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Luke had thought it a myth. Well, who wouldn't? Coughing up flowers was such a ridiculous concept. And yet, here he was. Standing in his bathroom with just his pajama pants in front of his mirror. He'd woken up hacking and coughing. Petals made a trail from his bed to the bathroom and rested in the palm of his hand. Rose petals. Luke's heart clenched. For the past couple years, he'd been away from Stellis for work. Now that he was back, he was in her life. Not by choice admittedly. He hadn't wanted to burden her with his presence and his emotions. To that end, he vowed to keep his love for her silent. The cough was nothing new and at first he thought it just a common cold. But the flower petals? Those were most definitely new... With trembling fingers, Luke pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Mm. Luke?"
"Aaron, it's an emergency-"
"You do know it's 4am, right?"
"Oh please, you were getting ready for work anyways."
"Fine, fine. What's the problem?"
"I'm coughing up flower petals."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Aaron?" There was a click and Luke frowned, staring down at his phone. Fine. Guess I'll have to prove it to him. Yanking on a shirt and stuffing the petals into his pockets, he pulled on his shoes and ran out of the house.
It was funny how the body worked. Whenever Luke exercised, his cough seemed to die down. But the moment he stopped, it came back almost with a vengeance. The run to the hospital had been a nice one. The weather was good and clear. Despite the hour, patients who were notoriously early risers were being wheeled out the doors by nurses. The ones who recognized him waved as he went inside. Luke offered a small wave back. Given his status as Aaron's 'unique patient', he was allowed to wait for the doctor in his office while he performed his first rounds. As he moved papers off the couch Aaron kept in his office, the cough returned. It was manageable at first. It steadily dissolved to the point where Luke held his arm up to muffle the sound. He didn't want any doctors poking their heads inside to see what was wrong. As Aaron entered, his normally smiling face fell.
"That bad?" Luke took a deep breath to attempt to speak and ended up coughing again. "Any... flower petals?" Fighting back the urge to vomit, he shook his head.
"But, I brought them." Reaching a hand into his pocket, he grasped around for the petals. Nothing came out. "I- I don't understand.." Blinking, he checked his other pocket. "I swear, I'm not.. I haven't-" Aaron sighed and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder.
"Luke, I-"
"I'm not making this up." Aaron's eyes were kind as a hint of desperation touched Luke's voice.
"I know. That's.. not exactly what I was going to suggest. Luke, do you think your affliction is mental?" Luke sat down mutely. Aaron squeezed his shoulder gently. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I know you're determined to keep your distance from your lady love, but perhaps this is your body telling you it's a bad idea? Think it over, okay?" Luke nodded slightly. "Well, while you're here let's take a look at that cough."
The coughing seemed to calm down and, as Luke left the hospital, it was back to just being a tickle in his throat. Heaving a deep sigh, he checked his phone. It was about time to meet with Rosa. Luke had agreed to lunch with her. Perhaps it was all in his head. But, if that were the case, then surely that meant it wasn't a danger to himself. Aaron had suggested Luke tell Rosa how he felt as a means of ridding himself of the cough, but he'd rather keep it than confess his undying love.
Rosa was staring at him, green eyes dark with worry. Through blurred vision, Luke could see strands of her hair sticking up. Unable to help himself, he lifted a hand to brush it aside. Rosa's caught his own and held it close.
"Luke, what's happening to you? I don't understand..." Inwardly, he flinched. Another coughing fit had brought him to his knees while they were walking back from Themis Law Firm. Taking a break in a side street, Luke's heart felt like something was tightening around it. Almost like a snake or.. vines. But roses don't grow on vines. Not that logic worked on him right now or else he wouldn't be having this issue in the first place. "Luke, please tell me if there's anything I can do." When he didn't have the energy to respond, her fingers undid the top buttons of his shirt. "Is it too warm? Do you need a new shirt? I-" Cutting herself off, she stared down at his chest. Unnerved by her quietness, Luke looked down as well. Over his heart were the indents left by his nails whenever he gripped his chest during a coughing fit. His mind on the topic, they looked oddly like the center of a flower. Without their petals. She was so close now. The faint fragrance of vanilla hung in the air between them. I could kiss her right now. Luke's head felt light as he covered the spot on his chest by taking her hand. His chin tilted up to look at her.
"Rosa, I love you." The hands that gripped him stilled. There was no going back so Luke swallowed hard. "I love you." The constriction in his heart eased slowly. "I've loved you since we were children and all those years we were apart. I didn't want to burden you, there's still more you need to know, but I just-" His rambling cut off as Rosa's lips crashed against his. Trembling, Luke's arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer. Still need to tell her... The little voice in his head was drowned out by the sound of his heart beating wildly.
"Luke, I love you." His eyes widened as he watched her fumble with the buttons on her blouse.
"Rosa-" Before he could stop her, she pulled the fabric aside to show him similar indents on her chest.
"I love you." And then she was kissing him again.
And he was kissing her.