Woo! More Bdoc! Also maybe some angst but it's Bdoc so WHO CARES?!

I like hurting people.

This story is about the hanahaki disease, and if you don't know what that is, then just keep reading it's kinda self-explanatory once you know the character is sick.

Warnings are blood, vomiting, and near death. Also self-doubt. Stuff along those lines.

I actually made up a tad bit of this, so, sorry if I messed up the mechanics of the disease.

Setting is the Hermitcraft server.

Also, Etho is a freaking hero in this.

WC: ~1820 (a lot more proud of this one)

Enjoy! 

;)

Flowers. Everyone knew them. Most quite liked them. They were pretty, peaceful, and just a spot of color. The entire atmosphere could be dark grey, and the flowers would still be bright. Bdubs, for one, loved flowers.

Until he started throwing them up.

For no reason! There was no reason to throw up countless flower petals multiple times a day. But here he was, kneeling over a bucket, coughing up a bunch of stupid, bright red petals.

The first time it happened was probably one of the most traumatizing things ever.

He had just finished repairing Mount Goatmore with Doc, also repairing his friendship with the hybrid. Right after Doc left, he felt an itch in his throat. Bdubs dismissed this, itches in one's throat were nothing to fuss over. They were normal, natural.

What happened next was not natural.

Bdubs had just woken up the next day. He washed his face in the restroom, getting all of the sleep out of his eyes. The itch in his throat still hadn't disappeared, which was infuriating. Bdubs coughed rather violently, and then nearly screamed.

Red rose petals.

Coming out of his mouth.

What the goat???

Bdubs kept his condition a secret. There was no need to worry the other hermits over something that would probably go away soon. Even though it was so odd. 

Bdubs started staying away from everyone. The vomiting happened too often and was too uncontrollable to be reliable. He spent all of his time vomiting or building. Vomiting and building. Vomiting and building. Again and again. But, of course, the hermits started getting worried.

<Docm77>  Bdubs you good? Haven't seen you around lately.

Bdubs glanced up from his building to look at his communicator. The message made his stomach lurch, and he was quick to type in a reply.

<Bdouble0100> Yeah! Just been building!

Bdubs prayed that the message was reassuring enough, and went back to the building. However, once again, he felt petals build up in his throat. Sighing, Bdubs suppressed the pain as he pulled over a bucket. He always had one now, he needed it.

Bdubs coughed up the petals, a couple of tears slipping out. It hurt so much. Tiny little knives in his throat. Sharp pains in his chest. Bright... red blood?

Bdubs peered into the basket closer. Holy-- there's blood in there. Bdubs realized. And... thorns? Oh, of course. These are rose petals after all.

Bdubs shoved the bucket full of thorns and petals and blood away. He was scared. He was in pain. He was freaking breaking.

But he wasn't broken yet.

A month or three went by, Bdubs wasn't really sure how long. The bleeding just got worse and worse. So many "I'm fine!"'s in chat.

All of them were lies.

He was not fine.

He stayed away from everyone.

No one saw him.

No one could.

It was too dangerous.

No one could know.

And then, he became a walking flowerpot.

A single bud, out from his skin.

Bdubs glared at it as it came out, sprouting with all the energy he had lost. He already despised it. Why am I like this? Bdubs had to ask himself. Why am I growing flowers?

"Bdubs?" Said male froze at the voice. He turned around slowly, not surprised to see a certain ninja standing there.

"Oh, uh, hey Etho!" Bdubs said nervously, his voice cracking. "What brings-"

"How long?" Etho cut him off, glaring daggers at him.

"I- what?" Bdubs asked, his cut throat paining him.

"How long have you had hanahaki??" Etho asked frantically.

"Hannah-what-now?" Bdubs was certain the ninja was nuts.

"You... don't know what hanahaki is?" Etho clarified. Bdubs shook his head.

"Wait... throwing up petals, thorns, and blood is a normal thing?" Bdubs blurted. "And growing flowers?"

"How long have you had this?" Etho practically shrieked. "Growing flowers, you're basically a dead man walking!"

"About... three or four months," Bdubs said, thinking back. 

"Four months?!" Etho's eyes widened.

"Can you please tell me what this is?" Bdubs asked, gesturing at himself. Etho sighed. 

"Sit down," Etho mumbled, sitting on the sidewalk of the village and then patting the space next to him. Bdubs reluctantly sat down, the worry in the ninja's eyes starting to get to him.

Etho launched into an explanation. How it would start with just petals. How there were always thorns that would cut one's throat. How you would throw up petals, thorns, and blood. How, once the flowers started growing out of your skin, you were essentially dead.

How you'd be dead in five months if you didn't stop it.

How Bdubs only had a month left.

"How did I get it?" Bdubs asked, thoroughly shook.

"Uh, if you fall in severe love with someone and they don't like you back," Etho explained. Bdubs practically choked on thin air.

"W-what?" Bdubs choked out. "I don't like anyone! Why-"

"Do I need to name names?" Etho asked with a smirk.

"Nono!" Bdubs said a bit way too fast.

"I dunno, a certain someone comes to mind," Etho teased.

Bdubs was certain they were thinking of the same person.

"You gotta tell Doc."

Bdubs had thought his crush on his neighbor had been a tad less obvious. I mean, sure, maybe he had been feeling that way for a really long time. And maybe the feeling only strengthened with each passing day. And maybe he had no idea how Etho had caught on.

Does... does Doc know I feel this way?

He must not return the feeling.

That's why I'm sick.

He doesn't love me.

"Why should I tell him?" Bdubs asked, finally registering what Etho had said.

"If he actually does like you back, then you'll be cured," Etho said.

"Oh, I am so dead," Bdubs mumbled, putting his head in his knees.

