| BECAUSE YOU SAID SO | DRACULE MIHAWK
summary: your husband, dracule mihawk, has been awfully busy ever since the paramount war - leaving you to soak in the doom and gloom of kuraigana island, alongside your new accomplices perona and roronoa zoro. pairing: wife! reader / mihawk wc: 3.6k tags: fluff, sprinkle of hurt/comfort, f! reader, set post war, family dynamics, zoro pretends he dgaf about you but that couldn't be more untrue, you and perona love hanging out, mihawk is forced to open up, you're the most important thing to him, he gets very soft very fast, your beauty renders mihawk speechless, the smallest bit of suggestive undertones, jealous mihawk
"This is ridiculous." You grumbled, bustling around the dark kitchen of the castle to prepare dinner. "Ridiculous. Honestly, how dare he ask me to marry him just to screw off and leave me here. For months on end, he's hardly home, save for maybe every few weeks."
"Mmm." Perona hummed, floating beside you and sticking a finger into your soup. "Wow! This is good!"
You glared at her, annoyed. She swallowed heavily, whistling as she looked away.
"I feel neglected. I call him, but he refuses to carry a Transponder Snail with him half the time, so he hardly ever picks up. On the rare occasion that he comes home, he acts like he's been here all along, doesn't apologize, doesn't fawn over me-"
"Do you want him to fawn over you like a baby?" Zoro snorted from the dinner table, feet propped up on the wood.
"Shut up, Zoro!" Perona snapped, one of her ghosts flying towards Zoro at an eye-watering speed.
"I'm so sorry... I'm even more useless than an unripe bamboo shoot..." He mumbled, head drooping onto the table as he curled up into himself.
"He doesn't have to fawn over me." You responded to Zoro, who wasn't really listening anymore. "But it'd be nice if he treated me like his wife. Which I am, by the way - in case you forgot. It certainly seems like he forgot."
"I get where you're coming from." Perona sighed, a comforting hand landing gently on your shoulder as the other held a bowl of your soup. "But he married you for a reason! I'm sure he probably just doesn't think it's that big a deal- your relationship has been so strong all these years!"
"I guess." You sniffed. "But that feels a bit worse, don't you think? He got so used to being with me that he thinks it's okay to just leave me be."
"Guys?" Zoro cleared his throat.
The two of you ignored him, Perona tasting the soup once more as you added a few more spices and you grumbling to yourself angrily.
"Honestly, if I had known it would've been like this, I would've continued traveling. I gave up traveling. For this gloomy place!"
"Guys?"
"And that was fine, at first. But then the man I literally gave up my life for became a Warlord, and god forbid the strongest swordsman has time for his lover. No, of course - he might as well be married to the world government the way that-"
"Guys, I really think-"
"What?!" You groaned, turning around with anger in your eyes. It quickly withered away when you realized Zoro was pale as a sheet, Mihawk standing in the doorway behind him. "Oh."
"..." Mihawk stared at you. You stared back blankly, soup ladle still in your hand as it dripped broth all over the tile floor. Slowly, Perona floated away from you, disappearing through the wall and into the next room.
"You're back." You stated, face slowly turning as red as a beet. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough." He responded, setting Yoru down by the stairway. His eyes gazed at you, unblinking and frustratingly unreadable.
Zoro attempted to get up silently, but his chair scraped harshly against the floor, drawing you and Mihawk's attention as he grimaced, slowly sitting back down.
You turned back to your soup, foot slipping on the puddle that the dripping ladle had created. Mihawk was there in a flash, hands steadying you as Zoro also appeared by your side, grabbing a towel from the counter to wipe up the mess on the floor.
"...Thank you." You said, meant for both Zoro and your husband. Zoro just shrugged, tossing the towel in the trash and quickly scooping himself a bowl of soup, before dashing into whatever room Perona had disappeared into, little drops of broth creating a trail.
You went to move, before realizing Mihawk's hands were still around your shoulders, warm and comforting. "Love, you can let go of me now."
"Right." He cleared his throat, releasing you. You reached for the cabinet, grabbing him a bowl and filling it with his dinner. "I brought you a gift. I was recently by Sabaody, so I got you a book. I remember you mentioning it."
He handed it to you, exchanging it for the bowl. A light warmth rose to your face - you did remember mentioning it, months ago when it released. It was an exclusive release, a collection of Vegapunk's notes throughout the years that had only fifty copies printed.
"How'd you get this?" You smiled, hugging him.
His hand wrapped around you, the other hand precariously holding soup above your head. "I was around many marines. It wasn't too difficult to find one that had a copy he no longer had a use for."
