How Not to Handle an Illness At School 101
WHUMPTOBER 2023, DAY 15: “I don't need you to help me I can handle things myself.”
Makeshift Bandages | Suppressed Suffering | “I’m fine.”
Day 15 was always going to be MatsuYoshi, I knew that, considering those two are professionals at pulling the "I'm fine (isn't actually fine)" spiel, to a nauseating degree considering how few times Yoshiko appears yet has managed to pull it off screen for months. Also, you know I had to do it to 'em.
What I hadn't planned on was setting this in an HSAU flashback fic. Truth be told, it's not purely out of serendipity: it's also due to some very emotional reasons linked to a recnnt terrorist attack that targeted a former school of mine. I originally had a whole-ass wall of text about it, but at the end of the day… this fic isn't a memorial, it's just a silly AU funky soccer manga fanfiction, and I don't want to take away from that. This fic is motivated by a will for this school I truly care so much about not just be a place of tragedy and I want it to be seen as such.
My thoughts and prayers to the victims, their loves ones, and current students and staff of Gambetta High. Shout-out to my profs at Carnot.
So, uhm, yes, the funny fanfiction about HSAU Hikaru and Yoshiko being who they are! Can't forget about the original stake at hand! They're in their second year of prep class, there.
In terms of HSAU Lore, this fic somehow introduces both Jeanne Mouchon, one of Hikaru and Yoshiko's former classmate, and Mr Moinot, who was mentioned in… I don't remember, actually. I think it was either We All Gotta Start Somewhere or the first chapter of "Promotion to Parent". Most likely the former. Anyway, he's 'karu and Yoshi's old lit prof! And absolutely not an OC I already have who's also kind of maybe based on my own former lit prof.
Also, slight reminder of culture and stuff: grades are given out 20, some students have scholarships as in they get money to do studies because they're otherwise dirt-poor, and we're in France.
It's a little half-baked, but I didn't get a lot of time to work on it, so it'll have to do for now. I may go back and edit it later.
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How Not to Handle an Illness At School 101
aka: Pinmontagne, Or The Reason Why "Febris" and "February" Share a Latin Root
Summary: People don't always think it through before they try to push through illnesses.
Or: asking a nineteen-year-old to have clear-cut priorities may be a lot to ask, sometimes.
Fandom: It's your friendly neighbourhood French high school AU (actually it's Captain Tsubasa, but very, very removed)
Word Count: 1.7K words
AO3 version available here.
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It’s only seven in the morning and Jeanne is already silently telling him he’s a big-ass idiot, in that way only her can do.
“What?” He asks, still mixing in the cheap cocoa powder into his bowl of just as cheap warm milk.
“What, what?” She asks back, an eyebrow corked. “Be more precise, man. I don’t speak Pinmontagne as far as I know.”
She’s absolutely trying to get a reaction out of him – which he will not grant her.
“You’re lookin’ at me funny. What’s your problem with me?”
She immediately cringes.
“Geese Louise, you’re so snappy today! Tho I guess I asked for it.” She regains a serious expression, perhaps too serious. “You look a bit, uh… bad. God, uh, I don’t know how I phrased it when I emailed FM about that, but you look like that.”
The laugh he tries to level at her accusation turns into a coughing fit.
“You’re not accusing me of having pneumonia now?” He still tells her. “Cuz that’s what Moinot had back then, no?”
Her expression doesn’t get lighter and he hates that oh so very much.
“Maybe not pneumonia, but like, dude, you sound like shit.” She frowns. “You’re not gonna attend class like that, right?”
He clears his throat before he can talk again. His voice is already a shitshow, better not wake any suspicions among his classmates now.
“It’s just some stupid cold that won’t go away. Tryin’ to get excused outta class sounds like a much bigger chore.”
“I mean… Yeah, you’re right, but like…” Her eyes grow wide. “Wait, didn’t you have an oral with Moinot today?”
“Yeah, I do.” He coughs again, shit. “What did you pick for yours?”
“Oh, I chose Notre-Dame de Paris, that seemed – hey, don’t change the topic!!”
He shrugs.
“Same, actually.” His nose’s starting to get too clogged for oxygen’s good faith. “I, uh, don’t jive with Ernaux much. Not in text commentary at least.”
“I don’t think you should jive with any author today, dude.”
“My scholarship doesn’t say the same.”
“Just… Go to a doctor, dude, or Yoshiko’s gonna get on your case. You wouldn’t worry her, right?”
