Chapter Text
Stolas sat in his backyard, reading a book with a glass of wine to his side. He flipped through the pages, trying to get his mind off of things. He had gone on a date with Blitzo the other night, but it ended in both him and Blitzo being humiliated. He had tried to do something for Blitzo as Stella and Octavia weren't home at that time. He invited Blitzo in for just some time together, not for sex or anything more than just being intimate. But Blitzo had taken down his offer and Stolas just felt like he made things worse. To add on to all that he had finally stood up for himself in front of Stella and kicked her out, finally getting their divorce set in place and Stella out of his. He couldn't help but worry that Stella would try to do something, even if she was out. Thoughts circled around his head from yesterday and he set his book down, resting his forehead on his wrist and trying to get the thoughts out. The thoughts that maybe, just maybe he wouldn't find love. Not love that was truly reciprocated and anything more than sex.
He picked up the book once the thoughts settled and he tried to read. An itch started to grab at his throat, and he just cleared it to get it out. It stayed, if anything started to rise. Had he swallowed something? Something like paper or some thin material that was sticking to his throat? He hadn't remembered anything he could have swallowed. He tried to clear his throat again but nothing helped. He grabbed his wine glass and sipped some, hoping whatever it was would just slide down along with the wine, but the itch got worse and he coughed the wine up. It spilled from his mouth and onto the lounge he sat on. He felt the itch rise up his throat and on his tonsils, he gagged, and gagged, and gagged. He managed to hock it out his throat and into his hand, his eyes watering up at this point and he swallowed his saliva. Trying to control his breathing as he was just choking. He stared at his hand, looking at the objects in his hand that had caused this. Stolas stared un confusion. Petals?
The petals were covered in spit and blood drops. He rubbed his chest as it hurt from the coughing and stared at the floral leaves in his hand. He hadn't been close enough to the plants in his garden that day to end up somehow swallowing a petal and he sure would have noticed the taste of a petal in his wine if one had fell in. How could a petal of all things end up in his throat? There was no way he could have-oh. Oh. He immediately set his book to the side and brushed himself off and ran to his library, he had awhile ago read of something that could very well be the cause, he tried to settle down and not panic, not freak out if Via were to be awake and see him. He searched through his library and skimmed through the books starting with H. There in those books he found his answer. Hanahaki. He pulled the book out and found the page he wanted.
"Hanahaki disease is an illness in which unrequited love causes flowers to grow inside a person, often leading to coughing up petals or entire flowers. The disease manifests as a physical reaction to unrequited love, typically affecting the lungs, heart or throat. Early symptoms include a difficulty to breathe or mild cough that soon develops into coughing up flower petals, and eventually full blooms and in some scenarios, thorns and vines, which cause ripping of the flesh in the throat and cause bleeding. If left untreated the situation can worsen and affect the person worse than coughing up flowers and eventually suffocate the person infected." He took a deep breath and skimmed down. "No cure currently available other than the love becoming requited or the surgical removal of the blooms and roots from the lungs and heart. Side effects of surgical removal cause loss of the ability to romantically love."
Stolas' heart dropped. He looked back at everything that had happened, and he definitely thought-no knew-that his love was unrequited. It was obvious Blitzo didn't love him back. So that was there, he had just coughed up flower petals. He took a deep breath. His breathing had become more strained recently but that could just be a coincidence. But all the symptoms were there. The difficulty breathing, the petals, the unrequited love. Could it be hanahaki? He decided that he would try to book an appointment at the hospital. He would try and get it checked out, maybe a professional opinion would be better.
Stolas held the book and walked out of his library, heading back to his lounge in his backyard. He'd schedule it later on; the doctors might appreciate if he had it longer than just that one cough for that one moment so they had more to work with. All he could hear was his rhythmic breathing and steps. He about walked outside before he heard a ringing from the phone. He picked it up just to hear the annoying voice of Stella. He'd figure out his whole situation later; he has to deal with whatever problem she has now. He groaned and felt the itching sensation rise in his throat again and started feeling that thing that made him gag and started forcibly trying to cough it out. Much to his lack of luck another round of petals fell out as he coughed, his throat hurting. Yeah. this was definitely not just a onetime situation. He walked over to the phone and sighed
"Yes, Stella? What is it that you need at this moment, because you just left this house last night and I can't help but wonder what the issue could be."