Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started as a slight tickle in the back of his throat. Doumeki didn't think anything of it; allergy season had just started and he had his fair share of them. Still it's better to be prepared, so he decided to make a stop by the store and get some cough drops and cold medicine.

As the days wore, the tickle progressed into a full-fledged cough. Doumeki was becoming convinced that this was more than just seasonal allergies, as none of the other associated symptoms came up. The cough had become so persistent that even Himawari and Watanuki were starting to take notice.

"Are you okay, Doumeki-kun? It sounds like you have nasty cough. Please take care of yourself and go see a doctor, okay?" Himawari told him during lunch with a concerned look on her face.

"You should really go see a doctor. You're making Himawari-chan worry about you and I don't want to catch your germs!" Watanuki said to him on the walk to Yuuko's that afternoon, making sure to walk a few feet in front of him. Doumeki mumbled a vague noise of affirmation that seemed to satisfy Watanuki for the moment. A doctor's visit wasn't a bad idea, but it would have to wait until after the next archery competition. He hoped that he didn't get worse before then.

+++
The cause for his mysterious cough would make itself known sooner than he expected. About a week after Himawari and Watanuki told him to go to the doctor, he woke up in the middle of the night in an intense coughing fit. He felt like there was something stuck in his throat and he was suffocating. Doumeki crawled out of his futon and over to the wastebasket and heaved, desperately trying to force out the obstruction in his throat. After a few rounds of dry heaving, Doumeki felt something explode from his mouth. He coughed a couple more times to completely clear his mouth of whatever it was he just coughed up.

As he sat back, exhausted from his ordeal, he realized that the ticklish feeling in the back of his throat was completely gone. Curious to see what had been affecting his breathing for the past couple of weeks, he slowly hauled himself to his feet and shuffled over to the light switch to turn it on. He went back over to the wastebasket and widened his eyes slightly in surprise.

In and around the wastebasket were a bunch of white petals. Doumeki knelt and cautiously picked up a few of the petals from the floor. They were wet, unsurprisingly given where they had come from, but even so they were soft and smooth, and certainly felt like they were real. It seemed impossible for his body to produce these flower petals, he thought as he cleaned up the ones that had fallen on the floor, but then again, he was used to dealing with the unnatural. His exhaustion hit him full force as he dumped the rest of the petals into the wastebasket and he resolved to look more into this matter in the morning. He turned his light off and laid back down on the futon to try and get some more sleep.

+++
When Doumeki awoke later that morning, the first thing he did was look into the wastebasket, silently hoping that the events of last night had all been a horrible dream. The white petals sat there staring back at him, almost as if they were mocking him. He sighed and went to go get ready for the day.

As he was going about his morning routine, he noticed that the ticklish feeling had returned, and more prominently than the first time it had appeared. He had hoped that this would be a onetime thing, but that would not be the case, it seemed.

It also appeared that he was quickly progressing towards another attack as the ticklish feeling was growing worse at a faster rate than the first time around. Wanting to find some answers as to what was happening to him, he went online first, plugging in every search word he could think that related to his illness. Much to his frustration, his searches yielded no helpful results, save for one article on an occult website that mentioned the word 'Hanahaki'. Doumeki spent the rest of the afternoon pouring over some of the old books in their collection, but he was unable to find any more information. As much as he disliked the idea, it seemed he would have to ask Yuuko about the situation.

Over the next couple of days, the feeling in his throat rapidly grew worse, and he started having more coughing fits, though none of them ended in him coughing up more flower petals. These fits caused Himawari and even Watanuki to look at him in concern, although the latter would deny it. Doumeki waved them off, saying that he intended to see someone about his cough later.

+++
Watanuki prattled on and on about Himawari during their walk to the shop as usual, but Doumeki noticed that the other boy was shooting him worried looks whenever he thought the taller boy wasn't looking. A tingle ran through his chest at the thought Watanuki actually cared about him, and he abruptly launched into a coughing fit. He doubled over with the force of his coughing, and Watanuki hovered over him, unsure of what to do with an alarmed look on his face. After a couple minutes, the fit subsided with Doumeki thankfully not throwing up any flower petals in front of Watanuki.

