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.”