Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mihawk took a sip of his wine, glancing down at his watch. He had arrived far too early, but it was alright, Shanks would be there soon. Tonight they were meeting up at a rather comfortable bar.

They had been dating for over a month now. Their last official date had been a movie night at Shanks’ house, followed by a family breakfast the next day. That had happened almost two weeks ago, but Mihawk didn’t mind in the slightest. They had still seen each other and constantly texted and called, they had simply been too busy to take a whole evening off.

Speaking about texting… Mihawk looked down at his phone and frowned slightly. It looked like he was going to have to wait a bit longer.

“Got stood up?”

He looked over at the barkeeper, a huge man with an equally large black mustache, probably in his early fifties.

“Only a little bit. My partner just informed me he will be late,” Mihawk shrugged.

“Trouble in paradise?”, the man asked and refilled the swordmaster’s glass, before pouring some whiskey for himself. Hm. Normally, Mihawk wouldn’t appreciate a stranger striking up a conversation, but the man seemed very friendly in a somehow familiar way.

“Not at all,” he said and returned the barkeeper’s smile. “His son asked for another good night story.”

“Ah. Perhaps the only acceptable reason.”

“Absolutely,” Mihawk sighed with a peaceful little smile. “Besides, the kid is so energetic, if he managed to sit down for two stories in a row, that is a special occasion.”

The barkeeper leaned forward a little. “You seem fond of the boy.”

“Oh, of course. A delightful child.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Suspicious… Are you only with this man to steal his kid?”

“Oh yeah,” Mihawk confessed immediately. “My boyfriend is great, but the family aspect is really sweetening the deal. Especially because our boys are best friends.”

“Oh, you have a son too?”, the barkeeper nodded excitedly. He seemed to really like children.

“Erm… In a way?”, Mihawk said, his face heating up. “It’s complicated.”

The barkeeper gave him a questioning look.

“I have recently taken in a teenager.”

“Ah, I see. A family member?”

“No, I just… found him?” How was Mihawk supposed to explain he had basically stolen Zoro from the government after only knowing him for a week?

“Like a stray?”

“In a way,” Mihawk nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose my dear boy was a little lost.”

“And you just took him in?”, the barkeeper asked and took a sip from his whiskey. “That is very noble.”

Mihawk frowned and quickly waved the man off. “Oh, not at all, anyone would have done the same. The boy clearly lacked support. It is not that big of a deal.”

“Oh, I believe it is!”, the barkeeper argued. “I have done the same once upon a time, but I did it with my partner, not on my own.”

Oh, so this man understood his situation? Maybe this conversation would be more interesting than he had thought...

“So, your kids are best friends? You gonna merge the families soon?”, the bartender asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Seriously, why did his wide grin seem so familiar...?

“Oh, no, impossible,” Mihawk chuckled nervously. This was not something he enjoyed thinking about. He had not brought the issue up with Shanks yet, but they were both aware of the challenge they would have to face. “His parents have a very low opinion of me.”

“How come? You and your boyfriend seem to be a good match?”

“I have not even met his parents, but he and I dated before. It did not end well,” Mihawk explained, his stomach beginning to twist up in knots. It was so nice to live in their happy little bubble, but soon it would burst, and Mihawk had no idea how to deal with that.

“Oh…”, the bartender grimaced. “Getting back with the ex, eh? Why would his parents disapprove? Bad breakup?”

“Bad relationship,” Mihawk admitted and took a big swing from his wine glass.

“Then why get back together?”

“That whole situation was such a mess…”, Mihawk sighed. Why was he feeling so compelled to pour his heart out to this man? Perhaps the alcohol was affecting him… “A misunderstanding, as it turned out. I may have been under the impression he was in love with his best friend.”

Now he seemed to have the bartender’s full attention. To be fair, in retrospect, his personal tragedy made for excellent gossip.

“Oh? Just uncomfortable vibes, or did something happen?”

Mihawk grimaced as a certain image reappeared in his mind. “Well, he sent me a picture of the guy. Wearing my boyfriend’s underwear. In his bed. Covered in hickeys.”

The bartender slowly sat his glass down. “Erm… Buddy? I hate to tell you this, but…”

“Nothing happened between them,” Mihawk said confidently. Shanks was an idiot, but not a liar. “If it had, he would have no reason to keep it a secret, I was not even aware he wanted us to be exclusive, which is why I kept my distance back then.”

The man shook his head. “What a mess.”

“I’ll drink to that!”, Mihawk chuckled darkly and downed his wine. “At least I get along with said best friend now.”

“That’s good…”, the bartender said, a deep frown on his face. “What about your parents.”

“Oh, I am an orphan.”

“I’m sor-”

“It’s alright,” Mihawk quickly interrupted him before he would have to face any unnecessary pity. “They would have disowned me anyways.”

The bartender gave him a startled look.

“I got a boyfriend, remember?”, Mihawk shrugged.

The man nodded sadly. “Don’t you think his parents might come around?”, he asked after a long pause.

Mihawk thought about everything Shanks had told him about his fathers. “One of them might. Or at least I hope so, he is my boy’s principal,” he said, running a hand through his hair. God, he really hoped Zoro would never suffer for his actions. “I don’t want any of this to have any negative impact on the children.”

“Of course not,” the bartender nodded quickly. “My partner is actually a principal as well, and he would never take something out on one of his kids.”

Mihawk gave the man a grateful smile. He really hoped Rayleigh had a similar mindset.

“The other parent?”

“Oh, he will never accept me,” Mihawk huffed. “He is a real family man. Very protective, and I broke his son’s heart.”

The bartender straightened up a bit and gave him an almost offended look. “You are to blame? After getting that picture?”

“The end result is still the same,” Mihawk shrugged. Would Shanks’ father change his mind if he heard the whole story? Probably not. What man would want someone as complicated and distant as a son-in-law? Mihawk had never even been wanted as a son. He did not hold a lot of hope for that part of Shanks’ and his future. “His child got hurt.”

The bartender nodded slowly. “Yeah… I can see that. My son got a pretty bad ex, if I ever find that man, the next person that guy will meet is god.”

Mihawk looked down at his empty glass. Yes… Any parent would feel that way. He was so protective over Perona, Zoro and Luffy, he wouldn’t exactly blame Gol D. Roger if the man ever decided to hunt him down.

“Still, if he is such a family man, he should just be happy he gets an extra grandchild,” the bartender suddenly spoke up again.

“You want me to sell my boy out? That could actually work…,” Mihawk said wistfully. This. This was the part that made his heart heavy. “I’ve never had a real family, but it would be nice for my child to have that experience. And I would never want my partner to lose his.”

Oh Zoro… Mihawk was so proud of how well his child got along with Crocodile and Perona, but… That was where it ended. Grandparents, lots of aunts and uncles, garden and Christmas parties… Mihawk could offer none of that. And even if more of his family was alive, he would never let them near his innocent little boy.

“Hm...You are already talking about family,” the bartender pointed out. “You must like that boyfriend of yours a lot.”

That one finally ripped Mihawk away from his dark thoughts. “Oh, he just has the kindest heart,” he gushed. “That is something worth of protection, even if that means he has to pick his family over me.”

“Can’t imagine his father would still disapprove if he heard you talking like that,” the man smirked.

Mihawk hummed quietly. “He’s adopted, you know? As a baby, but he still sees them as his second chance at life. They have given him and his brother everything, he simply can not lose them.”

“Well,” the bartender sighed deeply. “From personal experience, I can tell you: The feeling might be mutual. His parents might be willing to hold on just as tightly.”

“That’s what I am worried about,” Mihawk grimaced. “That man would tear himself apart to bring all of his family together.”

Chapter Text

Mihawk glanced at the entrance, a satisfied grin taking over his face when he spotted bright red hair. ‘Stood up’? Ha! That could never happen to him, because Dracule Mihawk had gotten himself a handsome, charming man to take care of him and his children. A man who was stronger, sweeter and more attractive than everyone else’s boyfriends. And a better father. And more generous. And had Mihawk already pointed out how good-looking Shanks was?

“Baby, I am so sorry, Luffy just-”

Mihawk silenced the redhead by pulling him in for a kiss. “It’s alright, Shanks. I would be rather upset if you weren’t putting your son first.”

“Thank you,” Shanks grinned. “He asked about you, you know? Wants to know when you can read him a story again.”

Mihawk’s heart was about to explode. He had gotten so lucky, most 12-year-olds would be more hesitant about their father’s new boyfriend or about being too ‘childish’, but Luffy simply never cared much about anyone’s opinion. He just did what he wanted, and apparently what he wanted to do was to sit down with Mihawk and have the swordmaster read him a story.

“Soon,” he promised.

Shanks took his hand and turned to the bar. “Oh, found a drinking buddy?”

“Huh?” Mihawk looked at the two empty glasses in front of him. “Oh, I was just talking to-”

Suddenly Shanks’ grip on his hand tightened and his eyes widened. “Pa? What are you doing here?”

Mihawk turned around to the friendly bartender, who had reappeared from the restroom. The bartender with the far too familiar smile. The man with the two adopted sons, whose partner was a school principal. Oh, how could he have been so stupid?

“You- You are Shanks’ father?”

“Mihawk,” Gol D. Roger replied, his face going pale. “You are Dracule Mihawk.”

This was not how he had wanted to meet Shanks’ father.

“Erm, yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Roger just stared at Mihawk’s outstretched hand, then his eyes fell on the swordmaster’s other hand, which was still in Shanks’ grasp.

“My son got a pretty bad ex, if I ever find that man, the next person that guy will meet is god.”

Yes, of course… Mihawk should probably be grateful Roger hadn’t pulled a gun on him. How embarrassing… He had just poured his heart out and enjoyed the compassion and understanding of a man who wanted to see him dead. Such… vulnerability. How foolish. He should have known it would somehow lead to his downfall.

“Right,” Mihawk nodded and dropped his left hand before removing his right from Shanks’ grip. “I- I should probably give you two a moment to talk.”

He only managed to take two steps back before Shanks turned around. The look on his face… Fear, confusion, guilt… Mihawk couldn’t really read it, all he knew was that his boyfriend was freaking out and his presence was not helping.

“Wait. Are you okay?”, Shanks asked, reaching out and placing his hand on Mihawk’s shoulder.

“Of corse, my dear.”

“Liar.”

“Oh Shanks… always worrying about others first,” Mihawk sighed. “You need to have a talk with your father.” He tried to step away but the hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“No, stay,” Shanks said, the look on his face turning into pure desperation. “Don’t- Please don’t-”

‘Leave you?’, Mihawk finished in his head. ‘Now why would I ever give up a man like you?’

“Shhh, my dear,” he whispered and carefully removed the hand holding him in place so he could press a quick kiss to Shank’s knuckles. “I’m just going for a quick walk.”

“But-”

“Sit down with him, figure out what he wants, and tell me the verdict. Whatever it is, we can work around it.”

Shanks’ eyes narrowed. “I don’t care what he thinks. You and I-”

“And you are calling me a liar?”, Mihawk chuckled. “You care. I know you care. Shanks, this is your family. I would never mess with your family.”

“You are my family.”

Mihawk’s heart stopped for a moment. Yes, they had been throwing that label around recently, but… Shanks’ fathers meant so much to him. To be put on the same level…

“I will be back soon,” he said quietly and finally stepped away from Shanks. The man stared at him with huge, desperate eyes, before he suddenly struggled out of his leather jacket.

“Here,” he said, holding it out to Mihawk.

Oh, how sweet… He really didn’t make it easy to leave. That feeling of pride he had noticed earlier returned. Shanks was so amazing, and he was his. For once in his life, Mihawk had been chosen. He was being cherished and pampered, because this beautiful, charming man thought Dracule Mihawk deserved it.

“It’s not that cold outside, you don’t have to-”

“Don’t make me break my promises. Please, darling, it would break my heart.”

Promise?

“And- And if you want to be alone, you can have my jacket to keep you warm.”

Right… A month ago, when Mihawk had accidentally revealed the rather uncomfortable details of his childhood, Shanks had promised him he would always find a way to be there for him, even if it was just by lending him his jacket.

“Alright,” Mihawk nodded and took it. “It- It would be okay,” he said quieter, not meeting Shanks’ eyes. “If you had to break a few. I forgive you.”

“Mihawk…”

He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. They had known they would have to face this challenge eventually… He had simply hoped he could have talked it through with Shanks first.

“Take your time,” he said with a confident little smirk. “I know you are still coming home with me at the end of the night.”

Shanks nodded and tried to lean in for a kiss, but Mihawk stopped him by placing his palm on his boyfriend’s chest. Maybe the redhead had forgotten what situation they were in, but Mihawk was more than aware of the man who was still staring at them from behind the bar. The man whose face was still very pale. The man who might throw a knife at his head if Mihawk decided to kiss his son in front of him.

“Later.”

……

He watched his boyfriend walk away, Shanks’ jacket loosely wrapped around his shoulders. His poor Baby… They had not talked about it yet, but Shanks had known this issue would shake them up pretty badly. Mihawk was already so worried about how their relationship looked like to other people. Being rejected by Shanks’ parents… the poor man did not deserve all that stress.

“Shanks, what are you doing?”

Fuck, how was he supposed to explain this situation to his Papa? Roger was his hero, his mentor and his friend. He hated disappointing him, but Mihawk was his future.

“Papa, you don’t understand-”

His father immediately cut him off with an offended huff. “You can not let a guy like that walk away!”

“What?”

“And why the hell was Benn Beckmann wearing your underwear?”

“Shit, he told you about that?” Well, that made things easier, at least now his Papa knew this wasn’t Mihawk’s fault. On the other hand, now the man was glaring at Shanks like he had just kicked a puppy.

“He’s good with Luffs?”, Roger asked with narrowed eyes.

“He’s amazing,” Shanks nodded. “So patient and warm, and yet Luffy actually listens to him. I had no idea how he would react to our little whirlwind, but he’s just… He’s just so kind.”

“Interesting. He said the same thing about you.”

Shanks couldn’t stop the excited grin from spreading over his face. “He did?”

“Hm,” Roger huffed. “You got any pictures of my new grandbaby?”

