Abused Tsu x Ochako ~Hanahaki Quirkless AU~

Dripping Wax

TW: Child abuse, self-harm (?)

Tsu's POV
I wake up to the sound of the squeaking of the attic ladder folding down. Though near-silent, I've learned to wake up to it. In a few seconds, he'll be up here. I get up, and make my bed. I sit at my desk and open my book. The attic door opens, and my father comes up. "You better be working, you brat. Make you less of a disappointment. Actually, you're never going to be successful, but read that stupid book anyway." I wince at his words, but hide it as he walks up behind me. I hear a phone alarm go off from Ochako's window. She must have woken up. I focus on her as my father comes closer. I can hear him take off his belt.

Ochako. I wish that she was here. If she was here...but she isn't. I hear the creak of leather. It hits my back with a careful slap noise. He's practices so that it's quiet. Nobody will hear the belt across my back. I can feel a tear drip from my eye down onto the book. After the third hit, I have to stifle a sob. "What was that? Keep silent if you don't want me to double it."I hear him say. I count slowly.

4
5
6
7
8
9
10

And then he leaves. He'll be back soon.

My fingers release the book. Nobody loves me anyways. My mother left, my brother with her. They never visit me, not since my father somehow got a restraining order. Fake evidence, a good lawyer, it doesn't matter. If they really loved me, they would've snuck into here...right?

I scratch my wrist. My wrists already have nail marks all over them, but I scratch them like mosquito bites. I feel calmer, and release my wrist. It's red, and overly warm but I barely notice. I pick up my book and pretend to read, but I'm thinking of Ochako.

Ochako POV
I'm sitting in a classroom full of loud kids. I have lots of friends, in fact, I'm one of the 'popular kids'. My thoughts aren't on the dull history lesson, but more on the girl in the window. Tsu. I suddenly smell lilies. Is it someones perfume?

Then, my throat starts to ache. I don't know what's going on. A note gets thrown at my back, it must be my friend Deku. I pick the note up off the floor subtly, and read it under my desk. 'Hey, you okay?' Deku always is really nice to everyone, so I'm not surprised he's checking up on me. I write back 'I'm fine', and slide it under his desk.

For the rest of the period, I keep feeling like there's fluttery things in my throat. And I can't stop smelling these lilies...

Timeskip to after class

I walk out of the room as normally as possible, but once I get to a crowded corridor, I blend in and slip in the bathroom. The bathroom is empty, surprisingly. I lock myself in a stall and start to cough. At first it feels like scratching an itch in my throat, but then it starts to hurt. Suddenly, I feel something coming up my airpipe. I bend over into the toilet and cough out... petals? They're stained red with blood, but underneath they're pure white. I decide against going to the school nurse, to figure out what I have first. Then I'll decide.

I wipe the blood off my cheeks and rinse it out of my mouth, then head to the library. I find a book of diseases in the Medical aisle. "Taking some culture in, Uraraka-kun?"says a voice from behind me. It's Deku again, and he's blushing faintly. "I- I guess.."I say awkwardly. "Well I'll leave you to it!"he smiles and walks away. If I wasn't in love with Tsu, I'd think Deku would be kinda cute.

Flipping through that pages, it seems that I have symptoms of something called..."Hanahaki disease?"I say out loud, then cover my mouth. I look around and nobody's around. Then, I get up and go to the nurse's office, forgetting to put the book away. I even left it open accidentally.

Deku POV
I meet Uraraka-kun in the library, but she seems off. Maybe she's sick... As I leave the library, I pass the reading area and see Uraraka's book open on the floor, seemingly abandoned. I go over to it carefully, and read what's on the page. Hanahaki disease?

Does Uraraka-kun have that? Maybe I should watch closer. Wait, what if she has it for me? Or maybe she has it for someone else... no, that can't be. I'm sure.

I pick the book up, take a picture of the page with my phone, and put the book away for her. Then, I leave the library.

Word count: 826