Another week gone by... Nothing too noteworthy happened for Amy other than her lunch with Metal at the start of the week. A part of her hoped he'd show up in the food court again after taking the same classes, but that didn't happen. After his weird leave, she didn't see him again. She supposed he had a habit of leaving weirdly to begin with.



So the weekend came and Amy had a dumb essay to work on. More important and way more exciting, though: gardening club! On a chilly winter afternoon, Amy made her way to the campus's greenhouse and got out her tools. She checked on the flowers a few times a week outside of club hours to confirm they were growing wonderfully.



"Hmmm, talking helps you grow big and strong, right? I should give a nice story so you have good vibes... Ugh, do I have any good stories?" Amy sighed to herself as she tended to the young flowers. "Oh! I know. I'll talk about my last reading-- ah, you're a flower, so I gotta explain what a reading is. Well...!"



She lined up her potted flowers and examined them all with a gentle touch.



"One of my biggest hobbies is fortune telling. A lot of people think it's fake, but it's very real. You just have to take it seriously and open your heart to what the cards say. Sometimes it may not be what you want to hear!" She let out a whimsical sigh. "But this last fortune? Oh, it was the fortune of dreams! The cards said that I would meet my one true love while pursuing a worthwhile goal. The other cards gave me some extra context... I think the worthwhile goal is completing my college education! If not, then it's taking care of you little gu-- AHHH!"



Amy interrupted herself with a scream when she lifted her head and saw Metal standing right in front of her! His arms were at his sides, fists clenched and shoulders tense but otherwise not appearing agitated.



"Wh-wh-when did you get here?!"



"Just now," he replied. He briefly glanced away, then glanced back. "... Why were you talking to yourself?"



"I-I wasn't! I was talking to the plants!" she exclaimed back.



He stared at her.



"It... It helps! They like music and voices!" Amy's cheeks flushed. "Wh... Why are you here?"



He fidgeted with his coat. "... Is your club still accepting applicants?"



Her eyes widened. "Do you want to join...?"



He softly nodded, then crossed his arms to hide his nerves.



"I... Yeah!" Amy blushed for a different reason that time. Someone actually wanted to join her club?! She didn't even have to annoy anyone into it! "Of course you can join! No application needed." She eagerly ran towards the front of the greenhouse where all the storage was. "Let me get you some tools!"



Metal loosely followed her, keeping enough distance to study her. There was something strange. He wanted to join the club to figure out what she did to him. Did she truly harbor no ulterior motive? Why else did she go out of her way to talk to him more than once?



He couldn't think about her motives for too long since he'd start feeling an uneasiness in his chest. No, he didn't even have to think. Amy turned around and offered him some gardening gloves all while showing her bright, sparkling eyes. He never noticed how green her eyes were. She had long, elegant eyelashes. Her lips naturally matched her fur color. She smiled at him?



His face was burning. He accepted the gloves before she would get suspicious.



"How much experience do you have with gardening?" she asked.



"N... None. Your flyer said all experience levels were welcome..."



"Yeah, that's okay! I've been gardening for a few years since my guardian grows flowers of her own, but I'm not an expert, either. I'll tell you what I know, and everything else, we can learn together!" Amy confidently pumped one of her fists.



She should've been annoying. Why wasn't she annoying? He slipped off his coat and put on the gardening gloves.



"I just started today's errands, so I can show you through my whole process. Okay, come over here," she started as she went towards the plants she talked to just a few minutes before.



Like she promised, she went through her routine for checking and maintaining the flowers she grew, then talked about how she would eventually plant them outside for the spring weather. She talked about the type of soil she used, showed him where the soil was, how much to water, and added that they didn't need nearly as much watering during the winter.



She was so chatty. Metal didn't know why, but he didn't hate it. She had such a way with words... Each sentence was packed with vivid adjectives and the direction of her conversation went to smaller tangents, then finally wrapped around to her original point when she noticed. He could actually listen to her forever.



