Hanahaki ~Phan~

Chapter 11

This was it. The end. Phil knew it had to come eventually, and for that reason only, he was prepared for it.

He knew it would be painful, and there was no exaggeration when it's said it's up there with child birth. Imagine, flowers filling up your lungs until you suffocate on the sweet, sweet smell of daffodils, petals scraping against the sides of your rib cage and leaving microscopic scratches behind.

Phil was sure it had taken the longest time on record for him to finally leave, but maybe that was just the pain speaking for him. It made everything trillions of minutes longer than it was in reality.

He wasn't quite there to experience the shrill shriek of Dan as he walked into Phil's room, his hands flying up to cover his mouth. He didn't know which he was more curiously disgusted about; the fact that Phil was most definitely no longer living, or the fact there was a mound of bloodied flowers beside him on his duvet.

Quietly with tears in his eyes, Dan had walked lightly into Phil's room, picking up the slip of paper that was addressed to him on Phil's night stand.

"Dear Dan,
So, if you're reading this, it's probably more than likely you either got here before my parents did, or they've simply given you the note. No, I promise you, it's not suicide. Well, technically not, I suppose.

I was ill, you see, with no chance of getting better. My family hadn't the money to fix me, nor did I tell them I needed fixing in the first place. I didn't want to worry their poor old souls. You and they are probably going to be the only people that genuinely miss me anyway.

They call it Hanahaki disease, and before I get into that, don't you dare blame yourself. Hanahaki disease develops when the patient feels unrequited love toward another, causing flowers to bloom in their lungs and eventually, as I did, suffocate on them. There is a cure, but as I'd written earlier, it's dreadfully expensive.

In conclusion, no, Dan, I promise, this wasn't your fault. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay? I'll catch you on the flip side!

I love you,
Phil"

Dan dropped the note, the paper fluttering down to the ground with far more grace than he could ever dream of having. That's where all of the flowers had come from. From Phil's lungs. The thought made Dan heave, tears springing to his eyes again as he let choked sobs leave his lips.

This was all his fault, and he knew it.