A/N: Finally a fic not written for the theme challenge, but I guess Hanahaki counts as a theme of its own.
Hanahaki is a fairly new but popular trope that's made its way around several fandoms. It usually consists of one character discovering a flowering plant in their lungs, spurred on by chemicals released by the brain during attraction. The rest of the details are included in the story.
If it's not apparent from the story, this takes place at least a decade after Pokemon Sun and Moon.
Thanks to Hunterx700 for beta-ing this! 3
As always, my tumblr is llamastheflying if you wanna hit me up with any questions or complaints.
When he first coughed up the brightly colored petals, Gladion hadn't given it much thought. He had been walking around the conservatory at the Aether Paradise with Lillie after they'd returned from visiting their friends on the mainland when coughs suddenly wracked his lungs. When he was finally able to catch his breath once more, a yellow, somewhat transparent petal lay in the palm of his hand.
Lillie, who had tried to pat his back to help him cough, stared in awe at the petal.
"That's quite odd," she said, "but not the oddest thing either of us have seen by far. You must have swallowed a petal from one of the Comfeys over there. It was probably just trying to help. Maybe it thinks you're getting sick?"
Sure enough, several Comfeys had looped themselves around the walkway railing not far from where they stood. All but one were peacefully snoozing. Gladion shot it a glare as it studied him calmly. The Pokemon were known for known for their nurturing nature, so it made sense that one had tried to force feed him one of its restorative petals if it thought he was ill.
"Don't be mean, Gladion!" Lillie scolded as she tugged him away from it and towards the lift. "It's trying to be nice, unlike you!"
It occurred to him that night that none of the Comfeys he'd seen seemed to have yellow flowers on their vines as he coughed up two more petals. He brushed it off, thinking that perhaps there was another out of sight he hadn't seen.
A few weeks later, he wondered if the Comfey staring at him that day had known what was growing inside his lungs.
Growing up in the chaotic environment in the Foundation, Gladion knew he had issues when it came to control. He didn't deal well with unknown elements popping up in his life even as an adult, but he could at least managed. Wicke helped him deal with his daily anxiety when he was still very small.
"Establish the facts and reason behind what scares you," she told him once as she held him in her lap after a nightmare. "Shadows aren't as frightening if you know what's in them."
The dark and silent labs might not unnerve him anymore but the petals that found a home in his lungs certainly did, so Gladion started investigating after he continued to cough up petals for two weeks after his visit to the Conservatory.
He convinced one of the radiology techs on the Foundation's medical staff to take an X-ray of his chest after telling her that he was concerned about cracked ribs due to a training accident with Silvally. They were both horrified to discover what appeared to be a plant growing inside his lungs. The roots had started to twist their way into his bronchial tubes and he was able to plainly see several buds. The tech had been sworn to secrecy with the excuse of the plant being some experiment from the labs. He'd thought shedding light on the situation would help. Knowing that he had what looked to be a parasite only exacerbated his anxiety.
The identity of the flower was an easier puzzle than the X-ray. Gladion had seen the flowers in question around the islands, ever distinctive with their vibrant petals that faded from yellow to red as the day wore on. The were sea hibiscuses, or hau in the Alolan language. The grew in abundance around Iki town, which wasn't much of a surprise to Gladion. What he could tell from his research they just an ordinary (yet albeit, very useful) plant and not the parasite that seemed to be growing in his lungs.
He considered the seemingly ordinary bush he stood before in the village. The buds had barely started to grow and Gladion knew the flowers wouldn't be around for long once they started to bloom.
An arm snaking its way around his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts.
"Alola, Gladion!" Hau greeted as he pulled his friend into a hug. "I wasn't expecting to see you again this week!"
"I wasn't expecting to be here either," Gladion admitted as he wiggled free of the hug. After returning to Alola from several years spent abroad traveling and (successfully) challenging the other leagues, he spent most of his time aiding the researchers at the Foundation. He did try to return to the main islands at least once a week and meet up with his friends, if only to get Lillie off his back about overworking himself. "I was actually hoping to talk with you about something."
"Oh? Did I miss your message about needing to see me?" Hau checked his Xtransceiver.
"No, I...I didn't message you. This situation is just entirely unreal and I was afraid you think I was trying to prank you if I just messaged you." Hau's expression quickly grew concerned, obviously worried for his friend. Gladion cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the tell-tale tickle that usually signalled an incoming coughing fit, before asking "These aren't parasitic in any way, right?"
Hau chuckled and shook his head.
