Flowey, Do You Remember Love? #3

Ao3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6969736/chapters/15888049
Previous chapter: http://pastebin.com/J6YhFc5J

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[Flowey, Do You Remember Love?]

[Chapter 3: Not Without Help]

"Alright, here we are. This is the spot."

Frisk quirked a brow, looking over their surroundings. The playground they were at was a familiar and fairly popular one, often with at least a dozen families frolicking and playing around the slightly old, but colorful and sturdy playground equipment. Frisk also liked spending time here, especially right after school to unwind and hang out with their friend from school. Shockingly, even Flowey took some enjoyment out of it, mainly by tormenting them on the merry-go-round upon request, or by boosting them on the swings.

Shapeshifting vines definitely had their entertaining uses. However, this situation called for something entirely different.

Flowey glanced at the ground to find a suitable planting spot, only to feel his pot get pulled closer into Frisk's embrace. They let out a barely audible whine, unwilling to just leave him here like that. They still remembered how miserable Flowey was, holed up in the Ruins all alone. Even then, he tried to pretend like he didn't feel a thing, but no amount of pretense could have faked that lonesome form. It was not a sight they liked to recall.

"You're going to be late, Frisk." he said, the slightly harsh voice keeping them firmly in the present. There was a scowl on his face, but Frisk knew better than to think he really was mad. "I'll be fine here. I'm banned from school, remember?"

It would have been hard not to. They still had to sign paperwork every once in a while, several weeks after it happened. Truthfully, since Flowey almost demolished a classroom after a spitball suffered during show-and-tell, Frisk also had significantly less people giving them a hard time. Though they absolutely refused to honor Flowey's methods, they were definitely effective in their own right.

Rather than putting him down as requested, they motioned to their backpack, earning little more than a disgusted frown.

"And spend a whole day in that smelly thing?" he complained. "Absolutely not! Do you want me to shrivel up and die?"

There was that little whine again. The human could get so worked up about things like this. Flowey opened his mouth to double down, only to remember the situation he was dealing with now. Instead, he opted for a different direction.

"Besides, you'd get into trouble if I'm found and would you trust me to keep my mouth shut?"

This time, the reaction was snorted laughter. Flowey allowed himself a brief smirk. Compared to yesterday's failed attempt, this line worked just as planned.

The joke helped finally convince Frisk and they knelt down on a grassy patch, putting the pot plus flower aside. A brief rummaging through the admittedly messy backpack revealed a little gardening shovel, graciously borrowed from Asgore's expansive collection of tools. The soil was thankfully loose and it only took a few strikes to make a hole big enough for their needs.

"That looks fine." Flowey nodded, supervising their diligent work.

Sighing, he got to work on the less-enjoyable part, loosening his roots up. He hissed a little, as no matter how often he changed from pot to real soil, the transfer was always rather uncomfortable. Once again, Flowey considered doing this more often, perhaps in Toriel's yard. He was really getting far too comfortable in his confined state.

"Alright, I think I'm good." he said, exhaling all the leftover air in him. Frisk nodded and reached out, gently grabbing him by the bottom of his stem. "Now, easy... easy... be careful!"

Flowey couldn't really even tell why, but he turned quite red as Frisk managed to pull him out. He had warmed up to the thought of living in a pot and he was perfectly fine in living soil. However, the in-between, that little bit of time in the air between the two, were some of the most frightening he could think of. His plant body would have survived in the open for a fairly long time and his magic was still there to keep him safe, but it was still the most dangerous position to be in.

His normally small roots reacted to the fright, growing just a bit in size to curl around Frisk's wrist and interlace with their fingers, trembling throughout. He gasped a little, feeling a finger stroke a part curled around it. Looking up, he was greeted by the warm, patient smile they always reserved for him. Flowey huffed and set his gaze upon the hole, but he could feel even the base of his petals quickly transitioning to bright red.

The flower remained silent while Frisk carefully placed him in the hole, covering the roots up with soil in just the way he always demanded. Once all filled up again, they patted the pile a few times, signaling a job well done. Flowey sighed and closed his eyes, easing up his mind just enough to let his roots grab on again. From this moment, the Surface was his playground once again. He could have traveled anywhere, to any county or region far and wide. The freedom was quite enticing, yet he had little inclination to leave his current abode, especially now.

