Bad For The Heart

"Luffy, you did it."

Hancock walked with unsteady steps as her full body hardening deactivated.

"Oh, right. Luffy said he couldn't fight for hours after using Gear Fourth. That means he's defenseless!"

Hancock started running ignoring the damage to her body.

"I'm coming Luffy!"

"…..Uhh, I'm so hungry."

Luffy was laying down groaning before hearing footsteps approach.

"Oh, Hancock."

He looked at Hancock who was out of breath. He smiled and said-

"We did it, Partner."

Seeing his smile erased all the uneasiness Hancock felt before. She smiled, stooped down, and gently bumped his fist.

"Yeah, we did."

The two laughed under the burning sun.

A few minutes later, Hancock was walking through the forest now turned wasteland where they their battle took place. On her back was a limped Luffy.

"Sorry about this, Hancock. I know you're beaten up but you're still carrying me."

"No, it's alright. I don't mind it. We're partners after all."

Hancock wore a confident smile on her face, but on the inside—

'Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! I'm carrying Luffy! Our skin is sticking to each other!'

She was ecstatic, to say the least.

'I mean, this isn't the first time I carried him or our skin is touching but this time is different! Those times we were in stressful situations so there was no time to enjoy the sensation!'

Her eyes were spinning in her head.

'He's so warm and firm. He was a lot softer when he held onto me when we were in Impel Down. I guess it proves how hard he trained his body these last two years.'

A smile crawled onto her face as her cheeks became flushed.

"Why are you smiling so much, Hancock?"

"It's nothing. I was thinking of how proud I am of you."

"Proud?"

Hancock nodded.

"Not many would come to a place like this to train, but you did it for your friends. Not only did you do it, but you also succeeded in becoming stronger. After fighting alongside you these last days, I can tell you're only getting started. You'll grow stronger and stronger."

She showed him a bright smile.

"I just thought I was lucky to know someone as amazing as you."

"....."

Luffy looked at Hancock as she smiled at him. He continued to stare at the side of her face as she turned away from him. He stared at her until he felt a tightening in his chest.

"That's odd."

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that when I look at you smile I feel weird in my chest and stomach."

"Huh?"

Hancock stopped walking. Her face turned pale.

"Does that mean the sight of my smile makes you sick?!"

"Nah, it's a bit different. I feel strange but it's kinda pleasant."

Luffy rests his head on her shoulder.

"It kinda makes me calm, like everything will be alright."

"O-Oh…Are you sure? Are you certain I don't make you sick?"

Luffy smiled and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to doze off.

"…He fell asleep."

Hancock started walking again.

"Well, if he was disgusted he wouldn't have fallen asleep. I wonder what he was talking about though….I guess I'll ask Granny."

After a while, Hancock found a cave where she lay Luffy down to sleep. She sat next to him while bracing on a wall. With the adrenaline leaving her body, the pain from her injuries was starting to be felt. She felt a great amount of pain in her legs. She touched them with a frown.

"I guess I have been abusing them too much lately."

She rubbed her skin while looking at the cuts and bruises covering her legs.

"When I return to Amazon Lily I'll use an ointment to get rid of any scars that remain."

She mumbled. She glanced over at the sleeping Luffy. She slowly lifted her hand and rubbed his skin.

"So rough…I guess that's a given though."

She glided over his cuts while scanning his body.

"...."

Her eyes stopped at his face, specifically his lips.

"...."

She glided her hands up his body and stopped at his face. She hesitantly poked his cheek before caressing it.

"....."

Luffy's lips reflected in her eyes. For some reason, her lips felt dry and her throat parched. Her fingers crawled on Luffy's face and she placed her thumb on his lips causing them to open slightly.

"....."

She silently leaned over as she looked at his sleeping face.

"?!"

Her body froze as her face was a few inches away from Luffy's. She placed her hand over her mouth and sat up emitting a low squeal with a reddened face.

'What the hell were you about to do, Boa Hancock?!'

She screamed in her head as she looked at Luffy again.

'Was I about to steal a kiss?! How shameless!'

She turned away from Luffy and started hugging her knees.

'You can't just do something like that to a defenseless Luffy!'

She rested her head in her lap.

"I must've lost my mind."

"What's wrong, Hancock?"

"?!"

Hancock lifted her head and saw Luffy sitting up and looking at her.

"L-L-Luffy?! How long have you been awake?!"

"Hm? I just woke up."

Luffy wore a confused expression.

"Why are you so flustered?"

"No reason!"

Hancock quickly turned away from Luffy.

"Are you sure? You're redder than Nami when she was sick in Chopper's hometown."

"I'm fine, really!"

"Then, turn this way."

"Huh?"

"If you're really okay, then turn towards me."

After much hesitation, Hancock turned towards Luffy.

"?!"

Her body flinched when she saw how close Luffy was to her. His face was only a few inches away, and yet, he moved closer. His hand brushed against hers on the ground as they looked into each other's eyes. Hancock's heart was no longer racing. Her breathing was no longer heavy. Her heart had stopped in her chest and she had instinctively held her breath.

The two stayed like this for a while before Luffy smiled and moved back.

"I was worried that you were badly hurt from battle or were sick and were just hiding it. I'm glad that you're okay."

Hancock could do nothing more than nod. Luffy stood up.

"I feel a lot better after sleeping but I'm starving. So I'm gonna go hunt us some food before it gets dark. Be sure to rest up while I'm gone. Alright?"

Hancock nodded again.

"Alright."

Luffy ran out of the cave leaving Hancock alone. She sat there motionlessly for a while before collapsing to the ground.

"I-I thought I was going to die!"

Her eyes were spinning in her head.

"My heart almost stopped forever."

Luffy's face flashed in her head.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

She screamed and rolled on the ground covering her face with her hands. She only stopped after crashing into the cave walls. She lay down on the ground and stared at the ceiling.

"I thought that he was going to kiss me…"

She placed her fingers on her lips. The image of Luffy's lips flashed in her head. Her face instantly reddened and she started rolling on the ground again.

"Luffy! Luffy! Luffy!"

She called out Luffy's name over and over again.

"Oh, Luffy! I love you but you're not good for my heart!"

That day, Hancock came closer to death than when she was fighting King and all the monsters on the island.

The curtain on her final night was closing. Tomorrow was the day she would leave the island. The last day of their Island For Two!