Jade

You remained rooted exactly where you stood, your cheeks burning and your hand still feeling warm. One thought refused to leave your mind. You wanted to see him again. You wanted to hold him as you did every day in the life before. You wanted him to hold you. That was your dream.

You were simply the Glass Knight. Back in the Light World, your entire existence revolved around protecting Flowery. Nothing about becoming a Darkner changed that. If anything, it only strengthened the instinct until it felt stitched directly into your soul. Unfortunately, Flowery rarely made your job easy. He had an irritating habit of wandering off whenever Asgore appeared. You would turn around for just a moment, only to realize your ward had vanished again, forcing you to sprint across the Flower Kingdom while asking others if they had seen him fluttering about. Nearly every search ended the same way with Flowery happily chatting beside Asgore while you stood several feet away, trying to catch your breath. He always looked faintly surprised that you had followed him again, while you silently straightened your stance and resumed hovering over him as though nothing unusual had happened.

The others thought your unwavering loyalty was admirable. Nobody realized your feelings had long since drifted beyond duty. Whenever Flowery was nearby, you managed to maintain your composure. You stood tall over him, kept an eye out for any inconvenience, and watched his every move with complete professionalism. However, the instant he left, your facade shattered. One innocent question from Ralsei asking whether you liked spending time with Flowery was enough to leave your face glowing brighter than a heat lamp! Your hands became hopelessly fidgety as you insisted your admiration was purely professional, only to immediately contradict yourself by absentmindedly listing every tiny habit of his that you adored. the way he laughed, the way flowers literally bloomed around him and how he constantly bounced from one idea to another without slowing down. By the time you realized how much you had confessed, everyone around you wore knowing smiles. You promptly took off, realizing you had left him unprotected again!

As your relationship deepened, affection developed its own quiet rhythm. You hovered close to him almost constantly, always within reach if he needed anything, but you rarely touched him without reason. Old habits stubbornly lingered within you. Your instincts preferred watching over him rather than touching him. Flowery noticed this. At first, he wondered if he had somehow done something wrong, but the realization that your hesitation had nothing to do with him brought him visible relief.

You loved him enough to keep trying. One afternoon, you suddenly scooped him into your arms without warning. Flowery froze, his eyes widening. For a wonderfully awkward moment, he looked completely bewildered. Then laughter bubbled out of him as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, settling comfortably against you as if he had always belonged there. From that moment on, carrying him became a common occurrence. Sometimes he would dramatically lift both arms toward you after feigning exhaustion, silently requesting transportation like royalty expecting their carriage. Other times, he would simply lean into your space until you gave him exactly what he wanted. You never refused. Holding him felt natural. He often rested his head against your shoulder while absentmindedly tracing little circles against your armor, perfectly content to let you carry him wherever you wished, as if nothing in the world could bother him while he remained in your embrace. You treasured every second.

Then, everything changed. You stood beside him as the real human reached toward the fountain. Your fingers intertwined, and your head rested on top of his while both of you silently watched as the familiar magic began to close the fountain. It saddened you to think that within minutes, he would once again become an ordinary flower in the Light World, and you would become nothing more than the glass case surrounding him. But you accepted it because, for a while, Flowery had experienced his dreamland, and you were satisfied with that.

Suddenly, the Roaring Knight appeared, and everything unraveled in seconds. Asgore vanished before anyone fully understood what had happened. Flowery reacted instantly without hesitation, without fear, chasing the Roaring Knight. You watched in horrified disbelief as he somehow stood his ground, refusing to retreat. He smiled with the same reckless determination that had both terrified and enchanted you as you struggled to catch up to him, as usual.

Then the sword moved. Your body reacted before your thoughts did. What were you if not his shield? Crystal flashed between steel and flower. The blade struck you instead. Agony exploded across your body as glittering shards scattered through the air like broken stars. Your frame splintered apart where your chest had once been whole. You vaguely heard one of the children scream. Ralsei rushed toward you, desperate magic already gathering around his hands. The Knight fled, taking Asgore with him. Flowery caught you before you hit the ground. He carefully lowered you to stable ground and then knelt beside you, supporting your body with astonishing gentleness despite the panic flooding his expression. His hand found yours, and you squeezed it weakly. Ralsei's healing washed over your body again and again, yet the damage refused to mend completely. Glass is so fragile and so hard to mend.

Flowery leaned forward until his forehead rested against yours, carefully brushing loose shards from your face with reverence. His shoulders trembled as you smiled up at him. You rested your head against his shoulder while his thumb continued to trace slow circles across your palm, unwilling to let go even for an instant. Kris, Susie, and Ralsei eventually returned. Ralsei quietly explained what needed to happen. The fountain had to be sealed. You barely listened. You were too busy memorizing the feeling of Flowery's hands, the warmth surrounding you, and the gentle way he continued to stroke you as if convincing himself you still held strong.

When the fountain finally closed, you felt your body falling apart. Crystal became transparent once more. Armor transformed back into glass, and your limbs stilled into familiar rigidness. When the light returned, only a cracked glass case remained and inside rested a single flower, its petals brushing gently against the fractured glass.