Keeping a respectable distance from those in the alliance was easier said than done. Those from the Strawhat crew got along very well with you and insisted on keeping in contact. So numbers were exchanged, much to Killer's dismay. You told him you wouldn't let it get in the way of anything. It was just a way to keep in touch with them. Like co-workers. He begrudgingly accepted that it could be handy as such and didn't push it. You'd never seen him so worried about something but you planned on proving you wouldn't get too close to them.

It was just difficult when they kept texting or calling you in attempts to get you to hang out. Telling them you were too busy worked most of the time simply because it was true. Kid wanted you to keep practicing all the skills you'd recently picked up and he had you working on them often. When you weren't doing that, the gang was taking up your free time. And when that wasn't happening, you were trying to get enough rest in to do it all again each day. This was the closest thing you ever had to a real social life and it was leaving you drained on a regular basis.

Even though Killer was becoming just as busy as you, you were grateful he still managed to find the time to give you attention. Usually it was first thing in the morning when you both woke up or late in the evenings before bed but hey, you wouldn't complain. Beggars can't be choosers after all.

Lucky for both of you, Kid was nice enough to realize he was burning you out and had finally gave you a day off. It was well overdue and Killer had managed to sleep most of the morning away with you. There was no better feeling than waking up in a panic because you thought you were late for one thing or another only for your lover to tug you back down, reminding you that there was literally nothing to do. The second it sunk in that he was right, you let him pull you in until you were enveloped in his warmth. Dating someone as tall as him had its perks and this was one definitely of them.

Killer let out a content sigh as you nuzzled back into his chest, his fingers playing along your spine until he passed back out. You were about to do the same, well on your way to dozing off again when your phone went off. You were far enough into a sleepy daze for it to scare you and you jumped, letting out a small yelp of surprise and smacking your head on Killer's chin in the process.

"Fuck..." He groaned and rolled over, holding his jaw.

"Sorry." You mumbled, fumbling for the device.

When you found it, you huddled around it, facing Killer and giving him an apologetic grimace.

"Hello?" You didn't even bother seeing who was calling.

"Question for you Blue." Robin said on the other end in a very cheery voice. "Do you and Killer like hockey?"

"What?"

"A little birdy told me you were free today and I thought you might like joining us to go see a game. We have a couple extra tickets, our treat."

"It's too early for this." You mumbled, pinching the bridge of your nose as you started to wake up more.

"It's eleven in the morning."

"We were gonna sleep in till noon at least."

"We'll buy you lunch too."

You glanced at Killer. He could hear everything and you could see the conflict on his face as he rubbed along his chin. You didn't think you hit him that hard but apparently you were wrong.

"Blue?" Robin asked. "Are you two interested in coming along?"

"Oh, uh, gimme one sec to see if Killer wants to." You put a hand over the phone in hopes that it'd muffle your voice so Robin couldn't hear. "We should go."

"We aren't obligated to (Y/n)."

"We've turned them down literally every other time."

"What'd I say about getting too friendly?" He frowned at you, not at all amused.

"Don't you like hockey? I bet guys will get their faces punched in and it'll be fun to watch."

His frown deepened.

"Please? We'll do this once and then they won't hassle us as much."

That seemed to make him buckle. "Fine, we'll go...."

You fought the urge to smile on his behalf. When was the last time you hung out with other girls? It'd been longer than you could remember.

----

Killer mentioned he did like watching sports that got pretty heated so hockey was definitely something he could enjoy. That was going to be very helpful since he wasn't going to like being surrounded by literally all the men of the Strawhat crew. The whole gang was going to watch the city's team play, well, all but two. Chopper was deemed a little too young to go and one of their other friends, Brook, had prior engagements. Hence, the two extra tickets.

Your lover assumed it was all some strangely convenient ploy to get you and him out of Kid and company's reach, but you convinced him that couldn't be the case. Luffy was too sweet for something like that and you doubted he had the skills to plan something so malicious anyway. That eased Killer up enough to be a little less moody on the way over to the event. You had to admit though, he did an excellent job putting on a happy, interested front with the others.

The second they came into view, he was all smiles, seemingly delighted to be tagging along for this. It was almost unnerving.

As you assumed, when the game started all the guys crowded together while you, Nami, and Robin huddled up in some seats a short distance from the men. They were all up closer to the action while you sat further back, getting a good view of them all and having privacy at the same time. It felt like you were all poised to make sure they played nice, like mom's watching their kids at the playground. You felt the analogy couldn't be far off for the other women. Killer was always well behaved so he had to be the exception.

"Tell me Blue, what's life like in the Kid crew?" Robin asked.

"Hmm?" You tore your eyes away from Zoro and Sanji arguing once again. It was a regular occurrence between them, so you've been told. "Oh, it's pretty good actually. Rowdy at times but that's been the worst of it so far."

"Oh we can relate." Nami gave her group of men a sidelong glance. They were all just as hyperactive as the vast majority of the guys in your crew. Funny enough, all the higher-ups had better control of themselves.

"How are you guys even able to operate with so few people?" You were genuinely curious. If Kid had as few people as Luffy did, nothing would ever get accomplished. At least not in a timely manner.

"You'd be surprised what they can do."

"Their energy is boundless." Robin added with a smile.

