Chapter Text
Part One
The sensation of fluttering petals tickling her throat and blood leaking from her lips was getting too familiar for Bangalore’s liking. Too disruptive, too. When she was trying to fire a gun, trying to eat, trying to sleep; all interrupted by that familiar stabbing pain in her chest and sudden feeling of suffocation. Leads her to cough and hack until she had a pile of white petals splattered with the redness of her blood, and so dizzy she could hardly stand afterwards.
Of course it would be her to get it.
It was so early that the sun wasn’t even beyond the horizon yet, and here she was in the darkness of her bathroom, standing before her mirror. Her face was haggard with the lack of sleep, and dribbles of blood mixed with saliva had stained her chin. Within her sink was a growing pile of those white carnations that have been plaguing her for some time now. Bangalore leaned in close to the glass, angling her head up so she could see the roof of her mouth. The hand holding the tweezers couldn’t stop shaking, but the petal stuck on her soft palette would only continue to make her gag if she didn’t rid herself of it. At the very least, these weren’t the sharp nose needles she had made the mistake of using before.
She reached in as far as her hand would let her and blindly grasped, eventually grabbing hold of it and yanking it out with a grunt . Bangalore stared at the bloodied petal, a breath gurgling as it left her lips, a sign there was further obstruction.
“God damn it,” Bangalore said hoarsely, letting the petal go and watching as it drifted in a downward spiral towards the sink. She would have to clean that up, but right now she felt too tired, too weak. Her legs could hardly hold her. Bangalore ran the sink, scooping cool water to wipe her face of the filth and switching it off to head back to bed. The mattress sank with her weight, and yet instead of closing her eyes she stared up at the ceiling listlessly.
Hanahaki disease. Curable only by surgery or by the item of her affection requiting her love. One was an extreme she didn't want to go to and the other was an impossible option. It wouldn’t kill her– least, it shouldn’t be deadly anymore– but it was going to continue making her sick. Evidenced by the dull ache that now plagued her chest, which hadn’t been there before last night. Bangalore rolled over onto her side, letting out another wet cough that produced blood rather than another remnant of her flower.
Bangalore brought her knees up to her chest, hugging her arms around them afterwards. A weak, pathetic position, but one that made her feel more comforted at least. There had been a time she had been hopeful, when the object of her affection even despite being with someone else hadn’t triggered the onslaught of the disease. And then a month passed since they started dating, and Bangalore had coughed up her first petal. A sign that whatever promise of feelings that may have once been there was now gone.
Loba was with that wannabe pilot now. And she was happy.
Bangalore wished Hanahaki still killed.
She had signed up for an arena match a few weeks before. Was scheduled for today, but she hardly felt like going. Still, she managed to drag her carcass out of her bed and get dressed for it, then headed down to the shipyard that had the main dropship there along with the smaller ones. She had no idea who her squadron was, or who else would be in the bracket. All she knew was that it was a total of 16 teams and the grand prize would be a three way split of 50k in Syndicate credit. Wasn’t much, but the arenas were never meant for big prizes, rather instead to showcase skills or at the very least vie for the favors of onlooking sponsor representatives.
It was a clown show full of FNG’s, but it would take her mind off the unrequited love and prevent her from coughing up anymore of her flower. Bangalore boarded the dropship, spotting two familiar faces.
“You two? Great, just when I thought I could escape you.”
Rampart and Gibralatar looked up from the bottle they were sharing, at first confused but then allowing broad grins to stretch across their faces. Rampart hopped up and before Bangalore could brace for it she had already decked her shoulder.
“Hey-ey! You’re gonna be our other plonker?”
“Red team?”
“You betcha!”
“Then yeah, it’s all us.”
Bangalore took a seat on the bench next to Gibraltar, feeling it droop slightly when Rampart had planted herself down right next to her. Gibraltar had the bottle in her hands not a second after, and an arm around her shoulder to pull her into a side-hug.
“How ya doing sistah? Haven’t seen much of you around.”
