crush imagines (he/him crush)

plant

I squinted into the extensive parking lot, the sun blinding my cinema-accommodated eyes as I took a final slurp of my cherry ICEE. C/N, finally returning from the bathroom, appeared next to me. He immediately straightened my jacket and hair. 

"Thanks," I said, still getting used to the sudden light. 

"Of course," he replied. We both glanced around for a while, groggy and disillusioned, as other viewers weaved around us. We had around an hour to kill before we needed to get home and make dinner, and the area around the theater was a bustling business district, full of cute little shops and street vendors. 

Once I'd thrown away my ICEE, we took off down the pedestrian road, wandering with no destination and chatting about the movie. I stopped to peer through the windows of a witchcraft shop, and without prior notice, he tugged me inside. 

He asked my opinion about everything, and listened to me explain what things were and how to use them (I'd gone through quite a phase in elementary school). As we walked towards the door, he picked up a crystal pendant and held it up in the light. It glinted, entrancing both of us.

"That's amethyst," I finally chirped, admiring its purple hue. "It's for... I think it wards off negative spirits."

"Negative spirits like you?" 

I shot him a look. "Because everyone knows I'm the most draining, negative, cynical-"

He knocked my hat over my face and squeezed my hand reassuringly. 

"I'm kidding, obviously. You're the opposite of amethyst, okay?" 

"I ward off positive spirits?"

He laughed lightly. "You're the reciprocal of amethyst."

It was just like him to turn a math joke into a compliment, and I felt a sense of pride at the realization that I actually understood it. I grinned at him and moved towards the earrings section, trying to recall what type I'd wanted for a recent outfit.

He continued to watch the crystal reflect off of the walls, eyeing it with boyish fascination. He got like that sometimes, wrapped up in the sensation of seeing something new. 

I kissed him on the shoulder and told him I was going to check out the other stores on the block, that I'd be right back. He nodded. "Call me if you need anything."

Outside, I was immediately folded into a mass of consumers, carrying shopping bags and ice cream cones, laughing and frowning, looking around. I passed a gourmet cookie shop, a gym, and a nail salon. After poking my head into a cat café, I neared the corner, ready to swirl on my heel and turn around, but a flash of green in my peripheral vision caught my eye.

The little flower shop was covered in leaves, flowers, and vines from floor to ceiling. The woman at the counter gave me a wave as I came in, then went back to labeling some pansies. 

I strolled deeper into the nooks and crannies of the store,  running my hands along greenery and admiring some orchids. 

Finally, I found a plant that spoke to me, a spiky dracaena plant that was just screaming his name. I scooped it up along with a little watering can and shuffled to the counter. 

"Would you like a complimentary laptop sticker?" The woman asked, passing me my credit card. I glanced at the stickers, glossy and featuring a pug between two succulents. 

"Sure," I responded. I waited as she dropped it into the bag.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ 

He was standing outside of the ice cream shop, bouncing on the balls of his feet, a cone of mint chocolate chip in each hand. I shifted the bag of plant materials onto my left arm and took the ice cream with my right.

"What's in the bag?" he asked, licking a stream of ice cream that was snaking towards his hand.

"What's in the pouch?" I retorted, referencing the little brown bag around his wrist. He smiled mysteriously. 

"Nothing's in it until you guess," he smirked. My mind immediately went to the amethyst crystal, shimmering and magical. 

"I'm going to say..." I began, before noticing the very same crystal dangling from his neck. The flirtatious confidence drained from my body. "I don't know. A little cat figurine?"

"Ew, no."

"I like cat figurines."

"Well, it isn't a cat figurine." He shook the pouch off of his wrist and passed me his ice cream. I took a massive revenge lick as he dug around in the pouch, head stooped in concentration. "Okay, got it." he said, and I wiped green cream from my mouth. 

He held up a black crystal, mounted to a thin gold chain. 

"Obsidian crystal..." I breathed, mesmerized by its simple elegance.

"Well, I know how much you love black." He motioned for me to turn around, then draped it over my neck. It rested gracefully below my collarbone.  I opened my phone and swiped left, eagerly opening my camera. It was magnificently beautiful, and I began to want to cry. 

"C/n, I... thank you. It's awesome, I mean...thank you." 

I glanced into my bag, suddenly feeling like my gift was too plain and inexpensive to compete with his. 

"So, what's in your bag?" he asked again, leaning in to take a peek. I held it closer to me and shook my head. 

"It's, um... you can see it when we get home."

"Awwww, come on," he pouted, a little cranky at first, but soon the sound of a helicopter distracted him from the minor inconvenience. 

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Once home, I ran to the bathroom before he could even disable the alarm. I slumped on the toilet, staring angrily at the stupid plant with the stupid watering can and the mega-stupid sticker. 

He remained downstairs bustling around, aware that if I was upset some time alone was the best initial remedy. 

I scrolled through tiktok, laughing mindlessly at some and saying I wasn't interested in others, missing the afternoon transitioning into evening. At some point, there was a knock on the door. I sighed and stood up, checking my hair in the mirror before opening it. 

He wrapped me in a hug as soon as I opened it, placing a firm kiss on my neck as we pulled away. 

"Is this about the gifts?" he questioned, leaning in the doorway. My silence told him all he needed to know. "Bub, I'm going to love whatever you give me, okay? There's no such thing as a bad gift from you."

"Even a moldy baguette?"

"Even a moldy baguette."

I hesitated, then pulled the bag from behind me and held it out to him. He cradled it carefully and peeked inside. 

"NO WAY! HOW'D YOU KNOW I WANTED A PLANT?!"

I stood across from him with a dumbfounded look on my face. Was he seriously getting this excited over a plant?

"I know just where to put this," he grinned, pecking me on the forehead before sprinting out of the room and down the stairs. 

I walked after him to find him already repotting it in the downstairs bathroom. He stepped back and admired his work for a moment, then sighed happily. 

"Okay, now get out." he snapped. 

"Why?" 

"I need to pee. With my new plant." I stepped out and he slammed the door. I shook my head at my weirdo and walked to the kitchen to keep an eye on the stove.