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“So, here we have the MV-261 Orca…” the curator gestured to a holographic image of an aircraft, continuing her informative presentation on how it’s used for the operatives to travel.
“Is Athena in here too?” one of the kids asked, after being chosen to voice their question.
“Well, of course” the curator answered. A few more questions, answered, and the visiting group continued to pass the battle section. From the beginning of Overwatch, to the disbandment. The organization have fought against numerous enemies, persevered long enough, before it collapsed.
“Any questions?” one of the curator’s brow rose sharply, almost like a perfect tick as they scanned the small crowd for any raised hands. There were a few.
“Is Reaper heartless?” the inquirer received a few questionable glances.
“Of course, he is. How else could he bring terror without batting an eye?” one of them spoke. While some remained quiet, the rest agreed. The curator cleared their throat to redirect the attention to them. While the identity of the notorious Reaper remains unknown, it’s hard to ignore the terror he brought upon his wake. The question about whether or not Reaper is heartless, stemmed from the belief that monsters are made, not born. Something must’ve happened to the person that Reaper used to be.
The curator had no answer to such a question, diverting the seemingly grim question to something more light-hearted. “Alright, anyone wants to try out the weapon prototypes?” the kids cheered.
**
You’ve fallen in love before…a couple of times, in fact. Why should these feelings be any different than it used to be? As much as you tried to reason otherwise, the torn petals of what you assumed to be red poppy stared at you in its silence.
Why? Why, why, why do you have to fall in love with Gabriel Reyes?
Spitting out the last of the petals into the toilet bowl, you watched as it spiraled; carried away by the water. How you wished your troubles would follow it too.
*
The cold air of Watchpoint Gibraltar is numbing to no end, but you needed the freezing breeze to caress your face. Least, it made you forget the growing pain in your chest. Every breath feels like you’re kissing death, yet you couldn’t care less. If this is how you’ll go, then let it be.
The aircraft from Blackwatch Rome had made its touchdown mere minutes ago. They were summoned by Commander Morrison as part of debriefing process. Plus, it was about time for the agents to get their bimonthly physical by Dr Ziegler. You sighed at the sight of Blackwatch agents carrying their duffle bag out of Orca. He’ll be here, for sure. Gabriel Reyes will be here, and you’re not quite sure how to deal with the quiet burden.
*
“Sünneli…” Angela clicked her tongue in dismay, holding your x-ray close and further away. She repeated it a few times before shaking her head, a little speechless on what to say. You curled up on the seat by her desk, avoiding her gaze as she gently patted on your shoulder before sitting on her chair. You knew what was happening to you—and Angela… of course, Angela knew.
“Who are they, (y/n)?” you bit your lip at her question and whimpered in response. Angela wasn’t going to get any answer, considering how stubborn you always were. She tilted her head to meet your eyes. You could tell how concerned she was, considering the situation. The doctor kept a mental note to ask the Shimadas regarding the disease. The Hanahaki disease.
“Liebling… I can’t help you if you wouldn’t let me” she gently spoke, running her fingers on your arms. If only her healing touch could save you. Despite not knowing much about this disease, the both of you knew well enough that it wasn’t within Angela’s power to fix it. If this is how you’re fated to be, you’ll live through the pain that love had to offer. Flowers and all.
“We can find a way…” she assured you once more, but you brushed her off. You’ve gone through battlefields, killed strangers you knew not of their names, survived blasts that should’ve killed you. At least, this kind of death is something new… perhaps unheard of in the history of Overwatch.
*
“Evening, dulzura…” your stomach twisted at the voice you missed so much. Commander Reyes. Sweet, sweet Gabriel. He had brought a blanket and covered you with the thick, warm fabric.
“Could already see you here upon landing. It’s cold out. Wear something thicker next time” he chuckled, taking his place next to you. Gabriel didn’t think twice when he heard you sniffle, taking it as the cold getting to you. Why is he so kind to you? Is he always this kind to everyone?
“Thanks, Commander…” you murmured, taking cautionary whiffs of the blanket as not to look too obvious while you appreciated traces of his scent. You’ll miss this smell; strong, musky, little hints of smoky wood and rain. Hell, you’ll fucking miss him. But will he miss you?
