Chapter Text
The bell of the door rings as Tim props it open, a warm breeze brushing in past the edge of the threshold. He flips the sign from “closed” to “open” and settles back in to start his daily routine.
The first thing he does is go to his problem shelf: the plants that aren’t healthy enough to be on the floor. He examines each one carefully, cutting back any rot or fungus with a pair of sanitized shears. All in all, his problem shelf is relatively small compared to the rest of his shop, and he maintains a sense of pride about it. There’s a small joy to be found in nursing something back to life, but keeping his plants happy always seems to be contagious to him as well.
He moves on to his healthy plants, a vast array of anything from xanthosomas to calatheas, alocasia to succulents. Each one a display of the time and care that he puts into them.
He’s mixing fertilizer when a customer walks in, someone he hasn’t seen before. While most of his customers only visit once, he has a few usuals. This man, however, has a demeanor Tim would definitely remember.
The first things that Tim notices about him are the piercings: eyebrows and snakebites, and ears adorned with every piercing imaginable. His blue eyes are brought out by the black leather jacket he has on, and his jet black hair is dark enough to match Tim’s own. He’s about Tim’s age, but he dresses like he’s younger. Tim would be lying if he said the man wasn’t attractive.
“Anything you’re looking for in particular?” Tim asks, putting on his best smile.
The man shrugs, and by the look he gave Tim, Tim can tell that he’s probably in the wrong place.
“I was looking for a bouquet of flowers, actually,” the man says, glancing around the shop. “Do you do bouquets?”
Tim shakes his head, putting on a sheepish smile. “We aren’t that kind of plant shop, I’m afraid. But there’s one a few blocks away if you’re in need.”
“Nah,” the man says, waving his hand. “It’s probably a sign that my girlfriend won’t want me back anyway. Well- ex-girlfriend I guess.” Girlfriend, of course.
“While we don’t deal in love troubles,” Tim says, putting on a light laugh, “getting a nice plant always makes me feel better.”
“And what would you recommend,” the man says, leaning in close enough that Tim feels his breath stall and his heart flutter. He clears his throat, backing away.
“Well, for plant beginners, I would recommend a pothos or a snake plant. We have a wide range of varieties, but the price really depends on variegation and reproducibility. Some of them we raise from node propagation or tissue culture, which are going to be your least expensive ones, but some other plants we seed ourselves or grow from corms. But the ones that we source out are definitely going to be our most expensive. Succulents are also pretty decent for beginners, but you have to make sure that the soil is well draining and… and I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Tim flusters, busying himself with moving a few plants on the shelf.
“What’s this one,” the man asks, pointing at one of the shelves, apparently unphased by Tim’s word vomit.
“That’s the- uh… the blushing philodendron,” Tim says, hearing himself stumble over the words. Everything about him is setting Tim on edge, flustering him until the point where Tim can barely keep it together. He needs to reset, so he takes a deep breath, and puts back on his customer service voice.
“It can be kind of tricky to take care of for beginners, but if you keep it in bright, indirect light, it’s really only about keeping track of soil moisture.”
“I’ll take it,” the man smiles, letting Tim ring him up at the register. Tim packages the plant carefully as the man says, “Maybe my girlfriend will like a live plant better.” And something twists within Tim.
“I’m sure she’ll love it,” he says, and watches the man walk out the door.