#postpacifist

Remnants

He curled tighter on his messy bed, gripping at himself as the very shadows seemed to grip at him. No....nononononononono go away...y...you're....

"Come now...." A voice whispered, the sound like bubbling tar and death whispered against his skull. He covered his head as the shadows curled around him. Large, thin, bone white hands gripped at his shaking shoulders. "You know what to do..."

No....no you're dead.....dead! Leave....leave me be..... He gripped his skull tighter, scratching at it and leaving marks. You....you're gone...

"Gone? Oh...my dear Sans...." He shivered as his name was spoken and he felt a hand trail his spine. "I am never gone...you cannot be rid of me..." A face loomed from the dripping shadows, blank at first, but features seemed to crack on the surface, a twisted smile and one, wide eye. "I will have you...."

"NO!!!" Sans's eyes snapped open, his left eye aflame and glowing as he shot up, his chest heaving painfully. He gripped his chest as his breaths came in harsh pants. His Soul glowed slightly from under his plain white t-shirt. A....a dream.....bad dream..... He thought and looked down at his trembling hands. Right....surface.....no more Resets....safe.... He slowly moved and placed his socked feet on the floor, burying his face in his hands. He can't come here....he isn't here..... He stood and grabbed his blue hoodie and slipped on his pink slippers, small white eyelights gazing out the window. Been six months.....

He stretched and opened the window to his room, a cool, summer breeze filtering into his trashy room. His mattress was new, but still laying on the floor, fresh sheets on the bed, crinkled from his tossing and turning. He sighed and looked up at the moon shining brightly in the sky. I need some fresh air...yeah. That'll help. He teleported out of his room, unaware of the shadows that had slowly moved towards his feet.

Soon, my dear Sans......soon.

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Frisk looked at Sans worriedly as he walked with their small group. Frisk had invited everyone to go to the park and he looked at Sans as the shorter skeleton seemed to slump. "Are you ok Sans?"

"H-Huh?" Sans turned to him, dark circles under his eye sockets. "Yeah kiddo, I'm 'Sanssational.'"

"Oh my god Sans!" Papyrus called from the front of the group. "Enough of your insufferable puns!" Frisk giggled and Sans smiled. Undyne was ahead with Alphys on her shoulders, Toriel smiling and patting Papyrus as he groaned from yet another pun.

"Sorry Paps." Sans yawned and stretched lazily. Frisk gave Sans a worried glance and he chuckled. "Aww, don't worry kiddo. I'm just being my usual, lazy se-"

"Sans...." He locked up as a soft, gentle voice rang in his skull. "Look...this human has the Determination I need..."

No....no you're....not here....

"Sans?"

"Oh come now, my dear Sans.....did you truly think I was some bad dream?" Frisk took Sans's hand worriedly and he jumped a bit, yanking his hand away. "Look at him....I need it Sans..."

No...get out...of my head!!!

"Sans, are you really ok?" Sans's head snapped up and he looked at Frisk. The small boy tilted his head, and for a brief moment, Sans watched soft, brown eyes flicker red and the world around him shifted into that long, golden corridor. "You don't look good...."

"I...I'm f-"

"You see it, don't you Sans? This child could, at any time....become a threat...." Sans trembled, his bones shaking as his left eye slowly began to glow. "But we can stop that....stop this child from Resetting this world...permanently."

"Sans, you're hurting me!" Sans blinked and he looked down, his hand gripping hard onto Frisk's small shoulder. Black tendrils had coiled around his wrist, but they swiftly evaporated in the summer sun. "Sans....you really don't look good. Do you need to go home?" Sans shook a bit as the others watched him from a distance.  "Sans-"

"Yeah....sorry kiddo." Sans pat his head gently, his hands trembling. "I...I just need some sleep ok?" Frisk nodded and smiled. "See ya later, alright?" He focused on teleporting, but the moment he felt his body enter the Void, something black and tar like grabbed his leg. Wh-what?! No!

"Do not try to flee from me Sans....."

Get off of me!!!!  Sans struggled in the darkness of the Void, panic filling his Soul. Damn...damn! Fearfully he reached for a small opening in the Void and fell into it, crashing hard into the wall. He scrambled and kicked at the writhing tentacle that had grabbed him, watching it squirm and flail before fizzing away. "Gross....just....yuck..." He sighed and stood shakily, brushing his shorts off and looking around. Hey...wait....

He walked over to the nearby wall and flipped the switch. The light flickered on, dim from not being used in a long time. "My....lab?" Sure enough, the room around him was one he knew all too well. He dragged his fingers along the desk, dust sticking to bone as some fluttered in the air. "So I'm in Snowdin." He took a shaky breath and zipped his hoodie up. "It's cold here...chilled to the bone, eh?" He chuckled a little, trying to calm his nerves.

He brushed the dust off of an old blueprint that was sitting on the desk, they symbols strange but easily discernable by him. "Why here? Why did I teleport here?"

