Archive of Our Own

That’s something humans do… right? 

With a tightness in his chest, Yellow’s body swung forward and upright, a flurry of petals swirling and dancing around him as he sat up.

The wind tousled his hair, causing him to blink pollen particles away… It was like a flood, then, when the endless stream of thoughts suddenly poured from him as he looked around. 

Being so familiar with little else but Dark and Nourishment caused the sun on his skin, the petals of various flowers tickling his fingers, the heavy weight of cloth and leather sticking to him to feel… overwhelmingly alive.

He sniffed, pressing a boot into the dirt between the pink flowers and with a ‘Upsee Daisy’ he was certainly up. His arms stuck outwards suddenly as his legs wobbled, knees clicking together as the weight of simply everything once again struck him like a drum. 

Grace and Yellow were not acquainted as he stumbled forward through the gold-bathed field, slowly finding a walking rhythm in his boots. 

“Where… was I goin’ exactly?” He muttered to himself. “‘N where did… everyone go?” 

There was an awareness to being a flower. Some form of low, quiet conscious that made it difficult to remember after tasting the color and seeing the wind… but Yellow was certain there were others. Others that were around him that were simply not here anymore. 

So, he strode, hoping his empty steps would take him where he needed to-

“Uuu! Yellow! Yellow, Yellow!” 

“Whuh! Whozit there! I’m warnin’ you, I’m armed ‘n ready to shoot!” Like muscle memory, his hands went to his holster, drawing the yellow pistol from its nest and holding it up, swinging it around and around with shaking digits. 

“Does Yellow have a weapon too? Let’s compare, let’s compare! Weapon game!” 

Leaping from the grass in a twirl of cyan his assailant revealed herself, causing him to yelp, firing an accidental shot that whizzed through the air and slammed directly into the shiny side of her knife. The bullet unceremoniously fell to the floor, while Aqua’s knife stood gleaming in the sun. 

Yellow followed his bullet, landing flat on his behind with a pained sound as the flowers gave way to his weight, his hat long gone as the gold rays reached new parts of him. 

Familiarity washed over him as the young girl jumped once again, her toes touching his knee as she began to spin and spin with gleeful giggles. “I win, I win~!” 

A name played on his lips, as if he had known this flower his whole life, watching with an open mouth as she danced and swayed. Yet… he didn’t know it.

“You’re…” 

“Me!” 

“I know you!”

“You do?? Uuu, I think I know you too!” 

Yellow nodded, dumbfounded. “Mighty sorry ‘bout that there, Li’l miss! What kinda sheriff fires willy-nilly at a friend…” 

A new feeling, one that he didn’t quite like, suddenly began to lap at his heels as he watched Aqua twirl. Yellow hung his head with guilt, a pathetic whimper driven from his lips. He could feel the rotative dance upon his knee stop shortly after.

“That’s what criminells’ do… ain’t it? Firing at anyone they want, no thinkin’, just shootin’… I’m s’apposed to be the keeper of Justice… oooh. What’s a cowboy to cowdo…” 

The warmth of the sun did nothing to quell the shade covering Yellow’s face as he whined to himself, entirely forgetting the ever curious Aqua leaning forward, attempting to examine his downtrodden expression with a smile. 

“What do ‘criminells’ do? It sounds fun!!” Her voice made him blink, raising his head with wide eyes. He yipped at her closeness, surprised, finally jostling her off of her perch as she tumbled onto his lap with another laugh. 

“Uuu, you knocked me down!” 

“S-sorry, sorry! Gosh darn’it… I just keep makin’ more n more crimes! I-” It dawned on him, with another pout.  “Maybe I am a criminell. just a good-fir-nothin’ rotten-” 

“Can I be a ‘criminel’ too?? Criminell buddies!! Heheh!” 

“No-siree! Not with me around, s’my job to stop crimes!” Yellow reached forward, grabbing Aqua from either side, pinning her arms to her waist. She did nothing but squirm and kick her feet with glee. 

If Yellow weren’t so focused on his moral dilemma, he would’ve noticed the fabric of her robes, soft, slightly stained with dirt as he held her. Something that should be impossible for a mere flower to feel.

“Awww… How are you gonna stop yourself?” 

Yellow blinked. “Huh…” 

“I… I dunno… Criminells go to jail, usually.” He flinched. “Oh… oh no, I don’t wanna go to jail, but… but. I’m a trouble-maker! I gotta do what's right! And awful tormentors like myself must be PUNISHED!” 

A pause.

“... So, y’all got any jails, around here?” Yellow beamed, tilting his head.

Aqua grinned, all teeth. “Uuuu!! So you’re in trouble!! I know, I know!” 

She disappeared from his grip in a flurry of petals, leaving Yellow pawing at the air with confused little sounds. Instead of being dwarfed by the swaying flowers of the field, Aqua hung in the air, matching their movements in a jovial dance.

