Hatchetfield Stories

Thorns

I wanted to write a Hanahaki fic just so I could make a joke and call it Simp Syndrome.
I forgot to make that joke.

Minecraft hyperfixation: Call it Thorns II
Eventually my 3 braincells agreed on just Thorns lmao

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Hanahaki Disease
-Hospitals

-Breathing tube

-Blood

Hanahaki Disease (花吐き病 (Japanese); 하나하키병 (Korean); 花吐病 (Chinese)) is a fictional disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings (romantic love only; strong friendship is not enough), or when the victim dies.

Also just some info: I have a new writing software so formatting might be different than usual :)

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Paul looked at the blood-stained flower petal in his hand, eyes wide and brow furrowed in confusion. The single petal was barely recognizable, what Paul assumed had to be a light shade of pink was now covered in crimson blood.

"What the hell..." he muttered.

"Paul? You comin'?" Bill asked, knocking on the door of the toilet stall. "Someone challenged Ted to chug all of the leftover beer, and I need you to help me convince him to stop."

"Yeah! Sure thing, Bill." Paul wiped his hand clean with a piece of toilet paper, flushing the toilet and washing his hands so no one would see the red stains that had been there just moments before.

Paul rushed out of the bathroom, going into the hall, where Mr. Davidson's annual party was getting a little out of hand.

Ted stood in the middle of the crowd, and everyone cheered as he threw another empty bottle onto the pile at his feet, immediately grabbing another one and pouring the contents down his throat.

When he and Bill eventually got him to stop, Paul had already forgotten about the flower he magically coughed up a few minutes earlier.

*** *** ***

The next week, everything seemed back to normal; the flower was long forgotten, though maybe ignored because of the fact that Paul had been slightly tipsy that evening, most likely messing up his memories.

And Ted only drank three beers when they'd gone out for dinner with the tech department the day prior, instead of twelve bottles like he'd done the last time.

However, when Paul coughed, trying to focus on his work while Ted seemed to do his absolute best to distract him, he felt something make its way up his throat as he gasped for air. He didn't make it to the bathroom in time, and now he was standing in the middle of his office, staring at the three petals in his hand.

"Wow, Paul, you okay there?" Ted laughed, looking over his shoulder to see what he was staring at. "Holy fuckin' shit, Paul! Where did you get that?"

"I... I-" Paul stammered. "I don't know."

"Dude! This is sick! You just cough up flowers or something? Did you pick up magic as a hobby or something?"

"No... I'm just gonna get some coffee," Paul decided, tossing the petals in a nearby trashcan and washing the blood from his hands.

"You're not even gonna invite me?"

Paul rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to deal with him right now. "Sorry Ted, you wanna come?"

Ted laughed. "Nah, I just like watching you be uncomfortable when I ask, ya know? Though I assume I could just tag along and watch you turn into a fucking tomato talking to that barista."