"Because I need you here." Sans jumped and turned around, his eye flaring. The wall near him held a tall, shadowy shape, a left purple eye glowing with fury and malice. The shadow itself seemed to drip onto the floor. "I need you Sans...."

"Screw you!" Sans raised his hand and fired at the wall, bones piercing it. The shadow chuckled, the sound reverberating through the small room. Sans covered his head as the shadow vanished from his sight. "What do you want?!"

"Come now, my dear Sans..." Sans felt hands slide on his shoulders and he spun around, aiming a bone at the wall, only to pierce the air. "You know exactly what I want....only now I have an additional...requirement." Sans felt something wrap around his wrists and ankles, lifting him into the air. The shadow merged from the wall, a white face grinning and looking down at him. "I require the human."

"I'll rot in Hell before I let you lay one damned finger on his head!" Sans snapped. He tried to summon a Blaster, but a tendril shot out, shattering it instantly. Shit!

"Heh, coming from one of the laziest monsters in the entire Underground? Oh how you've changed Sans..." Hands appeared and forced Sans to look up into the figure's singular, purple eye. "You used to be so filled with hope and life....then after the atrocious crime you caused-"

"No! That was all you!" Sans snarled, baring his teeth angrily at the figure. "I won't let-mmmph!!!!!" Tendrils wrapped tightly around his mouth, and his left eye flared with fury.

"So rude to interrupt." The figure chuckled, but there was no humor in its tone. "However it turned out....I was cursed into that pit of darkness." Sans struggled as the figure moved towards the curtained, broken machine at the end of the room. Fear filled his bones and he struggled more, his Soul glowing brightly in his chest. "I have seen things you can only imagine my dear Sans....things you would never wish to see."

Sans managed to break free when bones shot from the ground, destroying the tendrils. The curtain blew off, a dim black glow coming from the large, glass structure. Sans got to his feet in a vain attempt to run, but tendrils shot out, tripping him up. "I have gained a sort of....control over the Void. But I cannot interact with the worlds and timelines I have born witness to." Sans dug his fingers into the tiled floor, struggling as he was dragged. Blood leaked from his fingertips as he clawed desperately at the floor. More tendrils shot out, some gripping the edges of his eye sockets, others covering his mouth before he had the chance to scream. "But I learned something...interesting. There was one being I could interact with...aside from that little boy."

Sans was yanked hard, his fingers releasing their death grip on the floor as he was thrown inside the large, glass machine. He slammed against the machine, his screams blocked by the thick glass. The figures face split into a large grin, his head tilting at an unnatural angle. "That those with even the tiniest shard of my scattered Soul.....can be used. Isn't that a wonderful coincidence, my dear Sans?" A finger pressed a large, red button and the figure moved into the machine as it whirred to life. "Now then....shall we?"

The large machine sparked and groaned as Sans felt a tar like substance slowly engulf his body. He struggled against it, his eye lights filled with unbridled horror. Sans let out a loud scream...…

.........But nobody came.

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"Do not worry tiny Frisk!" Papyrus smiled as they headed home, the sun setting behind them. "I am quite positive that Sans is ok!"

"I dunno Pappy...I mean, he didn't look really good...." Frisk mumbled, wringing his hands anxiously.  Toriel placed a gentle paw on his shoulder, giving him a warm smile. "Mama..."

"It will be alright Frisk. We've only been on the Surface for half a year...perhaps he is just exhausted." Toriel's gentle voice soothed the worry in Frisk's Soul and he suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air, placed in a choke hold and noogied. "Undyne!"

"Ngaaahh! Don't you worry about that lazy sack of bones Friskster!" Undyne  said, grinning. "I'm sure he just didn't wanna walk around!"

"I-I-I don't know U-Undyne..." Alphys pointed out worriedly. "H-He had been looking and acting odd lately....I-I agree with Frisk here...." Frisk was put down and Alphys hugged him. "B-But if Sans wasn't well.....Papyrus w-w-w-would have made him stay home."

"That is right! I am very good at telling when my brother is more lazy than normal!" Papyrus pounded his chest proudly. They opened the door and entered the living room, only to be greeted by Sans standing there. "Sans! Why are you not in bed?!"

"Aww, maybe he felt guilty for leaving?" Toriel smiled a little as they all walked further into the living room. Sans remained motionless, his face looking downward. "Sans?"

"....You're back a bit early...." Sans's voice was low and quiet, and it made Frisk shudder slightly.

"W-W-well Frisk was worried about you!" Alphys said. "S-So-"

"He was....that's nice..." The group moved a little closer to Sans, curious and worried. "Makes this...easier."

"Sans?" Black sludge dripped onto the ground and he looked up at Frisk. "Guys! Mo-" Tendrils shot out from under Sans's feet and slammed against the group, sending them flying to separate corners of the room. "No!" Frisk went to run after them when sharp, black, dripping bones formed around him like a cage.

"And where do you think you are going?" The voice seemed to echo from Sans, but he didn't show signs of speaking. "I need you, little human child...."

"Who are you?! You're not Sans!" Frisk narrowed his eyes, his red Soul glowing in his chest. "What do you want?!"