“Missed you in the base, bebita. Jesse argues with plastic plants now” he held back a chuckle while drawling, tucking a stray lock behind your ear. You couldn’t help but mirror his smile when you looked at the commander. People are always crazy with blue eyes that looks like the seas and skies, green that were like jades and emeralds… but no one could tell you otherwise about Gabriel’s brown orbs. It may have not been jades or skies, but his is the earth. And when Gabriel’s eyes reflect the sun rays, it bears tints of precious gold.
And you… you were the excitable adventurer on a journey to El Dorado.
“Aren’t you getting checked up?” your voice was muffled by the blanket, but he heard you, nonetheless.
He waved in the air, a gesture of dismissal. “It can wait. Decided to come and check on you, first thing, cielo” you could’ve melted easy at each different terms of endearment that rolled out of his tongue, almost as if it were a natural thing for him to call you his sweetheart, little baby, and his sky. As much as you wished to relish in the lovely things Gabriel addressed you as, you knew it to be nothing but empty sentiments. Because if he meant it, the roots would’ve stopped growing, your chest would’ve felt lighter. Rather than kissing death, you would’ve kissed Gabriel’s scar-ridden lips instead.
You resigned to a series of coughs, trying so hard to swallow back the stubborn petals from making itself apparent for the commander to see. Strong arms curled around you defensively, and you could feel Gabriel’s warm breaths against your ear. If you turned, you could’ve kissed him and probably brush it off as an accident.
“Are you okay, mi bebita?” you giggled to yourself. Suppose this is the closest you could ever be with Commander Gabriel Reyes… and you’ll take what you can get. Perhaps you’ll die happy in his arms.
*
“Agent (l/n), they’ll need an extra set of hands” Commander Morrison directed his focus towards you and gave a curt nod. It’s been a week since Commander Reyes’ team was debriefed. The base was boisterous once more, especially with the existence of one cowboy who would endlessly invite other agents to make bets.
“Yes, sir” the nod was returned as means that an agreement was reached.
“Good. Ship’s leaving 600 hours. Make sure to get your rest, agents” Commander Morrison spoke sternly before dismissing everyone in the room. It’s been months since you’ve been teamed up with Commander Reyes; merely assigned missions of escorting people to safety. You’ve been far from the action and fighting with unresponsive sandbags could really cause a dent in your skills.
Sleep wouldn’t take you as your chest throbbed—you could feel the roots curling around your heart and lungs, pressing splinters in your organs. Water barely helped no matter how much you drank, you ended up coughing red poppy petals. Under other circumstances, you would’ve admired the way the petals floated in air before landing softly on your bedsheets.
Tears began falling. Grabbing the fabric, you angrily tossed the bedsheets away in a random corner of your room. No, sleep wasn’t going to cut it, so you left to the shooting range to relieve yourself.
You could imagine Jesse shooting rounds, or Genji meditating nearby despite the gunshots… You certainly didn’t expect Commander Reyes to be polishing his gun before firing it for a test run.
“Commander…” you breathed out, frozen by the doorway.
“C’mon. It’s just us. Gabe’s fine” he chuckled, pushing the magazine with a click.
“Gabe…” you breathed out; a stray petal flew out and you caught it before Gabriel could even notice. “Couldn’t sleep, cielo?” he hummed, taking a solid stance before firing three times. He squinted in the distance before deciding to readjust his stand in getting a better aim.
“Yeah. What about you, com…” you cleared your throat, a little unused to saying his name. “Gabe?”
“I can always sleep in the ship. Besides…” he rolled his neck side by side, muscles flexing every now and then at each tiny movement of his. “The thrill of it just takes my sleepiness away” he smiled. Gabriel was stroking your head before you could even comprehend it. You watched as he took a few more shots before decidedly joining by his side. Safe to say, the both of you had the rest in the ship instead.
*
It was a simple extraction mission, and apparently, the team had arrived a day earlier. It was midnight in Dorado. The warm breeze welcomed you as the craft opened its hatch. You’ve never been there before and relied on your Commander to show you the way. Jesse was telling you how he’d hit the bar instead of sleeping.
