Thorny Rose
TW: blood, knife, and death. Please, be wise—the following content below may cause discomfort, read again the trigger warnings and proceed to read it at your own risk.
Since the first time they met, Top has always thought that Mew reminds him of a rose. It is one of the most famous flowers that people choose to express their feelings, not just for love confessions. Among the various colors of roses, Top sees Mew as a red rose, symbolizing love, beauty, and seduction.
Mew is beautiful and breathtakingly pretty. One of the reasons why Top decided to get down on his knees and ask him to be his boyfriend was because of this. It happened only a week after they first met. Top was afraid that someone would fall deeply for Mew's beauty and snatch him away. Top was accustomed to getting whatever he desired, including Mew. He wouldn't allow anyone to lay a finger on what he claimed as his.
Being renowned as the number one playboy in their university, Top believed that falling in love would be a hard task. However, within just three days of officially being together, Top found himself falling in love with Mew. It was the way he talked, the way he behaved—it felt like a magical enchantment.
Then came the time of their first kiss—actually not Top's first experience, yet it held a different sensation. Top fell even deeper. As their gazes locked, Top found himself entrapped within Mew's twinkling, deep eyes like stars in the middle of ocean. Mew was captivating, almost like a being from another realm. When their lips finally met, Top felt as if they melted into an alternate reality. Mew's little whimper became a beautiful melody, a symphony to his ears. Mew was an irresistible temptation.
Among all the traits associated with roses, Top overlooked the fact that roses are perhaps one of the most overrated flowers. He used to believe that while roses are beautiful, they are also boring. The allure of their beauty, love, and seduction would eventually fade away within a short span of time, just like any other flower.
This realization made Top ponder about the progression of their relationship. He couldn't help but wonder where it would lead. One of his friends suggested that he should do what he usually had done—dump his lover when boredom set in.
So, one night, he decided to invite Mew to a fancy dinner, picking him up in his luxury car. Mew's excitement was evident, his eyes sparkling as if they held all the stars within. In that moment, Top felt a pang of guilt. His heart still beat for his beloved rose, but he didn't want to curb his ego. The devil inside him always triumphed, scheming on how he would comfort Mew once he heard that Top wanted to end their relationship in less than three months—ironically, it was the longest committed relationship he had ever experienced.
“A bouquet of roses for my little rose,” Top handed Mew a bouquet of roses as they took their seats at the secluded table. It was an exclusive setting, away from the crowd, with only the two of them present.
Mew let out an audible gasp as he embraced the bouquet, inhaling the fragrant scent of the roses. “These are so beautiful! Thank you,” he exclaimed, flashing a smile that locked his gaze with Top's. Once again, Top found himself almost getting lost in Mew's sparkling yet profound eyes. They were truly enchanting.
The devil inside Top eagerly wondered if those captivating eyes would become even more alluring when filled with tears or if they would appear miserable. No one could fathom the number of times Top had succumbed to the whispers of the devil within. Without waiting for their meals to arrive, Top cleared his throat, coughing, as he tightly held Mew's hands.
“I know this is too sudden for you. I love you, I really do. You're my little rose, the most beautiful person that I've ever met,” a little pause as Top realized that Mew never stopped smiling and it made him even more guilty. “I have to tell you something. I know that it will ruin our night, but you have to promise me—whatever happens, I will never leave you, okay? I will always be around you.”
Mew's smile slowly faded as his face turned into full of worry. He asked why and what happened through his gaze, demanding for further explanation as the hold on his hands got tighter.
“I don't know where this relationship wants to take us. I've been thinking about this recently and I'm afraid that it will hurt your feelings. It's better now or never,” Top rubbed Mew's hands softly. “I'm really sorry, but we're over now.”
“W-what?”
Without any cues, tears began streaming down Mew's face. His expression shifted to one of confusion, pain, and disbelief all at once. He attempted to comprehend every word spoken by Top, but his mind went blank, leaving him unable to respond except through tears. It felt as if the sky had collapsed and a sharp object had pierced his heart.
Top rose from his seat and approached Mew, enveloping him in a tight embrace. Inside Top, a battle raged between the devil and the angel, debating whether he should retract his words and mend the relationship before it was too late, or whether he should revel in the sight of Mew's tear-stained beauty. He expected Mew to resist the embrace, but instead, it tightened, as if seeking solace and comfort.
It grew increasingly warm, and Top contemplated retracting his words. However, as the minutes ticked by, the warmth transformed into a suffocating sensation.
“Little rose, can you please give me some space?”
Rather than loosening, the hug only grew tighter, making it difficult for Top to breathe. He began tapping Mew's waist repeatedly, attempting to free himself from the embrace, but his efforts proved futile. Frustration boiled within him, and a few curses slipped past his lips as Mew stubbornly refused to release his grip.
“Fuck, Mew. Let me go.”
“I remember the reason why you call me little rose. It was because I reminded you of roses, right? They are pretty and you fell in love with me just like how roses used to represent love, right?” Still crying, Mew’s voice trembled as he ignored how Top almost suffocated. “But, I also know that you think roses are boring because they are overrated. People used them a little too much, it made you want to puke.”
The sound of crying gradually transformed into laughter, sending shivers down Top's spine. His eyes widened in horror as he listened to Mew's peculiar laughter. Despite his struggle to break free from the suffocating hug, Mew's laughter grew louder, echoing right beside Top's ears, a sound that seemed capable of making them bleed. Just as Top was on the verge of giving up, the hug finally began to loosen its grip. Gasping for air desperately, Top greedily inhaled, his eyes shut tightly as his head spun.
When he opened his eyes, he tried to gaze at Mew, demanding an explanation for why he had been subjected to such a suffocating hug. Before he could even utter a single word or pose the countless questions swirling in his mind, time abruptly seemed to freeze.
Top's gaze fell downward, and he discovered a sharp knife piercing his chest, directly into his heart. In a desperate attempt to save himself, he instinctively grabbed Mew's wrist. Mew tilted his head, staring at Top with a smile identical to the one he had worn when accepting Top's proposal. With relentless determination, Mew continued to press the knife deeper, causing Top's breath to dwindle with each passing second.
“You always believed you could possess every flower, playing with them as soon as they bloomed and throw them away once they wilted,” Mew uttered slowly, withdrawing the knife while a stream of blood cascaded forth, staining the expensive suit in a sinister shade of dark red.
In an instant, Top's body plummeted to the ground, and blood splattered everywhere. Mew knelt down, lowering his body to reach the dying man's lips, sharing a final kiss as he sensed Top's breath growing faint. Top strained to reach out for Mew's arms, but he was rapidly running out of breath. As his life flashed before his eyes, Mew's soft whisper pulled him back to reality.
“Baby, you chose the wrong flower. You forgot that roses possess thorns. Your little rose has a thousand thorns. They can stab you whenever they please.”
With Mew's last words, everything faded to darkness. Top's lifeless body lay on the ground, drenched in his own blood, as his heart ceased its beat.
©greatesturn, 2023