"Not more than most any other plant here," he said. "I'm hurt you think my parents would name me after a parasite. Just because I stole your malasada the other day…" He trailed off, seeing Gladion's grave expression. "Glad, what's going on?"
Gladion hesitated. Hopefully, he would be able to play this off as an elaborate joke if Hau didn't take him seriously.
"Have you ever heard of someone coughing up flower petals?" he finally asked.
Hau blanched, any hint of humor in his face quickly disappearing.
"I have," he told him. "It's a very rare but not entirely unknown condition here exclusive to Alola. It's called Hanahaki. It can be pretty lethal if it's allowed to get out of control."
Cold fear curled in the pit of Gladion's stomach.
"You said 'if', right? That means there's a cure?"
Hau offered him a small smile.
"And you were worried about me not taking you seriously," he mused. "The two cures are just as unreal as Hanahaki itself and they have extremely different outcomes. You have to understand this about Hanahaki, Gladion: it's not a normal medical condition by any means. It can lay dormant in someone's body until the conditions are right."
"Which are what, exactly?"
"Unrequited love."
Gladion barked out a surprised, hoarse laugh and stared at his friend in disbelief. Hau seemed serious though.
"You've got to be joking."
"See what I mean. You asked me to take you seriously, now I'm asking the same. Something about having a serious, unrequited crush on someone creates the perfect cocktail of chemicals for the plant behind Hanahaki to grow in your lungs. There's two ways to go about stopping it. Either the feelings are returned, causing another burst of chemicals that overwhelms and kills the plant, or or it's surgically removed from the lungs."
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"Trust me, it's the worse of the two options," Hau told him gravely. "When the plant is removed, it apparently does this extinction burst of chemicals that causes psychological trauma. The person is left feeling, and being able to feel, nothing for their crush, even platonic feelings most times."
"How do you even know all of this?" Gladion asked and Hau laughed.
"Now that's a funny story," he said. "You'll usually hear about Hanahaki at least once or twice growing up on Melemele, but I heard about it a lot more than usual due to the fact that I was born because of it. My dad had it seriously bad for my mom and got Hanahaki. He was so convinced she wouldn't like him back that he didn't confess his feelings until Hala literally drug him to her house and made him. Apparently, he was literally coughing up blood and petals on her doorstep because he'd waited so long. She like him back but thought he'd liked her sister since he was always coughing up petals when he was around them both. I was named for the flowers he coughed up."
"Are they always these?" Gladion asked, curious. He caught himself rubbing at his sore throat absently and forced his hand back down to his side.
"No," Hau said. "That's one of the parts about Hanahaki that no one's been able to figure out. The flowers differ from case to case and usually have some sort of meaning for the couple. For my parents, they first met at the height of the blooming season for the hau bushes. Maybe it has something to do with chemical combinations. I'm not scientist, you'd know better than me."
"Maybe." Gladion's chest and throat were seriously starting to hurt. "Thanks for telling me all this. I should probably head back to the Foundation before Faba blows up anything."
"You're still coming to next week's meet up, right?" Hau asked with large puppy eyes. Gladion heaved out a sigh.
"I'll try," he said. "There's a lot going on in the labs right now and-"
Hau pulled him into a hug. "I'll drag you out if need be."
"You just want to eat my malasada for me."
Hau laughed brightly and clapped a hand on his back, causing the petals to dislodge from where they'd stuck to the sides of his throat. Gladion quickly covered his mouth and caught the petals before Hau could see them.
"Sorry, did I do that too hard?"
"You're fine," Gladion told him as he crushed the petals in his first. "It's just something that floating around the Foundation right now. I really should go." Meaning, he should leave before he started coughing up more petals.
"One more thing before you go, Gladion," Hau said has he caught his arm. "You should encourage whoever it is you know that has Hanahaki to confess. It's almost unheard of that the crush doesn't reciprocate."
Gladion shrugged off the hand and turned to leave.
"I'll pass that on," he called over his shoulder. "I'll see you next week." Hau seemed mildly upset, but offered a wave and goodbye of his own as Gladion left the village.
For the first time in his life, having all the answer didn't ease his anxiety. The more Gladion knew about Hanahaki, the more certain he was that he was going to die from it. He might not have been entirely in touch with his capricious emotions, but even he knew that the Hanahaki was spurred on by his growing fondness for Hau. Even if he hadn't known, the now-fullsize flowers blocking his airway on a regular occasion would have clued him in at some point.