Bangalore took a look at the label. Witt’s whiskey. Ugh.
“Had a head cold for a while, so I stayed in. I’m better now, though.” Bangalore said, taking a swig of the bottle to be polite if anything else. She tried not to let her disgust show when the whiskey went down like glass like it always did. Mirage was incapable of many things; brewing good liquor was one of them.
“Not contagious? If ya get Sheila sick, now we might ‘ave a problem,” Rampart tapped on the aforementioned gun, taking a slot up on the bench.
From the back of the ship the boarding ramp pulled up, shutting with a loud click that was almost completely drowned out by the sound of the engine switching on. The feeling of her stomach dropping told Bangalore they were in the air now, and suddenly the dull ache in her chest became more painful as the air pressure increased. She tried her best not to show her discomfort.
“I’m not gonna get a gun sick, Ramya,” Bangalore said hoarsely, letting her hand drop from her chest. She could feel that familiar cold spreading through it, starting right where her heart was.
“Ay, you never know. Ya probably got hyper advanced germs that can infect metal,” Rampart said. She hit her shoulder again, “Ah, I’m jus’ messing, but ya betta stay out of our way ‘cause once I rack up enough points to use her I won’t care who I cut through.”
“And that’s why you got me!” Gibraltar said with a laugh in your voice, “You and I will just hang behind and let Ramya do all the work.”
“Might as well, since the prize isn’t divided by scoring,” Bangalore said.
The ship lurched, indicating the use of its jump drive. Bangalore winced. Her chest felt like it was going to explode.
“Now, that don’t sound like ya, Miss competitive,” Rampart noticed her expression, “Ay, you liar, ya still sick arentcha?!”
“Maybe a little.”
Suddenly, there was a good distance between her and the both of them. She glared, “Head colds aren’t contagious.”
“Uh-huh, tell that to Sheila’s sensitive immune system”
“Better safe than sorry, sistah, I need a clean bill of health for rescuing.”
Bangalore rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”
–
It didn’t take long for them to tear through the brackets; there was no contesting and they had won every game within the first ten minutes. The arenas were notorious for being populated by newcomers and those who couldn’t make the qualifiers, which left Bangalore feeling decidedly bored with each opponent she cut down from a distance with her g7. Small silver linings, though, as at the start of the ten minute break that they were given between rounds, she heard the last team they were to take on next for the grand prize had similarly cut through the competition, and they were composed of three Apex Legends as well.
But not soon after, Bangalore had found herself staggering into the washroom, that tightness in her chest becoming too much, that feeling of suffocation overwhelming every part of her. Her shoulders shook with each and every suppressed cough, pain darting through her lungs until she finally managed to get the door closed and herself to the sink. Her mouth opened as she hacked, finally letting loose the bundle of petals that had gathered within to drift into the sink below. White and red.
“Fu-fuck,” Bangalore rasped, touching a hand to her throat. It felt raw and she could feel blood trickling down. Her lungs still felt full and achy, though, meaning there was much more to come. Why was it getting worse? She hadn’t done anything different today, and different planetary pressures and gravity shouldn’t affect Hanahaki. Bangalore shook her head, wheezing as she could feel that tickle of another upcoming coughing fit.
A knock at the door, “Sistah? You okay in there?”
Coughing and hacking didn’t allow for the words to come out fully, try as she might, so Bangalore had no choice but to ride out the fit fully before she could even think to respond. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and the petals in the sink were becoming a concerning pile. There was never this much at once. Bangalore gasped when it finally stopped and the last of the petals were falling down, with one remaining stuck to her lip. Her head spun and her limbs felt too heavy to move. Sluggishly, she turned her head around to look at the closed door behind her.
“Fine, Koa, Just…. Should have taken my medicine today before leaving.”
“Oh yeah? I think I might have some in my pouch, lemme see,” She could hear the sound of his thudding footsteps trail away from her door.
Bangalore looked back down at the sink. Her mouth tasted like blood and dirt. She wiped the petal from her lip and held it up. For something so soft and delicate, it sure as hell caused her a lot of pain.