"Sorry, I haven't given you much of a chance to say anything, have I?" Amy sighed. "Do you have any questions?"



"H-huh?" Metal cleared his throat. "Repeat the question?"



She giggled, her nose scrunching a little as she closed her eyes. She had sharp canines visible whenever she grinned. His heart felt all too present in his chest. Was he getting weaker? What was this? "I asked if you had any questions," she politely repeated.



"N... No. You may continue."



She giggled again, lightly clapping her hands together. "Yay! This is already so much fun! I promise I won't talk your ears off for that much longer. Oh, oh! Before I show you the soil plots around campus, I want to give you the honor of planting your first flower. Hold on!" She eagerly went for a shelf situated near one of the walls of the greenhouse, then began rummaging through a container.



Her tail wagged as she looked through. She looked really happy... And then she started humming a light, jovial tune to herself.



She was so...



...



He wasn't sure yet.



"Okay!" She started, walking back to him with five different seed packets. "These are good flowers for someone starting out, I think. Easy to take care of and they'll look gorgeous when springtime hits! Which one's your favorite?"



He stared at the options she presented to him. One was a light purple flower... Another was white with a yellow center... Another one orange, another one blue. He stared at one of the packets longer than the others...



He took a packet with a vibrant pink flower on the front. Amy gasped: "That's my favorite of the options, too! I love peonies... They like to draw attention, but they're not greedy about it. The petals make me think of frilly dresses... Ooh, and cupcake frosting."



The way she smiled... It broke him. It wasn't an attack, he knew it wasn't. He wasn't calm either, though. Amy ran off to grab a pot for the flower he chose, not noticing his inner conflict at all.



He felt this way before... Felt the same kind of breathlessness, his heart pounding, his face unable to cool off. It happened only one other time in high school.



He--



"Oh, fuck," he whimpered to himself and ran his fingers through his quills.



"Huh? What's wrong?" Amy asked as she walked back with a pot. "Did something happen?"



If he looked her in the eye a single time, he'd die. He couldn't handle his own thoughts, let alone the gaze from a-- no, he couldn't fully think it. If he did, then that'd just make it real. He didn't. She wasn't any sort of... Anything! He wasn't even going to think about not thinking it!



"... You okay?" Amy asked with a raised brow.



He forgot to reply before. "Yes... F-fine."



"Hmmm..." She squinted as she briefly studied him. He looked a bit sweaty and red, but he always kinda looked like that when he wasn't in his 'be a jerk' mode. "Good! Because it's time for you to plant your first flower."



Amy confidently placed the garden pot in front of him. Afterwards, she got him to fill the pot with soil. Per her instruction, he planted the seed at its ideal depth, carefully covered it, then carefully watered it. Something that should've been a simple, even boring task, was instead one of the most nerve-wracking moments of his life. He tried to not pay any mind to Amy, but she was watching him the whole time and he could feel her proximity and her warmth and he had to stop thinking about it.



"Yay, great job!" She beamed. "... Is that patronizing? Sorry, I'm just excited. I'll get used to you as my club member, hopefully. Uh..." She blinked. "I hope I'm not being too much. Sorry." She anxiously bit her bottom lip and peered away from him. She wondered if his face was red because he got more and more irritated. Regardless of how her and Metal started out, she didn't want to lose any member as fast as she gained one.



"Y-y-you..." He had to control his stuttering! "... did nothing." He paused for a long while. "Wrong."



...



Wait, that didn't come out right. "You did nothing wrong." Finally.



She softly smiled at him. "Well, in any case..." She picked up the occupied garden pot and set it over on a different shelf. "You'll start to see the results of your work already! Don't worry, I'll check on it through the week. Next week, it'll already be sprouting up! So, next thing on the list is to show you around the plots. Follow me!" She started for the entrance, then doubled back, hastily grabbing her winter coat. "Almost forgot my coat," she mumbled to herself.