Chapter Text

Mihawk put his head in his hands, trying to protect his eyes from the bright streetlights. Usually, he loved being outside at night. The dark sky and empty streets never failed to calm his mind, but tonight nothing could stop his sweaty hands from curling into his hair as he rocked back and forth on the bench in the empty park he had found.

He had ruined it. He had been happy, truly happy for the first time in his life, and he had thrown it all away.

“I’ve never had a real family.”

Oh dear. Who said something like that? What must Roger think of him now? That he was some kind of leach? SAof parasite, trying to claim a family he had no right to as his own?

This had not been his plan. His plan had been to come off as harmless and simple as possible. Just a normal man. Good health (at least physically), good upbringing (he had raised himself well), a good job (and a massive fortune). Some experience in working with children because of his dojo (a complete lie, until a month ago he had barely spoken to the students apart from giving them instructions, but Shanks’ parents didn’t need to know that). Now… Now he had revealed all his worst parts to Shanks’ father. Weak, lonely, clingy… What parent would want someone like that in their family?

Mihawk started to feel a bit dizzy from rocking on the bench, but he couldn’t stop. If he stopped, his breathing would pick up even more, and then he would get even dizzier, and then all he would be able to do was hope he didn’t pass out.

With shaky fingers he pulled out his phone and scrolled through all the texts he had received from Shanks. He reread all the flirtations and reassurance, looking for something that could calm him down. Mihawk froze when his eyes landed on the last photo Shanks had sent him. The selfie showed the redhead and Zoro, both looking angrily in the camera, trying to imitate the stern look Mihawk liked to give them.

Oh god, his boy… How- How could he have done this to his- his son? That innocent, lost child that had allowed Mihawk to be the one to give him comfort. Who had trusted Mihawk. Zoro had lost too much in his short life, this couldn’t continue. Mihawk had to fix it somehow.

……

Roger’s grip tightened around Shanks’ phone. The red wig was so silly. The wrong color, the wrong cut… That boy looked nothing like Shanks and yet… He couldn’t help his heart from melting at the sight.

To be fair, his heart had been in the process of melting for the past ten minutes, and at this point there was nothing but a puddle left. Shanks had an entire album on his phone dedicated to the newest additions to his life. After explaining the whole situation, his son had shown him one cute picture after the other. Zoro sitting at Shanks’ table with a huge plate of green pancakes in front of him; Zoro at Usopp’s birthday party, arguing with Nami about something; Zoro with a small boy with brown curls on his shoulders; Zoro on the ground, wrestling with a grinning Luffy. Brothers. That’s what Roger’s grandson had declared them to be.

And then there was the girl. Perona, as he had been informed. Maybe she wasn’t even a teenager anymore, but the way Shanks’ voice softened when he talked about her was more than clear. Whatever guidance or support that girl needed, Roger’s son was ready to offer a shoulder to lean on, just like he was ready to take care of and provide for Zoro. Oh, he was so proud of his little Treasure.

Then there were the other photos. A few of them just showed Dracule and some him and a certain redhead without any children around. Every time ones of those showed up one the screen, Shanks face had gotten beet-red and he had quickly swiped past the pictures. Even so, Roger had managed to sneak a few glances at the stoic, put-together man in oversized hoodies or napping on Shanks’ shoulder.

But those were not the worst ones. No, the worst ones were those with them all together. Mihawk helping the boys with their homework; Shanks and Zoro on a fishing trip; a selfie of Beckmann taking Zoro, Luffy and Usopp to a movie; Shanks and Perona watching some reality TV show together; Mihawk and Luffy drawing together…

“Son,” Roger said, his voice thick with emotion. “Have I done something to break your trust?”

Shanks’ eyes widened. “Papa, no, I-”

“Don’t bullshit me,” Roger cut him off harshly. “These pictures, the way he spoke to you, the way both of you are speaking about the children… You called him family, but even without that, it would have been clear. He is it for you, isn’t he? What you have been searching for?”

“I… Yes. He is my future.”

Roger nodded slowly. His son had been different lately. He smiled wider, laughed louder and stood a bit taller. Shanks had always been energetic and cheerful, but lately he had had a new swing in his step.

“Son, your Dad and I have always tried to show you and your brother just how important you are to us. I-”

“I know, Papa. I just-”

“Let me finish, Shanks,” Roger said firmly. “Family is everything. Be it your little miracle of a son or Buggy’s crew-”

“Or the lion,” Shanks added.

“Yes,” Roger sighed “Richie was a surprise. But that is not the point right now. What I am trying to say is: Did you really think I would reject your family?”

“I…”, Shanks looked away, a look of guilt on his face. Roger hated making his son feel that way, but he needed to get to the bottom of this. “Papa, I was going to tell you. I promise.”

“Obviously,” Roger huffed. “I am expecting to be invited to the wedding.”

“Stop!”, Shanks whined. “You are so embarrassing!”

“That’s my job,” Roger said proudly.

“Listen, I- It’s not like I didn’t want to tell you. It’s been so difficult not to send you all these pictures and- and-”

“Simp over your future husband?”

“Yes!”, Shanks exclaimed. “Have you seen him?! He is so pretty! And so good with Luffy. It’s the most attractive thing I have ever seen! And speaking about kids, I can’t believe I had to sit across from you and pretend like Zoro doesn’t mean the world to me! And you didn’t even know about Perona! That’s crazy!”

Roger felt a little bit queasy. “It is crazy,” he sighed. “Your family doubled in size and I had no clue.”

“Papa…”, Shanks said and put his hand on the counter. Roger couldn’t help but take it. He would always respond when one of his sons reached out to him. He just couldn’t help it. The images of Shanks as a wide-eyed little boy were ingrained in his brain, he would never manage to let go.

“I knew you’d love Mihawk if you got to know him, I just didn’t know how to make that happen after everything we have been through. He- He worries a lot. About how our future will work out. About my friends, my family- It’s- It’s just-”

“He mentioned his parents,” Roger said carefully. “How they weren’t… accepting?”

Shanks let out a startled, hollow laugh. “Not accepting? That’s all he said?”

Roger got a really, really bad feeling. “So… That’s just the tip of the iceberg then?”

The look on his son’s face was downright murderous. “More like a single, tiny snowflake on the tip of the iceberg.”

“Ah,” Roger nodded.

“That’s why I was being so careful,” Shanks sighed. “It’s not easy to build a family when-” He cut himself off when his phone vibrated. He let go of Roger’s hand to check the message.

“Ah, fuck.”

“What?”

“He’s spiraling.”

Chapter Text

‘Dear Shanks,

After careful consideration, I have come to the realization that our relationship is likely to end tonight. I would like to thank you for your time and all the kindness you have extended to me during this past month. I hope you can look back on the moments we shared without resentment. You and our shared joy will always be dear to me.

This being said, I am afraid I am asking for your support once more. Despite the fact that we must sever our connection, I hope you do not see it necessary to do the same with Zoro. I understand this is unconventional considering our situation, but I think it would be possible for you to still be in his life.

While I am not expecting you to take any kind of responsibility for a child that is not yours, our sons still happen to be friends. This will naturally lead to interactions between you and Zoro. Considering the man you are, I know you will not take your resentment towards me out on him. I apologize for putting this on you, but perhaps you can find some time and gentleness to offer him.

In addition, I would like to ask you to allow me to do the same with Luffy. I hope this request does not make you uncomfortable. I am not trying to overstep any boundaries or disrespect you as Luffy’s parent, I am simply looking for a solution that spares the children as much heartbreak as possible.

Thank you for everything.’

‘Shanks, please, he is just 14 and he likes you so much. I know I failed you, but don’t do this to him.’

‘I could leave when you come over to see Zoro.’

‘You told me you would be my friend if we can’t be together. Is that still true?’

‘I would like to be your friend.’

‘Please?’

‘I can’t be alone again. Shanks, please don’t leave.’

‘I need you.’

Before he could delete the last 5 messages, the screen turned black. Mihawk repeatedly tapped the screen, pressed the home button, and finally the on button. The screen flickered to life, but immediately darkened again.

Mihawk had nothing. He was alone in the dark, he had no clue where he was and his phone was dead. He couldn’t even call a cap. All he could do was wander the empty streets until he found a bus station so he would find his way home.

He didn’t get up. How could he? The entire world was spinning around him and his legs were shaking. He pulled the leather jacket tighter around himself and buried his nose in the soft fabric.

Trees, sea breeze, campfire… Last time they had broken up, it had taken less than a month for Shanks’ clothing to lose the smell. Four weeks. Four weeks until Mihawk would lose the last traces of him.

The world started to spin even faster.

……

“No! No, no, no. Why isn’t it working? Fuck!”

“Shanks…?”, Roger asked carefully, an uncomfortable weight settling in his stomach. “What’s wrong?”

“I am trying to answer him, but my texts aren’t getting through!”

“Did he block you?”

“That makes no sense,” Shanks said, his face getting paler by the second. “He wanted me to answer, I think his phone died.”

Shit. Now Roger was really glad his son had at least given the man his jacket, it was a cold night.

“Do you know-”

“No, I don’t fucking know where he is!”

Roger took a deep breath. He couldn’t panic right now, Shanks was already doing enough of that for the both of them. “What did his texts say?”

“Well, you talked to him, didn’t you?”, Shanks groaned. “Make a guess.”

“The boy,” Roger sighed. “Does he still worry Ray and I won’t accept Zoro?”

“You? Oh, we are far past that.”

“What do you mean by that?”, Roger asked carefully.

The look on Shanks’ face was pure agony. “Mihawk thinks I am going to break up with him. You and Dad being in Zoro’s life is not even on the table anymore. He is asking me to be kind to ‘a child that is not mine’,” Shanks hissed, making air quotes.

“Fuck…”

“I am losing my family,” Shanks whispered, tears forming in his eyes. “Papa, what do I do?”

“We will find him,” Roger said firmly. “This is just another stupid misunderstanding. Do you know where he might have gone?”

Shanks looked down at his phone again, probably staring at the messages from his boyfriend. “I don’t think he even knows this area.”

“Is there anyone who might know?”

Shanks’ head snapped up. “I have an idea.”

……

“What do you want?”

“I need his location.”

“Akagami-”

“You are tracking his phone, right? I need to find him.”

“And why the fuck should I help you?”, Crocodile asked, his hand trembling with rage. Where the fuck did that ginger get all the audacity from? “If he doesn’t want to see you-”

“His phone died!”, Shanks cut him off harshly. “His phone died, he is out alone and has probably no clue where he is! Now give me his fucking location already!”

Fuck, why did his little hawk always have to fly straight into the next storm? Crocodile put Shanks on speaker and opened the website he used to track his idiot best friend on his laptop.

“What happened?”

“He thinks I am breaking up with him and abandoning Zoro.”

Crocodile had to stop himself from slamming his hook through his keyboard. “What?!”

“Calm down, big guy,” Shanks sighed. “I would never even consider that. He just-”

“Let me guess, he made some outrageous assumptions that somehow lead to him being left behind, even though whatever this situation might be is completely your fault?”

“Naturally.”

“Idiots. Both of you.”

He should have seen this coming.

“Okay, looks like his phone is off. I can only narrow his location down to about eight blocks…”

“Fuck, finding him will take forever. I need to-”

“Hold on,” Crocodile cut off the blabbering fool. “There is a park there. Try that first.”

Chapter Text

“I- I found him,” Shanks panted into the phone when he spotted the familiar shape in the distance. “He is sitting on a bench. I’ll update you later.”

He hung up on Crocodile and continued sprinting towards his boyfriend.

“Mihawk!”, he called out when he was close enough.

The man’s head snapped up and he stared at Shanks in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” Fuck. He was pale, shaky and his eyes were unfocused.

“Mihawk, why is your phone off?”

“The battery died.”

Fuck. That happening in the middle of a panic attack must have messed him up even more.

“I tried to answer your texts.”

Mihawk’s silence was deafening. The noise of Shanks’ rattling breathing, the wind in the trees, cars in the distance… It all grew to a deafening roar as Shanks stood in the darkness, just a few steps away and yet so far from his boyfriend.

“What is your answer?”, Mihawk asked eventually.

“Listen, this whole situation is-”

“Regarding Zoro,” Mihawk cut him off sharply. “And Luffy.”

Shanks took a deep breath. Right, the kids first. Mihawk would never be able to hear him out if he was still fearing for their children’s happiness. “Of course I won’t abandon him. And Luffy loves you, I could never take that from him.”

“Ah,” Mihawk nodded and looked down at his trembling hands. “That’s- That’s good.”

“Mihawk-”

“I don’t want to see you right now,” he said monotony, still not looking at Shanks. “Let’s discuss this another time.”

“Mihawk-”

“Leave, Akagami.”

Ha! As if Shanks couldn’t see right through him. Even if it wasn’t late at night and the man’s phone was working, Shanks would never just leave him behind. He had heard Mihawk’s whispered confessions, felt him cling to Shanks and cry into his shoulder. Once the facade had shattered, Shanks would never be fooled by it again. Mihawk could yell, complain or insult him all he wanted, but Shanks would not leave him. He would take care of him, hold and comfort him until Mihawk realized that there was no battle to fight here.

“I thought I was coming home with you tonight?”, Shanks asked with an easy smile. No response. Well, that was to be expected.

“I’m kinda cold. May I sit next to you?”

Mihawk sniffed and wrapped his arms around himself, as if he had only now noticed the chilly air. “If you want your jacket back-”

“No!”, Shanks said quickly. What a horrible train of thought! “No, please keep it.”

Mihawk drew up his shoulders and pouted a little. “I wasn’t going to give it to you anyways.”

Oh, Shanks loved him so much. The bitchier, pettier and sassier Mihawk got, the more he wanted him. His therapist would probably have a thing or two to say about that, but it was difficult to listen with wedding bells ringing in his head.

“I’m here,” Shanks said as he lowered himself to the ground. “I’m not going anywhere, even if I freeze my ass off.”

Mihawk didn’t respond for a long time. Shanks just sat there, cross-legged with his hand in his lap, looking up at love of his life.

“It’s not fair,” Mihawk finally gritted out. “You made everyone hate me.”

“No one h-”

“Yes they fucking do!”, Mihawk cut him off angrily. “Your friends, your family, everyone! You made everyone believe I am some kind of monster!”