“Just like love,” She muttered, letting it drop from her fingers. A knock brought her attention back to the door.
“Can I come in, sistah? I have something that might make you feel better,” Gibraltar said.
Bangalore sighed, looking at the sink. She popped the drain up and ran the water, watching as the petals swirled down the drain. She ran her hands along the ceramic, washing off the blood before wiping at her face to clean that as well. Only when she was certain there was no trace did she open the door for Gibraltar, seeing the large man holding a tiny thing of cough syrup in his hands with a nervous smile.
Bangalore stepped to the side to allow him in and Gibraltar took a seat on the toilet as he started to undo the protective sleeve on the bottle.
“Here, this is 24-hour, so it shouldn’t make you drowsy. The effect should kick in within thirty minutes, but I think you need to forfeit and go home, sistah. 50 thousand isn’t worth your health,” Gibraltar peeled the plastic off and tossed it in the bin.
She shook her head, leaning back onto the sink. Her breathing came out as shallow rasps, but her lungs didnt feel full anymore. The petals were gone for now.
“Two against three ain't a fair fight. Sorry, Koa, but I’ll see through it to the end.”
“You haven’t been yourself. Something’s up, and I don’t think it’s just a head cold, is it?” Gibraltar said, pouring the pink liquid into the cap.
She refused eye contact. Knew if she didn’t, she would find herself spilling all her secrets. Gibraltar had that kinda face to him. He was hard to lie to. Bangalore shook her head and wiped her hand along her chin, checking for any dry staining of blood.
“It is,” She said, “They just get me bad sometimes, I should have rested longer.”
“It’s Hanahaki, is it?”
Bangalore flinched. Gibraltar was hard to lie to, but she hadn't expected him to get it so quickly. Then again. Why wouldn’t he? He was smart, he was well-versed in disease; it was half his job, afterall, to recognize whatever ailment a person may have upon a glance. Bangalore looked down at the ceramic tiling of the washroom, tapping her fingers along the gloss of the sink. She didn’t know what to say to him. Didn’t want to confirm or deny.
“I know it when I see it,” Gibraltar said, leaning back against the toilet. He was looking at the capful of cough syrup, turning it around gently in his hands, “I had it once too.”
It should have come as no surprise, but Bangalore felt a reel of shock anyway. Of course Gibraltar would have suffered from it before; he had his issues with Nic.
“It’s a tough thing to have. It’s painful, depressing. Lonely.” Gibraltar stood from the toilet. Thankfully, he was still focused on the cap, because Bangalore didn’t think she could meet his eyes just yet. No words wanted to form and that pain in her chest increased with something other than the Hanahaki. There was a lump in her throat that wasn’t from an excess of petals for once.
“It’s her, isn’t it?” Gibraltar said, meeting her gaze at last.
Bangalore turned away, gritting her teeth, “It doesn’t matter. She’s made her choice.”
“Have you tried talking to her?” Gibraltar asked. He stood in front of her and Bangalore wanted nothing more than an escape then. She looked at the door. She knew behind it Rampart was more than likely listening. That made two people she didnt want in her business.
“No point. She’s happy. I’m not going to ruin that for her,” She had more respect than that.
“‘Nita, you can’t let yourself suffer because of her. They say Hanahaki can’t kill anymore, but–”
“I’m not getting into this with you, I’ve made my choice, just like she’s made hers.” Bangalore pushed off the sink, “ Come on, the match is going to start soon.”
“Anita-”
“Let’s go,” She swiped the cap out of his hand, downing it in one go. It tasted like bubblegum. Kid’s cough syrup. Won’t do much, but at the very least it would help the scratchiness in her throat.
Bangalore pushed open the door and from behind Rampart jumped to Sheila, quickly wiping her barrels with a rag. She ‘noticed’ them walking out and grinned.
“Ah, was wondering when you two would be out, heh heh. We gotta match to win!” Rampart stuffed the rag back in her pocket and brushed her hands off, staring too long and too intensely to seem casual.