"Well. Thank you." You slid the book on the counter, wiggling out of his grip.
The kitchen felt into a silence that bordered on uncomfortable. From the next room over, you could hear Zoro and Perona whispering - probably about the two of you.
"I wasn't aware that you felt the way you did about me being away." Mihawk broke the silence, hand coming to rest on the small of your back.
Your knuckles whitened as you tightened your grip on the counter, closing your eyes to refrain from losing your temper. "Then you simply weren't paying attention."
"Don't say that." Mihawk sighed. "I'm sorry I'm often busy. I never mean to neglect you-"
"And yet you do." You huffed. "What's done is done."
Mihawk's grimace tightened, fingers drumming against the counter as he carefully sifted through what he could say next. His eyes watched you move about, scooping another bowl for Zoro who would inevitably want seconds.
"How can I remedy this?" He asked.
"For one, you could give an honest to god apology." You replied, not sparing him a glance.
He caught your wrist, turning you around. The soup sloshed around in the bowl you were holding, and he gently took it out of your hands, setting it on the counter. "I am sorry. Truly, I am. It's clear that my work ethic has been impacting you negatively, and I'm sure it's difficult to be on Kuraigana for weeks on end without me."
You blinked at him as guilt washed over you - just the slightest bit. It was clear he was genuinely remorseful - his warm grip seeped into your skin, eyes darting around your face looking for a reaction.
"Right. Well." You cleared your throat, shimmying out of his hold and heading to the room adjacent to hand Zoro his bowl. "I don't quite forgive you yet."
"That's fine." Mihawk spoke to your turned back, sighing. "I'm still sorry. I'll stay. For a few months, even. I'll call Sakazuki now."
You huffed in amusement, walking out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. Zoro and Perona flinched upon noticing your presence.
"So??" Perona whispered, gesturing wildly to the wall of the kitchen when you gave her a confused raised brow. "Your husband! What'd he say?"
"Bet he was pissed." Zoro snorted, immediately bowing his head in apology when he saw you were holding a bowl of soup just for him, and shamefully handing over his empty bowl. "Sorry."
"We'll see." You shrugged, flicking Zoro on the forehead as a slight reprimand. "Words are words, and mean nothing in comparison to actions. Although, he's never really been this apologetic before, so maybe it does mean something."
"Apologetic." Zoro stated drably. "Mihawk?"
"Yes."
"Dracule Mihawk."
"Yep."
"...Okay." Zoro turned back to the table, shoulders slouched over his steaming bowl of soup, staring blankly at it as though he simply couldn't believe the Dracule Mihawk could ever be apologetic - let alone have a wife.
Perona opened her mouth to say something, before glancing behind you and immediately clamming up. You raised a brow, turning to look at the doorframe that now had your suspiciously nervous husband standing in it.
"..." He said nothing, though you could see the gears turning in his head. "Sakazuki was not pleased."
"Fine, then." You replied coldly, walking out of the room and brushing past him. "What does it matter to me?"
His warm hand clasped your arm once more, preventing you from leaving. "I'm staying, nonetheless."
Perona slapped Zoro, as if telling him to pay attention, and he shrugged her off, gesturing wildly in the air that he obviously was already watching.
You raised an eyebrow, scoffing. "Are you, now?"
His hold tightened on you. "I am. Truly. i have hurt you and I seek to negate that feeling." His thumb brushed over your ring finger, obsidian warm against your skin. "I am your husband, but I have not acted it. That is shameful on my part, and I will prove myself to you over the next few months. When I leave again, it will never be for so long."
Your lips pursed, thinking about what it was like when he was first appointed a Warlord. He used to write you every week, updating you, sending you gifts - he would even take you with him at times. Now, it was just silence.
All you did was nod in response. Then you squirmed out of his hold, and left to tend to your garden.
Over the next few days, Zoro and Perona's whispers did not cease. You knew how it looked - the strongest swordsman in the world reduced to a moping husband, following you around for majority of his day rather than spending time doing anything of sustenance.
Any training Zoro received was in the form of reading or quick instructions as Mihawk passed, hands full of gardening tools or a drink to give you, perhaps even an umbrella to shade you as you worked.
It was the most you'd ever seen Mihawk attempt conversation. Waking up, he'd glare at the separation of pillows between you two as if they'd personally wronged him. He'd wait on you, hand and foot, insisting that he'd make everybody their meals and that you should rest. He started leaving you little notes around the house about nothing in particular.
It's sunny today.
I liked your dress.
I love you.
That one made you pause, breath hitching as your thumb crinkled the thin sheet of paper. You knew how he felt - you were married, after all, and for good and ample reason. It's just that Mihawk was never really the type of man to remind you about such a thing, much less say it on a whim.
Nevertheless, you tucked the paper into the ever-growing folder you had by your bedside that had all of his notes in them. You'd never admit to him that you'd been keeping them, but you couldn't deny that they did ignite a spark you thought had long been lost.
That night, Mihawk settled into bed, but instead of falling asleep on his back as he always did, he turned to look at you as you read your nightly book.
"Yes, Dracule?" You hummed, flipping the page. "How can I help you tonight?"
"My dear." His voice was soft and pleading, which immediately gave you pause. You set down the book in your lap, bookmark carefully placed where you left off. "Please remove this ridiculous barrier between us."
You snorted at how formally he addressed the pillows between the two of you. Skimming a finger over the down, fluffy pillow, you only hummed in consideration. He took that as his cue to speak once more.
"I know I've wronged you." You shot him a look, basically saying that it might've been the understatement of the century. "I know. But, I beg you - don't punish me with this any longer. You give me silence during the day. You no longer touch me. You spend more time with the brats than you do me."
"Perhaps they're just more amicable company." You responded, shrugging lightly. Mihawk had a withering look on his face, but he wouldn't dare direct it at you, instead staring holes into the pillow nearest to his face.
You sighed. He truly did look pitiful. If Zoro was in the room, he'd throw a fit at the misery on his mentor's face. "Alright. But you keep your hands to yourself, alright?"
If it was possible for Mihawk to appear joyful, then that must've been what swept over his face. "Yes. Anything you say, my love."
You huffed in amusement, getting up from the bed to put the spare pillows in the linen closet. When you returned, Mihawk was lying on his back as per usual, eyes shut and face serene.
The bed was warmer than usual. When you woke up, your husband's fingers were intertwined with yours.
"I'm telling you, you need new outfits!" Perona insisted, flinging clothes at you from her newest shopping spree. She and Zoro had gone off, a rare occasion considering Mihawk rarely gave the first mate of the Straw Hats a break. When they returned, Zoro's arms were heavy (Perona's were obviously empty) with bags - though according to Perona, half of the bags were yours.
"But I have plenty of outfits for myself, Perona." You replied humorously, peeling a dress off your face. "Believe me, I've lived here for long enough to have a full wardrobe."
"No, no. You're not listening!" She harrumphed, digging through a bag she hadn't yet unpacked. "He's seen all the outfits you have already, so you need to surprise him with something new. It'll make his eyes bug out of his head, like this!"
One of her ghosts flew by you, black eyes left just a step behind. You laughed heartily. You had to admit, both Perona and Zoro had grown on you in the time they'd been here. A year had already passed since they both first arrived, but it felt like they'd been here all along.
"What would you suggest, then?" You asked, watching her rifle furiously through her things. "You're the one that went shopping for me."
"You're too decent, that's your issue." She said, pulling out a dark blue dress and shouting in victory. "This is what I was looking for!"
"I have no need to show so much skin." You shrugged, pointing at your ring finger. "I'm married already, see?"
"Doesn't matter!" She ignored you promptly, shoving the dress into your hands along with a pair of heels. "Trust me, he'll like this. Wear it to dinner!"
You sighed, but relented. She was clearly very excited about this plan. "This shows a lot of cleavage, Perona. And a thigh slit? You must be trying to kill him."
"All the better if our plan to fix your relationship ends up in his death!" Perona squealed with glee. "Then, I can dump Zoro here and go off to look for Moria-sama!"
You laughed at that, before heading to your room to put on the outfit. It had truly been a while since you'd worn something so revealing - the last time was probably before you and Mihawk had gotten engaged. The man was fashionable enough for the two of you.
However, you couldn't help but admire Perona's taste. While you could never pull off her gothic-lolita style, it was clear that she had an eye for fashion all around. The outfit couldn't have suited you better.
Mihawk's voice called for dinner (which he once again insisted on making tonight), so you made your way downstairs.
"I made your favorite, my dear." He said, setting your place diligently next to his. Zoro whined something about wanting to sit next to you once in a while too, only to be met with a ferocious, searing glare from your husband.
"That's nice." You hummed. "How'd you know I was craving it?"
"You usually do, about once a month. I just figured-" Mihawk paused, blinking at you as he finally watched you descend the staircase. "Wha... Where in the world..."
Perona grinned at you slyly from her seat next to Zoro, winking and making a saluting gesture. Zoro raised an eyebrow at you, drenched in sweat and dirt from his day of training, before shooting you a casual thumbs up.
"Something the matter?" You cooed at your husband, who was still staring at you, mouth slightly agape. "Come on, let's eat."
