That I lie with(bad ending)
Red had always scoffed at the idea of love. Her mother always told her it was nothing more than a collection of overhyped emotions, a distraction that kept people from focusing on the real world. Chloe could go on about soulmates and fairy-tale endings like her parents, but Red was immune to all that nonsense. She had better things to do, like working on her art, figuring out how the new timeline worked, and class- though she doesn’t seem it Red’s in all honors and she would like to keep it that way, the advantage of growing up with a personal tutor- and love was a luxury she couldn’t afford and one she didn’t want—something that never seemed worth the trouble. Yet, here she was, sitting at her desk in the dead of night, trying not to cough and wake up Chloe as tiny pink petals gathered on her tongue.
It had started a few weeks ago, a tickle in her throat, something strange that wouldn’t go away. At first, she thought it was just allergies. But when the petals started to appear, delicately fluttering out of her mouth, she realized something was terribly wrong. The flowers, the unmistakable sweet fragrance—she knew what it meant. Hanahaki disease. Unrequited love. The very thing she had always rolled her eyes at, the thing she had never believed in, was slowly consuming her. But there was a catch, a cruel twist of fate: the one person who could save her from this was Chloe, her best friend. And Chloe would never feel the same.
Chloe grew up with the perfect love story of her parents in her ear non stop, how could Red compete with that. No… Chloe needed the knight in shining armor she always dreamed of. Red’s met Ella and Christopher, they were highschool sweethearts, still in love over 20 years since their first dance, still act like they’re in the honeymoon phase, it's disgusting in the cute way…. Red could never be like that, could never be what Chloe deserved.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Red wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her best friend, the one person she could always rely on, who understood her, she couldn’t ruin this friendship. Chloe was kind, beautiful, and completely out of reach, in ways Red had never allowed herself to acknowledge. Yet, every laugh they shared, every touch, every smile only made the flowers inside her chest grow more intense, more suffocating. Each petal that slipped from her lips felt like a betrayal, a confession that Red was too scared to voice.
It’s been 4 and a half weeks since this has started, a month, 32 days… Red has somehow managed to hide this from her roommate the entire time, there’s been close calls but she’s gotten lucky, especially with Hanahaki not being a thing in auradon apparently.
--------------------------------------
Red sat at her desk working on her homework, hoping to get it done before Chloe got home since she always messed with Chloe for being so vigilant with her work she didn’t want the same flack. She stretched her arms slightly and yawned but felt a tickle in her throat. She cleared her throat hoping to get rid of it but it almost seemed to make it worse. She cleared it again but it turned into a small coughing fit, Red covering her mouth with one hand and hitting her chest with the other. She pulled her hand back expecting some spit or phlegm but froze when she saw a petal in her hand splattered with blood. “No…”
She immediately stood up and ran to the bathroom, wiping the blood from her lips and rinsing the blood from her mouth, throwing the petal into the toilet and flushing. Maybe it was a fluke, her magic acting up, she didn’t like anyone and certainly didn’t love anyone, she didn’t even know what love felt like.
--------------------------------------
Red sat in her bed on her phone- she was still figuring it out, she never had a phone in wonderland but Chloe had bought her one after their first week. She was on this app called tiktok that Chloe had showed her.. Chloe was always showing her new things about auradon that they didn’t have in wonderland, specifically alot of what Chloe said was called electronics..
Red would be totally lost without Chloe, she was so smart and strong and kind, Red was so lucky to have her as a frien- Red coughed heavily, more blood splattered petals fell into her hand. Damn it… what the hell is making her cough again, usually Hanahaki coughing fits had triggers
--------------------------------------
Red and Chloe sat on Red’s bed with Chloe’s computer on a binder on the bed in front of them- she swore that putting laptops on beds was bad for some reason and who was Red to argue with the tech expert in the room.
Chloe and Red sit side by side, leaning against the wall behind them and eventually Chloe put her head on Red’s shoulder and Red immediately started coughing heavily, making Chloe sit up and stare at her in shock as Red got up to run to the bathroom, coughing heavily into the toilet and spitting out all the flowers and blood that filled her mouth.
Chloe knocked gently on the door and asked if she was alright, Red spat out one last time and flushed the toilet, washing the blood from her mouth and making sure to check for any petals that missed the toilet. She took in a breath and let one out slowly “yeah princess sorry, something in my throat”
She didn’t know why she felt the need to hide this from Chloe but she just… didn’t want to worry her she supposes, Chloe always had bad anxiety and Red didn’t want to add to it. She stepped out of the bathroom “come on Bluey don’t worry about me, just allergies I guess, I mean I haven't really been exposed to most of auradons plants so i guess its gonna be bad for me this year” she said with a soft laugh as she led them back to her bed
As she layed back down against Chloe’s shoulder, wiping her face again to make sure there was no blood, she suppresses another cough and her eyes widen as she realises her trigger
Chloe… it was always Chloe… Red was in love with her best friend
How the fuck was Red supposed to slow down the disease when she lived with her trigger…
--------------------------------------
Red and Chloe sat across from each other in the school café, Red being cautious to keep her thoughts from her best friend which is incredibly hard when her best friend is sitting right across from her and is trying to have a conversation with her. She mostly just smiled and nodded while thinking about other things but she couldn’t help but start coughing as Chloe got excited about something and reached over the table to grab Red’s hand with the biggest grin ever on her face.
