Henrles Thread!

cw/ hanahaki, blood, mentions of struggling to breathe

context: in which henry left the toppats and rejoined about a year and a half ago, and he’s in love with the person who hates him most.

Henry is burning. He can’t breathe. Charles is there, speaking to him. He’s trying to focus in on the words, watching Charles’ mouth move, but there’s nothing but muted noise as Henry feels the burning. Charles looked disinterested, not even paying attention to Henry. Yet, Henry

cannot pry their gaze off of him. Charles absentmindedly reaches up and runs a hand through his hair, and Henry’s whole chest constricts.
Charles needed to leave. Now.
“And I- are you even listening to me?” Charles’ gaze snapped back to Henry, who stood rigid as ever. His eyes

were filled with irritation, but Charles raised an eyebrow as he saw the state Henry was in.
“Are you ok? You look terrible,” The question was blunt and dull, no real care behind it. It was just to be polite, Henry figures. That’s what strangers do. That’s all he and Charles

were now. Strangers.
Yet the question still made it feel as if vines had twisted deep into the tissue of his lungs and horrid flower buds were blooming up and up, into his throat, forcing their way out. Henry dug their nails in their hands so hard they bled. Henry moves his

head in a motion that could neither be taken as a yes or a no and fights the urge to clear his throat.
Their shoulders lurch forward ever so slightly as they sign ‘You should leave.’
“I should-?” Charles says, looking back up at Henry. For a moment there is genuine confusion in

his voice. But then his face falls. “Oh. I see. Sorry, Stickmin. For a moment there, I thought we could have maybe been friends again.”
The words /hurt/. They hurt more than the stems and leaves poking into his lungs. Henry’s breaths begin to get raggedy as Charles turns to

leave. As Henry watches him, their vision blurs. They sway on their feet. They feel so hot, and it hits them that they aren’t breathing.
Hesitantly, Henry burrows his head in his elbow and gives off a gently cough, hoping to alleviate some of the pain.
That’s when hell breaks.

His body immediately takes over, mind over matter being thrown out the window as he coughs and coughs. He stumbles, immediately falling to his knees. His throat hurts, and the sharp scent of blood hits his nose. Henry is so distraught he does not realize Charles had run over

until he’s speaking to him. He can recognize the voice, but still cannot make out the words. He tries to breathe, so desperately but there is no air in his lungs.
He’s going to die. He’s going to die alone and in pain and unloved.
Fitting.
And then the petals start falling.

-TBC my stomach just hurts rn-