RATING: T

His grip on their hands was firm but not hard. Aia's bright red fingers nails pressed into Zoro's tan rough hand while Levi walked almost in a daze beside him.

These mornings were Zoro's favorite. Nami often left before anyone else in the house woke up, which meant the morning routine was all his. He would wake up to the sound of Aia and Nami's laughter. Aia made it a mission to wake up right as her mother was leaving to give her a sleepy-eyed kiss in the dark morning. Then she would inevitably crawl into her brother's bed which made him wake up.

Zoro would wait for Levi's groan and push himself off his own warm bed and into the hallway to physically pull the kids out their beds. Sometimes this was with a tickle battle. Sometimes Zoro just lifted them up by the ankles and pretend to be "The Demon Cyclops" ready to eat them if they didn't rush into the bathroom.

While the kids moved into their routine, Zoro would yawn his way into the kitchen to make breakfast. Ironically, all his years as Sanji's roommate helped him become the chef of the family. Nami would set out the coffee already, a post-it under his mug usually had a joke or something she thought of in her twilight to-dos that would make her husband involuntarily smirk.

Sometimes Zoro would need to push himself into the bathroom to stop Aia and Levi from sword fighting with their brushes, toothpaste flying all over the usually messy bathroom. Nami, to this day, still banned Samurai movie in their house and blamed Zoro for the censorship. How could Zoro know that falling asleep to them with the twins on his chest was going to permanently implant the cinematic themes into their young developing minds? He didn't but he loved it nonetheless, and the kids and he would often go to movie marathons in the summertime at their local park. Sometimes Nami would join them just to watch their bright eyes and wide smiles as they absorbed the black and white films which were often poorly dubbed. "In this house," Zoro joked, "we don't sub or dub. We know Japanese!" And they did, even Nami.

Now, on their way to work and school, Zoro and the kids pressed soft feet into the wet leaves. Aia waved her house goodbye, a habit she picked up after watching The Brave Little Toaster and believing that all inanimate objects had feelings and elaborate lives. She nearly lost it when they tried to get a new fridge, screaming about how she loved their old one for "doing its own thing" instead of keeping the freezer cold like it was supposed it.

Zoro knew he needed to tell her that this wasn't true, but he could never say no to her wet brown eyes behind those tiny red frames he constantly told her were "cool". At first, she was angry that she did not have perfect vision like her brother but where he sometimes struggled to keep up, Aia never needed to be told to go. She took after Zoro in that way, 5 moves ahead of everyone. But she had the direction of her mother. Thank God for that, he thought as he remembered being dragged on by his daughter and wife wherever they went.

He and Levi nearly lost them in Disney World this past summer. It was quite embarrassing to be sitting amongst children as a speaker system informed his better half that a grown man was ready to be picked up at Lost and Found. Nami never let him live that one down. His scowl topped with a Mickey Mouse ear hat is still her contact photo for him since that vacation. She may be busier now, but she always found him when he was lost.

When Zoro and Nami were first dating, they worked hard to find their pace. Literally and physically. Despite Nami having long legs even while being a few inches shorter than her then-boyfriend, Zoro's strides were wide and almost galloping. It took her holding his hand tightly to keep him from running away. Eventually, he learned he quite liked having her by his side, pressed against them as they dreamt of their futures ahead. Together.

Now, Zoro never has trouble keeping his pace with two small sets of feet beside his own. Each of them with their backpacks, Levi's making a distinct jingle in what Zoro could only assume was another money-making scheme. At just 6, Levi recently got in trouble for selling rocks to his gullible classmates. He had created a whole system. First, he would find the rocks, and Zoro did not think much of it when on their walks Levi would freeze and scoop down to pick some shiny pebbles off the grass or pavement. Then he would "process" them. This meant he went into Aia's art supplies and added some glitter or a "precious stone" for an accent. Later, he learned he did not need to do so much and just used some perfume he snagged from his mother's makeup table which added a shine and scent to his "products". Finally...he sold them. Kids would waste their lunch and snack money on Levi's "exclusive special gems", and it only took until Nami having lunch duty one day to realize. She was talking to a fellow parent when said parent's child ran up to them and begged his mother for money. When questioned where his original money went, Nami learned that her own son had essentially robbed all his peers of their allowances.

Suffice to say, Nami was angry but if she was being honest, she was damn well proud of him. The kick of it was that as his "demand" grew, so did his "production". He "hired" the classes below him to do his manual labor for his fancy fruit snacks that he never actually liked but convinced his parents to buy anyway. In just two weeks, the smug boy had built an empire out of gravel.

