House plant

            “No. Nonononono,” Thomas hissed, supporting one drooping tendril in his cupped hand. The edges of a previously green leaf were now turning brown, outlining the sickly yellow color. The petals that had once belonged to a rather pretty flower were now flaking off and falling onto the surrounding windowsill. When he poked at the soil with one finger it was dry and desiccated.

            A swell of rage and desperation washed through him, eliminating his previously good mood quite effectively. He had told them that it needed to be watered every two days or so. He had showed Mat how to test the soil to see if it was too dry or not. His older brother had promised to look after the strange plant that he’d grown out of a seed picked up off of the sidewalk.

            “Tom,” Sophie called up the stairs. He could hear her approaching, but he didn’t care, didn’t look up. Tears were stinging his eyes and he felt stupid and powerless. “Tom, why aren’t you downstairs with Lily and Elliot? They really liked you.”

            “Why? Because I was smiling and playing nice?” Thomas snarled.

            “What happened?” she asked in a voice that clearly stated the “Uh-oh” she felt.

            Sophie was great. She was one of his biggest supporters, one of the few people who always seemed to get him. Sure, at school they often couldn’t stand each other, but whenever he was in a particularly low place she was there, saying exactly the right things. It didn’t matter that they were a year apart. Sometimes he thought they were twins.

            “This—Mat,” he spluttered. “He said he’d take care of my plant. And look at it!”

            “It’s not dead yet, right?” she murmured, crouching beside him. Caressing a leaf she started to speak to it. “C’mon little plant. Don’t die. We didn’t mean to neglect you. Sometimes other things just get in the way. My brother, he’ll be really sad if you die. He wanted to take you to boarding school with him, but they wouldn’t let him. He really missed you the whole time. It isn’t his fault that Mat got a girlfriend and is now obsessed with a different flower.”

            “Thanks,” Thomas mumbled, looking down. “But, um, you know water would be a little more effective, right?”

            “It has to want to live, Tom,” she complained, glaring. “If not, then there’s nothing we can do. So start talking.”

            He looked between her ferocious glare and the wilting plant in front of him, feeling utterly ridiculous. Sometimes he thought that Sophie had never really grown up, and it was embarrassing. Unluckily, he knew she wouldn’t relent.

            “Fine,” he sighed. Then, trying to ignore the fact that there was someone witnessing this, he started talking. “I really didn’t mean to leave you. When I found you as a seed everyone said that you wouldn’t grow, that I was wasting my time. We proved them wrong then. So, um, could you please live?”

            “Good enough,” Sophie huffed. “I’ll go get some water with plant food in it.”

            She was gone less than a minute when Elliot reached the top of the stairs, looking around a little nervously. When he saw Thomas he relaxed and quickly moved to kneel beside him.

            “Whatcha doin’?” he asked, elbowing Thomas in the ribs.

            “My plant is dying,” Thomas sniffed, looking away so that his new friend wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. He didn’t want Elliot thinking he was a wimp, and he wanted even less to explain why he couldn’t really help himself.

            “Oh. Um, that sucks,” Elliot said awkwardly. “Didn’t take you for the botany type.”

            “I just found this seed and thought I’d see if it would grow. Everyone said it wouldn’t, but it did. It kind of reminds me of myself.”

            “Hmm,” Elliot hummed, stroking his chin in mock thought. “Yes, I can see it now. You have the same general hue, lack of flowers, stalk-y build.”           

            Thomas laughed despite himself, running long thin fingers through his hair. His build was anything but stocky. Willowy would be a more apt description, but the pun was not lost on him.

            “Oh, good,” Sophie said, approaching with a water bottle. “We have another person to encourage the plant. Go on, Elli, tell it why it needs to live.”

            “Um, well,” Elliot said, looking suddenly uncomfortable again.

            “It’s okay. You don’t have to,” Thomas said quickly. “Really.”

            “Something encouraging, huh?” Elliot mused, ignoring him. “Let’s see. I don’t know much about this guy next to me, but it seems he believed in you enough to give you a chance. I know how that is, and it’s not something to be taken lightly. And hey, you’ve got this great family that cares a lot about you. I mean, there’s not much more you can ask for. But I guess most importantly, if you die, then you’d make Tom really sad and he seems like a great guy. I wouldn’t want that.”

            Thomas ignored the little glow in his chest at those words, and chose not to comment on the light blush covering Elliot’s fair skin. He really didn’t look like he was adopted, being almost identical in appearance with Lily.

            Solemnly, Sophie poured some water onto the soil, waiting until it was absorbed before squirting some more onto it. To everyone’s surprise, Elliot reached out and took the bottle from her, taking his turn at giving the plant nourishment. It took on the feeling of a ritual as he passed Thomas the water and he added his own contribution.

            They were still kneeling around the windowsill, sitting in silence and watching, when Mat and Lily came up the stairs to find them.

            “Uh,” Mat said, frowning.

            “What are you guys doing?” Lily asked. “Elliot, don’t get your clothes dirty.”

            “We’re giving a funeral service for my plant,” Thomas snapped, not bothering to disguise his anger and hurt as he turned to glare at his older brother. Mat swallowed.

            “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Tom. I just, I got a little distracted with school and everything. I really didn’t mean to. I’ll, um, I’ll get you another one.”

            “You’re lucky,” Elliot said sternly, fixing his brilliant grey eyes on Mat. “There’s still some hope. It’s doing well after emergency surgery. But if you mistreat it again I’ll have no choice but to take it into protective custody. No one wants that.”

            “Uh, we’ll just be downstairs, then,” Mat said after a beat of awkward silence. He looked utterly confused, standing next to a rather unhappy Lily. Well, maybe she looked more embarrassed at her adopted sibling’s behavior.

            When the two older children were gone, Thomas let out a soft chuckle and pulled Sophie and Elliot into a hug. He could feel happiness bubbling up inside of him, an unquenchable spring that was threatening to overflow. He hoped he wouldn’t frighten off his new friend. It was so rare that he found anyone who could stand to be around him, but Elliot didn’t seem fazed by his strangeness.

            Through the haze of glowing joy he noted that Sophie was blushing a pretty pink as Elliot wrapped his free arm around her, completing the giant hug. Later, when everyone had gone back home and Mat was in his room, probably obsessing over his new girlfriend, Thomas cornered his younger sister. She was sitting in the living room, her legs curled under her as she read a book.

            “So, Elliot,” he began, sitting down in an armchair across from her. She glowered, but slid a bookmark into place.

            “What do you want, Tom?”

            “He seems like a pretty cool guy,” he shrugged.

            “Uh, okay?” she frowned. “Where is this going? Because right now you’re just wasting my time.”

            “You like him, don’t you?” Thomas asked, dropping all pretenses.

            “And if I do?” Sophie challenged, suddenly unable to look at him.

            “Nothing. I was just wondering.”

            “Yeah, okay, I do,” she said, giving him a look that just dared him to comment. When he didn’t, her expression softened. “I mean, how many guys are willing to talk to a houseplant?”

            Thomas had to agree with that. He went upstairs satisfied, a little kernel of white hot joy still sitting in his chest. It had been a while since there had been anyone he could approve of in his sister’s romantic interests. And the guy was on par with her quirkiness. And he was nice to Thomas, which really didn’t happen that often. Especially once he started acting up.

            Pulling out his computer, he hoped desperately that he wouldn’t ever have to show Elliot the real ups and downs of his emotional life. It would just be easier…