You went to pull your chair out, but he briskly walked over and did it for you. You smiled at him kindly, sitting down as he gently pushed you closer to the table. As you reached for your fork, he brushed your hair behind your shoulder.
"You..." He swallowed, inhaling deeply. He seemed a man about to snap at any moment. "You look stunning, my love."
"Thank you." You patted his thigh as he sat beside you. "You can thank Perona."
Mihawk's eyes darted to the younger woman, inclining his head ever so lightly. Perona, clearly not expecting the show of immense gratitude, merely inclined her head back. Taking advantage of her confusion, Zoro snatched her plate, quickly downing the food in a few bites.
After that, dinner dissolved into its regular, chaotic tendencies, with Zoro and Perona scuffling back and forth, the Ghost Princess inevitably hitting Zoro somewhere sore and being met with a scolding, despite Zoro being younger.
Despite their regular antics, Mihawk couldn't seem to take his eyes off you. By the time you were done with your first serving, your husband's food had gone cold, entirely untouched as he watched you intently, right hand wrapping around your left as if the ring signaling your bond would run away if he didn't keep a hold on it.
By the end of dinner, he was breathing heavier than usual, Zoro and Perona shooting him odd glances as you pretended not to notice sweat dripping down his chest, pathetic excuse of a shirt hiding nothing.
He excused himself before you did, and you faintly heard the shower turn on upstairs.
One more month passed, and you received your annual letter from Red-Haired Shanks. The Emperor of the Sea (though you could never truly refer to him as that), was a decades-long friend whom you'd met when you first set sail.
The Red Force was, for many years, a second home to you. Your visits were not frequent, but when you did stop by, you were regaled with banquets and days upon days of drinking. As a matter of fact, the first time you'd met Mihawk was during one of the legendary duels between him and Shanks.
Unfortunately for Mihawk, that duel had ended in a tie. He didn't much like to retell the story of you meeting, always opting to pretend you met later down the line, on a day he'd won.
Shanks' letter was as usual as it could be. Lines upon lines of berating you for quitting your travels to settle down with the worlds most depressing man, paragraphs about stories the two of you shared and memories that bonded you close.
Jokes about coming to visit you on Kuraigana, land of doom and gloom, should Mihawk ever surrender you from his grasp and allow you to lay eyes on another man ever again. Teases about how technically, Shanks knew you first, and therefore your bond was ever-so-slightly stronger.
Things Shanks always said - except this time, Mihawk felt strangely irked by his letter.
Maybe it was the fact that the two of you were finally settling into something more akin to a 'normal' relationship. It had been a couple months now since Mihawk refused to leave Kuraigana for more than a few days, insisting to Akainu that any work done could be completed in that timespan, or he wouldn't take the jobs at all.
His position as Warlord was threatened many a time, but he found himself strangely unbothered by it. Waking up by your side was all he truly needed.
"He gets bolder by the year." Mihawk gritted, staring daggers at the letter in your hand. It was slightly soggy and reeked of alcohol, as if Shanks had accidentally spilled a pint of beer all over it and was too lazy to write another letter to replace it.
"Really?" You hummed, grinning at the letter from your old friend. "I'd say this is par for the course." You went to store the letter in the folder you kept for all your friends.
Mihawk clicked his tongue, the only sign of his annoyance that you were keeping it.
"Jealous, my love?" You teased, walking over him to splay your hands across his revealed chest.
He tilted his head, clearly unamused, golden eyes scanning over your face. Suddenly, his hands landed on your waist, pulling you close until you were practically nose to nose. All you could do was squeak, nails digging into his chest ever so slightly.
"I am not so dense a man to be unaware of the beauty my wife possesses, and the way she may sway another man's heart." He whispered, breath fanning your face, tinged with the slightest scent of wine. "I am also not so strong a man to be able to turn a blind eye at such openly flirtatious comments, despite the trust I have in my lover."
You blinked at his unwavering stare, swallowing heavily. Such displays were unusual for Mihawk. "You're the only one for me, Mihawk. You always have been."
His grip tightened ever so slightly, before his left hand shifted to your back, making its way under your shirt and crawling ever so slightly up your spine. "I know that."
He kissed you gently, and you kissed him back. He pulled away faster than you expected (or wanted), nipping at your bottom lip before he separated from you, pressing another kiss to your nose. "Don't reply to that foolish man."
"I'm afraid he might show up on this island if I do that." You retorted, grinning at the Warlord.
Mihawk huffed, taking his absurdly large hat off his head and placing it on yours. "So be it, then. We'll have a long awaited rematch."
