Taylor Swift and Tree Paine Oneshots

Asthma

Tree was pacing back and forth in Taylor's living room, flipping through her notes for their upcoming event, but something was gnawing at her. She couldn't shake the feeling that Taylor had been off for a while now. Her friend looked fine, maybe a little tired, but nothing too alarming. Yet every now and then, she'd catch Taylor subtly rubbing her chest or taking a moment to catch her breath, and it didn't sit right.

"Okay, so for the charity gala..." Tree started, but her voice trailed off as she glanced at Taylor, who was suddenly very quiet. Her breath sounded a little labored.

"Are you good?" Tree asked, her concern bubbling up again.

"Yeah, yeah," Taylor waved her off casually, but then she quickly dug into her bag, pulling something out that made Tree freeze. It was an inhaler.

Tree's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, hold on. What's that?"

Taylor looked up with a mischievous smile, like she'd just been caught sneaking candy before dinner. "Oh, this?" She held up the inhaler, giving it a little shake. "Just my trusty inhaler."

Tree's jaw dropped. "Your what?"

"My inhaler," Taylor repeated, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She took a quick puff, then exhaled with a small sigh of relief. "Ahh, much better."

"Taylor, you have asthma?" Tree's voice cracked in disbelief. "And you never told me?"

Taylor blinked at her, clearly not seeing the big deal. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like I'm allergic to you or anything." She gave a little smirk, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

But Tree was not in the mood for jokes. "This is not funny! How long have you had asthma?"

Taylor shrugged, casually leaning back on the couch. "Uh, since like forever? I think I was, what, five when I got diagnosed? It's not exactly news."

Tree stared at her, incredulous. "Not news? Taylor, I've known you for years, and you never once mentioned that you have asthma!"

Taylor's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh, shoot, did I forget to mention that in my fun facts? Right after 'likes cats' and 'writes songs for a living'? Oops."

"Taylor!" Tree snapped, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Okay, okay," Taylor said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I know, I should've told you, but it's really not that big of a deal. I just—"

"Not a big deal?" Tree cut in, her voice rising. "You're using an inhaler in the middle of our conversation! How is that not a big deal?"

Taylor looked down at the inhaler in her hand, then back at Tree, clearly trying to find the right words. "Well, it only gets bad when I'm tired or stressed, and I've been, you know, on tour and alive, so it's flaring up more."

Tree ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. "I don't get it. You've been struggling with this, and you just... what? Decided not to tell anyone? I thought we told each other everything."

Taylor's expression softened, realizing how upset Tree really was. "I didn't mean to keep it from you. I just—well, I didn't think it mattered that much. I can handle it."

"But you shouldn't have to handle it alone!" Tree's voice cracked, frustration mixed with worry. "I care about you, and you've been hiding this! What if something happened and I didn't know what was going on?"

Tree stood up, pacing the room. "This is serious, Taylor! You've been pushing yourself so hard, and now I find out you've been struggling to breathe and didn't even think to tell me? What if something happened on stage? Or during a show?"

Taylor leaned back on the couch, watching Tree with a small, apologetic smile. "I know, I know. But I've always had it under control. I take my inhaler. It's no biggie. I didn't want to worry you."

"Worry me?" Tree shot back, incredulous. "I am worried! I'm your publicist, Taylor. I'm supposed to know when things like this happen so I can help you. But you just keep it to yourself like it's nothing!"

Taylor, sensing Tree's rising emotions, tried to defuse the situation with humor. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, I have an inhaler in almost every room of the house. I'm basically a walking pharmacy."

Tree didn't laugh. She crossed her arms, glaring at Taylor. "This isn't funny."

Taylor's smile faltered slightly. "I know it's not funny, but it's just... how I've dealt with it. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. And I've been fine! Mostly."

"Mostly?" Tree's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'mostly?'"

Taylor sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get out of this without explaining more. "It's been getting a little worse lately. Sometimes I get more winded than I used to. It's been... harder, I guess."

Tree sat back down, running a hand through her hair. "And you didn't think I should know that? You're literally out of breath just sitting here talking, Taylor!"

Taylor bit her lip, guilt creeping into her expression. "Yeah, I probably should've mentioned it sooner. I just didn't want to seem like I was falling apart."

Tree softened, her frustration giving way to concern. "You're not falling apart. But you're human, Tay. You don't have to hide this stuff from me."

Taylor let out a small laugh. "You know, it's not like I was trying to be mysterious. I just didn't think asthma was the most exciting thing to share."

"Well, it would've been nice to know!" Tree threw her hands up, exasperated. "What else are you hiding? Got any other surprise medical conditions I should know about?"

Taylor chuckled, though it was clear she knew she'd messed up. "Nope, that's it. Unless you count my irrational fear of moths, but I think you already know about that."

Tree rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You're impossible."

"I know," Taylor said, grinning now, "but I promise, no more secrets. I'll keep you in the loop, asthma and all."

Tree shook her head, still feeling a bit raw from the surprise. "Good. Because next time, I want to know if you're struggling with anything. Deal?"

"Deal," Taylor said, holding out her hand dramatically. "From now on, you get the full asthma report."

Tree hesitated, then finally took Taylor's hand, shaking it firmly. "You'd better."

Taylor smirked. "So... does this mean I can skip the rest of today's meetings? Doctor's orders?"

Tree groaned. "Not a chance, Swift. Inhaler or not, we've got work to do."