Oh god… The anger he could deal with, but the tears spilling down Mihawk’s cheeks were ripping his heart apart.

“Baby, I-”

“Don’t fucking call me that!”, Mihawk sobbed. “You did this! You made me feel like you could never want me, like I am worthless and- and everyone fucking agrees! Do you even understand how fucked up that is?”

“I- I am so sorry-”

“Save it,” Mihawk hissed. “Go fuck Benn Beckmann, I don’t care. I bet your father doesn’t want to murder him in cold blood.”

“Mihawk, stop. Just- Just stop,” Shanks sighed. Maybe an angry Mihawk was better than a depressed Mihawk, but still, this fight was so stupid. Shanks could feel the pain underneath the pointless attacks.

“I have never slept with Beckmann and I never will. I will not leave. You can yell, you can accuse me of cheating on you, you can do your worst to make me feel just as bad as I made you feel, but I won’t leave.”

Mihawk finally looked over and their eyes met for a brief moment. “I can’t. I can’t do that to you.”

They just sat in silence for a while. Shanks contemplated whether or not he would be allowed to sit next to Mihawk or hold his hand without being stabbed. Well… maybe being stabbed was just the price he had to pay to be with the most perfect man in the world.

“What- What are we right now?”, Mihawk asked eventually. “Friends, or…”

‘Husbands?’, Shanks thought, but decided to real it in just a little bit.

“Fiances, if you don’t run from me quickly enough.”

Mihawk let out a startled, teary laugh. “You will stay? Even though your family hates me so much?”

“Mihawk, no one hates you.”

“Your father-”

“My father just chewed me out for being so stupid and letting a man like you walk away,” Shanks explained calmly.

“A- A man like me?”

“Strong, smart, selfless, caring, kind-” Shanks could have gone on for hours, but Mihawk cut him off.

“Stop.”

“And beautiful. Mihawk, everything about you is beautiful.”

Mihawk shook his head and looked away. Well, that was to be expected. Years upon years of negative conditioning wouldn’t be undone by a few flimsy complements.

“Roger would like to extend an invitation,” Shanks explained. “This weekend. Lunch, Dinner… Whatever you are comfortable with.”

The look Mihawk gave him was heartbreaking. Shock, disbelief, uncertainty. Because it was just so unexpected to him that anyone could accept and welcome Dracule Mihawk into their family.

“And he says if you are still mad at me by then, you can leave me at home, but he hopes you bring the kiddos along,” Shanks continued. “Even if I am an idiot, you are more than welcome to steal some grandparents for Zoro.”

That one finally stopped Mihawk from looking away. The smile on the man’s face was so… hopeful.

“I showed him some pictures. He likes him,” Shanks explained, as if there was any other option for Roger than to absolutely adore his new grandson. “Perona too, of course.”

A concerned look washed away Mihawk’s smile. “Pictures don’t show the truth. Zoro will be nervous. He-”

“My parents understand that. My brother had to deal with a lot as well.”

Mihawk let out a shaky breath, a few tears slipping down his face. “Shanks?”

He understood the tone immediately. In an instant, Shanks was next to Mihawk, pulling the trembling man against his chest.

“Shh… It’s okay Baby, I got you,” He whispered into Mihawk’s messy hair. God, how much had he tucked on it? Shanks would have to give him a gentle scalp massage later.

“I- I don’t want- I don’t want to be-”

“I know Sweetheart, I know,” he shushed his sobbing boyfriend. “You won’t be alone again, I am right here. No one can take me from you, I am yours now. Only yours.”

“S-Shanks?”

“Yes, Baby?”

“Take me home.”

Chapter Text

Rayleigh groaned when he was roughly shaken awake. “Wha-?”

“Get up! It’s an emergency!”

In an instant he was on his feet, looking around in panic. “What’s happening? Is the house burning down? Where are the kids?!”

“Calm down, moonlight” Roger laughed. “Nothing is on fire, and the kids are in their own homes. Just like they have been for over 10 years.”

“Oh… right,” Rayleigh said and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. “I forgot how old we have gotten.”

“Speak for yourself!”

“Honey,” he snickered. “We are grandfathers.”

“Yeah… Speaking of grandchildren…”, Roger said, giving him a meaningful look.

“What did Luffy do now?”, Rayleigh sighed. The lack of yelling was a clear indicator that the kid was fine, so this ‘emergency’ was probably just another silly situation the future pirate king had gotten himself into.

“No, not that grandson.”

“Erm… the lion?”, Rayleigh guessed. Strange, they did not usually regard Richie as a grandchild. More like… a nephew, perhaps?

“No, the human one.”

Huh? Wait…

“Fuck, did Shanks knock someone up again?! For fuck’s sake, he really needs to-”

Roger’s roaring laughter cut him off. “Oh my god, you should see your face! No, I don’t think Mihawk is pregnant.”

It took a moment for Rayleigh to get it. Then his heart dropped into his stomach. “Oh.”

“Yes. Oh,” Roger mocked and crossed his arms. “I know about Shanks’ little secret. And the grandchild I was referring to is Zoro, by the way.”

Rayleigh sighed deeply, knowing he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. “Listen, I know you are excited, but-”

“Ray, you kept this from me.”

Shit.

“Do you not trust your captain?”

Great. Guilt-tripping. Well, two could play that game. “Shanks asked me to give him time. You wouldn’t want me to ignore our son, right?”

“You have no clue, do you?”

“Huh?”

Roger gripped him by the shoulders and began shaking him. “Ray! Do you even understand what is going on?”

“Erm… Our son has a new boyfriend, which allows us access to that man’s child and you want us to steal him?”

“Yes, of course we will commit kidnapping as soon as possible, but do you really not realize who our son is dating?”

Rayleigh just gave his partner a questioning look.

“Dracule Mihawk!”

“Yes? I saw the full name on the paperwork at school.”

Roger looked like he was about to explode. “And that name doesn’t ring any bells?”

“No, why…” Wait, maybe there was a connection he wasn’t seeing? Who…?

Rayleigh slapped his hand over his own mouth. “Oh fuck!”

“Ah, now you get it,” Roger nodded with an arrogant little smirk. “Took you long enough.”

“Sunshine, I promise I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you-”

“At ease, soldier, I don’t blame ya,” Roger said gently and ran a hand through Ryleigh’s hair. “And before you ask, Shanks is absolutely fine.”

“Are you sure?”, he checked. “Everything he said sounded great, but- well…”

“We have a lot to discuss,” Roger sighed. “Come on, old man, I am making you a cup of tea.”

……

Shanks sighed happily and pressed another kiss to Mihawk’s hair. He had taken his beautiful boy home, gotten him cleaned up and in comfortable clothes and now he was laying on Shanks’ chest, breathing calmly.

All in all, the evening had been a success. His boyfriend and his father had met and gone along fantastically, he had organized a proper family meeting for the weekend and at the end of the night, he had taken Mihawk home. So… everything was fine?

Okay, nothing was fine. It would take a long time until Mihawk felt safe around Shanks’ parents and his poor Baby had gone through an intense mentalbreak down. But this night had also proven one of his theories. Contrary to popular opinion, Shanks did suspect that he was not a total idiot. When he was working with the correct information, he was capable of making the correct decisions. Sometimes, at least. So, now that he understood Mihawk a little better, he was prepared for these situations. He knew what fears to address and which sweet nothings to whisper to calm his partner down.

This would happen again. God, Mihawk had hidden it so well, but with the amount of abuse and neglect he had gone through, Shanks was actually shocked it had taken so long for the man to have a proper breakdown. When had the last one happened? When he had finally cleared up that horrible misunderstanding and cuddled Mihawk to sleep in the middle of the day? That had been over a month ago. Basically, Mihawk had been overdue for a panic attack.

In a way, it was like his whole life had been constructed to prepare him for the task ahead. The way his parents had raised him, helping his traumatized brother, his job, even losing his arm and suffering through his own panic attacks. Shanks knew all the tips and tricks. He knew how to comfort and console, without losing himself in the action.

They would end up like this again. Almost 40 years of pain… it could not be undone, only soothed. Shanks would have to say the same handful of phrases probably for the rest of his life, making sure Mihawk felt secure and confident in their relationship.

The rest of his life… What a beautiful thought. Yes, the task would not be easy, but to Shanks, being the one who was allowed to hold Dracule Mihawk close was the greatest honor he could ever receive.

He buried his nose in his Babyboy’s hair with a wide grin. They still had a lot of work to do, but right now, he was allowed to fall asleep with Mihawk’s head resting on his chest, and that was all he could ask for.

……

Mihawk lazily drew patterns onto the freckled, tan skin in front of him. Wow, Shanks’ muscles were so firm, and yet, when he was relaxed, so soft and comfortable. But oh, Mihawk could still feel the power in the warm body that was pressed against his. He could feel it every time Shanks hugged him, that big biceps pressing against him and-

“Mihawk?”, a raspy voice interrupted his train of thought, making him freeze.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“Waking up like this is not exactly a tragedy…”, Shanks chuckled. Oh god, that laugh. Deep, warm, playful… Mihawk could feel the vibration against his cheek. Shanks’ voice just did something to him.

“Is everything okay?”, Shanks continued. “I had to say your name three times until you responded.”

“Ah.” Mihawk tried his best to hide his heating face in Shanks’ chest. “Yes, I- I’m fine.”

“Baby, it’s okay,” Shanks said gently, his hand settling on Mihawk’s back. God, his hand was so big… “You can tell me-”

“Shanks, I was distracted by your half-naked body,” Mihawk blurted out before this situation could get any more embarrassing.

“Ah,” Shanks said, his body tensing up just the slightest bit. “You think I’m hot?”, he asked playfully.

“You don’t need me to stroke your ego even more,” Mihawk huffed.

“You can stroke whatever you like.”

He rolled his eyes, but continued to trace shapes onto Shanks’ chest. Mihawk didn’t have to miss out just because his boyfriend was an idiot.

“Are you okay?”, Shanks asked after a few minutes.

“Yes,” Mihawk smiled. He was pretty tired and had a headache from all the crying, but he was happy. “Thanks to you.”

Shanks shook his head. “You were also not okay because of me.”

“That was five years ago,” Mihawk sighed. “We were both different people back then.”

“Yeah… The man I used to be… Such an idiot.”

“Eh, a very attractive one though,” Mihawk said, drawing a low chuckle from Shanks. He almost felt sorry for him. After the way he had been last night, his boyfriend probably felt worried and protective. Mihawk now waking up calm, happy, and unnecessarily horny was probably giving him whiplash.

“You are not that man anymore,” Mihawk assured Shanks.

“Maybe he died in that fire,” the redhead said quietly.

“Hm,” Mihawk hummed and pressed a few kisses to his boyfriend’s chest. He also felt the urge to pay some attention to his scarred shoulder, but he wasn’t sure how Shanks would feel about that.

“Still getting distracted by my chest?”

“Stop it,” Mihawk complained and lightly slapped said chest. Shanks could either get attention or tease Mihawk, both at the same time was unacceptable.

They just lay there for a few more minutes, basking in each other’s warmth. For a moment Mihawk considered apologizing for his breakdown, for all the useless crying and yelling, but… For once, it did not feel necessary. Shanks was accepting him so completely. Mihawk didn’t want to cower and hide from him. This man was his, and it was his right to take from him what he needed.

“You make me very happy, Shanks,” Mihawk said eventually. “Thank you.”

Chapter Text

“Ray, did you get-”

“Yes, Granny, I got onigiri,” he sighed, putting down the huge shopping bag he had been forced to heave home. Since sunrise, Roger had been running around like a headless chicken, scrubbing every surface and barking orders at Rayleigh.

“Good, it’s important because-”

“Shanks told you they are Zoro’s favorite. I know.”

“Sorry,” Roger mumbled sheepishly. “It’s just-”

“I know,” Ray sighed and wrapped his arms around the big teddy bear of a man. “I am nervous too. We just gotta remember what is most important.”

“Making them comfortable and being patient,” Roger sighed.

“Very good,” Rayleigh praised.

“Hey, moonlight?”

“Here we go again.”

Roger pouted at his mocking tone. Ah, those damn puppy eyes...

“What do you want?”

Roger reached into his pocket and pulled out a tube of pink food dye and a container of edible glitter. “For the cake…”

“Fine!”, Ryleigh sighed and snatched up the items. “Let’s just buy the children’s love.”

……

Zoro stared at his reflection, trying to figure out how many buttons of his shirt he should leave open. He had decided to wear the same outfit he had worn to Usopp’s birthday party, but he had decided to take off the accessories and button up the shirt. He liked it less this way, but he didn’t want to come off as a bad kid.

They were meeting Shanks’ parents today! That was a big deal! What if they were annoyed Shanks was bringing some random kid home? What if they were disappointed? Maybe they had hoped for a better child. Someone cute, polite and smart. He really didn’t want to ruin this for Mihawk…

At least he already knew one of them. But was that actually a good thing? When he had met principal Silvers, he had not known who he was! He should have tried harder in class. Said smarter things. Dressed better. Smiled more. Fuck, he was pretty sure he had sworn in front of the man a few times! Why must he always screw everything up?

But… They were Luffy’s and Shanks’ family, right? And they both always said they were the best, so… His clothing? Luffy’s were always torn and dirty. The cursing? A few of those curses he had learned from Shanks. The smiling? Yeah… That was still a problem. Compared to Luffy and Shanks, he was far too serious and cold. But… If those two could like him, maybe the rest of their family would too?

……

The dark blue sweater? A simple black shirt? A grey cardigan? Mihawk had been trying to decide what to wear for his first (second) meeting with Shanks’ parents for over twenty minutes now. Maybe if Mihawk was a different man, a better one, then it wouldn’t matter. If he was a man like Shanks, he could march in with tattered cloth and a stupidly charming grin on his face and win everyone’s hearts without even trying. But he was not Shanks, or Paul, or Benn fucking Beckmann, he was Dracule Mihawk. And being Dracule Mihawk meant not even perfection was good enough.

He flinched when an arm wrapped around his stomach from behind.

“I can’t convince you to just put on a hoodie, can I?”, Shanks sighed sleepily.

“No,” Mihawk huffed. “That is out of the question.”

