Flowey, Do You Remember Love? #4

Ao3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6969736/chapters/15888049
Previous chapter: http://pastebin.com/Quqct7NL

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[Flowey, Do You Remember Love?]

[Chapter 4: Working on it]

The move to the Surface hasn't exactly been the smoothest endeavor, though thankfully it did not catch monster-kind by surprise. Even with their brightest hopes and kindest dreams, most of them knew there would be at the very least some minor issues with re-emerging into a world that once sought to imprison them. Thankfully, open conflicts were very few and far between, usually stemming from misunderstandings, rather than actual malice. It seemed as though despite the war that separated the two species for the longest time, humans were willing to accept the return of monsters. Perhaps because they represented the magic that has long faded into myth and obscurity, leaving behind a constantly gnawing absence.

It was precisely this situation that made Grillby's bar such a perfect melting pot.

Most monsters had no intentions of leaving their chosen professions behind, despite their changed surroundings. Grillby was one such creature of habit and as soon as they were granted the right to own and rent property, he set out to re-create his beloved establishment. Help came in the form of just about every one of his most enduring bar-goers, whether through materials or good old manual labor. A few months and a lost bet over naming rights later, 'Grillby's Reheated' was open for business, ready to serve customers new and old.

And just as before, his patrons were a diverse and fascinating bunch.

"I spent the whole night crushed under ice! I thought I was going to shrivel up! Even worse, for all I know, they probably think I have some kind of tropical plant-disease!"

Flowey huffed and puffed, his head sinking low in a highly theatrical motion. He remained still in this position for a few seconds, before perking up again to recharge. Biting down on the mouth of the elaborate multi-straw construction reaching down to him like a periscope, he drank another few gulps of their shared milkshake, barely making a dent in the fishbowl-sized portion.

"So yeah... this is all happening right now." he said, straw still in mouth, peeking at his companion.

Papyrus was seemingly lost in evaluating the milkshake's taste through the colorful swirly straw, not even responding at first. He may have just been in thought, his expression one of delightful serenity. By the time he finally released the straw, Flowey could almost feel his plant fluids boil. Patience was still a virtue that very much eluded him.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked, voice raised slightly higher than intended. A couple of patrons, both human and monster glanced in their direction, but they quickly returned to their own affairs. Loud noises at Grillby's Reheated weren't exactly uncommon anyway.

"SEEMS LIKE YOU'VE REALLY STUMBLED INTO A MESS THIS TIME." Papyrus spoke up, his gaze locking onto Flowey's face. Maybe it was the skeletal eyes, but even with his jovial nature, the skeleton could be rather difficult to properly read. "EVEN MORE THAN USUAL."

"Yes, and that's why I wanted to see you. You got Alphys and Undyne sorted out. You know these things much better than I do. I need your h-" Flowey nearly bit his tongue even without really intending to, his petals growing a darker shade of yellow at the base. The words refused to come out, unless he was just about heaving. "I need you he-heeee-help."

He was nearly a tulip by the time he finished. Even though he was fully aware of his limitations, it still wasn't easy for him to ask for help from anyone who wasn't Frisk. And even then, it took him quite some time before he was comfortable enough to allow the human for any.

"YOU GIVE ME TOO MUCH CREDIT."

"I know you for the sneaky little matchmaker that you are! Now throw me a bone or something!

Papyrus frowned ever-so-slightly to the bottom-shelf joke.

"HAVE YOU TALKED TO FRISK ABOUT THIS?"

"Talk to them? Are you crazy?" the flower huffed, reeling around in his pot out of helpless frustration. "I can't just go up to them about something like this! They'll think I'm weird! Awkward! Creepy even!"

"AND YOU ACTUALLY ARE-?"

"All of those, but that's not the point here!"

The growing smile on Papyrus' face had not gone unnoticed by the flower. On the one leaf, there were precious few things Flowey despised more than people having a laugh at his expense, but on the other, the skeleton was rarely one to do so. It was one of the reasons why Flowey at the very least tolerated his presence.

"ALRIGHT THEN, MOVING ON!" he announced, boney finger jumping from one swirl of the crazy straw to the next. "SO YOU ALREADY HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION?"

"Y-yeah, let's call it that." Flowey's stem trembled, a bit, imitating a shrug. The blush from before remained, as well as the need to force the words out. There would always be a slight discomfort from being honest.  "But I wouldn't mind some pointers..."

Papyrus nodded, his face one of understanding and compassion. Both emotions were very close to the dreaded 'pity', but Flowey retained his composure. After all, this was Papyrus: safe and trustworthy, so much more so than his loathsome brother.