Bangalore resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
–
The sound of Ash’s prerecorded voice rang out through the arena, but Bangalore paid it no mind as she chose her loadout, going for something that was far more personal than she had been using before. Peacekeeper and a flatline, both weapons that worked best if she were able to get close. She wanted this match to be over quickly. With another few selections of meds and grenades, Bangalore stepped away from the buying printer and stood by the shield wall that kept them in, soon joined by Rampart that skipped up to her, machine gun in hand and a grin on her face.
“Ah, am I glad points carry over now!” Rampart said, cocking Sheila back and giving the barrel an experimental spin, “Ya ready, Bangs?”
Bangalore nodded, cocking her peacekeeper for effect and smiling ever-so slightly at the sound of Rampart’s rambunctious laugh. Whatever amusement she felt dampened, however, when Gibraltar approached her side, R99 in hand. She refused to look at him, but she could feel his gaze burning into the side of her face. The conversation wasn’t over in his eyes, but sure as hell was in hers.
Around them the sound of the countdown became more intense, indicating the final few seconds of waiting. Bangalore felt her heart pump faster as adrenaline rushed into her blood. Jittery fingers played along her peacekeeper and she had to take a few, rasping breaths to calm her nerves. Once that clock hit zero and the shield wall dropped, the nerves she felt vanished. And she was focused.
Rampart ran to the left, Gibraltar to the right, and Bangalore went head on. They were in the habitat, and Bangalore had traversed the nesting grounds and water so much today that she knew it like the back of her hand. From the left she could already hear the sound of Sheila whirling to life, and the sound of Rampart’s laughing in her comms. Bangalore ignored it, though she searched for clues as to who their opponents were.
The sound of a jump pad. Definitely Octane somewhere, possibly with Rampart if she got to engage that quickly. Bangalore could see the bridge out in front of her and she was quick to veer to the side so she was on the high ground. She capped way too many FNG’s that decided hiding under it was the best play today, and she wasn’t about to let the same thing happen to her. She took her post in the center, crouched down, and scanned the entrance of the cave. She could see the blue of Gibraltar’s shield peeking out from one of the ribs sticking up from the ground, but he hadn’t fired yet.
“Ramya, who are you engaging?” Bangalore asked over the comm. Then as an afterthought: “Nothing in the middle.”
“Don’t care, they’s a plonker!” Accompanied by the sound of more laughing and bullets. Helpful as always, Rampart.
Bangalore sighed, edging the choke on her peacekeeper, glancing over to Gibraltar’s side again. He was still behind the bone.
“Anything over there, Koa?”
“Nope, nothing!”
Bangalore lowered the peacekeeper.
“The hell? Rampart are you fighting three?”
Silence. Bangalore listened, straining to hear past the overwhelming noise Sheila produced. Eventually, she heard the sounds of three different guns firing at once.
“Damn it, she’s fighting three! Koa!”
Bangalore vaulted over the bridge, water splashing around her and soaking into her pants as she took off towards the caves. She rounded the rocks, scaling up the mossy side away from the waterfall, and came to the mouth of the cave to see a few of Rampart’s walls had been placed and she was planted on top of one of the rocks, spraying wildly. Bangalore scanned the rest of the mouth, catching the sight of Mirage hidden behind a rock reloading his R301. She scowled, glanced behind her to see Gibraltar had caught up, and charged towards him.
Mirage had just finished reloading and brought his gun up to fire at Rampart when he ate a full shell of pellets at his back. A cry of pain left his lips and he fell down to the grass. Bangalore pressed the gun under his chin.
“Little spacial awareness would serve you well, Witt.”
Bangalore fired and Mirage dissipated into nothing.
“Damn it!”
Bullets hit the rock in front of her, forcing her to take cover behind it, bring her too close to her liking to Rampart's spray pattern.
Her vision became encased in a blue shroud, and Gibraltar lumbered into the dome, ”Now, what was that about spacial awareness?”