“Fuck you,” he replies with a chuckle.
“I was being serious, y’know.”
He sighs, his chest wheezing as he does. Maybe the Moinot comparison wasn’t that inaccurate…
“I’ll be fine.”
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“I tell you, I’m fine,” he tells his girlfriend for the third time today. To say geography class hasn’t even started – not just that, the prof isn’t even here yet.
Still, he knows it’s just bravado because, yeah, his scholarship doesn’t handle missed classes well, and he needs it. And, also, worrying her is a crime… even if he isn’t sure of his modus operandi anymore. It does sound like it’s doing the opposite thing it should be doing.
“But, Hikaru… You’ve been sick for the past week. It doesn’t seem to have gotten better either…”
“Colds can be like that, y’know” he replies with as much of a smile as he can muster. “But are you fine, Yoshiko? You’ve not been catching it from me, right…?”
She smothers a sneeze in the crook of her sweater.
“No, don’t worry, I’m fine,” she replies in a manner eerily similar to him, only starting to smile again now. “I’ll go to bed earlier than usual and take some medicine. You should try and rest in the dorms when you can.”
“With our schedule that’s gonna be hard to do, but like, I don’t think I need it anyway. I’ll manage.”
“If you ever feel like you need help, get some, okay? I’m really worried for you.”
He leans against the wall, suddenly aware of how uncomfortably wet his hair is. Maybe it’s more obvious than he thought that he feels like shit.
“I’ll make sure to let you know, at least.”
It’s a lie, the only kind he’s capable of and they both know it, but before she can protest, Mr Beaubonnet has finally arrived, and class is bound to begin soon.
He doesn’t hold her hand – just because he doesn’t want her to catch the plague, dear God. Yet he watches her hand try to reach for his, even sitting in class.
His lungs aren’t the only thing that hurts, today.
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By the time noon comes around, Hikaru isn’t even sure of how he’s still on both his feet, waiting in the cafeteria crew. The fact he’s sandwiched between Jeanne and Yoshiko helps, he imagines, not to let himself look as bad as he feels. Ironic, for someone who otherwise doesn’t give two fucks about appearances, let alone “looking right”.
He usually doesn’t even care about queue speeds, especially on Wednesdays where it’s just the four prep class rosters and their profs; but today, it’s long. Painfully slow. He wants his bed and maybe a hug from Yoshiko. Okay, he definitely wants the hug from Yoshiko, but that’s beside the point, he always wants one.
When they finally sit down, he can’t hide the relief on his face, just like they can’t hide the fact they’re worried as shit about the crap he’s trying to pull off – cut him some slack, the scholarship won’t like it if he skips over it.
Also, Yoshiko’s coughing, and that can’t be good.
“Hey, you okay?” He asks her, still twirling with the idea of ingesting food.
“It’s nothing,” she says before blowing her nose. “You should focus on yourself, Hikaru. You need the care more than I do.”
“I’m fine, I told you.” It’s starting to sound like a farce, and it shows, because both Jeanne and Yoshiko are utterly unconvinced.
“Hikaru, dude, you can barely speak,” the former replies first. “I dunno how you’re planning on survivin’ English, let alone an entire oral with fuckin’ Moinot. That guy’s gonna wring you dry of words like he always does.”
“You dun need to remind me of my last grades with him, thanks.”
“Actually, I will! You got a 6 on your first oral, which was somehow worse than my 7. Then, on your specialty oral, you got a 9, but like, can’t blame ya, Banny can’t have explained how that was supposed to go without going on four tangents in a row. And ya got a 11 on your latest one, but it was a damn close call.” She puts down her fork. “All that to say, on a good day, you’ve got trouble dealin’ with his shit, and now you want to do that while you’re literally cookin’? Dude, you’re insane.”
“I’d rather die than lose my scholarship.”
“I’m… pretty sure medical reasons would excuse you,” Yoshiko replies. “Please, Hikaru, you’re swaying on your feet, you shouldn’t be here…”
He rubs his temples, his throat hurting just as much, but no solution comes to him.
“It’ll be fine, I’m sure. Just, lemme handle this and I’ll go see a doctor after class.” Or tomorrow.
“I don’t think you’ll find any by the time you’ll be outta there.”
“I’ll find one.”
Oh, he won’t, but he sure can try.
“You’re so fucking stupid, man,” Jeanne adds.
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The topic quickly changes to bitching about English class.
