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Dear Chopper. I think you're cute. Do you want to be my boyfriend?
Zoro read the note again. And again. And again. His eye growing wider each time. Then he slipped it back into Chopper's bag where he had found it. He hadn't been snooping, of course, but someone had to take Chopper's lunch out of his bag and it certainly wouldn't be the boy who had his face glued to the TV.
At least he was watching something educational, Zoro thought, remembering how excited Chopper had been the first time they had come across the program a few months back. Some science show where they blew stuff up. Interesting enough but not really to Zoro's tastes.
This is normal , he thought to himself. Super, super normal and definitely not something to make a big deal over. Nope. Not at all.
Except it was all he could think about. As he threw Chopper's lunchbox into the dishwasher. As he greeted Usopp with a kiss and helped set out their leftovers for dinner. As he watched Usopp and Chopper chatter happily over Chopper's homework – Usopp being an elementary school teacher himself being the most qualified one to help him with it. And, later that night, as he and Usopp kissed Chopper goodnight and tucked him into bed.
Zoro leaned against the bathroom sink, a towel wrapped low around his hips and his toothbrush held loosely in his hand. He stared, thoughtfully, at the wall just beyond Usopp's head. Usopp was brushing his teeth behind him – or, he had been, before he quirked an eyebrow and asked, around his toothbrush, "Hey…? Everything alright?"
"Chopper got a love letter today."
"What!?" Usopp dropped his toothbrush with a clatter.
"Ssh. Shh ." Zoro hushed him. "You'll wake him."
"Today?" Usopp asked, voice dropping to an exaggerated whisper. "What? Did he tell you?"
"No, I found it in his bag. It had to be today. I empty his bag every afternoon and it definitely wasn't there yesterday."
"But he didn't tell you?" Usopp asked, voice brimming with obvious excitement.
"No. What's there to tell?" Zoro said, flatly, but that he had brought it up at all betrayed how monumental this moment was to him. How excited he was, in turn.
Usopp rinsed out his mouth, hurriedly, as if racing against time itself, then asked, "Well!? What did it say!?"
"'Dear Chopper, I think you're cute. Do you want to be my boyfriend?'" The words had been running through Zoro's mind the entire afternoon.
"That's it? No name?" Usopp deflated.
Zoro raised his hands in an apologetic shrug. "No name."
Usopp sighed dramatically. "Who could've sent it? And he kept it, so it must mean something to him!" he muttered, more to himself than anything else.
Zoro scratched at his nose, absently, then said, "He has that thing tomorrow–"
"Oh! The awards ceremony–!"
Their eyes met. And they grinned wickedly at each other. They were so on the same page – but of course they were. They had been together for almost a decade, and had been raising Chopper together for more than half of that; they could practically read each other's minds.
They nodded in silent agreement.
It would be the perfect time to scope out the mysterious sender.
Zoro tugged at his collar.
He hated these stuffy school events.
The downside of sending Chopper to one of the best private schools in their city was that they were sometimes asked to do private school things – like dress up in a suit and sit for hours as child after child was handed a meaningless award.
Participation awards, basically, Zoro always thought, with an eye roll. Nothing close to the kind of awards his little genius picked up, or the kind of programs he was already getting into at his young age.
Zoro's chest puffed out, proud, even at the thought.
"What?" Usopp quirked an eyebrow and asked, over a glass of sparkling wine.
Zoro sipped at his own and gave him a shrug in response.
He leaned in close, then, and whispered, "I think the principal's checking you out."
"N–no," Usopp tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and said, embarrassed at the insinuation. "If anything, she must be checking you out," After so many years together, it still struck Zoro by surprise that he didn't realise how beautiful he was. And all dressed up like he was tonight? Who wouldn't stop and stare?
Then Usopp giggled in his ear. "Well, if she finds me so cute, think we could get her to give us a discount on Chopper's fees?"
Was he tipsy already? Probably , Zoro thought, as a fond smile curled up the corners of his lips. "You're such a lightweight," he teased, gently, voice soft with love.
"Am not. Anyway ," he dropped his voice lower so the parents on either side of them wouldn't hear (though, with how focused they were on the on-stage performance, he wasn't sure they would have been paying much attention to him and Usopp regardless), "We have a mission. A super important mission. Did you forget?"
"I didn't forget." How could he?
He, Luffy and Nami had taken lunch together, and he had even brought it up with them when Nami had noticed he wasn't quite there .
Of course, he would be ignoring Nami's sage, "Why not just ask him if you're so curious?"
And so would Usopp, who shook his head and insisted they had to give Chopper space with this. Let him come to them in his own time.
Besides , they had both reasoned, it was such an innocent little note. It hardly warranted them interrogating their son over it – despite how much they did want to do just that.
"I think it's Rika," Usopp said, suddenly.
Zoro gave him a questioning look. "Rika?"
"You know. Rika. Brown hair. Mom owns that little tavern by the beach. We had a date there like, two weeks ago."
