Ink Stains (MCYT Oneshots)

[R] How To Garden (Ponk & Sam)

(A/N: req as a pic. i haven't actually watched either of them but ill try my best to make this work? it is a little shorter though aha, i used up all my creative juice on another wip today :'3)

"What are you doing?"

Ponk yelped, turning around and looking upwards to meet Sam's curious eyes that were staring down at him.

It was unusual for someone to come up to him; most people were busy with one thing or another. And it wasn't like it was a bad thing, not necessarily; Ponk did appreciate not having to defend his lemon trees everyday. It was just... lonely sometimes, that was all.

Still, he knew that Sam wouldn't try to hurt his cats or his lemon trees, so he relaxed, offering back a small smile.

"I'm gardening," he explained quietly. "Planting more lemon trees and all that. Some of mine are growing older, and I have to keep a fresh supply somehow."

At that last part, he laughed a little. Sam crouched down next to him.

"Interesting," he commented. "Mind if I join you?"

Ponk blinked, a little startled.

"You don't have to say yes, of course," Sam hastily added on. "I mean, I know how protective you are over your plants-"

"No, it's fine," Ponk replied quickly. "I was- just a little startled, that's all. No, yeah, you can help me out."

"Great," Sam nodded, a little relieved. "Where do I start?"

"Well," Ponk pointed over at a bag of soil placed nearby. "You could help by filling these pots in with that, and then dig a hole in the middle. There should be a small shovel near that back, if I remember correctly."

Ponk continued planting the lemon seeds, giving extra directions to Sam when he returned. They settled into a comfortable routine where Sam would set up the soil for Ponk, and he would plant the seeds and water it. Eventually, though, the silence got a little too big for Ponk to bear, especially since there was someone else around who he could start a conversation with.

"So, uh," Ponk started awkwardly. "What made you decide to come up to me and, like, help me?"

"Oh, well, I was bored," Sam shrugged. "Didn't have anything to do. Plus, you seemed like you could need the help, so I just... I just decided to come over and help."

"Oh," Ponk wasn't sure how to feel about that. Still, at least he was being honest — as much as Ponk could see, anyways. "Well, thanks for that."

"No problem," Sam patted the soil with the shovel. "If you don't mind me asking, why not just plant them in the soil?"

Ponk lit up. "Well, their roots usually aren't fully grown yet, so they can't exactly hold onto that sort of soil. Plus, it runs the risk of some trees getting too little nutrients, and we can't have that around."

"Nice. Tell me more?"

And, well, why would Ponk refuse an offer to talk about something he enjoyed?

He talked in large about how he grew his lemon trees, and from there, the conversation naturally shifted onto another topic, and then to yet another topic, until Ponk couldn't exactly remember how they got to speaking about their current topic, and his throat was a little dry from talking so much.

Eventually, all of the pots had seeds in them, and Ponk moved to put all the tools away. Sam offered to help, and Ponk let him carry the bag of soil and seeds as he moved all the pots into their correct positions, and carefully placed the tools away.

"That was fun," Sam laughed easily, offering Ponk a smile hen they met back up at the entrance to Ponk's lemon farm. "I hope you don't mind if I decide to join you in this again?"

Ponk wanted to say no, he really did. Just because Sam was nice today didn't mean he would be everyday. But it had been a while since he had such a nice conversation with someone, and he could always use the extra help...

"Sure," he responded, shifting his stance nervously. "I don't mind. I'll make sure to tell you if I do."

Sam grinned, without any sort of mischievousness or hatred behind his eyes, as far as Ponk could see. "Thanks, Ponk! I'll have to go now. I hope you have a good rest of your day, and take a break if you do need to."

This man...

"You too, Sam. I hope you have a good rest of your day too."

Maybe Ponk wouldn't mind talking to Sam more often.