Fourth and Second were washing dishes after dinner was done and they were talking idly with each other to pass the time.
"So I left Vector watching the kids again. I know I've done it before, but, I still end up worried." Second said with a laugh.
Fourth just shook her head. She hated when his name was mentioned. Yes, she might not have been around when he was a problem, but what she heard about him, and what he caused, she couldn't stop herself from despising him. She gripped the side of the sink and sighed.
"If you're so worried about him why are you trusting enough to leave those, creations of yours with him." She nearly spat out. Second seemed to moved back, almost scared by her mood change.
"I'm sorry, I just was looking for something to talk about." She said quietly, looking at her with sad eyes.
Fourth couldn't help but instantly feel upset with herself for hurting her.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Keep talking, I'll listen. Sorry." She repeatedly apologized.
"No no, I won't talk about him, I should have known that bringing him up would make make you mad." Second said, looking down, going back to her work.
Fourth felt a pain, tearing at her chest. "No, go on, I'll listen. I shouldn't have said something like that." She said putting a hand on her back.
"You sure?"
"Of course, I'll always listen to you." Fourth said with a small smile.
Second smiled back and leaned against her. "You can be so nice to me, even when I upset you." She said, more as an off hand comment.
Fourth just nodded.
Then she felt something. It started as small tickle in her throat. She turned away and covered her mouth, coughing every so slightly.
Second looked at her, somewhat surprised.
"Are you okay?" Her tone hinted with worry.
Fourth backed away, a hand over her mouth, still coughing.
"I just," She couldn't seem to stop, so she ran off to the bathroom.
She shut and locked the door behind her, somewhat ashamed of her coughing fit. She went to the sink and gripped the sides, still unable to breath more than a few breaths.
Then, it felt like something was coming up, but she knew there was nothing there. She gagged and held her head right over the sink, and suddenly a single rose petal fell out of her mouth. She looked at with confusion and poked it with her finger.
She didn't know much about human bodies, much less about the illnesses they could get, but this was something entirely new to her. She didn't think plants could come out from her body.
The petal was red, and in perfect condition, as if it had just fallen off a flower.
She picked it up, still staring at it, as if it'll tell it's secrets to her, but nothing came. She tossed it and turned on the faucet.
The cold water hit her as she cupped her hands under it and took a drink, not really caring at how sloppy it was, and just wanting something to sooth her hoarse throat.
After she was done she cleaned up and sighed. Whatever had come over her before seemed to pass, yet, something in the back of her head told her that it wasn't done.
She walked out the bathroom and found Second waiting.
"Are you feeling alright?" She said, grabbing Fourth's hand.
She stepped back, nearly taking her hand out of her grasp. "I'm, fine. I promise." She said, feeling another small tickle in her lungs.
"Hm, if you say so." Second shook her head, not really believing her. "That sounded like a really bad cough. You should drink some water, or find some medicine if it doesn't go away."
"I will, if I must." Fourth said, turning and covering her mouth.
It seemed to continue. At first, it was just coughing, and a petal or two. And after those came out, that was it, the coughing subsided.
Then it started getting worse, whole flowers, usually roses with thorns and all coming from her mouth. At first it was more annoying, or an inconvenience for her, then it was just getting painful. She could feel the thorns rip at her throat and scratch the sides of her mouth as they came up.
Her only question was, why? Why was this happening to her? From what she found there was no illness that caused something like, coughing up flowers. And where she could have gotten it, she didn't know.
All she knew was whenever she saw her, Second, she felt the flowers almost bloom in her lungs. She almost couldn't look at her, because she knew it would bring up another coughing fit.
Fourth started avoiding her. It hurt her to do so, but she felt it had to be done. Yet it caused another pain in her chest, but it wasn't like the coughing.
It was a pain in her chest, her, heart, if she thought right. Like a knife going through her. Why this pain too? She thought being away from her would still help, like with the flowers, but no, it made her heart hurt even more.
So she was stuck. In pain with her, and away.
What had she done to have this happen to her? And to make things worse, Second was catching on to her. In a way at least.
She caught Fourth in the kitchen one day, and grabbed her hand so she couldn't leave.
"Is something wrong? Did I do something?" She asked, tears in her eyes.
"Ah, no, no." Fourth felt her throat tighten. "I, I've been, very busy. I'm sorry." She managed to force out.
"Do you really mean that?" Second dropped her hand. "You haven't talked to me in weeks!"
"We talked last night."
"All you did was say hi!" She covered her face. "Is it because I brought up Vector before? I'm sorry, I thought you said it didn't matter."
"It's not that." Fourth forced out, feeling the familiar tickle in her throat. "Please, don't take this the wrong way. I've just been trying to, figure out a few things." Fourth grabbed her and hugged her tightly, like she didn't want to let go.
Second hugged her back instantly. "If you say so, alright." She looked down. "Just, please, talk to me, don't act like you're running from me."
"Of course." Fourth bit the inside of her mouth, trying her damnedest to seem like she wasn't struggling.
Second turned and the moment she was around the corner, Fourth ran for the bathroom.
She slammed the door behind her and hung her head over the toilet. She coughed, no, it started as coughing, and then it turned into gagging. She felt the flowers clawing at her throat, but it felt as if there was more than just one coming up this time.
She opened her mouth, just wanting to get it over with. She felt the buds push into her mouth, and then the thorny stems. Heaving, she forced the stems out as quickly as she could, she hated that part the most.
