Archive of Our Own ^beta

Not many people believed that Hanahaki Disease actually existed. Choosing not to believe that roots and flowers could form inside someone’s lungs and essentially kill them if the disease wasn’t handled properly. As a pirate, those who got the disease were normally marked for death. Many of them falling in love with an enemy or someone they couldn’t actually be with. It often started up with just coughing up flower petals, showing that they were developing the disease. It would eventually go into its final state, whole flowers within a mixture of blood and roots from tearing up the lungs and throat as they were coughed out.

Hanahaki was a terrifying disease. When some people say love kills, this was the true definition of it. The only two known cures for the disease were either getting their feeling recuperated or by surgical removal. However, when surgically removed the feelings for the person they loved would disappear. In extreme cases, they lost the ability to love. More people died for not going with the surgical option. Choosing to die with their feelings and ability to love others. In the case of many pirates, they didn’t have a surgeon who knew how to remove the disease safely.

It was almost a death sentence to contract Hanahaki.

Shanks knew as much. He never believed that he would ever get the disease, until one day, he coughed up black orchid petals. Staring at his hand in complete shock to see the blood on his palm and a few of the petals lingering. The moment he had seen it, he knew what was waiting for him and it wasn’t his dream of being able to travel the seas and take his time seeing the world. Within his future was death, and he couldn’t find himself to be terrified of it. Knowing exactly who those petals signified. He would rather die in love than take the chance that he would never get to feel romantic feelings again. Not in this case.

Not when those very petals symbolized Dracule Mihawk.

Shanks had chosen to keep it a secret. Not muttering a word to why he was suddenly sick. Why he would run off and hide the second that he started to cough. The blood that could coat his palm as the petals would land onto his hand. The way he wheezed when he tried to breathe.

He knew when it had all started.

The second that he had started dueling Dracule Mihawk. Enjoying the way that they fed off of each other. Fighting together in a clash of metal and haki. It sent chills down his spine each and every time. It was stupid and he knew it. Falling in love with the enemy. Still, he couldn’t help it with each time that he looked into those sharp and calculating eyes. Golden in color. No amount of treasure would ever suffice to looking into those beautiful eyes. Whenever those eyes would land on him, and the flutter of his stomach would happen. A smile coming to his face because Mihawk’s attention was on him.

With each meeting, he found himself wanting more. Wanting to be around the older pirate even more. Even more feelings coming to the forefront of his mind.

He had fallen in love, and he was signing his own death wish doing so.

The petals that fell into his palm were black orchid petals. It was almost fitting that they would be what symbolized Mihawk. A smile came to his face as he wiped the blood away from his lips. His throat burning from the flower petals breaking away from his lungs. His chest hurting with each breath.

Even if Mihawk never loved him back, he would carry this with him. He never wanted to lose this feeling. What he felt for the older pirate.

Love was dangerous, but it was worth it.

Hanahaki wasn’t something that Mihawk ever thought he would catch. He had been one of those for the longest time that believed it was just a simple myth. That was until the day he had coughed. Blood settled on his fingers and white lotus petals mixed in with his own blood. His eyes had widened at the sight.

He knew exactly who that flower represented. It belonged to a certain red-haired pirate with an infectious smile. The pinstriped shirt that seemed to fit him just perfectly. Other times, a semi-loose button up shirt that was never buttoned up all the way. Tanned skin and beautiful stormy colored eyes that reminded Mihawk of the storms that would rip through the Grand Line.

Red-Haired Shanks.

A pacifist by nature. Choosing to stay out of conflict but would duel Mihawk whenever they saw each other. Their power connecting with such ferocity that it could be heard no matter where someone was on the Grand Line.

He had never even noticed that he had fallen in love. Let alone enough to contract something as dangerous as Hanahaki. It was like a death sentence waiting for him. Far more dangerous than the World Government or the threat of execution. Love was the most dangerous thing that Mihawk could ever come across.

Yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to care if something had happened. If he had lost his life to this disease. It had meant he had fallen in love with one of the purest souls on the sea.

He would rather die than lose the ability to love.

Shanks smiled as him and Mihawk sat side by side. Their duel long over and a bottle of wine sitting between the two of them. It was a quiet and sincere moment between the two. Settled on the beach as the Red Hair Pirates were off doing their tasks or taking care of the ship.

His shirt was sticking to his skin in a mixture of sweat and sea water. His pants not fairing much better. His hat was settled on his head, his hair sticking to his face slightly. His chest hurt with each breath that he took, but Shanks had pushed it to the side. Instead choosing to enjoy the moment. He leaned back on one of his arms, his other hand occupied by his glass.

