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Love is a confusing emotion, like flowers that can kill with their poison or become a tender gift from fate. The Dark Lord hated the concept of love. Devoting every thought to a single person did not seem like the most promising idea to him. He considered it a waste of time, why give oneself to someone else when one could simply remain alone? He believed he would spend the rest of his life devoted solely to himself, until a turning point occurred in his life.
Of all the damned people who could have been cursed with the gift of love, Cupid chose him, striking him right in the heart. The worst part was that the object of his uninvited affection was The Chosen One.
It was never a matter of loving him or not, it was never his own choice.
Love became the worst poison of all possible in the world for him. Yet even the bite of the most venomous spider would be less deadly to him. The poison consumed his mind, taking the form of a flower with sharp thorns that pierce your skin, causing it to bleed. It ran through the same wounds, digging deeper into his soul.
Every second spent alone with love felt like God’s punishment for all his sins. How he hated it all. He hated his illness, for which there was no cure.
At least Dark was glad that he could hide this weakness of his. It could be hidden.
“Dark, are you okay? You’ve been coughing for several days straight as if you’re about to die.” Cho said with a hint of sarcasm, but still with concern. “You’d better take some medicine and rest...”
“Ooh, so the great Chosen is worried about my health? How kind of you.” Lord laughed hoarsely, his laughter mixed with a cough. The Chosen One was right, the cough was unbearable, practically cutting his throat from the inside, at this rate, death wasn’t far off.
“You idiot, this really matters to me, okay?” He gave him a light nudge with his elbow in the shoulder. “I don’t want to find a dead body in the kitchen at four in the morning because some fool is too stubborn to get treated.”
“Whatever you say. Though you have no reason to worry. You think a common cold can take me down that easily?” Dark leaned against the kitchen counter, flashing the most defiant smile ever.
“I know all about your "cold" ... Damn it, I don’t have time to play games with you. If anything happens, you know where the medkit is, there should be something for a cough in there.” With a twisted grimace, Cho left the kitchen, casting a quick glance at Dark one last time. A mixture of irritation, anxiety, and perhaps something else flashed in his crimson eyes.
Another violent coughing fit that literally made it impossible to breathe normally. This time, albeit reluctantly, Lord made his way to the bathroom. He braced himself with both hands against the sink until the relentless coughing subsided, taking the sore throat with it. As soon as he looked into the sink, he was horrified. Lying there were three flower petals mixed with blood. What the hell were these petals from some unknown flower doing in his throat? Dark was far from a florist and couldn’t even tell the difference between the petals of popular flowers. He looked at himself in the mirror, realizing how weak and pitiful he looked right now, before washing the bloodstained petals away with water.
Dark bolted out of the bathroom, praying that he hadn’t coughed too loudly and that Cho hadn’t heard a thing. Like a hurricane, he stormed into his room and sat down at his computer desk, opening a search browser. He typed in the most banal and stupid queries, like “Bloody cough with flower petals” or something along those lines.
His eyes scanned the lines of the very first site he found. Hanahaki. Was this what had overtaken his soul? Had he read the description in any other situation, he would most likely have thought it was some silly fantasy from a romance novel. Oh, how he wished it were true.
***
Several weeks had passed since the first symptoms appeared; with each passing day, his condition worsened, the number of petals grew, and eventually they turned into full-blown flowers that cut even deeper into his throat. The very concept of flowers sprouting in his lungs seemed completely absurd, though not as absurd as the cause of this illness.
Nonsense, utter nonsense. This wasn’t supposed to happen; he wasn’t supposed to fall in love with The Chosen One under any reason. It makes no sense.
Dark’s hands began to tremble as he saw yet another whole flower in his hands. He stared at it for several seconds; certainly, the flower could have been beautiful, had it been some garden ornament and not covered in blood. Could The Chosen One like it? The thought made him flinch; it was definitely the last thing he should be thinking about right now. Although, to be honest, Cho had mentioned his love for flowers in passing a few times, but Dark had just mocked him, calling it a waste of time. Damn flowers. Damn Chosen.
He quickly stuffed the flower into his pocket when he heard footsteps behind him. Why did this idiot always show up at the worst moments of his life?
“Dark, are you okay? I could hear you coughing all the way from my room.” Nervously, he glanced at his friend. “You’ve been "barking" like a dog for weeks now.” Slowly, Cho moved closer to Lord, maintaining a small but comfortable distance between them.
“Yeah, sure.” he said, trying to slowly slip out of the kitchen and avoid a deadly conversation with his friend, but he was abruptly grabbed by the wrist of his hand, which, fortunately, wasn’t covered in blood.
