The Gardener 2

Thomas wipes the sweat from his forehead with his thick forearm. Though for once he isn’t wiping away the sweat of hard work, but of nervousness. He stares up at the clock on the wall, 5:59.
Outside of the clear doors to The Home Depot® there is a garden of green and and bright colors that seem to blow in the wind, or more likely blowing kisses. The parking lot is full of girls of the plant species, alraunes, mandragoras, matangos, all sorts of leafy girls.
“Are you ready Mr.Thomas?”
A woman in business casual dress asks after radioing security. To be honest, Thomas was not ready at all. It took every ounce of his being to come here to this meet and greet. Though Thomas was easily guilted into it, and after puking for an hour before coming here he finally overcame his stage fright. Even if he’s bad with people, there is a piece inside of him that’s happy to meet the fans who watch his show...even if it was recently revealed to be for other reasons than he thought...
“Alright buddy, we’re about to open the door. Have fun!”
The girl pats Thomas’s shoulder as he straightens his polo and brushes his khakis. The doors are open and immediately the plants make their way inside as they rush towards the table Thomas is sitting behind. Luckily the security detail is able to keep them at bay as they motion at the weed killer in their belt and make sure they’re lined up properly. The assistant brings forward the first fan, a cactus girl with a beautiful flower in her green hair. Thomas clears his throat and nods his head at the cactus girl.
“Hello miss, thanks for coming.”
“Thomas! You’re so much bigger in person! Oh my god!”
She quickly grabs Thomas’s hand as he gives her a firm handshake.
“Um, thank you for watching my show, I hope I can continue to make more content you’ll enjoy in the future.”
“Psst!”
Thomas looks over to see the staff assistant make a writing motion with her hand, immediately alerting Thomas of the pictures and pen beside him. Thomas’s eyes bulge as he sees what his pictures are. He was never self aware until the callers from the episode a few weeks back, but these pictures are actually quite...Sensual maybe? This was taken from an episode a couple months back during the summer when the greenhouse was so hot he had taken off his shirt, his body covered in fertilizer and sweat as he held a hose at crotch level covering one of his ferns in water.
“T-This...”
“Thomas, big line, hurry!”
The staff whispers as he gulps and signs the photo.
“U-Um, it looks like this is the only picture we have-”
“It’s perfect! I love you Thomas!”
The cactus bends over and kisses Thomas on the cheek, his face glowing bright red as security pulls her away and escorts her out.
The next girl has long shaggy, wet leaves that go down her back as she stares at Thomas with a dopey smile.
“Yoooo! Thomas, ‘suh man.”
“Hello miss, it’s rare to be able to see sea plants, would you happen to be Laminariales? You must have come a long way.”
“Shya man, came in from the west coast best coast. Was hopin you’d sign my board Thomas-brah.”
Thomas smiles and nods as she places her board on the table.
“Actually, we’d like to keep it at just the photos!”
The staff interjects but Thomas dismisses it.
“It’s fine, she came a long way afterall, she deserves it.”
Thomas signs the board and smiles.
“By the way, you have beautiful blades, you must make sure your nutrient levels are healthy.”
“Wanna feel?”
She grabs a hold of her knee length hair and holds it out for him, Thomas rubs the leaves between his fingers, slimy.
“Very healthy, it’s great to be able to interact with something like this. Thank you so much miss.”
“Well brah, if it’s an interaction you want, I can ride more than just waves-”
“Get out of here, come on.”
Security takes her out of the line as the next girl walks up, or more appropriately, hops up.
The short mushroom dances on each foot as she looks up at the gardener with a wide smile, her large cap and frilly limbs look cute on her smell, yet voluptuous form.
“H-Hello.”
“Oh hello there, wow a member of the Russula emetica, such a beautiful cap.”
Thomas smiles at the largest mushroom he’s ever seen.
“T-Thanks!”
She blushes as she points at her head.
“C-Could you...Sign it?”
Thomas leans over and signs her head with a smile.
“P-Picture?”
“Oh! Sure.”
He asks the staff member who reluctantly takes a camera and aims at the myconid and gardener who squeezes in next to the mushroom.
“C-Can I sit on your lap?”