So, uh, fun thing about running a high fever: he can’t read text anymore. No matter what he tries, letters just start swimming before his eyes. Not that he’s actually been able to understand whatever the hell Hugo was trying to say about that rat hole or some shit – who knows, not him, that’s for sure.
And that’s a big issue, because right now, he’s in front of his own prof, and he has no idea where to fucking begin.
“I, uh, gimme two seconds, please,” he coughs out, already realizing this is going nowhere.
He swaps paper sheets around, rubs his eyes and tries focusing – but aside from the absolute urge to hug his girlfriend and find peace with his bed, there’s nothing coming up. Nothing makes sense. He almost doesn’t know where he is and he’s losing grip on if his thoughts are staying inside or if he may be spewing them out.
“Do you need help with anything?” The prof asks in a voice too kind not to be suspicious.
Or maybe it’s normal? Uh…
“I don’t need you to help with things, I can handle things myself.”
He shuffles his papers around again, and this time, he actually gets tricked by the coughing fit. It lasts entirely too long, and he’s spent by the time it ends; but watch him rise back to his hands because that oral won’t do itself.
Mr Moinot looks entirely displeased with the shitshow this has been so far, in such a manner that, when he opens his mouth, Hikaru is ready to endure a verbal beating—
“You should go back home, Hikaru.”
Dread fills his every pore anyway.
“W-wha’?!”
“You are very clearly ill. Be honest, did you even understand the text?”
He’s way too exhausted to lie. He doesn’t even like lying to begin with, do you expect him to do so when he’s down the gutter?
“No, sir, I really didn’t get it. I don’t even know what it’s about.”
It hurts so much, at this point, to speak that he can’t not cough every time he opens it, God.
“I can’t evaluate you fairly in those conditions,” Mr Moinot replies. “Let’s postpone it to when you feel better, okay? The class is small enough, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”
“O-okay.” The shame is almost overwhelming. “Sorry about that, sir.”
“It’s fine. I know a thing or two about pushing through an illness.” He sighs. “Now, call someone to get you. I’m not letting you go home on your own.”
Oh, it must be that bad – of course it is, you idiot, you’re hotter than a furnace and barely able to piece reality together. Even walking to his dorm room sounds like a chore. As such, in silence, he grabs his phone, scrolls to the one contact whose picture he cannot mistake for anything else, and calls.
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It isn’t pneumonia, but it’s damn close; so close Yoshiko has decided, actually, he was going to live at her place until he can drive himself home.
It’d be embarrassing if it wasn’t a dream come true.
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Hiii! I recently started one of your fics (the anderperry Tumblr au) and I was so sad to see it wasn't finished! I was wondering if you were going to write anymore, I guess. Have a nice day!
this ended up being kind of long lol- so im putting it under a read more, and i have a tl;dr at the end for anyone who wants the broad strokes without the whole backstory :)
hi! first of all, thank u so much for reading, i hope you've been enjoying it! tbh, this is probably something i should have addressed ages ago, so genuinely thank u for reaching out and motivating me to finally talk about this lol. so to be 100% honest, this question is kind of a hard one for me to answer?
dead poets society is a piece of media that means a lot to me and will always be a key piece of me, but it also sort of represents a part of my life that i don't like dwelling on if that makes sense. tbh it's probably obvious that i was going thru a rough patch just by reading some of my earlier dps stuff (neil perry is not okay is... yeah... lol). additionally, dps is something that i associate heavily with someone that's not really a big part of my life anymore, so sometimes it honestly feels wrong to write certain characters without thinking about that. it's also prolly obvious that dps is not really my main special interest anymore and hasn't been for a little while now.
ALL THAT BEING SAID- dead poets society will never not mean the world to me. despite all the mixed feelings i've come to associate with it, i keep rewatching with the film and engaging with content in small ways specifically because i don't want to let my past struggles ruin something i love. even if it's not the main interest of this blog or ao3 account, i'm definitely still fond of it.
but what does all this mean in terms of content? i'm not really sure. one thing is certain- i intend to write for dps again. i actively have been, in fact. ive been working for a while on a long dps fic and am probably around 1/3 done with it, but im holding off on uploading it until it's completely done specifically to avoid leaving people hanging with a WIP. i have absolutely no idea when it'll actually be finished, but i am really excited for u all to read it.
