A Purpose in Bloom { Flowey x Reader }

Chapter 9

FLOWEY POV

"Woahh," Y/n breathed, their eyes glittering in wonder. I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing them get so amazed at the simplest things. "This place is so cool! It's all science-y and mechanical. It must've taken so long to build."

"It took decades, not including all of the failed prototypes," I told them. "It was made by the former Royal Scientist."

"It's awesome..."

I turn around and lead them through the rest of the long hallway. Occasionally I turn my head around and check to make sure they're still following; their footsteps are as light as a petal.

Eventually we reached the end of the hallway, and entered the next room. This is the place where I lurked in the shadows for so many timelines, watching the human battle Mettaton. Every time was a little different; sometimes the human would dance with the robot, others they would hit him over and over until he finally broke down beyond repair. And then there were times when Mettaton took on a different form, his "NEO" form. He was the one final obstacle standing before them, the last enemy before they had to battle the infamous Sans. Every timeline where Mettaton took this form resulted in his death.

Y/n didn't say anything during our short stay in the room. Without the blaring music and bright, flashing lights, it was a quite dark and uninteresting place. We moved on fairly quickly.

Finally, we reached the elevator that would take us to the bottom floor of the CORE.

"Are we gonna get in this elevator?" Y/n asked.

"Yes," I replied. "The rest of the CORE is pretty much just the same; it's all just wires and pipes and mechanical stuff that I don't understand. There's no reason for us to go the long way to the first floor."
"Oh," they sighed. "I understand."

I felt a small prick of guilt at their disappointment. I know they were excited to see the rest of the CORE. But, it brings back too many painful memories for me. I'm not ready to go back there again, not yet.

"Y/n, can you press that button beside the elevator for me? I can't summon my vines here."
"Sure!" they agree. How they can switch from sad to cheerful in, like, half a second, I'll never know.

I follow Y/n as they step into the elevator, just a foot or two ahead of me. The elevator doors whizzed closed, and shortly after the elevator eased into its decent.

Sigh.

No matter how hard I try, I just can't get these memories out of my head.

It was around a year after I first became a flower. I had finally come to accept the fact that I would never be able to feel again; I had no soul, I couldn't feel love. My own parents couldn't make me feel whole. I decided that without emotion, without love, continuing to live any longer was pointless.

So I came here, to the CORE. I knew that a fall from one of the many catwalks of the CORE into the bright white expanse below could instantly end my life; after all, this place was designed to create an obstacle for fallen humans in addition to its main purpose of powering the Underground.

And so I did it. I jumped. It was kind of surreal, really. Time seemed to stop completely as I soared through what seemed like a never-ending expanse of whiteness. And then I realized. I realized what I'd done, and I screamed. I screamed and cried and thrashed my leaves through the air, desperately trying to save myself. I tried to summon vines to catch myself, I couldn't. I tried to move my petals in a way that would allow me to glide to safety, I couldn't. I called for help, but nobody came.

I didn't want to die.

And then everything went to black. My body went numb, and the only thing I could see was an endless expanse of darkness. I tried to move, but my body was gone.

And then something caught my eye. I saw it, for the first time ever. Two rectangular boxes, glowing in the void. The one on the left read "continue." The one on the right read "reset."

Somehow, even without a body, I managed to connect with the right box, and then, suddenly, everything was gone. A bright flash of light, a splash of yellow and green, and then I awoke.

I was back in my father's garden, the very place where I had woken up for the first time.

Behind me, a broad figure emerged from an entrance at the end of the room, approaching me at a rather slow pace.

"My, my," it said, crouching before me. "A flower with a face! How curious. I've never seen such a thing."

That's wrong. This had happened before. All of it, word for word. How could my father not recognize me?

Oh. That's right. I died, didn't I? I died, but I came back to life. And now I'm back where I started. Everything was wiped clean. I was given another chance, a brand new start.

This time, things would be different. I would find a reason to live. I can still have a purpose even without a soul, right? I'll find a way. No matter what it takes.

And I never did. I never found that purpose I was willing to sacrifice so much for. Here I am now, thousands of timeline later, standing in an elevator with a human I barely know. Thousands of timelines, thousands of chances, and I still couldn't find a reason to live. Pathetic, isn't it?

"Flowey?" Y/n was gazing down at me, concern etched across their face. "Are you okay? You looked really sad, and. . . I- I know that it's not fun to feel sad."

This human. They cared about me? They took the time to ask if I was okay. They were genuinely concerned about me. Someone cared enough to ask me if I was okay. That- that's something that hasn't happened to me in many, many years.

They don't deserve to be burdened with my problems. It's not their responsibility to worry about me, and I have no right to make it such.

"I'm just kind of cold," I lied, coming up with the best possible excuse I could make up. "It's, uh, kind of a thing with flowers."

Before I could even react to what was happening, I was swooped off of the floor, my roots dangling in the air.

"Hey-wha-"

I cut myself off as Y/n nuzzled me against their chest. It's so warm. Warmer than anything I've ever felt. Warmer than the sun. Warmer than the fireplace I would always bask in front of as a small child. It's the kind of warmth that could make all pain melt away. It's a nice kind of warm.

"I can tell when someone's sad," Y/n whispered, their head pressed against mine. "I've been sad enough times to know when someone else is. I know what it feels like."

At this point, I don't care to lie anymore. Maybe it's selfish- it's not like I'm well-known for selflessness, after all. But right now, in this moment, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

Y/n snuggled me closer, their arms hugged tightly around my stem.

"You can tell me anything, Flowey," they breathed. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Best friends," I whispered.

Ever-so-gently, Y/n released their grasp on me, and placed me back on the floor of the elevator, which had now come to a complete stop.

"Thank you, Y/n."

They simply smiled in response, their gaze as warm as their soul.