The Promised Neverland Oneshots

the day flowers grew in his lungs

tsubaki • ray ("remastered" / rewritten)
word count: 2.4k

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For the first time, Ray yearned to be with someone. He was so used to his solitude that when you came into his life, he couldn't imagine it without you. But then...

"Why...?"

Ray croaked out in sobs as he continued coughing up the flower petals. He speaks your name in ragged breaths but all it does it hurt his very being. Tears prickled his eyes and his body writhed in pain. It's been days since he first started feeling such excruciating pain and it's been days since you and Ray had an argument that nearly broke your friendship.

For so long, [Name] and Ray had thought it could become more, but complications and misunderstandings only arose from their friendship. There was fear, doubt, and pain. The day Ray felt a terrible pain in his lungs was the day it all fell apart. Ray knew he was doomed. It was his worst fear — that [Name] did not reciprocate his feelings. He constantly tossed and turned on his bed, often clutching his body and squeezing his eyes shut so much that even his eyes began to hurt, along with the never-ending tears that leaked out. He grits his teeth, and his body was curled up in a ball. This was the most miserable he's ever been. Ray hasn't eaten for days. He doesn't drink water so much either. What he felt was painful and intense compared to anything he's experienced. It tore him, and ate away at his insides, slowly. It was killing him. It was more than what he could bear, more than his flesh and his blood can bear.

His room was piling up with petals and he could barely form a coherent thought process to clean them up. It was difficult enough for him to get out of bed to use the bathroom — he often has to crawl his way there. He wondered why his suffering was prolonged. This sickness was more often than not the cause of unrequited love, and that flowers would quuckly fill up one's lungs. While this is the most common case, it was more complicated for Ray. If Ray's love was truly unrequited, the rate at which the flowers would occupy his lungs would be much faster and the vomiting would be more constant. The pain would also be much worse. And while [Name]'s favourite flower were the petals that Ray coughs up, there were mixes of other kinds of petals as well; this in itself was peculiar. But Ray was too focused on the pain and agony to notice.

It's been nearly two weeks since he shut himself inside his room. While his friends were usually busy prior to that time, the unanswered texts and calls had alerted Norman and Emma to Ray's unusual silence. Ray was beginning to lose consciousness as soon as his best friends rushed into his room to save him...

The poor boy had been brought to the hospital. The doctors had managed to slow the growth of the flowers. Eventually, as the doctor told Norman, Ray would have to undergo a specific and extensive surgical operation. This would ensure that the flowers would be carefully taken out of the lungs. However, there is a possibility that Ray's feelings would also be affected by the process. Emma felt terrible about the news. Norman had an inkling of a possible solution but there was no guarantee.

"But she hasn't answered me for a while now," Emma sighs. "She usually answers my texts."

Norman hums in thought. "So, we know she's gone dark since the fight she had with Ray, but she could at least see my text..."

"Did you try calling her?"

"We both know [Name] doesn't like picking up calls."

Emma casts her eyes downwards. "How are you so sure she'd come to the hospital?"

"I made sure to send her a text that would force her to come." Norman put an arm around Emma's shoulder to provide her some comfort as they watched their best friend lie still on the hospital bed.