It was hard not to like Hau, and even harder not to fall for him. The man was extremely loving and open towards everyone around him, so different from the cold and unfeeling environment he'd grown up with that Gladion couldn't help but gravitate towards him. He enjoyed spending time with the rest of their friends, sure, but Hau was so unabashedly caring and friendly that Gladion couldn't help but feel safe, and feel normal for once. The brightness Hau seemed to exude chased away even the most stubborn of the anxiety-inducing shadows that regularly clouded Gladion's mind.
Two weeks after their conversation in Iki town, Hau had arrived to their weekly meet up at the malasada shop early. He was usually the last to show up, but the Champion was running late due to a challenger and Lillie decided to shop while they waited. Hau slid into the stool next to him and placed something in front of him. Gladion snapped out of his pain inspired introspection and finally noticed both Hau and what he now recognized as some sort of gift bag. Hau looked extremely concerned as he reached out to stroke Gladion's back. With how much he hurt from coughing constantly, the small touch felt like heaven.
"My grandma and aunties made something for your...friend that has Hanahaki," Hau told him quietly and Gladion knew his friend wasn't fooled anymore after two weeks of coughing at their meetups. At least he hadn't told Lillie. Gratitude welled up alongside the strangling plant in his chest. "It should help relieve some of the pain and soothe the throat."
"Thanks," Gladion croaked as he peered in the bag. "I'm sure they'll appreciate it."
"Is there a reason they haven't confessed yet?" Hau asked as he idly played with his uneaten malasada in front of him. Gladion felt grateful that Hau kept with the facade of the hypothetical friend. It made it easier for Gladion to distance himself from the situation.
"He's afraid of hurting them with his confession," Gladion mumbled.
"How so?"
"If the person doesn't return his feelings, they would blame themselves in either outcome, whether he dies or their friendship disappears after their surgery," Gladion said. It was true. Hau would take the guilt of the situation upon himself for not being able to return his feelings. If he had the surgery, Hau would blame himself for the dissolution of their friendship or be devastated if Gladion suddenly became cold towards him if he didn't know. Gladion couldn't bear thinking of Hau in either situation, but he also didn't want to die. He was sure there was another solution out there, but wasn't sure if he had enough time to find it.
"What if the person liked him back?" ventured Hau cautiously. Gladion shook his head before coughing violently into the crook of his elbow, leaving behind a very mangled flower. Hau eyed it but was silent as Gladion snatched it and threw it into a nearby bin.
"No chance of that," he muttered. "I-He's way too messed up and that person could have anyone."
"What if anyone was him?" Hau pressured but Gladion was literally saved by the bell over the shop door that announced Lillie and the champion's arrival.
The gifts from Hau's family helped enough that he was able to sleep through the night in what felt like the first time in weeks. In the morning, however, the red at the base of the flower was joined by a small amount of dark blood that became a regular presence over the course of the next three weeks.
Gladion sank into his chair as he studied the data trends on the screen in front of him. This was it, he thought as he tied back his hair with shaking hands. The last batch of tests he'd run on the flowers came back decidedly conclusive: the Hanahaki was not in the least hindered by anything he tried. He took a shuddering breath and tried to calm himself. There wasn't going to be enough time to conduct more testing before the Hanahaki did him in. He was barely able to complete this one as it stood.
Catching his breath between small gasps and coughs, he made his way back to his room at the Aether Mansion. He'd prepared for this eventuality when the first experiments started to fail, but it was another thing entirely to go through with it. He knew that the Hanahaki would completely overtake his lungs soon, if the few times he'd fainted in the past week were any indicator but wanted to be far enough away that even if someone did find him, there wouldn't be enough time to perform the surgery. He pulled a few letters he'd written out of a drawer and left them on top of his desk along with Silvally's Pokeball, before leaving the Foundation.
The owner recognized him when he arrived at the motel on route 8, despite the fact she hadn't seen him in years. He quietly paid and she handed over the keycard, but not before giving him a concerned look when coughs wracked his frame. He said nothing to her, though, and made his way to his room. It was almost the same it had been years ago. The wallpaper had been updated, along with the bathroom, but it held much the same feel as it had then: isolated and lonely.
Gladion tugged the tie out of his hair and flopped down on the bed, only to immediately sit up and cough. When he wiped at his mouth, a streak of bright red colored his hand. The world swam slightly as he lay back down. Maybe it was best to try to sleep. If he was lucky, he'd just wouldn't wake up.
It felt like only seconds when he woke to a knock at his door. He propped himself up on his elbow but that took most of the strength he had left. Whoever was at the door wasn't deterred by his lack of response, if the beep from the keycard was anything to go by. Gladion expected to see his sister, or maybe Wicke, but was surprised to see Hau poke his head through the door instead.
