Christian waited till almost midnight, long after the lab had quieted down. Aside from security, he was the only one left in this wing of the building. And security didn't venture back into the research area.

This was his favorite time. He often worked into the early morning hours, taking advantage of the silence and privacy they provided. Privacy in particular was crucial for what he now had planned. Moving beneath the lab's dimmed lighting, Christian made his way down a narrow corridor. He stopped before a windowless door and scanned his badge over the sensor that would unlock it. As a scientist, he'd always prided himself on maintaining a clinical detachment from his research. But tonight, his hands trembled with anticipation.

The room Christian entered was his inner sanctum; only he and a few research assistants were permitted inside. The air was humid and warm, bordering on tropical. Moisture clung to him like a damp cloak. Immediately, he fixed his stare on the six-foot-tall plant to his left. Its large, green fronds had curled in on themselves in the near total darkness. Verdant tendrils sprawled on the floor around the plant's base. Christian knew from footage he'd recorded with an infrared camera that the plant was quite active even at night. It was fascinating to watch its movements, too slow to be perceived by the human eye. But when the film was sped up, the plant appeared to perform a kind of graceful ballet over the course of many hours.

It was a marvel of genetic engineering, and he was its creator. This plant species, like many others, was both male and female. Christian had designed it to detect and respond to human pheromones. While humans were the most evolved species on Earth, they were also the most selfish and destructive. Each year, countless lifeforms were driven to extinction, many before they were ever discovered by scientists. It was difficult enough to convince people to care about saving the cute, cuddly species. But plants? They didn't stand a chance in the face of human greed.

Christian fervently hoped the organism he had created, and that he now regarded with a mixture of awe and affection, would alter their perspective. If he could show that plants were capable of having humanlike personality traits, then perhaps their preservation would be deemed a worthwhile endeavor. Never mind the fact that without them, humanity would cease to exist altogether. That somber knowledge had done little to rectify the problem; at the current rate of destruction, all rainforests would be wiped out in just decades.

Christian was certain this plant would change the course of history, and he'd win a Nobel Prize for sure. But first, he had to collect empirical evidence. By being here alone tonight, he knew he was stepping outside the bounds of traditional research and that he risked his methodology being condemned by others. There was no room for error.

His hands continued shaking as he unbuttoned his shirt. Already, he was sweating from the sauna-like atmosphere. He hoped future gene splicing would allow the plant to exist in a more temperate climate, but for now, it needed continual moisture.

Over the past several months, Christian's clothes had grown baggy and ill-fitting. As his work had consumed more and more of his life, he'd lost a lot of weight. A small price to pay, he told himself. After stripping naked, he lay on the floor, with the plant towering above him. The tile was uncomfortably damp against his back, but he doubted he would be forced to wait long.

Placing his hands at his sides, he took several deep breaths and thought back to the previous afternoon. He'd been alone in this room, taking notes on the plant's growth and condition. Leaning forward, he'd studied a tendril lined with small marblelike growths. Christian still wasn't sure what purpose those appendages served; perhaps they were simply the result of a haphazard mutation. When he'd recently dissected one of the firm, round bulbs, he discovered it merely contained more fibrous tissue. The organism also had numerous tubular structures, similar to those of pitcher plants, though it didn't use any of those structures for food intake.

While peering at his creation earlier that day, Christian was positive one of its fronds had moved an inch to brush against his hand. His surprise caused him to stumble backward, and in response, the plant retreated. No amount of coaxing or stroking its leaves would persuade it to reach for him again.

Yet it had sensed and reacted to his pheromones; he was sure of it! And as he now lay in the darkness of the plant's carefully controlled environment, his desperation for more contact was almost palpable. It took effort to slow his breathing and pulse.

Minutes stacked upon one another to form an hour. All the while, Christian was aware of the infrared camera recording his naked form. If his experiment failed tonight, he would destroy the footage. But if the plant did indeed respond to his presence, he would need solid evidence to prove it.

Releasing a faint sigh, Christian battled back a surge of impatience. His hopes that the plant would readily approach faded, only to be replaced by the understanding that more was required of him. His breathing again grew shallow as he lifted his hand and placed it against his flaccid cock. How long had it been since he last masturbated? He couldn't even remember. Outside of his time at the lab, he grabbed a few hours of sleep each night, along with a five-minute shower each morning. There'd been no opportunty for self-pleasure. Or any pleasure, for that matter.

Though his face flushed at the thought of this being captured on film, he again assured himself he could delete the footage. And perhaps the plant would respond far more quickly to his arousal.

Christian began tentatively stroking. A moan escaped his lips as he closed his eyes and relaxed into the sensation. "Mmm..." His hand moved a little faster; both his palm and strengthening erection were moist from the humid air. "Ah, that's nice." It wasn't all that nice, actually; he would have much rather jacked off in his bed at home. But he hoped the plant might be able to sense the vibrations of his voice. He'd spoken to it often enough in the past.

Despite Christian's unease, his cock continued hardening from his insistent touch. If nothing else, he'd get a decent jerkoff session out of this. He was about to start fondling his balls when the sound of rustling leaves made him freeze.

Lying silent and motionless, Christian heard the plant's approach. His gaze stayed fixed on the ceiling as he waited. In his peripheral vision, he thought he saw movement, but before he could turn his head, thick vines snaked over his body. It took every ounce of his will to subdue an astonished cry.