"Rather observant....and that face of yours shows your Determination easily, if the glow of your Soul did not." Sans floated softly off the ground as he moved closer to the cage. "However....you are wrong. I am Sans.....and he is me."

"Sans!" Sans tilted his head and moved aside with ease as a blue spear shot out.

"Hmph, Undyne...his memories show that you are quite the strong monster..." Sans floated backwards and looked up at her. His left eye glowed and flashed, rows of bone forming in front of her. She dodged and hopped on the couch, leaping off of it with a spear in her hand. "But you are arrogant." A tendril came at her side and coiled around her tightly and she grit her teeth, struggling to break free. "And a fool."

"Sans, let the human go!" Sans turned his head to see Papyrus looking at them with worry. For a moment, Sans hesitated before another tendril coiled around Papyrus, lifting him high up as well. "Brother pl-"

"Papyrus....he truly does care for you." A low, gurgling laugh made its way from Sans's throat as his right eye seemed to bleed with black sludge. "A pity he is not awake right now..."

"L-Let them-" Alphys was grabbed before she could reach for a small remote, the device being crushed as it was tossed against a wall.

"Ah, Alphys." Before he could finish speaking, a fire pillar formed in front of him and he took a step back. "Well..." He turned and his grin widened, head tilting. "Your Majesty....it is an honor."

"You...I do not know who you are or what you want, but you will release my child and my family!" Toriel's face was pulled into a snarl, fire swirling around her feet and engulfing her right hand. She screamed and flung flames at the cage around Frisk and rushed at Sans, both hands engulfed in flames. "RELEASE THEM!" She halted when Frisk was held in front of him, a ghostly white hand around Frisk's neck, squeezing tight. "Frisk-"

"I do not need the human in perfect condition, your Majesty." Sans grinned, another hand petting Frisk's head. "So go on ahead....I have never seen flames melt skin from muscle and bone." Toriel faltered long enough for a tendril to coil tightly around her, snuffing the flames from her hands.

"Mom!" Frisk struggled as his family were slammed hard on the ground. "No! No, stop it!" Tears streamed down his face as he watched the others get constantly slammed on the ground. "Please...please stop....stop...."

"Then you will come with me." Their limp bodies were lifted and sharp, black bones were positioned in front of their chests, each of their Souls shining before it. "Or I will wipe them out, one at a time." Frisk sobbed as Sans threw them all towards the other end of the living room, his left eye glowing. "We are leaving."

"F..Frisk....." Toriel struggled to sit up as Frisk reached for her, tears streaming down his cheeks as Sans's tight grip prevented him from moving.

"Mommy! MOMMY!!!" Frisk screamed as they both vanished, leaving the monsters alone in the house.

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Toriel and Papyrus went to work healing everyone's injuries. "What the hell is wrong with that stupid skeleton?!" Undyne pounded her fist against the carpet. 

"Why I'm gonna-"

"I told you Undyne! That was not Sans!" Papyrus snapped, his fingers shaking. "It...it wasn't...there's no way...."

"Papyrus, sweetie, please calm down." Toriel said, her own voice shaking. "Let's focus on this right now."

"L-look at yourself M-Miss Toriel..." Alphys said. "You're st-t-ill hurt and-"

"I am fine." She said, finishing healing the small monster. "And I believe you Papyrus. Sans would never act that way. Something wasn't right."

"I don't give a shit who that was, I'm gonna-"

"Language please Undyne."

"Why the hell are you scolding me for that?! That stupid skeleton or whoever it was took Frisk!" She snapped, standing up and brushing her shoulders slightly. 

"We have no idea where they went or what that...whoever wanted!" Alphys fidgeted where she stood, holding her tail. "Alph? Something wrong?"

"I-I...I may....have an idea....b-b-but...it's far fetched and....and I'm not certain..." Alphys admitted, trembling.

"Alphys, anything to help find my brother would be greatly appreciated!" Papyrus chimed in, walking over to her. Undyne placed a hand on her shoulder, Toriel on the other.  

"Go ahead dear. What is it?" Alphys took a deep breath and nodded.

"S-Sans t-t-told me of someone once....s-someone he was...nervous about." Alphys said softly. "I-I don't remember him exactly....but Sans described to me what....what he can do....how he acts and speaks....." She sighed. "And...he would know the former Queen..."

"Alph, it's alright. You can tell us." Undyne smiled and she took another deep breath.

     “How many people?!”

     The small flower glared up at the human. He was pissed she’d waited till now to spring this on him. Frisk held up a hand as she forced a weak grin.

     “It’s not going to be that many! Just … ten at the most!” Flowey growled. “They aren’t going to all stay here!” Frisk paused for a minute. “Well, Aunt Maxine and her kids will – but that’s it! And they’ll be in the guest room!” Frisk waved her still raised hand. “You’ll like them though, you’re actually older than them!” Frisk hoped that might win him over: the blossom hated being the youngest in any group.

     The flower’s growling finally stopped, though he was still glaring daggers at the human. “Why’re they staying?”