"I've got to be hallucinating," Gladion grumbled before hacking up another flower onto the sheets next to him. The blood on its petals smeared against the sheets.
"No, you're not." Hau shut the door behind him and wandered over to sit on the bed. He grimaced, probably either at the rattle of Gladion's lungs or the blood on the pillow and sheets. "Gladion, why did you let it get this far? You could have had the surgery, if you didn't want to tell them so badly."
He weakly shook his head and fell back to the pillow. "Didn't want to," he gasped out. "Would have hurt him."
"You idiot, it's hurting you!" Hau cried out. Gladion couldn't help but chuckle.
"That's my line, you know," he told Hau, who was not amused. He could now plainly see tears start to well up in his eyes and Gladion's heart clenched painfully at the sight. Of course, that spurred another coughing fit. Hau's hand found its to his back and he stroked it softly.
"Don't you think that it would have hurt him more to have you gone?" he asked. A tear streamed down his cheek. "Knowing you, it's someone you're really close to. Don't you think he would miss you? Don't you value your life at all?"
"He would have felt guilty for the entire situation," Gladion replied, ignoring the last question because no, he didn't value himself. Any self esteem he had outside of training his Pokemon had been destroyed years ago. "He's an idiot who cares too much."
He watched Hau gently pick up one of his namesake flowers. Realization dawned in his face.
"It's me, isn't it?" Hau asked quietly. Gladion said nothing, but turned his face into the pillow to block out the sight of more tears falling down Hau's face. "Oh, Gladion...you should have told me sooner."
He felt Hau shift beside him and suddenly found himself being pulled into a hug.
"For being a scientist and one of the most powerful trainers in the world, you don't have much in the way of common sense." Hau told him with a soft laugh and nuzzled his face against the top of Gladion's head. Pain started to burn in his chest and he weakly tried to thrash free of Hau's grip. "Even if I didn't like you back, I would have understood if you needed to end our friendship because of the surgery. I would always rather you be alive than dead, even if we couldn't be friends. No amount of hurt would change that."
"Didn't want to hurt you," Gladion reiterated. His chest felt like it was on fire.
"I don't think you heard me, Gladion: I like you. It would hurt me infinitely more than anything to lose you forever."
Hau pressed a kiss to his forehead and Gladion let out a choked scream as the fire climbed into his throat. His friend released him to let him dash for the bathroom where he heaved into the toilet. It felt as though liquid fire fell from his mouth forever, but he knew it was only a few minutes. Hau appeared at some point to hold back his hair as the last of the flowers painfully expelled themselves from his lungs and offered him a few tissues to wipe away the blood that dripped down his chin.
"Good, it looks like it's done with," Hau murmured to him as he swept him up off the bathroom floor. "You really should get checked by a doctor, though. The Hanahaki probably did a number on your lungs." Gladion didn't have the strength to protest as Hau carried him out of the room to a waiting Charizard. He was vaguely aware of being loaded onto it but everything blurred together after that.
The next thing Gladion knew was waking up in a sterile, white room in a very uncomfortable bed with an IV in his arm and tube blowing cool air into his nose. A closer inspection revealed it to be part of the staff medical ward at the Aether Paradise. He carefully pushed himself a little farther up on the bed.
"He's awake!" some cried, startling him. Lillie tackled him and drew him into a tight embrace. He groaned at the impact with his sore chest. "You dummy! I can't believe you didn't tell us!"
"It was none of your business," Gladion snapped hoarsely at her, but she was hardly dissuaded from her rage. Only the champion catching her elbow paused her tirade. They gave her a faint smile.
"Let him rest, Lillie," they told her. "There will be plenty of time later to chew him out."
Behind them, a nurse entered the room. She was accompanied by several Comfeys that had loosely hung themselves around her neck.
"I'm glad to see you're awake," she told him as she grabbed his chart from the end of his bed. "You had everyone worried. Luckily, your friend Hau and his family were able to help advise the staff on how best to help you recover from your condition. Your lungs would probably be permanently damaged without them. Thanks to them, we'll be prepared if this condition ever pops again."
The Comfeys detached from her neck and laid themselves across his lap, except for one that chose to perch around his neck. Gladion recognized it as the one that had been staring at him when this entire mess started. It gave him an annoyingly content look.
Smug little shit.
A sweet aroma filled the room and Gladion found he was suddenly able to breathe without his chest feeling as though it would shatter. He realized the Comfeys were responsible for it.
