Sunlight shone through the crack in the earth above, the only sign of warmth in the foreboding Underground. It felt nice, Flowey supposed, if he could actually feel anything. Still, it was better than staying in the desolate throne room, the only other room in the Underground where he could sit and sunbathe in relative comfort. The throne room held too many memories, of which Flowey had no eager need to relive.

"Someone has to take care of these flowers."

It wasn't all bad, Flowey supposed. While not technically an actual flower, his energy replenished whenever he napped in the sun. It served as an alternative to raiding whatever was in the fridge of the now empty houses. Their owners had left behind many useful trinkets in their frantic scurry to go to the surface and finally see the sun. He supposed the food would run out at some point, and he should conserve it, but it didn't stop him from eating whatever sugary treat he could find left behind in the fridges at Snowdin. Sugar tasted relatively nice, and sometimes it even made him feel like he could actually enjoy it.

"I don't want to break their hearts all over again."

The Royal Family was among the first monsters to leave. With human ambassador in tow, they no doubt were entrenched in homes on the surface. No humans came storming across the Underground to finish off monsterkind after the first few days, which made Flowey suppose they at least tolerated the monsters. Close friends to the returning Queen and Ambassador followed the royal family with frantic packing and a rush to introduce humanity to the long imprisoned monsters. When they didn't end up dead, more monsters followed.

"And in the end, everyone went free, right?"

There were few monsters left, and they were there only for short visits to pick up whatever they left behind in the move. As time carried on, those visits became shorter and shorter. Flowey was left free to move around however he liked. Nobody was left to stop him from doing whatever he wanted, which usually amounted to rereading old books and taking care of the flowers. The underground became empty with none of the idiots left to bother a flower.

Well that wasn't strictly true. There was one person who kept coming back...

"I told you you idiot! Don't you have anything better to do!"


The supplies were there in the backpack: Granola bars for snack, monster food in case of injuries, cell phone to call home in case of emergencies, box system attached to the phone to provide more food, and most importantly, an unused flower pot. Frisk was adamant in packing their usual supplies for the trip up Mt. Ebbot, and no force would be enough to stop them. After all, they were determined.

"Are you sure you want to do this my child? The mountain is far from here. What if you get hurt?" Frisk's adoptive mother, Toriel, placed a paw on Frisk's shoulder. "We can stay inside and read some books! I found a new one about exotic snails!" Toriel's eyes lit up in excitement.

* "No surprise that she would go with snails." *

Chara groaned, but affection sprang in their words. Frisk was the only one who could hear or see them, so they were busy making faces behind Toriel's back in the hopes of Frisk laughing. Chara's lack of visibility sometimes make it a bit awkward to talk to them, but they tried to keep themselves entertained.

Frisk shrugged their shoulders in resignation towards Chara before turning to Toriel and moving their hands to sign, "we can read later when I get home Mom."

Toriel bent down as she began to fuss over Frisk's backpack again. "I know dear child, but I still feel uncomfortable. Blame it on a poor old woman's worries, but I'd feel safer if someone went with you. What if you fall?"

"If I fall then I'll just have to free another long lost civilization Mom!" Frisk giggled as they moved Toriel's hands back and adjusted their backpack. "Besides. I can always call and have Sans pick me up!"

* "Oh great. Your backup plan is the lazy comedian." *

"You're just as bad sometimes. Need I remind you the time you took control and had a full pun war with Sans? Asgore looked like he was going to cry."

* "Half of those were yours!" *

Talking to Chara felt significantly easier than talking to others as they didn't have to worry about using sign language. While Frisk usually would sign when they were alone as a matter of habit, the fact they were sharing souls made communication easy.

Toriel unknowingly interrupted the two's dialogue when she stood up. "I know you don't want anyone to go with you, but why don't I drive you to the base of the mountain? It might actually save some free time for you later."

At Frisk's reluctant nod, Toriel moved to her room, no doubt to grab something before driving them. Frisk stretched in place as Chara floated in front of them with a raised eyebrow. Frisk ignored them, continuing their movements which worked for the approximate ten seconds before Chara took their ghostly hand and began waving it in front of their face.

* "Why did you let them know where you've been disappearing too all these evenings?" *

"I didn't want them to worry."Frisk moved to touch their toes to get blood flowing and in addition, take their attention off Chara's judging eyes. Now that their mother left, they could indulge in their habit of signing to Chara. Talking through their souls felt weird.

