Chapter 9

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The last month has been... better.

It's not perfect by any means. Your friend still suffers from the goddamn hanahaki disease, but hey, at least he doesn't avoid you anymore.

With that being said, despite Miguel's clear signs of wanting to be left alone, you do your best to be at his side 24/7. He tried to persuade you otherwise, but you and Lyla ganged up on the man, arguing that he will either be under constant supervision in case his condition worsens or he'll be stuck in a hospital bed.

So, now wherever Miguel goes, you follow. Lyla likes to joke around about how you took her job of hovering over his shoulder and you can't help but agree. You don't let Miguel out of your sight.

The two of you go on missions together, just as you used to do. He only agreed to it after you promised to treat them all seriously and not fool around with villains. God gives her toughest soldiers the hardest battles, and you had to stop yourself from engaging in flirtatious conversation every time you saw a moderately attractive-looking villain.

Well, at least you have a more than moderately attractive-looking hero by your side so, who's really winning?

You also took your time to research hanahaki, making use of Neuva York's many public libraries. You wanted had to know everything about the disease and made sure you got your hands on every available book.

The research turned out to be quite bountiful. You don't know the cure, you're no doctor, but you've learned about all the different ways the pain caused by the flowers can be subdued.

One of them was, who would have thought, drinking less water. Flowers are flowers, after all. You made Miguel cut his water intake in half - you replaced it with other, less savory liquids like coffee. He laughed at your idea at first but apologized after experiencing a significant reduction in his respiratory problems within a week

The other was a whole lung lavage, a procedure during which the patient's lungs get washed with a saline solution. Not the most pleasurable experience, but doing it once a week ensured that the flowers never really have time to grow too much.

Miguel never really thanked you for all the work you did. He mostly just rolled his eyes at your constant fussing over him. It bothered you at first, but after spending almost every waking hour of your day with the man, you know how to read him.

He doesn't really talk about his feelings. He never did (you asked Lyla) and he probably never will (you experienced it yourself). Instead, he prefers to do things, acts of service if you will.

He won't thank you for helping him as he goes through his illness but sometimes he will hand you a coffee when walk into his office in the morning.

Miguel won't admit that he likes being around you and will throw some snarky comments your way, but you know exactly how he smiles at your jokes when he thinks you're not looking. You adore the way his fangs peek out from under his lips when he smirks.

So yea, despite what he might say, the two of you are friends.

blooming through the concrete [✔] (Miguel O'Hara x Reader)Where stories live. Discover now