“Shut it, Koa.”
Bangalore scanned. She spotted what she hoped was the real Mirage by another cluster of rocks, trading shots whenever Rampart changed her spray direction. Near the waters under the wood bridge she could see the tail-end of Octane’s legs disappearing behind them, no doubt attempting a flank.
“I’m going after ‘Tavio.” Bangalore said.
“You see the third?”
“No, Ramya probably got ‘em.”
She wasted no more time, rushing out from the dome, going straight down the middle, bullets struck the ground beneath her feet, all misses too close for her liking. With a couple of pops , smoke enshrouded her and the bullets became more blind and less accurate. Bangalore sucked in a breath, pushing herself to go faster, until finally she was under that bridge and rounding the corner so fast she had to shoulder check the wall to stop her momentum.
She didn’t get to fully analyze the scene before a spray of bullets struck her armor, cracking it in several places. Bangalore swore and fired off her Peacekeeper for the last few shots it had, the first one coming out choked and the other spraying pellets in every direction. Bits of rock and dust flung themselves around her, but more rewarding was the spray of blood as Octane fell back against the wall, slumping.
“Uuuugh… What gives, Chica?” Octane groaned out.
Bangalore scoffed, switching to her flatline, “What do you mean what gives? We’re in a competition if you haven’t noticed.”
She fired her mag into Octane, eliminating him. She watched as the pacemaker on his chest flashed bright red, before the protective box encased around him, blipping him from existence the next moment and sending his loot everywhere. Bangalore glanced at it for anything that proved useful, but Octane had been running with starter equipment. Must have not been racking up points.
Bangalore rolled her eyes and opened her comm channel, “Octane down.”
Above her she could still hear Rampart firing, but it was beginning to slow. The sound of exchanging gunfire in the distance told her that Gibraltar probably sallied out to meet Mirage. Bangalore winced, grabbing onto her chest as she felt it seize and her lungs started to feel painfully full. Not again.
A splash.
Bangalore whirled around, single-arm holding the flatline up to the wobbly figure in front of her. Her finger itched on the trigger, but in the split-second that she realized who she was staring at, she couldn’t bring herself to complete the motion.
‘Oh… That’s who he meant.’
Loba raised her wingman up, firing two shots that easily went through cracked armor and into her chest, adding to the growing pain settling there. Bangalore choked, falling back into the water. It was cold, but not as cold as that same feeling from before spreading around her heart and throughout her ribcage. She struggled for air, but her carnations continued to fill her lungs, choking her. She could hear Loba splashing, getting closer, until she was hovering and looking down at her.
“Fancy seeing you here, beautiful,” Loba said. She dropped into a squat. Bangalore felt her heart squeeze at having her closer. God, even when killing her, Bangalore couldn’t help but to love seeing her.
“Thought you… hated… ‘renas,” Bangalore choked out, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to focus on breathing through the petals in her lungs. It hurt. Fuck it hurt.
“I do, but I needed the distraction.”
She felt cold steel tilt her chin to the side. Bangalore opened her eyes to see Loba regarding her coolly. Her expression was blank, but she wasn’t quite meeting her gaze; instead gold eyes trailed down to her jaw and neck.
“Here… for you… if you need it,” Bangalore wheezed out, using the little air she had left. She bit back a whimper as her chest seized again. The urge to cough was overwhelming, but the last thing she wanted was for Loba to know she was suffering. She couldn’t do that to her. Not when she was happy.
Loba’s expression flickered into something else, but Bangalore could hardly decipher it.
“... I know, beautiful. I know.”
BANG!
Bangalore choked. Blood spilled from her mouth. In that moment Loba had moved the gun from her chin and shot her directly in the chest. She heard the aggressive beeping of her pacemaker activating, and the sharp pricking of the needles injecting her with collagulants and healing solution. Through blurry vision, she saw Loba stand with a shake of her head. Holstering her gun and picking up the flatline she had dropped.
Before the box closed around her, Bangalore could have sworn she saw Loba wipe blood from her lips.