Chapter Text
Mihawk
The end of summer felt like a chore with the kids starting school soon. That only meant expenses and cribbing. At least it was tolerable with Shanks around as he had taken them shopping. Mihawk sighed sinking into his favourite arm chair with a glass of wine in one hand and a good mystery novel in other. The kids were taken care of, the chores were done and he had the day to himself. Bliss, he sighed.
Mihawk breezed through the first page, then the second and a few more. He slammed the book shut. The rare silence suddenly felt oppressive. After having a full summer with four kids and a man child running around the house, the silence and calm felt weird. His mind drifted off to the vacation they took in the East Blue to Dawn Island.
The kids ran rampant around the town making friends left and right. They met a kind bartender who watched the kids for a couple of hours. Mihawk and Shanks were more than happy to spend some alone time together.
He sighed again thinking of those red locks tickling his thighs. Red-haired menace who he called his boyfriend had a way to make cum gasping and moaning. He flushed at the thought. He wished for them them to be back soon.
Only if Shanks stayed over permanently, it would be a perfect family. Mihawk had been pondering over the question for a while now. Their kids got along well. Shanks and his kids almost spent their weekends at his home anyways. Why not make it all week round and everyday.
Mihawk had voiced this idea indirectly to Shanks but the man had quickly shot it down to his annoyance. Shanks’s reasoning was in place, “It’s too risky, Mi,” The red-haired said.
The Figarlands were a powerful family. He had read about them everywhere after their chat almost 6 months ago. He was also aware of their powerful enemies.
“Papa! We are home!” his daughter’s voice broke the train of his thoughts. Smiling to himself, he headed down the stairs to greet them. He walked into the living room to the kids being surrounded by multiple shopping bags.
“Shanks?” He called out noticing the red-haired missing in the gaggle of kids.
“Coming!” his boyfriend replied from the kitchen.
“Papa, look I got a new uniform!” Zoro tugged at his pants.
He crouched down to the boy’s heights to inspect, “Does it fit you well?” he asked holding it up.
“Papa! Look at my new shoes!” Perona came beside him.
“They look amazing, Princess.” Mihawk cooed at his daughter, “Uta and I got a similar pair to match.” She beamed at him.
“Hawky look!” Luffy called him, “Dad got me a play sword, will you teach me how to use it?” The bamboo bokken was slightly bigger than the boy.
“Of course I will.” He ruffled the boy’s hair and turned to Uta, “What did you get, Princess?”
“I got a new music player, it has 5000 songs on it already!” Uta held up her device.
“Wow, look at that!” Uta grinned at him as he stood up.
“I see they have shown you their stuff already.” The red-haired walked in holding a glass. Mihawk gathered him in his arms mumbling in his ear, “You spoil them.” Shanks giggled, “Of course I have, its their new school year afterall.”
“What about me?” Mihawk pulled back with an eyebrow raised.
“Hmm you?” Shanks tapped his chin dramatically, “Kids, what have we got for Hawky?”
All four of them erupted in chorus, “Wine!”
Mihawk chuckled at their antics settling on the sofa pulling down Shanks with him.
“I was just teasing but that’s good anyways.” Shanks grinned back him.
The kids took turns to show him their new clothes. Each one of tried them on and put up a mini fashion show for Mihawk. He gave each of them the best compliments.
***
It was a regular Tuesday evening at the Dracule household. Zoro and Perona had settled on the dining table doing their homework after dinner. Mihawk helped them occasionally as needed while he meal prepped for the next day.
The door bell rang breaking the tranquil atmosphere. Perona volunteered to open the door before Mihawk could protest. He heard the gleeful shouts before he saw them. Shanks stoof there with Luffy in his arms and a suitcase in other.
“Shanks?” Mihawk titled his heard. Shanks mumbled something to Luffy before setting him down. “Can I talk to you in the library?” Shanks asked turning to him.
Mihawk nodded dazed and led him upstairs. The red-haired sighed pacing the room. Mihawk settled down on his favourite armchair as he watched the red-haired. Till Shanks stood directly in front of him, “This is the best it gets,” the red haired muttered.
“Can you do me a favour Mi?” He asked at last.