"Are you okay!? This seems to be really serious, you need to go see someone now," Watanuki said frantically, turning every which way and that as though there might come a doctor conveniently walking past.

"I am," Doumeki replied as he straightened back up and took a water bottle from his bag, taking a drink from it.

"You are...?" Watanuki mused as they resumed the walk to the shop, processing his words. "Wait, do you mean Yuuko?"

Doumeki gave a short nod in reply.

"Is it caused by something supernatural?" Watanuki asked, mind racing through all the encounters they'd had in the time before Doumeki's cough started, trying to think of what could have caused it

Doumeki nodded again.

Watanuki cast his eyes downwards and they spent the rest of the walk to the shop in an uncharacteristic silence.

+++
When they arrived at the shop, Doumeki was unsurprised to find to find Yuuko waiting at the shop gates from them. "Oh Watanuki I'm so glad you're finally here! I'm starving, so go and make some snacks for us!" She said in her dramatic fashion as the pair drew closer. Watanuki hesitated and looked up at Doumeki. The taller boy gave a small nod to indicate that he would be alright alone with Yuuko and Watanuki vanished into the empty lot to do Yuuko's bidding.

"You've managed to get Watanuki to obey quietly and get him all worried about you. This must be something quite serious, hm?" Yuuko said, turning to face Doumeki with a knowing smile.

Doumeki nodded.

"Well then, don't keep me in suspense. Spit it out!"

Doumeki opened his mouth to reply, but all that came was a series of coughs, strong enough to make him double over. He put his hands over his mouth as the coughing fit became more severe. The suffocating feeling was back, and it somewhat felt even worse from a couple nights ago. He continued to hack and heave for a couple minutes before he finally forced the petals out. He spit out the last of them and straightened back up, holding out his hands to Yuuko to show her the pile of white petals that lay within them.

"Well, I didn't mean it quite so literally," She said while inspecting the petals.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked her, his voice rough and scratchy after his recent fit.

"You should take a couple cough drops, those things work wonders," Yuuko said, looking back up at Doumeki with a mischievous grin. He shot her a pointed look. "Alright, alright. I do happen to know what it is you suffer from. It's called Hanahaki disease."

"Hanahaki…" Doumeki repeated.

"You sound as if you know about this already," Yuuko said.

"Just the name."

"Not surprising. You'll rarely find it mentioned outside of things dealing with the occult, and even then you won't find much. People who have had it don't like to talk about it. Anyways, Hanahaki disease is born from one sided love. The sufferer coughs and throws up flower petals due to unrequited love. The flowers grow in and around your lungs, eventually suffocating you," Yuuko said.

"Is there a cure?" Doumeki asked.

"The only cures are either to have your love returned, or to have the flowers removed entirely," She replied.

"Removed how?"

"A certain ceremony must be performed that will cause the flowers to wither and die, thus making it possible for you to cough them all up. However, by doing this ceremony, you will lose all feelings of love towards the other person, and, depending on how strong your love is, you may forget about them entirely," Yuuko said solemnly.

Doumeki looked down at the petals in his hands, lost in thought. After a short pause, he raised his eyes again. "How long until it kills me?"

"I take it you're going to try and get Watanuki to return your love then?" Yuuko asked, a coy smile toying at her lips. Of course she knows. "It varies from person to person, again depending on how strong the love is. Most people die less than a year after first developing their symptoms. A good indicator of when you don't have much time left is when you begin to cough up entire flowers instead of just the petals."

"I see," Doumeki said, looking back down at the petals.

"If that's all, let's discuss your payment. Bring over a few bottles of your grandfather's sake the next time you come by," Yuuko said and began to head back to the shop. "Oh and one more thing: the flower those petals come from is a white carnation." With that, she vanished into the vacant lot.

