- Chapter 151 - Flowers -
Warnings: throwing up, crying, angst, and major character death
Canon Era/Hanahaki Disease AU
Third Person POV

A/N: I've been inspired by iwantaferret_ to write Ikeshot, sooo, here some is. Btw, I'm super sick, so enjoy some angst :)

Ike couldn't believe it.

He couldn't believe he fell for his enemy.

That stupid, stupid Brookie with his stupidly large ego.

And his stupidly beautiful eyes, always hidden by his disgusting, greasy hair.

They'd met years before.

Jack had brought Ike to Brooklyn with him, Race, and Blink for a casual meeting between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Mainly to keep Mike and Ike from fighting.

"I guess something is in the air between twins today," Blink commented to Race as they passed Brooklyn's youngest twins, Thunder and Lightning, who were fighting.

Race rolled his eyes, staying silent as his cigar hung out of his mouth. He looked back at Ike, who was grumpily following along.

The boy hadn't been to Brooklyn before, but Mike and Ike — who rarely fought — were waging WAR on each other, so Jack figured it was a good idea to keep them separate for a bit.

They'd go crawling back to each other once they got back from the meeting.

But for now, Race had other concerns than fighting twins.

Blink looked over at the younger boy. "Didn't you lose that cigar?" he questioned. "Where'd ya get another?"

Race rolled his eyes, grabbing the cigar out of his mouth. "I didn't lose it. It was the redheaded idiot who did," he responded. "And he paid me back."

Blink narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "Al doesn't usually pay you back when he loses or uses your cigars."

Race smirked and stuck the cigar back in his mouth. "Let's just say he don't want everyone to know who the boy of his dreams is." He turned ahead and started catching up to Jack.

Blink cringed. "Thank God Mush and I are out openly." He shook his head and caught up as well.

Ike, on the other hand, stayed back.

He didn't want to be in Brooklyn.

He had no interest in conversing with a borough that thought they were higher than everyone else.

Ike looked around the dock, watching the Newsies playing in the water.

He had to admit, it was cool that the Brooklyn Newsies had the dock and were by water. They didn't really have that in lower Manhattan.

Ike didn't realize as he watched that Jack, Blink, and Race were on the other side of the dock and he was alone.

Not that he would've minded being alone, until-

"Who are you and what are you doing on our turf?"

Ike looked behind him, coming face-to-face with a brown-haired, brown-eyes boy, who looked to be a year or so older than him.

He would've been cute, if he didn't seem arrogant and like he had an ego through the roof.

"Well, aren't you just peachy." Ike grumbled before he could stop himself. "Don't you Brooklyn Newsies know how to say "hello" first?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at him, his arms crossed. "I don't say "hello" to uninvited outsiders on our turf," he responded.

"I'll have you know, I am allowed to be here." Ike rolled his eyes.

The boy scoffed. "Oh yeah? By who?" he questioned.

"I don't see how that affects you." Ike crossed his arms.

The boy looked taken aback. "I'll have you know, I'm the third in command-"

"He's with me, Hotshot." Race, who came out of nowhere, stood in front of Ike. "You don't have to worry."

The boy, Hotshot, seemed to relax a bit. "Keep your Newsies in check, Higgins," he grumbled, his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry for him." Race shot Ike a look, before turning back to Hotshot. "He's having an... off day."

"No, I'm not-"

"Isaac." Race shot him a glare. "Shut up or no hanging with Boots for two weeks."

Ike's mouth fell open, but he stayed silent.

The last time he fought Race on his threats (under the argument that he was older than Race), said threat was doubled and Ike got a lecture from Specs on not testing Race (especially not with the "he's younger than me" argument).

"Have a good day, Hotshot." Race nodded to him, before grabbing Ike's wrist and dragging him off.

And the last thing Hotshot heard from them as they walked away from him was, "Wonder how he got his name, huh?" and it took everything in him to not react.

Ike hated him.

He hated his guts.

Or at least he wished he did.

But here he was, dying from the inside out.

Throwing up snapdragons.

Freaking snapdragons, because of course the person he loved had be different and have an unusual favorite flower.

(Thank you to iwantaferret_ for helping me with ideas for favorite flowers haha.)

Ike was sure Hotshot hated him.

He had been so sure he, himself, hated Hotshot too.

And then the flowers started.

A year ago.

He'd been coughing up flowers for a year.

It had been flower buds at first, only every so often.

Then it because more frequent.

Until it was everyday.

Until it wasn't just buds anymore.

Ike had tried to hide it for as long as he could.

But his twin found out.

"Ike?"

Mike and Ike had been preparing to prank Romeo together.

They were going to dump water all of him.

The two were hiding on the shelves in the kitchen, waiting, when Ike felt like he was going to throw up.

He knew what was happening.

