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Zoro was seven when Sanji and his adoptive father arrived at the neighborhood. He remembers he was playing in the garden with his sister and their dog Baboon, his dad barely raised his eyes from the tomatoes he was watering.
“Dad!” Perona yelled with her characteristic annoying voice (it was annoying since they were kids) “We have new neighbors! Let’s say hi~” her teddy bear stayed on her arm but she left the ball on the floor and Baboon took it with his mouth, Zoro worried he would eat it. His father, Mihawk, stood up from his place, the pink apron covering his pristine white shirt (how he always managed to keep them clean, even when he was working in the garden? It’s something Zoro still doesn’t know).
He stared at the truck and then at the neighbors before talking to Perona.
“We should not disturb them while they are moving boxes. What do you say if instead we prepare an apple pie for them and we take it to them at night? They’ll sure like something to eat after all that work” Perona’s face brightened at the proposition and nodded.
“Yes, yes, yes, dad! Oh, oh! Can I help?” Zoro was still very much worried for Baboon and wasn’t paying attention to his sister and his dad.
“I said ‘we’, did I not?” Mihawk started to pick up his gardening tools and offered his hand to his younger son “Zoro, let’s go”
“I don’t want to get in yet” he folded his arms over his chest but his father didn’t move a single inch from his position “I want to play more” his dad was strict, and it could be noticed because Zoro didn’t have room for argument from the start “But Baboon-” he finally gave in and offered his hand to his dad.
He called their dog in a soft but commanding voice and the German shepherd immediately stopped his movements, dropped the ball and followed them.
“You already played a lot, it’s time to have something refreshing” they started to walk into the house “Don’t you think, Zoro?” trying not to pout, he nodded “You also need a shower, young mister. You’re all covered in mud”
“Do I really need to?” he whispered.
“What do you think?” his dad asked him and Zoro knew that as soon as he got in the house, he’s going to be dragged to the bathroom and forced to take a shower against his will. Protesting would only make it more painful because if his dad needed to change his clothes because he threw a tantrum, he would be in trouble.
“Fine” Baboon got in the house too and he felt betrayed because the dog wasn’t being forced to shower.
Mihawk rang the doorbell and waited. Perona was removing nervously but carefully because she was carrying the pie. Zoro was hiding behind his dad, he didn’t like strangers.
“Goodnight, may I help you?” the man who opened the door looked grumpy. He was blond, with tanned skin, contrasting with his dad’s pale skin and his dark hair. Behind him, was an equally blond boy, but his skin was paler. Perona thought it was around his brother’s age.
“Good evening. We are your next door neighbors. My name is Dracule Mihawk and these are my sons, Perona and Zoro. They wanted to say hi” Perona gave a nervous little step to the tall man and offered him the pie.
“We… We brought you a pie. You must be hungry after moving all those boxes” she offered a shy smile and the man finally relaxed and smiled too.
“What a beautiful young lady” he took the pie “Thank you so much. Eggplant, come and say hi” the blond boy walked cautiously outside the house, but stayed near the old man (it looked like it was his dad) “This is my son, Sanji. And I’m Zeff”
“Nice to meet you” Perona and Mihawk replied, but Zoro stayed silent. Sanji stared at him and frowned. It reminded him of one of his brothers, he hoped he wasn’t as mean as they were.
“Can I go play with Sanji?” Zoro was ten, he was growing pretty quick.
“Sure”
“Absolutely not” Zoro was confused. Shanks was introduced to them first as a friend of his father, but it turned out he was his romantic partner. Neither he nor his sister cared about having two dads (Zoro thought it was pretty cool because women always cried and whined like Perona), but it was problematic because they rarely agreed. “Have you seen them playing? They always fight” Shanks laughed.
“They’re kids, of course they fight” it was very intriguing the contrast between them. Shanks was red-haired with tanned skin, almost like Zoro’s (his dad told him with a fond tone that he inherited that from his deceased mother). “Let them have fun”
“I would appreciate if you did not question how I raise my children”
In an unexpected movement, Shanks hugged Mihawk rather tightly and Zoro opened his eyes, surprised.
“Run now, I’ll keep him distracted” Zoro didn’t wait for the response of his dad and ran out of the house. As he got into Sanji’s garden, he heard Mihawk starting to fight with the red-haired, who was only laughing. He decided to ignore them since Sanji was already waiting for him.
“Took you long enough, marimo” Sanji rarely called him his name, but Zoro didn’t mind at that point, having already grown fond of the moss-related nicknames “Did you get lost again?”
“My dad didn’t want me to come, he said we always fight”
“Did you run away?” Sanji sounded curious, maybe slightly concerned.
“Of course not!” Zoro didn’t look like the kind of boy who would follow the rules, but he did “Shanks let me come”
“Your dad’s boyfriend?” Zoro nodded “Must be pretty cool to have two dads, I only have one”
“What about your real dad?”