* "You could have said you were off with friends!" * They floated closer to Frisk. Frisk cast their eyes somewhere else.

"And when they checked with them? I don't like keeping secrets from them. I already helped Alphys with her secrets!. I know what they do, and I already have to keep the fact that I'm haunted by the ghost of my adoptive mother's dead child a secret!" Frisk signed. It was stressful to use their connection when Chara disagreed with them.

* "It would only be a disappointment to find out that I've been here the whole time" *

Frisk let out a breath more in disappointment than any actual breathing. "I'm sure Alphys would be able to help you!"

* "I'm working on a way to do it myself! Trust me. Until then, the only ones who need to know are you and Flowey. Your fault by the way." *

Frisk shot Chara a look. "He was calling me by your name as he repeatedly slaughtered us! He deserved to know!"

"What was that my child? I could not quite catch those hand signs, but you look agitated."'

Frisk blinked in a flurry of panic as they realized Toriel walked back into the room without alarming the two. "Nothing Mom!" They turned their head back to Chara and stuck their tongue out at them. "Can we get going?"


It made Chara far too happy to know when they broke the barrier, Asgore hadn't gotten the chance to name a new monster town some far too literal name like Monstertown.

They were still skeptical when the humans had, in fact, not slaughtered all of monsterkind for existing, but they supposed there was still time for murder. A variety of factors, such as the calm and poised ambassador of monster kind and lovable mascot named Papyrus convinced the humans to not shoot first immediately.

It helped when monsterkind's ambassador was an adorable child.

Frisk still couldn't convince Chara that everything would be fine. Whenever they did, Chara would bring up the insults and threats they suffered at school and around the town as they finished negotiations. Humans were a species who never changed, and Chara still remembered dying at the hands of humanity. Tell them that humans could change with Frisk being the exception.

Personal feelings on the fact that humanity was useless aside, Chara was pleasantly surprised when the human governments allowed monsters to mingle in the surrounding countryside and small town near the mountain. No one had been killed yet, which came as an unexpected relief to Chara who'd been expecting a full on genocide. Humans limiting themselves to petty crimes and insults was far better than anything they dreamed.

Moving out of the mountains was slow, but eventually, most monsters moved outside the mountain and many even moved farther out then the little country outside Ebbot town. Humanity was willing to not let monsters be confined once they realized they unknowingly imprisoned a species for centuries. Frisk performed their ambassador duties with an admirable fervor against the hate crimes and discriminatory laws that the people debated on. Their role was probably the only thing convincing humanity that monsters weren't all bad.

Chara knew the other shoe would drop at some point, but until then, they could rest and enjoy the fact that their family could finally see the sky.

Most of their family anyway.


Walking through the Underground was getting easier to do. When Frisk first fell, it would have taken days to trek through the new sights and sounds regardless of how many monsters tried to kill them. Now it only took a few hours with knowledge of a couple shortcuts and a brisk pace past the long abandoned houses and sights.

Chara always complained about the trip cutting into their free time on the surface, but the complaining was a pastime, to be honest, as they never once asked Frisk to stop making these trips. Once a week, during the weekends like clockwork. They'd go up Saturday or Sunday morning and hope to be down at some point to go to Toriel's newly established school. They were determined to keep the schedule.

Even if Flowey hated it.


They were back.

"I told you you idiot! Don't you have anything better to do!" Flowey turned around as a noise alerted him to Frisk's return. Despite having traversed the entirety of the underground and a mountain to boot, they were fine for wear. Their purple and blue sweater clung tight to their sides and occasionally they'd turn to adjust whatever new bandage they accumulated on the surface.

Flowey noticed, after Frisk's first few trips back to the underground, the number of bandages increased as the weeks progressed. They'd shrug and tell him it was because they would trip and fall a lot. Flowey didn't think so. Some of the bandages barely covered what was bruised skin and Frisk once come down the mountain with a visible black eye and stayed for the next few nights until they were sure it had healed completely with leftover monsterfood. Flowey was pretty sure you didn't get those from falling.

Frisk smiled as they caught Flowey observing them, waving their hands in a gesture of welcome. Flowey shook himself out of his thoughts before snarling in their direction. "Just leave already!" Frisk shook their head. Guess like they wanted to do this the hard way.

Flowey made sure to aim his friendliness pellets well.

Unfortunately for him though, Frisk was well used to the occasional murderous welcome. Without a moment of hesitation, they vaulted over the pellets. An irksome smile sprang to their face as they ducked a second wave and sidestepped a massive vine Flowey sent their way. Flowey only groaned as Frisk rushed forward and tapped his head.

