Work Text:
Since he was young, Hiro had always loved flowers. He could get lost in caring for them and arranging them. Everything about flowers - their beauty, their wonderful smell, and their ability to make anyone smile - had Hiro captivated. Flowers are his talent, his everything.
He never imagined that he’d come to hate them.
Well, he specifically hated the stray petals forcing themselves from his throat.
Hiro had heard of this disease before. His grandmother had told him about it when he was younger. “A tragic disease brought on by unrequited love,” she’d told him. The victim coughs up flowers until either their love is returned or until they die from it. In his case, Hiro was trying to prepare himself for the latter. He was trapped in a killing game, after all, and he wasn’t as naïve as everyone thought. The florist knew that he would be an easy target, always too trusting for his own good. He’d be unable to save himself should someone plan to end his life.
“Doesn’t look like anyone will get the chance now. I’m killing myself by falling in love like an idiot,” Hiro thought to himself. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to Akihito, the reason for his suffering. To Hiro, Akihito was perfect. Handsome, confident, and funny. Akihito could always cheer Hiro up if he was feeling down. He made Hiro feel safe and at ease in the midst of the horror story they were trapped in.
Hiro didn’t notice the fall. It happened slowly. He started to feel a warm happiness whenever he saw Aki. He felt empty when Aki wasn’t around. He’d melt a little inside whenever Aki called him his “little bud”. Every little thing about Akihito made Hiro love him more. The way he’d ramble on about mothman, the intense focus on his face when working on a new pair of goggles, and his stunning smile that could light up a whole room. The more he thought about Akihito, the more hopeless Hiro felt.
Hiro knew that nothing was going to happen. Akihito could never love another boy. Akihito could never love him. So, it was probably for the best that this was his end. At least he wouldn’t have to face that rejection. He wouldn’t have to lose his best friend. He could at least hold on to the hope that Akihito would make it out of this killing game alive. That he could escape this nightmare and find someone he’d actually want to love.
“I’m prepared to die if he can live. He deserves to live….he has to,” Hiro thought as he leaned against the greenhouse wall. Hanging all throughout the greenhouse were flowers of many kinds. Beautiful bursts of colors and fragrances created an oasis for Hiro. He’d been caring for these flowers since he got here. He seated himself right between the lilies and carnations, flowers to symbolize mourning. They felt fitting for the situation at hand. If he was going to be killed by what he loved, at least he can be surrounded by it too. The appropriate flowers could really tie any event together. He knows every flower for every circumstance.
It would seem that the disease picked up on that trait. He watched as more mohavea confertiflora petals forced their way out of his mouth. The irony of ghost flowers being the cause of his demise was not lost on him. Almost like the universe playing a cruel prank. The soft white petals speckled with his own blood drifted to the floor like apparitions, but they were all too real. As real as the knocking Hiro heard at the greenhouse door.
“Wait. Knocking?”
The sound cut through Hiro’s musings. His eyes darted to the door to see Akihito strolling in with his stunning smile spread across his face. That smile dropped immediately when he met Hiro’s eyes.
Hiro started to panic. He wasn’t supposed to still be alive. The next time Aki was supposed to see him was when he’d already died. Akihito couldn’t see him like this. He couldn’t know. Hiro tried to yell out, to make Akihito leave, but his voice was cut off by a burst of petals lodging in his throat, sending him into a coughing fit. Akihito dashed through the greenhouse to Hiro’s side, moving his hand across Hiro’s back to ease the coughing. Then he saw the petals falling from Hiro’s lips.
“Oh my god...what’s happening to you, little bud? What can I do to help?” Akihito asked, his face grim at the sight of Hiro’s current state. He kept rubbing soothing circles on Hiro’s back, hopefully helping him catch his breath.
Seeing his face made it so much worse. Feeling Akihito’s hand across his back was almost more painful than the petals. It actually felt wonderful. Hiro’s coughing did ease up, but he found himself getting lost in the simple contact. For just a moment, Hiro felt like he could be at peace with this. He could die happy with the one he loved by his side. But Akihito had asked him a question. He had to attempt an answer before he couldn’t talk anymore.