“Let's go find the others~ They’ll know what to do! Heeehee!” With a gentle breeze, the young girl was off repeating ‘Punishment, punishment!’ out loud as she skipped. 

“W-wait!” 

Yellow scrambled, snatching his hat as he rose to his feet for the second time today. Giving chase felt like its own eternal punishment as he tripped forward, calling out fruitlessly for her to slow down. 

His lungs burned, body asking for a break but being new to this whole ‘human’ thing granted him little understanding of the way in which a new form like this worked. If it was simply an illusion, the decision to feel breathless, Yellow didn’t realize it was one he was making. 

Finally, as the sun began to shift its hues, Yellow came to a stop. Amidst the flora stood four other individuals, each radiating the warmth of familiarity in a way Yellow just quite couldn’t place… but it filled him with a sense of comfort all the same.

“There you are, Aqua.” 

“Purple, purple~!” 

“Seth.” The second shortest corrected before turning to look at Yellow. The cowboy towered over them, out of breath. “Oh, Yellow!” 

“I found him, I found him!” 

Introductions were sweet, like old family seeing each other once more after years of their lives taking them down different, respective roads. A handshake, a smile, a laugh.

“Flowery was here…” Seth began, glancing around the open field. “But he had to leave to ensure Asgore’s safety.” They spoke with an unequivocal smugness. All Yellow could do was nod in response. 

Asgore… 

Right. 

That was why they were all here. For him. Yellow felt like he had lived here his entire life, that everything, everyone was as it had always been. Orange, he knew Orange, jumped up onto his shoulder, demanding where his tail was. 

“Orange! I must’a forgotten it again… Oh! Green!” 

Green’s silent presence did not go unnoticed as he stomped over to shake their hand. Unlike Yellow, who yipped at the sudden movement, Green was entirely unphased as Orange took a bold leap, landing awkwardly on their shoulder as she kicked her small feet up to gain proper leverage. 

“Howdy, Green! I-” 

It was then, in that moment, that Yellow noticed the outlier. The deep blue skin, framed perfectly by the pale tutu, its ruffles resembling petals. They stood turned away from the group, boldly facing down the setting sun. 

His name played on Yellow’s tongue… yet he couldn’t dare bring himself to say it. 

It was as if the world had melted, drained of everything aside from the pair as his grip on Green’s hand went lax, stumbling forward with mouth agape. 

“Yer…” 

The ballerino barely flinched as he spun from one leg to the other to turn. His face, curved and firm with a large, rounded nose shone brightly against the sun behind.

His hair, done up in hefty locs that were tugged away from his face framed him beautifully as he stood en pointe.  The lids of his eyes rose and fluttered, revealing a deep blue, all complimented by a gentle smile turning his lips up. 

“Blue… The shape of a flower given form of a man in all of the glory of its hue. It’s but a warm embrace to finally m-” 

“... Beautyful”

Yellow stood, awestruck, as the words fell from his lips. Today was the first time his skin had been kissed by the sun… and yet somehow this man felt all the more warmer. 

Blue’s own expression shifted. From the low-lidded elegant gaze his face sprung into surprise, a hand brought up to his own chest. The dark tinge that tickled his features was nigh impossible to see in the light, only known to Blue himself. 

Before his hand drew further upwards, covering his mouth as his brows knitted in a soft laugh. 

“Your words speak true and firm to yourself, dear Yellow-” The name struck a chord, Yellow’s hands quivered. “-the show of your affections are not lost on me, for what are flowers if not messengers of love?” 

Yellow laughed sheepishly in turn, taking his hat off in a shy manner and wringing it between his hands. “... Shucks. I don’t much understand y’purty words, Blue, but I-I just… It’s nice ta finally meet you…” 

“Finally…” Blue repeated, finally crossing the gap across the flowers to properly face the taller cowboy. Even at the tips of his toes, he barely reached Yellow’s chin, gazing up at him with a smile that could clear the sky of any rain. 

“Are you two done being sappy ‘n gross with each other now?” 

Orange’s voice was often drowned out amongst the others, but the silence that had overtaken the bouquet had given her an ample moment to speak up. In return, Yellow jolted, his face turning a dark amber as he squeezed his hat even tighter. 

“I-I wuz what?! Oh, my petals!” 

He was on the floor in an instant, hunched over his own knees and burying his head close to the soil with a whine. 

“B-blue, I’m so sorry, I only just laid eyes on ‘ya and here I am bein’ sappy… and gross… I promise you, I’ll punish myself proper for this. Ten years ‘a jail time, at least. No beauty such as you deserves such a lily-livered greetings…” 

It was Blue’s turn to falter, the usual grace the flower held himself with blown away with the wind as Yellow whined self penance. The usual lidded eyes, peeking only when necessary, were wide as he stood in shock. 

