Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
Two weeks before school started, Mihawk took his son to the school campus to order his uniform. Since this was the third time Mihawk had done this, he had procrastinated. Kuina was a month before school started, Perona was three weeks, so obviously Zoro would be two weeks before. Zoro didn't nag as often as Perona, so Mihawk put it off for a long time. It was thanks to Perona, who looked at the calendar, gasped when she realized that summer break was ending, remembered that Zoro wasn't ready for high school at all.
So, Mihawk led Zoro to the main office to fill out a form to pay for two sets of uniforms. In the meantime, Zoro circled the whole campus to see what his new school was going to be like.
The school was larger than middle school, so more places to get lost. Good thing was that Sanji was going to attend the same high school too, so Zoro could ride on Sanji's bicycle again. Zoro raised his head to stare at the four story building covered in square windows. New people and a new place; two things he particularly didn't like. He liked to be in places he was familiar of. It made him feel very uncomfortable since his green hair attracted a lot of attention.
Zoro let out a low sigh because he was especially getting a lot of attention from the females. Near the last weeks of middle school, he had his locker filled with love letters, so many that he couldn't close it back up. Once in every break bell, a girl captured him and asked him out, and Zoro quickly answered with the 'Dad said no.' He still didn't get why every girl gave him a weird look; well, it was better than seeing them cry.
Finally, on graduation day, he was attacked by a mob of his classmates (all women) who demanded to get the rumored 'second button' of his school uniform (Sanji and a few other good looking men got attacked too. Sanji was laughing though). That was when he had it. He was tired of women crawling over him, asking him out, and asking to be his friend when what they really wanted was to get his heart somehow.
It was too late; his heart was already taken.
Zoro made up his mind; he was going to announce that he was gay. He had wondered why he held it off for a while. The biggest reason was his family; what would his family say? Kuina and Perona seemed okay, rather they might be glad that their brother was gay than a straight pervert.
His dad was the problem.
Zoro sighed, and a short shiver went up his spine. His dad didn't look like it-wait, he did look like it. So that was why he was so intimidating. But his father loved him...did he? Mihawk didn't talk much, so it was hard to interpret his emotions. He waited for his father to come and find him. It didn't take long since Zoro was just outside of the office. His father held two sets of brand new uniforms. It looked like the ones his sisters wore except his had pants. The top was a navy blue with a large shield sewed on his breast. The symbol looked fancy, but it also looked like a skull if Zoro squinted.
"Ready to go?" Mihawk asked.
Zoro nodded and followed his father to the car.
Upon closing the door, Mihawk began listing off the stores they were going to visit, "We're going to buy you a new backpack, some school supplies, a laptop-"
"A laptop?"
"Kuina and Perona got theirs, so you're getting one too."
"Cool." Zoro smiled. His own laptop in which he could add any background image he wanted, "So, after laptop?"
"Maybe buy some new clothes...and then shop for groceries."
Zoro took a deep breath because the room grew hot. It could be because his heart was pounding loud and fast. He made up his mind, and he was not going to bear a woman's advances any longer. But his lips were closed tight and it felt like he clamped them with lead. He took a short breath to at least call out his father.
"Dad," Zoro licked his lips, "can I get something? Like, a gift for transitioning into a high school student?"
"Is a laptop not enough for you?"
"I-It is Dad, but it's urgent. I promise it'll be cheap."
Zoro slightly lowered his head when his father sighed. His heart lifted a little when Mihawk grunted. This meant a yes.
"All right. Where do you want to go?"
"I want to get a piercing. O-On my left ear only."
A second ago, there was a steady, quivering atmosphere clouding in their car. The moment Zoro asked for a piercing, the air stilled. There wasn't any sound in the car before, except for their voices, but now it was deathly quiet. Zoro didn't dare to look up. Immense weight pressed down onto his shoulders, crushing him down. He felt like he was going to die from suffocation. He was sweating, but he was shaking from the cold.
After seconds that crawled torturously slow, Mihawk answered, "...just the left ear?"
"Y-Yeah."
"You don't need to be stingy. I have enough to give you a piercing for your right ear."
"T-That's not the point Dad," Zoro realized his dad didn't understand the meaning of the piercing, "I only want it on my left because..." the words were caught in his throat.
"Because you're..."