Zoro shook his head, still not knowing.
"Got that big discount," Usopp continued, slowly, "Chopper stayed over by her for the night. We went home and…" He waved a hand for Zoro to finish the sentence for himself.
"Ah." Zoro chuckled. He remembered now. "Nice place. Great beer."
Face burning with a blush, Usopp dug his elbow into Zoro's side.
It didn't hurt, and Zoro simply took the moment to reach around and intertwine their fingers.
From where they sat, Zoro could clearly make out Chopper's figure – even in the dimly lit auditorium. And, more than that, he could clearly make out the little figure three seats from him, all too obviously staring a hole into the side of their son's face.
He pointed her out to Usopp. "I think … we've found our sender."
Chopper chattered away to the boy beside him.
Their very oblivious son's face, Zoro amended.
As if agreeing with his silent thought, Usopp patted Zoro's hand and nodded. "Just as I thought. Like father, like son."
"What does that mean?"
"You're oblivious, dear. Painfully oblivious."
Deciding to let that slide, Zoro asked. "Do you know who it is?"
Usopp craned his neck as he tried to get a better look.
The little girl had large, unblinking eyes, and a pair of high blond ponytails. The dimness of the auditorium cast her in an eerie shadow, though Zoro didn't doubt that in any normal light she would be quite adorable.
He had never figured himself much of a parental type. Adopting Chopper had just… happened . Somehow.
But somewhere along the lines, in the last year or two, he had started thinking about adding another child to their family. A little girl this time. Maybe one who liked swords and martial arts like him. Like Kuina.
Zoro rolled his eye at himself. He was certainly getting to an age if looking at just about any child made him think about having another one of his and Usopp's own.
"I wonder if they're friends…" Usopp murmured, under his breath, still watching them intently.
"Doesn't look like it."
Usopp sighed. Suddenly saddened. "This is so sad."
"Why?" He bumped their shoulders together. "Did you think we would be playing matchmaker?"
"What, like you didn't?" His eyes sparkled with an idea, though.
Zoro knew that look all too well.
But before he could ask him what was on his mind, the announcement came over the mic that now Chopper's class would be handed their awards.
The stage now had their full attention.
They clapped and cheered when it came time for Chopper – "Anthony Roronoa" – to receive his several awards and for them to make note of his several achievements.
And, of course, they photographed and videoed like there was no tomorrow.
Usopp may have sniffled a few times, too. Tipsy and sentimental and Zoro loved him for it, reaching out to squeeze his hand lightly before going back to clapping as loud and as hard as he could.
The last bit of the ceremony flew by after that.
The parents were thanked for coming and hurriedly filed out of the auditorium into the foyer where they waited for their kids.
Chopper came out a moment later, all his trophies in a box supplied by a thoughtful teacher, and Zoro and Usopp rushed to congratulate him and smother him in hugs and kisses. They were so proud.
Usopp pulled out his phone to take more pictures – of Chopper alone, of him and Chopper, of Chopper and Zoro, of all three of them together. And it was only after a moment, so caught up in the busyness of it all, did Zoro notice the little blonde-haired girl. Obviously waiting.
Noticing her moment in, she stepped forward and smiled. "Congratulations, Chopper!" she said, happily.
Chopper grinned at her. "Thanks, Chimney!"
Zoro and Usopp's eyes met over the two children's heads. But before they could get a word in, she ran over to an old woman and walked out of the school hall.
"Chimney, huh?" Zoro mused. He held out a hand that Chopper gladly took.
"Is she new?" Usopp asked, as they began to make their way out of the hall towards their car. "I've never seen her before."
"Yup!" Chopper nodded. "She just moved here from Water 7. With her grandma."
"I've heard good things about Water 7 booze," Zoro mused.
Usopp gave him a not-the-time look, but he just shrugged in reply. What? He had heard good things about Water 7 booze.
Usopp turned his attention back to Chopper, then, and said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "We should invite her over for a playdate sometime. Since she's new in town, I'd hate for her to feel left out."
"I'd like that!" Chopper agreed, with a smile and a little hop. "But you don't have to worry about her feeling left out, Dad, she's friends with basically our whoooole class already."
"Is she now?" Usopp said, with a smile.
Zoro squeezed Chopper's hand. Listening to them go back and forth, he was aware that he and Usopp were making a bigger deal out of this than was necessary. But so what? Chopper would only be this age once. They would only be able to meddle in his life for so long. And if he got a good friend out of this, who would they be hurting?
Getting to their car and buckling in, Zoro said, "What I'm hearing is that it's time to bring the three-sword style barbeque out of retirement."
Usopp groaned, but Chopper perked up. Excited. " Really !? Can Chimney come over tomorrow!?"
Zoro laughed. "I don't see why not," he offered, easily and happily.
Yeah. He smiled at Usopp out of the corner of his eye. That's what this was; he was happy.