“T-There’s nothing you can do, Aki,” Hiro wheezed out, his throat torn up and sore, “I-I’m gonna die soon.”
“W-What?! That’s crazy! You can’t die on me!’ Akihito exclaimed, ”Did someone do this to you? I swear I’ll make them pay. Just tell me who did this.”
Akihito was always easy to read. He wore his opinions and emotions on his sleeve. That was just another thing Hiro loved about him. Hiro could see the pain and anger in Akihito’s eyes. And maybe, the beginnings of tears? It was hard for Hiro to tell through his own eyes watering. If only Aki knew that he was the one doing this to him.
At that moment, a horrible thought crossed Hiro’s mind. Akihito was technically the one doing this to him. By this twisted game’s standards, Akihito was killing him.
Akihito could be convicted as his murderer. That was the one thing Hiro could not let happen. While Hiro’s fate was sealed the second he fell in love, Akihito was supposed to be the survivor. He was the strong, determined one. He was supposed to be the one to make it out alive. Hiro can’t take Aki down with him.
“No…” Hiro thought,”I have...I have to tell him. So he can cover it up as a suicide,” he thought. The words felt as lodged in his throat as the petals. He’d prepared to die, but this was a scenario he hadn’t considered. How could he even say it? He could barely even speak with how wrecked his throat was. At this rate, he’d only be able to get out a few words, so he had to make them count. He steadied his breathing to the best of his ability, Akihito’s hand still a comforting presence. Hiro wasn’t ready for that hand to leave, but it was time to give up that comfort once and for all. To officially lose Akihito forever.
“I-I’m dying because...I love you, Aki. A-And I know that you don’t feel the same way,” Hiro rasped, “But...it’s okay. Make it look like a suicide and then you’ll escape this-”
Hiro was interrupted by Akihito stopping the hand on his back. Akihito moved his hand up to Hiro’s chin, and guided him into a soft kiss. Their lips only met for just a moment, but that moment could only be described as perfection. Akihito pulled away, looking into Hiro’s eyes with his hand still resting on Hiro’s face.
“What gave you the idea that I didn’t love you, little bud? Of course I love you,” Akihito confided.
Hiro sat there in shock for a moment, staring right back at Akihito. Did he really just say that?
“But...there’s no way…” Hiro gasped through his words, “You don’t like boys. You...told me that.”
“Well, you’re right about that. I don’t like boys. But I do love you. It’s weird, and I don’t quite understand it. I’m still trying to figure all of that out. I didn’t want to tell ya till I knew for sure. But what I’m sure of now is that you make me happier than anyone ever has before. You’re so compassionate..and smart...and beautiful. Being with you feels right, more right than anything else I know. The way I feel for you is real. No hoaxes or conspiracies involved.”
To Hiro’s surprise, he could feel how true those words were. The petals that were slowly suffocating him faded away, as if they had never been there to begin with. Just like the spirits they were named after. For the first time in a while, Hiro could actually breathe. He welcomed the humid air of the greenhouse into his lungs and leaned his head into Akihito’s hand.
“Aki...you have no idea how much I needed to hear that,” Hiro confessed in a soft whisper, as if speaking any louder would shatter the moment.
“I’ll say it as much as you need me to. I love you, Hiro,” Akihito said as he placed a gentle kiss on Hiro’s forehead. “Now, let’s take you to get some rest. I’m sure ya need it.”
“Stay with me. Please?” Hiro asked.
“Of course I will. You’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.” With that, Akihito helped Hiro to his feet. He pulled Hiro’s arm around his shoulder and slipped his own arm around Hiro’s waist to support him. They left the greenhouse together, the ghost flower petals spread across the floor serving as the only evidence of what just occurred. With Akihito by his side, maybe Hiro could survive this killing game. Hiro was prepared to die for Akihito, but now, he’s determined to live for him. To live for them together. As long as he had Akihito, he had hope, and that was all he could ever ask for.