Gavin's heart pounded against his chest when he heard the four simple words.
"Gavin, I need help."
He gripped Conan's hand tightly, staring down at the surroundings flowers and fallen petals. He breathed heavily as he slowly picked one up, quickly recalling how he'd seen a disease like this before. It was called the Hanahaki disease in which a victim has flowers growing inside of their lungs- well, androids didn't have the organ so the flowers must've blossomed someplace else- and have to cough them up because of unrequited love. If the feelings aren't returned, the victim would eventually suffocate on the flowers and die.
"Who?" Gavin breathed out. "Who caused this?"
Conan let his head fall back on the wall behind him, his eyes closing as he wheezed softly. Gavin watched in confusion before realizing that the android was actually laughing.
"You-" The android was interrupted by another fit of coughing. "You're so.. so oblivious." He chuckled despite the soreness and pain in his throat. He didn't think he had ever experienced something that hurt him so much like this before, not even when his thirium pump was shot. At least he only had ten seconds of agony then.
"What do you mean?" Gavin furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't get it. I didn't even think you tin cans could even feel love-" He paused, realization hitting him like a speeding freight train. Conan had always seemed strange around him, especially recently. He remembered noticing how the android's cheeks flushed up when around Gavin, his movements becoming restless and anxious. Oh.
Oh.
"Why?" Gavin gripped Conan's shoulders, forcing him to look directly at him. "Why me?"
"I asked myself that two weeks ago when this first started."
"This has been going on for two weeks and you never told me?"
"I was.. embarrassed that I had.."
"Fallen in love with a fucking trash man like me?" Gavin asked, squeezing the android's shoulders. "You should've told me, I would've tried to help."
"You couldn't help me even if you tried. The only way you could help me was if you, well.." Conan didn't need to finish his sentence for Gavin to know what he meant.
Gavin shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't love you, Conan. I don't care for you in that manner." He felt a twinge of guilt inside of him. He had.. thought about being romantically attracted to the android before. He wasn't sure if he really loved him or not at this very moment though, or if he was just pitying Conan.
He saw the android flinch visibly at Gavin's statement, opening his mouth to say something but breaking off into another rack of extreme coughing. Gavin cringed as he watched Conan double over, clutching his throat wildly and digging his nails into his synthetic skin. Gavin was expecting more blue flowers but he watched as something different came out.
Dead, wilted leaves. Symbolizing loss and destruction.
"We're taking you to the fucking hospital.. or something." Gavin slowly stood up, grabbing Conan's hand and pulling him up. "I assume they'll help androids too."
Conan staggered to his feet, wobbling slightly before gaining his balance. "The only way to help me right now.. is to have the flowers surgically removed, but they also get rid of the victim's feelings towards their beloved. The process also had a high chance of causing the victim's memories of their loved one to disappear and remove the ability for them to ever feel.. the same emotions towards someone else again."
