| romantic |
[1063 words]
*content warning: death*
Author's note: Before I moved out of my apartment, one of my roommates told me about how she and her boyfriend grow plants to symbolize the growth of their relationship. My roommate's story inspired me to write this. I hope you enjoy it!
***
On his deathbed, the elderly George has only one wish. His longtime husband Dream is the only other person in the hospital room when they spend their last day together.
"Dream?"
"Yeah?" For the first time, Dream hears no snarky attitude or even dry humor in George's voice. The end must be near.
Turning his head upon its soft white pillow, George intertwines their wrinkled, bony fingers. His forearm drapes limp over his stretcher's metal railing. "Before I - you know - leave..." The ill man clears his throat. Deep umber eyes blink up at gray ceiling tiles, full of a lifetime of experience and wisdom. "I think I should ask you to do something for me."
"Of course," Dream agrees immediately. Even if his husband were not dying, he would do anything for George. Scooting his chair closer to the stretcher, he promises, "I'll do whatever you ask." However, he does not anticipate his husband's final request.
"Do you know my favorite plant? The one that's in the pot by the window?"
"I do." Slightly confused, Dream nods.
"If you love me - and I know that you love me - then you need to keep it alive." George's gaze lowers from the ceiling to meet his husband's eyes. Full of devotion and appreciation even as he reaches the end of his existence, the elderly man smiles. "Water the plant, put it in the sun, give it everything. That's been my favorite plant for years, and if it dies? Well, then, you can assume that my love for you has died, too."
"Alright, I'll take care of your plant." Squeezing George's hand for reassurance, Dream vows solemnly, "And I won't let anything bad happen to it."
"Thank you," George sighs softly with satisfaction, then he relaxes.
The husbands spend their last hours together in calm silence, reminiscing upon their decades of marriage and unwavering love. Neither man needs to express how grateful he is for the other; there is nothing unsaid between them. Even when George's eyelids flutter closed for the last time - even when a final breath slips from his cracked, pallid lips - their bond survives.
***
Dream never fails to keep promises, and this one is no exception. Following George's funeral and burial, he devotes tireless energy to his husband's favorite plant. Every day, he moves its pot into the sunlight, he pours a glass of water onto its soil, and he monitors it for any signs of illness. Even as weeks and months pass, the plant's leaves remain a vibrant green.
Despite Dream's efforts, however, he cannot avoid the gradual realization that his body is becoming weaker. He grits his teeth with frustration whenever his joints ache. He sighs with resignation whenever his hands shake so much that he spills water on the floor when it is supposed to go on George's plant. However, no matter how difficult it is for him to upkeep the house, he always ensures that the pot is residing in the sunlight upon the bookshelf beside the window... until his worsening health causes a disaster.
One morning, the sky is overcast, so Dream decides to move George's special plant from the bookshelf to the kitchen table until tomorrow. Leaning forward, he props himself upon the table's surface with one hand and grabs the pot's rim with his other hand.
Suddenly pain ripples up Dream's spine, which does not appreciate the angle at which he is leaning. The elderly man gasps with surprise, he loses his grip on the pot, and his hand jerks. The pot clatters onto its side and promptly rolls off the table's edge.
"No!" Dream's cry of alarm echoes through the house.
A heavy crash. Pieces of clay and bits of soil spread across the floor.
"Oh, no, no, no -" Whispering to himself, Dream tries desperately to reach down for the shattered pot. His back spasms again, preventing him from rescuing the little plant that rests on its side among the heap. Heart racing, nearly breaking, Dream kneels down slowly. His knees shake even when he grabs the table's edge to stabilize himself.
One by one, Dream picks up each clay shard and puts it aside. The pot is destroyed.
"Please be okay," he wills to the plant, remembering his husband's promise that if this plant died, then their love would die, too.
However, when Dream scoops up the plant's root system, he stops. Squinting, he scrutinizes it closer. Wait. His eyesight has deteriorated over time, so only when he looks closer does he realize that the plant stem - which appeared fuzzy - is actually rubbery. There is no root system, either; the plant's stem is simply straight as it descends into the soil that was in the pot, and the soil around it is drenched and waterlogged.
Then Dream realizes another strange thing: while the plant never died, it also never seemed to grow, either. It always looked the same.
Finally Dream sees something else: a small plastic package, hidden at the bottom of the shattered pot. There is a piece of paper inside the package, so he gently places the odd plant upon the floor and grabs the package instead. When he opens it, pulls out the piece of paper, and unfolds it, his breath hitches.
George's handwriting is here: it is a message.
Breath hitching, Dream fumbles to pull his reading glasses from his pocket and slide them onto his face so he can read his deceased husband's words.
I cant believe you thought this plant was real
what an L
Dream stares with astonishment and confusion until he realizes the truth. Even as he reached the end of his life, George could not resist the chance to prank his husband one more time before he died. His "favorite plant" was fake - plastic - for this entire time. George promised that if this plant died, then his love for Dream would die, too... but like his love for Dream, this plant will never die.
"I hate you, George," Dream laughs to himself even when tears fill his eyes. "You're such a fraud."
Dream imagines George watching from the afterlife, day by day, waiting eagerly for the moment when his husband would finally notice that he got slam-dunked by a dead man. Dream also wonders if he is imagining it when a cackling laugh of triumph - barely audible to his aged ears - echoes through the house.
***
Endnotes: Thank you so much for reading! Your comments and votes mean a lot to me, and I love you all! <3
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Inexplicable Dream Team one-shots
FanfictionA compilation of Dream Team fiction stories that were too short to have their own stand-alone books. Some are angsty, some are light-hearted, some are romantic, and some are just bizarre. Content warnings will appear at the headings of chapters cont...
