Flowey was almost sorry for them. They really were the biggest idiot he had ever had the chance to meet. And that was a tall order to fill. He knew Papyrus.

Asgore's Soul snapped in half... and then broke into a thousand pieces. Gone.

Flowey laughed, emerging from the darkness. They didn't seem at all surprised to see him but he could see their jaw clench and the grip around the knife tighten.

"You couldn't have REALLY believed I'd let you be, did you?" Flowey taunted. "That killing me would make a DIFFERENCE?" He shook his head, too delighted. "And your threats? HA!" They could try to look menacing and foreboding as much as possible but he knew the truth. He had seen them sniveling like the pathetic idiot they were. "You'll Load. You'll come back! And each time so will I!" He tilted his head, sneering. "And as for a happy ending, well... Hahaha! Right. Let's just get this over with."

They shifted their stance, preparing themself mentally, knowing what was to come. They stood defensively, ready to strike back, even. They were so much like Chara... like that.

Flowey pushed the thought aside as the Souls rotated around him and began to be absorbed. He could feel them wriggling already in protest, but he chuckled.

There was no real point to doing this, the Souls would just rebel again. But Flowey thought that the human needed to be taught a lesson.

"I'll SAVE over your own death, just like before." He told them. "You can watch me tear you to bloody pieces!... Over, and over, and over..."

The human stepped forward and Flowey laughed even harder, the sound shaking the world around them.

They were an honest piece of work without all of the honesty. They would have almost been fun to play with if not for all their attempts to be serious. Psh.

He began his assault mercilessly. Perhaps he couldn't get their Soul this way but he could make their life a living hell. Well, living as a phrase. They were dying an awful lot.

What a pity.

It was all the same as before! Tearing them apart, the very same! Hahahahaha!

They really were an idiot. Thinking that they could do anything but get this ending with the way they were going! Ha!

Flowey tossed them about, raining bombs across their path.

For them to keep going about this way and then to try and lie about everything too.

Who did they think they were?

To say that he had been dead any longer than a few 'minutes'. Yeah right! And years? They wouldn't have the guts! At least not yet, they had a lot to learn. If they ever did.

They were an idiot after all. Flowey couldn't even comprehend how much.

But there was no way what they had shouted into the darkness of the Ruins had been true. No matter how adamantly their words had echoed, they couldn't get him to believe it.

After all, he had seen them kill Undyne and collapse into a sobbing mess only to take it back with nothing more than a phone call from that other idiot, Papyrus.

To say that they had killed him and then hadn't planned on coming back? That was preposterous. And even if they hadn't planned on it, they HAD come back. So their words and their actions didn't add up. That threat to kill him for real this time, that was all nonsense.

No matter what they tried... They were an idiot. Alone and helpless. Helpless! HOPELESS! WORTHLESS! IDIOT!

He tried to get one more death from them, just one more, even as the Souls tore him apart, but he couldn't. He gave up, dropping them. He laughed deafeningly.

It was all the same.

Neither of them had learned anything from this.

Flowey could barely lift his head but he managed to out of spite and smiled twistedly for them as he managed one more chuckle. They were picking themself up off of the ground, their limbs heavy with effort. They were noticeably shaking.

"Good job!" Flowey mocked. They lifted their head, tears already in their eyes. Ha... The pathetic loser. They had threatened and well, it was time to fulfill that threat! See if they could even get close to him.

Flowey knew they didn't have it in them. Sure to kill him, they had proved that. They could kill him. But no way could they manage to let themself walk away and have him stay dead. They were determined, sure. But they weren't determined enough. Not like Chara was. They couldn't hold even a candle to Chara. Chara would have been able to do it. To do what they had to in order to achieve their goals...

He hadn't had it in him at first, but he had in fact learned. The hard way, sure, but he had.

To Flowey's surprise, they did manage to move their legs and get closer to him. Their hand with the knife was shaking endlessly and their free hand moved to grip at its wrist to steady themself. Flowey's smile grew and his head flopped to the side as he struggled to keep it up.

"Well I'm waiting." He stated. "Killing me is the only way to end this, you know."

Golly was their face so endlessly pathetic as they continued to approach.