“What is it?” Mihawk crossed his arms and waited. He could sense where this was going but he still wanted to hear it from the man.
“Can you take care of the kids for a week?” Mihawk sighed pinching his nose.
“I can do that but where are you going?” Mihawk asked.
Shanks raked his hands through his already dishevelled hair mumbling, “Thanks Mi.”
“What’s going on Akagami?” Mihawk asked again. His patience with the red-haired dwindling by the minute.
“The distillery and winery might be going under and there are some really stupid people involved. I need to sort it out.” Shanks explained.
“Can I help in any way?”
“Please keep the children safe, Mi.” the red-haired pleaded earnestly.
“I will.” Mihawk replied pulled the red-haired in a hug.
Shanks left without any other explanation. Mihawk went to the living room to check on the children. Luffy, the ever so energetic kid who bounced all over the place, was sitting beside Zoro sniffling as they watched TV.
“Luffy, what happened?” Mihawk asked crouching in front of him.
“Nothin’” The boy said with a wobbly smile.
“Dad snapped at him earlier,” Uta explained, “dad went to take a call while he was making dinner. Luffy was hungry as usual, so he went into the kitchen and almost touched the hot pan before dad caught him.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Mihawk took the boy’s hand to inspect.
“No…” Luffy shook his head.
“Then dad said he will be away for a week or so and Luffy thought it was his fault. He’s been crying since then.” Uta continued looking between the two.
“Has you dad ever left you guys like this before?” Mihawk asked tentatively.
“Not really.” Uta tapped her chin thinking for a moment, “We used to stay at Uncle Benn’s sometimes but that time dad only went away for a couple of days on the weekends.”
Mihawk knew those trips very well, “Is it because you are going to stay here instead of Benn’s, is that why Luffy is sad?” he asked.
“Luff loves it here, papa.” Zoro chimed in.
“Dad was angry on the phone.” Luffy said at last.
“What?” even Uta seemed surprised.
“I heard him shouting something before he rushed in.” Luffy held out his arms. Mihawk obliged by pulling him into a hug, “Never seen dad like that before.” the boy mumbled in his ear.
Mihawk brushed his hair and rubbed soothing circles on his back, “He will be back soon, Luffy.” Mihawk assured him, “He will be back.” He looked at Uta who smiled at him weakly.
Later that night, Mihawk tried calling Shanks to check up on him. The phone rang a couple of times and went to voice mail. He tried again to no avail. He decided to try again later. Settling into bed, he opened the app he rarely checked, “What the…” he trailed off as he checked the headline and froze.
The headline said : “Figarland Shamrock arrested for illegal activities at the distillery.”
That was Shanks’s brother. He checked the other articles linked to it, they said similar things. He cursed under his breath as the photo of the twin loaded up. The man looked exactly like his boyfriend except for his long hair and neat dressing.
“Damn it.” Mihawk hissed. Atleast he kenw the reason but he still wanted to hear Shanks’s side of the story.
***
Office was hell the next day. Since morning, Boa, Moria and Doflamingo had badgered him about the news. By the time lunch rolled in, he was tired from unnecessary social interactions. Croco barged in at lunch, “What the hell is your boy toy upto, Dracule?” Croco smirked flopping down on the sofa.
Mihawk sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, “Not my boy toy, he is my boyfriend and to be honest, I don’t know.”
“Isn’t he the one who got arrested under a different name?” Croco said lighting up a cigar.
“It’s not him.” Mihawk pushed back his chair and walked around his desk to the couch slowly.
“Who is it then?”
“It’s his twin that you mistaked when you met him for the first time.”
Croco chuckled lowly, “He has a twin, really?”
“I know right, talk about surreal.”
“I can’t believe you fell for it.” His chuckles turned to full blown laughter.
“It’s true though, believe it or not.”
“And he is a Figarland.” Mihawk looked away. Croco stared at him intently.
“You knew, didn’t you?” The man leaned forward.
“Yes.” Mihawk said shortly crossing his arms over his chest.
“Wow.” Croco exhaled the smoke away.
“What?” Mihawk snapped.