His thoughts were cut off just before threading into philosophical musings, by the harsh, unmistakable sound of masking tape. He glanced up, only to see Frisk bite the end off a string of tape and fasted their phone to the now-vacant flowerpot.

"Frisk? What are you doing?" Flowey asked.

Frisk grinned and set the pot down again. They imitated a phone call briefly, assuring him to call if he needed anything.

"What? Oh no, no way, forget it!" he protested. "Frisk, that's your phone! Do you have any idea what trouble you'll be in, if you get a call from Toriel and I pick up instead?"

Frisk extended their arms with a purposely sheepish grin. It was a trick question, since they often handed Flowey the phone anyway when otherwise occupied.

"Come on, just take the stupid phone!" he continued to moan, groan and argue, even though he knew it would be fruitless. There was a significant gap of determination between them, after all. "Really, I'll be fine. It's not like I can't handle being alone."

Flowey was a bit taken aback when Frisk leaned down all of a sudden and reached out for him. He braced for impact, even though he firmly believe he hadn't done anything wrong this time around. Rather than give a slight pull, like usual when he got a little too mouthy for his own good, they gave the closest petal a kind stroke. Just enough to make him feel the gentleness of the touch.

"Not alone." Frisk said. Flowey blinked, surprised to hear them speak. Even in private, it was never easy to pry words out of them. "Never alone."

He flashed red again and pulled his petals inwards, trying to hide from the human's beaming smile. Sometimes he really wished his soulless existence could have taken the sense of shame as well, so he wouldn't constantly be blindsided by moments like this. He really didn't know how to react to them without making a fool out of himself.

"You idiot..." he mumbled, voice muffled by the barrier of petals. "Go. You're late from school."

He uncovered an eye, just to see the child gasp and jump to their feet again, having forgotten about such simple things as being on time. They quickly put all their things away and bolted off, just about spinning around every few seconds to wave. Flowey raised a leaf to wave back, but they were fast out of sight.

Once alone, he looked around, carefully checking if there was anyone nearby. As soon as he confirmed he really was by his own, Flowey let out the loudest possible groan he could muster, releasing all the pent-up frustration from yesterday. Ever since his revelation, things really weren't going his way in the least bit. From one failure to the next, he was forced to realize he might have bit off more than he could chew. This whole 'love' business was much more intricate than he previously wanted to admit and were forcing his metaphorical hand to seek some reliable guidance. Guidance he was about to receive just now.

And it was almost time, too.

Flowey peeked around with great interest, just waiting for the first sign. He didn't have to wait long, as after just a mere minute or two, a faint disturbance reached his roots. The earth itself was rumbling, heralding the arrival of the one who could potentially answer all of his questions and show him the right path to take. A true oracle; wise beyond measure and yet still approachable with even the most meager of questions.

The rumbling increased in strength, as their soon-to-be confidante got closer and closer with each second. Flowey grinned, still looking around with keen interest and baited breath, just to catch the first glimpse of them. Some may have doubted the true power and knowledge of this benefactor, but he knew better than to trust even a single word of disbelief.

Finally, the nearby sandbox shook hard, signaling the imminent emergence.

"And he rises!" Flowey called out, with a significant amount of amusement in his voice. "Forged in fire and lava deep within the mountain, tempered and hardened by cold and snow, he rises from the depths as a figure of virtue!"

A figure did indeed rise from the sandbox, tall and lithe with not a hint of difficulty in his motions, despite however long he may have spent in confinement. His brief prison tried keeping him restained at first, only to slowly give in to the inevitable.

"Let the sun shine upon the hero gracing us with his mighty presence!" Flowey continued to gleefully boast, while the receding sand all but revealed the identity of his trusted ally. "With nothing, but bravery in his heart, spaghetti on his mind and a limitless supply of bones at his disposal, let us sing praises of his fame and exploits! May we all welcome, the paragon to guide us all: the Great Papyrus!"

Papyrus stood bright and strong, arms crossed in a proud stance. He nodded to the call of his name, at least half a bucket's worth of sand pouring from his eye sockets and large grin. None of that seemed to bother him though, as he merely opened his mouth and despite all gravelly obstructions, announced his presence to Flowey and whoever might have strolled by this magnificent scene since:

"NYEH-HEH-HEH!"

No more failures. No more embarrassment.

Frisk's love interest was now in the best of hands.