as for the current dps WIPs i have? unfortunately, i don't think i can say they're getting finished :(. we'll kick it when i hit the ground (anderperry tumblr au) and the whole "being dead" thing (ghost neil au) are both still in the very early stages of their stories and sadly i just don't think i have the energy to finish them. i'd be more than happy to talk a bit and summarize what i had originally planned for the stories if anyone would like that, but i think the stories themselves are probably done for now. as for the neil perry is not okay series, another long, full-length fic like there will be light is definitely a no, but i'd say there's a good chance of me writing a one-shot or two at some point.
in general, i'd say other than the big dps fic im working on, expect any future dps fics from me to be short one-shots that are much lighter in tone. probably still some hurt/comfort cause that's my jam, but less of the heavy angst i typically wrote lol.
lastly, i do want to just take a minute to say thank you to everyone who's still reading my dps fics. like i said, a lot of them represent a pretty bad time in my life, but i can never bring myself to hate them or resent them sheerly because of the outpour of love and appreciation they've received from the fandom. even if im slow to reply to comments sometimes, i promise i read every single one and they mean the world to me. while it's hard to think about some of the things i was going thru while writing things like there will be light, those fics provided a safe place and a source of comfort for me to work out my feelings and find solace, and nothing in the world makes me happier than seeing my writing create the same space for other people. from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone that's even clicked on and glanced at a fic of mine. it means the world to me <3.
while it does make me really sad to say that i likely won't return to some of the writings i put so much love into, im really proud of some of the things ive been working on lately, and i hope you all will enjoy it as well! if not, that's ok too, im eternally grateful to anyone who's gotten something out of any of my past work too.
TL;DR:
unfortunately, any WIPs i had for dps are probably going to remain unfinished. if people would like to hear a summary of what id had planned for the remainder of any of these, id be happy to provide that. while i am taking a break from the dps fandom, i still love dps and would be happy to chat about it with anyone that wants to, and i do intend to return to creating dps content- i just don't know when exactly that will be. thank you from the bottom of my heart to anyone who's enjoyed my content in the past, and im wishing you all the absolute best. carpe diem <3
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(1) Hey! So sorry for replying late, a lot has happened these past couple of days D: but I hope you've been doing good! (I say as if I've been gone for months aksjdf) anyway, yeah, they're definitely scary. I think it'll be worth being able to be that soft and open with someone though. And I'm glad it did have a positive impact on you! Even if they were hard you came out stronger or wiser in some way. And thank you, you're so sweet :') So do you hon ❤️
hey honeymoon! sorry for taking my time to respond, i hope everything’s been alright with you!
(2) Terushima really does just seem like a big dork who loves volleyball haha. I feel like his initial vibe would make me not want to interact v much lol but once you get to know him he's actually a good person. and that tongue piercing tho 👀. "that one definitely hurts a lot more than Falling does" then I think I'm good for awhile hahaha. I've already read a sad hospital AU so I'm going to stay FAR away for now. Honestly I wish there was an interesting story behind it but there's not :')
(3) basically I had an art blog and the name of it was kind of a pun with the word "honeydew." but that nickname was already taken and I wanted to be ~original~ sso I didn't want to use it lol. I still liked the honey aspect though and I thought Honeymoon sounded cute. I'm also kind of a secret hopeless romantic and at the time I kept my identity on my art blog a secret, so it kind of felt like an "alter ego" of mine? long story short I liked the nickname and it kinda stuck haha
ok i mean, to be fair, he was super aggressive when he was meeting kiyoko. but i definitely feel like there’s that dorky side to him LMAO.
oooof idk if I can handle any angst rn tbh so i can definitely relate 😭
that’s honestly such a cute story though??? like, that’s literally so freakin’ adorable. what type of art did you use to do? (and honestly girl, this whole blog is on the DL and i tried super hard to keep it hidden from my life LOL).
there’s nothing wrong with being a hopeless romantic though! it gives you a chance to day-dream hehe 💞 what’s your favorite romantic trope? it could be as cliche or non-cliche as you’d like!