"FEAR NOT! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE TRAINED JUST AS MUCH TO BE A GUARD OF HEARTS, AS OF ROYALS!" he assured.

"I was hoping you'd say something like that." Flowey allowed himself the very shadow of a smile.

A line like that from anyone else would have spun Flowey into either annoyance or laughter, but with Papyrus, there was a fair bit of chance he actually meant it. He was an endless repository of skills, though the level of expertise he showed at each varied greatly from case to case.

"I KNOW THAT THIS MUST BE A DIFFICULT CONUNDRUM." the skeleton continued, gently flicking his wrist, releasing some leftover sand into the air. "ESPECIALLY IN YOUR POSITION."

There was the dig. Right there. Or at least, he considered it such. It was a softball though, nothing too biting. Papyrus may yet leave the diner alive.

"AND WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT FRISK, EITHER." he kept going, Flowey absentmindedly nodding to his words. "POOR HUMAN WAS HEARTBROKEN AFTER OUR DATE, EVEN AS I TRIED TO GENTLY LET THEM OFF. WE'LL NEED TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL WITH YOU."

Oh no.

"THEY'RE STRONG, BUT THINGS LIKE THIS ARE STILL VERY HEAVY AND--"

"Wait, I think you misunderstood." Flowey hastily cut in, shaking his head. Papyrus stopped and tilted his head in confusion. He reached for the straw and took a careful, slow sip. "I don't want to let them off. I wanna date Frisk."

Papyrus froze up.

The line of milkshake steadily trickled down the straw as the skeleton stopped sipping, though it remained in his mouth for a few more seconds. He sat upright in his chair, his expression nowhere near as confident as it had been until now. In fact, his fidgeting, fuddling with the folds of his decidedly more mundane clothes, showed a much different emotion at work here. For once, the flower caught Papyrus with something he was less than certain about.

"FLOWEY,"

Something told him he absolutely wouldn't like what the monster said next.

"ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE ABOUT THIS?"

Flowey almost immediately ducked from Papyrus' gaze. Not only did he feel the creeping wave of embarrassment washing over him, but there was something in his entire demeanor that made him nervous. All that mental preparation for whatever the skeleton might say suddenly meant very little, once he was truly faced with that look. It only now occurred to him just how big of a mistake this was in the first place. He shouldn't have bothered at all.

"Why?" his voice was just about corrosive, threatening to eat through Papyrus' bones like paper.

"YOU KNOW WHY." His voice was strong. Kind and strong, quite possibly the combination that served to anger him the most right now.

"No, why don't you enlighten me?" he spat. He knew his face was twisting into one of the more threatening expressions he once used to try and scare Frisk into submission, but couldn't care less. He was losing control rapidly, the previously tame vines he used to steady the straw increasing in size, while sprouting a pattern of thorns. "Is it because I'm a flower? Or because I'm not always nice like the rest of you idiots? Or is it because I'm soulless? Or maybe it's something else? Well, don't keep me waiting, I'm sure it's a pretty long list, so let's hear it!"

The patron's nearby were started to pay attention, turning their heads towards the skeleton, the flowerpot and it's rather upset tenant. Flowey recognized at least some of those looks. Not by their owners, but just the general expression. Confusion, worry, perhaps even a little bit of fear, all of ones he knew quite well. He twisted left and right, trying to meet their gazes one by one, all the while the sickly feeling rumbled through his body. He was so close, so very close to just wiping those stupid looks off their faces, eavesdropping on matters that were of no concern to them.

It would be so simple. So easy to just let go.

Flowey flinched only once he heard a couple of light, yet oddly loud taps. He turned to face the noise, now-thorny vines grazing the otherwise neatly polished table surface. His gaze found only Papyrus though, still looking calm as ever. He tapped a finger against the table a few more times, with a calm rhythm and surprising loudness. The noise and focus on the motion lulled Flowey into steadily blocking out the rest of the bar. The shame and embarrassment quickly caught him by the stem and after a deep sigh, his useful appendages and occasional weapons soon retreated into the soil that spawned them.

The temptation to follow their example was sizable, to the point where he halfway sank into the pot. If Frisk had been here to witness this little outburst, he would never hear the end of it. Fortunately, his table partner was instead, Papyrus. Unfortunately, his table partner was instead, Papyrus. The difference was significant, but considering the conversation that led them to this point, just as bad, if not more so. He muttered something that could perhaps even be mistaken for an apology, but more akin to common gibberish.

