Hanahaki Disease
( A Jaustin One-Shot)
[ Not proofread/edited ]
<><><>
When he looks back at it, James isn't sure exactly when it starts. Was it the anniversary of his acknowledgement of his crush on Austin? Before that? After that? All he knows is that sometime within a week of the third anniversary of his acceptance of his crush on Austin, he started throwing up flower petals.
<><><>
The first time it happens, James is at the dinner table. He is in the middle of bringing a forkful of spaghetti to his mouth when he feels the familiar rise of bile in his throat and rushes to the bathroom, leaving his mother halfway through a story about the flirty intern at her office. He leaves the door open, throws the toilet lid up, and gags.
Instead of vomit, all that comes from his mouth is a single rose petal, which spins lazily through the still air and lands in the center of the toilet bowl, sending calm ripples through the pool of water.
James stares at it in puzzlement. There is no acidic taste of bile in his throat, just a single red rose petal floating in his toilet.
His mother calls him, asking him if he is sick in that irritated tone of hers.
James flushes the toilet and washes his hands before answering her question: 'No, I just really had to pee,' he says, trying to act unruffled by the strangeness of it all as he reclaims his spot at the table.
His mother shoots him a dubious look but then starts yammering about the intern that absolutely has to be into her, he brought her a coffee(when she asked), after all.
James nods at all the right times and eats his spaghetti, but his mind is still on the rose petal.
<><><>
The second time it happens, James is at work. He works half-time at Bella's Auto Parts & Repairs, just a ten minute walk from his house. It is a rewarding job, and he loves the work. Bella is a kind lady and he doesn't mind the grease and oil.
James is in the middle of working on a car, a tire over his shoulder, when he feels the disgusting feeling of vomit surge up his throat. He is doubled over and gagging within a few seconds, the tire clattering loudly as it slips from his shoulder and bounces off the concrete.
Once again, his mouth emits not vomit, but flowers. It's not just one petal this time; he coughs up a flurry of petals. Some are the glossy crimson of a rose, some the slender white of a lily, some the pale purple of orchids. Others are smaller, the pink blossoms of a sakura, or the indigo blooms of forget-me-nots. Either way, they are all beautiful.
Beckoned by the noise, Bella appears, some of the other mechanics by her side. She freezes at the sight of her youngest employee spewing flower petals across her floor and sounding like he is dying violently.
'Jesus - are you okay, Krown?' Bella hurries to James's side as his whole body begins to shake from retching so hard. More and more petals swirl through the stifling summer air in the repair shop.
James feels like he is suffocating - is he? He feels like his throat is being torn out by the petals somehow emerging from his mouth. His mind is running languidly, trying to keep up with the suddenness of it all. Finally, it seems to start letting up. He is able to suck in ragged breaths, throat scraped raw for some reason. Coughing results in puffs of petals, and each one hurts. Eventually, even the coughing dies away, leaving James disoriented, dizzy, and uncomfortable.
Bella is knelt beside him, looking concerned. The other, older men who work with him are sharing uncomfortable glances.
'Sorry.' His voice is tender, and each breath is like sucking in broken glass. James takes in the storm of flower petal strewn across the concrete, his throat closing up at the thought of those coming from his mouth. 'I'll clean it up.'
'Don't apologize, boy. Get home. I'll get one of my other boys to clean up. Figure out what's wrong.' Bella is a no-nonsense woman, and she has never lost her cool in front of James. She stands and offers her a hand giving him a pat on the back as she sends him on his way. She is smiling, but her furled brow reveals her worry.
'Don't worry,' he thinks as he turns and faces the sun, starting his walk home, 'I'm worried too.'
<><><>
The first thing James does when he gets out of his shower is sit down at the family desktop and researches his condition. He finds small snippets of things on a disease called hanahaki disease, which is where someone suffering from unrequited love coughs/vomits flower petals. It seems to be fictional, but it's pretty damn real to James.
His research leaves him thinking about a certain boy with amber/gold/coffee/chocolate-colored hair and cobalt blue eyes. Is this because of his crush on Austin? Currently, Austin and Yumi aren't as close as they used to be. He knows this. He also knows that Austin is interested in girls and is currently dating some pretty, preppy blonde. Why? He has no idea.
Austin, Austin, Austin.
James hiccups and stares in shock at the stalk of forget-me-nots that falls from his lips and into his lap. He picks them up and examines them; they are real and fragrant. They are fragile, too.
<><><>
The third time it happens, James is hanging out with Austin. They are sitting in Austin's ancient and beautiful car, windows down, when that stupid ache starts in James's throat. He panics, naturally, and struggles with the lock of the passenger door, but Austin has locked it and doesn't seem to understand his friend's frenzy.
The brunette laughs. 'What's wrong, Krown? Gotta tinkle?' He winks at James, unaware of the way it makes time stop for the other boy, even just for a moment.
However, James does not have time for this savored moment; he doubts Austin wants real vomit or flower vomit in his car, so he leans out the window and pukes up flowers, per usual, it seems. Roses, daffodils, peonies, lilies, sakura. It's a storm of color and pain as the unknown source of said petals seems to make his throat abraded and raw.
'Jesus Christ, Krown! Are those flowers?' Austin has gotten out and come around the car, and he stands at the edge of the growing pile of petals. 'What the- what's going on?' he sounds scared, those gorgeous midnight eyes shocked.
When the flower vomit has subsided, Austin helps a mute James pick up most of the petals and pile them into the trash for the custodian to pick up. Based on the boy's sideways glances and curved brows, Austin has a bunch of questions James probably can't answer - does he explain his supposedly fictitious disease or play dumb? He is uncertain.
<><><>
The last time he flower vomits is the day he kisses Austin Lee.
<><><>
As much as people claim that hanahaki disease is fake, there is no other way to explain James's flower vomit.
James moves on, hand-in-hand with Austin. He laughs, now, at the memory of his hanahaki disease experience. It is strange to think about it, but it is real. It is proof of James's love, so he learns to love it.
End.
<><><>
A/N:
Austin Lee belongs to otakuhappymeals
Dedicated to otakuhappymeals
Anyway, thanks for reading. I got this idea from a post I saw on IG. I didn't actually see if hanahaki disease actually 'exists'(maybe the person I saw it from made it up?) but either way, credits to them(@/galxcticanna on IG). This was written late at night and I felt half asleep for the last scene, so please let me know if there are errors. Love you guys~