“Genji and I are goin’. Three of us would’ve make a great musketeer team” he chuckled with an unlit cigar fastened between his teeth.
“I did not agree to that” came Genji’s voice, at odds to the cowboy’s statement.
“Huh? We was talkin’ in the ship. You were noddin’, Genji” Jesse said defensively, finally lighting up his cigar. “That’s because I was sleeping” the cyborg argued. Watching them argue truly amused you. It served as a good distraction from your current situation.
The team walked through the buildings and stopped before a well-lit building.
SAN MIGUEL HOTEL
Decorative lights illuminated the building quite beautifully. A few fireflies were seen flying around without a care. Like Jesse said, they were a few bars surrounding the area. As much as you’d like to enjoy sitting at a corner shop and enjoy a warm beverage rather than alcohol, the tightening coils in your chest had worn you down. For that night, you enjoyed the soft mattress that differed from the Overwatch issued bedding. You were lulled to sleep by the sounds of Dorado’s nightlife.
It was an early rise for you, just enough time for a quick shower. Energy bar for breakfast and you were prepared for the extraction. It was such a covert mission, and every operative involved truly appreciated the smoothness. The item was shipped to return in a stealth craft, and the team was due to leave when the airship arrives 600 hours, the morning after.
Everyone had time to pass once debriefing is over. Some are heading to the nearby beach, some planning to go café-hopping,… and considering Jesse, he’d probably go bar-hopping and poor Genji will be dragged. You were interrupted by the commander when you were about to quietly slip away into the solitude of your hotel room.
“Any plans for the rest of the day?” he had asked, thick arms folded across his chest.
“No, sir” you answered, swallowing the petals that threatening to escape. His stern expression quickly turned to a smile. “Come with me to the market square, dulzura” it sounded more like a command rather than an invitation. Perhaps, it was just the authoritativeness in his voice.
The both of you head towards the market square after a change of garments. While Gabriel still wore the Overwatch issued trousers, he had changed to wear a dark grey shirt that hugged his muscles rather perfectly. It certainly attracted a few eager gazes from men and women alike—you included, though you tried to keep your eyes straight ahead.
Gabriel appreciated your pastel yellow cheesecloth dress—how it suited the landscape of Dorado. You brought a lovely sunhat to shield yourself from the sun, while the man had his usual beanie glued to his head. The both of you strolled through the paths of Dorado, listening to the stall owners shouting out their daily specials. You had to walk closer to Gabriel, considering the people. A few times, your shoulders touched, and it caused a blush to creep up your cheeks.
“Oh, look!” the commander pointed towards a flower stall, jogging towards it with excitement in his steps. Such a colourful stall in comparison to the rest. Sunflowers, roses, chrysanthemums, poinsettias… Truly a burst of colours. Your eyes hovered around the stall, only to fall upon a bunch of red poppies.
“They have these! I love them” his smile, wide. You wished you could tell him, ‘I know. I know Gabriel. I have a whole bouquet of it for you here’ and you’d gesture to your chest. Instead, you gleamed. “Really? I wouldn’t have known” you answered. Your commander had purchased a bouquet and tucked one by your ear. You had wanted to break down and cry and cough up the exact same flowers he had in a bouquet, but you couldn’t. You love him so much that your heart’s making a garden full of Gabriel's favourite flowers.
The rest of the day went about beautifully. You’ve had the chance to see your beloved commander in a different light. He was a lot more relaxed—as if the weigh of the world wasn’t resting on his shoulders. The both of you shared a few laughs, and you wished to have captured the moment when Gabriel had chocolate sauce smeared on his cheek from noshing a few sticks of churros at once. Nevermind that, the image would forever be burnt at the back of your mind.
Come evening, the both of you were full of street food, but Gabriel probably owned a blackhole as a stomach. You grimaced at the paleta in his hand. The man however, ignored your judgmental gaze and quietly ate his fruit popsicle. Despite the amount of food he’s eaten, you doubt he’s getting out of shape anyway.
Disposing the ice-cream stick to a nearby trashcan, the commander thanked you for your company.