Today, he shuffled with a sullen face as he spent yesterday afternoon apple picking with his family. They had cider and managed to finish at least one homemade pie. He was tired but wired, much like his night owl mother, so he did not fall asleep until well past midnight. As active as he was, he could also sleep standing up if he wanted. Zoro joked that this was just as impressive because "it was hard to just fall asleep anywhere". Nami gave him a pinch for that because some people worried that Levi was narcoleptic from his easy sleeping spells.

Zoro knew that if Levi really loved or wanted to do something, he'd be wide awake for it. The only reason he was sleepy during these special walks was because, like any child, Levi naturally appreciated this warm bed, especially in the crisp fall turning winter season.

Luckily, the walks weren't all that long. They lived about 2 blocks away from the nearest subway. Zoro's work was the same stop as the kids' school. The fact of the matter was that Nami worked in the city and so she left early and come home late. Her job was demanding, but Zoro didn't mind having a rich wife. A friend of theirs made a joke that Zoro may be socially deemed the breadwinner, but Nami was the bread machine. This was something most people pointed out to them, and it was aggravating every time.

The kids' teacher said mindlessly once, "Oh, mommy is too busy for drop off?"

To which Zoro scowled, "What's wrong with me dropping them off?"

Off the flustered teacher went, talking about how "normally" the mothers were class parents and handled drop off and pick up. How the mothers helped with homework and clubs. How fathers just had "too much" with their "hard jobs" to focus on such "small things".

Zoro was firm with his one sharp eye and deep tone, "It took two of us to make them. It should take two of us to raise them."

That made a majority of the other parents swoon and simultaneously turned the teacher into a bumbling idiot, which was a fact Nami took great pride and joy in whenever she did get a break from work to actively participate in the kids' lives. It was also a point of contention between her and Zoro.

She often felt like she was never doing enough and Zoro went to great lengths to convince her otherwise. As if working very hard to get her body back after twins and working a high-profile job in acquisitions and mergers for multi-million-dollar corporations was not stressful enough. The pregnancy and birth were not hard, but the post-pregnancy was brutal. It changed her and there were days where she just sat on the couch and cried. Unfortunately, neither of them had enough parental leave to really work through things, but Nami was tougher than Zoro in many ways. She threw herself into looking better which made her feel better. It worked for her and Zoro was not going to tell her otherwise. If his wife was happy, his life was indeed happy, too.

Other people almost wanted her to feel bad for being a hot, successful woman and as always, Zoro would let the world know that he was married to a very hot and very successful woman who was also the most amazing mom. Yet, it seemed Nami was the hardest one to convince of this opinion turned fact. They both know that nothing they did was perfect, even if it looked like it. As much as they laughed and smiled, there were cracks that needed more time to heal and even more time to understand.

Aia had serious social anxiety and much preferred the company of her teachers and parents over kids her own age. It made making friends very hard for her, and Zoro and Nami worried about her ability to form strong connections being so secluded. Even if she was invited to sleepovers and parties, it was often because other parents forced their kids to invite her as if Levi and Aia were a package deal. Because she was not as outgoing as her brother with their classmates, it often felt like Aia was in Levi's shadow.

As for Levi, he was a social butterfly. However, when it came to talking about his feelings or even acknowledging things he was processing, he was like a bear trap. It was very rare for him to cry, and Zoro sometimes blamed himself for making the boy feel like he needed to pretend. At one point, he had sprained his ankle in soccer and for a week did not say a single word until the coach angrily called Nami and Zoro and questioned them about abuse. Even then, it was Aia who would translate between her twin and her parents.

That was hard for them, but it was even harder for Nami. She blamed herself for everything the kids did "wrong". Nami wished she could clone herself to give 1000% to her kids and her husband and her friends and her job. Her logic was if she was in their life more, Aia wouldn't be so afraid and Levi would be more honest. She felt like time was against her and she sometimes grew jealous of how easy Zoro made it look.

And well, Zoro had an irrational but debilitating fear that his luck would run out or he'd wake up to nothing. As if his wife and his kids and his entire life would one day disappear, and he'd feel even emptier than before he ever met Nami. Therefore, he sat in every moment as if it was his last. This was great but with two kids and 4 schedules to work around, he sometimes felt like he needed a pause, a stop of the clock otherwise everything he held would drop from his hands. Which meant he felt like he needed to hold everything in and by himself, which angered Nami which scared Zoro and so the cycle continued.