Panic began building within him when the vines circled his ankles and wrists, drawing his limbs outward. Of the many scenarios he'd imagined unfolding tonight, none of them included being restrained. Yet he maintained enough composure not to struggle against the organism now descending upon him.

Another vine began winding around the base of his cock, far more gently than those pinning him down. Still, he couldn't hold back a whimper. Lifting his head, he peered through the gloom. Mingled with the normal scent of his sweat was the sour odor of fear.

The plant was literally covering him from the waist down. With its roots still nestled deeply in the soil, it leaned forward and draped his skin with leaves and tendrils. His cock, still half-hard among it all, made a mockery of his earlier play.

The vine surrounding his shaft began rhythmically pulsing. The sensation was surprising, to say the least, but far from uncomfortable. Soft fronds tickled his sac, drawing a shiver from him. "That's good," he murmured. Ridiculous to talk to the plant as if it could understand him, but he wanted to project calm. "Be gentle."

One of the broader vines which bore a tubular structure inched toward Christian's erection. His eyes widened as the structure tilted toward the head of his cock and then engulfed it. "Please!" he cried. Those plant fibers were strong, easily able to constrict around him. He tried to brace himself for excruciating pain.

Instead, he felt a delicious suction. "Ahh, fuck!" His moan carried throughout the room. The plant moved farther down his shaft, taking all of it inside that velvety tube. As smaller structures suckled his balls, Christian arched his back. Never had a human mouth pleasured him like this! He felt as if his dick was buried deep within a throat. Even while striving to remain objective, he couldn't deny the bliss threatening to overwhelm him.

The plant's leaves continued whispering as the tube moved up and down the length of his cock. He was already so close! "You want me to come, don't you?" Through his panting, he laughed low and soft. "The way you're sucking my cock is certainly going to do the trick!"

Christian began trembling. His body was covered in sweat. But before he could surrender and erupt deep inside the plant, something began prodding his anus. A wave of terror sloshed in his gut, dampening his arousal. He didn't have to sit up farther to know that one of those firm, globular growths was seeking to explore his ass. How many of those structures were linked by a single vine? Half a dozen? His detailed observations seemed hazy now.

The plant remained gentle but insistent. Despite the risk involved, Christian willed himself to relax. After taking another calming breath, he bore down with his muscles, which caused his sphincter to open. The first nodule immediately worked its way inside him. His gasp was followed by a groan. The beadlike structure wasn't large enough to hurt, but it still felt intrusive. He was thankful for the moisture in the air, which slickened the surface of the plant's appendages.

As the plant moved deeper inside, it resumed sucking his cock. Soon, that ribbed vine buried in his ass began moving in and out, stimulating him with steady thrusts. He'd never felt so raw and exposed, so vulnerable.

And he'd never been so ready to come.

The plant's fucking reduced Christian to a singular biological urge. His desire to climax overrode all others. "Yes! Ah, that's it. Take my ass!" He knew his filthy pleas were being recorded; many other scientists would watch the footage and be appalled by his lack of propriety. But what need did he have for propriety? His creation had invaded him; it seemed determined to possess him.

With its fervent cock-sucking and its continual pressure against his prostate, the plant delivered an ecstasy that made Christian shudder. His hips bucked in a lewd display as he strove to match its rhythm. All rational thought abandoned him, replaced by wild, unabated lust.

His roar echoed off the walls when he came. It had been ages since he'd orgasmed, and his heavy balls now emptied their seed into the tubular structure greedily milking him dry.

Only when he grew too sensitive and began squirming did the plant allow his cock to slip free. Gently, so gently, it slipped out of his ass, each bead providing a final, exquisite caress. The vines wrapped around his wrists and ankles loosened enough for him to escape their grasp.

Christian was careful sitting up, for the plant remained spread out upon him, as if utterly spent from its efforts. Still trembling, he stroked its leaves. "You lovely creature," he whispered. "I'll spend the rest of my days tending to you."

Finally, he stood, working the stiffness from his muscles as he dressed. Though he longed to stay in that room, in the company of the plant, he knew it needed time to recuperate, so he went to his office instead.

Sitting at his desk, he watched the footage again and again. Tears filled his eyes at the realization that all those months of ceaseless work had paid off: his dream had come to fruition. No longer was he ashamed of what the camera had captured; in fact, his cock stiffened as he repeatedly witnessed the coupling. The infrared gave it a kind of ethereal aspect, making his pleasure seem otherworldly.

There were so many plans to be made, and steps to be taken: papers must be written and peer-reviewed, and further research conducted. He'd already chosen the fellow scientists and research assistants he would trust with the data. Several of them would be arriving at the lab in just a few hours. Despite his exhaustion, Christian worked until dawn's light illuminated his office window.

The world was about to change, hopefully for the better. But before then, he needed to visit his creation one last time, while it remained his alone. Part of him feared he'd hallucinated it all, though the footage left no doubt as to the reality of his experience.

Back in that small room, the plant had gathered itself up from the floor. Above it, the lighting gradually increased in strength, just as the morning sky would. Wearing a huge smile, Christian approached slowly; he wanted to give the organism plenty of time to register his presence.

What he saw curtained behind its fronds made him stop short. Again, his eyes brimmed with tears, but for a far different reason now. A single bloom, with its dazzling display of intricate green petals, emerged from the tubular structure which had given him such pleasure the night before.

For the first time in its existence, his beloved plant had flowered.