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The flowers had already exhausted their magic, each sent sleepily back to their rooms to rest and replenish. They'd done so well! They'd been so brave!
Faintly, he was glad they weren't here to witness this. His choking, painful demise.
He was as exhausted as the rest of them. Sap had already been seeping into his clothes, staining the white sleeves a faint green. Sweat had already drenched him, and his chest had heaved with exertion. But he couldn't let them take Asgore. Not him.
A load of good it had done.
But he had tried.
And now he lay here, propped painfully against a tree of cherry blossoms, with his lower half detached from his top half. And Angel, did dying hurt.
He'd love one of Green's dishes right about now. A cake. That's what they'd last been working on. Something to please Asgore. A wonderful cheesecake, with thick pink icing slathered on top. Perhaps a bit too thick for his tastes, but Green put so much love into everything they cooked, and anyone could taste it.
Their healing magic couldn't help this time.
He felt himself shivering, twitching. Pain shot up every inch of his body. It was so hard to keep his eyes open. To keep his chest stuttering up and down.
He'd taught Aqua how to safely hold her knife. He wasn't sure where she got it from, but she was so attached! And it was such a treat to see their youngest so excited (even if she was excited by everything), he couldn't bare taking it from her. So he'd taught her knife safety. To always hold it by the handle, to keep her fingers away from the blade, and to angle it away from herself. The only time it was ever acceptable to touch the blade, was when handing it to someone else, and never ever along the sharp edge.
She'd been stubborn at first, insisting it was 'less fun', but he'd made it into a game, and it had stuck in the little one's head. He was quite glad he'd managed to do so before anyone got hurt. Because clearly, a good blade is infinitely more painful than he'd emphasised to her. Clearly, it could do more damage than he'd imagined.
Yellow would never forgive himself. Orange would cry that she wasn't strong enough. So untrue! If they'd there, exhausted as they were, exhausted as he was, they'd simply all be killed. He hoped they'd understand that, when this Dark World was gone, and they were all flowers again. His stem was ripped and destroyed in the Light World. Maybe Asgore could fix him, but Asgore was gone. Taken by the same being who'd done this to him. So he'd die. And he'd rot on the floor of Asgore's store until someone found him and threw him into the compost.
He'd rather it be him than them. Him instead of charming, niave Yellow, who just wanted to be a cowboy. Him instead of spunky, sensitive Orange, so, so much braver than she knew.
They could be saved, maybe. If Kris and Susie kept watering them. Kept tending to them. They had a chance.
Seth would be able to work something out. Always so dutifully studying, tearing through their books and jotting down information for later. If anyone could find care instructions for the kids, it would be them. Somewhere, somehow, they'd find just the right paragraph on soil ph and sunlight and hydration for their rare, delicate breed of flower. And he'd tell them how proud he was, how smart they were, until they ran off to share their findings.
But Seth was asleep in their room, recharging their magic and dreaming of bluebirds, and he was dying.
Never again would he get to see Blue twirl and prance on stage. He was stunning in his element. And Yellow's eyes would sparkle with adoration, and he'd tease both of them once 'Mr. Butterfly' had completed his routines.
Because he was dying, and it was a conscious effort to swallow down the sap in his mouth, to choke another harsh gasp into fluttering lungs. He'd closed his eyes at some point, and now they refused to open.
His sweat had turned freezing and his body shook, jolting agony ripping through all that was left attached. Sap still sluggishly pumped out of him, pooling where his lap would be, if his legs weren't severed from his torso.
The flowers would still be asleep, by the time Kris and Susie sealed the second fountain.
It was selfish to wish they could be here. He didn't want them to see him like this. Their day of life didnt need to be tainted. Not by his mangled body clinging to life.
But he desperately wanted Green's cooking. Aqua's laughter. Yellow's sheepish smile. Orange's strength. Seth's awkward storytimes. Blue's performances.
His little ragtag family. His siblings, so full of life and love.
A pattering of frantic footsteps to his left.
He managed, with an unreasonable amount of effort, to force open an eye (when had his eyelids grown so heavy?), to put on a horribly strained smile.
