Flowey Is Your Friend Til the End

Waterfall . . .

"Okay. I am here." Frisky looked at Sans. "You are wearing a bowtie?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd dress up a bit." Sans looked at her. "You wore a dress?"

"Special clothing for a date," she reminded him.

"Oh. Well, come on." Sans took her hand and started to walk. "So, Waterfall seems to be your place for everything around here, huh? Is there another reason besides the pretty flowers?"

"Why are we walking? We arrived at our destination," Frisky said. "Shouldn't you be pulling up extra boards and such to see how we are doing?"

Sans chuckled and shooed that idea away. "Sorry, Frisky, this isn't like with Papyrus. I date differently."

"How so?"

"No boards. No winner. This isn't like that. So? Waterfall?" Sans questioned again. "Why do you like it here so much?"

No boards. "Mysteries. How is this different than work then? Now I see no difference at all."

"For being a good ACT flirter, you're worse than me at this date thing. Which I thought was impossible." Sans shoved his other hand in his coat. "I asked you because I like you. I've been working up to this for a week, you know?"

"Why?" She was confused. "Papyrus asked me out straight away and I agreed yes. It only makes sense to see compatible charm."

"Already have compatible charm, but dating is the next step so that other things happen after compatible charm, Frisky." He stopped. "I could have just asked the first day?"

"Yes."

"A day or a week." He shrugged. "You'll figure it out."

"Okay. We are walking and talking. Besides the walking, this still seems like work." Sans touched his skull. He seemed annoyed. "Should I be flirting?"

"Throw ACT out the window. Now, what do you mean by mysteries?" Sans asked her. "What mysteries?"

"Simple things that don't make sense." Frisky looked around her. "The echo flowers catch people's voices. Why?"

"Um, don't know. They just always have," he answered back. "Hey, echo flower," he said to one of them. "Why you like voices so much?" He shrugged. "No answer."

"But if they catch voices, then that must have something to do with their purpose. So, why are they also under water?" Frisky looked toward him. He looked confused. "Echo flowers are also under water."

"Oh." He continued walking with her. "That's funny. Nobody really swims in Waterfall you know."

"I do. I love to see them underwater. Bubbles float from them too, when you get close. It must be some kind of sound coming through, like a voice, bubbling to the top." Frisky stood at the water's edge. "Why would echo flowers be underwater, and what voices did they catch?"

"Hey, neat." Sans used a little magic to bring the blossoms down to make them bloom and walkable on the water. "Never knew that. I guess I am falling for Waterfall too," he joked as they continued their walk.

"Yes, but, there are also the obvious shortcuts missing. Waterfall has many shortcut areas that look like it could have been something." Frisky pointed toward the top. "Look at the walls. Why walls here? They are only so deep, yet if a top was just laid perfectly across them . . ." She drug her hand through the air. " . . . from there to there . . . then you could attach a bridge perfectly right there. It only makes sense, it would save fifteen minutes or so just on this spot alone."

"Ummm . . ."

"I know you can only see this side, but if you could just think of the whole of the other spots in the underground. It would fit. Not only that, it would be a beautiful view of so many echo flowers. A nice bonus."

"Guess."

"Now what?"

"What?"

"Now what do you want to know?"

"Nothing. We're just walking."

"Oh. Is this it?"

"Yep."

"Just walking? This is the date?"

"Yep. I like things simple."

She walked side by side next to him, not saying anything. She watched the echo flowers as she went by, but it felt different than her usual walks. Walking with Sans, but not talking, felt different. No board. No winner. No loser. Just walking in Waterfall. All of the subtle sounds she used to hear filled her ears. There was nothing new to the sounds, but they seemed so much better walking with Sans. It was almost unnerving.

Actually, there was one new sound. The cute little almost inaudible sounds of Sans slippered feet walking next to hers. Without talking, there was nothing to do except focus on senses. The sense of touch was greatly bothering her.

Sans held her hand many times. She even lied down on top of him. But without going to sleep, or concentrating on an actual goal, she felt every bone in his bony hand. It was always so tough. If he wanted to, he could crush her hand so easily, yet he was just so incredibly gentle with her simple hand. But, that was Sans in a nutshell. A powerhouse of power, that didn't even care about it. He preferred the simple stuff. The simple life.

So different from so many others. Everyone she knew strived for the greatest things that they could get for themselves. He just wanted . . . the simplest of things and he was fine.

And that apparently included her, walking with him quietly in Waterfall. Without needing to. They spent all day together, yet, that was supposed to be. This was . . . unnecessary. It was an unnecessary time that he was choosing to spend with her. So. "I am a simple thing."

"Huh?"

She looked toward Sans. "Sorry. I did not mean to disrupt you." He just chuckled again.

"Not working real hard over here. Prefer the opposite." He kept his skull straight, but his little lights looked over toward her. "What do you mean by you are a simple thing though? 'Cause you Frisks are anything but simple."

And now, her thinking was confused again. She continued to walk, but tried to decipher it some more. He wanted to spend more time with her, more of his own time that was unnecessary, but she was not simple to him. She was complicated. Sans did not enjoy complicated things. "I am sorry, I did not mean to be so complicated."