“Fine,” Shanks chuckled and pressed a kiss to his neck. “In that case, it is a good thing you have the perfect boyfriend.”

“I do?”, Mihawk asked as he turned around so he could give the man a coy look. “And what wonderful things has my sweet boyfriend in store for me?”

“So much, Babyboy,” Shanks sighed, his hand stroking up and down along Mihawk’s back. “But for now, I got a gift.” He let go of Mihawk and turned around to the drawer, where he had placed a bag earlier.

“A gift?”, Mihawk asked excitedly. He was really beginning to look forward to these. He had gotten a few things from Shanks five years ago, and while he had appreciated the gesture, they had felt… empty, somehow. Expensive chocolate (With almonds… Mihawk hated almonds.), fresh flowers (Before he had to leave for two weeks. Shanks had not asked about his plans), a shirt Shanks had wanted to see him in (Okay, Mihawk had actually liked that one.) The point was, while some of the newest additions had been less expensive, they had been so thoughtful. Mihawk couldn’t help but glow, now that he felt so seen.

“Come on, take it out of the bag,” Shanks grinned.

Mihawk reached inside and- Ah. Roses. Of course it would be roses. Delicate petals spread out over shiny fabric. Perhaps Mihawk was getting spoiled, but he had been expecting nothing less.

“Not red?”, he teased.

Shanks narrowed his eyes and reached up so he could grip Mihawk’s chin tightly. “You want to show up to my childhood home wrapped up in my color?”

“Yes.”

“Fucking hell, Mihawk,” Shanks chuckled. “I love that idea, but trust me, this is better.”

He looked down at the green button-up shirt. “It is?”

“This way, you can match with Zoro! I know he is going to wear his favorite shirt again.”

“You- You got me a green shirt so I can match with my boy when we meet your parents for the first time?”, Mihawk asked, his voice thick with emotion and his heart overflowing with affection. This man… This man was just so perfect. Not just perfect in general, but perfect for Mihawk. He was so-

“Your son.”

“W-What?”

“I got you this so you could match with your son.”

“I- I-”

“Shhh,” Shanks stopped his stuttering and cupped his cheek. “Of course I noticed that little slip-up last night. I am proud of you,” he whispered and kissed Mihawk’s forehead. “Don’t worry, no one is going to take Zoro from you. He’s yours.”

“Son,” Mihawk repeated in disbelief. “I have a son?”

“Of course. And Zoro has a father. You two are the last ones to notice that.”

There were so many questions Mihawk wanted to ask, but they all seemed pointless. Instead, he just wrapped his arms around Shanks and let his body slump against the redhead.

“Thank you,” he said after a while. “For the gift. I’m sorry, I forgot to say it again.”

Shanks let out a deep chuckle. “Oh, Babyboy, never worry about that. Your reaction made it pretty clear you appreciate it.”

Oh Shanks… Sweet, thoughtful Shanks… Maybe Mihawk’s gratitude was enough for him, but he really should return the gesture somehow… But that was a problem for another day. If Mihawk did something special for his boyfriend, he wanted the gesture to be just as thoughtful as everything the man had done for him.

“Hey, Shanks?”

“Yes, Sweetheart?”

“About last night…”

“Don’t apologize,” Shanks said, his tone almost begging. “Please, my heart couldn’t take it.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Mihawk said flatly.

The strong body he was resting against tensed. “Ah. Right. Sorry, I misread your mood, I-”

Mihawk pulled back a little and frowned at his boyfriend’s concerned face. “Erm, why are you apologizing now?”

“You are not angry?”

“Did I sound angry?”

“Yes.”

Ah. The wrong words? Wrong voice? Mihawk wasn’t sure, he never was.

“I am not angry,” he explained calmly. “I simply would like to put last night behind us, and I think your assistance is necessary.”

Shanks relaxed and smiled softly. “Alright. Whatever you need.”

“The texts…”, Mihawk said, not sure how to explain his discomfort. “I want us to delete them. Perhaps doing so is lying to ourselves, but… I have noticed that being able to read your words in moments of doubt can be an important tool to guide me back to you, so…”

“A bunch of panicked break-up texts would mess that up for you?”, Shanks finished for him.

“Indeed.”

“And it would feel strange to you if I kept them?”

“Yes.”

“Alright,” Shanks nodded. “I am proud of you for finding a way to soothe yourself when I am not there. It is an important skill.”

Mihawk rested his forehead against Shanks’ shoulder for a moment. He hadn’t considered… Despite knowing that his boyfriend would not look down on him for something so… silly, he hadn’t considered he might be proud of him.

“You have to stop being so good to me,” he whispered in frustration. “It’s confusing.”

“It won’t always be,” Shanks responded quietly. “One day, you will be a spoiled little princess, ordering me around day and night.”

“Who are you then?”, Mihawk chucked. “My knight in shining armor.”

“Well, either that or-”

“No,” Mihawk cut him off, not even caring what stupid pickup line Shanks was trying to force into the conversation. “You are. You were always supposed to be.”

“Okay…?”, Shanks nodded, seemingly taken aback by Mihawk’s serious tone. The swordmaster didn’t care. Maybe one day he would tell Shanks about that ridiculous story. Maybe not. It really depended on how well the redhead behaved.

“Anyways,” Shanks sighed and pulled out his phone. “Let’s do this.”

Mihawk also opened their chat, scrolled up a little and- “Wait!”

“Yes?”, Shanks asked.

“These three…”, Mihawk said slowly, his face heating up a little. “Can we keep them? Can… Can this be mine?”

Shanks leaned over to read the words.

‘I will never abandon Zoro. No matter what happens, I love that boy’

‘breaking up with you has never even crossed my mind. Mihawk, you make me so happy, please believe me’

‘no matter what, I will always be your friend’

“Of course,” Shanks promised and deselected the messages. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Mihawk confirmed and deleted all their panicked rambling from the night before. “Now let’s get changed.”

“Me too?”, Shanks asked and looked down at his plain gray hoodie and washed-out jeans. “I think I look fine. My parents really don’t care.”

“That might be the case, but I do,” Mihawk said, crossing his arms. “Now go find something green.”

……

Perona smirked at the redhead in the dark green sweater. “Oh, is it Christmas already?”

Shanks pouted and turned to Mihawk. “See? I told you green doesn’t suit me!”

“I think,” Mihawk said firmly, taking Shank’s hand and putting the other one on Zoro’s shoulder. “Green and red are a wonderful combination, don’t you agree?”

Oh! Now Perona got it. So that was the reason Mihawk had told her the green bow would look nice with her black dress. Cute. Next time, she’d make all of them wear pink.

“Of course,” Shanks nodded. “Looks like everyone is ready. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Zoro nervously chewed his lip as they approached the house. They had stopped at Shanks’ place to collect Luffy, and now there was no going back. The house looked nice. Bigger than Shanks’, and the garden was a bit neater. There was a swing chair on the porch and a bunch of pirate flags next to the door. One with a huge mustache, one with a big red nose, one with a stripe over one eye and, to Zoro’s surprise, he recognized Luffy’s jolly roger. It made him feel strangely at home. He belonged to his captain, so he belonged here as well.

Before they could even reach the door, it was already flying open, revealing a large man, who was waving and grinning at them.

“Granny!”, Luffy cheered and jumped at him. “Look who I got with me!”

“I can see,” Roger laughed. “Are you gonna introduce me to them?”

“Yeah!”, Luffy cheered and spun around. At this point, Shanks, Mihawk, Perona and Zoro had also stepped on the porch. “This is Hawky! He is so cool!”

“Mr. Gol, it is good to see you again, I-”

“Oh, please call me Roger,” the man said, enthusiastically shaking Mihawk’s outstretched hand. “I apologize for the confusion at our first meeting. I was not aware I had raised my son to be so dense.”

Huh? Their first meeting? Had something bad happened?

“Papa…”, Shanks whined. “Don’t embarrass me in front of him!”

“Oh, I haven’t even started yet! Just wait until I pull out the baby pictures!”

“No!”

“That would be appreciated,” Mihawk smirked. “I am sure he was an adorable child.”

“The cutest!”, Roger agreed.

“I would also like to see those pictures.”

Roger turned to Perona with an excited nod. “Of course! You must be Perona. I can’t believe it took us so long to finally meet, Shanks should have brought you over weeks ago!”

“Is no one here on my side?”, Shanks whined.

“I like you.”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Zoro should not have said that. Suddenly, all eyes were on him. He shifted a bit closer to Mihawk, repressing the overwhelming urge to hide behind him. This was already going so badly… Everyone was being so cheerful and loud. Zoro just wanted to sink into the floor.

“Thanks, kiddo!”, Shanks said, ruffling his hair a little. Zoro wasn’t sure if he should feel embarrassed or not. He didn’t want to look like a baby, but he liked getting attention from Shanks.

“Ah, Zoro! I have been looking forward to meeting you!”

“H-Hello, sir.” No! Why was Zoro stuttering now? He had played this moment through in his head a million times, but he just hadn’t expected Shanks’ father to be so tall and loud! The only thing about him that slightly calmed Zoro down was his smile. Just like Shanks’, and Shanks was safe.

“Oh, please just call me Roger,” the man grinned.

“Sunshine?”, a familiar voice called from inside the house. “Are they here already? I didn’t hear the doorbell.”

“Quick! Cover for me!”, Roger whispered.

“Moonlight, hello,” he said loudly. “You must have missed it!”

“Oh, is that so?”, Principal Silvers asked when he stepped outside next to Roger. “Shanks, care to fill me in?”

“Papa is a dirty liar and totally waited at the door,” the man answered immediately.

“Treasure!”, Roger whined. “Why would you betray me?”

“Dad can be scary,” Shanks shrugged.

“But- But-”

“Oh, you are a lot like Shanks,” Zoro pointed out. “That’s good, he’s really nice.”

Roger’s pout was immediately replaced by a brilliant smile. “Thank you! My boy really is great!”

“Stop bragging and invite them inside already,” Principle Silvers berated him.

“Oh, of course!”, Roger nodded quickly. “Please, come in!”

……

Mihawk was completely overwhelmed by Gol D. Roger. At the bar, the man had been friendly and easy-going, so he had hoped they could go back to that, now that the situation was cleared up. However, this new side of the man was a shock. He was so cheerful and excited, the whole thing felt was very foreign to him.

As he was led through the hallway, Mihawk noticed just how present Roger’s and Rayleigh’s love for their family was. The walls were covered in framed pictures of a red-haired boy, in all stages of life. College, kindergarten, high school, as an infant… There was no order to the pictures. After middle school, a blue-haired boy joined Shanks, probably his brother. There were so many pictures of not only those two, but Luffy as well.

No wonder Shanks was so cheerful and confident. This whole place felt so warm. Mihawk had to suppress a wave of jealousy. So much love… It was a bit unfair that Shanks got it all while he had grown up with nothing. But that wasn’t important anymore. Not when there was a chance that a spot of green could join all the colors on the walls.

“You have a beautiful home, thank you for having us,” he said when they entered a slightly cluttered but very clean kitchen. He hoped his voice sounded right. He was saying the words to Rayleigh’s back, so at least his face was not a concern right now.

“Oh, thank you,” the man responded. “I’ve been struggling to save as much as possible of it while the boys were growing up.”

“Dad!”, Shanks complained. “Don’t say stuff like that, he won’t let me into his home anymore!”

“Our son is very clean!”, Roger jumped to his defense. “Very good with children too.”

“They make him sound like a dog,” Zoro whispered, his hand still holding on to the back of Mihawk’s shirt, just like it had been since they had entered the house.

“Good to know Shanks is house-trained!”, Perona said a lot louder.

“I am!”, the redhead declared proudly. “Flea free too!”

“Wow,” Mihawk chuckled. “He is even worse than usual.”

“And yet you are not escaping!”, Shanks said cheerfully, wrapping his arm around Mihawk’s waist.

He froze, his breath stocking in his throat. Right, he had almost forgotten he was meeting Shanks’ parents as the new boyfriend. He quickly glanced at Roger and Rayleigh to gauge their reaction, but neither of them seemed angered or disgusted with his closeness to their son. So, if this was allowed… Mihawk slightly leaned into Shanks, forcing himself to relax. His boyfriend had chosen him. He’d take pride in that.

……

Shanks was so relieved the two halves of his family were fitting together. The boys and Perona had gone to the backyard to play, making Roger pout a little. It was clear he wanted to join, but Ray wouldn’t let him escape the first real meeting with Mihawk. Ironically, Shanks knew that his boyfriend would also like to escape the adults and hang out with his kids.

At least right now the redhead was the one who was suffering. His parents and his partner were really bonding over the joint hobby of embarrassing Shanks. Peeing on his Papa when he had been an infant, the time Mihawk had watched him walk into a wall and get a nosebleed, the first time he had tried cutting his own hair… The stories just wouldn’t stop. At least Mihawk stayed close to his side the whole time, which was drastically improving his mood.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Shanks said when he saw Zoro shyly waving at him from the doorway, using his chance to escape the relentless teasing.

“Hey kiddo, everything alright?”

“Y-Yeah… Could you maybe ask Principle Silvers if I am allowed to have some water? I- I know I shouldn’t interrupt when adults are speaking.”

Shanks wrinkled his nose. “Zoro, you are just as important as anyone else. As long as you let people finish their sentences, you can always speak up, alright?”

“Okay…”

“Also, you know that if my Dad wouldn’t let you have water, Mihawk would try to stab him, right?”

Zoro’s eyes widened.

“And the only reason I wouldn’t be doing it is that Mihawk is quicker. I’d have to walk all the way to the kitchen drawer to get a knife, he’s got Kogatana.”

“Oh…”

“Come on kiddo, I’ll get you some water.” He turned towards the sink, but then thought better of it. “You know you could get something else too, right? Knowing my Papa, the fridge is probably fully stocked.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”, Zoro checked.

“Of course. You can ask for whatever you want, I’d tell you if there was a problem.”

“Okay,” Zoro nodded and they both stepped towards the fridge. However, the boy stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was pinned to the front of it.

“What the fuck?”

……

“Ah, so do you-”, Mihawk suddenly stopped talking, his eyes fixed on Rayleigh. “I remember you.”

“I don’t think we have met before?”

“It was a long time ago,” Mihawk said wistfully.

