Request by ItSmYwAyToDoThInGs (Wattpad)

Ooh angst

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

3rd Person P.O.V.

Peter felt his heart drop the first time he saw it.

Vibrant, perfectly despicable petals of blue and magenta falling slowly to the ground. Hanahaki disease... Peter had read about it, but never expected it to happen to him. Of course, he knew who was the cause of it.

Harley.

Peter had been fawning over the southern boy ever since his arrival at the tower, but it was always just a harmless crush.

Well, maybe it wasn't so harmless... and maybe it was more than a crush. Peter swallowed thickly, quickly cleaning up the petals. It would be ok, he would just deal with it...

After all, how bad could it be?

It took the Avengers nearly two months to find out.

Peter had been so careful, being sure to throw the dispelled petals in Central Park, covered with snow. Nobody would find them there; even if they did, nobody would suspect him. And that worked, for awhile, until the snow started to melt in late March.

Once the snow was melted, Peter flushed them. Everyday, he watched as the water swirled blue and magenta petals down, where they would not be found. It was fine.

Peter was careful... but not careful enough. Although, it was hardly his fault. It wasn't like he chose when he coughed them up...

Nat was the first to notice, that night at dinner. Peter had launched into a coughing fit, quickly covering his mouth with his napkin. He had hidden the petals well, with the exception of a singular petal, a horribly gorgeous royal blue falling to the floor. It was just one petal, and had gone unnoticed by nearly everyone.

But when you're at dinner with a trained assassin, who picks up on nearly every detail, a slip up like that meant his secret was out. Even if Peter didn't know it.

After dinner, Peter had left quickly to flush the petals, so rushed that he didn't get the fallen one. Nat narrowed her eyes, getting it herself. The petal was certainly odd, but she figured it out easily. Although her knowledge of Hanahaki disease was limited, she still knew of it, and didn't hesitate to tell Tony and Bruce.

"Hanahaki disease?" Bruce questioned, frowning. "You mean... the fictional love sickness?" Nat shook her head, holding up the petal.

"He coughed this up at dinner. And I doubt Peter's been eating flowers." She pressed it into Bruce's hand, leaving quickly. Tony shrugged, glancing at the petal.

"Who do you think it is? Oh, I bet it's that girl at school... MJ, I believe," he speculated. Bruce hummed, putting the petal into a petri dish.

"Well, whoever it is, Peter definitely has some strong feelings for them. I've never seen anything like this before, I'll do some research tomorrow." Bruce yawned, rolling his shoulders. "But I should be heading to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." Tony nodded, patting Bruce's back as he walked by.

"See ya."

Peter had gone straight to his room after dinner, napkin in hand. He opened up the crumpled up ball, dumping the petals into the toilet with a short sigh. The disease was progressing... he could feel it in his chest. There was a slow building pressure in his lungs, roots and petals filling them up. He didn't have a lot of time left before the disease got so bad he would have to do something about it.

Peter shuddered, feeling a tickle in his throat. He coughed once, twice... and promptly vomited into the toilet.

"Ohhhh man..." The water was filled with petals, the few from dinner mixing with the large onslaught that had decided to come up. Now, instead of just blue and magenta, orange and green joined into the mix. It was a sickening mix of colors, and Peter backed away to lean against the wall. He put his head down, trying to catch his breath. It was getting harder to take deep breaths...

Meanwhile, Tony had gathered Steve and Clint to make bets. After a quick explanation, Tony made his bet on MJ.

"Alright... well, I think it's that girl he saved on patrol the other day. He talked about her a lot that night, remember?" Steve pointed out. Tony nodded, turning to Clint.

"Who do you bet it is?"

"I think it's that Ned kid. They hang out a lot, and, I don't know, there could be chemistry there," Clint bet. Tony tilted his head.

"You think he's gay?" Clint shrugged. "Huh. Well, I bet MJ, Steve bet patrol girl, and Clint bet... Ned."

"What's at stake here, anyway?" Steve wondered. Tony raised a finger.

"The winner gets..." Tony paused for effect. "A vacation! Anywhere you want to go, for a month. All expenses paid." Steve nodded, all three men shaking on it.

