Poisoned Petals (Haikyuu)

Chapter 4

After three days off school they each returned. Astumu had it easy, they said. While they had to be with their object of affection all day, he could only see Kiyomi when he wanted. But that changed when Kiyomi announced that he would be staying with relatives near Inazkari for a week or two. 

Then they were all in the same boat. Hiding the petals, playing it off as a cold. No one suspected, they didn't look close enough. That's what they thought. The truth was people could notice a change, they just didn't know what to do about it.

Turns out Hanahaki has one positive side. After a while the coughing went away, but the vines started. What was positive was that they were easier to hide, but they still ran over their chests and arms like green veins. 

Whenever their love was in sight, they would tighten inexplicably. Sometimes drawing little droplets of blood, their love was literally strangling them.

Whenever they needed a quick escape they would type a little exclamation mark into their group chat. This would incite an almost immediate phone call to get them away, to stop the vines from closing in. But what started as a little nuisance quickly spread down their legs and soon Suga was pulling flowers out of Oikawa's and Atsumu's hair. But simply pulling them did not work. The flowers were a part of them, they were connected to their nervous system. Pulling them or cutting them hurts. 

They each bought a collect of razors for 'trimming' as they called it. They learned to live with it. Until one day, when Oikawa woke up with more petals than hair. 

A plan had to be made. They started wearing hats and skipping school. When Iwaizumi offered to walk Oikawa home, he declined. When Daichi wanted to check in with Suga, he suddenly had homework to do. When Sakusa wanted to talk to Atsumu, he was instantly covered in 'dirt' from working in the garden. Lies, all lies. But necessary ones. 

They were over halfway through their allotted time. They smiled less, they withdrew more. They only talked to each other for a reprieve from the crushing darkness that followed them. Atsumu had said that Hanahaki was a beautiful way to die, but the others secretly disagreed. It was worse than cancer, they thought. To watch them move on without you, to feel like you are walking on glass when the vines reached your feet. Have your skin shredded by thorns. 

To choke on air but find petals instead. Those whole flowers, the ones that reminded them of what they could never have. The documentary was right. Hanahaki came for those with fragile hearts, those who were sustained by their love, like a plant was to the sun. If they were stronger, they would have healed their hearts and found someone new. Continued on. if they were braver they would have prevented their friends and family from witnessing the descent into the disease. But they were not.

So on and on, they survived. They endured. And their month was running out. 

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Our boys are suffering so much, this hurt to write. I mean, I put angst in the tags, I had to make good on it. But I also put ~fluff~ so please don't hate me. ;(. Credit to the artists for all previous and continued use of their artwork, I love it :D. Anygays, drop a comment, vote if you are nice and I'll see you next time.