Doumeki continued to stare at the white petals for a moment longer before he flattened out his hands and watched as the wind picked the petals up and scattered them along the road. He stood there watching them dance on the pavement for a few seconds, and turned to make his way back home.

+++
"Is he going to be okay?" Watanuki burst out as Yuuko entered the room.

"My, my, aren't you rather worried about Doumeki?" Yuuko teased, leaving Watanuki blushing and stuttering out an excuse as to why he would be concerned about the big oaf. "As to whether he's going to be okay, that's up to him." She said, sitting down and popping one of the freshly made cakes into her mouth. "Mmm! These cakes are divine!" She exclaimed, grabbing more off the try.

Watanuki stopped his stuttering and puffed out his chest in pride. "Well of course they are, I made them!" He said proudly.

"You know what this puts me in the mood for? Okonomiyaki!" Yuuko proclaimed as she and Mokona, who had just jumped up on the table, quickly polished off the rest of the cakes.

"How does that make any sense!? Besides, we don't have the ingredients to make Okonomiyaki!" Watanuki whined.

"Okonomiyaki! Okonomiyaki!" Mokona started chanting, and Yuuko added her voice to his. The two of them kept chanting until Watanuki growled and threw his hands up in the air.

"Fine! I'll make Okonomiyaki!" Watanuki shouted, and went to go put his shoes on as Yuuko and Mokona cheered behind him.

As Watanuki makes his way out of the house towards the store, he pauses by the gate, fascinated by the numerous white flower petals littering the street. Strange. I don't remember those being here when we arrived. He chalked it up to them being from one of the trees in the front yard and continues on down the street.

Chapter Text

Himawari found out Doumeki’s illness a dew days later. Watanuki was absent that day, so it ended up just being the two of them for lunch the day he had another attack. They spent their lunch break up until now in relative quietness, and it was suddenly broken by Doumeki’s sudden coughing. Himawari scooted closer to him, an alarmed look on her face as she pounded on his back in an attempt to help.

As he felt the familiar feeling of petals in his throat, he was grateful that Watanuki wasn’t there to witness it. Doumeki was aware that he would likely end up confessing his feelings at some point, but he would rather him not find out like this. As he felt the petals continue their path up his throat, he grabbed one of the nearby plastic bags they had brought their lunch and threw up the flower petals into it. After the fit finally passed, he leaned back against the steps, exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Himawari asked worriedly, handing Doumeki his water bottle. He nodded, taking a sip from the bottle. He heard her pick the bag, presumably to throw it away, and give a small gasp. “Doumeki-kun… are these flower petals?” She asked in amazement.

Doumeki nodded again. “White carnations,” He croaked out.

“But how...” She trailed off, setting the bag back down. “What caused this? Is it something supernatural?”

Another nod. “Hanahaki disease. Yuuko said it was caused by one-sided love,” He said.

“One-sided love… is it Watanuki-kun?”

Doumeki glanced over at her. “Is it that obvious?”

Himawari giggled. “Maybe it’s because I know you, but it’s obvious to me. Is there a cure for it?”

Doumeki’s gaze returned to his lap. “Either get Watanuki to return my feelings… or have the flowers in my lungs removed,” He responded.

“So it’s caused by flowers in your lungs… It sounds like having them removed would be easier, but it’s not that simple, is it?” She asked.

“I’ll lose my feelings for him, and possibly my memories,” He replied. “But if I leave them, I’ll die.”

It was Himawari’s turn to look down. She was silent for a few moments before looking at Doumeki with passion in her eyes. “Don’t worry! I’ll help you get with Watanuki-kun!” She said excitedly.

Doumeki blinked in surprise at her proclamation. “You don’t need to-”

“I want to!” She cut him off, standing up and facing him. “I want you to be happy Doumeki-kun. I don’t want you to have to give up on your feelings or die for them either.”

Doumeki stared at her for a few moments before lowering his head and giving an imperceptible smile. “Thanks,” He said.

