Asriel gazed down at his now-dead sister. Her eyes were shut and her usual, cheery smile was gone. He heard his parents' footsteps thundering down the hall and he raised his head.
"Asriel!" Toriel cried as she stumbled into the throne room. Asgore wasn't far behind.
"My son... What's happened to you?" Asgore groaned.
Asriel put on a sad smile and looked up at his parents. The softness of the flowers beneath him comforted him some as he remembered watering them with Chara.
Chara's dead, you idiot! A voice in his head shouted at him. His smile faded and he looked down at the golden petals of the flowers, trembling. The light and joy inside of him died out, and it was replaced with hollow emptiness. It's kill or be killed. Understand?!
"Mommy... Daddy..." Asriel whispered as he looked back up at his parents. They rushed to his side as he began to fall, tears wetting the fur on Toriel's face. "I can't feel anything anymore..." his voice began to waver, and his shoulders began to quiver. "Chara..."
Asriel didn't let out another word as his body turned to dust, scattering itself across the throne room.
Asriel woke with a start, not being able to see or move. He tried to flex his arm, but found nothing in its place. He tried his other arm, his left leg, his right leg, nothing. He rolled his neck and spine- ah! At least those worked. He struggled to open his eyes or mouth, but to no avail.
"It's moving," came a familiar, muffled voice.
"The flower?" came another.
"Gaster! Gaster, it worked!"
"The DETERMINATION Experiment? Are you sure?!"
Thudding footsteps rushed towards Asriel. He shrank away.
"Great stars above!" the second voice exclaimed.
"It's moving, Gaster!"
Dr. Gaster? Asriel thought.
"Good job, Alphys!"
Alphys! I remember her... Asriel thought again. She told Chara and me about this experiment... she said it'd never work... why am I here, though?
"Can you speak, little flower?" Alphys said again.
Flower?! Asriel's mind screamed.
"Of course not, Alphys! It hasn't a mouth, nor eyes," Gaster chuckled reprovingly. Asriel felt a bony finger caress something on the side of his head- it felt like an ear, but he wasn't quite sure. "What lovely petals you've got, little flower."
"Maybe if I inject some more DETERMINATION..." Alphys grumbled.
Asriel felt a searing pain in the front of his skull, which caused him to tremble and jolt away from the supposed location of the two scientists.
"It experiences pain...? Interesting..." Gaster whispered. "I wonder if it can hear us. Little flower, move to the left if you can hear me."
Asriel obeyed, moving a bit to the left.
"Amazing!" Gaster cried out.
"It still hasn't got facial features. Or ears."
"Perhaps the petals act as ears?"
"Should I inject more DETERMINATION?"
"Give it time. After all, it took a few weeks for it to come to life."
Weeks? Asriel thought. Weeks?!
He heard the footsteps fade out with excited chatter from teacher to student about their latest success.
As they disappeared, Asriel opened his eyes and spread his mouth into a smile.
"Hello?" his shrill voice called out.
Thumps appeared from down the hall once more. Quick, loud steps.
"Did you just spea-?"
"Alphys?"
"You've got eyes! And a mouth!"
"Yeah, nice job noticing, genius."
"It understands sarcasm!"
"It?! What am I, some kind of lab experiment?"
"Yes...?"
"I'm a he, idiot."
"He, then. Oh, little flower, welcome to the Laboratory!"
"Yeah. It's a carnival down here," Asriel growled, rolling his eyes.
"Well, uh, little flower-"
"Would you stop calling me that, you idiot?!"
"I- uh, I mean-"
"Shut up!"
Tears welled up in Alphys's eyes.
"Oh, and now you're going to cry? What am I, your first experiment that didn't fail miserably?"
"I guess- uh, little flowey..."
"I told you to stop calling me that!"
"I didn't s-say flower!" Alphys snapped, glaring at Asriel.
"Go away," Asriel grumbled, turning away from the young scientist. She sniffled and walked off, dragging a clipboard behind her.
Flowey, he thought, reflecting on the conversation. Has a nice ring to it. Flowey the Flower.