Art Credit: Hanahaki, Similar Worlds
Strap in, children. This one is a real ride...
~BiCeratops
•×°×•
!Warning: angst, blood, gore, hospital, medical stuff
Michael's POV:
I run into the bathroom, feeling a coughing fit coming on. I knew I shouldn't have even tried to sit with him at lunch today, but I couldn't help it. I had been selfish, now look where it landed me: throwing up those damn bloody petals directly into the toilet bowl as I knelt on the dark grey tile.
My chest heaves as I eject the firey-orange petals from my lungs. Inside the white bowl rests the orange petals with blood soaking through them, dying the water a pinkish color. My heaving stops as the last petal and few blood drops fall from my mouth.
Tears breach my vision as the burning in my lungs becomes nearly unbearable. Coughing up the flowers brought a scratch into my throat. I rush out to a water fountain and take three huge gulps of water.
My coughing ceases as the scratchiness is soothed by the cold water. I takes a few deep breaths and go back into the bathroom. I head into the stall and pull my phone out of my pocket, sitting on the closed toilet lid.
The screen lights up to read 12:25 pm. Wow, I couldn't even last a full ten minutes with him. Lunch started at 12:15, and I had been in the bathroom for at least five minutes. Tears sting the corners of my eyes as I read a text from him.
Player Two: Where are you?
Player Two: Why did you run away?
Well, I guess he noticed that I bolted away. At least he didn't see where I went. I call Brooke and explain to her what happened. She says to meet her in her nook behind the school.
I exit the bathroom carefully, checking around just in case Jeremy went looking for me. Just as I thought, the coast is clear. I glance into the cafeteria and notice he isn't in there anymore. Odd, maybe he actually did go looking for me. As I head out to meet up with Brooke, I text him a quick response, hoping to satisfy his urge to find me.
Player One: Don't worry about me. I just have food poisoning.
Player One: Mama *tried* making fish tacos last night... :P
Sorry, mama.
I head outside and walk to the spot behind the school hidden by the trees. I push back the branches to reveal our little nook that Brooke and I set up a while ago. The spot no one else knew about.
There was a small fountain that plugged into the wall plug that happened to be near one of the trees against the side of the school. There was also a small wooden bench that Brooke and I had dragged here last winter break when no one else was at school.
Come to think of it, not even Jeremy knew about this little nook. Brooke was the one who showed me in the first place and made me swear not to tell or show anyone.
I sit down on the bench and close my eyes, taking in the noise surrounding me. The trickling water and soft chirps fill my body with a sense of inner peace. I take a deep breath in.
Soon enough, Brooke pushes aside the tree branches and heads into the nook. She flashes me with a weak, yet genuine smile as she plops herself down onto the bench next to me.
"It's not too late to get the surgery-" she starts, trying to give me some glimpse of hope in my recent sea of darkness. I cut her off. "And stop loving him? That's why I haven't taken it yet. Why would I ever want that? What is life without feeling?" I scoff.
She looks at me sadly, then asks a somber question. "How much longer do they say you have left?"
Oh boy, my favorite question of all time. It basically accepted the fact that I was going to die soon. Much sooner than people think I should. Is that a plus because people care or a negative because I'm gonna die?
You see, I have Hanahaki Disease. You get it when you fall in love with someone who doesn't clearly reciprocate. Flowers started to grow in my lungs back in freshman year, back when Jeremy first had his crush on Christine. Whenever you are around that person and they do something that shows that they don't see you in that way, you start to cough up the petals and blood, and the quantity of these things increase slowly as time goes on. This gets worse and worse, until one day, the flowers burst open your lungs, and you bleed out. Your already blacked out when your lungs burst. It is also said that when you die, a flower sprouts out of your chest, nourished by your blood and body.
There are only three options with Hanahaki. You can die loving the person, confess to that person, or take the surgery. If you confess, and they reciprocate, then you are cured. If they decline, you die, right there in front of them. Everyone says it is more painful that way, because you don't faint before your lungs burst.
When you take the surgery, they knock you out and remove the flowers growing in your lungs. The problem is, when you remove the flowers, the feelings for that person are removed as well. Most of the time, it removes all of your feelings in general, leaving you a husk of your former self.