     Frisk shrugged. “The kids don’t like staying in bed and breakfasts or hotels. Freaks them out for some reason.” When Flowey didn’t respond, she added, “You don’t have to be around everyone at all times you know. They’ll only come upstairs to sleep so you can come up here if you need to get away.”

     “Won’t that be ‘anti-social’?” Flowey even raised two roots to make little air quotes.

     Frisk shook her head. “Not if you really need time to yourself. I’ll make sure the others know sometimes you do – it won’t be seen as being rude.” Frisk offered a smile at that point.

     Flowey turned away while he thought this over. He hated the idea of more humans being around but he did like that he could leave at any time. “Fine. Just make sure none of them call me a weed.”

     “Promise!”

     Frisk’s phone chose that moment to ding with a new text message. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she checked it. Her eyes widened as a grin spread over her face. “Hey Flowey, out of red, green, gold, white, silver and orange, what’s your favorite color?”

     Flowey didn’t trust that at all. “Why?”

     Frisk glanced back down at her phone, before looking at her floral friend. “Ok, now first. This was an idea from mom – this means she was thinking of you while shopping which means she might finally be warming up to you! Ok…” She held the phone out for him to take.

     Wrapping a vine around it, Flowey brought it closer to peer at the screen. He instantly grimaced at the sight of multiple bright colors and the sign above them that read ‘Christmas Bows!’ Under the image was a text from Luna: ‘Flowey would probably look really cute in family pictures with one of these.’

     Flowey’s small black eyes flicked to Frisk as he cringed with pure disgust.

     “You can say no, you know.”

     Flowey turned back to the screen as he looked the image over. After months of living here, this was the first time Luna talked about him in such a way.

     With a greatly exaggerated sigh, Flowey pushed the phone back into Frisk’s hands. “Tell her the red one with the gold trim.”

       As the month went on, Frisk’s house joined the others in the neighborhood to be covered with various brightly colored lights. Flowey, still getting used to his new emotions, didn’t fully see the point, but it did remind him of Snowdin.

      A tree was put up in the living room. A fake tree. Something Flowey was actually glad about. Being a plant himself, having a dead one right in the middle of the living-room, covered in brightly colored, breakable garbage would be… weird.

     While decorating the artificial tree, Frisk held Flowey up so he could hang ornaments on it himself. Frisk would hold him up with one hand while passing decorations to him with the other. At first, Flowey just held the item, wrapped up in his vines, and stared at it.

     “Flowey? Are you alright?” Frisk asked after a moment.

     Flowey blinked out of his thoughts. “Yeah, it’s just… It’s been a long time.” He finally started placing things handed up to him on the tree.

     Once the star topper was brought out, Flowey actually volunteered to climb up and put it on, himself.

     The tree itself was rather fun to climb, and his small roots only sometimes became stuck, needing help to be untangled.

       Frisk’s father Dante also started coming around more often. Flowey actually didn’t mind him. He reminded the flower of Sans, with how chill he was with everything, just minus the awful puns.

     “You two aren’t too cold, right?” Dante asked, while the three worked on building a snowman. Truthfully, it was only Frisk and her father doing the building. Flowey was shivering on Frisk’s shoulder and pulling more of her scarf around himself.

     “I’m fine,” Frisk started, before glancing at her shoulder.

     “I-I’m f-f-fine!” the obviously frozen flower insisted. Before Frisk even asked, Flowey added, “I’m s-sure I don’t want to go inside!”

     Dante walked over, pulling off one of his gloves. “It won’t be a perfect fit, actually it might be a bit snug, but can you fit into this?” The glove was held open for him to slip his roots into.

     The glove was thick, which made it good for blocking out the cold, and even had fleece inside. Flowey was already climbing out from under the scarf and starting to climb into the glove when his (in his own opinion), stupid, new emotions made him ask, “What about your hand?”

     Dante only smiled. Flowey began to see where Frisk gets her normal cheerful smile. “My small friend, I have body heat. You need this far more at the moment.”

     Slipping his roots into the fingers of the glove, Flowey folded them over in order to fit. Then, he managed to wiggle his bulb into the hand part. Once he was in, Frisk took her scarf off and wrapped it around and around, and up and down, Flowey’s stem.

     He felt a bit like a mummy, but he couldn’t help but sigh, finally feeling warmer.

     “Better?” Dante asked.

     Flowey nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

     He stayed on his perch on Frisk’s shoulder, but now he was actually enjoying it a bit more. Frisk even held him while he pushed the carrot-nose into the face.

       As it continued to grow closer to Christmas, Flowey noticed there were a lot more shoppers running around spending money on everything: from cheap knickknacks to joke gifts and even large TVs.  Other than the expensive purchases, it reminded Flowey of Gyftmas underground, only far more … obsessive. Ever since becoming a flower he's not cared too much for physical items, and in fact owns very little himself. Other than his large tub of dirt, which he actually needs to survive, his belongings fit in a single set of drawers and he prefers it that way. But Humans seemed obsessed with getting gifts for each other.

