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Simon frowned as he gently lifted the drooping leaves from their pot, his heart sinking with each wilted stem. Despite his best efforts—adjusting the light, adding a humidifier, trying different fertilizers—the company-sanctioned office plant seemed determined to wither away. He wasn’t exactly a gardening expert, but he knew the basics. Yet, even his daily lunchtime pep talks were proving futile. With a resigned sigh, he flopped back into his chair, feeling oddly defeated by the tiny green life slipping away.
"Maybe if I had a damn window…" he muttered, staring wistfully at his blank office wall. The plant had been a nice gesture, a touch of greenery to brighten up his cramped cubicle, but giving him something he couldn’t properly care for seemed almost cruel. On second thought, it felt perfectly in line with how this office operated—setting up challenges just to watch people struggle.
“You’re missing out on company lunch for what exactly~?” The smooth, low voice behind him made Simon jump, nearly knocking over his chair as he spun around. There stood his supervisor, Norman, as silent and imposing as ever. Simon was pretty sure the man took pleasure in sneaking up on people; the amused glint in his dark eyes certainly suggested it.
Straightening up, Simon offered a nervous smile. “H-Hi, sir. Sorry, I was just about to head over.”
“Oh, that’s good to hear! Manuel made a quiche, and he’s very eager to share it with our newest employee.” For a fleeting moment, something almost sinister flickered across Norman’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. “Yet here you are, keeping him waiting. What could possibly be more important~?”
Simon wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, embarrassed to admit the truth. “A-Ah, it’s my plant…” he stammered, scooting his chair aside to give Norman a better view. The taller man leaned in, scrutinizing the sad little plant with a tilt of his head.
“Aww, what a shame. Well, it seems as though you're giving it a lot of attention. Impressive, a lot of other employees would have conceded by now~” Norman observed, lifting the plant from its corner with surprising gentleness. “Have you named it?”
Simon blushed, caught off guard by the unexpected question. “Uh, yeah, I named it…”
Norman eyed him briefly, his smile growing. “Oh? Well, that’s the kind of dedication we value around here~ Come with me.”
Simon hesitated, then sighed and followed as Norman led the way to his office. He couldn’t help but wonder what the man had in store.
He didn’t expect this.
Plants, everywhere, all different types and variegations, and all thriving in their enclosed environment. It was almost like a serene jungle. Simon’s jaw dropped. How the hell had he never noticed this? He’d been in here before, and Norman even had a glass office wall facing the cubicle space. Yet, somehow, on the other side of the glass, there were no plants in sight.
Figures, more strange stuff in this even stranger building.
“H-How—“ Simon glanced at Norman, noticing a small amount of amusement in his smile. He really liked messing with him, didn’t he? The shorter male watched as his supervisor placed his little plant in front of the large office window; he would have gone over there himself, but the sight of that height drudged up some bad memories.
“What did you name it?”
Simon, brought back to reality, scratched the back of his head, letting out a nervous laugh. “Ah ha, I’m not super creative with names, so since it’s a Chinese money plant, I just decided to name it Lucki. Who knows, maybe it will actually bring me a little luck like they’re supposed to…”
Norman watched him carefully, nodding at his response. “I’m sure it will. After all, all of the company-sanctioned plants come from my own collection, so they start strong~ It's an effort I personally started.”
Simon looked around again, unsurprised. “I certainly believe that. Why did you start, though?”
Norman glanced at him, “Hmm~?”
Simon met his gaze, genuine curiosity coloring his features. “I mean, you seem all about production and pushing people to their limits—“ That was putting it lightly. “—you don’t seem like the type to appreciate any time wasted, especially on something like gardening.”
Norman raised an eyebrow. “I see…” The man seemed to contemplate his words, his eyes and smile softening—a rare sight to see. “While I highly value our company’s status and quality of work, another important aspect to growing and sustaining a business is the growth of your own workers…” Simon watched as his supervisor picked up one of his plants, a tiny cactus perched on his desk. “Little projects like this give employees an additional layer of responsibility and task management. With care and conscientiousness, they will see this task grow and flourish, just like they do. Companies are like plants: complex networks of root systems, carefully crafted to produce a lively structure strengthened by the very system beneath the soil, all sprouted by a single seed. People themselves are similar.”
Dark eyes flicked up to meet Simon’s, smiling back at him. “Growth—physically and metaphorically—takes effort, and I trust every hire that the effort I put into this system to bring them in will not go to waste.” Looking back at the window, Norman reached out, plucking little Lucki off the large windowsill and returning her to Simon, along with a few more items. “A small grow light and some proper fertilizer—” Before the shorter male could back away a hand reached out, taking hold of Simon's chin and tilting it up. His supervisor leaned in dangerously close, causing the other to blush at his smooth whisper. “Don’t let your efforts, nor mine, go to waste~”
With that, he returned to his seat. Simon blinked, momentarily processing everything before trying to will the blush off his face. Norman held up his small cactus to the sun, examining the plant. “Off you go now~ Lunch is almost over.”
Simon hesitated at the door, then glanced back at Norman, “What’s that one’s name?”
Norman looked back, a small smile playing on his lips. “Oh, this one? A new favorite of mine. Small, cute, and hardy with a good defense.” He set the cactus down, resting his chin in his hands, his smile growing a little wider. “Naturally, I thought to name it something to properly match its attributes—” His eyes held a certain amused fondness. "So of course it had to be Simon~"
Oh. Oh.
The ravenette couldn’t help the blush that spread from his cheeks to his ears. It was unlikely he’d be able to will this one away anytime soon.
Norman chuckled, seemingly satisfied with Simon's flustered state. “You’re dismissed, Mr. Del Rosario. Enjoy your food~”
Nodding frantically, Simon stammered, “Y-Yes, thank you for your help, sir.” With that, he was gone, face still alight.
Through the glass wall, Norman’s eyes followed every stumble toward the lunchroom. A new favorite indeed~