Co-written with helga3 (FFN id: 375167 :: helga_b on livejournal) from 3/5/2011 – 3/10/2011. PG for implied adult situation. Yukimura/Fuji/Tezuka/Shiraishi - in the order of joining - with various variations and permutations therein. Humor. 830 words. More of the Botanical OT3...er, OT4 madness!

A New Member for the Gardening Club! ? A Meeting of Kindred Spirits in Room 201!

Presented by:

helga3 & Shiraume

"So just how many members does an interschool gardening club have anyway?" Shiraishi asked curiously.

"Currently, and including the two of us?" Fuji asked.

"Right."

"In that case, three," Fuji said proudly.

Shiraishi blinked. "Three," he repeated.

"One," Fuji said, pointing at Yukimura, who did a mock salute in response. "Two," he continued, smile widening as he pointed to himself.

Before he could go on, however, he was interrupted by a single voice rising over the din out in the hallway. "Momoshiro! Kaidoh! Anymore of that and there willbe laps."

"And three, right on que," Fuji finished, gesturing grandly in the direction of the voice and beaming at Shiraishi.

"Tezuka?"

"Oh yes, Tezuka can do things with fertilizer like you wouldn't believe," Fuji said, nodding knowingly.

"Heh," Shiraishi said. "Sounds fun."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Yukimura confirmed.

Tezuka had learned - both intentionally and inadvertently - the value of patience when dealing with the members of Interschool Gardening Club. He needed a great deal of it, after all, especially when he was in the same room with them.

Like now.

"So. To summarize, you want to invite Shiraishi Kuranosuke from Shitenhouji to join our club." Looking at the two pairs of expectant eyes watching him, Tezuka felt his eyebrow twitch. "Did you tell him why we only have three members in this club?"

"We thought we'd break him in slowly," Yukimura offered magnanimously.

"Besides, you should have seen the way he handles his wolfsbane," Fuji added helpfully. "I'm sure he'd catch on in no time."

Tezuka held back a sigh. Shiraishi would have to fend for himself; he had his hands full and besides, when Yukimura and Fuji wanted the same thing, it was best to stay out of their way until the dust settled. He still had bruises from their last excursion to a local gardening convention that stocked particularly exotic species.

"As long as you clean up afterward," Tezuka capitulated, and did sigh when both of them beamed at him.

"But of course," Yukimura purred. "Now, how does the Sunday after the Selection Camp sound for you?"

Tezuka put down his tray on the table and sat down on the bench next to Fuji. Across the table from them, Shiraishi nodded at him while listening to the story Yukimura was sharing with them.

"But the day Kirihara Akaya gets his hands anywhere near my gardening tools is the day pigs are flying to a skating party in hell," Yukimura was saying. "And that's not even getting started on my actual plants."

"A familiar sentiment," Shiraishi said, eyeing another table where his team's youngest member was now and then throwing handfuls of rice into the air and attempting to catch them all with his mouth on their way back down.

"Ah," Tezuka agreed, glancing in the direction of another table, where Echizen was chewing on his food while impassively watching Momoshiro and Fudomine's Kamio having a chopstick fight on the opposite side of the table. "Has Kirihara's been asking about your pruning shears again?" he asked Yukimura.

"Yes," Yukimura said curtly.

"Anyway, I was invited to sit in on your next Gardening Club meeting." Shiraishi turned to Tezuka. "You don't mind?"

Tezuka was silent for a few heartbeats. "Idon't mind," he said delicately.

Shiraishi didn't seem to notice the unspoken warning. "Then, please take care of me from now on," he said cheerfully, bowing slightly in Tezuka's direction. "Sempai,"he added, grinning.

"Oh, there's no need for that," Fuji said.

Shiraishi raised an eyebrow at him.

"We're very informal," Fuji said earnestly.

"Informal, I see," Shiraishi repeated, nodding in understanding. "Maybe I should take notes. Are you okay, Tezuka? You sounded like you were choking there," he added.

It was with mixed feelings of relief and dread that Tezuka suddenly found himself wondering whether Shiraishi might not feel right at home in this little group.

"You," Yukimura said fervently, "are a genius."

There was a muffled noise from Shiraishi which might have been assent.

Fuji gave a tired chuckle. "So I've been called."

"No, really. Next time, when you get an idea like this one, you," Yukimura raised his head just enough to direct a severe look at Tezuka, "are not allowed to object."

"There was an objection? Tezuka, I'm hurt."

At that juncture Tezuka would usually have ground out, "Fuji," or on occasion, "Yukimura." But the disconcerting realization came that the speaker's name was neither, and the moment passed. Vexing.

"It wasn't an actual objection," Fuji confided in a conspiratorial tone. "At least not after the first five minutes of the...meeting."

Shiraishi whistled. "I missed out."

It was almost disturbing, the way Yukimura and Fuji both turned to Shiraishi with an identical expression of unholy delight. But more disturbing still was the answering gleam in Shiraishi's eyes.

"We should make every effort to catch you up," Yukimura suggested.

"In fact, no time like the present to start," Fuji agreed.

Tezuka just closed his eyes with a groan.

NEVER END