     Well, most humans, except Frisk’s family. They put up decorations and had more outings, but Flowey couldn’t find any hint that they were just as obsessed with giving each other things.

     The little flower wanted to believe he lucked out and was adopted into the only family of humans who weren’t fixated with giving each other useless dust catchers. Or, if not purchasing crap, who delayed, until a random, specific date, to give someone something they needed: just to have things to unwrap on a single day.

     There was further proof this might be the case when the next time Frisk’s father came over, he had modified an extra-large glove to be a perfect fit for Flowey’s roots and bulb. He’d even made a little hat to go over his petals, and ‘Christmas’ was still a few weeks away.

       As the days passed and it grew close to the time the rest of the family was due to show up, Luna took Frisk to help her pick out groceries. Flowey was invited along and he actually agreed.

     Flowey’s flowerpot sat in the front basket of the shopping cart that Frisk pushed down the aisle. For what seemed like the fifth time in a row, Jingle Bells began to play over the speakers. Flowey snarled up at one of them. “If they play that one more time I’m going to stab someone and use their organs to choke whoever keeps playing it!”

     A gasp came from behind the two and Frisk turned to see a little old lady hurrying out of the aisle.

     “Flowey… you really can’t say things like that, no matter how much you don’t like something.”

     “I’m not really gunna act on it!”

     “I know, but just… try not to, ok?”

     Flowey only grumbled in response, sinking in his pot.

     At one point he raised a vine, pointing at something excitedly. Frisk followed the vine and sighed. It was bacon. “If you keep eating that you’ll eventually get sick of it.” Flowey only grinned and shook his head. She turned to her mother. “Flowey wants more bacon.”

     Luna glanced down at the small plant who was sticking out his lower lip in a childish begging pout. His petals sagged down, wilting to seem all the more pathetic. “How about this, I’ll make a deal with you. I will get you one full package all for yourself – you don’t have to share it with anyone.” Flowey’s petals perked up and he opened his mouth to agree. “And tonight at dinner you will at least try your veggies rather than hiding them around the house.” The flower froze and sank down in his pot with a whine. “All you have to do is try them. If you truly don’t like them, you don’t have to finish. And you won’t have to try those same ones ever again.”

     After another few mumbled complaints, and which didn’t convince Luna to drop her end of the deal, Flowey finally sat up in his pot a little. “Fiiiiine…”

     “Good boy.” Luna gave the flower a soft headpat and grabbed a package of bacon, setting it in the cart.

     Flowey took note that it was a large package.

       That night when they all sat down for dinner, Flowey grimaced at the vegetables on his plate. Ones that this time, he wasn’t allowed to hide, and claim he ate. Grumbling, Flowey sniffed them first. They didn’t smell too bad.

     “Only a bite. If you truly don’t like them, you don’t have to finish,” Luna reminded him.

     Coiling a vine around a fork, Flowey stabbed at a brussel sprout like he was trying to kill it. He sniffed it again and checked it over like he was looking for something. Finally he shut his eyes and bit into it.

     It didn’t taste terrible. In fact it actually tasted pretty good. They weren’t just plainly boiled in water: Luna cooked them with all kinds of spices. Soon Flowey finished that sprout and stabbed another.

     Luna had a knowing smile. “Well? Not as awful as you thought?”

     Flowey nodded. “Yeah Mom, they’re good.” He froze, petals lowering and cheeks going pink with embarrassment. “I-I mean Ms. Garcia!”

     Luna regarded the flower with a thoughtful expression, but didn’t draw attention to what he’d called her. He was still trying to hide his face behind his petals as it was.

        Finally the other people Frisk had warned about starting appearing. The one Flowey guessed was ‘Aunt Maxine’ was the first to arrive. She showed up with two identical kids who were both younger than Flowey and couldn’t have been older than six. While Frisk’s aunt greeted Frisk with hugs, her children instantly took a liking to the flower, one of them rushing over and scooping the flower up into a hug.  Flowey squirmed, but as these were the youngest humans he’d ever met, he didn’t bring out his thorns to aid in his escape.

     That being said, if they continued hugging him like he was some sort of stuffed toy,  the thorns were going to pop out anyway: completely out of his control, in self-defense.

     Frisk took note of this and rushed over, carefully easing the flower free. “Guys, guys, careful! You can play but please be careful. Flowey’s a flower after all. Play gentle.” Flowey climbed up Frisk’s arm and onto her shoulder in an attempt to be out of their reach. However after glancing back and forth from Frisk and the two kids, he started snickering.

     “It’s kinda funny how six year olds are almost as tall as you.”

     Frisk sighed in frustration before lifting Flowey from her shoulder and placing him back on the floor, much to his dismay.

     “Sally, May, this is Flowey. He’s my best friend so please be gentle with him. Don’t pull his roots, or petals either. That would hurt him.”

     As the two girls nodded in unison, Flowey looked up at Frisk in disbelief and horror. “You’re leaving me with the gremlins?!”

