Archive of Our Own ^beta

The Hanahaki disease was something that Tang was extremely well knowledged on. He studied ancient legends, myths, and he studied a lot about demons. The Hanahaki disease was apparently common in demons- all it took was unrequited love for it to spread in a demon's lungs. It was a really interesting thing to research, it was a little disturbing, yes, but it was fun to research these types of things! So yeah, he knew a lot about it.

That being said, he didn't expect to ever get it.

Tang was in the library when it first started. He was studying as per usual, but something itched at his throat. He tried to just wash it down with water, assuming it was nothing but the sensation wouldn't go away. At some point the itching sensation had crawled up his throat and he was now trying to hold back coughs. He ran into the library bathrooms since he didn't want to cause a scene in the library.

When he made it to the bathroom, he rushed himself into a stall and finally was able to cough. After a few coughs he spat out something small. It sort of looked like a seed?- Tang thought it was just a piece of food.

He was wrong.

Over time- the coughing increased. His throat almost always felt itchy, and the “bits of food” he spat out were being joined by petals. When Tang saw the petals, he finally realized what was going on. He had caught the Hanahaki disease. He looked back in some of his books he had bought on the topic, and yes, it did mention that humans could get it if they fell in love with a demon. He had no idea why he had even caught it- he wasn't in love with anybody!..

“With a demon..” Tang muttered, reading the line over and over. The book mentioned some didn't even understand or acknowledge their feelings until they noticed the Hanahaki disease took place. He tried to deny it over and over- telling himself that it would pass and he was not in love with any demons.. especially not the Pig demon who served him food everyday. However, every time he tried to tell himself he was not in love, the coughing got way more intense.

If you asked Tang, he would say he was decent at hiding secrets and issues. If you asked Pigsy if Tang was good at hiding secrets- he'd tell you Tang wasn't. The scholar was always sort of “weird”- but he was acting a new type of weird lately. Tang almost- not almost, straight up always was talking! He would infodump while Pigsy cooked, and he only took breaks from talking to actually eat his noodles. However, lately Tang was barely talking. Whenever he did, his voice sounded quiet and scratchy. It was odd compared to his usual loud and cheerful voice.. and Pigsy was starting to feel odd without hearing it.

He couldn't not say anything about it. As the lunch rush ended and Pigsy handed the (technically?) last person their noodles, and he turned to look at Tang. The scholar was eagerly slurping up noodles, which wasn't anything new. The way he did it was what made Pigsy feel unsettling. No matter how many times Tang ate Pigsy's noodles- he savored them every time. The amount that Tang was savoring them this time felt a little odd, as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Maybe because he hadn't.

“Tang.” Pigsy started, and paused for a moment. “Are you feelin’ alright? You've been actin’... off.” Pigsy added. Tang looked a little surprised and anxious at the question, but he quickly covered it up with a smile. That fake smile, that was so easy to read. “Don't worry about me Pigsy, I'm fine!” Tang laughed, although it was more of a cover up on trying his best not to cough. Pigsy looked like he wanted to object to Tang's statement- but a customer walked in before he could say anything. As he made noodles for the new customer, Tang quickly rushed out of the shop.

There was no way he was discussing this issue with the person who was pretty much causing it. Tang ran into the alleyway next to Pigsy's Noodles, and hacked up full on flowers. His panicking got worse when he counted 6 of them. It was pretty gross too- he had vomited up all the delicious noodles he just had. He clenched his stomach in pain- it was so empty. The smell in the alleyway didn't help, it was covered in trash and the smell made him want to vomit again.

He couldn't focus on that right now- someone might see him- Pigsy might see him!

He coughed and gagged on even more flowers, desperate to get them out of his throat. As soon as he coughed all 8.. oh. He hid the flowers behind some trash, hoping that no one would see them and connect the dots. Tang decided he'd just walk home- there was no way he was going back to Pigsy's Noodles today. He'd visit again eventually- he knew this disease was making his time shorter and he wanted to spend however much of it he had left with Pigsy.

How much of it he had left…

He really was dying, huh? I mean- Tang wasn't at the stage near death, he was more in the middle. He knew that the signs of death getting close was when the flowers came out covered in blood. He thought about it as he sprinted towards his home. It scared him how much he was okay with the thought of dying. Well- not the thought, the inevitability. As he thought about it.. maybe it was the better choice. It's not like confessing would do him any good- he knew he'd get rejected, feeling horrible as flowers clogged up his throat for once and all. Maybe dying was better than confessing.

Maybe..

But- what if Pigsy liked him back… what if he was being dramatic and missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime? What if he missed out on an actual lifetime?

Tang gagged and spat out a flower.
Another, and another.. and another, and 4 more. The flowers brought him back to his senses. No way was he indulging in his hopeless dreams- he'd just be suffocated by flowers sooner, and die with such bitter-sweet thoughts. He finally made it to his house- made it past his parents who were arguing and didn't even notice him. He had to go into the bathroom first to vomit up some more flowers, before going into his room and resting. Tang curled up and rubbed his sore throat, breathing deeply in and out as he did. Gods how much he missed being able to breathe clearly-- he could barely remember what it feels like if he was being honest.