They fell into the toilet bowl, and she looked at them in disgust. They were red, and the petals were already starting to wrinkle in the water.
She felt sick, and put a hand over her mouth. Something was coming again, but she could tell it wasn't roses.
She threw up on top of the flowers. She gasped, trying to remember how to breath again.
What a horrible feeling. She sat in front of the toilet, almost laying her head on the seat, not caring how unsanitary it was.
How long she sat she didn't know, but then she heard someone behind her. She cursed herself for not locking the door and turned. It was Third.
He looked at her in horror, and mild disgust. She sighed and made herself stand.
"Don't you know better than to walk in on someone when they're in the bathroom?" She said trying to pull his attention away from her sad state.
"You were in here for a long time, and I was getting worried." He paused. "You're sick."
"No." She said flatly. She put the seat down, trying to hide the evidence and walked past him, but he grabbed her shoulder.
"You don't have to lie. I noticed you've been acting weird lately, Second has said something to me too." She stiffened when he mentioned her.
"It's nothing, really."
"It seems like more than that." He looked at her seriously. "I can help you."
"I don't think you can." She pulled out of his grasp. "I haven't found anything on my own. I'll just, keep managing."
"That's not healthy."
"We don't have to worry about stuff like that." She went to her room.
Third shook his head and followed her.
"I'll do a few tests. Maybe that might give you an answer." He said sternly.
She didn't respond. She knew saying anything wouldn't stop him. Maybe she should be happy that she might find out what was wrong, but she didn't want to think about it.
"How are you feeling?" Third asked as he walked into her room. Fourth was quiet and just turned her head.
"Not well I guess." He responded in her place. He sat next to her and she turned so she didn't have to look at him.
"Everyone's starting to worry about you." He said. "Second's been coming by everyday now to see if you're willing to talk to her."
Fourth put a hand over her mouth and coughed. Now just hearing her name was enough to start another fit.
Third saw her struggling and moved so he could see her face.
"Stop worrying about me. Just, let me rest, I'll be out later." She managed to say. He just shook his head.
"Hm, if you say. Oh, about your problem," He said with a slight pause. "I have to ask you a small question."
"What, what, just ask so you can leave."
"Do you have, feelings for someone?" He asked, not missing a beat.
She sat up, shocked that he was even asking that.
"What does something like that matter. It's not like something like, that, could affect me."
"You might think that, but, it seems like that could just be your problem."
She shook her head and brought her knees up to her chest. "No, no, that's not it. You're just wrong."
"And you have another explanation then?"
"No, but, no, it's not that." She said again.
"Come on, you can tell me." He leaned in close to her. "I just want to help."
She stayed quiet, as if she was thinking. After awhile Third just sighed and got up, figuring she wouldn't answer.
"Second." Fourth finally said, almost too quiet to hear.
"What was that?"
"Second, I think. No, it has to be." She said, more like she was thinking out loud.
"Second?" He repeated. She covered her mouth and this time a rose appeared in her hands.
Third looked at her, horrified, but she just tossed it to the side like it was nothing.
"It is her." He finally said. She looked away from him and put a hand on her face.
"Just, be quiet."
"No, I'm- I'm just shocked that's all."
"It's disgusting." She spat. "It's such a useless thing to feel."
"Why do you think that?"
"Love is, such a useless emotion, that only leads to trouble, stupid mistakes…and pain." She took a deep breath. "She already has someone anyway. She can't love two people."
"You really think that?" A voice grabbed both their attentions. Second stood in the door way, having been eavesdropping on them.
"Second!" Fourth yelped, before covering her mouth as she felt more flowers coming.
She kneeled next to her on the bed and tried to take her hands, but Fourth just shook her head, covering her mouth, with tears starting to stream out of her eyes. She was shaking, flowers pushing through her throat, it was painful.
"Do you love me?" Second asked her softly.
Fourth nodded her head, ever so slightly. She couldn't hold it any more. She started coughing, gaging, as red roses started falling on her lap. She would gasp for air, and more would come out. Second sat next to her, rubbing her back, trying to soothe her the best should could.
Slowly they came to a stop. Some of the flowers that she coughed up toward the end were bloody. Her throat, mouth, even lips where bleeding and she was struggling just to keep breathing. Weakly she gathered the flowers up into a sloppy bundle and pushed them at Second.
"...Love you…I…" Fourth could barely speak. She was crying, everything hurt. Her chest, her heart, her mouth, her head. It all hurt. "I love you." She whispered.
Second took them from her and dropped them to the side. Fourth froze, thinking that was it, she didn't think the same, this was her rejection. Then, she hugged her, tightly, squeezing her in such a way that it made her hurt even more.
"I love you too." Second whispered in her ear. "You didn't have to hide this from me. You shouldn't have, you hurt yourself so much." She was crying too. She felt like it was her fault Fourth got as sick as she did. That she should have known.
"But Vector?" Fourth managed to ask.
"I can love more then one person." Second stroked her back. "I don't want you to hurt anymore."
Fourth took a shaky breath, expecting more flowers, but nothing happened. Her body still ached, but, that pain in her heart seemed to vanish. She held Second close, like she didn't want her to leave.
She could feel Second's heart beating. It was, comforting having her so close. It was like a weight had been lifted away. She went to kiss her cheek, but Second turned and kissed her on the lips. Slowly, carefully, not at all concerned about her blood.
"I will leave you two." Third said, leaving them to do as the pleased. The door clicked shut, leaving them in eachothers arms.