Thomas helps her up as she crawls up, his innocence does not prepare for her playful wiggling on his crotch from her squishy and voluptuous derrière. She breathes heavily before the flash of the camera goes off, though she doesn’t hop off right away.
“Miss, the photo is taken, please get off of Mr.Thomas.”
Thomas is frozen with a red face as the mushroom smirks and walks away. Though he quickly is shaken awake by the next girl in line.
Thomas is tackled over as slimy tentacles rub and caress him, a series of kisses pepper his face before a tentacle plant is roughly removed from him.
“I love you Thomas!”
He wipes the sludge from his face before shaking himself awake.
“You alright!?”
The staff assistant asks in concern.
“Y-Yeah.”
Thomas gulps before sitting back in his chair.

At 3 pm the line has shrunk to the final group of girls. Thomas is a mess, his polo is torn in multiple spots and covered in grass stains as his khakis are covered in all sorts of nectars, thorns, slimes, and spores. His hand is cramped from signing so many things as he leans back into his uncomfortable chair. It was nice to see how many people enjoy his show, but Thomas is exhausted. Never in his life has he had to deal with this many people.
“Last group.”
A pat on Thomas’s shoulder brings him back into reality as a small, green girl in a pot peeks at him behind shaggy leaves. She’s being rolled forward in a dolly as one of the employees sets her down.
Thomas and the plant stare at each other in silence for a long while. They’re both apparently socially awkward as they aren’t sure how to start the conversation.
“Come on Thomas, don’t scare her.”
A kick of his chair causes him to jerk.
“Ah! Hello there. I’m Thomas...Probably knew that...Thanks for watching my show.”
The mandragora blushes as her leaves rustle.
“Y-You too...”
A weak whisper comes from the girl. Thomas’s eyes take in her form as his smile falters.
Her leaves are drooping and some of her stems are cut at the tip as her various leaves look slightly torn and her body bruised. Her green tint is a dark color and her flowery hair dangles lifelessly in dark red clumps instead of the usual bright beauty of a rose.
“Here...”
Thomas hands her an autographed picture and she leans forward to take it, but before she can reach it, she falls forward onto the floor and spills out of her pot.
Quickly, Thomas leaps over the table and picks her up, her roots are dry to the bone and stringy as she feels so wilted and fragile.
With haste Thomas rushes through the Home Depot® to the garden center. Thomas lays her gently next to the sprinklers before grabbing a large pot and ripping open a bag of fertilizer and soil, dumping them both in before mixing them. He dumps water into the soil as he stirs, making sure it’s damp but not drowned.
The gardener heaves the pot to the passed out girl before picking her up and setting her inside, making sure her roots are spread and given room to grow inside. He picks up the pot, letting her body rest against his as her head bounces on his shoulder.
“I need to get back to my apartment fast!”
“You heard the man! Get him in the car!”
The security escorts Thomas home where he climbs the steps three at a time before kicking open the door to his greenhouse.
He finds a warm spot and puts her directly into the sun.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he gets to work. Taking a pair of cutters, he removes the brown spots on her vines and leaves before cupping water to rub onto her arms and legs, gulping as he covers her front and back with a blush. Already the mandragora looks a much lighter shade of green and soon she wakes up.
“Thank god! Are you feeling alright? I have some plant food nearby, or perhaps normal food if that’s better?”
The green girl panics for a moment at the strange place.
“T-Thomas!? W-Where am I!? What happened!?”
He hands her a glass of water.
“You passed out at Home Depot®. My body just moved on my own and I brought you back to my place. I hope that’s ok.”
The mandragora’s eyes bulge as she realizes where she’s at.
“I-I-I’m in your greenhouse!?”
Her face glows red as she makes herself as small as possible.
“I can’t believe it.”
She whispers to herself as she sips gently on her water. Thomas looks at his wrist with wide eyes.
“Oh shoot! It’s about that time!”
The Mandragora stares at the man’s haste as he cleans his tables and checks himself in a dirty mirror.
“Um, are you ok?”
“Oh! It’s about time for the show. I gotta get ready. Are you alright for a little bit?”
She nods as her withered hair shakes lifelessly.
“Are you sure? Don’t push yourself. I can cancel if you need taken care of.”
Never once has Thomas canceled an airing of his show, the significance of this doesn’t pass the girl as she quickly shakes her head.
