Mihawk/Shanks (7)

(Wake The Danger)

—(xXx)—

A groan drew Mihawk's attention to the only other occupant in the room.

He watched Shanks face twitch before his mate slowly blew out a breath, forcing his eyes open as his head lulled to take in his surroundings.

Mihawk pushed off the wall from where he had been watching the ocean to walk over to his mate's bedside.

Shanks' eyes looked to him when he stepped into the red head's view. A weak smile twitched at the edge of the red head's lips as his mate neared before sitting on the edge of the bed.

Mihawk placed a hand over Shanks' torso lightly brushing his fingers over the red head's abdomen. He looked down at the red head, his eyebrows crinkled slightly. He spoke lowly as if he was afraid to break the fragile silence in the room. "Hey. How you feeling?"

Shanks groaned and sighed, before answering his voice soft from exhaustion. "Better, I guess. What happened?"

Mihawk pressed his lips together before answering. "You were exhausted. Doc put you under so you could get some rest."

Shanks groaned, closing his eyes as his hand came up to hold his head. "Really? I guess that's why my head's pounding." He opened his eyes, letting his arm fall back down, to tired to hold it up as he looked back to Mihawk. Mihawk's face was pensive, it seemed out of place to Shanks. "There's something else. What is it?"

Shanks watched as Mihawk's jaw flexed in a tightening motion, before the other finally answered. "You body wasn't getting what it needed so it started to take it from anywhere it could find it. Not being angle to hold anything down you were practically starving yourself, and the baby."

Shanks eyes went wide and he shot up only to jolt from the sudden vertigo and weakness assaulted him. Mihawk's arms shot out to steady him. One around his shoulders and the other around the small of his back.

"Slow down. You've been out for three days."

Shanks groaned and shook his head to try and wash away the twirling motion in front of his eyes. "The baby. Are they ok?! Tell me-"

Mihawk's arms tightened around the red head as he cut the other off. "The baby is fine. According to your ship doctor, your body was giving all it could to the baby, hence why you had nothing left for yourself." Shanks sighed, sagging against Mihawk in relief.

They stayed like that for a moment. Each realizing how close they had been to loosing everything.

Mihawk sighed as he gently pushed Shanks back down on his back. Shanks let himself be pushed down, too exhausted to stay sitting up. Mihawk places his hand back over Shanks' abdomen and a second later the red head's hand joined his.

Their hands interlocked with each other's, holding on tightly to one another. All too aware of what could have been.

Shanks sighed before looking at Mihawk. "I'm sorry Mi. I-"

Mihawk Locking their gazes with a hard stare, effectively cutting the red head off with his next words. "Don't. It's not your fault. You thought it would pass."

Shanks blew out a frustrated breath and shook his head slightly, as to not make himself have a sudden rush of dizziness again. "I should still have listened to you. But I didn't and we almost-" Shanks cut himself off. Glaring at the ceiling and biting his lip, so he wouldn't glare at his mate in his self-hate.

He heard Mihawk sigh and a second later there was a gentle probing down the bond link in his mind.

He forced himself to relax and allow Mihawk's thoughts to filter into his mind. "Stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have known that it had gotten this bad. And forcing those standards onto yourself isn't going to do you any good. The baby's alright. You are alright. The rest is in the past and there is nothing we can do to change it. We won't let this happen again, so don't dwell on it."

Shanks let out a shaky sigh and turned his head away from Mihawk, as tears started to form.

Mihawk watched his mate hide his face away behind his hair and grunted before leaning down to circle his arm under Shanks' shoulders, and leaning his face into the red head's neck. Breathing in Shanks' scent of alive, bearing, slightly weak with sickness, and just everything that made up the scent of Shanks.

Mihawk, after taking one last breath of his mate's scent, moved his hand to Shanks' head. Turning it back towards him.

He leaned over the red head as he forced him to look into his eyes, by holding his head still. He took in Shanks' face, tear tracks rolling down slightly flushed cheeks, messy crimson hair spilled around his head and stuck to his face, and a desperate look in his love's eyes. So so desperate. Desperate for everything to be alright. Desperate for their baby to survive healthy and happy. Fear lingered alongside it and Mihawk feast desperation rise in his own chest, wishing he could take that fear away.

He hugged Shanks to himself, holding him tightly as the red head gripped at his clothes.

Fear was a dangerous road to go down.