Flowey sent one last lackluster volley of pellets Frisk didn't even need to jump to avoid. They landed and struck a pose, winking at the flower while sticking one of ther fingers in the air with a dramatic flair no doubt learned from the stupid fish's anime or Mettaton. "You tried less than usual today!" Frisk still smiled that irksome grin.

Huh. He guessed he did try a little less than usual today. He'd better fix whatever the kid was hoping. "Idiot! Don't think I'm giving up trying to kill you! You come barging in here again and again! One of these days, I'll actually finish the job!" He finished by shifting his face to a murderous grimace. "I'll kill you and all your friends! I'll destroy all of humanity and it will be all your fault!"

Less than impressed, Frisk raised an eyebrow. Flowey continued his murderous grin and for a few seconds, the two were at an impasse. Neither budged as they waited for the first person to break eye contact.

* "You two are both idiots" *

Flowey dropped his grin immediately as Chara's words came out of Frisk's little used mouth. "Chara! Do you want to finish where we left off?"

* "No."*

Flowey's petals drooped even though he expected the answer. "Yeah, thought so." He looked around for a moment before perking up. "Hey idiot! Where did you leave the watering can? I couldn't find it! I had to go all the way over to Home to find a new one!"

Frisk gazed around for a few seconds with brows furrowed in concentration. Where did they last put it? Flowey stifled a yawn as Frisk perked up and scurried over to a corner in the room he somehow missed. A watering can layed half overturned and completely empty. Frisk waved it to catch his attention before placing it right in front of him.

"Help me fill it." Flowey snapped and the two began walking over to the nearest monster house, now left abandoned since its previous owner moved to the surface. He silently watched as Frisk filled it.

* "You don't have to do this anymore. They're just flowers* "

"Bring it over to the flowers" Flowey ordered and used a vine to point out a familiar clearing right before the ruins started.

* "I'm serious. It's not important. Their hardy enough to last without being watered anyway." *

Next to him, Frisk slowly dragged the watering can past the area where Flowey once greeted the human. A meeting he didn't regret in the slightest, though he supposed it would be a lot more difficult to water the flowers without Frisk's help.

* "If you have the idea that I'm attached to this area because I happen to be buried here, you'd be wrong!" *

Still ignoring Chara, Flowey burrowed his way next to a patch of golden slightly bruised flowers and pulled Frisk's attention to them. "I tried watering them earlier, but I couldn't find the can. Why'd you put it over there anyway? Now I have to two watering cans which are impossible to use!" Flowey whined. Frisk only shrugged as their hands were full, and Chara was too busy protesting to talk for them. They carefully started pouring an even layer onto the flowers so all of them would get some water. Flowey would occasionally interrupt with a "missed a spot" or "someone like you can't even water flowers properly!" but for the most part, it was silent.

* "They are flowers. How many times do I need to tell you? I'm right here floating right next to you Azzy!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Flowey resumed his murderous grin and his vines tore through the soil. "Asriel is dead. He died because he couldn't muster the courage to save you and now you're a ghost!"

Flowey couldn't see wherever Chara's ghost was, so he did the next best thing and stared at Frisk with a killer's intent. Chara's words came spilling out of Frisk's unused mouth.

* "It is not your fault. You are not the one who suggested killing themselves in the first place."*

Frisk's arms came waving up and down in pointless gestures of anger as Chara took full control of Frisk.

Flowey didn't budge an inch as they got closer to him. "If Asriel had done something, you'd be alive and we'd be able to get to the surface years ago! We could have finished off humanity like you wanted!"

Frisk's body twitched. * "You are Asriel, and it is not your fault. Now you're just a flower who still refuses to go to the surface." *

"And ruin Frisk's happy ending?" Flowey scoffed pointing at Frisk. "Frisk keeps asking me to come up, but I can't because I'll kill all the humans who made you suffer." Flowey paused then his mouth twitched up in a grin.

"Unless that's what you want. Think about it. I promise not to touch a hair on your friends. We can go out and get a few souls and do what I should have done in the first place. Prove that in this world IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED!"

Flowey realized he'd risen up from the ground with his vines almost wrapped around Frisk's body as if to crush them. Chara didn't give an inch with the only difference being the intense stare of red eyes possessing Frisk's body temporarily caused.