“Y-You can’t! Too many girls are waiting excitedly for it!”
“Well...Alright, but tell the cameraman if you need me. I’ll be right back.”
The cameraman walks in right after Thomas leaves as the cameraman sets up the equipment with his small crew.
“Um, are you going to be on the show Miss...?”
The mandragora hides behind her wilted petals as she shakes nervously.
“I-I hope not! I don’t want to make his beautiful show so ugly.”
The cameraman shrugs before helping setup the stream. The mandragora looks around as she sees the fabled plants. Each one is beautiful and well grown, the smells and the humidity of the greenhouse is perfect as she shivers in joy.
“Did I die and go to heaven?”
She looks at the table she was sat next to as she sees the famous trowels, water cans, and tools from the show. Some of them look freshly used, that’s when she notices her pruned body.
“H-He took care of me!? So embarrassing!”
She blushes brightly as she covers herself, only becoming more red as the door opens to reveal a warmly smiling gardener.
“Alright. Never had a guest on my show. Could be fun.”
He says with a nervous chuckle.
“I-I can’t be on the show, I’m all wilted and gross...”
“Hm? I think you’re beautiful.”
They both blush at each other brightly.
“I-I mean y-your...Ahem.”
Thomas tries to explain but instead attempts to move past it instead.
“What’s your name miss?”
“M-Maggy.”
Thomas holds her soft hand as he shakes it, his calloused hands bringing a warmth over Maggy’s body as he smiles.
“Let’s work hard together today.”

The camera crew snickers and packs up their gear as they wish a good day to Thomas and Maggy. During the show they were both a nervous wreck, Maggy was star struck and Thomas couldn’t stop being distracted by the mandragora. Eventually he made an entire segment where he studied her, only making the embarrassment worse for both of them.
Now Thomas is focusing on trying to nurture and help Maggy.
“Don’t take this the wrong way but, you’re awfully...Erm...I’m not really good with people especially g-girls...”
“U-Ugly?”
“N-No! I mean uh, unhealthy? You were in really rough shape. Aren’t you getting the nutrients you need?”
Maggy hides behind her wilted, red hair as she mumbles.
“I never learned how to take care of myself. Whenever I find a nice spot in the city I’m always thrown out, as if I was a weed. The few spots I’ve been able to stay don’t get much sunlight. I’ve thought about leaving the town and living in nature but I don’t know where I should go, and mandragora’s can’t move very well.”
Thomas curses something under his breath.
“A weed? I would be honored to have you in my garden. Don’t you have family or friends?”
She shakes her head.
“W-When I was small, my mom died to blight. My father was so devastated that...I’ve been alone since I was a sprout.”
She sniffles as her dehydrated body is unable to produce tears. Thomas’s heart winces, a plant with such a rough life without nurture, and a girl with nobody.
“I hope it’s not insulting but, if you want, you can stay here. I’ll take care of you until you want to leave.”
“H-Huh?”
Maggy stares up at him wide eyes.
“There’s no way I can do that! You’re my hero! I lo-...The last thing I wanted to do was see you. You’ve done more than fulfilled my wish. If I was to wilt away now I would be ha-”
“Don’t say that! I wouldn’t be happy! Will you please let me take care of you?”
Thomas shouts this time in earnest. Maggy jumps in embarrassment as she looks at the ground.
“U-Um...I don’t know what to say.”
“Then it’s settled.”
Maggy is startled as she feels her pot lifted below her, her arms flailing until wrapping around the sturdy body of Thomas. Finding a comfortable place, Thomas sets her down in a deep bed for small trees.
“That should be enough room to completely submerge if you want to. I’ve made sure the soil is healthy and it should have the right amount of humidity and heat for a mandragora like you, but I’m sure you each have your own preferences.”
“I-It’s great!”
She stutters in happiness.
“If you need more water, here. If the soil needs more water, then here.”
He sets down a bottle and a watering can beside her.
“I’m going to let you rest. Sorry for working you on my show.”
He scratches his neck with a nervous laugh.
“N-No! Thank you so much! For everything!”
They both smile and blush at each other in silence before Thomas lets out a quiet bye and escapes out of the greenhouse.
The tired and lonely Maggy finally gets to enjoy a healthy and warm dirt nap, rest she’s needed for such a very, very long time.