Tang didn't get any sleep that night, and it showed.

Pigsy was aware that the scholar would pull all-nighters occasionally, despite how often he told him not to. So, it wasn't surprising seeing Tang acting tired.
This felt different however.. Tang seemed anxious and jittery, yet also tired. It could've just been some coffee he drank, but it still felt odd. Tang was acting odd and it was pretty obvious. Pigsy wasn't going to give this up- he was going to find out what was wrong with Tang.

“Tang.” Pigsy spoke up as he set a bowl of noodles in front of Tang. It definitely got the Scholar's attention, snapping him out of his.. zoning out? Whatever it was. It was a slow day, which Pigsy was actually thankful for in this case. There was no way Tang could run away this time.

“Yes Pigsy?” Tang responded. There it was- that scratchy voice. Tang's voice was always cheerful- but now it seemed like he wasn't even putting effort into talking. “Are you sick or somethin’?” Pigsy asked, staring directly at Tang.

“Oh Pigsy- don't worry about me.” Tang responded. That didn't feel right. Sure, Tang wasn't the best at seeing his self worth but it felt more like an excuse. Pigsy didn't want to pressure Tang into telling him anything.. but he couldn't let whatever was going on.. go on. “You've been.. off. Just- you're really quiet. It ain't usual for you.” Pigsy spoke carefully as he handed Tang his noodles. The fact Pigsy was so persistent seemed to be making Tang anxious.

Tang couldn't run away now. He couldn't and both him and Pigsy knew it. “I'm.. fine.” Tang's fake smile started to wear. It was hard to force a smile when he was busy forcing himself to not cough up flowers. Pigsy just stared at him-- at first he looked a little upset, since it was clear Tang was lying. However, Pigsy's gaze turned more.. concerned.

He couldn't hold them back anymore- not when the person he was (literally) obsessed to death with was staring at him like that. Tang hacked and wheezed, anxiously grabbing his throat. Pigsy flinched at the sudden sound but literally crawled over the counter top to try and assist the scholar. “Tang- are you- you okay?!-” Pigsy's voice was loud and frantic. Tang didn't respond with a nod meaning yes, or no, he simply ran towards the bathroom.

SLAM.

Tang slammed the bathroom door shut and lunged in front of the toilet. He gagged before coughing up what could be considered a bouquet of flowers. He couldn't help but cough up more when he heard the door open, and that voice he adored so much spoke.

“Tang- Are you alright?!- I'm worried about you!” Pigsy shouted as he sat down on the floor to look at Tang. “Did.. are you sick?” He asked, earning no response from the scholar. Pigsy saw how Tang hovered over the toilet and reached to flush it, but paused once he saw what was actually inside the toilet bowl.

Yellow flowers with white insides and a dark red decorating the edges. In any other context they'd be beautiful. In this situation… The flowers were terrifying.

The blood stained water in the toilet made Pigsy's stomach twist even more. He.. this was why Tang was acting so odd. Pigsy connected all the dots in seconds, before looking down at Tang.

“..Tang..-” Pigsy mumbled. He was so utterly terrified he had no idea how to approach the situation. Tang continued to avoid eye contact, staring at the gut-wrenching flowers. “Tang.. who.. why didn't you tell me about this?-” Pigsy felt.. disappointed if he was being honest. He felt incredibly selfish for it- Tang was clearly dying and he was worried just because Tang had a crush on someone else. He'd have to push his feelings aside- whether they get together or not he couldn't let Tang die. “..Tang- Ya need to tell whoever you ogling over the way you feel. You.. you know about this, you've read about this, you know you’re dying, Tang!” Pigsy’s tone was harsher than he intended, but he needed Tang to listen.

Tang refused to look at Pigsy. This is exactly what he feared would happen, he'd be confronted by his crush and die in shame. What he didn't know- is that Pigsy was not going to allow that.

Tang was about to die, and even though it was impossible that his crush was Pigsy, he.. he had to tell him how he felt before the love of his life passed in front of him. “Tang I..” Damn it.. he was tearing up. He had to say this- it was the only chance he would get. “Tang ya need to know that I love ya okay?- I can't.. watch ya die without telling ya that.” His voice was shaking and he was definitely crying. He couldn't even get mad at himself for it, this whole situation was devastating.

Until Tang gasped.. and begun to take more steady breaths.

Breathing never felt better. At first Tang was savoring the fact he hadn't died and his lungs weren't clogged with flowers. Then- it actually set in what Pigsy had just said. “..You..?” Tang's throat was still sore, so he didn't say much. Pigsy took note of that and just nodded. “..I was the one you were ogling over?” Pigsy mumbled. The scholar nodded with a small smile. This….wasn't what he imagined at all. He was alive, and he would live and know that Pigsy loved him.

“I have.. a lot of questions for ya, but I know ya need some time.” Pigsy spoke gently as he leaned down and picked up Tang. He nodded and hummed, relaxing in Pigsy's arms.

That was one of the few times Pigsy closed early. Pigsy made sure Tang got delicious noodles that he didn't have to vomit out and enough sleep. It was a very odd story, and at first the two felt bad that it wasn't the most romantic way to get together.

However, the more time went on, they realized that saving someone's life is the most romantic way to confess.