     Frisk bent down, patting him on the top two petals and head, an action he’s grown to accept. “You’ll be fine, they aren’t gremlins. Plus, you’re older than them. Technically if you play your cards right, you’ve got a pair of minions!” The tone Frisk used was light and humorous, showing she was just joking. However when she went back to greet Marco and his twin siblings Martin and Darcie, cousins who had just arrived, Flowey grinned up at the two human children.

     “You heard her! I’m older than you, so that makes me your boss and you gotta obey my every order!”

     The two little girls looked at each other and then back down at the smug looking flower. “Ok Mister Flower.” May said? Sally? Flowey couldn’t tell the twins apart.

     And….’mister’? Flowey blinked in confusion before shaking his head. At least that was easier than he thought –

     “– But only if we can hug you and you’ll play tea parties with us!”

     Flowey deadpanned. Oh, these girls were good, he was starting to see how these brats were related to Frisk. Grumbling, Flowey’s top two petals flattened like an annoyed cat. “Fine. But don’t hug me so tight and be – careful!”

     On Flowey’s last word one of the girls scooped him up again. Although instead of grabbing his stem, she had actually picked him up gently, holding him much like a baby, supporting his bulb and roots, rather than just letting them hang. The flower grumbled more as the other girl patted his head, ruffling his petals a little.

     A click that sounded suspiciously like a camera phone came from the direction of Frisk and her other family members.

     “Is that better, Mister Flower?”

     “Drop the ‘Mister’!” Flowey demanded, making an irked sneer. “And it’s Flowey, not Flower!”

     Eventually the irritated plant had to use tape to label the girls with either an S or an M in order to tell them apart.  

       That night everyone went out for a meal. They all dressed up fancily: Frisk put on a glittery red bow and a green dress, and even Luna was wearing a dress as opposed to her usual suits.

     While Frisk helped Maxine get Sally and May into their own dresses, Luna walked over to Flowey with the ribbon she’d texted Frisk about a few weeks earlier. “Would you prefer it on you, or around your pot?”

     Flowey looked at it for a moment before lifting his head high enough to allow her to tie it around his stem. Once she had finished, Flowey attempted to peer down over his lower petals to see how it looked. He couldn’t see much more than the tips of the bow: his petals were too large to see over.

     Luna stepped away to get a mirror, then held it up for the flower. “Adorable, see?”

      Flowey’s face dusted with a light pink at the comment while he inspected himself in the mirror.

     When the family left, Flowey left his flowerpot behind. He decided it was easier and more enjoyable to ride to dinner on his favorite perch: Frisk’s shoulder.

     At the restaurant there was a mix of human and monster customers, as well as staff.

     “Franziska, dear, are you the one who has brought everyone together like this?” one of her grandmothers asked, after the group was seated at a large table.

     Frisk winced at being called her full name, but instead just nodded. “Yes, Grandma Anita.” Frisk tilted her head to the quiet flower on her shoulder. “Flowey’s done a lot of help too!” He sank a little on her shoulder at being brought into the conversation. “He’s a big help in meetings.”

     “What is the flower?” asked one of her grandfathers. “Is it your pet now or something?”

     Flowey glared at the old man while his petals lowered. Before he could say anything, Frisk beat him to it. “He. And no, he’s not my pet, he’s my best friend – actually at this point he’s like my brother now, actually.”

     That seemed to only confuse the old man further. Luna turned to him.

     “We’ve taken him in, sort of like an adoption, though nothing official.” She paused, turning to look at the small flower who now was listening to one of the cousins, Darcie. They seemed to be saying something about his petals, from the way they pointed to them. Flowey once again developed an embarrassed blush but nodded in thanks. Luna turned back to her father. “Yet anyway. It’s something I still need to talk to the little guy about.”  

     During the dinner, Frisk had to order Flowey some hot chocolate to help keep him awake. Despite this, he still ended up falling asleep, curled up in the girl’s lap.

     “Is he ok?” Frisk’s Aunt Maxine asked. “He’s not been out of dirt too long, has he?”

     Frisk shook her head. “He’s ok. Shortly after bringing him to the surface he synced up with the sun so he tends to get tired soon after it sets.”

     “What does he do in the morning when waiting for everyone to get up?”

     Frisk turned to little Sally at her question, before glancing down at the small flower in her lap, petals closed over his face, and then sighed, looking back up. “He, uh, he plays the role of a rather interesting alarm clock.” Frisk forced a weak grin. Interesting alright. If you could call being yanked out of bed by vines or flicked with rubber bands ‘interesting.’

     “What’s that mean?” May asked.

     “It’s like what you two do for me on your birthdays and most weekends,” Aunt Maxine intervened, helping Frisk out a little. Frisk nodded.

     “Oh! Ok!”

     After dinner, everyone either returned to wherever they were staying, or went back to Frisk’s house. Upon getting home, Frisk planted Flowey in his large dirt tub, being careful not to wake him up. After removing the ribbon she tucked his sweater around him as a blanket and pillow.