His gaze lingered on Mihawk. Taking in the features of the older pirate. The way his facial hair was almost perfect. Sharp eyes looking out to the sea. His jacket was off and sword off to the side, leaving him in just a black button up. The flutter in his stomach was back as Mihawk turned his head to look at him. His eyes slightly glossy from intoxication. They were on their fourth bottle of wine at this point. Exchanging stories from their past adventures back and forth. Even though Mihawk’s face could remain stoic, there was something about his eyes that seemed to always tell another story.

Shanks grinned, turning on his side and bringing up his palm to lean his head against it. Mihawk sighed, leaning back against the sand, propping his head up on his forearms. The sun was going down now. Dinner time would be soon. Shanks knew his cook would be calling out for him any time, but he would take the moment to just sit here.

“What’s your favorite flower?” Mihawk questioned.

Shanks was taken back. That was something that he would never expect. “I dunno.” He said, turning onto his stomach and leaning his chin against his wrist. “I never thought about it. Everything about this world is beautiful. Flowers included. I don’t think I could just pick one.”

“Try.” Mihawk stated. He didn’t even turn to look at him again, instead looking straight up at the sky.

Shanks hummed, a small smile coming to his face, turning his head to look at the older pirate again. “Maybe, the white lotus.”

Mihawk made a noise, letting his eyes close for the moment. “Interesting.”

“Captain used to say that the meaning of that flower reminded him of me.” Shanks stated. “So, I would guess, I would want that to be my favorite.”

Mihawk didn’t make a sound, letting his eyes close. The area around them was starting to cool down now. Cooling off Shanks’ heated skin by the second. It sent a chill down his spine, but he didn’t want to move. If he moved, that was moving away from Mihawk.

“What about you?” Shanks questioned.

“The orchid.” Mihawk said immediately.

Shanks almost wanted to laugh. Not only did the significance of the petals that he had in his lungs matched Mihawk, but it also happened to be his favorite.

How tragic.

“Orchids are beautiful.” Shanks murmured, letting his own eyes close. He was exhausted. It was getting harder to breathe, but at the moment, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

The disease was starting to wear on Shanks. It was getting harder to breathe with each passing day. More petals, and even times full flowers, falling into his palm whenever he would start to hack and heave. Even more blood coming into his mouth as the roots tore away at his lungs and throat.

Time was running out for him, and the entire time he had kept a smile on his face. His crew had gotten into an altercation, fighting against another pirate crew. More specifically, the Whitebeard Pirates. He hadn’t been screwing around and had his guard up despite the exhaustion he felt from the growing disease. Everything had came to a standstill the second the three bladed claw held by Marshall D. Teach came down on his eye. Cutting into his skin and causing blood to cover his face.

He had barely stumbled when the attack happened, but it did take him completely by surprise. He had managed to get Teach away from him. The others joining into crowd around him.

As the fight progressed, it was getting harder to keep up. His lungs screaming at him to rest. A part of him was starting to regret not saying anything to his doctor. To any of them. He was putting them into danger by not being at one hundred percent. He should have known better. Black dots danced over his vision as the lack of oxygen was weighing in on him.

He had barely registered a call of his name as his sword fell from his grasp. Clattering against the ground before he was falling face first into the dirt. The world completely dark around him now.

Despite the growing pain in his chest, Mihawk had managed to push the feeling aside. Using it as another obstacle to overcome and use to get stronger. He refused to let this be a weakness. He would use it to get even stronger. The disease was progressing with each time that he encountered Shanks. More and more lotus petals coming out of his lungs.

Shanks was beautiful. His personality matching the beauty on the outside. He was someone that Mihawk could see himself having a relationship with. He wanted it. Almost wanted it more than he wanted to be the Strongest Swordsman.

He had sought him out again. Their duels had become a way that Mihawk could show his affections without actually admitting to the younger pirate that he had felt more than just a rivalry.

What he hadn’t expected was to see was something that made him freeze completely. Watching blades slash across Shanks’ face. The blood splashing through the air. The red head and fought back before suddenly, his entire body had got limp and he was falling to the ground. The air had caught in Mihawk’s throat before he found himself moving forward. The Red Hair Pirates had fought back those surrounding their Captain, trying to get them away the best they could as Benn ordered their doctor over.

Akito, who Mihawk had learned was Shanks’ doctor, was kneeling by the younger pirate, gentle hands moving as he said, “Captain? Can you hear me?”

His arrival had stunned the others. The anger was flaring through him as he grabbed the grip of his sword, the haki embedded in the blade as he dared the others to try and come near Shanks. “If you value your life, you’ll walk away.” Mihawk growled.

Those standing around who didn’t belong to Shanks’ crew had taken the message, backing off and putting distance between them. Mihawk snarled the entire time, trying to control the anger that was seeping through him. Shanks was hurt and it was their fault.

“Akito, what the hell happened?” Benn questioned.

Through the corner of his eye, he could see Akito’s hands moving over Shanks’ sides and abdomen. Moving the shirt up and trying to spot any unsee injuries. “This doesn’t make sense.” Akito muttered. “He shouldn’t have collapsed.” The doctor cursed, reaching into his medical bag, and pulling out a few tools. “It has to be that cough that he’s had.”

