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California felt that ache deep in his chest. The kind you get just before you have a cold, the flu, Covid, or pneumonia. He hoped it wasn’t Covid, Texas would have a field day about it. Going off about how the last few years of liberal hippie bullshit were for nothing.
He didn’t really want to attend the meeting, but the call came and the forced teleport was activated. Honestly, there should have been more unfortunate accidents relating to that. California was suprised that the states were all relatively well mannered when called - none of them caught in the shower or having sex or both.
Of course that could be attributed to the fact that Florida was always at the table first, and if he wasn’t there then his not-so-secret boyfriend of many centuries, Louisiana, was seated there.
“California, how are you doing?”
He knew exactly how he looked. overheated , burnt, and his beanie barely on his head. The fires were raging across his state, and California most certainly had a fever.
His head banged against the table as he doubled over.
“I'm on fire.” California groaned, coughing into the wooden table that far too many states were seated around. He had no chance of being nice - not that California was typically considered nice - more so aggressively liberal.
He didn’t really remember what happened after that, only the vaguest impressions of a southern accent calling him poppy, and a swaying motion that he attributed to being carried.
— — — —
California woke in his bed, the air conditioner on full blast and a warmed wet towel draped across his eyes. He distinctly did not remember leaving the meeting.
Groaning, he turned over, or tried to. His arms were trapped within the burrito of blankets. He tossed trying to loosen the tightly wound fabric. By the time he escaped another coughing fit had overtaken him.
He could hear the rustling of the blankets, and it almost sounded like it was coming from his chest.
Heading out of his room to the kitchen California ran into the doorframe. Hardwood dug into his shoulder as the disorientation washed over him. He could remember enough that he needed water.
The kitchen was empty when he arrived. Reaching for the water bottles California stretched out to reach the ones at the top. He was one of the taller states, yet it still was a struggle when your chest felt like something was sitting on it.
“Need help there snowflake?” The southern drawl broke California's concentration. The large body coming up behind him and reaching up to grab one of the bottles from the shelf.
“I got it,” California ground out. He didn’t need any help, least of all from Texas. The state would just make fun of him for being unable to reach or for letting an “itty bitty fire” affect him like this.
The nearest bottle fell into his hand when his fingers brushed it and without looking California turned toward the ice maker. He smacked directly into Texas’s chest once again disorientated from spinning so quickly.
“Careful there poppy. Don’t need ya passn’ out on me again.”
“Why are you calling me that? You have no right!” California bit out, shoving the state out of his way.
“You ain’t got no right to be sayn that to me snowflake. You’re usin my stuff.”
“AM NOT!”
“Little confused there snowflake. Pretty sure that is mine.” Texas gestured to the bottle in California's hands. Sure enough it had ‘ everythings bigger in Texas’ printed across the Texan flag.
California just wanted to go back and lay down. His chest hurt, and he could feel the cough rising in his throat. Soothing smoke inhalation when you didn’t actually inhale the stuff was hard, and he just wanted cool water.
It was too late to back down now though.
“I didn’t want it anyway” California’s voice rasped out - losing what was left of the confidence and working vocal chords in his throat. They gave way to wracking coughs that he tried to hide in his elbow.
If California decided to ignore the specks of blood on his hoodie then that was his business. He dropped the bottle into Texas’s hand and turned back to the hall. He made it into the elevator before slumping back against the wall.
Fuck Texas. California thought muttering to himself about how shitty the other state was. Couldn’t he see that California was struggling with the fires? Austin would have noticed.
He curled into his bed. Coughs racked his body as he curled into the same blanket as before. The red, white, and blue one with a single white star. California sunk deeper into the comforting scent of the south - telling himself that it wasn’t the smell of Texas that was enticing, but fresh air.
“I brought you water.” California’s door opened, and he didn’t bother to look. He knew who it was.
“Go away.”
“It’s Austin.” the Capital stated, setting the bottle down on the nightstand, before moving back toward the door, “he’s sorry you know. There’s things we want to tell you, he wants to tell you”
“Then he can tell me himself.” California bit out. Immediately the state felt bad. It wasn’t Austin’s fault that he felt like shit.
“He can’t right now.”
California didn’t ask, and Austin didn’t elaborate.
“Enjoy your water, he wanted you to have it. I have to get to a meeting with Gov.”
A snap and the capital city was gone leaving California to stew in his thoughts.
— — — —
The fires were gone.
There was no outbreak of disease.
Heck most of his citizens and cities were completely fine. Which made California angry. He couldn’t fathom why he was still coughing and his chest grew tighter everyday.
His hands came up to his mouth as he began to cough. More blood than usual followed, along with some greenish stuff. It was disgusting and California just wanted it to stop.
“You’re coughing ain’t good sugar.”
“Houston.”