“No problem!” She said, smiling brightly. The smile dropped off quickly and she sat back down beside Doumeki. “I know I said would help, but this will be difficult, won’t it? Watanuki is so...”

“Stubborn?” Doumeki offered up.

“I was going to say oblivious, but that works too!” She said.

Just then, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. Himawari stood up, grabbing her trash and the bag with the petals in it. “We’ll continue talking later!” She said, waving a Doumeki as she headed in the direction of her classroom. Doumeki also stood and gathered up his things to return to class.

+++

As Doumeki was leaving school after archery practice, he was surprised to see Himawari waiting at the school gates.

“Hi Doumeki-kun!” She said cheerfully as he walked over to her. “A new café opened up near my house. I was thinking we could go there and continue our conversation from earlier. Shall we go?”

“Sure,” Doumeki said, and together they left the school to head to the café.

+++

“Alright, game plan time,” Himawari said as Doumeki returned to the table with their orders.

“Game plan?” Doumeki asked as he sat down.

“For getting Watanuki to return your feelings!” She said enthusiastically.

“Is there possibility for that?” He murmured.

“Of course! You wouldn’t be here now if didn’t think wasn’t, right?” Himawari said and Doumeki dropped his eyes to his cup. Hit the nail on the head. “Anyway, I’m sure he likes you very much. I think that his prickliness towards you is either due to him not properly understanding his feelings… or not wanting to acknowledge them. Personally, I think it’s the later.”

Doumeki directed his attention back to Himawari. “You’re perceptive.”

“Not really. Watanuki’s very easy to read. The problem now is finding a way to make him acknowledge his feelings...” She trailed off, eyes focusing on her cup. The two of them sat in silence, sipping their drinks in silence as they mulled over the situation. The silence stretched on for several minutes before Himawari raised her head again and set down her cup, drawing Doumeki’s attention. “You believe a straightforward confession won’t work, right?” She asked. Doumeki nodded. “In that case, why don’t you just leave everything alone?”

Doumeki looked at her incredulously. “Won’t that make the situation worse? To let the flowers grow unhindered.”

Himawari nodded. “That’s the point. Maybe in thinking that he’ll lose you… Watanuki will act on his feelings,” She said.

“How would we go about that though?” Doumeki asked.

“Maybe during one of your fits, you’ll be able to confess everything to him. He might be more receptive and open when something bad’s happening to you right in front of him. He’s done things for your sake when you were in trouble before, right?” Himawari said.

“Still, it’s risky...”

“Can you think of anything else?” She asked. Doumeki shook his head. “Exactly. If things don’t work out, we can work out something else. For now, continue as normal,” Himawari said as she picked up her phone and glanced at it. “Oh shoot, I’ve got to go now. I wish you the best of luck!” She said as gathered up her stuff to leave.

“Himawari,” Doumeki said as she started to leave. “Thank you.”

Himawari smiled. “Of course! That’s what friends are for, right? I’ll see you tomorrow!” She said cheerfully and left the café. Doumeki finished off his drink and left for home.

Chapter Text

Something had happened between Doumeki and Himawari. Watanuki was sure of it. The two them, while having been friends for longer than he has known either of them, had never seemed to be extremely close. Himawari seemed to hold Doumeki at the same distance that she held him, a distance that Watanuki has been struggling to close. Good friends, but scared to let them too close, for fear her bad luck will cause something horrible to happen least she allow herself to get closer. However, ever since Watanuki returned to school following his bout of illness, he had noticed a change in their relationship.

Several times, Watanuki would come upon as they were whispering to each other, and the conversation would come to an immediate halt once they noticed he was there. Anytime he tried to question them on what they were discussing, they would wave away his questions or change the subject entirely. He was beginning to get frustrated by the lack of answers, and he started to feel the dark tendrils of jealousy rise within him, although he refused to acknowledge those feelings as such.

