himself feeling out of place even around his closest friends.
One question lingered in his mind more than any other.
‘Why do they still look at me like I'm their mentor?’
He wasn't the leader he used to be. He had failed them. Failed the dreams he'd promised them. He couldn't protect them anymore. Yet they still looked at him with the same admiration they always had. They listened whenever he spoke, followed him without question, and trusted him to know what came next.
Flowery's smile wavered.
They still believed in him.
He just wasn't sure why.
"...Oh, enough standing around," he said, setting down Aqua then snapping his fingers. "Let's get inside before sunrise. Tell me everything you've all been up to while we still have time."
The flowers happily gathered around him as they walked back toward the shop, chatting excitedly over one another, completely unaware of the quiet doubt settling in his heart.
They eagerly launched into overlapping stories of the festival.
Flowery listened with a soft smile, letting their excitement wash over him. They spoke with such confidence. They had been building a live for themselves. They didn't necessarily need Flowery anymore to be happy.
For a brief moment, the thought stung.
Then, unexpectedly as he pondered on it...
It made him proud.
That wasn't such a bad thing, was it?
Maybe he hadn't failed them as badly as he'd believed. Maybe they had all simply grown.
And perhaps... he could too. He wasn't the leader he had once been and he might never be again.
But that didn't mean he couldn't become something else. If his friends could find the courage to step into the world, then maybe... just maybe... he could learn too.
He wanted to discover more moments like the one he'd found beneath the stars tonight. There had to be countless little wonders waiting for him beyond the walls of their home.
"Hey," Flowery spoke up, drawing their attention. The flowers turned toward him. "...Tomorrow..." He said. "Would it be alright if I came with one of you? I want to see what you've all been up to."
For a moment, they simply stared.
Then every flower began talking together excitedly, their voices overlapping. Flowery laughed at their enthusiasm.
“Train with me first brother!” Orange demanded.
“Sounds like a plant!” Flowery said.
He still wasn't sure what kind of mentor he was anymore. But one thing was certain. Even if he wasn't the best leader anymore, he could still support them in whatever way he could. And maybe... it was alright if they supported him, too.
Together, they made their inside.
Almost instinctively, Flowery's eyes searched for Asgore’s broad shoulders and his gentle smile.
But the shop was empty.
Flowery let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
He wasn't there.
The relief lasted only a moment before another thought quietly crept into his mind.
Did he walk past me?
Flowery glanced back toward the door.
He had spent hours tucked away in that alley, hidden from view. Asgore could have walked right by on his way home without ever realizing Flowery had been only a few feet away.
The thought left a strange ache in his chest.
Without another word, Flowery made his way toward the back of the shop with the others as the first rays of morning spilled through the windows, and one by one, the flowers returned to their original forms.