Work Text:
Shanks stifled a laugh at the photo Uta and Luffy sent him. What they were doing did not look safe, and might be breaking international laws, but still. They looked hilarious and happy, and that was all that mattered to a parents, wasn’t it?
He did laugh at loud at the video he was sent a few minutes later of them running from the cops. He texted back to focus on the running, because if they got caught he’d be leaving them in jail to give them a good lesson. Maybe show up to point and laugh at them.
“Why are we here?”
Shanks was in a corner booth, in the bar, and slouched so easily unseen by anyone in Rayleigh’s establish. It was Rayleigh’s nice bar, the classy one that Shakky generally ran. Not Shanks’s usual - he went to the Tiki bar the most, but it was getting a quick paint job. So here he was in the place that massively overcharged for hard liquor.
He respected robbing people blind.
There was a pained sigh, “we are here, because we agreed if I went to that appalling movie, we would go for a drink afterwards at a bar of my choosing. This is the one of my choosing as there are no televisions blaring sports scores at me. Those things should score the concussions and not whatever the ball being thrown around does.”
“Ugh, fine, but I want a decent whisky.”
Damn, guess the couple really didn’t agree about what movie to go to. It was a quiet night at the bar, and he should really move to give them privacy. But also he is bored and not getting any more videos from the kids, so might as well have a listen.
“When have I ever bought you less than the best of anything? A bit of gratitude would be appreciated.”
Oh damn, Shanks thought, they are in it.
“Thank you so much, Daddy.”
Shanks felt his eyes widen.
“That was entirely uncalled for. Let us try to salvage this night a bit, shall we? We haven’t been able to spend any time together recently.”
“Yeah, that ain’t my fault. I’ve been around.”
Shanks was starting to get the picture. Neglected sugar baby, the guy with the refined voice had probably been busy with work. Hard to get back on even keel when you have nothing in common but sex and money.
“I know. I am sorry that work kept me away for so long.” The guy’s voice was sincere.
“See, I’d buy that it was all work, except saw you in a lot of Perona’s social media sitting there in the background. So what the fuck, you give her all the time in the world but not me?”
Did this guy have two sugar babies? He sent a text to Beckman about overhearing a wild conversation. Beckman replied he was busy hiding Shanks’s kids from the law, and Shanks sent back a bunch of emojis to show his appreciation, thanked Uncle Beck Beck for being such a wonderful godfather.
There was no answer, which made Shanks smile a bit.
The table had gone quiet as drinks were brought to them. “You knew I’d see her. It does not lessen our relationship.” Shanks kinda had to take a leak but also no fucking way was he missing any of this conversation. “She misses you.”
Wait what the fuck, was it a threesome thing? Guy bang a couple hot young things? Damn. Good on him, Shanks bet the guy was ugly though. This was all them getting off on the guy’s money.
“Tch, whatever.” Awkward silence.
Maybe he could take a piss break.
“If she misses me, why doesn’t she call me or send me things like she does you?”
And he was back to holding it. Because the guy sounded so confused and lost.
“Probably because how you reacted when she left. She doesn’t think you would welcome it.”
“She left me to deal with you alone. Who the fuck can keep up with you by themselves?”
Hmm, flattery for the guy who paid the bills? Wondered how nice a car had been bought for the guy. And he could not hold it any longer. But plus side walk to the head he’d see one of them, walk back the other. He aimed for casual and luckily he was great at looking without looking like he was looking. And damn, he expected the young voice to be a twink, skinny, pretty, young. Young was the only correct factor, he wasn’t sure if the kid was even legal to drink. Dyed green hair, worked out and was starting down the path of getting thick. The scowl definitely not pretty, but there was a compelling aura to the kid.
He just didn’t fit the boy toy vibe at all.
Shanks could not wait for the walk back. He took the desperately needed leak, washed his hands, and stopped at the bar to order another drink. Shakky gave him a look and he just kissed her cheek. “What, I’m not working tomorrow, and you know Beckman will be picking me up once he is finished hiding my kids from the law. Look how cute they are committing international crimes.” Shanks showed her the video and she laughed, poured him a whisky.