"Kay?" Now he was confused. "I wish you'd share half of what's going on in your head over there?"

She was trying to figure it out too. Not simple, complicated, but he wanted to spend time with her. "I am someone who enjoys your jokes and company. I am not simple in myself, but spending time with me is simple." No, that wasn't quite it.

"Big old sign over my head flashing not getting it, Frisky," Sans said as they continued to walk. "Do you Frisks have to think 24 hours a day? There's no ACT. No reason to think. I just want to spend some time away from work with you. That's all. Chill."

I like Sans. He makes me feel different inside, and sometimes I have trouble controlling my ACT around him. I can't joke with him, but he likes that I enjoy his jokes. But, Toriel enjoyed his jokes too. In fact, everyone in Snowdin really likes him. When he's not trying too hard, his best material just falls out. But . . . Something. She was complicated. Why did he like her if she was complicated? Oh yes. Centuries are a long time to be alone. That is what he said. He is trying to establish a stronger connection. It only made sense. It did make sense. It made a lot of sense. And yet, at the same time . . . "I am annoyed with you."

Sans stopped walking and looked over at her. "What? What did I do?"

"Nothing." Still, she still felt very annoyed. Why?

Sans scratched his skull. "You just said you were annoyed with me."

"I am. I am very annoyed at you."

"Why?"

"I don't exactly know."

Sans looked at himself. "Was Papyrus right, I should have gone with something different than the coat?" He touched his bowtie. "I wore this for it. That's not bad, right?"

"It has nothing to do with the clothes." Frisky felt herself having a large ACT of glare and wanting to walk away. Yet, she didn't quite know why. Which was upsetting her even more. "It makes absolutely no sense, you've done nothing wrong that I see, yet I am still very annoyed with you!" She let go of his hand and walked away. "I need time to discover why I am annoyed at you."

Sans and Papyrus' House . . .

Flowey was pretty good with his stems. It was a lot easier when there was ground to work with. All he had was his pot and a small area of window to try and cast for. The chances he didn't break his own pot wouldn't be good. First, he opened the window. He yelled at Papyrus again, calling him any name he could think of to get him to come throw him outside, but he wasn't listening. Reaching his stems to the window, he angled several more in different ways. What was usually a two-minute job took ten minutes because, like it or not, he didn't want to hurt his pot either.

Finally maneuvering himself enough to slide down his own stems, he reached the table. He pulled himself back together again and hopped over toward the window he had opened. The weather was cold, of course, but it didn't matter what the temperature was. He had to get out there and see Chara.

But, he stopped. "Shhh . . . oops." Flowey laughed nervously as Frisk came down.

Frisk. Not the little cute babybones in the crib. Not the one that was human and less than half San's size. No. In his original sweater, blue with purple stripes. Full size, almost Sans size. The appearance of the one who saved and decimated the Underground daily for years.

Frisk. Walked down the steps.

"Hey! Hey, hey! Look who decided to wake up?" Flowey watched him come up closer to him. "Oh, hey, growing boy you be. So, even a flesh body too, huh? Boy, that's just great. Boy. That's . . . that's, just. Hi? Hey? Um, you didn't, you know, murder your Uncle Papyrus up there, did you?"

Frisk turned his head slightly. "Uncle Papyrus? No, he's sleeping." He tisked Flowey. "You are kind of an evil flower, but you were also turning good. But the other voice in my head was all evil. It was confusing. So, I decided to go with my Frisk instinct instead."

Well. It . . . it wasn't acting like a devil unleashed. Yet. "Great? What did you do?"

"I kept my eyes closed, ignored any and all advice and delusions, and just released all my power I felt at once." He patted his chest. "I was naked and I hurt my back on some weird crib, but I got up with little fuss." He pulled at his sweater. "Look, Flowey. It fits again. Pretty cool, right?" He patted his shorts. "I had to borrow a pair of Sans' shorts though. Just until I find some jeans that fit."

" . . . y-yeah?"

"Now I'm all better." Frisk looked at his hand. "It's still a little glowey." He shook his hand, trying to get it off. "Oh well. Maybe it will come in handy." He reached into the shorts and pulled out the locket, placing it around his neck.

"W-wait?" Flowey asked. "You're all better, so why not sleep it off instead of whatever you plan on using that locket for?" He watched Frisk pull the knife out of the other pocket and place it in the pocket the locket was in.

"That feels better." Frisk leaned closer to Flowey, pulling him up and placing him on his head. "How's the view?" He laughed. "Come on, Flowey. I need to find 04823. He's the one responsible for everything that's ever happened down here. He made me hurt a lot of Monsters, and people. And so much. And he hurt mom so much too, but . . ."

Flowey watched tears well up in his eyes. "Don't cry? Smile? Stay happy and let's go outside and see your Aunt Chara?"