Before she can stop it a small pink petal flies out of her mouth and lands on the table in the space between them- luckily no blood- and Chloe’s eyes widened “uh Red? Did you just cough up a flower?” she asked with a slight laugh and Red bit her tongue, cursing internally
“Uh- I don’t know, must have inhaled it at some point, that’s weird” she shrugged, trying to play this off.. Does she not know about Hanahaki? Any Wonderlandian would’ve spotted the clear tell of coughing up flower petals in an instant as Hanahaki..
“Oh jeez what am I gonna do with you Red” Chloe joked lightly with a smile and continued her story with a large smile
--------------------------------------
Red groaned as she rolled from leaning over the toilet to against the bathtub, one hand around her stomach and the other gripping the porcelain with a white knuckled grip. She glances at the toilet, filled with blood and floating flower petals… she can hear Chloe banging against the door and calling out to her, it sounds like she’s crying… she saw the blood this morning while they were getting ready for school… damn it, Red thought she was so careful..
This is exactly why Red doesn’t deserve Chloe… how could she be so careless as to ever make someone as perfect as Chloe cry. At least she’ll be gone soon, be out of the way for her Chloe to find a better Roommate, a better best friend… heh, how dare she even call Chloe hers, she wasn’t even strong enough for Chloe to tell her how she feels….
“RED PLEASE” Red hears as Chloe bangs on the door even louder, her head is killing her right now.. Well actually it was the flower blooming in her lungs, but her head still really hurt, like somethings gripping her brain and won’t let go.. That actually might be the flower too, vines crawling up her nerves making her whole body shiver and ache and shake…
Eventually Chloe actually breaks down the door and Red’s too tired and too in pain to even flinch, instead having a small smile on her face as she laughed softly “hey prin-” she starts coughing again, whole flowers and leaves falling out of her mouth and she flings herself over the toilet to throw up more blood.
Chloe gasps in shock and Red grumbles, she didn’t want Chloe to see her like this. “Red what’s happening are you alright oh by the gods is that blood are those flowers why are you throwing up flowers you look really sickly” Chloe rambled with anxiety
Red rested her cheek on the cool porcelain of the toilet and looked up at her with a loving smile and her usual teasing tone but… scarily weak “cool it charming… I’m the one dying not you”
Chloes eyes well with tears “DYING?” Red shuts her eyes at the yell, her head aches so horribly right now. When she opens them again- as she feels like shes going to puke again- Chloe charming is already at her side, holding her hair back as more blood and flowers fall into the water.
Once she was done she whimpered softly and leaned into Chloe “I hate throwing up” she whispered as Chloe wrapped her arms around her “I’m sorry Bluey… I didn’t want you to see me like this…”
Chloe didn’t say anything and when Red looked up to see why she saw Chloe trying her best to keep her eyes shut and bite her lip so she didn’t cry. Red couldn’t stand to see Chloe so upset… she didn’t want to be the reason Chloe cried, how could she hurt her like this, she truly was evil to hurt an angel…
“How could you not tell me you were sick Red, I could have helped, I could have taken you to the healers, why would you lie to me” Chloe said in a shaky voice that just panged Red’s heart… though maybe that was just it trying its best to keep beating around the vines climbing through her veins “there’s got to still be something we can do, I can’t let you die, I can’t lose you Red” Chloe held her tighter and Red didn’t have to heart to tell her how badly that hurt…
Red shook her head “it’s too late… there’s no cure for me now…. Hanahaki is one of the biggest killers in wonderland…”
“There has to be some sort of cure, there isn’t any medicine even though it’s such a big thing there?” Chloe sounded so scared and desperate.. Red knew she was just trying to save her but there was no use… once she could feel the vines take over her body there was no curing it, but at least if she could die it could be in the girl she loves arms..
“I’m sorry Chloe… its a magical disease… there’s nothing you can..” Red’s breath catches mid sentence and she coughs more blood, no petals this time… but after this cough she doesn’t gasp for more air… she doesn’t wipe her mouth… she doesn’t move… and she never will again.
Chloe held Red’s body tightly, sobbing heavily as she buried her face in Red’s neck… she can’t believe it…. She can’t believe the love of her life just died in her arms
“Hanahaki took my Heart from me” she whispered into Red’s skin
Red didn't respond