“Rayleigh and I want all of you over for a family barbecue soon.”
“Will do, gorgeous,” he promised.
He took the drink she offered and gave her another kiss. Time to see the guy with the super cultured voice. And just as the candy wasn’t pretty, the money guy was not ugly. Fuck, he really wasn’t ugly.
He was in fact hot as fuck and hit all of Shanks’s buttons. Refined in a black suit, but no tie, shirt actually one button too much undone, well groomed funky beard, and those eyes. What the fuck were those eyes? How was the kid not blowing him in the booth? Shanks went back and sat down. The conversation had clearly continued while he was gone because it seemed they were past talking about whoever this Perona was, and the kid was now trying to convince the man to pay for a competition.
“No, you are not yet ready for that level,” was said in a firm voice.
“Fuck you, I sure as hell am.”
“That competition, Zoro, is not an honourable one. The people involved will lie, and cheat, they will aim to kill you. And they might succeed. You are used to honourable and just fights. You will not be ready for what happens there.”
“Because you haven’t made me ready.”
Now this conversation was getting really interesting. Shanks was building up stories in his head. Old guy was a coach, groomed up green hair from when he was in his early teens, seduced him. Total movie of the week shit. He texted Beckman to hold off on picking him up because he was not leaving until these guys left.
Beckman sent a photo of himself trapped under a sleeping Uta and Luffy. Which yeah, if they fell asleep on you, you weren’t moving. He’d get a cab, or Shakky would let him crash in the back room here, since Shanks didn’t actually trust strangers to drive him around.
“Are you calling into question my instruction? Interesting. And considering you cannot lay a finger on me, what makes you think you are ready for that sort of competition?”
“Because that isn’t a fair comparison, you are the fucking best in the world no one can touch you,” the kid sounded frustrated. “If I only fight you, how will I know how strong I actually am? A competition like this lets me know if I am actually good, or you just giving me bullshit flattery about getting better.”
“You have entered several competitions and won. That suggests it is not needless flattery. I am also a bit insulted that you would suggest I would do that. When have I ever been falsely kind to you?”
There was a snort. “You split me open when I was seventeen, Hawk Eye.”
Well, guess he knew now when they had started to fuck. And at least had a nickname for the hot man.
But the air grew heavy with silence after that. “Sorry,” the younger guy muttered. “It wasn’t your fault. I pushed you that day, said I was ready.”
“I could have said no. I didn’t need to make a point of you not being ready.”
“I wouldn’t have listened.”
Damn, these guys were fucking messed up.
“Where did you even here about a competition like this one? It is not exactly known in the company we keep. And now you are blushing. Isn’t that interesting?”
Hell yeah, it was interesting.
“I met a guy,” was said almost too softly for Shanks to hear. “He thinks I’m the best ever and he and I should enter as a team. We’d kick everyone’s ass. Said if we won we could go out for meat after. I can’t figure out if he means dinner or we should fuck after? Any thoughts?”
“On that, hardly.”
Smart letting your boy toy play with people his own age, so he didn’t get restless. Clearly hella open, which could be interesting for Shanks. He finished his drink and debated getting another, mainly to be able to look at them again, but Shakky had a rule that he only got one every thirty minutes and not there yet.
“I’m entering the competition.”
“I forbid it.”
“Fuck you, Hawk Eye. You think I’ll fail?”
“Yes.”
“He doesn’t. He believes in me. He met me for a couple hours and believed in me. Minutes and full faith. Be nice if you had the same.”
“Zoro, if you enter that competition, our time is done. I do not have the time for someone who will just throw their life away.”
“I’m going to be the best.”
“And you render that cheap and meaningless when you fight useless scum and pissants. That competition is just about the hunger for spilling blood. I have taught you better than that, and if this person you met thinks that is all you are, he is unworthy of you.”
“He looked at me like I mattered Hawk Eye, like I was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. When the fuck have you ever done that?” There was silence. “Oh wait, sorry, yeah, that look is always for Perona. Tch, whatever, I’m done.”