Along with this frustration, Watanuki felt hurt, that his friends, although he would never call Doumeki that to his face, apparently felt that they couldn't talk to him about what was going on. He had confided in them his biggest secret, and they had been through so much together. From having his eye stolen, to falling out of a window and the events after, as well as all of their other spiritual encounters, he thought a solid bond of trust had been formed. He may not like Doumeki (or so he told himself), but he at least thought they could trust each other when it came to the supernatural. After all, Doumeki has saved his ass many times before, and Watanuki likes to think that he has done his fair share of saving too. The revelation that this apparently wasn't true hurt worse than when Doumeki had shot that spirit woman to save him.

The depressing spiral his thoughts took after that revelation began affecting his behavior at work and school. His outbursts became far and few between, and overall his mood became more lethargic. Himawari and Doumeki picked up on his mood shift quickly, but he waved off their concerns, citing exhaustion from work and school in addition to recovering from his cold. If they weren't going to talk about what was bothering them, then he wouldn't either. Although, the fact that Doumeki appeared to be worrying about him despite his own troubles with that illness of his caused a warm feeling to faintly bubble inside him, a feeling he tried to quash.

Yuuko, however, took his mood shift in stride, seeming not to mind as long as he continued to cook for her and run errands for the shop. Despite this indifferent attitude, he noticed that she kept a more watchful eye on him, as if expecting him to break down at any moment. After almost a week of this behavior, Watanuki found that there indeed was an end to her seemingly endless patience.

"When are you going to stop moping around?" Yuuko's questioning voice sounded from behind Watanuki, causing him to jump and pause in his cleaning.

"I'm not moping," Watanuki replied, scowling faintly as he turned around.

"You're acting like a jilted lover, now come on, talk," She replied.

Watanuki's scowl deepened. "I am not!" He shouted. "And besides, there's nothing to talk about. I'm sure you know everything already." He said sarcastically.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Even if I did, there's still merit in speaking your problems aloud. And the quicker you get back to your old self, the better. I miss your over-the-top reactions," Yuuko said with a pout that only served to piss Watanuki off even further. He glared at her for a few seconds before heaving a great sigh. She wasn't going to let him go until he said what was on his mind.

"Doumeki and Himawari-chan have been talking about something, pretty seriously it seems, but they clam up whenever I'm around, and it hurts and pisses me off that they won't trust me!" Watanuki said, voice getting louder as he spoke. A sense of relief welled up in him as he finally got that off his chest.

"So, you're pissed at the both of them for not talking to you?" Yuuko asked after a long moment.

"I'm mostly pissed with Doumeki. He's got this weird cough he won't say anything about, even though I've been kind enough to show concern, and now he's keeping secrets with Himawari-chan! I hate him so much!" Watanuki yelled, pacing the storeroom.

"Are you sure that it's hate?" Yuuko asked, stopping Watanuki in his tracks.

"What do you mean?" He asked incredulously.

"There's a thin line between love and hate, Watanuki. Are you entirely sure that what you're feeling is hate?" Yuuko asked again. After a few moments of silence with Watanuki staring at her slack-jawed, she sighed and pushed off the door frame she had been leaning against. "Go ahead and fix dinner, then you can leave for the night. It would seem that you have some serious thinking to do." With that, Yuuko left the storeroom, leaving Watanuki feeling like his whole world had been shattered.

Watanuki went through the rest of his work in a daze, barely registering anything until he closed his apartment door behind him. He slumped against the door and slid to the floor, the cool metal of the door helping to ground him. The thought that he might love Doumeki instead of hate him shook him deeply. It flew in the face of everything he knew, and yet... it made sense. Certain actions that Doumeki has taken, and the feelings they stirred within him made much more sense when he thought about them with the mindset of love instead of hate. The jealousy that was always present when he saw Himawari together with Doumeki, was it directed at Doumeki, or Himawari? Watanuki shook his head, not wanting to follow that particular train of though. As he started to recognize his feelings for what they were, he couldn't help but feel terrified, given they defied everything he though he knew before, and he wasn't sure if he was entirely ready to accept them, given his past thoughts and actions towards Doumeki. Watanuki drew his legs to his chest and rested his head on his knees, unsure of what to do.

