𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑎 𝑂𝑛𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑠

𝑊𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 - 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡

CW: Hanahaki Disease and Death

————

Maria smiled as she lied on the sand. At the beach with her best friend Eliza, she felt as though she was at peace. She had never liked the ocean before, but when Eliza had come into her life, the younger girl had taught her to love the beach.

Turning to lay on her side, she smiled at Eliza. She had feelings for the younger girl, but she knew she could never act on them. She didn't want to accept the fact that she had fallen for Eliza though, because she was aware of the consequences. So, she was content with just being friends with Eliza for the time being.

——

Today was the day, she was going to tell Eliza. Maria has no clue how it was going to go, but she was sure of one thing, and that was that she had to tell the younger girl how she felt. Sitting on her couch with the younger girl, Maria just said it.

" 'Liza.. I really like you..-"

Upon hearing this, Eliza's eyes widened as she looked at the older girl. Of course she liked Maria, but it was entirely platonic. Sighing softly, she told the older girl that she had to leave before standing up and walking out the door.

Maria was completely broken. She watched Eliza walk out, the feeling of tears searing hot behind her eyes. She slid off the couch, sitting on the floor as she cried for the younger girl. Her heart belonged to Eliza, and the younger girl had taken it with her when she walked out. Suddenly, Maria felt as though she couldn't breathe. There was a sharp pain in her chest, and she started coughing. Tears blurred her vision as she gasped for air, but then she saw it.

A single blue petal.

It glistened with blood, the dark red staining the beautiful blue color of the flower's petal. Blue... blue was Eliza's color. Maria knew what was happening, but she didn't regret loving the younger girl. And so, she admired the petal, and let the rose that was Eliza blossom in her lungs.

——

It had been a week since Maria had told Eliza how she felt, and ever since then the girl hadn't been able to do anything. At this point she could barely go an hour without coughing up petals, each one just as beautiful as the last. Maria felt that her time was coming to an end, and she just had to see Eliza. So, she forced herself to get up, forced her legs to move, and forced her body to take her to the one place she knew Eliza would be.

When Maria arrived at the beach, she spotted Eliza almost immediately. As she was approaching the younger girl, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She ignored it, pushing herself to get closer to the younger girl until she had caught Eliza's attention. The pain got worse, and Maria fell to her knees as Eliza ran over to her. The younger girl held Maria in her arms, tears welling up in her eyes as she realized what was going on with the older girl.

She saw the blue petals come from Maria's mouth, knew she was the cause of what was happening to her best friend. And so, she cried. Apologizing for not able to love the older girl, Eliza spoke through her tears, only to be silenced when Maria pressed their lips together. To Eliza, the kiss wasn't anything special. She tasted the blood that was on Maria's lips, and tears flowed down her cheeks.

To Maria, however, the kiss was searing. Her lungs burned, her heart ached, and her body went numb at the sensation of kissing Eliza. She knew what she was doing to herself, but if it was going to happen then she wanted it to happen on her own terms. She felt it at the back of her throat, and pulled back from the younger girl. She coughed, her mind going blank as the beautiful blue rose fell from her mouth. It was bloodstained, but in Maria's eyes, that just made it even more beautiful.

The stem was covered in small thorns, and as Maria admired the rose she began to cough again. Petals fell from her mouth, but she didn't care. She looked up at Eliza, and a tear rolled down her cheek as her eyes slowly closed. She could hear Eliza crying, but it sounded distant.

After a while, she couldn't hear it at all. Could no longer feel Eliza holding her. Could no longer smell the slight salt of the ocean, or feel the sun on her skin. And as Maria's last breathe left her lungs, the wind carried away one of the small blue petals. Carried it out into the ocean, and it danced among the waves.

The waves that Eliza had taught Maria to love.