"Don't say that!" Etho laughed. "He might like you."

"Then why am I sick?"

"He could be refusing to acknowledge his feelings."

"Sure."

"Have you met Doc? If he loves you, he's certain to hide it. This is Doc."

"He wouldn't like me."

"You don't know that."

"I- I don't want to get rejected."

Bdubs nearly slapped himself after admitting that. Etho sighed again and wrapped an arm around Bdubs.

"Look, rejections hard. I know. Not from experience, sure. But I know it must sting. But... losing a friend is even harder. If you don't want to do it for yourself, fine. Just... do it for me?"

Bdubs sighed. Etho knew exactly how to get to him.

"Fine. I'll go talk to Doc." Bdubs's voice was strained, and he felt the vomit build up.

"Bdubs?" Etho asked hesitantly.

"Bucket," Bdubs choked out, his hands grabbing his throat. Etho glanced around and grabbed an empty bucket that was sitting at the doorstep of one of the houses in the village.

Bdubs leaned over into it. He expected blood. He expected thorns. He expected petals.

But this time was worse.

So much worse.

There was so much blood.

And vomit.

And petals.

And thorns.

Bdubs's vision started blurring.

Tears and dark.

What's going on?

Warmth.

Cold.

Safe.

Danger.

Clear.

Blur.

Broken.

Broken.

Broken.

"You're okay," 

A voice penetrated through the blur of colors.

Colors?

When did colors get here?

Red like roses.

Red like roses.

"Bdubs, stay with me."

Where are you?

"Right here."

Am I talking?

"Bdubs, wake up."

I'm asleep?

How did I fall asleep that fast?

Who's talking anyway?

"Bdubs, come on."

You're not the boss of me!

Where am I?

Who am I?

Why am I here?

What's happening to me?

Am I okay?

No.

"Please, Bdubs."

Everything's a blur.

I...

Bdubs couldn't finish the thought as he completely blacked out.

*  *  *

"Bdubs? Can you hear me?" A voice. It was familiar. Bdubs knew it...

"Etho?" he choked out. Breathless laughter.

"You've been gone two hours," Etho said with a chuckle. "You nearly died, Bdubs."

"Where am I?" Bdubs asked, ignoring the important part of that statement. He was in a bed, that's all he knew. Everything was too blurry to recognize the surrounding area. He pulled himself up into a sitting position. "What happened?"

"When you stopped vomiting, you kinda just shut down. You curled up and were crying. I sat with you. I thought you were just scared. I told you a thousand times that you were okay, that everything would be fine. You didn't react. I started getting desperate and told you to stay with me. You asked me where I was. I told you I was right there. I told you that I wouldn't leave. I told you I'd always be right there. You didn't react." Etho paused, possibly swallowing back tears.

"I told you to wake up, that this wasn't funny, that you had to come on and wake up already. I begged you to wake up. Suddenly, you went limp. My instinct kicked in and I went to get Doc. I literally just told him that you were sick, and he was coming. You're in his half of the mansion. We carried you here. Doc was here, I swear, but he just now left to change. He's gonna be so mad that the minute I asked him to change into clean clothes, you wake up."

"I... clean clothes?" Bdubs mumbled, catching onto the last bit of that.

"Oh yeah, you threw up on him."

"I did what?"

"Blood and everything."

"You're joking."

"The petals stuck to him because of all the blood."

"That didn't happen."

"Want me to show you the shirt?"

Bdubs moaned and buried his face in his hands. Etho sympathetically pat him on the shoulder, probably fighting back a snicker.

"He didn't mind, don't worry," Etho said with a laugh. "Though I hope he's showering as well. The smell of blood was getting pretty bad."

"I can imagine," Bdubs muttered, his face still hot with the realization that he threw up on Doc.

"You do realize you still have to confess to him, right?" Etho pointed out, adding insult to injury.

"He must know by now," Bdubs shot back. 

"True," Etho agreed. "Unless if he thinks you're sick for someone else."

"Who else would I be sick for??"

"Scar, Keralis-"

"Forget I asked."

"Will do."

"And... Etho?" Bdubs mumbled, realizing he had something to say.

"Yeah?" Etho asked, inching a bit closer to him, detecting Bdubs's change in voice.

"Thank you. For... everything." Etho took Bdubs's hand and squeezed it.

"It's what friends are for."

They were distracted by the sound of the door opening. It was Doc.

"I'll leave," Etho said helpfully. "I wouldn't want to get in the way." Etho winked and left the room.

Doc silently walked over to the bed where Bdubs was sitting. The hybrid took Bdubs's wrist and peered at the flower growing on it.

"I was so worried," Doc whispered, not looking up.

"I'm sorry,"

"Don't be," Doc squeezed his wrist. "Please don't be sorry. If anything, I'm sorry."

"You?" Bdubs was shocked. "Why should you be sorry? You've done nothing! Nothing except help."

"I'm the reason this all started," Doc's voice cracked. Bdubs's eyes widened.

"Don't blame yourself for how I feel," Bdubs said, pulling his wrist away and grabbing Doc's hand instead. Doc looked at how Bdubs's hand was tightly clasped around and, instead of pulling away like Bdubs's predicted, squeezed back.

"No, not like that," Doc said softly. "The fact that you got sick is my fault. I'm the idiot who refused to acknowledge the way he felt."

Is he...

"I love you, Bdubs," Doc whispered. "I always have." Doc then leaned down, and to Bdubs's shock, kissed him.

Bdubs melted into it. The petals that had filled his chest seemed to vanish. The thorns in his throat felt like they were never there. The little flower on his wrist receded, gone forever.

He was cured.

This has got to be my best one yet. Totally not written during the school that I mentioned yesterday. Nope. Not at all. Good day. I have science next.

-Storm