* "Say we killed the humans the first time, *" They started, causing Flowey almost fall flat at the point blank aggression. * "I agree. They should all have died back there. But we wouldn't have stopped you know, so think of this. Would we have met and killed Frisk? They are technically human * "

Flowey growled. "That's different. Frisk is… tolerable. they're better than the rest, but that doesn't mean the rest of humanity isn't worthy of being killed off."

"Who's to say other people can't change. You and Chara changed, even if only a little." Frisk's hands showed they were the ones currently in control. "It's like Papyrus says. Anyone can become a good person."

"Didn't stop you from killing him," Flowey paused, and Frisk's eyes widened. Their arms wrapped around their chest, and they remained silent as Flowey continued. "Why so defensive? You know what you did. He trusted you. He believed you could change, and you killed him!"

* "Shut it Flowey.*" Chara nearly growled but Frisk began shivering, shaking their head and usurping control from Chara. * "That's in the past."

Flowey laughed. "You idiot! If killing them is justified because you fixed everything, then I'm a saint! The only reason you didn't finish the job was because Sans killed you around a few hundred times! You were close to finishing everyone!"

"Stop." Frisk hands shook as they signed it out.

Flowey gave a grimace. "If you want to pretend I've done nothing wrong, then you have to count out how you killed them all. You killed Toriel. You beheaded Papyrus like it was nothing! You killed your so called friends, then fixed it so they could be fine!"

"We fixed it"

* "We fixed it" *

The two's words came out in a meager if defiant cry. Flowey pushed forward. "Sure. Fixing things are great. Everyone does it! Asgore patches things up with humanity, you fix the world so you can pretend you have a home, and Toriel gets to pretend that her precious children were back from the dead-"

But Flowey couldn't finish as Frisk tore out of the room, backpack left behind and eyes flowing in tears. A few moments later, they were gone.

Huh.

Seems like the kid thing was a sore spot. He'd probably feel upset about hurting them if not for his emotionless husk of a soul. Maybe they'd finally give him some peace for once.

He was all alone.

Just like he should be.


It took a few minutes for Chara to calm Frisk down enough to stop running, but curling into a ball and sobbing was hardly any better. Chara used that productive time to imagine ripping off a certain flower's petals one by one.

Nothing lethal of course. Chara was well past those days of killing monsters, when they could be spending time hating humanity save Frisk. Frisk being an outlier and pretty okay in Chara's opinion. That being said, Chara planned to rearrange Flowey's face into a dusty pulp.

Did stabbing flowers count for increasing your LOVE?

Chara's ghostly form bent down next to Frisk who continued sobbing. Stress and the worries of integrating monsters onto the surface world took their toll on them. Their trip up the mountain should have been a place to rest, even with Flowey being a jerk. But what he said about Toriel was unforgivable.

* "Don't listen to him." *

Frisk's hands shook as they signed "But what if he's right?" Chara sent them a deadpan look. Frisk just shook their head and continued. "Mom knew all of the fallen children. What happens if they stayed? I'm just a replacement." Chara sighed and began to massage their temples. Being a ghost, it didn't really help.

* "She reads to you everynight, teaches your classes, and taught you how to bake that cinnamon and butterscotch pie you love. She never even let Asgore learn the recipe back when I was alive.*

Frisk sniffed and Chara decided to take a chance. They patted Frisk on the shoulder with an awkwardness derived equally from their dislike of humans and physical contact as much as their inability to actually touch anything. However, the sight of their hand going through Frisk's shoulder made the intention clear. Frisk's shaking stopped and their eyes widened it what only could have been determination.

Frisk stood up and began shaking the dirt off their clothes despite the ineffectiveness of the action. They waited for a moment before putting a smile on their face. "I'm better. I just needed to sit down."

*Whatever crybaby.*

Frisks eyes lowered at the phrase. "I don't want to see him again. Do you think Mom will mind if I just leave my backpack and go home until next week?'

*Probably. But that bag is only your spare.*

Frisk nodded before walking over to the nearest Save Point. They placed their hands on it and concentrated for a moment. "Do you think I'll need to use this again?" The turned to Chara who could offer only a shrug. Probably once humanity revealed their true blood red colors.

*Come on. Let's see if you can convince Toriel to make chocolate pie again.*

The two started the long trek to the surface world.

Author's Note

To clear some possible issues up, I used a few different things for dialogue.

Chara will use * "hello" * instead of proper quotations to indicate that they are speaking through Frisk's body or to Frisk. Speaking to Frisk will be in Italics.