“Uh oh,” Roger sighed. What now? Hadn’t they been cursed by enough terrible first meetings already?

“Oh, I am sorry, I can not recall meeting you before, but perhaps you have simply changed a lot?”

“Well, I was wearing a mask at the time, so that would explain it.”

Roger’s eyes widened. “Hold on, are you the guy who tried to rob us a few years ago?!”

The man looked really taken aback. “Excuse me? No, of course not. I beat him in a fair fight,” he said, crossing his arms defensively.

“A fight? What-”, Rayleigh cut himself off, his eyes widening. “Oh. Oh wow.”

“Huh?”, Roger asked, looking between his startled partner and the smirking man. “What happened?”

“I- I know who you are,” Rayleigh whispered.

“Good,” Mihawk nodded, arrogantly raising an eyebrow. “But keep it to yourself around the boys. The time for that little surprise has not come yet.”

“Of course,” Rayleigh said with a sharp nod. “I must admit, you are not what I expected.”

“Good. It’s always wise to keep your opponents on their toes.”

“Oh, I don’t think I would make a good opponent anymore,” Ray chuckled. “At least not to a man like you.”

“Don’t worry, your son is a more than adequate rival.”

“That explains a lot, actually.”

It didn’t. At least not to Roger. “Erm, moonlight? What’s going on? Why are we talking about you fighting our son-in-law?”

Rayleigh rolled his eyes. “Come on, who do you think would be able to beat me in a match?”

“Well, Shanks and…”, he trailed off, his mouth falling open. “Wait, he was wearing a mask?”

Mihawk’s smirk widened a little. “I used the alias ‘Hawkeyes’ at the time. It is good to see you again ‘Dark King’,” he said, holding his hand out to Rayleigh.

“Likewise,” the man nodded as he shook it. “Of course Shanks told us he had met his rival, I should have made the connection.”

“Rival?”, Mihawk snickered. “Merely a little bit of amusement to keep me on my toes,” he added, his eyes gliding over to Shanks, who was talking to Zoro. Despite the harsh words, his gaze was going soft when he found the redhead.

“We really need to set up a duel!”, Roger said excitedly. “I wanted to take part in that championship too, but Shanks had a school play and-”, he cut himself off. “Wait, our boy was in seventh grade. How old are you?”

“I will be turning 40 next year.”

“Ha!”, Roger smirked at Rayleigh. “You got defeated by a kid!”

“I see no shame in that,” Rayleigh shrugged.

“I am planning on ending my career the same way,” Mihawk said proudly. They all turned their heads to look at Zoro. However, what they saw wiped the smile off of Mihawk’s face.

“Akagami!”, he barked harshly. “Stop shoving my child!”

Chapter Text

“But he pushed me first!”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did!”

“You totally suck!”, Zoro said and pushed Shanks, who stumbled two steps to the side.

“Hey!”, the man responded and shoved the teen, resulting in them both trying to push each over and slapping each other’s hands away.

“Akagami. Roronoa. I was not done speaking,” Mihawk said calmly, causing them both to immediately stop and look at him with wide eyes.

“See?!”, Shanks whined. “He keeps pushing me!”

Mihawk’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, so that gives you the right to bully a defenseless child?”

“Defenseless?!”, Shanks gasped. “He’s like 90% muscle!”

“Hell yeah!”, Zoro cheered.

“He even admits it himself!”, Shanks pouted. “I’d need a bulldozer to push that kid over!”

“Oh… Erm, which argument would help me the most right now?”, Zoro asked Mihawk.

“Just play both sides and blame Shanks for everything, I do that all the time,” he shrugged.

“Oh, okay. I am super strong, but Shanks is still evil and you should totally feel sorry for me!”

“You poor boy!”, Mihawk gasped dramatically. “Come here, I will protect you from that ginger menace!”

Zoro rushed to his side so Mihawk could wrap his arm around his shoulders, while the boy smirked at his cruel attacker.

“I’d be more upset if you two weren’t so adorable,” Shanks grinned. “My point still stands, he did push me.”

“Yeah?”, Mihawk asked, barely able to conceal his happiness. He locked eyes with his boyfriend, seeing the same excitement reflected back at him. Just two months ago, Zoro had flinched away from them, fearing he would be hit for speaking out of turn. Now he was freely joking around and roughhousing without even tracking the movements of their hands.

“Zoro, why did you push Shanks?”

“He can’t make me give stuff like that to my principal!”

Mihawk followed the boy’s pointing hand. What…? Ah, there was a sticky note among the abstract drawings (Luffy’s work, without a doubt). Mihawk stepped closer.

“Yo Dad, be nice to the kiddo or Papa is my favorite from now on and you will be super sad,” he read out loud. Beneath the words, there was a drawing of two smiling stick figures surrounded by a pink heart. One of them had red hair, the other one a huge mustache. In the corner, there was a crying face with long hair. Three arrows were titling the smiling people as ‘Papa’ and ‘me’ and the crying one as ‘you’.

“That’s so embarrassing!”, Zoro whined and crossed his arms. “What if someone else had seen that?!”

“But it was effective!”, Shanks defended himself. “You didn’t get in trouble!”

“Hm…”, Mihawk hummed. “I suppose I can see the humor in this.”

“I love it!”, Roger laughed. “Ray never looked better!”

Only now Mihawk realized both he and Rayleigh had watched the entire scene. Goddammit, he would have to strangle Shanks later for forcing Mihawk to reprehend him in front of the man’s parents. Why could that damn redhead never behave?

“Ha! My Papa is on my side!”, Shanks cheered.

“Well, and my Papa is on mine, so- so I win, right, Mihawk?”

All three men in the room froze. Mihawk barely registered Shanks shifting closer and taking his hand. Had the lights always been this bright? Because they were just so fucking bright right now.

“Mihawk?”

Zoro. Zoro was still looking at him with those big, innocent eyes, as if he had not just turned Mihawk’s entire world upside down.

“Yes, of course,” Mihawk said stiffly. “Shanks, you-” What had they even been talking about? Ah, the note. Right. “Shanks, apologize for… oh, I don’t even know.”

“Ah, yes, I- I am sorry, Zoro,” Shanks said, sounding just as tense as Mihawk felt.

“Oh, erm, it’s fine?”, the boy nodded slowly, clearly confused by the sudden shift in mood.

“Come on, I’ll get you some soda,” Shanks said. They all waited awkwardly for Zoro to take the drink and leave.

“Oh my god,” Mihawk whispered when the teen was gone.

“Shh, just breathe,” Shanks whispered as he rubbed his back.

“So… I am guessing that was the first time he called you that?”, Rayleigh asked eventually.

“Yes,” Mihawk confirmed. “I did not realize- We have not discussed- Oh my god…”

“Take your time,” Rayleigh chuckled. “When Buggy called me ‘Dad’ for the first time, I almost cried in front of him.”

“I cried,” Roger chimed in. “A lot.”

“Yes, I remember, Sunshine.”

“I don’t think he even noticed he said it,” Shanks chuckled.

“Neither did your brother, I think,” Roger pointed out.

“Papa, you actually believe that?”

“Huh?”

“That whole thing was a set-up. He had been planning on doing it for weeks.”

Roger’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

Mihawk was only partially listening to their conversation, as reality slowly sank in.

“S-Shanks?”

“Yes, Sweetheart?”, his boyfriend asked, immediately focusing in him.

“Shanks… I have a son,” he whispered

“I know,” Shanks whispered back.

“Shanks, I have a son!”, Mihawk repeated, a huge smile spreading over his face.

“I know!”, Shanks nodded excitedly. He bent his knees a little and wrapped his arm around Mihawk’s upper thighs, so he could pick him up and spin him around.

“Shanks! I have a son!”, Mihawk laughed.

“I know!”

He bent down so he could place his hands on Shanks’ cheeks and press their lips together.

“Damn, is this how I sound like when I talk about our kids?”

Mihawk whipped his head around, his face heating up when he found not only Roger, but also Ryleigh looking at them.

“Ah, erm, sorry about that,” he said awkwardly. “Shanks, put me down already!”

“Yes, yes, sorry,” Shanks giggled but put Mihawk back on his feet.

“Shanks, your boyfriend is adorable,” Roger declared suddenly.

“I know, right?!”, Shanks said, wrapping his arm around Mihawk’s waist.

“I like him too,” Rayleigh added and nodded at Mihawk.

“I… Likewise,” Mihawk forced out. This day was just too much for him.

Chapter Text

Hell yeah! Both Mihawk and Zoro were finally coming to their senses! Everyone else had been able to tell they were father and son for ages, it was about time those two admitted it. God, Shanks just loved them both so much. Both of his boys deserved nothing but comfort and happiness. He was so proud of them! Of course there was still a lot of work to do, Zoro probably hadn’t even realized what he had revealed, but Shanks would guide them through this.

“I have to say, your drawing skills really have not improved in the past five years.”

Shanks shook his head when he was pulled out of his thoughts and stepped up next to Mihawk, who was mustering the drawing on the fridge again. “It’s beautiful, right? But when have you seen my amazing Art before?”

“You left a note in the kitchen. Just a few weeks before we ended it.”

Shanks frowned. That sounded like something he would do, but he couldn’t remember.

Mihawk took out his wallet and began digging through it. “Here,” he said, pulling out a small, folded piece of paper and handing it to Shanks. ‘Dinner tonight?’, was scribbled on it, next to a messy drawing of Shanks and Mihawk with a plate of pasta between them.

“Oh,” Shanks chuckled. “You kept that? All this time?”

Mihawk gave him a startled look. “Shanks, I thought I would never see you again. Your T-shirt, this drawing, the pen you left on top of the drawer… I kept everything you didn’t take away from me. Every scrap I could find.”

Shanks barely suppressed a sob as he reached out for Mihawk and forcefully pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Oh darling…”

“It’s okay that you didn’t,” Mihawk whispered. “I know it’s… weird. I just-”

“Baby, I-”

“You were just gone,” Mihawk cut him off, clinging closer to Shanks. “You were just gone. Forever. Like- Like you had never been there. Like it wasn’t even real. I- I needed proof that someone- that you-” His breathing was picking up. “It wasn’t love, but- but-”

“Yasopp took it all,” Shanks explained, desperate to make Mihawk understand. “I only had some tickets from a movie we watched together, but there was also all that ‘Hawkeyes’ stuff I got to tease you with. He made me put it into a box and put it in his basement. I couldn’t let you go either.”

Mihawk chuckled and started petting his hair. “This time around you can have whatever you want.”

“I’m gonna steal all your scarves.”

“Scarves?”

“I always thought you looked so good in a scarf,” Shanks sighed and rubbed his nose against Mihawk’s cheek, causing the man to shiver a bit. He pulled back just enough to press their lips together. For a moment they both just stood there, but when Shanks gently bit Mihawk’s bottom lip, his boyfriend slid a hand into his hair, gripping it the perfect way and-

“Whoa! In the kitchen, Treasure?! Seriously?”

They jumped apart, both staring at Rayleigh in panic.

“Dad! I thought you and Papa were getting the photo album from the basement!”, Shanks said accusingly.

“He’s looking for it,” Rayleigh shrugged.

“I- We weren’t- This is not-”, Mihawk stuttered. Shanks threw a quick look at him, noticing how pale his boyfriend had gotten.

“Oh, don’t worry, Mihawk,” Rayleigh waved him off. “I have caught Shanks doing much, much worse things.”

“Dad!”, Shanks whined. “Don’t tell him that!” He spun around and faced Mihawk. “Babe, I promise, I only do bad things to you.”

“Oh my god, my son is an idiot,” Rayleigh sighed.

“At times, yes,” Mihawk nodded.

“But your idiot, right?”, Shanks asked.

“I suppose.”

……

Perona decided to go check on Mihawk when the boys went upstairs. She really hoped Shanks had understood the assignment for today and guarded the man as much as possible. Mihawk really didn’t need any more stress in his life.

When she entered the kitchen, the four men were all sitting at the table, looking at a book in Roger’s hand.

“Ah, Perona, my girl, perfect timing!”, Mihawk said cheerfully.

“No!”, Shanks groaned. “Please just leave.”

“That’s not very cute of you,” she responded and crossed her arms.

“Akagami, how dare you,” Mihawk scolded him.

“Treasure! How could you?”, Roger asked scandalized.

“I apologize for my insolent son,” Ray added. “Please, have a seat.”

“Perona, please,” Shanks sighed. “Leave me with just a smidge of dignity.”

Perona sat down next to Mihawk. “So, what are we looking at?”

“Middle school pictures!”, Roger said cheerfully. “Look how adorable my boy was!”

Shanks let out a pitiful groan and let his head slam into the table.

……

Zoro was sitting cross-legged on the floor, digging through a box of lego. After playing in the backyard for a bit, Luff had dragged him upstairs to show him some toys. Technically the room was Roger’s office, but with the bed in the corner and all the toys and comic books around, it was clear it was mostly Luffy’s room now. The boy had run downstairs to look for a toy car he wanted to show Zoro.

He looked up when there was a knock on the door. “Yes?”

Shanks and his father stepped into the room.

“Hey,” Roger said. “We just wanted to tell you that lunch is ready to be served.”

“Oh, okay, I…”, he trailed off, mustering the man carefully. That sweatshirt… He hadn’t worn it before. The color, the band logo, it- No, it couldn’t be, there was no way-

“T-That stain,” Zoro whispered, his eyes fixed on the sleeve.

“What?”, Roger asked confused and lifted his hand to inspect the spot. “Huh, I’ve never even noticed that. Looks like bleach. Probably happened when I cleaned the counter or-”

“No,” Zoro cut him off, his own voice sounding very, very far away to his own ears. “Chopper spilled his juice. Cranberry, all over the counter. It left a stain and Jeff had to use bleach to get it out.”

“Oh fuck,” Shanks said suddenly. “Papa, go downstairs and-”

“No!”, Zoro yelled and jumped to his feet. “No, Luffy is down there!”

Chapter Text

“If you touch him I will fucking kill you!”

Mihawk was running up the stairs before the words had even fully registered in his brain. It had been a while since he had heard his boy sound so afraid.

“Zoro, it’s okay, no one will get hurt.”