Cough?

Mihawk felt his blood run cold the second that he noticed the blood running out of Shanks’ mouth, rolling down his cheek and hitting the ground.

“Fuck.” Akito cursed, listening to parts of Shanks’ chest with the stethoscope that he had pulled out. “I know what it is.”

“What is it?” Mihawk wasn’t sure which Red Hair Pirate it was. Maybe Lime Juice or Hongo? He wasn’t sure.

Benn had cursed next, moving to tilt Shanks’ head, moving his jaw open. “Just what I thought.” Benn mused. “This is what he’s been hiding from us.”

The doctor moved around, a pair of forceps in his hand and a light in the other. He kneeled on the ground, using the forceps, and reaching into Shanks’ mouth. “This is the culprit.” Mihawk felt like he couldn’t even breathe as an entire orchid flower was pulled out of Shanks’ mouth. A mixture of roots and blood coating the black petals. “He’s been suffering this entire time and never said a word.” Akito had gone to work, continually moving to pull flowers out of his Captain’s mouth. “I have to surgically remove these. He’s losing a lot of oxygen.”

Mihawk had dropped his sword, eyes wide as they settled on the person he had fallen for. Shanks was on the verge of death. Suffering from the same disease that he was. Mihawk had choked, coughing, and sputtering as he felt the familiar flowers trying to escape his throat. He backed up, letting the flowers fall from his mouth and hit the ground. The White Lotus flowers hitting the ground in a mess of his own blood and petals.

Akito wasn’t wrong. Shanks was on borrowed time now. There was a high probability that Shanks would lose his ability to love if Akito went through with this. The less worse case scenario was he just lost the feelings for whoever those flowers symbolized. It almost felt like a coincidence that it was an orchid. Somehow, Mihawk couldn’t let the doctor go through with this.

If Shanks died, so would Mihawk.

Mihawk walked forward, ignoring the shocked sounds from the others as he kneeled down by Shanks. Reaching out and placing his hand against the bloody cheek. Shanks’ face would scar from the wounds he could see, but scars were better than Shanks losing his life.

“He hid it from you because he wants to keep being able to love.” Mihawk stated. “If you truly understood that, you would understand why he kept this from you.”

“We have to save his life.” Akito said.

Mihawk frowned, leaning in, and letting his lips ghost over Shanks’. “Come back to us, Shanks.” He whispered. This would be the first time in his life that he would ever utter these words. He just hoped that he wasn’t wrong. “I love you, Red-Hair.” With the words leaving his mouth, he leaned forward, connecting his lips to the younger pirate’s.

After a moment, he pulled away and stood back up. Shanks’ eyes were still closed. Which he hadn’t expected to change, but it felt like a weight was lifted off of his chest as he had finally admitted for the first time that he was in love.

The others were staring at him. Rather it was disbelief or understanding, he didn’t care. All he cared about was Shanks.

Hanahaki was a strange disease. A disease created specifically from loving another. Loving so much that the body had started to create flowers within someone’s lungs. To the point that it could kill them. It was also strange how in the second that someone returned those feelings, that the disease would start to change all over again.

Akito muttered to Benn, peering over to Mihawk for a second before they were picking Shanks off of the ground and rushing off towards their ship. Mihawk had turned his back, checking on the rival crew to make sure that they had stayed away. Sending a glare to the one who was smirking at him. Lifting a bladed claw with the same smile still playing on his face. Mihawk didn’t care as he turned once more and started for Shanks’ ship.

Mihawk had stayed at Shanks’ ship the entire night, waiting to hear the update on Shanks’ wellbeing. It was a strange, unsettling fear in the pit of his stomach that Shanks had succumbed to the disease, and it had taken his life.

It had taken hours before Akito was walking out with a satisfied smirk on his face. “The Boss is awake.” The cheers had followed from the others. The cries of relief. Akito had turned to look at Mihawk, grinning as he said, “Go. He’ll love to see you.”

Mihawk didn’t even need to hear anything else before his feet were carrying him towards the infirmary, throwing the door open to see Shanks sitting on the bed. Fresh clothes and bandages over his eye, but awake and alive.

Shanks flashed him that same smile that always made his stomach twist. Laughing slightly as he said, “Hey there, Hawkeyes.”

“You fool.” Mihawk stated, moving forward, and pressing his lips against the red head’s. Shanks had frozen for a second before he had practically melted into it. Arms moving to curl around his shoulders. Fingers finding their way into his hair.

Shanks pulled away, breathing heavily against his lips. Mihawk had felt the change in his own chest. The ability to breathe easier coming slowly. It wasn’t a significant change yet, but it had told him exactly what he needed to know.

“I love you, Mihawk.”