Metal put on his own coat too and followed her out of the greenhouse. Amy checked behind to make sure she didn't walk too far ahead. She nearly skipped while walking from how excited she was.



"Are there any vegetables or fruits you like a lot?" Amy asked him, slowing down more so they were nearly side-by-side.



"I don't have a particular preference," he replied, paying an awful lot of attention to the buildings that surrounded them instead of the pink-quilled girl in front of him.



"Oh, come on! There has to be something. Like, imagine yourself stranded on a deserted island but you have a lifetime supply of one veggie and one fruit. Go!"



He groaned a little in thought. "I don't know," he sighed. "I appreciate the versatility of something like corn, I guess?"



"Ooh! Yeah, you could make a lot with that. But does it go that well with fish? If you're on a deserted island, you're gonna be eating a lot of fish."



"I wasn't aware that was part of the ruleset. Technically any crop could be on the deserted island. How could you choose what to bring, then?"



"No, only tropical stuff is on the island!" She huffed. "So you can have free coconuts and... Pineapples, and, uh... What's a tropical vegetable? P-peppers?"



"Technically still a fruit."



"Smartass!" She huffed, but then she giggled. "Corn isn't a bad choice... but maybe I'd go for, like, tomatoes."



"Fruit."



"Culinarily a vegetable!" She huffed again. She turned around to squint at him.



He... smiled at her. She never saw him smile even a little bit before. He was kinda cute? Wow. Did she really think Metal was capable of being cute? It wasn't like he was ever bad on the eyes, just-- wow, she had to stop that train of thought. She whipped her head forward and continued guiding him towards the soil plots.



"I'd choose tomatoes as my culinary vegetable and strawberries as my fruit-fruit," Amy said with a confident nod.



"Assuming they're not on your imaginary island, maybe I'd do bell peppers and..." He crossed his arms, tilting his head in thought. "Are the supplies sent or are you expected to grow them?"



"Uh, sent. Magically."



"I like black cherries," he replied.



"Ooh! I love black cherries!" Amy exclaimed. "Let's share an island so we can trade our fruits." She gave a wide grin, making him fiercely look away from her. "... Man, but we can't grow cherries," she mumbled in thought.



"... Did you ask that specific hypothetical so you had an idea of what to plant?"



"Yeah! Hmm, I'll give you a list of approved crops when we get back to the greenhouse. I know we're allowed to grow some types of melons. I'm not the biggest fan of store-bought watermelons, but I hear growing them on your own is a world of difference. Ugh...! But I love strawberries so much..."



"Why limit yourself to one?" He asked.



"Because..." Amy threw her arms out. "We could get more members! I want everyone to get to plant something they like."



Was she just like this? She simply thought of others, even those she didn't know of yet. Honestly, they might not have even existed. Who else would join the club at this point?



"Oh! Here we hare. Ta-da...!" Amy showed off the empty soil plots in a field behind some of the campus buildings. "It doesn't look like much, but one day, it'll be packed with veggies, fruits, and some flowers! But we'll prioritize moving the flowers in places more people in campus can see. I know exactly where we can put your peonies!"



Before he had any chance to thoughtfully respond, Amy took him by the arm and practically dragged him away. He paid an awful lot of attention to her hand against his wrist. She wore colorful bracelets around her hands... She had painted nails with little stickers on them. She was so...



Stop. Stop. Stop.



He jerked his arm away from her, making her pause and turn around. He scowled, but the heat on his face couldn't hide anything. "I can walk myself," he said quietly and far less intimidating than he meant.



His intended tone got across more than his actual one. Amy frowned. "... Sorry, that was rude of me. I got too caught up in the moment. It's just over here, alright?" She motioned towards the medical building, then walked towards it at a less excited pace.



Why did he feel terrible? She was so close before. When she held onto him, he saw her quills lightly bounce with her steps. The winter breeze brushed past them. She smelled like strawberries...



His chest ached again, this time worse. He felt sick. He hated the way he felt. It was too much.



