Chapter Text
Whispered yelling can be heard echoing through the silent flower shop. Panic more notably coursing through Susie than Kris though the latter still appears worried.
“What do we do?”
“C’mon help me pick him up!” Susie’s panicked voice fills the small flower shop. The girl is uncertain about how to handle the situation in front of her. “We can’t just leave him here, Kris. He’ll die!”
The two riddled with panic comb through their heads on how to possibly save a flower from damage like this. Though, with the lack of botany knowledge going for the two, no answer really presents itself.
“What about (Y/n)? Don’t they help Asgore here on the weekends?”
“Ehhhh, used to. They had a falling out shortly after they moved out.” Kris shrugged their shoulders, not really sure if (Y/n) even be willing to help.
“C’mon we have to try. I don’t want him to just rot here and die.” Susie quickly swoops the flower up and into her arms rushing down the road in what she hopes is the right direction.
~~~
The sound of the overhead fan hums along with the low chatter coming from the TV that’s on just across the room. The room’s cool atmosphere is the next thing my senses pick up on as something pulls me from the warm hands of my slumber. Peeling my eyes open to glance at my clock tells me it is only 4:50 in the morning. An odd time to find myself lulled from sleep, but my confusion is quickly answered as a banging resounds from downstairs.
‘Who in their god damn right mind bangs on a door at 5 in the morning?’
At first, a sense of dread quickly fills me from head to toe before I bat it away with some more logical thinking. No one who means harm is going to bang on a door before entering. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of carrying malicious intent out at night.
I carry myself down the stairs to meet the nuisance that lingers at my door as banging echoes through the house again.
“I’m coming! Would you knock it off?!” I call as a headache slowly begins to form.
“Hurry!” The voice that carries through the door surprises me and lights a new fire under me. It isn’t like Susie to bang on a door at this time, much less be up this early.
I swing the door open to come face to face with both a disheveled Kris and Susie. A wilted buttercup was gently clasped in Susie’s hand. “Can you help him please?” She shoves the flower towards me in an urgent gesture.
I quickly take the bloom from her hand to observe the damage done before I turn from the door, beckoning the two to follow me. I guide them through the house and out the back door, flicking on the yard lights. I lead them through the small backyard and to the tiny greenhouse that awaits.
“What happened? Where’s Asgore, and why can’t he fix this damaged flower?” I turn to ask the two after I set the flower on a bench beside the entrance, beginning to grab the necessary supplies.
In the corner of my eye, I watch as Kris and Susie quickly share a look before Susie takes the lead in regaling the story.
“You see…” Susie hesitates with an uncertainty that’s unlike her. “Something got into the flower shop. Yeah, that’s it! Kris and I spent all night cleaning the mess before we found him -er, I mean, found the flower beaten. Asgore’s away for a few weeks left right after the festival ended, and we figured you’d be the next best person to help.”
I size Susie up with a look. It isn’t like Susie to stumble through her words. It leaves me a bit suspicious, but I push it off as I assume they are coming down from an adrenaline high because of the situation. I turn back to the buttercup to assess the damage done to it. I gently pick it up and hold it up to the light to better see the problem areas. Most notably, the stem is nearly sliced in half. Not fully, but the poor thing is hanging on by a thread. A few small abrasions line the upper stem as well. The flower isn’t beyond saving, but it’ll need a lot of care and attention for the first few days to ensure it survives.
Susie’s voice breaks my attention away from the flower. “Can you save him?”
“Yeah, the stem needs to be splinted, and it’ll need a lot of things: sunlight, water, and care. However, I don’t think this poor thing is beyond saving. As long as he’s willing to Persevere than I’m willing to help.” I turn my gaze towards Kris and Susie, both of whom deflate with relief.
“Why don’t you two go make yourselves cozy inside? I’ll leave a message for Toriel to let her know where you guys are as soon as I’m back in. I just need to get this guy splinted and set up before bringing him back inside the house.” I watch as the two nod and make their way down the cobblestone path towards the house.
“Alright, Let’s get you fixed up.” I speak to no one in particular. It’s not like this little flower can hear me anyhow.
Within 30 minutes, the flower’s stem is splinted, and it’s set up in a roomy pot. One that I know will fit on the bench in my bay window. I’d love to keep the flower in the greenhouse, but with all the attention it’ll need in the first few days, it’ll just be annoying to have to make the trip out multiple times in a day. With that, I close up the greenhouse and make my way towards the house myself.
The atmosphere of the house hasn’t changed from what it was an hour ago. It’s still cold, and the sounds of voices filtered down the stairs from the TV in my bedroom. However, now there are the added sounds of light snores that come from where Kris and Susie already lay passed out on the couch. It adds to a certain warmth that the house once lacked and will lack again when they leave in a few hours.
I place the delicate pot onto the bench in front of the large bay windows. The flower sways gently from the motion. To the untrained eye, the flower still looks to be in miserable condition, but I can tell some of the color has started to come back to it, which is a great sign. A sign that maybe the recovery won’t be so long and strenuous for the poor flower.