       As days went on, Flowey still didn’t see all of these family members doing any shopping. They went to a lot of places: plays, movies, playgrounds and even sledding – Flowey actually liked the sledding until he fell off it and face-planted in the snow. But no one was doing any shopping. It would make it easier if they didn’t care for presents: there were far too many family members now. But everyone else in town seemed obsessed with buying things. Maybe they’d secretly gotten things already and they’d be annoyed with him for not taking part in Christmas, and buying gifts too.

     It didn’t help that all of this togetherness, on trips out, or with everyone all staying in, was hard on Flowey. It was difficult for the little flower to really enjoy a lot of the activities, being too confused. Instead he spent more and more time hiding upstairs in his and Frisk’s room.

     Dante took notice of this. Heading upstairs, the man knocked on the open door-frame. “Hey mi hijo, are you ok?”

     Flowey looked up at the man, with a slight head-tilt, not sure what he was just called, before finally shaking his head.

     “Is it something you’d like to talk about?”

     Flowey hesitated for a moment. “Um, yeah – but I don’t want the others to hear.”

     Entering the room and closing the door, Dante crossed the floor and sat down next to the little flower. “What’s wrong?”

     Flowey’s petals wilted. “I don’t wanna make everyone mad at me. I mean, I don’t think they would be, but everywhere else I look, everyone’s always buying everything! Normally I wouldn’t care about these kinds of things but - but with these emotions and feelings I do care! And I like this family I’ve been allowed to join so I don’t wanna be a disappointment! But there’s so many people and there’s no way -”

     Flowey hadn’t even been aware he had started having a word-vomit until Dante patted him softly.

     “Hey, hey, it’s ok. No one will be angry or upset with you.” The man smiled warmly. “It can be a little confusing with how everyone pushes “the right way” to celebrate Christmas, but we do things a little differently than what’s marketed. While there are some decorations, we don't actually do the whole gift thing. A long time ago we all decided that getting the family all together and spending money on doing memory-building events rather than buying gifts is far better than just giving items someone will lose interest in a week later.”

     Flowey’s petals perked up a bit. “Really?”

     Dante nodded, “Si, mi hijo. If there’s something we know for a fact someone wants, and they don’t need it right away, sure. But there’s no focus on it.” At the flower’s relieved sigh, Dante smiled. “Feeling better?”

     “Yeah. Thanks.” The flower paused before adding, “Um, what do you keep calling me?”

     Dante chuckled. “Mi hijo, it’s Spanish for ‘my son.’” Flowey’s petals lowered again, though he didn’t look upset, the opposite really. “Frisk’s mi hija, my daughter, and she thinks of you as her brother, so it only makes sense, no?”

     Instead of responding, Flowey raised his vines, silently asking to be lifted up. Once he was up, he curled his vines as best he could around Dante’s shoulders in a hug. When he pulled his vines back, he asked to go back downstairs to join the others.

     Dante carried Flowey downstairs, and as soon as they saw him, Sally and May ran up. It took Flowey a moment, but he noticed they were wearing the tape initials he’d made for them.

     “Flowey! There you are!” May cried.

     “We were worried!” Sally exclaimed.

     “What were you doing up there for so long?” they asked at the same time.

     Flowey blinked at them before climbing down from Dante and onto May’s head, which made the little girl giggle. “I was, uh … planning a game! You two are my minions, right? I was planning a new game to play!” Flowey pointed a vine forward. “Onward!” The two girls giggled and rushed off.

     The game soon had the other family members laughing because of how little sense it made. Every few seconds Flowey would make up a new rule, sometimes contradicting earlier rules. At one point, the game required only touching furniture, and another rule involved hopping on one leg.

     This game went one for a while and only ended when the three of them were worn out. Both girls crashed out on the couch, with Flowey napping snuggled between the two. So he wouldn’t get sick, Frisk carefully placed the two vines that weren’t wrapped around the little girls’ wrists in one of his flowerpots so he was at least somewhat in some dirt.

       At one point there was an ‘ugly sweater’ contest. Flowey started giggling as soon as he saw Frisk’s: A bright red sweater with white lettering saying ‘I’m not short, I’m a tall elf!’ That was until one of her cousins, Martin, shoved a small sweater on the little plant. It was green with what looked like a Christmas tree design. The top of the tree reached the neck hole, making his golden petal-framed face the ‘star topper’. The others were also pretty bad, covered with reindeer and snowmen, but Flowey declared Cousin Darcie had to be the winner by having taped a mirror to the front of their sweater.

       For the remainder of the family holiday reunion, Flowey started to finally enjoy himself.  Not only did he join in more often, but he even suggested things. One was for everyone to have a sledding race where he served as the referee. For the grandparents he let them interview him for plant facts only a sentient flower could give them.

      The actual Christmas Day was surprisingly calm. Everyone stayed home watching movies and playing games. Flowey suggested a game of hide and seek and used his small size to his advantage.

     Two of the grandparents taught Flowey, Sally and May a few board games, something Flowey thought would have been boring. Soon he was really into the games, especially the one with dice inside a plastic dome, asking to play again right after someone won. And he didn’t care who that was. He just wanted another game.

