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“I will love you, no matter what happens between us, Flame..” He whispered, taking Flame's hands into his own, his yellow eyes staring at Flame's red eyes softly. His eyes glimmering in the night sky, the two under the moon's gaze.
“Please, please promise me you will, Lomedy.” Flame pleaded, gripping tighter on his beloved’s hands. He wrapped an arm around his waist lovingly, their foreheads touching.
Lomedy smiled, his voice so sincere as he spoke, “Of course, I promise with my entire heart..”
Flame had made another promise to Lomedy, to plant over a thousand of tiger lilies if they ever parted. Although in his heart, he knew well that they would never part in their life, together forever, nothing ever going their way. ‘Till death do us part, he vowed when he held Lomedy in his arms.
But he was oh so wrong. So completely wrong..
Flame stood there, in a valley of a thousand tiger lilies he planted overnight. The floral scent blocked his entire sense of smell. He couldn’t breathe, no matter what he could or did. He could never feel the sense of freedom the same way ever again.
He coughed once,
and again, and again, and again.
Tiger lily petals falling from his mouth the orange elegantly curved petals blocked his throat causing him to choke.
“It hurts,” he panted “God, it hurts so bad.” he choked, puking out a massive Tiger lily from his mouth, his blood tainting the gorgeous color of the flowers. He didn’t want to look weak even if his chest felt so heavy and cramped.
Flame felt stems stabbing through his lungs, it hurt so badly. He could barely stand up from how bad the disease was getting. It’s been months, almost a year at this point but yet, Flame continues to live, all to wait for maybe one day Lomedy comes back for him, comes back to save him, to love him like he did back then.
Another batch of petals drop from his mouth, letting out an agonizing scream in pain as if anyone could hear his pleas. His plea to make Lomedy love him, the only way to save him.
He just can’t take the surgery, he just can’t. He promised alongside Lomedy they would love each other until the end of time and he has to keep the promise. Even if Lomedy had already broken his part, Flame still had to play his own part. No matter how his heart ached from the pain, the pain of stabbing him was worse than any battle he ever won.
No matter how Flame wished for his beloved, his Lomedy would come back. How he wished to turn around to see Lomedy, running to him. The two hugging each other as if they never broke up.
But it would never happen. He felt pitiful. The stems continue to stab and puncture his guts, blood pouring out of his mouth like a sick horror movie.
Flower petals continue to fall onto the valley of itself, the tiger lilies almost burying him as he coughed, and coughed, before he vomited once more. The sick color of red blending into the grass.
“Flame?” said an awfully familiar voice, Flame's head jerked around trying to find the source of the voice.
“..Lomedy?” Flame felt insane, he felt like he was going mad running across the field trying to find him. His beloved, his true love. The one he cannot let go. “Lomedy!” he yelled, hacking as he continued to run towards the shadow.
The shadow smiled, its mouth glowing a bright yellow. “Oh…Flame.” the voice whispered affectionately as it held Flame's face, cupping his cheek lovingly.
“Lomedy..You’re here..” He wheezed, a single petal falling before the two. The shape laughed, almost mockingly. “Flame.. How long have you looked like this?” The silhouette held Flame even closer.
“For so long—fuck, I missed you so much, Lomedy. Please never leave me again” he breathed, smiling weakly as he tried holding his hand out to the silhouette.
“You have to let me go, Flame.”
Flame let out a sound, almost similar to a gasp. “No, nonono—But we promised..” The silhouette held him even tighter, its eyes revealing only a mere bright white. “Who said I meant it?”
“But I did!” he exclaimed, trying to hold the shadow. “Please.. I love you..” he coughed, a massive Tiger lily escaping his mouth. "But I don’t, not after everything you did.” the shadow muttered, letting go of Flame.
He immediately tried holding him once more. “Please, Lomedy. I don’t think I can live without you! I can change, please. Please give me another chance” the figure turned around, almost fading out of existence. “Then go die, you’ve already lost all your chances.”
Flame fell forward, coughing even more. He felt his chest and throat tightening. He couldn’t breathe, no matter how hard he tried. Tiger lilies crawled out of his mouth as he vomited over and over again.
He fully collapses onto the floor, the field of Tiger lilies burying him deep in its beauty, the same beauty he’ll never see ever again. He wished he treated Lomedy better, he wished he had done something to stop him from leaving—to stop all of this ever happening. He wishes it didn’t end like this, him dying with no one near him, with no one that truly cares about him.
That is—until he woke up.
There he laid in a hospital bed, noticing two men beside his bedside. Wemmbu nearly screamed as he ran towards Flame, hugging him tightly as Mane stood beside him, the two boys looking like they’ve been crying for hours now.
“Oh my god, Flame!” Wemmbu exclaimed, hugging him tightly as Mane approached, wrapping an arm around the smaller. The duo had tears rolling down their faces. “Mane..? Wemmbu?” his older brother, Mane gripped his hand, smiling softly.
“The surgery worked..” he mumbled before Flame's head jerked over to Mane as he moved away. “.. Surgery?” he whispered, his face contorting like he had seen a ghost. “Your disease.. They managed to get it somehow, I don’t know how but the doctors said it was a miracle.”
Flame's lips quivered, as he glared at Mane with wide eyes. “Why would you do that!” he yelled, Wemmbu still holding him tightly as he squirmed. “How could you do this to me!—"
"Lomedy did pay for the entire surgery bill.”
He paused, his entire body freezing in place. Wemmbu hummed in amusement looking up at Flame, “And Lomedy was even here earlier. You know, he kinda looked like he was about to cry.” Wemmbu whisper-yelled, shaking Flame as he spoke. “I see….” he whispered to himself, lightly pushing the younger off himself.
Mane grasped Wemmbu's hand as he did so. “He stayed here the entire time you were unconscious, recovering from the surgery. No matter how much we tell him we’ll watch over you instead, he insists on staying.”
He then brought out a box, placing it on Flame's lap. “He gave us this before he left earlier.” He curiously opened the box, revealing a gold bracelet. The bracelet had a ruby at the end, with flame-like petals surrounding it. “He didn’t want us to open it..” he added. Flame slowly puts on the bracelet staring at it intently, finding an emotion to feel, yet, he felt absolutely nothing.
“Wait, I wanna see!” Wemmbu grabbed Flame’s arm before it retreated to hide, staring at the bracelet in awe. The three of them admired how nicely crafted it was. “Wow, can't believe that fits you.” he murmured while Mane hissed at the snide remark, Wemmbu laughed.
Mane loosened his grip on Flame, before fully resting his arms at his side, “We should leave, Wemmu. Flame needs to rest." The purple demon looked up at the lion before pouting, letting go of his arm before making their way to the exit.
Flame grinned once the duo left, “..What a bunch of weirdos.”
From across the hall, Lomedy gasped for air, trying to get himself together as he coughed out a sunflower petal. The flower had the same shade of yellow Flame used to love on him. How pathetic, who was he to fall in love with the man he left?
He scoffed, throwing up a few petals before wiping his bloody mouth, coughing even more. “What the hell is wrong with me?” He whispered, as he slid down the wall, he sat as he buried his face deep into his hands.