He followed Shanks’ voice to the open door at the end of the hallway. Roger was closest to him, standing in the doorway, but not leaving the room. Shanks was standing in front of him, his hand held out in front of him, facing Zoro. And Zoro… Oh no, his poor boy was pale as a ghost, his panicked breathing making his shoulders tremble.

“Help me!”, he called out the moment he laid eyes on Mihawk.

“I’m here,” Mihawk assured him calmly as he stepped up next to Shanks. “I’m here, Zoro. Everything is okay.”

“No! No, it’s not,” Zoro gasped out, his hand clutching at his own chest. “Help- Help me!”

Oh dear, the boy was barely even seeing him, his glassy eyes blankly staring ahead. Whatever was going on in his head must have been terrifying and was completely consuming him.

“Alright,” Mihawk nodded, quickly switching gears. A simple ‘It’s okay.’ would not work in this case. “Alright, I am on your side. What are you afraid of?”

Zoro’s eyes snapped from Mihawk to something behind him. Ah, of course.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Mihawk reassured him. “He’ll leave now and-”

“No!”, Zoro yelled, taking a step closer, his fists shaking. “No, don’t let him get to Luffy!”

Ah. Mihawk was not sure why Zoro was viewing Roger as a threat all of a sudden, but it made sense he would be desperate to protect his friend.

“Of course not,” Mihawk agreed casually. “Shanks?”

“I will get him out of the house,” the man promised. “You know I would never let anything happen to Luffs, right?”

Zoro looked conflicted for a moment, but then nodded. “He can’t touch him. Shanks, you can’t let him-”

“Of course,” Shanks assured him. “I’ll make him leave, okay?”

“Y-Yes. He- He needs to go,” Zoro forced out.

Mihawk barely turned his head when Shanks gripped Roger’s arm who willingly went with him. He was so glad the man had not moved or tried to defend himself. Any confrontation with him could have made Zoro panic even more.

“Zoro?”

“M-M-Mihawk, help,” the boy gasped, clutching his chest again.

“Alright, my boy, listen to my voice and nothing else. Breathe in… hold… out. In, hold, out.”

Zoro was barely able to follow his instructions, but he managed to regulate his breathing just the slightest bit.

“Good job,” Mihawk hummed. “You are doing such a good job. Everything will be okay, I am here.”

Zoro stumbled back until his back hit the wall. He slid down, pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

“He’ll hurt him. He’ll hurt him, I have to stop him, I have to-”

“He’s gone. Shanks took him away and Luffy is safe.”

The words seemed to barely register with the teen, who was beginning to claw at his arms now, Mihawk wanted to stop him so desperately, but if he used any kind of force now, Zoro would lose all feeling of safety.

“He’ll hurt him,” Zoro repeated, his breath still coming out in desperate gasps. “He’ll touch him.”

Touch…? Oh. Mihawk felt like throwing up. He had no idea how those fears had been triggered and he dreaded finding out.

“Chopper is safe,” he said calmly. It was a shot in the dark, but Mihawk was beginning to suspect that the ‘he’ Zoro was worried about was not just Luffy.

Zoro was still grabbing his own arms tightly and hyperventilating, but now Mihawk had his full attention.

“He lives with Kureha now, remember? Chopper lives with her and you live with me. No one can hurt either of you.”

“O-Okay.”

……

Rayleigh was leaning over Perona’s shoulder as the girl flipped through pictures of her best creations.

“These outfits are great,” he nodded. “I am sure one day you will-”

Suddenly the door flew open, revealing an angry-looking Shanks, dragging a pale-faced Roger behind him.

“Perona, prepare a bowl with ice cubes,” he ordered sharply, making the girl flinch and immediately get up.

“Ray, with me.”

Rayleigh followed his son to the garden.

“Don’t come back inside and don’t go near Luffy, I will update as soon as possible.”

Then the door was slammed into his and Roger’s face.

“Erm… okay?”, Rayleigh nodded and then turned to Roger. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Zoro is having a panic attack,” his partner answered flatly.

“Yeah, I figured,” Rayleigh shrugged. Shanks’ concern and the request for a bowl of ice were pretty good indicators.

“Because of me.”

“I figured out that part too. I’m guessing that’s why we just got kicked out of the house?”

“I- I- I don’t know what happened. He- he thinks I’ll hurt Luffy.”

“You know this isn’t your fault, right?”, Rayleigh sighed and stepped closer to his partner. “You would never hurt a child.”

“But-”

“Do you think I would hurt our children? Do you think I am a bad father?”

Roger gave him a startled look. “What? No, of course not!”

“And yet Buggy still flinches away from me when he gets scared.”

The man mustered him for a while before his shoulders dropped and he let out a deep sigh. “You are right. Of course you are right. I just- God, that poor kid!”

“I know,” Rayleigh sighed and rubbed Roger’s shoulder lightly. “But he will be fine. Shanks knows how to handle this and he trusts Mihawk.”

Roger made a wounded noise but didn’t argue. Then, all of a sudden, he tensed up and began struggling out of his sweatshirt.

“You are going to get cold,” Rayleigh pointed out.

“I don’t care,” Roger huffed. “I’ll probably burn this thing.”

……

When Shanks returned to the room, Zoro was sitting against the wall, tears streaming down his face and sobs wracking his body. Mihawk was sitting across from him, gently repeating reassurances.

“Here,” Shanks said as he sat down next to them and slid the bowl of ice cubes over to the boy. “Here, take one in your hands.”

Zoro followed the order, but his hands were shaking so hard it took a few tries to pick up a cube without immediately dropping it. He pulled his hands back to his chest, another violent sob wracking his body.

“Good job,” Shanks praised quietly. “Focus on the cold.”

“I don’t want to f-feel like t-this!”, Zoro cried, curling in on himself even more. “I want it t-to stop!”

“Would you like me to hold you?”, Mihawk asked carefully.

“No! Don’t touch me!”, Zoro gasped. “No, no, no-”

“Okay!”, Mihawk quickly cut him off. “No one will touch you, okay? Just focus on your breathing.”

After a minute or so Zoro’s breathing stabilized enough for Shanks not to worry about him passing out anymore. God, he hated this so much. His poor boy was suffering and he couldn’t stop it. All he could do was sit next to him and wait.

“Zoro?”

Oh crab.

“Luffy, go back downstairs and-”

“No! Zoro needs me!”

Shanks turned back around to the crying teen who had straightened up at the sound of Luffy’s voice.

“C-Captain?”

“Zoro, I’m here.”

It only took a split of a second after Zoro had opened his arms for Luffy to slam into him and wrap his arms and legs around his first mate.

“Zoro is going to be okay,” Luffy promised. “I will make sure my Zoro is safe.”

Chapter Text

It took almost an hour for Shanks to step outside again. Roger’s head immediately snapped up from where it had been resting on Rayleigh’s shoulder. The idiot had refused to put on the sweater again, but they also hadn’t dared to enter the house. The solution they had deemed acceptable was to sit down on the bench, so Rayleigh could wrap his arms tightly around Roger and keep him warm.

“Is he-?”

“Yes, Zoro is okay,” Shanks sighed. Their poor boy looked so exhausted. “I’m sorry for making you wait so long, I-”

“Nonsense,” Rayleigh cut his son off. “You have a family to take care of. We would be offended if we were not at the bottom of your list of priorities.”

“Thank you,” Shanks nodded. Then his eyes fell on Roger and he immediately took off his sweater and handed it to him. “Where the fuck did you get that cursed sweatshirt?”

“Yard sell,” Roger said quietly. “Not anywhere around here though.”

“Get rid of anything you got there,” Shanks said bitterly. “I never want to see that dammed thing again.”

“Of course,” Roger nodded. “May I ask…?”

“Who it belonged to? A fucking pedophile, that’s who.”

Rayleigh gripped Roger’s arm tightly as a shudder went through him. “I need to take a shower…”

“Only reason the bastard never laid hands on Zoro is because he was to old and muscular for him,” Shanks spat. Just like with his job, in front of the children he always kept it together, but in private he raged about all the assholes in the world who dared to target the most vulnerable.

Shanks’ expression darkened even more. “Luffs wouldn’t have been too old.”

Rayleigh felt sick. “Do we need to-”

“Take care of him?”, Shanks guessed. “In prison right now. And not around here, so you probably don’t have any contacts.”

“Right,” Roger sighed. “So, how is the kid doing?”

“He had a severe panic attack. Mihawk and I managed to help him stabilize his breathing, but he only accepts physical comfort from Luffy, probably because he is a kid,” Shanks explained. “He’s pretty shaken up, but aware of his surroundings and not in an active state of fear, so you guys can come back in.”

“Are you sure?”, Roger asked concerned. “If it would help, I could just spend a few hours at a cafe or something.”

“Thanks, Papa, but that is a terrible idea,” Shanks grimaced. “Knowing my boy, he probably already feels guilty enough.”

“Guilty?”, Rayleigh asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

“He knows how nervous Mihawk was about this,” Shanks shrugged. “And I think he really wanted you guys to like him.”

“We do!”, Roger said, looking like a kicked puppy. “Well… I didn’t really get to talk to him, but Ray says he’s a good kid and obviously I am going to love your kid!”

“I know,” Shanks smiled. “If you were anyone else I would ask you to be patient, but knowing you, that is not even necessary.”

Rayleigh felt a bit lighter at those words. Roger had always struggled with the slow process of healing. If it was possible, he’d just invent time travel and get all the kids out of danger before they could be so severely traumatized. Hopefully the reassurance that their son trusted them would put his partner’s mind at ease.

“What’s the plan now?”

“Zoro and Mihawk are still upstairs. I think we are just going to play it by ear. Luffs is in the living room and…”, he trailed off and gave them a conflicted look. “Perona agreed to keep an eye on him. I can’t leave you alone with him right now, I’m sorry.”

“We understand,” Roger sighed. “It’s all good, we just want Zoro to feel safe.”

……

“Hey,” Shanks said quietly as he entered the room. Zoro was wrapped up in a blanket, building some kind of green Lego dragon with large wings, while Mihawk was reading to him. Considering that it was a textbook on business planning, Shanks was pretty sure the boy wasn’t listening, but his guardian’s voice seemed to comfort him.

“I got you some food.”

Zoro mustered the plate in surprise. “Onigiri?”

“Roger and Ray made sure to have some in the house for you,” Shanks explained and sat down next to Mihawk, who immediately put a hand on his leg.

“O-Oh… They are pretty nice, aren’t they?”

“Well… They are my parents, I think I can’t really be impartial,” Shanks shrugged.

Zoro nodded and his eyes shifted to Mihawk. “I like them,” the man admitted. “They did not ask any awkward questions and told me a lot of funny stories about Shanks.”

“Oh,” Zoro nodded. “If this hadn’t happened, I think lunch could have been fun.”

“We got time,” Mihawk said calmly. “Shanks is not getting rid of us any time soon.”

That one got a small smirk from the exhausted boy. “Yeah… We gonna stay with him.”

“Absolutely,” Shanks agreed and took Mihawk’s hand.

They just sat in quiet for a few moments, until Zoro spoke up again. “I… I think I want to talk to Principal Silvers, but… I- I don’t want-”

“You don’t want to be alone with Ray?”, Shanks guessed.

Zoro nodded and wrapped his arms around himself. Oh god, he looked so small under that blanket.

“I could put in my earbuds,” he offered. “You can say whatever you want to him, complete privacy, but I won’t take my eyes off of you.”

“Okay,” Zoro nodded. “But later, I need to finish the dragon first.”

……

Roger was sitting on the couch, Luffy on his lap while they were playing a video game. His grandson was almost shaking from all the sugar he had eaten, but today not even Rayleigh could stop Roger from spoiling the boy rotten. He just had to prove to himself that he was still capable of hanging out with a child without traumatizing them.

Of course Perona was in the room to chaperone, deeply engaged in a conversation with Ray. Apparently they had both watched the same show about fashion. It had started as a serious discussion about the designs, but had quickly turned into just gossiping about the contestens.

All heads turned when the door opened.

“Mihawk,” Roger said quickly. “Listen, I am so sorry-”

The man stopped him with a quick gesture of his hand. “Shanks filled me in. This was not your fault.”

Roger sighed and relaxed a little. “Thank you.”

“Is Zoro okay?”, Luffy asked.

“Yes, don’t worry,” Mihawk said. “We just have to be a little quiet and gentle today, okay?”

“Yeah, like when you helped me after my nightmare,” Luffy nodded.

“Yes, just like that.”

Luffy held out his arms and Mihawk quickly picked him up, as if he was a much younger child. Roger’s eyes widened at the sight. He had known they got along great, but like this, Mihawk really looked like a parent.

“Are we still going to Luffy’s football game tomorrow?”, Perona asked suddenly.

“We will see about Zoro,” Mihawk sighed. And sat Luffy down so he could return to his video game. “Would you mind-”

“Yeah, yeah, I will stay home with him if he can’t go.”

“Thank you, my dear. That is very kind of you.”

“Oh, don’t thank me yet, we will spend the entire day conspiring against you.”

“I would accept nothing less,” Mihawk smirked. “Remember to make it look like an accident or you won’t get the inheritance.”

“Do your children often plan to murder you?”, Rayleigh asked amused.

“Oh, I hope so,” Mihawk nodded. “Plotting my demise is a good way to express their creativity.”

“Huh?”, Luffy asked, who had gotten distracted halfway through the conversation. “What are we doing?”

“We are killing Mihawk and stealing all his stuff.”

“Oh, okay,” Luffy nodded. “I want his pink sweatpants.”

“Those are too big for you,” Mihawk chuckled. “We can get you your own pair.”

“Yay! Then we can match!”

“Of course, my boy,” Mihawk said and ruffled Luffy’s hair while lovingly looking down at him.

“You have my blessing,” Roger blurted out before he could stop himself.

“What?”, Mihawk asked, while Rayleigh slapped his palm against his own forehead.

“To have my son’s hand in marriage,” Roger explained. Backing down probably would have been a better choice, but he would rather be a brave man than a smart one. “Just in case you were wondering.”

“O-Oh,” Mihawk stuttered, his face turning red at an alarming speed. “I will keep that in mind.”

“For fuck’s sake, Sunshine!”, Rayleigh swore. “Don’t rush the kids, unlike you, they are still young and have enough time left.”

