Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In this world of steam and machinery, flowers get overlooked. When everything can be created by hand, who cares about the natural?

“It’s quite displeasing, this new funk everyone is in.”

Trencil echoed the Flower Kid’s inner thoughts. He too was a fan of plants, and preferred to stay away from the public’s attention.

Because with an object of interest, they would see him too. And he couldn’t afford that.

He tips his bowler hat to the side, doing the same for his flower.

“Every machine makes such a racket.”

A steel ceiling covered the Habitat; the roof extending over the carnival and the outside. One can’t see the sky, except from within.

This worked for Trencil, but not for flowers or plants. Some grow in darkness, but not the kind he wanted.

Without a window or pocket watch, it was hard to know the time of day. He clicked his closed, placing it into his coat.

“I’ll be leaving with my daughter soon. You should do so as well.”

Flower kid nodded. However, they couldn’t go just yet.

Not with unfinished business.

Flower kid went up the stairs to the apartments after the duo bid each other goodnight. They wanted a good night’s rest for the day to come.

They had big plans tomorrow.

Kamal, the owner’s ex-assistant, had been a help unlike any other.

Both him and Mr. Breadbear, actually. Together, they had the documents to access the hidden part of the Habitat.

Technology, never seen before.

Flower kid saw Tim Tam listening in on their conversation, trying to steal information for their own nefarious uses.

Though they did back away when Flower kid showed them the glimmer of a gift and a promise made between them.

Partners in crime don’t double cross.

Even though Kamal wasn’t ready to tell the world of Habit’s wrong doings, he had no issue letting Flower kid face off against him.

Doctor Boris Habit.

The top-hatted assistant warned them not to breathe too deeply in the morning.

He had lifted the hat to show respect for Flower kid, sending them off to adventure with a plan of talking Boris out of his destructive behavior.

Here’s to hoping it will work.

Chapter Text

It smells like metal. Flower kid stumbled up from bed.

Its colorful.

The earth was tilting from side to side.

Like they hadn’t woken up at all.

Habit spoke to them.

There were no speakers. It was the power of a mind corrupt by years of madness.

Perhaps his inventions had something to do with it?

Flower kid rushed through the Habitat’s halls, evading the paper dolls Habit had created as extra staff.

Another marvel of his genius, one could say.

It was easier to run with a spring in your step after a short dip into pick-pocketing.

It’s not so great when they laugh at one with creepy giggles.

With everything else blocked off, it forced them to move towards the boiler room. The door that used to be locked is open.

Flower kid thanked Wallus and Kamal in their head, earning a disgruntled quip from the inventor. The shape of his shadow followed their every step, lingering in the peripherals of their vision.

Beyond the doors was a hall darker than any Flower kid had seen before.

A conveyor belt rattled under their feet, whirring to action with a puff of smoke from a nearby pipe. It was slow, but faster than walking.

Besides, did they want to falter at this point in the journey?

Reaching the end of the path, two doors greeted them. They slid open with a melodious “ding”, causing them to shudder.

Even something like this could be mechanized?

The sight enticed the Flower kid. You don’t get tech in the unwanted part of town. They leaned close, their necklace clinking against their chest.

Only a couple of people could stand inside. It was hardly a room.

Flower Kid went forward.

They stared at the odd box they were now in.

Facing the doors they had come through, though one couldn’t see them now.

On their right was a square on the wall.

Two arrows poked out of it, one pointing up, with the other pointing down. It’s no coincidence scribbles saying "up" and "down" found their way next to them.

With curiosity, they moved their hand to the arrow reading “up”. It wasn’t a handle, so they tried to figure out its purpose.

Oh, of course. A button!

They pressed it, and the exit closed with another ding. The box clanked, louder than the path before it. Flower kid held onto the wall, for there was no railing to grab.

Boris spoke to them like a creature in the dark, telling them there was no turning back now.

It was time to meet.

They wobble out of the box, their sight still a blur.

The air. It smelled sweet, like cotton candy, and made you feel just as sick.

Unable to hold on any longer, the Flower kid lost consciousness.

The doctor will see you now.

Chapter Text

Waking up chained to a chair isn’t the most pleasant experience. Especially when two glowing eyes stared at you from the darkness.

“Hello, Flower brat.”

A mouth followed the eyes, still speaking from that spot.

“Did you like the ride-E? I call it the ele-vatuur,” it smiled.

So the doctor had invented that, too?

He knew much, even with the dangerous nature of his craft. A sound of metal chain clinks in the room, and the lights blinked on.

“My research will change the world! We’ll all be happee!”

The form that was the Doctor’s own was tall, green and threatening.

His eyes, like those of a cat. His mouth extended far beyond the reaches of his face.

His teeth were blue and chipped, damaged by an unknown force.

They didn’t fit together.

“I will be a bio weapon of happiness in the new age of steam!”

He twirled across Flower kid’s sight. He jumped. In fact, he was hopping around like a frog.

“With my machines and smile, no one will ever frowne again!”

His hand got close to their mouth, pliers grabbing tooth after tooth. It’s a horror to see one’s own teeth popping out like they were trying to run away.

With a maniacal giggle, the doctor looked like a devil. An imp from the underworld!

He shifted his coat and gear of steel belts and froze.

“Forgot a to-ol I need… stay right there, flower brat. I’ll come to pick out your teeth, one by 1ne! : - )”

Boris’s coat and the belt around his body swayed with his steps. Walking made them look like waves.

Flower kid fights in the hold of the chains. They shuffle their necklace within the lock.

They turn their head, following the sound and movement of progress.

The chain clicks.

With one arm free, getting rid of the other cuff is simple.

Habit doesn’t even get to sing “Eenie, meenie, miney, molar” before Flower kid bursts through the door.

“How-!”

His body contorts, eyes blazing with fire. His claws turned closer to his small rival.

“You escaped! Bad flower brat!”

Flower kid ran to him, rummaging through their pockets. They pulled something out.

A plant.

A… flower?

Boris’s brow furrowed.

“Am I supposed to know what that is??”

Flower Kid nods.

They stood with pride, wanting Boris to see the flower he had unknowingly helped them cultivate.

“Wait… this…”

He held it close, sniffing it.

A familiar aroma of gentle vanilla.

But the bloom itself wasn’t that.

“It’s… a tooth lily.”

He said it.

On his palm was the clearest memory of his childhood.

Somehow preserved, even when tried his hardest to destroy it.

He smashed the seeds into bits, hiding them. He destroyed his diary, the one thing holding the instructions.

Yet, here it was in his hands.

“You grew this, didn’t you?”

Flower kid nodded once again, their determination just as clear as before.

“I gave up.”

Habit sighed.

He rolled the plant’s stem between his fingers as he thought. His eyes followed the movement as he spoke.

I traded living things for machines because I couldn’t change the world.”

The Carlas, the Habitat, Martha…

All of them were his creations, a trap to further his own goals.

Yet they still had that hope.

A selfish desire to be the obelisk of change.

“It’s not for me to save the world, but for you.”

Words of sorrow and acceptance. The pain of being on the wrong path. He tried to take it in stride as he pocketed the flower as gently as he could.

It peeked out from his pocket as he returned his gaze to the Flower kid.

“Please… make them smile. For me.”

Boris looked at the wall of his office. His thoughts swam in a gray mist, mulling over his words.

He shook his head.

“No. For you.”