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Hanahaki Disease - A relatively new affliction to the people of Earth. With all the changes their world had begun to see, including the rising rate at which superhumans had begun to appear, it shouldn’t have been terribly surprising something like this would come along as well.
It started as a rumor, an urban legend really. People would claim that someone they knew had caught it and died and that there was no way to cure it. The rumor grew and grew and - as it turned out - there really was truth to them. Only there was a cure, a terribly costly one. Only it wasn't just the hefty price that made getting the miracle surgery costly, it was what you risked losing once the procedure was over with.
You risked losing every single memory and sentiment you had ever had with that person. Since symptoms varied so greatly there was no predictability as to what the result would be. Prior to treatment you would undergo so many assessments, the doctors making sure they had everything they needed to care for you after and make sure you could return to normal life, but you would never feel anything for that person again. If you elected not to go through the surgery, you could lose your life. So, every person who could afford it had to make the decision to live and lose their life or live their life never remembering how it felt to love the most important person in the world to them. It should have been an easy decision. But for some reason, it wasn’t. Not for (Y/N) at least, not at first.
At first it was nothing. The dull aches she felt in her chest shrugged off as pains from sleeping wrong or her general clumsiness. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the Hanahaki disease, she might have remained oblivious to her feelings for years to come. After all Peter had done for her, how could she be so selfish to even begin to want him to herself?
Peter had been the first person she could trust in the city. It wasn’t long before they had made fast friends. Even then, there was a sadness in his beautiful brown eyes. She had studied it whenever they spoke, went out on patrol together. In part, (Y/N) wanted to fix it because she was grateful for everything Peter had provided. And, in part, she had wanted more time with him. Any excuse to see those rare smiles, to be the cause.
Their relationship formed naturally over the course of months, well as naturally as it could given their situation, and slowly things began to change. Peter’s dim and dirty apartment was clean more consistently, and he would let the light shine in during the day. The fridge of his that had rarely stocked more than a handful of ingredients or leftovers at once was soon full of meal prepped food and healthier options. Instead of sulking away in bed when there was nothing to do, he found himself looking for the comfort of others. He had even managed to pick up some old hobbies again.
Anything she could do to help him get out and stay out of that rut he had been in when they first met, she did. Her helping him begin his chores: Clearing the bed, discarding trash that littered the floors and counters, making sure there was water and food in the house. She had initiated it all, but was overjoyed when slowly her reminders and help were no longer as needed. Peter found a job that allowed him to juggle being a hero and taking care of himself, however narrowly.
She had been most proud of the fact he had learned to care for himself and ask for help more often. The sadness that had often cast shadows in his weary eyes was now a vague memory most days. That should have been enough for her. To see that her friend had grown and found himself again, that should have been enough.
But one day she got home to their shared apartment and saw Peter in the living room with MJ, sharing a meal. The action itself had no real implied intimacy, but something in her heart still lurched at the sight. (Y/N) had quickly apologized and darted off to her own room to give them privacy. She shook the thoughts out of her head, chasing them away, but they came back to haunt her.
As they continued to spend more and more time together, (Y/N) found their shared apartment seemed to grow warmer without her there. It began to feel like a home she was intruding on. More and more often she locked herself away and less frequently, it seemed, Peter seemed to notice. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands. She should be ecstatic about the changes. The days where Peter allowed himself to rot away for days at a time were not long ago. This alternative was what they had worked so hard for. So why did her chest hurt so much?
When had her feelings become so serious? Wasn’t this a betrayal of her friendship with him? (Y/N) found herself at a complete loss for the first time since she had landed on this planet. She had learned to love many things about this planet, its people. But wanting one of its greatest protectors to have eyes only for her? It felt incredibly selfish. It felt so wrong. So much so, she was almost relieved when she found out she was afflicted, as if it could serve as some sort of penance.
Slowly her symptoms grew and grew. When she would go on her own patrols, she often found herself gasping for air, even when she was not in pursuit of anyone. Most nights she would wake choking as the petals began to fill and flood her mouth. The nights would quickly become the worst. As if waking feeling on the verge of death were not enough, the vomiting would come soon after. Her entire body would shudder, convulse violently, as it attempted to empty itself of the cherry blossoms. She would endure it for months to come, because she deserved it. It was indeed the penance she had to pay for coveting Peter B. Parker. She thought she would endure it for the rest of her life if she was able. But it seemed that perhaps fate was determined to tear the two apart, to make their fate completely apparent to the stubborn heroine.
It happened in an instant. In the middle of a mundane work meeting she had suddenly seized, clutching at her chest. An ambulance was called and they carted her off immediately, a trail of petals following behind her. They let her know when she regained consciousness that the decision had been made for her. Her lungs and heart had already begun filling to the brim, there had been no time to delay.
(Y/N) sat there, disoriented and confused. The surgeons left her to recover, there would be time for further discussion when she was clear headed. They let her know as they made their way out of her room that her emergency contact had arrived and they let him in. (Y/N) felt a faint ache in her chest as a vaguely familiar man with beautiful brown eyes entered. “I’m sorry, do we know each other?” She asked.