"He wiped away a lot of memories, he told me. He told me, like, where I got the one scar on the back of my leg from. It's tiny, but white, but it never heals. It's cause my body was used against even momma's permission." He wiped the tear away from his cheek. "They just wipe momma's mind too when they used me like that. And, and I am not a toy." His foot stomped the ground, a small wave of blue light coming from it. "Oops. Sorry. I got a little angry. But, I should be angry. Anyhow." Frisk made his hand into a fist. "I am a Frisk, and my first priority is to save the day. 04823 is not going to hurt my momma ever again."

Flowey watched as they started to walk away. He looped his stem underneath Frisk's arms, just in case his pot fell. "Now, um, that's really your dad's job there, kiddo. Let Sans take care of him. I know he hurt you two really bad, but that's what a dad's for. Okay?"

"No way, this isn't Sans' thing. He defends the Underground. I am Frisk. I defend everything, big and small, no matter what." Frisk looked toward his head as Flowey bent down. "Don't worry. I'll use PACIFISM through the Underground. I'd never hurt anyone Flowey. Only 04823." He pulled out his knife and watched it start to glow blue too. "I can do it. I have the power."

"Yeah, you do, but it's dangerous!" Flowey insisted as Frisk ran out of the house. "Stop a second!" They were already at the edge of Snowdin. "You don't get it, the bad guy here isn't 04823."

"What do you mean?" Frisk's attention turned though as he saw a laser almost strike him.

"Whoa, hang on there!" Chara looked toward Flowey. "Hello? What am I, psychic? What's he doing out like this?"

"Not my fault, I tried to get to you!" Flowey shouted at her. "But then the Great Stupid Idiot Papyrus put me up high. By the time I got-"

"How are you?" Chara interrupted him. "Look powerful but not exactly evil."

"Of course I'm not evil, Aunt Chara," Frisk said.

"He woke up, fully. He's not delusional," Flowey said, "but, that's still not the best news."

"No duh. Oh, my Itty Bitty." Chara approached him closer. "I'm sorry, but you can't be out."

"I have to. I am keeping 04823 out of my head!" Frisk yelled. "I'm sorry, Aunt Chara, but I can't let him go! I'm PACIFIST but momma always warned me there might be a day where PACIFISM didn't work. It would be rare, but it would happen. Well, this is it."

"Kid, no, he is for your dad to deal with," Chara insisted. "You? You're not supposed to be up like this. It's not good, it's bad."

"Sans can't deal with it." Frisk looked at his shiny blue knife. "Nuh uh. I've done waaaaaaay too much to him! I-I can't even ever call him dad knowing all I did!"

"04823, I don't know how much he spilled to him," Flowey informed her. "Probably anything he could to corrupt him."

"Fine, don't call him dad, but he's still taking care of it."

"No. This is a Frisk thing."

"No, death and destruction will be a Frisk thing if you go!" Chara insisted. "So you aren't going."

"Monster candy?" Flowey reminded him. "Your power is like Monster candy."

"Inside the darkness where I was," Frisk said, "but not anymore."

"No. Frisk. You don't get it." Flowey dangled himself in front of him. "Kid, you're gone. Frisk, it's got to stop. You might think that you can defeat 04823, but that bite of candy will lead you higher. Who else hurt your mom? Who else hurt anyone? Before you know it, your power will control you. You'll just be a thing out killing others for no reason anymore."

"No." Frisk shook his head. "I'd never do that."

"It's true. And, whatever self-control you have would disappear, once you lose your self."

"He's right, Itty Bitty," Chara said. "You can't hang on. There's too much power."

"But?" Frisk looked at his hands. "But. But I'm me."

"You can't be you. If you go out like this, you're going to slowly forget who you are." Flowey touched his cheeks with his stems tenderly. "You've got to let go of being yourself, one way or another. You can either do it here, while you're learning to grow, and making new memories. Creating a new sense of yourself. Or, you can do it out there, and probably kill thousands in the process."

"You're probably already forgetting things," Chara said back. "What are all the Frisks identity codes?"

"Uh? 36320. 95452. 95451. No wait, that's me." Frisk looked at his fingers. "I . . . but they are like . . ."

"As a Frisk, you've got two paths ahead. I'm not lying. They both end up with your memories being lost," Flowey said to him as he dangled. He swung to the left. "One side is you going off, losing yourself, and committing GENOCIDE." He swung to the right. "One side is hard for a Frisk to take, but it's going back home, denying yourself that power, choosing to do nothing, and not hurting anyone in that process."

"That's . . . that's it?" Frisk wiped at the tears on his face. "There must be a third option."

"Monster candy. Your lucky you haven't spilled it yet," Flowey said.

"I don't . . . I don't . . . it's like a slow death . . ." Chance covered his eyes. "It'll be like a slow death."

"I promise, I'll try and get Sans before the end. Um. I'll be there though. Okay? And, even though it might seem like death, it's more of a super super super slow mindwipe on the spirit you have inside of you. Sort of." Flowey pulled himself closer. "Alone isn't fun, I know. I promise, we'll do your best to get your dad. Okay?"

"Stay with me? Flowey?"

"Yeah. Right 'til the end, Frisk. Flowey is your friend 'til the end."