“You have been hiding quite a gem in your sheets uh?” Mihawk groaned. He knew Croco had wanted to say that for a while. “It’s a shame they are going down now.” Croco continued.
“Hope not.” Mihawk replied.
“Or you’ll lose your wine supply?”
“Not really.”
Mihawk would be sad about that but he didn’t admit it to Croco. Shanks had been getting him some premium bottles ever since they started dating almost a year ago. He always wondered about their origins but now it had become quite clear. After the accident, Shanks had been more generous with his gifts, which Mihawk appreciated. He would miss those wines if the company went under.
“He could lose his job you know.” Croco picked the words of his tongue.
Mihawk didn’t want to ponder over that yet, so he waved his at his friend in a gesture to go away. Croco snickered as he left. Leaning back on his chair, Mihawk decided to call the red-haired. The result was same as yesterday. He decided to call the next best person who would answer.
“Hello?” Benn picked the phone at fourth ring.
“Dracule Mihawk here.” The line went silent for a moment.
“Hi Mihawk, what’s up?” Benn greeted.
“Just wanted to check on Shanks.”
“Ah… Shanks is in the executive board meeting and his phone is hijacked by the PR at the moment,” Benn explained, “kids okay?”
“Yeah, I’m going to pick them up in a bit.” Mihawk said adding, “Can you tell him to call me whenever…”
Benn paused for a moment before replying, Mihawk could almost see the red-haired sitting in front of him but avoiding the call. But he had no proof so he pushed that image away, “The situation is quite sticky, Mihawk, but I’ll let him know.”
“Thanks.” With that they hung up.
Mihawk knew if there was one person who would get out the mess unscathed, it would be Shanks. He dived back into work to keep himself distracted.
***
“When is dad gonna comeback?” Luffy asked from the back seat drawing everyone’s attention to him.
It had been a week since the conversation with Benn. Shanks hadn’t called back. Benn kept sending him updates but he caught up with most of them on the news anyways. It was a full blown scandal at this point claiming a drug circuit was at play in the shadows. He had kept the kids away from these news but he wasn’t sure how well the school was faring. He could see they were worried.
“Soon.” Mihawk replied tightening the fist on the wheel.
Mihawk had decided to take the kids to his parents house for a distraction on the weekend. At least Luffy and Zoro were occupied with the animals. Uta on the other hand was sitting on the sofa ever since they arrived. She had plugged in her earphones and didn’t talk much with anyone. Ray and Shakky were worried as well but he could see they were holding back their questions.
“Uta, can I talk to you for a moment?” He asked waving a hand in front of her to catch her attention.
Perona eyed him curiously from beside her. Mihawk nodded at his daughter patting her head. Uta looked up at him nodded wordlessly. He gestured to the back garden.
Once in the backyard, they settled on the bench. He watched as the girl fiddled with her fingers and decided to start on a light note, “How’s school?” he asked.
“It’s fine.” she replied.
“Is there in trouble with school?” She looked at him and shook her head, “Are you sure?”
“People keep asking but I say I don’t know.” He reached out to pat her head.
Mihawk turned towards the fields that lay beyond their fences. If he squinted he could almost see Luffy and Zoro in a distance with the dog chasing them. The warm summer breeze tickled his face as he turned to Uta again. She was hunched over looking into distance. Mihawk wondered if it was his imagination or if the girl really looked small today. He could understand that the kids missed their dad. His parenting was very different from Shanks and it might be hard for them to get adjusted.
“Will uncle Sham be okay?” she asked cutting through his thoughts.
“I’ll be honest with you.” Mihawk started gently, “Knowing your father, I think he must have helped Shamrock come out already and the media–they are just gossip mongers.”
“Monger?” she tilted her head.
“Yeah, they just want the next big thing… like Shanks.” he whispered the last bit to himself.
“And Dad?”
“He hasn’t called me yet and I’m not been able to reach him either, so I don’t know how he is faring really."
She looked down at her hands again twisting her fingers. Mihawk had the urge to pat her head again but he wasn’t sure if she wanted that.
“Can you take us home on the way back to yours?” she asked after thinking about it.
“Sure.” Mihawk agreed readily. He could understand how they felt. Living away from the place they called home must have been hard. It was like sleepover extended but in the end it was still not their home.