“It’s okay,” Mihawk said quietly. “My last engagement happened even quicker.”

Before Roger had time to even wonder what that was about, Perona let out a sharp laugh. “Oh please, Count Dracule here is so spoiled, he definitely wants Shanks to be the one to propose.”

Huh? Count? What was that about? Wait… This guy wasn’t actually… right? Then again, Shanks had also not mentioned his boyfriend’s secret identity as the world’s strongest swordsman, so maybe it wasn’t that unlikely after all…

“I am not spoiled,” Mihawk huffed. “I just have standards.”

“Right… Not spoiled at all,” Perona said sarcastically. “Hey, aren’t you wearing the shirt he bought you right now?”

“Hey, haven’t I paid for all the clothes you are wearing today?”, Mihawk shot back.

“So? I am fully admitting I am spoiled. You better not stop now, I am your problem for life.”

Roger watched with amusement as the feisty look on the man’s face turned tender. “Yes, I suppose you are.”

Perona’s eyes widened and she quickly looked away. “Oh, don’t turn this into a ‘moment’ we are supposed to be fighting.”

Yup, this kiddo was also gonna get kidnapped, Roger decided.

“What are we fighting about?”, Luffy asked.

“Making Mihawk buy us clothes,” Perona explained.

“Ah, like all of my new stuff,” the boy nodded and focused on his game again.

“That’s right,” Mihawk hummed and brushed a hand over Luffy’s hair. “I take care of you children and your father takes care of me.”

“Who takes care of Shanks, though?”, Roger teased. He was not actually worried, his son was obviously very happy in this relationship. Besides, if Mihawk actually handled all expenses to do with Luffy, Shanks owed him a small fortune already. Especially considering Ray had mentioned Luffy’s fee for Grand Line had been paid suspiciously early, at the exact same time a small additional fee for Zoro’s books had been taken care of… Shanks probably didn’t even know about that one yet…

Mihawk pouted a little. “Shanks doesn’t want to go shopping with me.”

“Oh, so he likes looking like a sewer rat?”

“Perona!”, Mihawk scolded her. “Shanks looks fine. He’s just a little… rugged.”

“I saw him use floor wax in his hair last week.”

Mihawk went a little pale. “The one I use for my hardwood floors?!”

Perona nodded.

“Oh good heavens…”

“And yet,” Perona shrugged.

“And yet I stand by my choice,” Mihawk sighed deeply.

“I can’t believe that absolute imbecile is trying to parent me,” Perona said arrogantly.

“I can’t believe he has a good influence on us.”

Wow, this was fascinating. Earlier, they had also been laughing at Shanks’ expense, but Mihawk had clearly been holding back. Not just his wit and viciousness, but also his obvious affection for Roger’s son. Seeing him so freely joke with the girl warmed Roger’s brittle old heart.

“But enough of this,” Mihawk sighed. “Rayleigh, may I ask you a favor?”

“Of course,” the man nodded immediately. “What can I do for you?”

“Zoro would like to speak to you.”

“Me?”, Ray asked surprised.

“Yes. Shanks will stay in the room, but he will not be listening.”

“I see,” Ray nodded. “Got any advice?”

“Well, if you are the man Shanks described to me, I think you will do fine,” Mihawk said. “And if not, I will just have to fight you once more.”

Chapter Text

Zoro couldn’t help but flinch when the door opened. This was so stupid, he had asked for Rayleigh to come talk to him, but that he was actually here, the situation was a little terrifying. He threw a quick glance to the corner. Shanks’ head was slightly bobbing along to the music blasting from his headphones, but he gave Zoro a quick thumbs up. Right, Shanks was here. Watching. One look from Zoro, and he’d immediately kick Rayleigh out. He had promised.

“Hey,” the man said quietly. “May I come in?”

Zoro nodded, before quickly looking down at the pieces of Lego he was playing with. Just this morning he would have died from the embarrassment of doing something so childish in front of his favorite teacher, but after causing him to get kicked out of his own house, maybe that didn’t matter anymore.

“Yes, Principal Silvers.”

“Just call me Ray.”

To his surprise, the man didn’t keep standing, but sat down on the floor next to the bed, so he was looking up at Zoro now, not the other way around.

“Principal Ray?”

“If you like,” Ray chuckled. “But Luffy just calls me that because his head keeps mixing up the words.”

“Oh. Okay, I will call you Ray.”

“Thank you.”

They sat in quiet for a moment, while Ray also picked up some Lego pieces and started building a car. Zoro watched him for a moment and then carefully reached out.

“Here,” he said, holding out a wheel. “You will need this.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Ray?”

“Yes, Zoro?”

“What did Roger say about what happened?”

Ray sat up a bit straighter. “He told me that you were having a flashback and identified him as a threat to yourself and Luffy. Shanks later explained what happened.”

“I- I promise I am not crazy!”, Zoro tried to defend himself. “I know he wouldn’t- wouldn’t do that! I- I just-”

“I know,” Ray said gently. “It’s okay. You have been through something horrible and we will not judge you for it. Trust me, Roger is so, so sorry-”

“He really doesn’t have to be,” Zoro said, feeling absolutely horrible. “I don’t want to make him sad.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that old fool, Rayleigh waved him off. “He’s always pouting about something, he will be fine.”

“Okay,” Zoro shrugged. “If you are not mad at me, you are also not mad at Mihawk for bringing me with him, right?”

Ray sighed deeply. “Listen, if you had decided to stay home it would have been okay, but we were really hoping you’d come.”

“Really?”, Zoro asked surprised. “Me?”

“Of course,” Ray nodded encouragingly. “Roger was really excited about meeting you.”

“Oh…”, Zoro said, quickly looking down when his eyes began to sting. Now that he had made sure Mihawk would be okay, he could ask the question that was burning in the back of his mind. “Do you think… If I get better and I am not such a mess anymore, do you think he will give me a second chance? Do you think he could like me?”

Instead of the pity and gentle letdown he had been fearing, Ray let out a sharp, startled laugh. “Ha! My Roger? Maybe, eventually liking you? Listen, we have been trying to hide it from you so you don’t get freaked out, but that man is a maniac. A madman. A danger to society. If you don’t run quickly enough, he will kidnap you and put you in the basement so he can hang out with you every day and we can all be best friends,” he explained.

“O-Oh,” Zoro stuttered, not really comprehending what he was being told. All his life he had been pushed away and ignored. The constant instance that these adults wanted children around didn’t make a lot of sense to him. “I still want to go home with Mihawk and being locked in the basement wasn’t very fun last time, but if it is okay with you, I would like to come back here,” he shrugged.

“Of course we want you to come over again,” Rayleigh assured him. “Trust me, you’ve got the far easier job here. You can’t really mess up being a kid, but there are a lot of things grandparents can do wrong.”

Zoro’s head snapped up and he dropped his Lego pieces. “Grandparents?”

“In due time, if you want,” Ray said casually. “We would never want to put any pressure on you, that position just seems to make sense considering our son is your… Whatever you wanna call Shanks.”

“I- Shanks and I just hang out sometimes, that’s all!”, Zoro defended himself. He threw a quick look at the corner, but the man in question clearly hadn’t heard any of the super embarrassing things Rayleigh had said.

“Right,” Ray smirked. “You just hang out, go on fishing trips, he reads you bedtime stories...”

“He told you about that?!”, Zoro gasped, glaring at the man in the corner.

“Huh?”, Shanks asked, pulling out one of his earbuds. “Zoro, do you need me?”

“No,” he said stubbornly. “I totally don’t.” Then he realized what he had said and began to panic a little. “But- But don’t go!”

“Of course not,” Shanks reassured him. “I actually like sitting here, so I am just going to put my earbud back in and stay here, but totally not because you need me or anything,” he said with a wink.

Zoro pouted and went back to his Legos. He briefly wondered if he would run out of time and Rayleigh would just walk out, but when he looked up to check the man seemed busy with his car.

“It’s just so confusing,” Zoro whispered after a few minutes.

Rayleigh made an acknowledging hum, but didn’t push.

“I never had anyone to take care of me, it doesn’t make sense that Mihawk and Shanks both want me.”

“Well, take your time. Shanks is not going anywhere, and if he tries to escape, Mihawk has my permission to break his legs.”

“Oh, I see why Mihawk likes you,” Zoro grinned. “Is it not weird for you? That your son is suddenly bringing home a kid?”

“A lot less shocking the second time,” Rayleigh shrugged. “When Roger told me we were going to get more grandchildren, I thought Shanks had gotten someone pregnant again.”

Zoro let out a startled laugh. “Oh… No, not that. Just… Just me.”

“And we are very happy you are here.”

Zoro flushed and looked down at his hands again. Why did everything have to be so embarrassing today?

“What-” He had to stop himself and take a deep breath. “What is it like? Having grandparents?”

“That’s a good question,” Rayleigh said. “It can mean a lot of things, but at our house… At our house, it means me cooking up a roast for the whole family whenever you come over. It means building a blanket fort in the living room and hiding inside while Roger sneaks you candy, even though Mihawk and Shanks said no sweets before dinner. It means hearing silly stories about Shanks and playing pranks on him and Mihawk.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” Zoro whispered. “And you are not upset with us?”

“Us?”

“Mihawk, Perona and me. For taking Shanks away.”

“Erm… I am pretty sure he is right over there?”, Ray said and turned to the corner. Shanks gave them a small wave. It was nice to know his attention had not wavered and he was still watching and making sure Zoro was safe.

“He said he has been over less the past two months,” Zoro said, unable to look at Ray, his face burning with shame. “That’s because of us, right? I take up so much of his time. The fishing trip, when he took us to the aquarium two weeks ago, when he teaches me different card games…”

“And you think that might upset me?”

Zoro nodded. “Shanks is so nice, it makes sense that everyone wants to hang out with him. I- I am nothing special, it’s not fair that I get to have so much of him. I don’t deserve that.”

Why was he saying all of this? He didn’t want to see Shanks less. Maybe… maybe he was so scared of Rayleigh telling him he was too needy and worthless to get to hang out with his son, he wanted to take the opportunity away from the man.

“Oh dear…”, Ray sighed. “Zoro, you deserve every bit of attention Shanks is giving you. Every child is entitled to have people to take care of them, and Mihawk and Shanks are your people. And you get to ask for that. You get to ask them to be there for you, and should you ever feel like there is anything missing, you tell them, okay?”

Wow. Zoro had never considered Mihawk and Shanks in this way. What a strange thought. Not only that he was allowed to have them, but that he had a right to. That he didn’t just deserve the love and attention they were giving him, but that it was his to claim. He turned to the corner of the room, carefully mustering Shanks, who was staring back with a concerned look on his face. He had probably noticed the mood and wanted to know what was going on. Zoro gave him a small smile and a wave.

“The thing is,” Ray continued, “Of course we want Shanks to come over as much as possible, but despite what Roger will tell you, he is not a little boy anymore. He is a man. And a real man takes care of his family.”

“That’s what a man does?”, Zoro wondered. “Sensei always said if I ever wanted to be a man I had to train harder and stop crying like a girl when he hit me.”

The look on Ray’s face was terrifying. “Then he is not a man, he is a pathetic worm.”

“O-Oh, right,” Zoro stuttered. It was still strange to him how angry everyone got on his behalf. “A-And Jeff used to say ‘Oh, you think you are a man now?’ when I talked back to him.”

“Listen, Zoro,” Rayleigh sighed. “Being a man doesn’t mean being physically strong, hiding your feelings or controlling the people around you. A real man is protective, nurturing and takes care of the responsibilities he takes on.”

Zoro frowned. He had long decided he would not be a man like Sensei or Jeff, but had everything he had been taught really been so completely wrong? Then how was he supposed to be? He had decided to be kind like Mihawk a while ago, but what else was there?

He glanced to the corner, smiling a little when Shanks made a silly face and wiggled his eyebrows. Huh. Shanks always made him feel less awkward. So maybe Zoro could be a little silly. Ray had said not to hide his emotions. Zoro thought about the way Luffy always hugged him extra tight and never held back. So maybe Zoro could be free like his brother. Maybe figuring out how to be a man wasn’t so difficult with those guys around.

“I think I know how to do that,” he nodded confidently. “I know who to follow.”

Rayleigh followed his gaze towards Shanks and nodded. “Good choice. My boy definitely knows how to behave. If he had shown up here, telling us he had promised a sweet swordmaster and his child to take care of them and then bailed on them to see us? He’d not be in possession of his head anymore.”

He turned towards Shanks and slowly, but very intentionally dragged his thumb along his throat. Shanks threw his hand up in offense, probably not understanding why he was suddenly getting threatened.

Zoro giggled, causing Shanks to immediately relax and smile back.

“Besides,” Ray continued, “Shanks is allowed to wander off a bit if he spends his time hunting down new grandchildren for Roger and me to dote on.”

Zoro blushed a little. “Oh right… The kidnapping plans.”

“To be fair, that has always been the way we used to extend our family,” Ray shrugged. “Shanks, Buggy, Luffy… No child that comes too close is safe.”

Zorro smiled shyly. It was so weird to have such a casual, personal conversation with his principal. “And I got too close?”

Ray gave him a condescending look. “My dear boy, Shanks took you on a fishing trip. There is no coming back from the fishing trip.”

“No coming back…”, Zoro repeated slowly. He liked that. Having something permanent for once was nice. “Okay. So… It’s a little late now, but could we still have lunch together?”

“Of course,” Ray agreed immediately. “I’ll go and get everything ready.”

Chapter Text

While Luffy and Perona seemed engrossed in the card game they were playing, both Roger and Mihawk abruptly stood up when Rayleigh stepped into the living room and followed him to the kitchen.

He locked eyes with Mihawk and slightly shook his head. “Oh my god, how do you survive this?”

“Excuse me?”

“He is so sweet and so tragic…”, Rayleigh sighed. Of course he knew not to randomly touch traumatized children, but it had been so difficult not to pull that small, innocent boy into his arms. “I could barely take it. Those sad eyes…”

Roger made a wounded noise, probably still feeling guilty for making the poor kid upset.

“Is my boy okay?”, Mihawk asked sharply, clearly fed up with their antics.

