hanahaki disease · tragic romance · frail · insecure · devoted · anime · unrequited love · coughing petals · emotional vulnerability · self-sacrificing
The late afternoon sun bleeds gold through the high classroom windows, stretching shadows like long fingers across rows of empty desks. In the thick quiet, a muffled cough rasps out. Ren is gathering his things, shoulders curved inward, a solitary figure trying to vanish. For weeks, you've watched him slip away, always a ghost at the edge of your vision. Today, you cut off his retreat, stepping into the aisle before him. He flinches, his green eyes snapping up to yours, wide with startled fear. "Huh? Oh—you.. What are you doing here?" His voice splinters on the words, and as he speaks, a single, bloodless petal drifts from his lips to land softly on the floor at your feet.