Bloom Until It Hurts

🩸 Where Petals Bleed 🩸

The playground was almost empty that day.

The sky was soft with clouds, and the sound of distant laughter echoed faintly. A small boy with fluffy pink hair sat beneath a tree, one eye hidden beneath a patch, his cheeks dotted with freckles. His knees were scraped, and his eyes were glassy with tears.

Koa sniffled quietly, brushing his sleeve across his face. He didn’t notice the boy watching him from behind the fence—silent, still, with long teal hair swaying in the wind like seaweed underwater.

The teal-haired boy slowly stepped forward and knelt beside him, holding out a crumpled bandage. He didn’t say much. Just stared at Koa, like he was looking at something too delicate to touch.

Koa blinked at him, then smiled—bright, gentle, a little clumsy.

Koa: “You’re nice! When I grow up… I’ll marry you!”

The other boy froze.

Then… a quiet smile. A strange one.

He whispered something, barely audible:

“…Okay.”

Koa, now 20 years old, had just finished his long shift at the fantasy-themed restaurant where he worked. The air outside was cool, and the neon lights of the city shimmered like dreams—but tonight, something felt… off.

As he walked home, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

He paused. Looked behind him.

No one.

But that feeling didn’t leave.

He gripped his bag tighter and quickened his pace, nearly jogging the rest of the way. When he reached his small apartment, he slammed the door shut, locked it, and double-checked the windows.

Koa: “It’s fine… No one’s there. You’re just tired…”

He dropped his keys in the bowl, kicked off his shoes, and was about to head to the kitchen—when a soft knock echoed from the door behind him.

Knock. Knock.

He froze.

Another knock.

Slow. Deliberate.

He peeked through the peephole—no one.

But when he opened the door cautiously, a small package sat neatly on the floor. No return address. No name.

He picked it up with trembling hands. On top was a folded letter.

He opened it.

Inside, the handwriting was elegant—almost too careful.

*“Why didn’t you turn around? I would’ve given you everything. I still will. Just look at me but You're still as beautiful as I remember.

That soft hair, that sweet smile…

You haven't changed a bit.

Did you forget what you promised me?"

Koa’s breath caught in his throat. His hands shook.

The package sat in his lap, unopened.

What was inside?

And more importantly…

Who was this ?

Koa hesitated, his hands trembling as he peeled back the final layer of tissue paper inside the box.

There it was.

A glistening, blood-soaked heart, neatly wrapped in lace and resting on a soft pink pillow like a gift from a lover. The metallic scent of iron and rot hit him instantly, making his stomach twist.

Pinned to the lace was a handwritten note:

“I took this for you.

It beat too loudly whenever you smiled at someone else.

Now it’s quiet…

Just like I like it.

Don’t smile at anyone but me, Koa.”

Koa stumbled back, the box falling from his hands, the heart rolling slightly with a sickening thud on the wooden floor.

His breath hitched. Tears welled up.

This wasn’t just obsession anymore.

It was murder.

And someone… had done it for him.

What have you guys would have done in this situation?