“When there’s a place you’d like to go to next time, don’t hesitate to drag me”
“I will”
“Alright. Good evening, (y/n)”
“Good evening… Gabe” you could’ve almost forgotten the flinders and growing garden in your chest. The pain came like a quiet storm; the next thing you knew, the roots had snaked around your poor organs, pressing tightly at the sight of Gabriel walking away.
A violent cough left you. It was hard to differentiate the blood and the red poppy petals that stained the lobby floor. God, you tried to breathe—tried to scramble away from looking pathetic, but your strength had left your bones. You were just struggling to breathe through the radicles. The last thing you remembered was the receptionist shouting for help—and Gabriel’s face. His lips moved, telling you something, however, the voices garbled like you were underwater.
*
You woke in your own quarters, back in Watchpoint Gibraltar. Seated nearby your bed was Angela—her expression clearly showed her disappointment.
“I’ve asked Genji about the disease…” she spoke, waiting for you to say something. When you didn’t, she continued. “It’s a highly rare occurrence, but there’s a way to deal with it, liebling” she carefully spoke while reading your facial expressions. Still, nothing.
“A surgery to remove it. And it’ll be gone” sounds like an escape route, indeed. But you were certain that a rare disease as such would have drawbacks, even upon removal. “But?” your voice, scratchy.
Angela shook her head, refusing to disclose the side effects to you. She should’ve known. You’re a sharp agent, and operatives were trained never to let their guard down so easily. “You wouldn’t remember them anymore. It’ll take your ability to love along with it” you couldn’t hold the tears any longer, your hands fisted the bedsheets in silent desperation. What have you done wrong? All you ever did was love another. Couldn’t you at least be spared?
“No” you swallowed thickly. It was hard to talk in between the choking petals and heavy emotions that were currently washing over you.
“But (y/n)…” Angela attempted to convince you.
“NO! I DON’T WANT TO FORGET HIM, ANGIE!” your voice cried brokenly, tears freely streaming down your face, and lips starting to spout the petals as you spoke. You could see the dread in her face—and you thought, how much you both were the same. You both could do something about it, but there’s just an obstacle that had to stand in the way.
You were momentarily blinded by the lights when your door slid open, revealing Commander Reyes. He was probably listening to the conversation you had with Angela earlier and had wanted to intervene. Gabriel was clearly displeased, judging by how deeper his creases looked as he frowned.
“We can’t afford to lose you”
“You mean losing an agent?” you scoffed, wiping the mix of red petals and blood off your lips. Commander Reyes’ scowl deepened at your spiteful response. You could feel how disappointed he was towards you.
“I can’t afford to lose you, (y/n)” you almost choked on the growing petals lodged in your throat. It was getting harder to breathe. Did he care? If he did, why were flowers still blooming in your internal cavity?
“Why wouldn’t you just get the surgery and forget the person!?” he pressed, and with the last of your strength, you cried out.
“Because it’s you, dulzura” Gabriel froze in place, and it didn’t help that Angela had turned her attention to him. You couldn’t tell if it was the pain from the disease or was it the pain from your shattered heart when Gabriel stormed out of your room without another word to spare.
“Liebling…”
“Save it, Angie” your voice, barely a whisper. “Let me die with this love” she solemnly nodded, approaching to offer a hug. You had no idea how much you needed it until you cried out in cracked howls, grabbing the fabric of her coat tightly. A gunshot to your chest would’ve hurt a lot lesser.
*
He was unsure how long he’s left to process. You could’ve been saved if only Gabriel realized it sooner, yet there you were in your room, left to suffer and choke to death by his favourite flowers. Heavy steps took him back to where you were.
Gabriel’s seen the horrors that the battlefields had to offer. Shot someone in the head, stabbed them multiple times because once wasn’t enough. Yet, the sight of you all curled up in bed with blood and petal-stained bedsheets tore his heart and made his stomach twist. The commander’s mistake was to build his walls up high, preventing anyone to enter and allowing himself to fall. Because of this, you were dying.
“G—Gabe?” you could barely see, but you could tell it was him from the silhouette.
“It’s me, bebita” pulling a smile was harder than pulling a trigger. He crooned when you pressed your tear-stained cheek on his calloused palm. You convinced yourself, this is enough.