“Got it in one darlin’”
Houston was the only one to use nicknames like that freely, and he wasn’t out often. Texas didn’t often need Houtson to front. Austin would have been out unless something was wrong.
“Is everything okay Houston? Is Austin okay? Texas?”
“Everyone’s gonna be just fine.”
California wanted to grill the city more but another round of hacking overwhelmed him, and he had to leave. Dashing away from the city, through his room and to the bathroom to cough over the sink as more green slush mixed with blood came out.
California didn’t know what to do. He moved back to his bed wrapping up in the blanket he had yet to give back to his so-called rival state.
California could admit that the large state could be extremely sweet at times. He missed the hugs and comfort that had come with Texas being there for him. They hadn’t been like that for a long time. Poppy and Tex just weren’t a thing anymore. Now, Texas and California have replaced naive territories.
Although Texas had really grown into himself over the years. Austin and Houston too had grown on the golden state.
— — — —
The first time California coughed up a flower he knew.
Oklahoma knew too, “do you know what that is?”
The state pointed to the flower cupped delectley in his hands. California didn’t know what it was, or who he was coughing for. He did know that it had something to do with Texas.
“It's Bullnettle. It sure does itch and burn. Must be why you coughed up blood.”
“How do I make it stop?” California whimpered as more coughs wracked his body - another flower joining the first.
Oklahoma just chuckled. Hanahaki for an immortal wasn’t bound to kill them necessarily, but with the fires raging in the golden states land it wasn’t going to bode well for him. Hanahaki was much like the states themselves - cryptic and beyond science.
“The mama’s always have homemade remedies. Baking soda mixed with water soothes.” Oklahoma said before turning toward the door, “I am only helping you to spite Texas. Don’t come around asking for anything else.”
It was odd that Oklahoma said it like that. All defensive and disgusted. California made note of it, and the name of the flower determined to google the plant later. Now though he set down the baking soda and began to mix it in - drinking the glass in a few gulps.
“Whatcha doing?” the voice startled California from where he leant against the sink. He crushed the flowers in his hand, shoving them into his pockets quickly. “Is that blood?”
“No! Everything’s fine, it's not blood.”
Texas’ face screwed up in disbelief, “I know blood. I’ve seen my fair share.”
Texas reached out to California helping to stabilize him as he swayed. Neither said anything for a while, and then just like he had come Texas disappeared back into the statehouse.
California snatched the baking soda box off the counter and scurried back to his room.
— — — —
He never should have googled the damn flowers. They were native to five states - Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas. No wonder Oklahoma got all weird about the plant California was hacking up.
Oklahoma thought it was him.
California could definitively say that he knew which state the flowers were blooming for, but the problem was that it could have been one of the cities residing within Texas. It would have made sense. Of course - Austin.
California felt his throat begin to scratch and burn. He drank another glass of baking soda water to soothe it. His stomach churned then settled as the nausea passed. Drinking another glass of normal water - California went about his day.
— — — —
Every time his throat started to burn Cali would take another sip.
He didn’t notice the vomit when he was hacking up flowers, but he did spend a significantly larger portion of his day with his head in a bucket.
He tried to avoid looking inside at the flowers, blood, spit, and who knows what else. He didn’t attend meetings much anymore.
— — — —
Flowers, green mush, and stinging needles weren’t California’s only worry now.
He didn’t have the option of surgery. An immortal cryptid manifestation of the state of california walking into a doctors office was not going to happen. He didn’t want to be experimented on or taken away to a secret lab. Gov could only do so much to keep them out of trouble.
“California’s always got that water bottle with him now!”
“Louisiana! It does not have a daiquiri in it!”
Loui looked put out by Gov trying to step all over his parade. Florida patted Loui’s arm in a comforting gesture before teleporting away. Popping back in a few moments later with a larger daiquiri cup handing it to his husband.
California really needed to refill it. There wasn’t much else he drank these days besides water or water with baking soda, and the more of a burn there was the less he drank regular water.
His head smacked against the table as his body shook uncontrollably.
“He’s having a seizure, call CDC!” Gov demanded to the table - Florida specifically.
— — — —
Texas stood rounding the table quickly before snatching California to lay him on the floor.
Let me.
Texas didn’t want to, but San Antonio was known for its medical centers and army medics that traipsed through. Texas wanted to be there to hold California, he had always, just like his cities, really liked the golden state.
San Antonio controlled the scene barking orders while taking care of California. A seizure was bad news, and they needed to figure out what was wrong.
— — — —
Poison.
California was being poisoned.
The seizures, the dizziness, dehydration, it all added up once the CDC analyzed the contents of California’s bloodstream and the water bottle. Baking soda water caused all these things, but it takes a while.
‘Symptoms include: dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, and gas’ San Antonio supplied Texas with the missing information.