Shanks went to the bar and exchanged a glance with Shakky as the kid stormed out of the bar, he held up two fingers and she gave him a warning look. “I’m just being nice,” he said with a smile. “Neighbourly.” Sitting at booths next to each other counted as neighbours, he was sure. Two whiskys were handed to him and he slid in where the kid had been sitting. “See here is the thing with kids, they do not get how good they have it, until they run away from it.” He nudged a glass closer to Hawk Eye. “Greener grass and all that.”
“Indeed,” the guy looked frustrated and sure Shanks didn’t know him at all, but the shoulders were slumped, sadness written all over the guy. If Shanks was a good man, he’d give the guy this drink and walk away. But Shanks was a shitty man, and he might get laid tonight if he played the guy well.
“Well, cheers to adults who adult.”
“Your shirt hardly suggests you have strong adult capabilities.”
That made Shanks smile, “What can I say, I like to make a statement.”
“Is that statement that you are colorblind? Lacking all taste? Or that the shirt is so obnoxious to distract people from asking about the missing arm?”
Shanks’s smile went sharper. He did so love a clever man. “Not colour blind,” was the response he gave and he took a sip of whisky. “Cards on the table?” He had thought about being subtle, but no you didn’t play those games with this man. “That was a spectacularly shitty conversation you had with the kid.”
“Not even going to pretend you didn’t overhear it?”
“Please, you hear some of that, tell me you aren’t listening in.” That got the barest head tilt of acknowledgment. “But here is the deal. You go home, you are going to be waiting for him to come home aren’t you? Hoping to apologize.”
“Which one, he or I?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Shanks replied because it was the truth. This guy clearly had a thing for young and controllable long term, but short term, well, who knew? “But you go home, you brood. You come to my place, well I can make you forget your troubles for a few minutes.”
“How boring, a few minutes?” There was a smirk. “If you cannot promise me a couple hours, at a minimum, then what is the point of even bothering?”
“I like you,” Shanks said, “You are a bastard. Love bastards. One night stand? Forget the kid for a few hours, crawl into bed with someone who actually knows what they are doing. Go home in the morning and sort it out or not with the boy.”
“Do you know what you are doing?”
“Yeah, I do. Don’t let the shirt fool you. I only look like an idiot. I know how to do four things really well in this world. And fucking is on that list.”
Shanks met the guy’s gaze square on, let him think about the offer.
“My name is Mihawk, as you heard I prefer being called Hawk Eye.”
“Shanks. You got a car?”
“I have a driver who can be here shortly.”
“Works for me.” Shanks finished his whisky while the text was sent and he watched the man. He had great hands, long fingers, almost delicate. Once he was done the call, Shanks was curious. “Those aren’t fighter fingers.”
“Swords. I fight with a sword. Fists are for fools.”
Shanks thought of the way Luffy punched the world. “Yeah, I’ll agree with that.” He loved the kid, but he was a fool. The best fool there was.
They were quiet, clearly taking the measure of each other in the bar, as they drove to Shanks’s apartment. They were not quiet through what happened next and it was the best sleep Shanks had had in weeks.
In the morning, he was in the living room, drinking coffee and debating a quick morning fuck before he through Hawk Eye out, when the door burst open, slamming against the other side. “Morning, Luffy, not arrested I see.”
“Nope, but lots happened! I haven’t been to sleep yet. Uta decided to go to the airport, and get away? Said she had a vision, some place that she had to go to, to sing at. I dunno. Said she’ll call when she gets there.”
Shanks sighed. “Did she have any money at all?” His kids always carried documentation so they could go on the run at a moment’s notice.
“She told Uncle Beck Beck and he had one of your credit cards and told her the pin number, so I think she is good.”
Shanks was going to kill Beckman. “Well, hopefully she has fun.”
“Oh, and I got married!” Luffy bounced off the couch. “Do we have frozen waffles, I’m hungry!”
Shanks sat on his couch and tried to process what he just heard. He just stared into space and eventually Luffy was right in front of him waving a hand. “Luffy, you are seventeen, how are you old enough to get married?”