“Bebita…” he called. You could tell from his tone, he was about to request something, but you turned it down before he even had the chance to ask. “No, Gabe… I don’t want the surgery” assuring him that your death wouldn’t be in his hands. He was not to blame for this one-sided love.
He may have not loved you back, but you felt what heaven was like when Gabriel Reyes held you the whole night. You listened to his stories, wanting to cry when he paused, knowing full well that he too was holding back the tears. The commander told you of the Reyes family, and how his cousins picked on him for being the runt of the family litter. However, being a runt meant he had to fight harder, and his fighting spirit never wavered.
“I’m sure your mami and papi are proud of you” you smiled, tracing the shape of Gabriel’s jaw. He remained quiet for a while, inhaled a good lungful of air before continuing. “They passed before they even get the chance to see me as I am now” you pressed your face against his chest, wetting the shirt with your tears.
“I’m sure they will be” he smiled at how hard you tried to comfort him. If anything, he should be the one comforting you.
“I hope they are, cielo…” he trailed off, rubbing lazy circles on your shoulder blade.
“I love you, Gabriel Reyes” you blurted out in between hiccups.
“I know…”
Heaven had a metallic taste, and poppy petals, and the scarred lips of Gabriel Reyes. This was as much comfort he could offer you before you left the next day.
Commander Reyes woke with pieces of red poppies, spatters of dried blood, and your lifeless hand still holding his own. He was debilitated from crying, especially on the moment he no longer felt your warm jagged breaths against him.
It was a simple funeral, and no one dared say anything to the commander, save for a few sympathies coming his way. Morrison spared him from missions for over a month before allowing Gabriel to return to the field. Honestly, Gabriel would’ve preferred they’d throw him directly into Talon headquarters and let him rough up the place. But even he knows he wasn’t exactly in the right frame of mind.
It was almost half a year later, Commander Reyes was on another mission in Dorado, escorting a billionaire client to a safehouse when he felt tingles bubbling up in his chest. He cleared his throat a few times as he treaded forward, keeping his focus on the vehicle where the client was in.
“Hey! Watch the virus” Jesse grimaced when the commander coughed on his palm. Chocolate eyes widened at the sight of what seemed to be petals of your favourite flower. He chuckled to himself, thinking that it was only fair that he was unsavable as he was unable to save you then.
Gabriel Reyes managed to hide the petals better than you did. The SEP in his system made it easier for him to endure the pain, but even that wasn't enough to overcome the disease. He’d decided, just like you did, he will wither with the pain.
But things never usually go as planned when a fight broke out in the Swiss headquarters. Commander Reyes was arguing about something with the poster boy, and their dispute had caused an explosion that destroyed the building. While the survivors believed that both the commanders had perished in the discharge, no one knew that Gabriel Reyes had been dragged out of the rubble by one Dr Moira O’Deorain.
The twisted geneticist had as much guessed the commander’s situation and decided to remove the roots of the Hanahaki disease against his will. Without these humanly emotions, Gabriel Reyes would be capable of so much more. From then on, the surviving commander had recovered with not a single memory of you—and not even a single emotion such as love. Now, he is nothing else but a killing machine hellbent on revenge.
**
Despite Talon’s attempts in procuring Doomfist’s gauntlet, the cavalry had effectively stopped them, forcing Widowmaker and Reaper to withdraw from the Overwatch Museum.
“It’s alright, love. Everything’s fine” Tracer announced, smiling at the kids that were quietly hiding at the corner. The two Talon agents had left the scene, leaving Overwatch to clean their messes.
Reaper grunted in displeasure, feeling the soreness in his muscles from being beaten by the gorilla. Shifting into smoke form, Reaper drifted past the flower gardens yet stopped before a patch of red poppies and flowerbed of (your favourite flowers). There wasn't a valid reasoning as to why he had stopped before the bloom, yet Reaper could feel warmth spreading on his ever-cold body. Before he could further revel in such comforting sensation, Widowmaker’s voice had broke him of his reverie.
“Oi, time to go” she shouted from the craft.
The wraith transformed into smoke once more, but not before he’d grabbed a fistful of the two flowers that caught his attention.
**
Oh Gabriel. You made flowers grow in my heart, and although they’re lovely, I cannot breathe.