It caused uproar in the headspace. How had none of them noticed this? They watched California all the time. They had all fronted at some point, well not Dallas or Worth. They didn’t much come out in the headspace either though.
Texas laid his head next to Cali on the bed trying to calm the beating heart. The state had been unconscious for far too long now.
— — — —
Texas saw the flowering plant when California coughed it up in his sleep. Bullnettle.
The baking soda.
Oklahoma.
Everything was beginning to fall into place.
— — — —
“Oklahoma!”
“Texas. So you found out then?”
“You were just going to let him poison himself? So you didn’t have to deal with his feelings for you?”
“It wasn’t me he was after Texas.”
— — — —
The CDC watched as California woke slowly, raising his head from the bed, “you need to tell him, California.”
“I don’t know who it is.”
“It’s them. Texas and the others. You love them. Anyone could have seen it with Austin.”
California flopped back onto the bed determined to ignore the CDC’s advice and just go back to sleep, yet his plans were always ruined.
Texas rushed into the hospital wing like he was on fire. California would know, he’s on fire a lot.
“Just tell him you love him,” Texas screeched to a halt at California's bedside, whipping off the hat from his head. THe indicator meant that Austin was most likely in control, it would depend mostly on speech pattern. After all, the hat didn’t control the system.
California was puzzled as Austin stood in front of him.
“I can’t tell you that. It wouldn’t be fair to the rest of them. Texas wouldn’t like it.”
“It’s not about Texas though Cali. This is about me and you.”
“He matters too. They all matter. You share a body, and Texas doesn’t like me. I can’t tell you that.”
Austin’s breath hitched, “and that’s why we love you.”
“We?”
“Yes.” Austin whispered, snatching the state into a hug.
California felt a rush of relief through his body, but it wasn’t enough. Another flower - smaller than before - was making its way up his throat.
“I love you austin.”
— — — —
California still wasn’t allowed to leave the CDC’s hospital wing.
“I told you I'm fine!”
“You-our-re wr-ro-rong, the fl-flower’s are still - still there”
California just huffed, and tried once again to stand and go back to his own room. Everything would be fine. He just needed to soothe the burn in his throat and he knew how to do that.
“I am going to my room CDC!” California snapped both with the words and his fingers. The world blurred around him as he landed in the middle of his plush bed reaching for the water bottle on his nightstand.
The sip instantly soothed his throat and upset his stomach.
“What are you doin, Darlin?”
Houston.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t look like nothin. Give it up.” Houston reached for the bottle in Cali’s hand.
“It burns houston.”
“I know sweetheart. Let us help you get better. We love you.”
“It’s not good enough if he doesn’t love me Houston. No matter how much I love you.”
“It’s nice to hear you say you love me darlin, but we need to get something straight..”
California bit in with an ‘i’m not straight’ under his breath which made Houston smile a bit.
“... when I say we I mean all of us.”
California shook his head, “Lay with me?”
“Can’t darlin, Antonio is fixin to tear me a new one if he can’t get a look atcha to make sure you’re aight.”
— — — —
San Antonio was fussy. More so than Austin and Houston combined.
“Im fine, Antonio.”
“I am the doctor here.”
“I love that for you but I don’t need a doctor.” California sighed as more coughs came rustling the leaves and stems inside him. He just wanted the water bottle. It would soothe the pain and then California could be good for Austin, Houston, and Antonio. They wouldn’t have to worry about the little bit of the plant that lived inside him for Texas.
He was sure that if he had met Dallas there would be some for him too - but cali hadn’t seen that city since he had been in a newly minted state.
“Just get me my water bottle.”
“No. That's not good for you.”
“It’s just water! You want to try it to make sure?” California prompted gesturing wildly.
San Antonio nodded and took a sip, sure enough it was normal water.
“Antonio, I appreciate that you care, but I really just want to sleep.”
The city nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of Cali’s head whispering an I love you that was quickly repeated by the golden state.
— — — —
Waking up against a broad chest was not what California had been expecting.
Finding himself curling into the warmth trying to snuggle as close as possible to the heat and as far away from the light as possible.
“Hey Poppy been a long time”
“Tex. I’m sorry,” California scrambled to get up but was pulled back in by sturdy arms, “I didn’t mean to, I swear. It’s just the cities kept saying that it was alright and I knew you’d be upset.”
“I ain’t mad, Poppy. They ment it when they said we loved ya. We kinda can’t not agree on what to do with our body - my body. I just wanted to be the first to kiss ya.”
Texas’s lips found California’s and the pressure in his chest was released.
They kissed for a while, neither letting up.
Then a tug in his gut was pulling Cali toward the meeting room. His eyes blew wide, “I love you..”
— — — —
“... Tex,” Cali finished his sentence now in his chair at the table. Texas’s blanket still wrapped around his shoulders and eyes blown wide.
The table stared and Cali stared back.
Of course he’d be the first.