“Would you…” he trailed off for a moment, wondering if it was a big ask. Mihawk was still learning parenting. He knew his children were used to his lack of physical contact and were used been assured by his words or actions. But Uta and Luffy were different, they were Shanks’s kids. He knew the red-haired affection was as loud as his personality. He gathered the courage and asked anyways, “Would you like a hug?” he asked awkwardly.
She looked up at him with pleading eyes so he gathered her in his arms. Stroking her hair as she wept into his shirt.
“You dad will be back soon, I know it.” he didn’t want to make false promises to appease but her shaking shoulders made the words tumble out on their own.
A couple of minutes later, Shakky walked out for a smoke. He waved at his mother to stay there. She nodded looking away and lighting her cigarette. Uta calmed down after about five minutes.
“Better?” he asked her gently.
Uta nodded rubbing away the last of the tears.
“Thank you, pa- Mihawk.” She quickly corrected herself but it did send something fluttering in his chest to be addressed as her father figure. He didn’t want to push it though. It would be better if they come around to saying it more naturally.
“You can come to me anytime, okay?” he assured her brushing away the last drop off her chin. She nodded mustering a smile. “Wash your face before you see Luffy, we don’t want him crying again, do we?” That got a chuckle out her.
“Will do.” Uta waved and headed back inside.
Mihawk sighed resting his elbows on his knees looking at the long grass ahead. He wanted to know if Shanks was okay or not badly. But first he wanted to throttle the man for putting his children through this.
“What have you done to my son?” Shakky asked settling down in the space Uta left.
Shakky and Rayleigh were loving parents to Mihawk, he loved them in their own ways. But he was also aware that he was an introvert through and through. Affection didn’t come easy to him in words or physical touch. He only showed it through his actions by achieving good grades, helping around the house and trying to be an ideal son. He didn’t mind that till… he had his own kids and then he saw Shanks’s kids. Something about having Uta and Luffy around made him realise that he was different Shanks’s absence in his life made him realise how much he craved that affection.
“Mom” Mihawk mumbled holding his face in his palms. Shakky rubbed soothing circles on his back while he counted his breaths through his fingers.
“I know you are a grown up and all but it was the first time I have seen you like that.” Shakky chuckled beside him.
“Mom.” Mihawk grumbled.
“I know the news channels are shitty but I just want to know one thing.” she said taking a drag from her cigarette.
“What?”
“Do you trust him?”
The question sat like an anchor on his shoulders. He thought back to the year they spent together. The holidays they took, the way he got along with kids, his slight alcoholic tendencies, his worry, his self-doubts and most of all the love that man shared.
“Yes!” he said firmly looking to meet his mother’s eyes.
She nodded but didn’t say anything else. They sat in silence while Mihawk’s thoughts drifted back to the red-haired man. Was he eating well, sleeping or had he thrown himself into his work or alcohol again. He just knew one thing for sure after this, that Shanks’s PR were shitty at their jobs. That brought a smile to his face but it soon disappeared when Perona came out.
“Zoro and Luffy are lost again?” Perona announced.
“What?” Mihawk looked up and searched the fields he had last seen them in. The fields were empty with the grass swaying to the gentle summer breeze. He stood up groaning.
They searched for the two everywhere in the house first but couldn’t find them. Ray had gone into the grassy farmland. While Mihawk decided to check the couple of barns they had around. He instructed Perona and Uta to stay with Shakky while they searched. He first went to the stables they had next to the house. To his disappointment, the kids were not there. He checked the biggest barn after but it came out empty as well. He looked back over the grassland and remembered where he last saw them.
Mihawk finally found them in the goat barn playing with a kid.
“What are you guys doing here?” He asked them sternly.
“We followed the baby goat here.” Zoro meekly replied.
“The baby goat was running away so we got him back to his mama.” Luffy explained.
Mihawk sighed and caught up to them in a couple of strides. He pulled them in a hug, one on each shoulder and mumbled, “Please don’t do that again.” he said softly against their ears.
He had started picturing the worst but looking at them safe and soun, he heaved a sigh of relief. He could almost feel his age catching up with him at this point.