A quick glance to the other flowers confirmed that this was indeed not the expected reaction, all offering their own confused glances bar Aqua who danced from foot to foot, uttering ‘Punishment, punishment!’ under her breath. 

Before… finally, Blue knelt. His head tilted at an angle in vain attempt to try and peer at the dejected cowboy, the edges of his garb gently tickling Yellow’s hair. “Yellow, dearest… stand tall. For you have done no wrong… not in the eyes of me, or anyone else here. Give me your hands, if for but a single moment...” 

Just as the cowboys face was starting to peer out from under the sad cover of his hat, Seth interrupted, sighing loudly. 

“Ugh, we don’t have time for this! Flowery said we need to make sure Asgore is protected at all costs! Aqua, you come with me, we should check on the petal feather and make sure no one has messed with it! The rest of you should go back to the castle for… for preparation!” 

“Uuu, feather, feather! Do we get to use it? Bounce and jump and play with it!!” 

“Of course not! It’s our job to- Where are you going?!” 

“Feather, feather! Let’s go find it, Seth!” 

“Aqua, slow down! I-I can’t run that fast!” 

With the pair's departure, Yellow was finally convinced to stand, his hands interlacing with Blue’s as he rose to his feet with a pout. 

“... I suppose we should PROBABLY head back to the castle.” Orange piped up, her nose twitching. “Yellow, you haven’t even seen your room!!!” 

His room. Right. Of course he had a room. He had always had a room. In the castle. 

“Right you are, Orange!” It was as if any past grievances had been tossed out as he now wore a large grin, moving to stand with aid from the ballerino.

“Yeah, and when you get there Green can cook something up for you! What do cowboys eat, anyways?” 

“... Probably cows? In the sense of ‘em being cow-boys.” 

Orange leant forward, her small form always at risk of tumbling as she peered around at Green. “You haven’t got any cows, have you, Green?” 

Green shook their head, eyes closed with an apologetic frown. 

“Oh… Well! We don’t NEED that! We got green tea! And orange juice!! That I made! You gotta try it! It’s really, really GOOD! Better than any cows! C’mon, follow us!!.” 

In a flash of light, the smallest of the flowers raised her right glove skyward, ascending suddenly and disappearing into tiny particles. Green followed shortly after with a wide wave and a smile. 

The duo was alone, the sun bathing their new bodies with a familiar warmth as Yellow turned back to the shorter man with a sigh. 

“Oh, that's a real relief!  I don’t really like the idea of eatin’ whole cows. Might upset my stomach!” He blinked. “... I don’t much know how to follow ‘em… D’you, Blue?” 

The ballerino smiled, his eyes mere slits in the light. He squeezed Yellow’s hands, his tongue perched on his lips in to-be speech… before Yellow jolted. 

“Aii-yyee! Ah, Blue I been holderin’ your h-hands this entire time?! I’m so-” An attempt was made to tug his digits free, only to be met with firm resistance. Yellow paused, confusion replacing panic. 

Blue was holding his hands tight, prohibiting Yellow’s own departure. Oddly, the corner of their lip was quirked in what appeared to be a barely contained smirk. Like a cat outsmarting a mouse.

“Blue…?” 

“I can show you the way to our abode if you’d like, dear?” 

Yellow’s heart skipped a beat. What an odd sensation. He hoped to feel it a million more times before the sun set.

“... Wull, sure.” 

In pale beauty, wings began to unfurl from Blue’s shoulder blades. His gaze never strayed from Yellow as they emerged, paper thin and fluttering in the light. Once again, Yellow was rendered speechless… Everything the other man did was a calculated concoction to stun him into silence. 

“Golly. Those ‘r some wings, Blue…” 

“You like them? I knew not to doubt the faith in my own choice… but hearing your sweet words makes me all the more certain it was the right one.” 

Keeping their hands joined, Blue rose, taking steps backwards into the air like it was as simple as walking forwards. “Just follow me, Sunflower. You can do it.” 

It felt like taking his first steps all over again, the nervous wobble into nothingness only to be met with the gentle support of a blue cloud. One by one, they rose, until Yellow found his footing for flight and the pair made their dance towards Flower Castle. 

“Goodness Gravy, Blue… that was ‘sum per-for-mence. I couldn’t take my eyes off’a ya!” 

Two flowers sat upon the apron of a stage. An empty venue, though one that was bathed in the aftermath of a grand act, lay before them. 

“Such fragrant words, you do make me blush, dearest…” 

“‘N I mean ‘em! The way you swirled and twirled almost made me dizzy! I’m so durn happy I got to see you…” 

Blue’s hand rested serenely upon Yellow’s as he slowly began to swing and sway his feet upon the edge, his slippers catching the fading glimmer of the stage lights. 

“Do you remember, Yellow, the day we met?” His gaze went far beyond the silent audience. 

