Azure Blossoms [SMG34 Hanahaki AU]

deep dream

POV: SMG3

I can't take this anymore I can't take this anymore I can't take this anymore-

Fuck, I was livestreaming. I almost had a fucking panic attack when I felt the flower petals in my throat. But somehow, just somehow, I managed to not break down on camera. Thank god for that...but it's getting worse.

The amount of petals and size of the flowers is increasing slowly, but I can see it. More and more and more and it only stops when I die. They grow so quickly.

It's fucking unnatural.

"F...our?"

My voice is weak.

"SMG4!"

He can't hear me.

He walks away. I want to call out to him but my mouth is full of blue roses and they're in my throat and lungs and eyes and heart and I'm dead and the last thing I see is Four running towards me but he's too late and I'm-

I woke up breathing heavily, shaking. It wasn't real. That's not how it ends, that's not how it ends. It can't be.

Stretching, I slowly made my way into the kitchen to get Eggdog his dinner.

That won't be how it ends, I thought, still thinking about the dream. Th...that was unrealistic.

...

When that...when that actually, finally happens, I'm sure I'll be able to tell Four before I die.

~~~

POV: Following SMG4's thoughts

We're connected, I know something's up with Three.

That was the thought that wouldn't go away the entire evening, sitting in the back of my mind. I just couldn't get rid of it no matter how many other things I filled my mind with, like memes, video editing, even wondering about if dropping soap on the floor makes the floor clean or the soap dirty!

The soap is dirty, by the way.

(Author note time!)

From the logical side of the author: The soap is dirty, because dropping it on the floor doesn't clean it right away. Just dropping it on the dirty floor gives you a floor with dirt and soap on it, not a clean floor.

(And from the weird side of the author, back to the story!)

Huh. I feel like someone just ruined a silly little question somewhere in the world, for no particular reason other than to add to the word count of the current chapter. That's weird. Anyway, I was done with wondering what the hell was going on. I decided to call SMG3.

.

.

.

"Hello?" Three's voice came from my phone.

"Hey, man!" I said. "Are you good? You said you were sick a little while ago, is everything okay?" I asked him, hoping for a response that wasn't too bad. "The, uh, whole Meme Guardian link crap is messing with me here," I added.

I heard him cursing on the other end. "I forgot about that! I'm so sorry. I wish we weren't like...this. Yeah, I, uh, I'm not really getting better. Yet." He seemed nervous. What was going on?

"Okay," I said. "That sounds terrible. Are you taking care of yourself? I can bring some stuff over, if you-"

"No!" SMG3 exclaimed. "I mean- shit, I'm sorry. I just don't want you to, um, get sick from me. I'm feeling pretty bad right now. And yeah, I've been doing...okay. Enough. I was well enough to stream earlier, as you saw, right?" he asked.

"Gayass," I snickered. 

"So you did see that stream," he said. "I can't believe I let the chat name my vessel... Well, I guess it didn't mean anything in the end." Three coughed a little, and I heard Eggdog bark in the background. "Look, I promise I'm taking care of myself. You really don't have to worry..."

"What have you eaten today?" I asked.

"Uhh...shit. A bagel...?" Three mumbled. "I'm sorry! I promise I didn't intentionally miss lunch and dinner. I just forgot! Please believe me!" He hung up.

I stared at my phone screen, spacing out a little.

Something's not adding up. He said he was really sick and contagious, and then that he was fine? And he didn't seem sick on stream at all, but he's miserable now? "Tari?" I called out.

It took a minute to get a response, but eventually she replied. "SMG4? Sorry, I just needed to pause my game. What did you need?"

I explained all the weird inconsistencies and mistakes SMG3 made on the phone call. "He's definitely acting weird right?" I said, and Tari agreed. "But what do I do?"

"SMG4, I think it's time for a visit to the Internet Graveyard... and emergency soup!" she grinned, pointing to our kitchen.

~~~

POV: Following SMG3's thoughts

After what seemed like an hour but was definitely not that long (Three was too lazy to do the calculations), SMG3's Hanahaki seemed to stop for a little while. He sighed as he went to empty the bucket of blood-covered roses into the Void he conveniently kept behind his Starbucks. It wasn't full by any means, but it was fucking vile.

SMG3 chewed at the skin on his fingertips, lost in thought. It was a habit he always had, and it didn't really hurt at all. He trudged through his Starbucks house, past the blood-soaked petals he'd carelessly let float out of the bucket, scattered around the corners of the place.

...

When will this just end already...?

A knock at his door. Then it was opened because this was a public Starbucks and not really even Three's house. The place had been pretty quiet and mostly empty all day, so SMG3 took the effort to look and see who it was...

Four and Tari?!

"Hey. Uh..." I internally panicked because 1. I was dying and there were two people here to take care of me who didn't know that, 2. One of those people...in particular...made all logic go out the window whenever I thought of him... and 3. They had a BIG-ASS POT OF SOUP FILLED UP TO THE FUCKING BRIM HERE OH MY GOD WHAT IF THEY SPILLED IT MY ANXIETY IS GOING THROUGH THE ROOF-