Bruce woke up the next morning with one thing on his mind: Peter. He needed to do some research to figure out how to help the young hero.

After Google searches and nearly an hour of scrolling, he had learned quite a lot about the disease. He felt odd, looking up something he had been so certain didn't exist in search of a cure. But, the more he read about Hanahaki, the more it made sense. Peter was around the right age for that, seeing as he was nearly 17. The only thing Bruce wasn't sure of was how far along the disease had progressed. A singular petal didn't tell him much about Peter's place in the cycle.

Bruce was scrolling aimlessly when his eyes widened. He squinted, looking closer at the screen.

"If left untreated, the victim will choke to death on their own blood and petals."

He frowned, biting his nails nervously. He had to find a way to fix this, and fast.

Peter groaned, laying on the bathroom floor. His chest ached, his breaths were shallow and painful. He was launched into another coughing fit, but this time, the usual petals didn't come out.

This time, it was an entire flower head, with hauntingly beautiful white petals spattered with blood.

Peter wiped at his lip, seeing the blood that came off. He whimpered anxiously, curling into a ball. He shakily reached for his phone, calling Ned.

"Hello?"

"Ned?" Peter winced at the sound of his voice.

"Woah, man, you good?"

"Um, actually, that's what I called about..." he closed his eyes, taking what was meant to be a deep breath, but just ended in a short coughing fit. "Ned, I-" Another flower came out, even more blood soaking the white petals. "I'm sick. Really sick. I... I have Hanahaki disease..."

"Oh shit, really? How long? And who?"

"It's been... two months?" Peter coughed roughly, throat burning and chest aching. "And... it's Harley. I don't know, I guess... I don't know who else it could be."

"Sounds like you got it bad, dude. You seriously do not sound good." Ned clicked his tongue. "Have you thought about getting surgery? I've heard they can remove the flowers," he suggested.

"I know, I just..." Peter sighed. "It'll get rid of my feelings for him, too, and- I just don't know if I can live with that."

"Hmm. Well, do what you think is right. But, uh, Peter?"

"Mhm?"

"Be careful, please," Ned sighed. "I really don't want to lose my best friend, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks, Ned. Bye."

"Bye." Peter set his phone down with a sigh. He could barely breathe, his chest felt heavy and full. Things had gone downhill so fast...

Harley had walked into Peter's room, searching for the brunette. He noticed the door to his bathroom was closed, and almost knocked, but stopped when he heard the conversation going on behind the door.

"I'm sick. Really sick." Harley frowned. "I... I have Hanahaki disease..." Harley lowered his hand, instead listening to the conversation. He couldn't help but feel like he was intruding... which, of course, he was, but if Peter was sick, then it was for his safety, right?

"Who?"

"Harley." The blond felt his heart stop. He had caused Peter to get sick? He frowned, trying to remember where he had heard the word hanahaki before.

It suddenly hit him. Peter was in love with him! He waited outside that door for awhile, before taking a soft breath in and knocking.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," he frowned at how awful Peter sounded. "Harley. I really need to talk to you."

"Oh... what is it?"

"No, I need to really talk to you. Face to face." A few moments passed, and Peter opened the door, looking pale and miserable.

"What?"

"Well, I was wondering if, maybe, you would like to go out with me? On a date?" Peter's eyes widened.

"You... want to go on a date... with me?" He questioned. Harley chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, darlin', I'd like to, if you say yes."

"Yes!" Peter grinned, but it was quickly dampened out by a sharp cough. Harley panicked a little when he saw the blood.

"Uh... I don't know if this is too soon, but," he glanced at the blood on Peter's lip nervously. "Could I maybe kiss you?" The brunette nodded quickly, Harley wasting no time in connecting their lips. They both melted into it, and when they broke apart Peter took a deep breath. His eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face.

"Thank you," he murmured, sighing. The pressure in his lungs was finally gone, replaced with an airiness he hadn't felt in over two months.

"Of course, darlin'."

Ah I could make this so much longer but its already really long and its almost 4 am yikes

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