At that moment, Romeo walked in the door and Mike looked to Ike to start the countdown.

But Ike couldn't.

He quickly jumped off of the shelves and ran for the bathroom, leaving a confused Romeo, a ruined prank, and a concerned Mike behind.

Of course, he should've known Mike would come check on him.

He should've known he and Romeo would be concerned when they heard him choking behind the locked door to the bathroom.

And he should've known Mike would've broken down in tears when he found out.

"How long have you been hiding this?" Mike whispered, one of his hands on Ike's back and the other holding Ike's hand.

Romeo was on the other side of Ike. He had grabbed a wet cloth to put on Ike's head once he realized he was burning up.

Ike retched again, watching a flower dwindling down to the floor. He blinked tears out of his eyes and shook his head. "I- I think a year?" he whispered, struggling to keep breathing.

He had known it was getting worse.

He had known he was dying.

He wished it wasn't true.

He wished it would just get better.

He didn't want to leave Mike behind.

He didn't want to leave any of his brothers behind.

Both Mike and Romeo's eyes widened and they exchanged a look.

Romeo pushed himself up. "I'm going to get Race and Specs."

Ike's eyes widened and he started coughing violently.

Mike nodded quickly and made a gesture as to tell him to hurry.

Romeo rushed off.

"Ike..." Mike whispered, cringing at his brother's coughs, "who is it?"

Ike shook his head, still coughing violently.

"Ike please," Mike whispered desperately, "please tell me. I want to help you."

Suddenly, Race burst into the room, Specs and Romeo behind him.

"Oh my god," Race whispered, his eyes wide. He rushed over to Ike and grabbed the other cloth out of the bucket Romeo had grabbed. "Specs, we may need water or something. How far along is the disease?"

Mike swallowed. "A year." He felt tears well up in his eyes.

Race and Specs's eyes widened. "Who?" Specs asked.

"He won't tell me." Mike felt tears stream down his cheeks.

Specs sat with him and pulled him into a hug.

Race lifted Ike up, looking into his eyes. "Ike, listen to me; there is hope, we can fix this, but we don't have time to stall," he stressed to him, knowing Ike had been just as worried when Race went through this the year before. "Who is it?"

Ike coughed weakly. "It's- Hotshot," he whispered, feeling pathetic as he held his throat.

Something seemed to click in Race's head and everything suddenly made sense. "Romeo," he turned to him as he dragged Ike up, "get Tommy and Mush, and tell them to run faster than they ever have before. They need to get Hotshot."

Romeo nodded and left quickly.

Race struggled to help Ike get up.

Specs quickly got up and helped them, making sure Race wasn't alone in supporting most of Ike's weight. "What's your plan?" he asked Race.

"If we wait for them to run all the way there and back, he'll be dead," Race laid it out bluntly, knowing there was no time for false hope. "We need to meet in the middle. It's the only way.

Mike choked out a sob, quickly getting up.

Specs looked at Race, who nodded. Specs let go of Ike and hugged Mike. "Come on, let's go save him," he whispered to him.

Mike nodded, wiping his face. He went over to Ike and Race, and slung Ike's arm over his shoulder.

And they went as fast as they could.

But they weren't fast enough.

They were almost halfway to Brooklyn when Ike's body completely went limp and his coughing didn't stop.

"Ike!" Mike's eyes widened as he saw the color leave Ike's face and flowers spill from his mouth. "IKE!"

Race quickly laid Ike on the ground and tried to grab all the flowers he could, before Specs started CPR.

Mike stood behind them, watching and unable to breathe due to worry.

"Race, it's no use," Specs whispered, slowing down. "It's too late."

Race felt tears sting his eyes as he continued to try to save him. "No, no, it can't be too late," he whispered. He looked up and saw four people running towards him.

Hotshot rushed over, falling to his knees next to Ike. "IKE! Ike, wake up!!" He tried to shake him awake.

Spot, Mush, and Tommy boy stopped right behind him.

Tommy boy covered his mouth with his hands, and Mush's eyes welled with tears.

Ike stopped coughing.

"Ike?" Race whispered, hope flooding him.

But Ike's coughs stopped due to his breathing stopping.

And the boy was gone.

Specs sat back, shaking his head in denial.

Race couldn't bring himself to believe it. He'd tried so hard to save him; his brother, one of his closest friends.

Hotshot stared down at the love of his life. "Why..." he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Spot knelt down beside him, wrapping his arms around him.

But Hotshot refused to let go of Ike's hand.

After a minute, a cough broke the silence.

Everyone looked at Hotshot, who's hand covered his mouth.

He slowly lowered his hand, and laying in it was a white rose.

Mike crumbled to the ground, sobbing.

H Words
I think I've now killed Ike twice in this book? That's my bad haha. I guess certain deaths hurt more than others lol