"We'll keep you for another few days, just to monitor your condition," she explained. "These Comfeys will probably follow you home for another week, though. For now, the best thing you can do is just to rest and let your lungs recover. Do you have any questions?"
He did, but not for her. Gladion shook his head. She finished taking his vitals and exited the room, leaving the Comfeys behind.
"Where's Hau?" he asked. Lillie gave him a knowing look and he grit his teeth. It was obvious everyone knew what had gone down.
"He's on his way," she said. "I sent him a message as soon as your heart rate picked up on the monitor. He was here for the last few days, but had to return to Melemele to deal with a warp hole that appeared. It closed without any incident, though, so he should be here soon."
Gladion felt as though he'd been suckerpunched.
"A few days?"
"Yes, a few days! That's what happens when you almost die, you...you...Ugh!" She stomped her foot and huffed. The champion laughed quietly and touched her arm lightly again. "Fine, we'll leave you be for now. But you're getting it later!"
She stormed out of the room before returning to give him a brief hug, and then left again. Thankfully, the champion only offered him a wave as they followed Lillie. Gladion let himself relax as much as he could into the hard bed. The Comfeys must have sensed his discomfort, because something changed slightly in their aroma and he found himself drifting into a light doze.
Small squeaks of delight woke him some time later. He opened his eyes to see the Comfeys draping themselves over Hau, who laughed.
"Come on, guys, you're on duty right now," he scolded them as he started to peel them off and lay them back on the sheets. "Oh, good morning!"
"Morning," Gladion murmured as Hau coaxed the last stubborn Comfey from his head. "I see you made even more friends while I was asleep."
"I don't know why they like me so much," Hau admitted. "They're from the Conservatory, if you didn't know, so they should like you more."
"Everyone likes you," Gladion said quietly as he reached out for the hand Hau had braced on his bed railing. "Especially me."
Hau linked their fingers together and squeezed softly.
"Good," he told him as he brought Gladion's hand up to press a kiss to his knuckles, "because I like you quite a bit, too."
Gladion gave him a small smile as he felt the tips of his ears start to burn.
"How did you know where to find me?" he asked as one of the Comfey cuddled against his hand. He rubbed a finger against it and it cooed at him softly.
"I had a feeling you might try to go and die off in a corner alone like a wounded Lycanroc," Hau said as he pulled up a chair next to the bed. "I asked a few of the motels around Alola to give me a heads up if someone matching your description passed through, but I figured you'd end up on route 8 again."
Hau sighed and squeezed Gladion's hand tighter.
"After you get out of here, we're going to have to find you some help for your self esteem," he said and Gladion's hackles began to rise. "I like you a lot, Gladion, but you need to like yourself too." Gladion grumbled something under his breath. "Please, Gladion? I don't want to ever have to deal you nearly dying ever again. I don't think my heart could take it."
"Fine," Gladion mumbled and Hau instantly brightened.
"Good boy," he crooned and Gladion felt his face turn red as a shiver shot down his spine.
"I'm not a Rockruff!" he growled at Hau but he laughed, clearly not intimated by Gladion.
"You aren't, but you certainly seemed to like that," Hau teased. "I'll have to remember that when you get out of here. For now though…" He leaned over the Comfeys until their noses bumped against each other. "...would it be alright if I kissed you?"
"Yes," Gladion said breathlessly (he wasn't sure if it was because of his damaged lungs or because Hau was so close) and was rewarded with the soft press of Hau's lips against his own. The kisses turned a little heavier and Hau moved to brace a hand against the mattress. Instead, a Comfey squealed loudly as its vine was crushed under his hand. They both flinched and Hau leaped back.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Hau told it as he picked up the crying Pokemon from the bed. "Are you okay?"
The Comfey whimpered quietly and its friends soon draped themselves over Hau once more. The air took on a sickly sweet smell as they released a scent to help their friend and Gladion's head began to spin. He groaned and let himself fall back against the pillow. Hau chuckled.
"Well, that was not how I imagined that going," he admitted as he carefully lay the now smiling Comfey back on the bed and began untangling the rest from his arms. "I should probably let you rest a bit more. The Comfey aren't just here for show. Your lungs were pretty torn up from the Hanahaki."
"Would you stay until I fall asleep, at least?"
"Of course." He sat in the chair once more and took Gladion's hand in his own. "You need to actually go to sleep though."
It was Gladion's turn to laugh as the Comfeys started to sing quietly to themselves and let out a new aroma that made him feel sluggish.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem," he murmured. Indeed, the world was starting to blur once more. As he fell back to sleep, he felt Hau squeeze his hand and thought that he couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy.