The Day It All Began (Mihawk X Shanks)

Chapter 18: Reunited

Some time has passed since Mihawk came home from the war. He would have known exactly how long, if he weren't so busy handling the two kids. Ever since Zoro and Perona appeared, Mihawk became extremely busy, taking care of Perona while training Zoro.

Funny thing. Even though he considered Mihawk to be his rival, Zoro lowered his head and asked to be trained by him. It was funny, but the amount of respect he had for his captain was what surprised him. It reminded him of Ben Beckmann, and his dedication to Shanks.

But he didn't realize how tiring it could be to take care of someone like that. He often got lost, drank a lot, and pretty much used brute force when a problem came up. How did the Straw Hats manage someone like this?

Because of him, Mihawk had to hide all his wine, and restrict him from drinking. Who knew such troublesome man would come along his way? But taking care of both of them made Mihawk forget about Shanks... Until now.

Zoro was supposed to be training outside, when he suddenly ran in panting, clearly out of breath.

"Hawkeyes... It's... He's..."

"Speak up, Roronoa. What do you need?"

"It's Yonko Shanks."

At his words, Mihawk froze. Shanks. He forgot about him. The name filled his mind, and he was speechless. He remembered that Ben had the Vivre Card, and he must have given it to Shanks. Crap. How was he going to face him now?

"Hawkeyes?"

"... Go train outside. I'll deal with him."

At that, Zoro left the mansion and went outside. Hearing what was happening, Perona also floated out with Zoro. Good. He didn't want to face Shanks with others around him.

Mihawk sat up from his chair, and set down the newspaper that he was reading. He stretched, hoping to ease his nervousness. Even though he has seen Shanks so many times, it was always nerve wrecking when he met him.

Mihawk walked towards the door, hoping to see where Shanks was before he arrived. He was about to open the door, when he heard the doorknob turn. When the door opened, he saw who was behind it. He knew that red hair from anywhere.

"Sh... Shanks..."

Mihawk couldn't even speak right. His heart was beating so loud, he thought that the other man could hear it. Mihawk stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

"Is that how you greet an old friend?" Shanks finally spoke up after the long awkward silence. He smiled, and it just made Mihawk's heart pound louder.

Mihawk was about to reply, when Shanks walked forward and hugged him. It wasn't like your regular friendly hug. It felt more passionate than that. It took Mihawk by surprise, and he stumbled backwards a bit. He would have fell, if it weren't for Shanks tightly grabbing onto him.

"I missed you, you idiot," Shanks whispered into Mihawk's ear. For sure, Mihawk thought that Shanks would be mad at him for cutting all contact with him, but he wasn't.

"I... I'm truly sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to..."

Mihawk tried to speak out, but he was stopped midway by Shanks. It really has been a while since he felt his soft lips on him. He didn't realize how much he missed the touch, the scent, and the feeling.

Mihawk raised one hand to Shanks's neck, and his other to his waist. He pulled in the red haired man closer to him, until their bodies were touching. It was just a kiss, but it was a sense of euphoria; they both missed that feeling.

Shanks broke away first trying to catch his breath. His eyes were fierce, looking right at Mihawk. It was as if it was trying to tell Mihawk that Shanks was longing for more.

Mihawk looked right back at him and smiled. He placed his head on the red haired man's shoulder, and closed his eyes. Like always, he smelled like alcohol and gunpowder, but it felt natural on him.

"I missed you too, you stupid red hair."

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And that concludes the somewhat long story ヽ( '￢')ノ Thank you for keeping up with the story everyone 💕 Don't worry, their stories won't end so soon (つω-｀) New story coming up soon featuring these two!