Chapter Text

Doumeki wasn't going to be able to last much longer, that much he knew. He was coughing up flowers at an alarming rate now, and he was always short of breath. The flowers had completely ensnared his lungs, and Doumeki could swear he could feel the tendrils beginning to twine around his esophagus. Things were beginning to look grim, but he felt that he was close. Doumeki had taken to avoiding Watanuki when he could, and he could tell the situation was wearing on the other boy. Watanuki would seemed like he wanted to say something to Doumeki, but always held himself back. Always held back by his pride. His stupid pride. He was on the verge of breaking through that pride, but he needed more time. Time he wasn't sure he had.
     

“Are you sure you can afford to wait much longer?” Himawari asked him one day after a particularly bad coughing fit. The flowers, once a soft white, were now stained crimson, with only faint traces of their former purity. A sign that he really couldn't wait.
 

“Not really. But I have to,” Doumeki replied, wiping the blood from his mouth. His voice was raspy from the constant coughing, and his throat felt like it was constantly on fire. He was going to be so relieved once this whole affair was over with.
   

“Okay, if you think it's worth it. I just don't want to see you die,” Himawari said, seeming even more worried by his words. Doumeki felt a pang in his heart. He hadn't wanted to worry his friend like this.
   

“It'll be over soon,” He said.
   

“Really? Are you sure?” Himawari asked, perking up a bit.
   

“Yeah. Just need a little more time.”

“Okay, just make sure that 'little more time' is enough.”

“I will.”

The ringing of the bell sounded abruptly, cutting off their conversation. Himawari stood up and dusted herself off before turning to gather her things. “We'd better get going to class now. Will you be seeing Watanuki today?” She asked. Doumeki gave a short nod in response. “Well, you should think of talking to him then. I'll see you later!” She gave him a short wave before heading off back to her classroom. Doumeki quickly gathered up his stuff and headed off after her.

The rest of the day passed quickly, with Doumeki trying to hold off his coughing as much as he could so as not to disturb his classmates. It was getting harder and harder, with as often as the attacks were coming now. He left as soon as the bell, quickly retreating to an empty bathroom to deal with the latest onslaught of flowers. Leaving the bathroom, Doumeki quickly made his way to the front gates. Upon arriving, he noticed Watanuki already standing there waiting for him. He shot Doumeki a worried glance, before quickly turning and leaving without a word, and Doumeki followed.
     

Their walk was uncharacteristically silent, with Watanuki shooting glances at Doumeki every few seconds, seemingly about to say something. But each time, he turned his head and kept walking in silence. Doumeki was okay with silence, but with Watanuki, it was unnerving, especially with the tension currently hanging over their heads. Once they had made almost all of the way to the shop, Watanuki stepped in front of Doumeki, causing him to halt.
   

“Are you ever going to tell me whats going on? Or am I the only one who's going to be left in the dark?” Watanuki asked, crossing his arms and glaring at Doumeki.
     

“What do you mean?” Doumeki asked.
   

“What do I mean? I mean about how you and Himawari are always sneaking off together, and how you are clearly getting sicker, yet refuse to tell me anything about it! We may not be friends, but if your supposed to protecting me, I should at least know about this!” Watanuki yelled.
   

“It's nothing you need to-”
   

“Bullshit!” Watanuki screamed, cutting Doumeki off. “You're one of the few people I hang around! Of course it's something I should know about! I'm... I'm... I'm worried okay! I'm worried about you!” Watanuki huffed at the end of his tirade, clearly out of breath.
   

Doumeki blinked in surprise. He hadn't quite expected that, but he was pleased with where things were heading. It meant he was finally breaking through Watanuki's stubborn pride. “I-” Doumeki started, but was cut off again, this time by another coughing fit. Watanuki let out a noise of alarm and quickly moved beside Doumeki, roughly pounding his back. It wasn't long before the flowers forcefully expelled themselves from his throat onto the pavement below, stray petals and blood clinging to his lips.
   