“The old man is my one and only dad” Sanji’s tone was suddenly bitter. He didn’t like his old family, nor his family liked him and he was put into an open adoption, he still had to see them twice per year. “What are we going to play today?” Sanji changed the topic, not wanting to think about the next visit of his family.
Zoro showed him a small wooden katana and a wooden knife.
“Let’s be pirates, I would be your captain and you’ll cook for me”
“I don’t want to cook for you, asshole!” just a second later, the sandal from his dad flew right through the door and hit him on the back of his head. “Why?!”
“Language, damn brat!”
“You curse all the time!” Sanji complained, rubbing his head as Zoro laughed.
“I’m a grown man!”
“Your boyfriend is here!” Perona yelled as she opened the door and found Sanji, waiting for Zoro as always.
“He’s not my boyfriend, witch!” Zoro got down from the stairs to meet Sanji. As soon as they saw each other, they smiled and Perona giggled. Zoro stopped smiling and frowned at his sister. “What?”
“You’re so adorable~ Are you sure you’re not boyfriends?”
“We’re not adorable, and definitely not boyfriends, right?” Zoro growled, blushing. Sanji shaked his head, agreeing.
“What a shame, let me know when you are. I bet a month of allowance with Ace for that”
“Who the fuck is Ace?! Do you have a boyfriend?!” Sanji was still waiting, allowing the siblings to yell at each other for their inexistent romantic life (if Zoro paid more attention, he would remember that Ace is one of Shanks' nephews, they’re three brothers and they visit them from time to time).
“Don’t be ridiculous!” they were about to get involved in a fist fight, but his dad arrived. Sanji was always amazed at how terrifying Mihawk was, he only needed to glance at his sons to make them stop whatever they were doing.
“Do I need to intervene?” they shook their heads, staring at the floor. “Very well. Be sure to go back at nine, or call me to pick you up if you can’t make it on time” Zoro wanted to say he wasn’t a child anymore, he was already fifteen after all, but he only nodded “Have fun” he commented before he walked into the living room the read his newspaper.
“Enjoy your date~” Perona sang and Sanji had to hold him.
“You shouldn’t hit a lady, dumbass!” Sanji kicked him and Zoro ended up landing with his but on the floor.
“Ah?! She’s only my sister, she’s not a lady but a witch!”
“What have you just called me?!!” Perona yelled.
“You clearly heard me!” Sanji started to pull Zoro so they could leave.
“And you’re clearly afraid to say it again!”
“We’ll be leaving now, Perona-swan. I’ll take care of your brother~” he didn’t want them to start a fight again, it was really painful to watch Zoro getting hit like that.
“It’s only a date, you don’t need to freak out, idiot” even when Perona enjoys bothering his brother more often than not, she’s also being supportive “Where are you going anyway? I might be able to help you look less ugly” Zoro glares at his sister with hatress.
“He didn’t tell me” Zoro sighs, taking off another outfit from his closet. Perona thinks it’s cute to watch his brother getting all nervous for a date with his childhood crush (she was sure those two were going to end up together). She changes radically into an elder sister's mood to help his little brother.
“I think something casual would do” she fishes for a shirt in the ocean of Zoro’s clothes that his bed has become, and then for black jeans. “Green is really your color” she says to herself as she also moves half of the clothes to the floor to take out a green forest hoodie “Where are your black vans?”
“You don’t need to do this” Zoro mumbles but Perona only places the clothes on his hands.
“Go take a shower, and wear that, we’ll see what we do with your hair after that”
When Zoro gets out of the shower, his room is clean again.
“What-?”
“Dad and Shanks helped” so many years and they haven’t gotten used to calling Shanks ‘dad’ too, even when they married when Zoro turned eighteen (just two years ago, but still). “Now, come to my room, you don’t have enough products here. Oh! And Shanks said that you could use his perfume if you want” Zoro has always loved how Shanks smells.
Sanji takes Zoro to his dad’s restaurant, Zoro has never been there.
“Do you like it?” he asks, nervously. Zoro nods. “I know you’re not a picky eater as long as good booze is served” he shows him a bottle of red wine that’s on the table “I picked it myself, but the old man helped. He says it goes well with our dinner” he moves the chair so Zoro can sit.
He then pours some wine into two cups and offers one to Zoro.
“Don’t be nervous, moss head. It’s like any other of our dates, but we’re boyfriends now” he flashes Zoro with a smile and Zoro decides to sip the wine instead of answering “Is it good?”
“Decent. The company is better” Zoro finally smiles and Sanji’s smile grows wider.
“Of course, you’re dating a fucking delight” Zoro is thankful for not being drinking anything, because he would have spilled it all. He can’t help but snort.
“Whatever you say, perver-” Zoro can’t finish, because Sanji pulls him into a kiss.
“What were you saying, moss-for-brain?” Zoro doesn’t answer.
Of course Sanji is a fucking delight, but he won’t let that get to his head.