“You look a little lonely in this big bay window.” I say to no one in particular. “I’ll bring in some other flowers in the morning. Enjoy the peace while you’ve got it.”
With the flower set up for the night and Kris and Susie passed out on the couch. I make my way back to my room with hopes to get an hour or two more of sleep. That wish, I come to find, ends up being fruitless. The presence of people within the small house is nice but bring an overarching feeling of loneliness. One that I had batted off for months rears its ugly head once again.
It’s true. That once I was able to move out after college, I did as quickly as possible. As much as I adored my adopted family, we had our grievances, those of which I’d addressed with both Asgore and Toriel. While the latter took the criticism in stride, Asgore wasn’t as receptive. It led to a falling out, and I quit showing up to help him with the flower shop on the weekends. Contact slowly dwindled off as well. The absence of the weekend endeavor left me stuck in a constant loop: Wake up, work, garden, sleep, and repeat. I hadn’t found myself straying from that pattern in months now. The endless loop of what-ifs filters through my head in the stillness of the early morning hours. A time I’ve never been quite fond of for this very reason.
When I turn to look at my clock again, two hours have passed, and the sun has finally brightened the room just a bit, but it brings no real warmth. Not the warmth I find myself searching for at least. I decided that getting up and making breakfast for the two knocked-out teens downstairs is better than wallowing in self-pity. That maybe getting a head start on today will actually make things feel ok. So that’s what I do.
Kris seems to be somewhat awake and aware when I reach the bottom of the stairs. I offer a gentle smile and the choice of what should be made this morning. To which they responds, and I get to work. Susie doesn’t take too long too wake up with the clatter of dishes and cabinets closing. She makes her way to sit at the kitchen isle to wait for breakfast to be finished up as Kris plops themselves right beside her.
“You two were out pretty late last night.” Both of them freeze. Their eyes go wide with panic. Probably scared of getting in trouble. “I know you said something got into the flower shop, but why were you even out in the first place?”
Like earlier this morning, both share a look, but this time Kris takes the reins.
“We were walking Noelle back home. We lost track of time and fell asleep in the hammocks near the lake. We didn’t want Noelle to get in trouble. We happened to hear the commotion in the shop.”
“So, what I’m getting at is you, number one, were by the lake past the curfew that I presume Toriel gave you. Which, mind you, Toriel would flip her lid just from hearing that. Number two, you thought it was a great idea to charge headfirst into a building you knew an intruder was in instead of alerting someone?” I slid the plates in front of them, crossing my arms and sizing them up with a disappointed look.
The two both visibly shrink away from my gaze. The guilt that’s written on their faces softens me a little. It’s not like I was innocent growing up either. Hell, the things Asriel and I got up to would have sent Toriel to an early grave, I’m sure.
I turn to grab and fill the small watering jugs that sit on the windowsill above the sink. I make my way towards the bay window to check in on the buttercup before offering it a small amount of water. “I suggest you think your decisions through next time, so you don’t end up getting yourselves killed.”
Kris perks up as they hear the words fall from my mouth. “So, you aren’t going to tell?”
“As far as I’m aware, I still owe you back for not telling that one-time Asriel and I snuck out to the city.” I turn to send a wink towards the brown-haired kid. “I do ask that you be more careful. This family doesn’t need any more disfunction than it already has.” Kris huffs in agreement as I turn away from the window and discard the watering jug on the counter before heading for the back door. Aiming to hopefully find some small flowers to liven up the bay window.
Susie sees me heading out the back door and comes bounding towards the door. “He’s doing ok, right?”
“The buttercup?” Susie nods softly. This tenderness isn’t something I’m used to coming from Susie, but it’s sweet. I think I like this softer part of her. Maybe Noelle has had that affect on her.
“Yeah! You got ‘em here just in time. The stem should heal up just fine within a couple weeks.” I call across the yard as I enter the greenhouse. I let the greenhouse door close softly behind me, gazing over the variety of plants that could be brought inside. There, across the greenhouse, seated on some shelves, are a windflower and forget-me-nots, both of which are already in small pots that’ll fit beside the other on the window bench. I quickly scoop them up and head back towards the house to set them up.
Kris and Susie watch on with interest as I bring the two pots back inside the house. I set them on the bench, raising the blinds higher to let more light into the living area. Once finished, I turned to both of the teens, clasping my hands together and offering a kind smile.
“This flower seems to mean a lot to you two. Though, I’d presume it’s because it’s the buttercup Asgore has had since college. Don’t be scared to come by to check on it if your truly worried!” I let silence fall before extending an offering to the two in the quiet that falls between the three of us. “You are also more than welcome to stay the night whenever. Noelle included.”
The two make their way towards the exit, but I place my hand on Kris’ shoulder to stop them from exiting. “Don’t be a stranger, ok?” Kris nods before letting the door shut behind them.
The silence of the house now looms over me in its entirety. Somehow, it’s heavier than before. Louder in a way only unwanted silence can make itself. The sigh that leaves my mouth is loud as I tilt my head to look at the flowers.
“And then there were four.”