      As New Year’s rolled around, Frisk darted out for a few hours and when she returned she held what looked like a collar of some kind up to Flowey. He looked at her like she was holding up a dog turd. “No, listen. Alphys made this. She said it should be able to help keep you awake after dark.”

     The grimace didn’t leave his face.

     “It can be hidden under a scarf or something,” she added.

     “Why?”

     “Fireworks!” Frisk grinned.

     Flowey only blinked. “Firewhats?”

     “You’ll love ’em, but they’re only done at midnight – after dark.”

     Flowey rolled his eyes and huffed. “Fiiiine. But it has to be hidden. I don’t wanna be seen wearing a collar. This is why people think I’m your pet!”

     Frisk clipped it high on his stem so it would also be hidden by his petals. “Alphys first suggested adrenaline injections. Would you have preferred that?”

     Flowey nearly squeaked. “The collar’s fine!” He paused, then added, “How will it keep me awake though?”

     “She said it leaks adrenaline and when held to you like this, should soak in through your plant cell walls – kinda like when people wear patches to quit smoking where a little bit soaks in. She said it also might make you smell vaguely like oranges.”

     Flowey groaned but allowed it to stay on.

      That night after the sun set Flowey actually did have more energy. Being awake after dark, Flowey insisted on being wrapped up in as much warm clothing as he could be, practically becoming a ball of cloth, and going out to look up at the stars. One of the grandfathers, André, Luna’s father, soon joined the flower outside.

     “You like stars huh?”

     Flowey only nodded, still looking up at the sky.

     André carefully sat down on the porch steps next to the flower. “You know much about constellations?”

     Flowey shook his head. “Not really. What’re those?”

     “Patterns and pictures made up of stars. Sailors use them to have something familiar to help lead them back home.”

     Flowey finally pulled his attention from the sky to look at André. “Really?”

     The elder nodded. “Of course. When all you can see is ocean and you have no idea where land is, it’s important to have a beacon to focus on or you could end up just going around in circles and be lost at sea.” The man turned his gaze up, searching for a moment. He finally raised his hand and pointed up. “Do you see those four bright ones and the few going off to the side?”

     Flowey looked back up trying to find the stars being pointed out. Finally he did. “Yeah?”

     “That’s the big dipper. When I was about your age. …” He paused, looking down at the flower. “What is your age?”

     Flowey grumbled before answering. “Ten.”

     André nodded. “When I was about your age, I was hiking with a friend of mine and we got lost. I remembered it wasn’t right above us but to the right when we entered the woods and we used it to finally lead us back home.”

     “Wow…” Flowey breathed.

     The old man watched the flower staring up at the sky for a moment before adding, “I have a few books on constellations back home. When I get back I’ll send you one.”

     Flowey’s focus shot to André. “Really? Thank you!”

     Andre’ responded by reaching over and patting the flower on the head. “You’re a good kid.”

      As it grew closer to midnight, the family filed into a few cars and drove to what looked like a large open field. A bunch of other people were there already and Flowey asked Frisk to hold him: with so many scarves wrapped around him, he was far too round to sit on her shoulder.

     “Where’s this fire going to be?”

     Frisk giggled. “You’ll see.”

     And see he did. At some point a few people started counting down. Shortly after the crowed reached ‘1’, something from the field streaked up into the sky, tracing a grey line in the dark.

     It exploded into a flower of color in the air. Flowey actually gasped. As more shot up and exploded into colors, Flowey’s attention was glued to the sky, staring up with wide eyes.

     “Happy New Year, little brother,” Frisk said, giving the flower a quick kiss on one of his petals. He was more focused on the bright rainbows of color in the sky.

      The fireworks, however, marked the end of the family get-together.

     The next day, he was actually sad when it was time for everyone to leave. Especially Sally and May.

     Sally and May tried to both hug the flower at the same time, and Flowey tried to do the same with the two girls.

     “I’m gunna miss you Flowey!”

     “Me too, Flowey!”

     His petals lowered and he just kept trying to hug the two.

     Maxine piped up with, “We’re only a few towns over, girls, it’s not like you’ll never see him again.”

     Flowey perked up at that. “Really?” He giggled. “Maybe I’ll visit you two next!”

     The girls nodded.

     “Yeah!” May exclaimed.

     “We can show you around our house and play more games!” Sally added.

     Flowey nodded. “Sounds fun!”

     The two girls each gave the flower a petal kiss before leaving with their mother.

      Once everyone had left, Flowey climbed up on Frisk’s head.

     “You enjoy your first Christmas on the surface?” she asked, trying to look up at the plant.

     “Yeah, but it’s kinda nice having the house quiet again.”

     Frisk’s giggled, reaching up to give him a soft pat and petal ruffle. “Most family reunions are like that. Fun while they’re going, but…” she sighed. “Nice when they’re over.”

     They sat in silence a few minutes. “Frisk?”

     “Yeah?”

     “Can we do that again next year?”