"I'M NOT ANSWERING THAT QUESTION." Papyrus spoke up again. "BUT I'M A BIT CONCERNED."

He wasn't even going to address the volatile temper burst Flowey just had. It was comforting, but also amplified his sense of guilt. If that was the monster's intention, it was doing the job wonderfully. He just mumbled something incomprehensible again. It was the only thing he could muster, next to the sickly feeling coming back to haunt him.

"YOU TWO ARE SOME OF MY BESTEST FRIENDS. FRISK IS MY BEST HUMAN FRIEND AND YOU'RE MY BEST FLOWER FRIEND." he said, briefly rubbing his chin as he carefully picked the right words. "I ALSO KNOW YOU TWO ARE VERY CLOSE FRIENDS, SO I'M SURE YOU'D MAKE A WONDERFUL PAIR."

Heat traveled into his petals once again.

"AND AS A MUTUAL FRIEND, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP!" Papyrus beamed, only for his expression to take a turn for serious. "ALAS, A HEART ISN'T LIKE A SOUL. MONSTER FOOD WON'T MEND A CRACK AND SO BEFORE I OFFER ASSISTANCE, BEFORE I DO ANYTHING, I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT IT."

He extended both arms, almost like he was reaching for non-existent hands to hold. Flowey found himself shuddering a bit, despite everything. This conversation was quickly becoming much more serious than what he would have preferred, almost ridiculously so. Flowey's face steadily morphed from guilt-filled anxiety to an ever-growing confusion.

"WHILE FRISK IS FULL OF LOVE, THEY'RE ALSO DELICATE AND FRAGILE. AND WHILE YOU DO CARE FOR THEM, YOU CAN ALSO BE RASH AND IMPULSIVE. YOU COULD MAKE THIS WORK, IF YOU REALLY WANT IT TO. HOWEVER, I HAVE TO KNOW YOU'RE TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY AND NOT JUST A PASSING INTEREST. IF IT IS, THAT'S ALSO FINE, I'M NOT JUDGING! BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT MY HELP TO UNRAVEL THE GREAT PUZZLE OF LOVE, I HAVE TO KNOW YOU'RE DETERMINED ENOUGH TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT."

"W-when did you get all verbose like this?" the flower perked up again, still tilting his head to the uncharacteristically majestic speech.

"HUMAN ENTERTAINMENT IS FULL OF THESE WEIRDLY SERIOUS SPEECHES, ALWAYS FOLLOWED BY LOUD MUSICAL STINGS, GASPS AND CLOSEUPS." the skeleton admitted. His serious demeanor was crumbling before his very eyes.

"Well, I don't see any cameras or orchestras..."

"BUT I CAN DO THE GASP!"

With that, the skeleton leaned back and gasped loudly, even covering part of his mouth for greater effect. Flowey's mouth quivered for a moment, but even as he almost tried to stuff a leaf into his mouth, he couldn't repress a loud snort. His stem started shaking as well and before long, he and Papyrus both dropped any attempt at trying to hold their laughter at bay. It was both refreshing and relaxing to have a giggle over something as silly as this.

The other patrons were once again throwing them awkward glances, though this time mostly because they were highly curious why these pair of lunatics just couldn't stop giggling, right after one of them very nearly blew a fuse. The only one unfazed by the events was Grillby, silently alternating between serving frontline patrons and cleaning glasses. The long years of doing this job taught him there were precious few things worth raising a brow about and this really wasn't one of them.

It took several minutes, before either of them recovered enough to look at the other without falling right back into laughter. They descended upon the milkshake again like calcium-deficient locusts, the cold and delightfully sweet drink reinvigorating both of them. Even with his dislike for greasy food and the general atmosphere of Grillby's, Papyrus couldn't deny that the fire monster knew exactly how to make a great milkshake.

"So, what should I do?" Flowey picked up the conversation again, once sufficiently refreshed by their shared beverage.

Papyrus was just finishing up his last sip, but upon looking up, his expression turned as serious as a crazy straw could possibly allow for. Flowey tilted his head for a moment, only to nod as he caught on. Overly wordy or not, the skeleton really did mean what he said.

"I NEED YOUR ANSWER, FIRST." he said. "DO YOU REALLY MEAN TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS?"

He lightly bit down on the bottom of his mouth, contrasting thoughts running through his head. On one hand, pursuing this hunch was depressingly moot. He couldn't love, there was no way around that, even with the best intentions. For the reason above all else, it would have been fine, understandable even, if he chose not to bother and just live life as he had until now; annoyed at the world with choice moments of fun here and there. No one would have scolded him for it, no one would have batted an eye. It would have been just like any other time, toying with someone for his own amusement and then when he's grown bored, reset and move on in the next direction.