“Because sixteen is the legal age to get married. The guy who did it double checked. He cried when he married us, said we clearly were twin flame souls that belonged together.”
“I didn’t even know you were dating anyone did I?”
Luffy laughed and flopped next to Shanks. “You smell funny.”
“I had a lot of sex last night.” Shanks tilted his head, could hear the shower. “He should be leaving soon.”
“Okay,” Luffy jammed a waffle into his mouth. “We haven’t had sex yet, my husband and I. But we only got married like three hours ago and he wanted to find his dad to tell him, and that’s when I thought I should tell my Shanks!”
“Once again, I didn’t know you were dating anyone?” Luffy had never really expressed an interest in people in that sense before.
Luffy giggled and ate another waffle. A tiny corner was offered to Shanks, which was Luffy’s truest gesture of love. “I don’t date people Shanks. Dating seems stupid.”
“But you married someone. How long have you known him?”
“Uhhh like from when I first met him, or how much time we’ve spent together?” Luffy paused eating to think. “I guess I’ve known him three days? But we’ve seen each other twice, for like seven hours?”
Shanks nodded and went to the kitchen. He added two shots of brandy to his coffee and went back to the couch. “You married someone you’ve known for seven hours?”
“No! Silly Shanks, I knew him for five hours when we got married, hung out for that couple more after that. When he said he should tell his dad.”
“And you decided to tell me.” Shanks drank the whole of his mug down and went and just put more alcohol in. He drank that too. He returned to the couch. “Why?”
There was a shrug. “Why not?”
Of course that was enough for Luffy. He heard the shower turn off. “When did you last sleep?” If Luffy went to his room, it would be a lot easier to get Hawk Eye out.
“Yesterday at some point.” Luffy’s phone buzzed. “Zoro can’t find his dad, so he wants to hang with me.” Luffy texted. “He’s gonna come over.”
That name sounded almost familiar. “How about you go to your room, until he gets here?”
“Why so I don’t see your butt buddy do the walk of shame.”
“Hey,” Shanks protested, “no walk of shame after sex that was that great. But yeah, he’ll be headed out.”
“Indeed, I will be. Though I swore I heard the name Zoro?”
Luffy beamed, “Hi Shanks’s butt buddy. I’m Luffy. I got married last night to the bestest, strongest guy in the world. His name is Roronoa Zoro. We agreed to keep our own names. He is so cool and nice and he fights with swords. I heard about this competition that he and I should fight in, but he said no, that it wouldn’t be an honourable fight. Which okay then, we only fight honourable fights now because that’s what husbands do! They listen to each other. Also he said he lives in a huge mansion, so I can move in there. But Uta might be right that there is a lot to see out there, so Zoro and I might go on an adventure.”
“You are the boy he met?” Hawk Eye was making a face, and Shanks did not like that face so he moved in between Luffy and the guy, ready to murder. There was a resigned sigh. “Of course, of course you are.” Hawk Eye pulled out his phone and those delicate fingers were texting.
Hawk Eye sat on the chair in the corner and crossed his legs. “I was going to leave, but now we wait.”
“Why?” Shanks was feeling lost.
“Wait, are you Hawky?” Luffy was beaming. “You’re my dad now! Hey my dads have sex, that makes sense since they are both my dads! Oh Shanks dad, I am old enough to get married but not buy condoms, that is weird right? But Zoro is old enough, he is nineteen, so guess he’ll buy them. Huh, does the person who buys the condoms do the fucking? Is that a rule?”
Shanks got more alcohol and because he was a stand up guy, he brought some to Hawk Eye as well, who looked very grateful. Shanks sat on the sofa, and Luffy bounced around the room talking about how great Zoro was and how being married was going to be awesome.
Eventually, there was a knock on the door. “That’s Zoro’s knock!”
“How do you know if you have known him for seven hours?” Shanks had to point out.
“I just do,” was all he got and he knew for Luffy that would be enough.
In walked the guy from the bar. Guess he had been serious about being done with Hawk Eye. Hands were stuffed in jean pockets and fuck, fine, the way he looked at Luffy, Shanks wouldn’t push against the marriage. Because he looked at Luffy like Luffy was everything, and Luffy was giving back the same look. It was kinda cute.