"See this sad, pitiful area?" Amy asked with a dramatic sigh. Empty spaces containing only dirt spread by one of the building entrances. "I was hoping the school would fill these spots, but they never did... I asked if I could for my club! I'm thinking we can grow some bushes here eventually, and since you chose the peonies, they can go right here near the entrance. They're pretty tall flowers, so they can be against the wall and still show how beautiful they are to people approaching!"



"I-I see."



"I know some flowers that'll look amazing with them, too. I'll plant those!" She grinned at him again... Her cheer vanished just as fast. "Metal, do you need a break?"



Did she notice? Embarrassing. He hated when anything about his condition was noticeable. He barely even knew what was wrong with him in the moment. Anxiety spiked for no reason, his hands were clammy, his vision strained, his heart--



It was too much... But he didn't want her to know that.



"No," he replied after a deep breath.



"Uh... Well, we'll be outside a lot... Is there anything I need to keep in mind about your health?"



"No."



She didn't buy it, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to share. She knew it wouldn't be fair to keep pestering him. "Alright," she said with a sadder smile. "Hmm... Well, there's a few other spots I can show you. I actually did plant some stuff already... You can help me check on them!"



Just like that, she went back to her normal self; it helped more than he wanted to admit. She continued walking, chattering on about the flowers she planted, what her plans were, and she even asked him some questions on what he thought would be nice ideas.



She showed him the sprouts of some of the flowers she maintained near walkways and also showed him what to look out for. Amy didn't phrase herself as an expert, but her knowledge was undeniable; she knew her flower types and she loved them.



Amy's tour officially completed itself and she had a stellar first club meeting with another member. They ventured back to the greenhouse to put away all the gardening supplies and grab whatever they left there earlier.



"So, what do you think?" Amy asked, grinning.



Metal had no idea what to do with himself. An unfortunately common occurrence at this rate. "... Of...?"



"The club! Will you come back?" Her eyes sparkled as she asked the question. He swore he could see sparkles around her like a halo. She had a beautiful glow-- no. No!



"I'll... I... Yes."



She gasped. "I'm glad! Um, but don't worry, you're not forced to. I hope to see you next week! Until then, I hope your classes go well." Her tail happily swished as every word flowed from her mouth as sweet as honey.



He should have replied something, but he didn't know what to say, either. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. His blush deepened, undoubtedly frustrated with himself.



He was also fortunate that Amy didn't pay him any mind if she noticed at all. She brought her phone out, then fidgeted a little, a light blush dancing on her cheeks too. "Um, can I have your number to notify you of club stuff? It's a little easier than email."



...



She wanted his phone number?



He coughed. "Uh, what?"



"If you don't want to share your number, you don't have to. Just thought I'd offer. Hmm... How about this? I'll send an email with my number and you can add it anytime. If you text me, just make sure to let me know it's you. Okay?" Amy hummed to herself as she tapped on her phone screen a few times. She typed something in, then put her phone away. "... There! No pressure."



His own phone vibrated from one of his pants pockets. He so desperately tried to ignore it.



"I'd love to stay for a little while longer, but I got this essay to work on... I'm gonna grab something to eat, then head back to my dorm... Wait!" She gasped.



He hardly said anything for the past while, yet she still managed to have a conversation with him. A part of him was actually impressed... And relieved. She made it less awkward.



"Metal, could I buy you something to eat? I just want to say thanks for joining my club."



...



He needed to leave or he'd explode.



"Your... Your words are enough," he muttered in reply. "Don't spend your money on me."



"Aw... I really don't mind, but I won't push. I had a great time!" She beamed. "I'll see you later, Metal! Bye!" Right after grabbing her stuff, she waved at him and left the greenhouse just like that.



... Metal took out his phone and checked his student email:





He added her number to his phone contacts. The only other people on his list were family members... Amy's name automatically slotted itself above the rest.



He went to the messaging screen...



...



He put his phone away. He needed to go back to his dorm before anything else happened.