Except there was no going back now. Frisk held that power and was fully intent on never using it again. They locked him permanently in the present, with all the up- and downsides of that. It was tempting to just keep going, to be the gloomy flower always clinging to or slapping away the very determined human who was willing to brave anything and give him a semblance of hope in the future.

Flowey trembled again, for reasons even he couldn't really tell. Every logical thought pointed towards the idea that this was a fool's gamble, that it would only end with either or both of them hurt. And yet, he couldn't simply roll over and accept it. Not again. Not anymore. He had been given too much, and gave back far too little. Maybe it was time to turn that around.

Determination coursed through him with a familiar burning sensation, one he had forgotten or ignored until now. Perhaps that would be enough.

"Yes." he said finally, one great weight lifted off his being, only to be replaced by a different kind of the same volume. "I want to make this work. I want to date Frisk. Can you help me?"

Once more, Papyrus set the straw aside and let his familiar smile spread all over. The sight filled Flowey with determination, followed immediately by confusion as he stood up, and utter despair once he opened his mouth.

"I, PAPYRUS THE GREAT-"

Sometimes, it really paid off to be a plant with proper reflexes. The very moment the skeleton's voice filled the room, a pair of Flowey's vines were conjured to life, grasping onto Papyrus' shoulders in a desperate attempt to pull him back down to his seat.

"-SWEAR I'LL HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST FOR LOVE-"

Flowey made a mental note to talk to him about having a proper indoor voice, one of these days. The magical plant fiber thickened and pulled harder, only to find completely unnecessary and really unwanted defiance.

"-AND GUIDE YOU TO YOUR FIRST LOVE-FILLED KISS!"

Papyrus could only shout the last few words to himself, voice muffled by his signature scarf as Flowey's summoned appendage fastened it around his mouth. He was teeming with anger, but composed himself through some miraculous method while he sat down.

"Don't ever do that again." he grumbled, resembling a rose or tulip more than anything. "But thanks..."

He merely let out a soft chuckle from seeing Flowey get so anxious already. While his reactions may have been harsh, his bashfulness was more than enough additional proof.

"WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO." he said, already drawing up a lesson plan, with behavioral improvements quickly earning the top spot. "A LOT OF TRAINING, A LOT OF PLANNING AND A LOT OF HARD WORK!"

Flowey merely nodded in response, having expected just as much. Neither of those were particularly his favorite things in the world, but tough love demanded sacrifices. He would get over it. A tremble ran though his stem once more.

"Okay, seriously, what's up with this?" he exclaimed, slipping right back into his comfortably grouchier state of mind.

His roots certainly didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary, which meant the culprit had to be something or someone else. Flowey gave up on the steadily vanishing milkshake and instead careened around, scanning the table. He quickly found the source of all the uncomfortable shaking that's been plaguing his stay at Grillby's, although the reveal merely made him quiver for real. Never before has an upside-down number upset him so much.

It was a phone. Frisk's phone.

A pair of thorny vines quickly tore the tape off and raised the phone to Flowey's eye-level. There were several missed calls, spanning across the past hour at least. He swallowed, very clumsily checking the few texts that were to be expected at this point. They were no more detailed as Frisk's regular level of conversation; just a crude smiley that grew steadily more annoyed each time.

"Oh no." Flowey whined, scrolling through the damning mix of missed calls and messages. "How did I forget about this?"

"I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THAT, TOO." Papyrus said. He sipped a little more of the milkshake, watching it course through the silly straw with mild amusement.

"Well I just... wait." he peeked out from behind the phone, several levels of shock washing over his face rapidly. "You noticed?"

"OF COURSE! AFTER THE FIRST OR SECOND, I THINK." Papyrus either didn't notice, or didn't acknowledge how much of a wrong answer that was.

"And why didn't you tell me?" Flowey's rage was quickly reaching the optimal boiling point.

"A LOT OF TRAINING, REMEMBER?" he said, his proud grin spread wide. "AND WE'VE ALREADY STARTED! YOUR FIRST LESSON IS AWARENESS."

Flowey stared at him at the other end of the table. Although mouth a bit agape and trying to form the right words, he slowly put the phone down. By the time he looked up once more, there were slightly different emotions at play inside.

On some days, he really missed the soothing power of indiscriminate murder and destruction.