“... Uh… Today, y’mean?” 

The ballerino’s face crumpled in a silent laugh, unable to stop a smile. 

“The wedding, the very reason for our blossoms, together en masse in a perfect rainbow bouquet…A declaration of love. A promise of eternal fondness.” His pinkie finger searched for Yellow’s own in a blind prod, trying to slip underneath it. “O, what a joyous day for Asgore and Toriel…” 

“Oh!” Yellow suddenly sprung to attention, nodding firmly. “O’course! I could never forget that day! Tori was so happy bein’ given us all, tied up like we were tryin’a win a blue ribbon, we were! I remember th’sun, and the bein’ held tight to her new dress and… my petals, they touched…” 

A lull fell and Blue welcomed it with open arms, watching Yellow in his periphery as he let the other flower figure it out. 

“... Wuzzat you, Blue?” 

“I’ve never forgotten how it felt, for your stem to hold mine in such a winding embrace. I ached when we were separated… but the diligent breeze carried your love to me through glass walls and artificial light for years, Yellow. I could not be more thankful for the gift of today with you, my Daisy.”

Finally, he turned, a look of earnest affection coating his features. His locs fell to one side as he tilted his head, admiring the flower he loved with a doting smile. 

“... That wuz you…” Again, Yellow was speechless. His mouth hung agape as he processed. “I felt somethin’ when I saw you all purdy in the field. Guess that explains why I wanted to be all close-like…” 

He tilted his head down and then away, his face darkening to more of a ginger hue. “I don’ much know what to call this… If there’s even words for it…” 

“Love.” 

It was stated plainly, as if Blue had rehearsed saying this word every single day of his life. It came out smoothly and hung in the air, lingering for moments- perhaps even days after.

Yellow’s shoulders ticked, jumping to reach his ears in embarrassment. “Ah… don’t think I’m too good at this kinda stuff… My words are all jumblered up in my head…” 

“No one is good at love, Yellow. It is something you feel, that grows with you. That swells and bursts in wondrous hues. Good and bad. Your hues, all marigold and canary, speak more than you’d ever know…” 

“‘... N what’re they tellin’ you?” His voice was meek, a far cry from the sharp whistling and cheering he gave Blue at the end of his recital earlier. 

“... That…” Hesitation met his tongue, unsure if he should speak for Yellow during such a vulnerable moment. Blue’s mind wandered, if just for a moment, a new thing to get used to… before… 

“We, us, are here to play our parts to the very end. I pray, and I hope, that it is not bitter. Not one of tears, but one of sunshine and bestowing smiles. You and I, Blue and Yellow, two flowers, two humans, will dance in the light of our roles until the roaring applause is silenced by a final curtain calling. If, but only for a day, we are able to partake in each other and feel love coursing through our very beings, just like a human would.” 

Melancholy snuck its way into the limelight, as Blue waited for a response… Usually more patient, his tone fumbled slightly, unable to discern whether it was embarrassment or worry that suddenly drove him to speak.

“Yellow, I do apologize, perhaps that-” 

“Asgore did so much for us. Without his here perfect world, I woulda never got to see everyone else, never got to see… you in all y’... blue-ness. I ain’t much of an actor, but it’s for all for him, I’ll do my best. I’ll be the best cowboy there ever was. Fer him and… and for you.” 

Asgore’s seven colored flowers were ever grateful to him. Without his care, his attention and diligence. Focusing on their needs, instilling deep dreams within each of their petals they never would have gotten to feel the sun in both its starting act and finale bow. 

They both loved Asgore, of course they did, but this… 

Tying Blue up in that promise had the very flowers petals in a tight knot. His face darkened as he searched for his usual ornate prose. 

“I’m… sure you will be, Yellow, dear.” 

“‘N- And! I’ll still love you, even after the curtain’s go down ‘n the sun’s no more!! You can hold me to that!! Cowboys honor’s! A sheriff wouldn’t lie to his beloved!” 

Yellow stood suddenly, pulling Blue upwards with an encouraging little ‘Easy does ya, Blue! Up y’come!’ 

He was spun in an awkward, clumsy dance, one that, after a few moments, drew a louder than life laugh from Blue’s chest as the pair stumbled through an unorganized waltz.

Their rotation slowed a moment prior, as Blue slid his fingers out from the roots of Yellow’s own, bringing both up to cup his face. The prior moment of certainty began to slither out of the cowboy as he was caressed. Already being en pointe, Blue struggled to reach, allowing himself to rise off of the flower momentarily in order to catch the side of Yellow’s lips in a chaste kiss.

His matching make-up left a blue stain, stark against Yellow’s hues. He stuttered and fumbled his words as the sudden gesture, but Blue kept him steady, both hands still upon his face and directing his focus on them. 

“Until the sun sets, my dearest Yellow, and ever more after.”