Honestly, when they teach us about it in school, everyone always think that they'd take the surgery if they even think they'll get it. Even I thought if I got it, I would take the surgery. However, when I first went to my moms about the symptoms and went to the doctor, I couldn't really make up my mind with what I wanted.
If you are truly in love with someone and have Hanahaki, you're kind of willing to die for that person.
I thought about confessing to Jeremy, but I definitely don't want to risk dying in front of him. I don't want to scar him for life.
So, I just decided that I would just live with it for as long as I could. When I told my doctor last time that i still didn't want the surgery, he said I had about two weeks left.
There is something funny about being told when you are going to die. It's like you are getting told the expiration on yourself. Like I went to the grocery store and grabbed the last carton of Michael Mell only to find a date on the carton.
"A week..." I mumtter. Brooke's eyes mist over as she struggles to find words to comfort me about my impending death. I look at her skeptically, waiting for her attempt to make me feel better.
That never came. Instead, tears began spilling onto her cheeks. Suddenly, she grabs me and embraces me, grasping onto me like I was going to die on her at any moment. Which I guess was half true. Soon enough, I hug her back. I feel cruel, honestly. Brooke cares about me so much, and this is how I respond. Why did Jeremy have to be the target of my love? He treated me like crap.
Jeremy threw me to the side at the first chance he got just to get with Christine. He blatantly ignored me and called me jealous of him. He even called me a loser. A loser. He doesn't deserve my love, but it just won't go away.
My thoughts are broken as Brooke mutters in my ear, "I don't want to lose you. I love you so much, Michael. But if this is what you want, I won't stop you."
Our hug is interrupted by my phone blaring the TETRIS music, signaling an incoming phone call from the one and only Jeremy. I bite my lip and answer it. I'm already dying, might as well just throw caution to the wind.
"Hey..." I sigh into the phone, leaning my head onto Brooke's shoulder.
"Are you okay, Micha? You ran off so suddenly!" Jeremy says, clearly worried about me. The worry in his voice makes me to cough up a few blood-splattered petals. Unfortunately, he heard me.
He follows up, "Okay, Michael. You can't hide it anymore. Do you have Hanahaki disease?"
Brooke jumps, clearly shocked that Jeremy, of all people, would pick up on the clues of my disease. I might as well fess up; there's no time like the present.
I take a deep breath, getting ready for my possible and probable death. I look at Brooke, and we exchange a somber nod.
"Y-yes," I finally say. He audibly gasps, not knowing that he had finally gotten something right this week.
He follows up with a question that nearly kills me. Brooke's grasp around me tightens. "Is it because of me?" he asks timidly.
This throws me into a sputtering cough. Blood and flower petals spray from my lungs and land in the grass at my feet. Brooke hugs me tighter.
"Yes," I weakly manage to say. He launches into a panic. "Where are you?" he yells into the phone.
I can't stop coughing. Brooke takes the wheel, directing him to precisely where we were hiding.
This is it. My lungs burn. He's going to arrive just in time to see me die, exactly what I didn't want. Tears pour down my face as I realize the true impact of my death. In my act of "love" for Jeremy, I had neglected the feelings of my moms, my little sister, who was in kindergarten, Brooke, and even Jeremy himself. I think I made a huge mistake. I don't want to die-
I fade in and out of reality, throwing up flowers and blood, tears stinging my face, and thoughts, memories, and regrets flooding my mind. Dying was more painful than they let on. I wish there was a rewind button.
All I can hear is Jeremy and Brooke's cries for me to stay with them and to just hang on for a bit longer. It's not like I have a choice... God, I'm selfish.
Soon enough, Jeremy and Brooke are both embracing me. I come back into the world for a moment, my incessant sputtering ceasing for a moment. I take this opportunity to apologize to them. I never meant to die in front of anyone.
"I'm so sorry..." I struggle, my coughing returning once again. They are both sobbing, and Jeremy is yelling at me. My hearing finally is able to focus on his voice.
"Michael I love you! I love you so much! Please don't leave me! Especially cause I like you back! Michael! Mich-"
Darkness fills my vision.
Is this what death feels like? It's quiet and still.