Watanuki started down at them in shock. Slowly, he bent down and picked one up, flinching slightly at the wet feeling. He examined it for a few seconds, before looking up at Doumeki. “What is this? Are these... flowers? And is this blood? What's going on?” He barraged Doumeki with questions, his former ferocity gone. In it's place was quite shock and worry.
   

“It's Hanahaki disease,” Doumeki said, straightening up and wiping his mouth.
   

“Hanahaki disease?”
   

“A disease caused by unrequited love. Flowers grow in the lungs, and if left alone, they'll suffocate me and I'll die.”
   

“Is there anyway to cure it?” Watanuki asked frantically.
   

“Either remove them through magic, or have my loved be returned,” Doumeki answered simply.
   

“Tell the girl how you feel then! Don't put yourself through this!” As he said that, Watanuki felt a sharp pang in his chest. It startled him, but he ignored it.
   

“They won't accept me if I tell them now.”
   

“Then get them removed! Yuuko can surely do it!” Watanuki sprung up and spun around, starting off towards the shop.
   

“No.”
   

“No!?” Watanuki exclaimed, turning back around. “What do you mean 'no'?”
   

“If I do that, I'll lose my feelings for that person, and I don't want that.” Doumeki replied evenly.
   

“So what? You'd rather die!?”
   

Doumeki gazed directly into Watanuki's eyes. “If that's what it comes to.”
   

Watanuki stumbled back a step, shock written all over his face. “You... you'd rather die? That's... that's crazy! Why? Why would you want to die for love? That's... I...” He trailed off, his head spinning with so many thoughts and emotions. Fear, worry, hatred, fear, hatred, fear, worry, worry, worry. “I...” Watanuki staggered forward, clutching onto Doumeki's jacket. Worry, hatred, fear, worry, fear. “I...” Fear, worry, fear... love. “Don't do this...” Watanuki said quietly, tears beginning to drip down his face. “Don't do this to me... I... I think... I think I love you...” Watanuki sobbed out, the tears coming faster. At that confession, Doumeki felt his chest loosen up. He started coughing violently again, causing Watanuki to step backwards in alarm. Doumeki hunched over as he coughed up the rest of the flowers in his lungs, along with the branches that had been anchored in him for so long. After a couple minutes of coughing and hacking, Doumeki righted himself, finally able to take a deep breath in what felt like ages.
   

“What... what was that?” Watanuki asked shakily, staring at the new mess on the ground.
   

“That was all the flowers in my lungs,” Doumeki said, turning to face Watanuki.
   

“All of the flowers... so that means it's gone? Your Hanahaki disease?” He asked. Doumeki nodded in response. “So then that means... it was me? Your unrequited love?” Another nod. Watanuki eyes flickered to the ground, then back up to meet Doumeki's.      “Why didn't you just tell me? Instead of putting yourself through this?”
   

“Would have believed me? Or accept me if you did?” Doumeki asked.
   

Watanuki looked away. “...Probably not.”
   

“Exactly. I needed to push you to accept your feelings for yourself, before you could consider accepting mine.” 
   

“What a backwards way of confessing... And what made you so sure that I even liked you in the first place?”
   

“You aren't subtle, even if you think you had yourself fooled.”
   

Watanuki flushed deeply at that. “Well, anyway, what does this mean?”
   

Doumeki raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
   

“You know, about our relationship. Are we... are we dating now?”
   

“Do you want to be?” 
   

Watanuki's blush deepened. “I... I guess I wouldn't be opposed to it.”
   

“It's settled then” Doumeki said, stepping closer to Watanuki.
   

“Wait,wait,wait, are you trying to kiss me? You just had blood and flowers in your mouth!” Watanuki exclaimed, taking a step back.
   

“I think I waited long enough. Don't you?”
   

If Watanuki could have gotten any redder, he would have. “...Fine,” He grumbled, raising his head slightly and closing his eyes in anticipation. He felt Doumeki grab his chin, and then his lips were upon his.
   

...It was better than he could have imagined.