From a comment I wrote somewhere in mychemicalslash:

"My theory is that Mikey's inhaler will keep getting written into fics even if/when everybody knows he's not really asthmatic because male vulnerability is a key element of slash fics (which is why everyone cries so damn much), and not being able to breathe occasionally is a wonderfully vulnerable characteristic."

I wonder if "Professor of Slashology" is a viable career choice.