(4) "i’m sorry for being a sadistic fk 🥰" 😀 something tells me you're kind of not LOL (really though I know you're sweet and don't actually want to hurt people akdhf) and honestly I'm glad you decided to expand on it! Chapter one is also great as a standalone but I'm so grateful for the rest so far, and you're doing an amazing job with it love 💖 I understand the chara x chara thing. I don't know if I've ever actually shipped anything to the point of me /wanting/ it to be canon
(6) like, it'd be cool if it was, but I don't actually care y'know? unless it was actual romantic tension built up in the movie/book/series. Fanart and fic is what mostly got me lol. I think the HQ fandom is super diverse/creative in its shipping. Not only because of an incredible story with great characters, but great fans and creators as well. And yes! someone else who likes KuroIwa!! I think that ship is really cute (and they're my top 2 faves so I'm biased haha) have you seen neutinya's art?
i swear i’m nice 💞 thank you so much for the love!! 🥺 i’ve been having writer’s block for a bit, and your comments have honestly motivated me to write so much more for it LOL
i definitely agree though, like, i can’t aggressively fight for one ship over another because it’s literally just not canon. it just feels wrong to “shove that agenda”, so to speak. but it’s always interesting to see all the different character combinations. i never would’ve imagined half of the ones out there if not for this fandom LOL
neutinya’s literally why I have a thing for KuroIwa!! LMAO. i really like the art that they put out. same with bright_stars_45 on IG. Their stuff is literally why i ship Bokuaka soooo hard.
(7) (did I skip 5?) I really hope I'm numbering those right it's 12:30 am here lol. anyway, it's probably a good thing you weren't in the fandom then. I don't know how it is now, but it was p chaotic and toxic and there was actually controversy surrounding one of those fics. I'm sorry about you and your sister love :( I don't know if you'd ever want to have a strong one with her but I hope you do if you do! and if not then there will always be people you share that with, blood or not 💕
LOL you did skip 5, but it’s okay bby 💖 it’s not too serious tbh. i’m not really close to my family, so i’ve always believed in the “my family is the one’s i choose, not necessarily the one’s i’m blood-related to” :)
(8) Piglet has always been my fave, but Eeyore and Lumpy are also great. do you have any favorite characters or ones that mean a lot to you? and that's really cool too!! I know being mixed can get super complicated but knowing you have all of those cultures in you in some way is pretty amazing. Honestly I've been undecided for the past 2 years but after everything going on in 2020, I've felt this need to release the truth? no matter what that may be. I know a lot of people say journalism
(9) isn't an honest profession but, and this will sound arrogant, I want to change that. Even if that just means me being an independent journalist while being an editor to make a living, I'm okay with that. Also it can give you the opportunity to travel, and writing has always been my strong suit. socio is so I can have a better understanding of the world and learn to be less biased and more objective and understanding. What about you? :O
my favorite Disney character is honestly Tiana from Princess and the Frog! her hard-working story is hella relatable to me, and it inspired me to be better for myself if that makes sense?
TBH the most annoying part of being mixed is being called eXoTiC by guys who are tryna sleep with me 💀 there’s definitely a lot of fetishization about it lol
i hella respect that! the need to release the truth. journalism is honestly a raw and authentic profession that people underestimate because they read from biased sources or the things they read isn’t accurate. i have mad respect for you for following that career path! if there’s anything i could do to help, lmk love 💖
TBH, i chose business because i wanted to open my own business and i love psych because i love understanding the world and the people in my lives. psycho-analysing is one of my hobbies hehe. so similar as to why you did socio!
(10) and yes!!!! tbh I've always liked theatre but was never really one for the stage. I was in a child friendly version of macbeth in 6th grade and that was it lol. In my senior year of high school I performed a slam poem about my depression and my teacher called me emotionally constipated lmaoo. and because of how hs went down for me I never got to take classes anyway. I started getting into sfx/film makeup though and I really want to do that! I also just love the energy of backstage tbh
(11) this is getting really long akfdjh. but yeah I want to learn more! I'm actually kind of struggling in my stage management class right now because I honestly don't know much about theatre so it's overwhelming. I haven't even seen a lot of shows (I did see The Lion King when I was a kid though!! and a few hs productions). enough about me though, what's your favorite part, or what are some of your best memories? I love seeing that it makes you so happy :D
omg i’m so sorry that your teacher called you that. that’s so inappropriate, especially considering the subject matter. i hope that you’ve had a more positive experience involving your work since then. if you ever want to talk about your struggle, please feel free to reach out, ok?
you must be pretty talented with makeup though! that’s so cool 🤩 i’ve always admired sfx and people who are talented with makeup tbh. what’s your favorite part about it so far?
i was fortunate enough that my hs had a super talented theatre program that i could be a part of. i had the opportunity to be in both tech, management, and on-stage. i honestly really enjoyed being behind-the-scenes in the management part! it was so great seeing a production from start to finish and knowing that i was involved with that process. i’m a huge theatre nerd tbh ��� i love watching shows like Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, RENT and I’ll routinely watch them haha.
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