Watching them all cheer and bounce around as the city's team scored a point, you didn't doubt it. You didn't miss the beginning of a real smile tug at the corners of Killer's mouth. He'd be too stubborn to admit it later, but you could see he was enjoying himself.

"How'd you even come across their gang and decide to join?" Nami asked.

"That's a bit of a story." You chuckled.

"We've got time." She nudged you, encouraging you to spill the details.

"Well, I wasn't looking for a group originally. I was alone and thought it'd be better if things stayed like that. Went out for a simple job like I always used to do and ran into Killer. It turned into a bit of a chase, I left, and I figured that was the end of it." You shrugged. "Killer's a smart guy though and was able to track down my general area."

"So you're telling me your now boyfriend stalked you at first?" Nami raised an eyebrow at you.

"That sounds awful when you put it that way."

"It sounds scary." Robin said flatly. You somehow doubted she would've been spooked in the same situation.

"I mean, I was worried that he was on to me, which he was, but he didn't let on to anything too much until we got along better."

"Didn't like him from the start?" Robin watched Killer throw up his arms in frustration as the opposing team scored and shout something. Zoro and Franky were nodding along with him and adding their two cents.

"He aggravated me to no end. Wouldn't quit coming around to hang out or offering to take me out for things. I guess you could say he grew on me." You smiled as you thought about how much both of you used to get on each other's nerves. He was too persistent and you were just about as stubborn. "I think it was a good thing he came around though, even when I didn't want to see him. Being alone wasn't doing anything good for me and I've felt a lot better about myself since meeting him."

"How sweet." Robin chuckled.

"Oh! I got a little carried away there, I didn't mean for it to take such a dismal turn." You blushed.

This was something you hadn't even talked to Killer about, how you felt without much in the way of friends or a real social life at the time. It had been bringing you down slowly until he became a part of your life and you never really noticed it until recently. It hit you when you realized you woke up each day looking forward to what'd happen next, who you'd talk to, or the places you'd get to visit. Your old life had you stuck in a viscous cycle with only Delilah and Ivankov to lighten things up from time to time.

"We've had similar experiences with Luffy." Nami said. "When I met him, I was in the midst of paying off a giant debt to a man. He had complete control of my hometown and was ruining the lives of the citizens. He agreed to let me try paying off an outrageous sum of money to 'buy' the town and it's people back. I almost did it too but he found my stash of money and had it disappear. I was devastated until Luffy practically swooped in and saved the day." She smiled happily at the memory. "Luffy kicked his ass and sent his whole gang packing. Freed the town in the process and left me feeling free myself."

"That's amazing." You murmured.

Luffy was hanging off Zoro's shoulders, jumping around excitedly while trying to keep his hat from falling off his head. He looked to be little more than a boy but he'd already done some incredible things.

"He saved me from the death sentence." Robin crossed her legs and leaned back a bit in her seat. "I was wanted by the government for crimes I committed in the past. He didn't care about the trouble that followed me around like a plague and he, along with the rest of the crew," She winked at Nami and the other giggled. "stopped a whole secretive government organization from taking me to prison to be executed. If it wasn't for him or the crew, I wouldn't be here today."

"Wow..." You never put thought into the backgrounds of other criminals before. It was eye opening to know you might not be all that different from the Strawhat members. "Does Luffy do that all the time? Help people so much?"

Robin nodded. "He's got a good heart, much like your Killer."

"Kid doesn't do things like that." You frowned, looking down into your lap. "But he's good to the guys, even if he's a pain in the ass at times."

"Yeah, not everyone can be like Luffy." Nami pat your leg. "He's a one of a kind idiot."

You couldn't hear it over the roar of the crowd, but you felt your phone go off. You smiled when you noticed who it was.

"I gotta take this." You told the girls. "I'll be right outside if Killer asks."

They nodded as you got up and squeezed your way through the many occupied seats and out a side door. The warm outdoor air hit your face as the door clicked shut behind you and you answered the phone. It was quiet enough out here to hear your friend.

"Hey Delilah." You chirped. "I'm sorry I haven't called much lately, I–"

A different voice responded on the other end and the more they talked, the more sick you felt. It suddenly felt cold outside, your face paled, and your hands were clammy.

"Wait." You shook your head, in complete denial. "No, that can't be–there's no way that happened."

"I'm sorry." The smooth, feminine voice on the other end was laced with sadness. It strained and cracked at the edges, like the call pained her just as much as it did you. "It was only a matter of time and I thought you should know. She talked about you a lot Blue, she really loved you."

You backed up into the wall of the building and slid down to the hard concrete. "When?" You whispered. "When did it happen?"

"Yesterday morning." There was a pause before she continued. "I'm so sorry no one could get to you sooner. We just–it hit everyone hard."

"It's okay." You swallowed back tears. "I understand, thanks for letting me know."

You hung up and buried your face in your hands. Everything hurt. It was almost the same as when Killer admitted his initial plan with you, only so much worse. Small hiccups and cries started building up and soon enough, you'd broken down. You didn't know how long you were outside, but it was long enough that Killer came looking for you. He popped through the door, expected you to probably still be on the phone.

Needless to say, he wasn't prepared to see you sobbing on the ground.

"What happened?" He crouched in front of you, taking your hands in his.

"Delilah." You managed to say her name through shaky breaths.

"What?"

"She's..." You had to steady yourself before forcing the words out of your mouth. "She's gone."

It was one thing to know it and another to say it. It meant admitting the painful truth.