It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming... and Frisk was still facedown and drooling on her pillow, snoring like sounds of a faulty engine. Given it was a Saturday, her condition was justified. Then someone gave her bedroom door a couple knocks.

"Frisk, sweetheart, it's time to wake up!" she heard Toriel's voice hum from the other side.

Frisk moaned lazily and rolled over, wincing at the clock on her nightstand.

Eight o' clock.

"Actually, it's eight in the morning", Frisk snickered. She could hear an audible scoff from Toriel through her door.

"You said you wanted to help me in the garden! Well, I'm tending to it in a few, so hurry up! Come get breakfast!" Toriel's voice faded.

Frisk threw the covers from her body and lied still for a moment, taking in a deep breath before being enticed by the chilly morning weather to get dressed more appropriately.

Not too long later, Frisk dragged herself downstairs to the kitchen, each step on the wood paneling feeling momentarily cold on her feet. Rubbing her eyes, the smell of breakfast wafted into her face, Frisk giving lazy smile. She pulled out a chair at the table and hopped up, leaning her head on her hand and yawning, waiting to be served.

"How would you like your eggs, my child?" Toriel asked.

"In my mouth" Frisk smiled.

Toriel chuckled and put her hand on her face. "Someone's a little snarky this morning!"

Frisk stretched. "Sunny-side-up, please" she yawned.

"Coming right up!" Toriel said, holding her spatula triumphantly before returning it to the frying pan.

A few moments of silence passed, and just as Frisk was dozing off at the table, Toriel's voice sprang her back awake.

"Say," she started, "any word from Dr. Alphys about a cure for As... I mean... Flowey? It's not that I dislike him in the state he's in, he's definitely easier to keep track of and well... tend to, but..."

Toriel froze.

"...but what?" Frisk asked, worried.

Toriel sighed. "...but I want my son back..." she whispered to herself, closing her eyes.

The room went eerily quiet. Only the sizzling of Frisk's breakfast could be heard throughout the kitchen. Toriel opened her eyes and reached across the stove to turn the burner off, after which she made her way to a nearby cupboard to grab a plate for Frisk. Toriel set the eggs down in front of her, handing over a fork as well. Toriel sat down in the chair across from Frisk with her own breakfast she prepared earlier, poking at it absentmindedly.

"Say, doesn't this mean he's your sonflower?" Frisk grinned, attempting to lighten the mood.

With much success, Toriel gave a faint snicker. "Yeah, I guess he is now" Toriel said, beginning to eat.

"The only word from Alphys recently was that she's 'still trying'", Frisk added. "Last time I visited she was trying on regular flowers though, I told her it might help if she actually experimented on Flowey, but she didn't like the sound of that."

"I do not either," Toriel began, "what if something goes wrong? Then her efforts will have all been in vain."

"But Flowey's no ordinary flower," Frisk argued, "what if something that works on a normal flower doesn't work on Flowey?"

"Then... I don't know. You'll have to ask her that yourself the next time you visit", Toriel finished.

Around noon, Toriel took Frisk to her room to equip their gardening apparel. Toriel had her straw hat, purple tanktop, and jeans with the legs rolled halfway up her calves. Meanwhile Frisk had her long white socks and blue overalls to go over her sweater. The two set out to the garden in the backyard-trowels and watering cans in tow. While Toriel bent down to tend to her own section, Frisk grabbed a watering can and ran over to the greenhouse where Flowey was kept. Flowey was kept in the middle of the greenhouse in a large horizontal planter, through a maze of other assorted plants that Frisk carefully navigated through as not to trample any of them. Approaching a sleeping Flowey, Frisk leaned downward, placing her hands on her knees.

"Hey, Asriel, wake up!" she whispered with force.

Flowey's leaves moved slightly. Twitching, the flower rose and stretched with a faint groan. He smacked his lips and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to adjust to the bright noon sunlight. As Flowey began to come to, Frisk picked up the watering can from her side and poured it carefully on Flowey, who rubbed underneath his leaves, imitating shower movements. Frisk stopped, and Flowey brought leaves up to his face to wipe off excess water.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Flowey said, continuing to rub sleep from his eyes.

Frisk paused for a moment. Flowey would never understand the real reason behind calling him "Asriel". She remembered what he'd said, about forgetting everything and not being himself anymore.

"It's just... a cute name I came up with one day" Frisk bluffed.

"Yeah, more original too" Flowey scoffed. "Flowey's a name a toddler comes up with. It's got that 'add Y to the end of everything to make it sound like a pet name' formula. Kitty, Teddy... Rocky, yeah."

Frisk brushed excess soil particles from Flowey's planter as he stretched more. "How are you liking it in here?" she asked.

"Better this than outside. I swear those birds were looking nasty, who knows when they would've striked. Maybe it's because I move so much, they think I'm some kinda prey. If I had real fists I'd show them who's prey, alright" Flowey said, pretending to spar with the air.

Frisk heard the door to the greenhouse open behind her, looking over her shoulder as Flowey did. Toriel had entered with a tray of a few more flowers of assorted colors.

"What are those?" Flowey asked, "Replacements?" he joked.

"In a way," Toriel said, setting the tray down. "They're replacements for the empty space next to you in this planter."

"Do they talk, too?" he joked again. "Why do you gotta go and do this? I liked feeling like a king ruling over all these brainless heathens beneath me" he said triumphantly, "Peasants aren't allowed to join me on the throne!"

The small bit of Asriel that showed through Flowey brought a smile to both Frisk's and Toriel's face. Toriel's especially, as she had a fonder memory of Asriel's behavior than Frisk.

"Pretend you're really popular and your people are asking all about you!" Frisk suggested.

"Hmm..." Flowey thought, "I like it, I like it."

"Besides, it's good for plants if you talk to them." Toriel added. "Oh, Frisk, could you go get me my trowel, please? I left it outside and forgot to bring it in."

Frisk smiled, and Toriel thanked her on her way out of the greenhouse.

Just as Frisk spots the trowel and leans down to pick it up, the phone in her pocket makes its familiar jingle.

Alphys.

Without hesitation, Frisk answers her call.

"Hello?"

"Frisk, you need to come down here. It's urgent. Bring Flowey."

"Uh... okay, seeya then-"

The phone beeps, the call has ended.

Frisk picks up the trowel and stuffs the phone back in her pocket, returning to the greenhouse.

"Hey, mom?" Frisk started, handing Toriel the tool, "Alphys called, she says it's urgent and she wants me to bring Flowey."

Toriel looks puzzled. "What ever for?"

"Yeah, this better not be another invitation to watch anime again. That's never 'urgent'", Flowey gawked.

"She didn't say what for, she did sound kinda... funny, though. Think we should head over?"

Toriel pondered. "Hmm... okay, but no funny business. If she tries anything on him..."

Frisk nodded.

Toriel dug up Flowey from the planter and placed him in his own pot, handing him over to Frisk.

"Be careful now, sweetie!" Toriel shouted as she saw Frisk go back inside to change out and leave for Alphys' lab.