"If you let me live... I'll come back. I'll kill you. I'll kill everyone. So you better, totally, fulfill that promise right? Hahaha..."

Something shifted in their stance. The threat to kill everyone had worked like a charm to frighten them down to their core.

"Please..." They whispered, looking pale. Flowey was only encouraged.

"I'll kill everyone you love..." He confirmed.

And that was his trump card. Because they loved their friends. They would come back each time for that. They were miserably predictable. Not like Chara. Chara he could never predict.

The human swallowed and stood up straight, towering over him. The tears were still in their eyes and a few had escaped down their cheeks but even so... something... had started to harden within their gaze. And he saw something... Something familiar.

Chara, he thought involuntarily. The human was lifting the hand with the knife and Flowey felt... felt something he hadn't in a long time...

The human was absolutely terrified, they couldn't mean it. They couldn't.

B-But...

Why did he feel...?

Why..."

Flowey was starting to shake as he saw the grip on the knife tighten.

"want to test me again...?" They had said. "do you want to see if you'll come back this time?"

What if he was wrong? What if...?

Flowey found himself cowering as the knife lifted over their head.

They didn't mean it.

They couldn't.

But the look in their eyes...

He couldn't be imagining it. Asgore had said he had seen it too!

Chara?

They were taking a deep breath and holding it, he could feel the intent rising within them. It wasn't exactly violent, but at the same time... firm. Determined.

The arm began to-

"WAIT!" Flowey screeched. "What if I told you how to get a better ending?!" Flowey had closed his eyes tightly and had lowered his head so to not see the blow coming. But he heard them stagger and he felt the distinct LACK of a knife cutting through him. Flowey opened one eye and peered at them. Once he could see that they were frozen in place, still holding their breath hopefully... Flowey lifted his head back up and tried his best to smile. As if he hadn't just basically begged for his life.

Now he could see the torn feelings in their gaze and he wondered what it was that he had been so afraid about. The idiot wanted to believe him. Of course they couldn't bring themself to fully trust him. That was understandable. That was the first non-idiotic thing that he could understand from them. But they just looked so pathetic and desperate.

They tried to hide it finally. They kept the knife raised, ready, but Flowey no longer felt the need to cower. They would accept any nugget he offered them. But they tried to speak with an even and firm voice.

"You have ten seconds to convince me not to kill you..." They were trying so hard to not seem as shaken as they were, but it only made it worse. Because despite their attempt to be reserved, their voice had been too hopeful. Maybe they couldn't trust him, but he had offered them the very thing they desired most.

"Well now, don't you have some faith in your good friend-"

"One. Two-"

"Why don't you go see Dr. Alphys?" Flowey asked. They were rigid still, seeming not sure what to make of his statement. Flowey's smile widened. "It seems like the two of you could have been better friends."

"... What does that have to do with anything?" They asked. Flowey tilted his head again.

"You should go and see," was all he said.

Their eyes narrowed dangerously, but he still remembered the tears that had been there not even minutes ago. Their were still red streaks across their cheek.

"Come on." Flowey pushed. "It's not like you don't have the time. What's the worse that could happen? And that is what you came back here for, isn't it? To get a better ending? For your precious friends? Besides, I think you've noticed something is up with Alphys, haven't you?"

They didn't deny it. They were deathly grave and silent.

"And if I am lying somehow, well... See you later."

Flowey tucked beneath the earth before they could think things through fully.

He emerged surrounded by darkness and he watched them from afar. They had a hand over their chest, trying to catch their breath.

Flowey scoffed.

How could he have been so scared of them? Even for just a moment? They were nothing. They didn't have it in them. Not like Chara had.

Chara...

The world blipped and he was watching them stand outside of the garden, Asgore safely inside with his watering can.

The human stood up straighter, their expression determined once more.

Chara... They really did remind him of Chara at times, didn't they?

Flowey caught the gleam of the locket against their chest. At first he had been enraged that they had taken it. It didn't belong to them. But... What if...?

It would be pretty unpredictable of Chara to pretend to be that pathetic.

Flowey hummed but continued to think ahead. He had plans to work out, but he knew exactly where to start.