The sound of the door opening roused Ayumi from his work. He rose from his chair to go greet his husband, yawning widely. He had been sucked into his writing for quite some time, and couldn't remember the last time he had gotten up. He pushed these idle thoughts out of his head as he walked to the front of the apartment.

When Kotaro caught sight of him, his face lit up as usual. "Ayumi-san!" he chirped.

Ayumi walked forward to claim a kiss from his partner. He stopped just short though as he saw that Kotaro was clutching something in his hands. He took a step backwards to get a better look at the object.

When Kotaro saw the direction of his gaze, his face reddened a little. "Ah, this. I was at the market and they were doing a drawing…I entered it since I apparently had some points from buying meat for dinner. And this little guy was my prize." He held up the pot in his hands, allowing Ayumi to get a good look at the miniscule succulent inside.

Tilting his head down, Ayumi inspected the plant. It was certainly a tiny thing, and looked a little brown around the edges. He leaned past the plant to land a kiss on his husband, then asked, "So where are you going to put that?"

Kotaro's eyes lit up, and he smiled that radiant smile that Ayumi was sure he could kill someone for. "Oh, I was thinking in the kitchen somewhere! I try to keep the cats out of there, so I thought it would probably be safest in there. Let's go look for a spot!" Happily, he scrambled off to the kitchen, leaving Ayumi to trail after him.

The next day, Kotaro came home a little bit later than usual. When the door to the apartment opened, Ayumi was sitting in the kitchen, waiting to see what was keeping his husband. Kotaro saw him when he entered, and smiled in apology. "Sorry, Ayumi-san. I got stuck talking to one of the neighbors. I guess she saw me with the succulent yesterday, and, well…" Sheepishly, he held up a pot that was in his hands. Ayumi stared impassively as his spouse continued, "I guess she's been trying to get this plant to grow for some time now, but just can't get it to work. She asked me if I would be able to do anything about it." Kotaro walked over to stand across from his partner, not quite looking him in the eye as he continued. "She said she was about ready to throw it away, since she can't figure out how to take care of it properly. And I didn't want the poor thing to die…" He trailed off, directing his eyes hopefully to Ayumi's face.

Ayumi found it adorable that his husband thought he could deny him anything. Unfortunately for his lovely Kotaro, Ayumi also thought it was adorable when he squirmed a little. He stood up from the table, leaning over to scrutinize the plant. It was certainly a sad specimen, all drooped and lifeless. There were more places on it that were brown than green. Ayumi looked at his husband and asked, "Are you sure you want to take this child in? It looks like a lot of work."

Kotaro's hands tightened around the pot. "Yes! I don't want to give up on it just because it's difficult. The poor thing deserves to live, don't you think?"

Ayumi cracked a smile. Leaning forward, he kissed Kotato gently and replied, "Of course. Why don't you put it next to the one from yesterday?" Kotaro's face positively beamed as he scurried off to comply.

This incident proved to be the beginning of a trend. Kotaro not only managed to bring the plant back from the brink of death, but helped both it and the little succulent thrive despite the constant threat of being eaten by cats. Once the other tenants in their complex caught wind of this feat, they all started sending over their own failed attempts at house plants. Each time Kotaro would come home with another pot and a hopeful look, Ayumi felt himself growing softer and softer as those beautiful eyes were used to play on his sympathy again and again. Before he noticed it, the kitchen was full and the plants started to spill over into his office. Only then did Ayumi realize that he had a potential problem on his hands. He decided to keep shrugging it off, mostly because it made his husband so happy. There was also the added bonus that Kotaro felt compelled to show his appreciation for each new plant at night in their bedroom.

The final straw, however, came in the form of a bonsai tree. When Kotaro brought it home, he stood awkwardly in front of the door, a tenuous smile on his lips.

"So, uh, Ayumi-san," he began. "I know this one is a bit more of a commitment…but, you see, my coworker just can't get it to thrive. She said that no matter what she's tried, it just isn't working. And, you know, lots of plant owners just want to throw them away when they're ready to give up, so I thought maybe…we could keep it here?"

Ayumi looked from the tree to his spouse, feeling the extremely unusual urge to deny his love something. Kotaro picked up on his silence, quickly adding, "Please, Ayumi-san? I promise to not take in any more plants. Well, I promise to try not to, anyway? No, I promise not to! I will do my best to tell people no if they ask me to take any more! So, just this last one? I think it would be something nice to look at in your office while you work, don't you?"

Ayumi couldn't help but melt at this adorable man. Stepping forward, he took the plant from his husband. "You don't need to do that, Kotaro. I know you can't say no to any living thing that needs your help. You don't have to try to change something about yourself for me."

Turning around, he began to carry the bonsai tree to his office. Barely audible, he heard Kotaro behind him. "Thank you, Ayumi-san. I love you."

Stopping, Ayumi turned his head over his shoulder, nodding once. He knew that his spouse would understand his meaning from his actions. Just another thing that Ayumi loved about him.