Even still, life went on. Zoro and Nami went to couples' therapy at least once a week. It was important for them to have someone facilitate the thoughts in their heads and hearts before they got too big to handle. It kept them grounded for themselves, for each other, and for their kids. They even managed at least one date night once a month, which was a miracle considering how busy life got. They took the kids out every other week, whether it be a museum or movie, hence apple picking in the middle of a school week.

But for Zoro, he loved these mornings the most. They were consistent and filled with the tiny things he wanted to cherish. The world was quiet in their semi-suburban neighborhood. The kids, even though "older", never hesitated to take his hand during their walks. As they approached a puddle, Aia would tug on his hand and he would instinctively lift her up as she giggled and swung over it. Perhaps it was the fact that they were twins, but even half asleep, Levi would jump as well, matching his sister's high leap and quick feet.

It was quiet, but Zoro just needed their little hands in his own to feel like he was at peace. Perhaps he could convince Nami for another. As they enter the subway, he smiled at the thought.

"Baba... what's so funny?" Aia asked.

Levi's ears perked up and he lifted his gray eyes to his father and Zoro couldn't help but chuckle at their inquisitive nature. He urged them forward and their backpacks shook with a cacophony of noise.

He remembered when they were infants mumbling incoherent syllables. Neither of them could get a "d" and so "dada" naturally came out as "baba". He was Baba and the word tugged at his chest as if the kids could reach his heart with their tiny fingers.

"Aia, Baba wasn't laughing. He's thinking."

"Oh?" Aia responded. "About what?"

"Maybe it's about our birthday!" Levi looked up greedily. His dark irises shinning as if they were gold coins. Just like his mother, Zoro mused to himself.

Zoro pushed them through the turnstile as he paid the fare. He quickly found their hands again as they ran down the stairs to catch the train. He let out a huff and found them some empty seats. Finally, as they settled into the motion of the train, he crouched down and met them at eye level.

"So, what do you want?"

Though they often got separate gifts from their friends and family, Nami and Zoro always got them something special that they shared. It was like an extra nice thing, often more sentimental than of high value.

The kids looked at their father and then side eyed one another. They began to whisper to one another, smiles and head shakes shared between them.

Whatever it was, Zoro had no doubt in his mind that Nami and he would get it for them. Whereas Nami was much better at saying no, one look was all it took for Zoro to cave in and give them anything. He grew in fear of the day they figured out their power over him.

They finally gave a solid nod in agreement and looked to their father. "We want a..."

The suspense was killing him. But before he knew it, their stop was here, and they had to make their way through the crowds to get to the school.

As he waved them away, Aia stopped and ran back to her father. Finger motioning him to crouch again as she whispered in his ear and Zoro's eye grew wide. His ears were red but Aia didn't notice as she laughed and ran back to her brother before holding his hand and running into the red brick building.

These kids are gonna be the death of me, he thought. As he turned and walked towards his work, he pulled out his phone and pressed the speed dial. It didn't even ring twice before she picked up in a huff. No matter how busy she was and because she was so good at her job that no one could tell her what to do, Nami always took his calls. Zoro was convinced that before 40, she was going to run the entire company.

"Yeah?"

"You're never gonna believe what the kids want for their birthday."

She laughed. "God, it's a puppy, isn't it?"

"Close."

"A cat?"

Zoro chuckled. "No..."

"Just tell me! Did they finally figure out how much I make? Is it super expensive?"

"Oh yeah. It's expensive. But I think I should tell you when you get home."

Nami groaned. "You just called me to tease me?"

"Don't worry...the next time I tease you... you're gonna like it."

"I'll be home late...again...give-"

"Them a kiss on their noses before they sleep. Always."

"And keep-"

"The bed warm for you." He feigned worry, "When is it ever cold?"

"Idiot." Her version of "I love you."

"Witch." His.

She gave him a snicker before she hung up on him, and Zoro felt a little lighter in his steps.

Yeah. Just one more kid would be nice. He wondered how the kids always knew what to give their parents before even Nami and he even knew what they wanted.

A/N: Murder me with a worn shoe. This is my hot cup of tea. I love fluff and smut but give me Daddy!Zoro and I'm out for the count.

This was the creation of my actual walk to work when a father (I only assumed until it was confirmed) walked two kids to the train.

It was so quiet and precious and I just...knew this was the story I needed to see for ZoNa.

Anywhoo - I wanted to imagine they'd be fair in naming their kids - one Japanese and one Swedish in origin. I may do another "one shot" of why I selected these names specifically but ain't a big deal.

Anyway. This was literally my favorite chapter and I hope you liked it:)