Ralsei skidded to his knees in front of him.
"Flowery!" His eyes were wide, glassy. "Flowery, say something!"
For just a moment, there's a warm, gentle sensation that cuts through the pain. But only for a moment. Ralsei sobs, tries again. There's nothing.
He works his mouth, swallows. He's sure sap is going to dribble down his face the moment he opens his mouth.
"…Raly."
Somehow, Ralsei seems even more upset. Poor guy. He knows Ralsei doesn't like him, so it's only more tragic that tears are dripping over his muzzle.
"…You know…" Angel, it's agony. "Your magic… Can't fix this… So… why?"
He's panting at the effort of a single sentence. He swallows down more sap.
"Because I… Because I have to try!"
He really does. He's sure Ralsei's paws are burning with how many times he casts his magic. They're certainly shaking.
Susie is next, and he's sure he heard her say his name, sure he saw her sink her knees directly into the sap, but her claws touch his wound and everything turns white.
A horrible choking sound comes out of him, eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched. He wants to kick and writhe, but of course, his legs are gone, so instead he tenses, curling in on himself as much as he can. He had already thought he'd been in agony, but clearly, he had no idea what he was talking about, because it's the worst thing he's ever felt, ever imagined, and Susie's hands jerk away.
He thinks she's apologising. Her claws are up and she has the most pained expression when he manages to slip his eyes open again, panting.
Kris stands there, as Kris does.
He pulls himself back to his senses, and Susie's hand is on his shoulder instead.
"I'm… I'm fine princess…" Because he thinks she asked if he's okay, and he isn't, but they both know that. "Just need… a little watering…"
Her expression is horribly pinched, like she's desperate to not cry. Ralsei has no such restraint, and paws that were previously casting healing spell after healing spell are pressed against his face.
It's awfully bleak.
The kids have seen worse than this. They will see worse than this. As much as he's for breaking the rules, this one is an inevitability. He'd rather they be here than the flowers, but he'd also rather no one be here, no matter how the selfish part of him is glad that he isn't dying alone.
He looks at Kris. He can't look at the other two. Their face is as blank as ever, though slightly pale.
He has to force himself to take another breath.
"Damn it… Flowers really are useless, aren't they? Th… They sit around beautifully, and then they… wither away." He goes for an award winning smile, but doubts he gets anything more than a grimace. "Now our caretaker is gone and we'll…"
Susie's claws dig into his shoulder, then quickly loosen.
"We'll… we'll take care of you!" Her voice is as shaky as he feels, and it's awful. He thinks about the flowers, how hard they'd tried to please Asgore. He cuts it off. He doesn't want to compare their desperation to hers. He can't stand it. "We'll give you light… and water… and stuff! A-and then we'll go and get Asgore back!"
She's so hopeful it hurts.
"Ha… Susie… how sweet."
The exhaustion is back, even worse than it has been. He's sure it's a bad sign, but it's hard to grasp the thought. He hates to break her heart.
"…Everyone, listen carefully."
He's mumbling now. He wishes he wasn't, but the words are slurring together in his mind and mouth. It's so hard to breathe now.
He's not sure what he's said, in all honesty. The last of the fight is draining out of him with his sap. But Ralsei reaches forwards, like he wants to offer a sympathetic paw but can't find a place to put it.
"You're… You're not useless, Flowery. Having someone to take care of… it gave Asgore purpose too."
In the back of his mind, he registers it as comfort, but frankly, everything's starting buzzing, and it's all blurring together. He's cold.
"Just being a flower… That's enough for him!"
He feels his mouth move. Feels Susie's hand give a final squeeze of his shoulder. Watches Ralsei's tearful smile. And then it's too much for his body.
It all fades.
… Next he's aware of, he's a flower again. No false image of humanity, but a weak, broken-stemmed plant.
There is tape wrapped around him, and a stick holding him up. The flowers are around him, all in their original forms, in their glass cases. Blue and Yellow are wrapped around each other in their shared dome.
And Kris is slinking out the back door, giving a final glance back.