“You’re not going anywhere until you explain what’s going on. Dark, I’m not an idiot, I know you’re hiding something.” The Chosen One’s tone turned serious, though still with a hint of agitation. Oh, of course he wasn’t an idiot; they’d known each other for years, which was enough to study his partner in crime perfectly. All his habits, the tone he used when he lied, the moments when it was better to stay silent and give Dark time to calm down instead of interrogating him. Though this time was an exception; Lord was definitely hiding something. And that something was physically hurting him.
“What are you talking about...” Dark forced a nervous smile. “I told you, just a common cold or whatever the hell it is. Nothing serious.” He tried to pull his hand out of the iron grip but to no avail; as a result, his hand was squeezed even tighter.
“Stop pretending you don’t understand a thing,” the Chosen One snapped. “You know perfectly well what I’m talking about. You’ve been choking on that damn cough for weeks now and you’re blaming it all on a damn cold? Dark Lord, I know you’re not that stupid. You’re the worst liar I’ve ever met.” He lunged forward, almost pressing their chests together.
. Dark flinched at the abruptness of his friend’s, actions, and his heart began to race. Every beat sounded so loud in his ears, like a bell that would never stop ringing its irritating tones. Who does this idiot think he is? He tried several times to say something, opening his mouth, but the words seemed to get stuck on his tongue, already full of the lies he’d told throughout his entire life.
Lord abruptly pushed the Chosen One away from him, giving himself space to take a deep breath in and out. Cho was outraged by such actions, he was literally trying to save his friend’s life, and in return, the other guy wasn’t even trying to communicate properly.
“You... you idiot, why the hell are you still bothering me? I said everything’s fine, but your overthinking ass can’t calm down until you hear a fucking truth that doesn’t even exist.” He snapped.
“Oh, so I’m the one to blame, am I? Sorry that someone can’t get past their stubbornness and pride just once. Then it’s not my problem if I find your lifeless body on the floor one gloomy day.” Cho declared, shocked and outraged by Lord’s words. Can’t this asshole just listen to him for once?
“You’re welcome. No one forced you to take on this responsibility, you idiot. Once I’m dead, I won’t have to listen to your lectures about my stubbornness anymore.” Lord smiled, almost laughing at his friend’s expression.
“All right then. Just remember my words when you’re dying, remember what an idiot you were for not listening to my lectures.” He turned and strode quickly toward his room, muttering something under his breath.
Great.
Dark punched the nearest wall in anger, trying to calm himself down before another coughing fit hit. In a matter of seconds, he made his way to the bathroom. A moment later, he was standing in his familiar, habitual spot. His body shook as he coughed one last time. This time it was much worse. More coughing, more blood, and more of those flowers whose names he still didn’t know. He couldn’t care less. A few more quiet coughs to finish it off, until the sink was finally covered in blood.
What an idiot he is and a proud idiot at that. He’ll never break, not even under the pressure of this damn disease that’s killing him a little more every day. The Chosen One must never know about his feelings. Under no circumstances. Only over his dead body. He’ll die, but he’ll die knowing he never overcame his own stubbornness and fear of rejection. What were the odds that his feelings could be mutual anyway? Close to zero, right? Why the hell would the Chosen One fall for a stubborn, selfish idiot? Dark had to admit, Cho was truly attractive; he swore that if he weren’t a wanted terrorist, girls would be flocking to him one after another. Though probably both genders at once. Maybe he’d manage to find a partner someday, who knows?
Lord’s hands began to shake as he gripped the sink harder. The mere thought that the Chosen One, his Chosen One, might be with someone else was driving him crazy. He understood that he wanted it to be only him. Only he was supposed to feel all the warmth of Cho’s heart and the sincerity of his feelings. That idiot was too good to Lord. He hated it. He hated that his heart was starting to beat faster and his cheeks were burning from the Chosen One’s silly smile. It’s stupid, so stupid. He took one deep breath before
starting to cough again
***
“Dark? Can I come in?” The Chosen One knocked on his friend’s door. “If you don’t answer, I’m coming in anyway, you know me.” He started to get nervous. After waiting a few seconds, he sighed and turned the doorknob.
Oh God. The scene he saw was horrific, absolutely horrific. A lifeless body lay on the floor in the middle of the room. Near his face, on the floor, was a pool of blood mixed with flowers. He knew what kind of flowers they were. They were asters.
He ran to the body, falling to his knees before it. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and quiet sobs disrupted the evenness of his breathing. The Chosen One saw the piece of paper that Dark was holding in his hands. He hesitated for a moment but unfolded it.
“𝘛𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯.
𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘹 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦; 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘐? 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮. 𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵? 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘖𝘩, 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘸, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵. ”
The salty liquid dripped onto the scrap of paper with renewed intensity the moment he finished reading the last lines of the note. Everything suddenly felt unreal, as if it were a dream. Oh, how he wished it were a dream. He even slapped himself in the face a few times to wake up. It was all in vain. Nothing could be changed now.