“Roronoa Zoro, explain yourself!” A sharp and cutting tone. Hawk Eye stayed seated.
“What?” There was a shrug. “I love him.”
“Seven hours!”
“You knew Mom for four!” Shanks stared and honestly last night’s conversation actually made a lot more sense if it was a father and late teen son trying to not have their relationship completely fall apart. Awkward.
“Zoro, he looks like an idiot.”
“Hey!” Shanks had to shout. It didn’t help that Luffy was eating a booger he had just pulled, but still. “He’s mostly not an idiot.”
“Thanks, Shanks Dad. Hawky Dad, don’t worry, I love Zoro lots and we’ll take care of each other good. Promise.”
Shanks watched Zoro hide a laugh as Luffy leapt and hugged Hawk Eye who seemed to have no clue what to do with a Luffy hug. But Zoro tugged and then had Luffy on his back. “Dad,” Zoro said softly, “I’m gonna be okay.”
“Perona left, and now you will, and the world is incredibly fucked up. Why can’t you stay safe?”
Oh, Shanks melted a bit at the concern in the man’s voice. A hand reached out and was cupping Zoro’s neck, which thankfully Luffy didn’t bite. Luffy sorta got possessive once something was claimed as his. He watched Hawk Eye and Zoro press their foreheads together. “I know I am cold, remote.”
“Not so cold,” Zoro said softly. “I know, Hawk Eye. I do, and I am sorry. Perona has always needed you more than I do, it is okay.”
“It isn’t, because you need me as well. But perhaps at this moment what you need is for me to let you go.”
“Dad.”
“The man who runs the fight you are talking about his name is Crocodile. He is appalling and his goons that fight in those competitions are pathetic, certain in the belief of strength comes from the fist - not the heart, not the mind. You and your husband will show them the error of that thinking. You will win, without mercy or regret. Is that understood?”
“You sure Luffy can fight?”
There was a snort as Hawk Eye eased away from Zoro. “Like you would choose a weak husband. You two may abide at the house, though I want you moving to the other wing. He looks like he will get loud during sex, and I have no reason to hear that.”
“You got it Hawk Eye. Let’s go Luffy. I uhh, bought condoms.”
“Okay, thanks Hawky Dad. Bye, Shanks Dad. I’m off to sex with my husband. You can have the place to have more time with your butt buddy.”
“Wait, Hawk Eye -“
“Goodbye Zoro,” was said firmly and Shanks watched his kid leave. With a husband.
The silence was painful. “I thought he was your boy toy,” was what Shanks filled the silence with. It made it so much worse.
“I gathered. It did not impact our intent last night, so I did not correct you. It seems we are family for however long that lasts.”
Shanks knew his kid. “Forever, Luffy picked him, now your kid is stuck with him.”
“It did not seem like Zoro minded being stuck.”
Shanks looked at Hawk Eye. “So we’re sorta family now.”
“It appears such.”
“Well, fuck.”
“If you like, I could enjoy another round.”
“Not what I -“ Shanks stopped. This had been one of the weirder mornings as Luffy’s dad. Hawk Eye was sliding his shirt off and Shanks stared at those hip bones. “Yeah, sure. Another round and then you leave and we pretend all this never happened.”
“Do you really believe that will work?”
Shanks laughed, “Nope, but hey right now our kids don’t matter. Let’s get it on.” He went to the counter and took a slug from the bottle he had left open. “You want a hit? Lot to cope with this morning.”
“No, thank you, I will deal with my feelings via your body.”
“Yeah that works fine by me.” Shanks walked down the hallway, and it was as good as it had been during the night. He yawned. “So like, guess if we are family, we should see each other every once in a while?”
“I suppose we should. Every once in a while.”
“Sounds good. Also sorry for what my kid is likely currently doing to your house.”
“Excuse me, until once in a while.”
Shanks laughed at how quickly Hawk Eye left. Likely it wasn’t too bad. Luffy could only do so much damage. Shanks decided to nap, and vaguely wondered when the next once in a while might be.