Chapter 8
What had started as a fun night was now starting into chaos. Prompto just wanted to have a good night with Noctis. Something that would be good for the memories. All he wanted was to keep some good lasting memories that he could die happy with. He would have his days numbered because of the stupid Hanahaki Disease, but he would spend them as best as he could.
But then Noctis started to cough, and rose petals were scattered all over Noctis's floor. That sent Prompto into a panic as he tried to figure out what to do. "Noct!" Prompto shouted. "Noct, can you hear me? Shit shit! I gotta… I gotta call Iggy!"
Prompto fumbled with his phone and dialed up it as quickly as he could. He pressed his contact with Ignis and pleaded he would pick up soon. He knew he probably should have called an ambulance instead of Ignis, but he panicked.
"Hello, Prompto? Is something-"
"It's N-Noct! He… H-He having trouble b-breathing! I… I don't know what to do! There's petals he's coughing up and… and…"
"Prompto please take a deep breath. Have you called for an ambulance?"
"N-No! I panicked and called you first! I don't know, he keeps coughing and the petals… Hanahaki… I just-"
"Prompto please stay by Noct's side, make sure he is able to breath. The Heimlich maneuver may be needed if he can't breath easily on his own. I will take care of the rest, you two are still at his apartment, correct?"
"Y-Yeah we are… I'll d-do that. I got it."
He placed the phone on the table, forgetting to turn it off, his concerns for Noctis far greater. He moved down to Noctis and placed a hand on him, trying to feel his breathing level.
"Noct, h-how bad is it? Are you having any trouble breathing? Shit I mean I know you probably are but like ah… I don't know! I don't know what to do!"
He was beginning to panic, sobs scratching at this throat. All of his distress now was stronger than anything else before, for many reasons but all because of the same source. Noctis had the Hanahaki Disease. Noctis had the same exact thing he had, but that didn't make any sense. None of this was making any sense.
"Why would he have it? Gods… it's not actually contagious right? It can't be… so does that mean he also… had someone who didn't love him? Of course he was in love with someone else…"
Prompto tried to cry, but his sobs were disturbed by his own breathing feeling restricted. His throat felt sore and he could feel the petals lumping up. He coughed as hard as he could to stop the petals from clumping up. He knew he wouldn't be able to help Noctis if he let himself suffer and suffocate. But the petals kept coming, falling from his mouth to the floor. With his breathing still rather limited, his head hurt and the room began to spin.
He could barely even move now, every part of his body shaking as he hacked up more petals. He was beginning to worry it had grown to the stage where now he would start to cough up an entire rose at this point.
Prompto collapsed to the floor just in front of Noctis. "N-Noct…"
Noctis coughed for a few more seconds before reaching his hand out to Prompto. He carefully placed his hand on top of Prompto's, trying to say something but it was lost in a series of wheezing and petals.
Prompto cried again, not only from the constant moment of throwing up petals, but also because he was afraid. He was so afraid this could be it and it was a worse situation than he imagined. Noctis was suffering too and he never picked up on his, he felt so awful that he didn't notice it before if it really had been there just as long.
"I'm sorry Noct… I wish I could have known… Wish I could have helped…"
The world around him started to blur out, but he kept Noctis in focus as long as he could. He kept his hand where it was, warmly beneath Noctis.