“Yes,” Rayleigh quickly reassured him. “Actually, he would like to have lunch soon.”

“Oh, I can put something together and you can take it up-”

“No, Darling,” Rayleigh gently cut Roger off. “Zoro would like to come down and eat with us.”

“Really?”, Mihawk asked, mirroring the happy smile on Roger’s face. “Your talk must have gone quite well then.”

“It was mostly like you predicted…”, Rayleigh sighed. “I did my best to make him feel welcome, but… Maybe I shouldn’t have said we want to kidnap and put him in the basement…”

“You what?!”

Ah, so this was how he was going to die. Strangled to death by the world’s strongest swordsman. A rather glorious fate.

“Shanks briefly filled us in about his past, but he didn’t really mention that detail. And Zoro didn’t seem too upset about that joke,” he tried to defend himself.

“I can’t believe- Aren’t you people supposed to be good with traumatized minors?!”, Mihawk groaned, throwing his hands up in anger. “What is Shanks good for if I can’t use him as a therapeutic network for my children?”

“Erm… Personal fulfillment, a stable relationship…”, Roger offered, but trailed off when Mihawk gave him an unimpressed look.

“Don’t worry, you can use our son to parent yours,” Rayleigh chuckled. “Zoro was actually very concerned about that.”

“About Shanks?”, Mihawk frowned. “He loves having him around.”

“Yes, he does,” Rayleigh nodded. He couldn’t help but be proud of his boy. Both their sons had grown into good men. “But many people do, including us, and lately Shanks has been over less.”

Mihawk took a moment to react, but then his eyes widened and he looked between Roger and Rayleigh. “Oh. I- Well, my own parents have always preferred to not have me around, I suppose it has slipped my mind how… different Shanks relationship to you is.”

Rayleigh felt a little sick. Roger had mentioned something about unsupportive parents, but ‘always’? The blunt, madder-of-fact way Mihawk was speaking about the neglect he must have lived through was rather upsetting. A quick look at Roger told him they both had made the same decision. This one was also not escaping the kidnapping.

“I apologize if Shanks’ role in my family has in any way affected-”

“If that boy ever abandons his children I will behead him immediately,” Roger cut off the useless apology.

“Oh, Sunshine, I said the exact same thing!”, Rayleigh said, smiling at his partner lovingly. Being so in tune with Roger just warmed his heart.

“Listen,” he said firmly, giving Mihawk a serious look. “Shanks’ number one priority is you and the kids, and there is nothing that could make us happier. However, if, and only if, it is okay with Zoro, we would love to see you guys as often as you can manage. I kinda promised the boy some quality time with his grandpas.”

……

“Sensei?”

Mihawk’s heart shattered. How on earth had they gone from ‘Papa’ back to ‘Sensei’ in just a few hours?

“Hello, Zoro,” he said gently.

While his poor heart was still in pieces, the sighed in front of him was gluing it back together. Shanks was still sitting in the corner, but now Zoro was leaning against him and drawing wonky shapes and pictures onto his arm. God, Mihawk was so proud. Of course Shanks would have been kind to Zoro either way, but it was an undeniable fact that those two had gotten so close, because Shanks was over so much because of Mihawk. Because he had locked him down. Because he had found himself a good man to take care of his children.

“What did Roger and Ray say about lunch?”, Shanks checked.

“Should be done in about ten minutes.”

“Mihawk, can you help me coloring?”

He smiled at the obvious setup. It was clear Zoro just wanted him to sit down with them and use the excuse to cuddle up to him, and Mihawk would gladly allow him to do so.

……

Zoro hesitantly walked down the stairs, tightly holding onto Shanks’ hand. Maybe he should feel more embarrassed about it, but after what Ray had said, he was a bit more confident. If even Shanks’ parents were okay with this, then Zoro would take advantage of the situation and hide behind the big, strong man who had vowed to protect him.

When they entered the kitchen, he lifted his eyes very, very slowly and looked at the man sitting at the table. He had worried his breathing would sped up again or he couldn’t tell who was in front of him, but no images of Jeff and his twisted smile flashed through his mind.

“Hi,” he said shily.

“Hello,” Roger nodded at him. “I hope you like chicken and gravy?”

“I do,” Zoro smiled. “Thanks.”

“Oh, actually Ray is the one who-”

“Y-Yeah, I know,” Zoro stuttered. “But… Shanks always cheers me up, and he says he got that from you, so… thanks.”

“Oh…”, Roger said slowly and turned to Shanks. “Oh! Oh, Treasure, I am so proud of you!”

“Treasure?”, Zoro asked curiously. “Why do you call him that?”

“Has no one told you how we found him?!”, Roger gasped. “Sit down kiddo, I have a lot of stories to share!”

……

“Huh, this is going surprisingly well,” Perona whispered as she stepped up next to Mihawk.

“Indeed,” he nodded, his eyes still carefully watching Zoro, who was now also engaging in the shared joy of making fun of Shanks. Mihawk smirked, knowing very well the redhead had no choice but to endure his father’s embarrassing childhood stories, as Zoro was still tightly holding onto his hand.

“What about you, my dear?”, he asked, a stab of guilt making his heart clench. “This day must be so overwhelming for you as well, and I have left you to fend for yourself for far too long. I would like to apologize for-”

“Oh, shut up!”, Perona cut him off and lightly slapped his arm. “I can take care of myself, and I know you’d come running if I needed you, you insufferable mother hen.”

His lips twitched as he tried to hold back a grin. “Good. Regardless, I think sticking together would be a wise choice. The percentage of sane people in this family is rapidly going down.”

“Oh, and you count yourself among them?”, Perona teased.

“Huh? Surely you are not comparing me to the likes of Shanks?”

“Crocodile tells childhood stories about you too, you know…”

“Ah, fuck.”

Chapter Text

Alright, everyone got their seatbelts on?”, Shanks asked, turning around to check on the kids.

“Yes, Dad!”, Luffy grinned, while Zoro just gave him a thumbs up.

“I do,” Perona smirked. “Now be a good chauffeur and drive me home.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with an eye roll and turned to Mihawk. “You let Crocodile ruin that sweet girl.”

“You mean the perfect young lady without flaws?”, the man asked, crossing his arms. “Or are you saying my girl is not perfect?”

“All of our kids are great,” Shanks chuckled and leaned over to kiss his Babyboy’s cheek. “Stop complaining, you are just being difficult because you are bored.”

“Obviously,” Mihawk grinned. “Now drive me home and stop telling me what to do, chauffeur.”

“Hmpf,” Shanks huffed and also put on his seatbelt. “I was planning on going through a drive-through and getting some milkshakes for all of us, but now I changed my mind.”

“What?!”, Perona gasped. “Not cute!”

“But Daaaad,” Luffy whined.

“So you are saying you don’t want me anymore?”, Mihawk gasped, dramatically clutching his own chest. “You never even liked me? You are abandoning this family and running away to live a lonely, sad bachelor life? Is that what you want Akagami?”

“Jesus Christ,” Shanks chuckled. “You are so lucky you are pretty, because your persuasion skills are subpar.”

“Betrayal!”

“Well, Hawky, you-

“Erm, Shanks?”

He immediately shut up and turned around to that shy, timid little voice. “Yes, Zoro?”

“Can we please go get milkshakes?”, Zoro asked, nervously rubbing his hands. “This day was kinda hard, so…”

“Of course, Sweetheart,” Shanks said gently and reached back so he could give the boy’s clammy fingers a quick squeeze. “Whatever you want.”

When he started the car, a quick look in the mirror made him smirk. Instead of rubbing his own hands, Zoro was now playing with one of Luffy’s. God, his kiddos were so damn adorable!

……

“And you are sure this is a good idea?”, Mihawk asked again. He knew he was probably acting like a fool, but he couldn’t help it! This entire situation could go sideways so quickly.

“I’ll be here if you need me, but I know you will do just fine,” Shanks said and reassuringly rubbed his shoulder.

“Fine, fine! I will do it now,” Mihawk sighed and lifted his fist to knock on the door he had been staring at for over ten minutes.

“Yes?”

“Hey,” he said gently as he slightly opened the door. “May I come in?”

“Sure,” Zoro nodded and sat up in his bed. “What’s up?”

Mihawk gathered all his courage and stepped into the room. “There is something I would like to discuss with you.”

“Is everything okay?”, Zoro asked with a deep frown.

“Yes, of course, please do not be alarmed,” Mihawk reassured him and sat down on the bed. “It’s about something you said a few days ago.”

“Huh? What…”, Zoro trailed off, the expression on his face becoming blank as he defensively crossed his arms. “At Roger and Ray’s place.”

“Yes.”

The teen looked away, his jaw visibly clenching up. “Who did I hurt?”

“Zoro, no, this is not-”

“I don’t want to be like that,” the boy said sadly. “I don’t want to be like they made me. So- So harsh and angry. I-I just-”

“Zoro, please listen,” Mihawk sighed. “No one blames you for what happened. You did nothing wrong.”

“But I said something terrible to Roger, didn’t I?”, Zoro mumbled.

“No, not to him, to Jeff,” Mihawk shrugged. “You were not really seeing Roger in that moment, and he understands that.”

“Okay,” Zoro said quietly. “Then what did you want to talk about?”

Mihawk shook his head. “Maybe now is not the right time.”

Zoro frowned. “No, please tell me.”

“Fine,” Mihawk sighed. This was probably going to go wrong in some way, but he would have to finish what he started. “It’s about what you said when you came in to get some juice.”

“Huh?”

“You were bickering with Shanks. He told you his Papa was on his side, and you, well…”

“Did I say something rude?”

“No,” Mihawk said stiffly. “You simply pointed out that your Papa has your back as well.”

……

Oh. His Papa. Had Zoro said that? He definitely had been thinking about it. With both Luffy and Shanks throwing all those tiles around, his brain couldn’t help but fill in the blanks. It just made sense to him, but… Those words did not belong to him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, not sure how to put into words what he was feeling. It was all so… humiliating. Not just for him, but for Mihawk too.

“My boy, you really don’t have to-”

“Can- Can you just listen?”, Zoro sighed, just wanting this whole thing to be over. “I am not delusional. I- I know who I am. I know you are not-”, he cut himself off, his chest becoming tighter and tighter. “I am not delusional. It’s just… Every time I thought about what it would be like to have a family, to have parents, I… I thought about how they would take care of me. Tell me they love me. Hug me before school. Read me a bedtime story. And- and want me.”

Oh god, when had he started crying? No sobbing, no shaking, just a few hot tears running down his face and dripping off his chin.

“So you know?”, Mihawk said gently. “You know I want you here?”

Zoro nodded. “I- I do. And I’m sorry. I just got so caught up in this feeling, I- I forgot. I forgot you are not actually- I’m sorry.”

“My dear boy, please stop apologizing, I-”

“I said that in front of everyone!”, Zoro sobbed. “Shanks, Roger, Ray… I know how important meeting them was for you. Maybe no one got angry at me for freaking out, but that must have been so embarrassing for you!”

“Stop,” Mihawk said firmly, his hands reaching out for Zoro’s face and gently wiping away his tears. “I know you told me to listen, but I think it is my turn to speak now. My dear, what do you think happened after you went back outside?”

Zoro felt a little sick at the thought. The thought of Mihawk standing in front of Shanks’ parents, lifting his hands defensively and explaining that Zoro was just confused. That he was just some emotional kid, and obviously wasn’t Mihawk’s anything. Fuck, he knew it was time to just get used to it and move on already, but the idea still felt so wrong.

“I don’t know,” he lied. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Zoro…”, Mihawk said, his warm fingers still holding Zoro’s face, “I told them you are my son.”

“What?!”

“I told them you are my son,” Mihawk repeated casually. “Shouted it, if I remember correctly. I was rather caught up in emotion.”

“Y-Your son?”

“If you’d like to be.”

“Yes!”, Zoro gasped, nodding so quickly he got a bit dizzy. “Yes, please let me be your son. I promise I won’t mess up! I-”

“Zoro!”, Mihawk said firmly. Zoro had to suppress the sick urge to bow before him and beg like he had to beg his old sensei for any slither of comfort.

“Zoro, you are my son. And that will never change. Even when we fight, and get mad at each other and when you slam your door and don’t want to talk to me, you will be my son. Shanks, Roger, Ray… whoever is around will know that you belong with me. I will make sure of that.”

Before he even realized what he was doing, Zoro had lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Mihawk.

“Alright,” the swordmaster laughed and held on just as tightly. “I am glad we are on the same page.”

“Am I allowed to tell people? When they ask me who you are?”

“That would make me very proud,” Mihawk said quietly.

Proud. His father was proud of him. The feeling was so new, but Zoro instantly knew he never wanted to miss it again. His instincts were screaming at him to get his shit together, stop sobbing like a baby and figure out how to keep earning the man’s approval. But… But Mihawk was not asking for anything, was he? He was simply proud to have Zoro.

“I’d be proud too.”

Mihawk squeezed him even tighter and began rubbing his back. “What you said to me… You can use that word whenever you like. You don’t have to, but it is yours now.”

His… Zoro was not just allowed, it was his right to call Mihawk his Papa. The whole thing was blowing his mind. Forever? He could really just keep doing this forever? Mihawk wouldn’t take it away?

“T-Thanks… P-Papa,” Zoro whispered, glad his face was hidden from Mihawk’s sharp eyes.

The man took a shuddering breath. “I love you, Zoro. I love you so much.”

……

Shanks was sitting on the bed, wasting time on his phone when the door flew open.

“Babe? Did everything go-”

Before he could finish, the door slammed shut again and a heavy body collapsed on top of him.

“Shanks…”

“Yes, Sweetheart?”

“Shanks, he- he called me that word again.”

“Yeah?”, the redhead chuckled, “Are you his Papa now?”

The trembling man in his arms made a strange, choked-off noise and buried his face into Shanks’ chest. “Stop.”

“How is your son doing?”, he couldn’t help but tease.

“You’ve had Luffy for five whole years,” Mihawk groaned. “How do you deal with it?!”

“You will get used to it.”

“I think I am having a heart attack.”

“Oh, that feeling is never gonna go away,” Shanks chuckled.

“Fine,” Mihawk huffed. “At least I got the rest of my life to get used to being Roronoa Zoro’s father.”