Suddenly, my life flashes in front of me. So the sayings are true. Huh... I never really believed in that whole "life after death" thing. My moms were atheists, but I became pretty acquainted with Judaism, because of Jeremy and his dad.
Oh, Jeremy... Memories with Jeremy flood back to me. He was my best friend, my partner in crime, my player two. Of course, I had to ruin it all and start to have feelings for him. Then, he first showed his crush on Christine, and I got the curse of Hanahaki disease. Everything was okay until the incident with the SQUIP, that fu--
Suddenly, I wake up in pain in a blank, white room. Is this heaven? Hell? Probably hell. I'm the kind of person who would go to hell.
I hear a steady beeping in the background. Maybe this is a hospital. Not today, Satan. It kind of had that hospital smell. I try to turn my head, but end up groaning in pain instead, seeing as my head is pounding and my chest is burning.
I hear a shuffling sound coming from the corner of the room, then a few familiar voices muttering something that I couldn't understand. A nurse walks in and looks at me with wide eyes.
She turns to the corner and whispers, "He's wake!"
A huge scuffling sound comes from the corner once again, this time sounding more alive.. She then walks forward and does something with my IVs.
"I'm going to go get his parent," she says calmly, walking out of the room.
"M-Michael" I hear Jeremy whisper. I open my eyes to see the entire SQUIP Squad standing at my bedside. My heart flutters when I see Jeremy.
"J-Jeremy. . ." I rasp out to him. Tears spill from his eyes onto his cheeks. He says, "Michael! You're okay!"
His arms wrap around me. I close my eyes. His warm embrace is just so. . . comfortable. "W-wait- how is i-it gone?" I rasp out. I don't understand- I thought I died from Hanahaki.
"I confessed to you, silly!" he says, beaming at me.
"I was barely conscious," I say, my voice sounds so bad. He blushes, " Oh. . .that's understandable. . ." he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'll j-just try this-" he says before leaning in to kiss me. His lips press against mine, and I slowly melt into it. His right arm cups the side of my face, wiping away the tears that found their way onto my face.
He slowly pulls away, and I open my eyes to read the room. Everyone was smiling weakly and crying or tearing up. They all back away from my hospital bed as the door bursts open. My moms rush in.
"Ano ang iniisip mo, anak ko? (What were you thinking, my son?)" my mama says. Mom follows up, "What did you think was going to happen? You had Hanahaki!"
"Kaya tungkol sa iyo at Jeremy. . .? (So about you and Jeremy. . .?)" my mama says, wiggling her eyebrows. I sigh, "Mama. . ."
"She has a point! Are you two-"
"Mom!" I shout, my face burning pink. Jeremy comes up and stands next to me. He proudly grabs my hand.
"Oh, gagawin ko itong opisyal, Mrs. Mell (Oh, I'm about to make it official, Mrs. Mell)," he responds. I flush a darker blush. I had almost forgotten that he had become nearly fluent in Tagalog because of me and my moms.
He looks at me and kneels down next to my bed. "Michael Mell, I never want to leave your side ever again. Will you be the RIENDS to my BOYF?" he says, tearing up.
Rich looks surprised that Jeremy used his bullying as his pick up line on me.
I nod enthusiastically. He reaches in and kisses me passionately. I see the squad behind Jeremy cheering us on. My moms scream and squeal by my side.
"Alam ko na magkakasama sila! (I knew that they would end up together!)" my mom says.
"Ang mga lalaki ay maganda ang magkasama! Kailan ang kasal? Gusto ko ang mga inapo!! (Those boys are beautiful together! When is the wedding? I want grandchildren!)" my mama says.
Jeremy and I pull away, blushing at my mama's comment.
Then, he pulls closer to me, whispering in my ear, "Mahal kita. (I love you.)"
"Mahal din kita~ (I love you too~)," I whisper back. We kiss once again, this time waving everyone else out of the room.
-*~~*-
Oh my god, finally!! I wrote this one a bit ago, and finally finished typing it out! Anyways, hope you enjoyed the bit of blushing fluff at the end! BTW, I have, like, almost 40 followers on the Insta for this account, so thanks! I literally just made it like two weekends ago, so its kind of a big deal, and I've only posted like two things on there.
Word count: 2,548 (WOAH!)