"I'm-"
"Go on."
Zoro could barely speak, "I'm gay Dad."
The air was still heavy and tense, but his father sighed and leaned back into his seat.
"So, that's what it means?"
"...yeah."
"So, Crocodile isn't gay because he has it on the right?"
"I-I don't know."
"Because the other day he was staring at me in a strange manner...so I thought-"
"I thought he didn't like you."
Mihawk let out a hum, "That's true." He turned to Zoro, and the green haired teen flinched because it was so sudden, "So, after we buy groceries, let's go and get your piercings done."
Zoro sucked in a breath, "I-It's okay?"
"Of course it's all right." Mihawk frowned, "I'm not surprised that you are gay. I had a hunch, and I was right."
Zoro let out a shaky breath, and finally Mihawk noticed that his son looked terrified. He quietly wrapped an arm around Zoro. "Zoro, whoever you like, I still love you." He gave a few strong pats on his back before putting his hands back on the wheel. Suddenly, Zoro felt a whole lot better.
-.-.-
Mihawk and Zoro returned home two hours later with the groceries, new school supplies, the laptop, and Zoro's new piercing. His father only gave him one, but if Zoro wanted more, Mihawk promised to go with him. Zoro was trying not to rub his finger over the new piercing, but it was thrumming in pain. He took his backpack, his new uniform, and his laptop set (his father bought him a laptop case, wireless mouse, and several USB drives).
He dropped all of the items at the foot of his bed, and got his phone. He really wanted to turn on his new laptop and add cool wallpaper but his nerves weren't steady. He needed to tell Sanji what happened, and hope that his friend was okay with it.
Zoro expected that Sanji didn't care either, but he needed to hear it.
The phone rang four times before Sanji picked it up.
"Hey Zoro! What's up?"
When he heard Sanji's voice, Zoro's throat tightened up and a wave of tears blurred his vision.
"Sanji," Zoro couldn't believe how his voice came out weak and shaking.
"W-What happened?" Immediately, Sanji was alarmed. Zoro could tell by the way he was raising his voice.
"I-I told Dad that I'm gay-"
"-and?"
"-and he wasn't surprised about it...he said he kind of knew-"
"Oh! Oh god! You scared me Zoro!" There was a loud wind like noise, as if Sanji sighed into the phone, "Then, why are you crying?"
"Because I'm happy," Zoro choked on a sob, "I-I love Dad. If he started hating me for being gay, I can't-"
He couldn't finish his sentence anymore because he let out an embarrassing wail. It took a minute for Zoro to calm down, but while he was sniffling and coughing Sanji didn't make a sound. The silence relieved him. This was the second time he cried in front of his friend; the first time was when they were still strangers. He was honest with his feelings when Sanji found him hiding under the large jungle gym, trying his best to look tough despite the mask growing brittle and ready to fall off.
When Zoro cleared his throat, it was Sanji's cue to talk, "I'm glad your Dad's okay with it."
"He got me a piercing."
"You got a piercing? Where where?"
"On the ear."
"Both?"
"No, on the left. It hurts."
"Whoa, but that side means you're gay!"
"That's the point."
"You're right. But, why all of a sudden?"
"Because I want everyone to know that I'm gay, so no more girls."
Sanji laughed, "You really hate girls." Zoro let out a sound similar to what babies did when they were fed with food they didn't like, "But does the new school's dress code allow earrings?"
Zoro paled, "I forgot about that."
"Hmmm, I want a piercing too."
An image of Sanji with a piercing formed in Zoro's mind. A smile danced across his face, a blush too, "That'll be neat. You should get one too."
"-and then we get those earrings that's shaped like heart and it says 'best friends forever'?"
"No," Zoro burst into laughter, wiping the remaining tears off his eyes, "No, that's-no."
"Aw, okay...so, are you ready for school?"
"I guess so." Zoro grinned, "I hope we get into the same class."
"Me too."
"Sanji..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we should-"
Zoro almost bit his tongue. Blood rushed to his face, and a sheet of sweat poured out from his pores. He couldn't believe he was about to say what he had been holding back for all these years.
"W-What did you-" Sanji's voice was off, as if he wasn't expecting Zoro to ask this question.
"Sorry Sanji. Dad's calling."
Zoro hung up the phone and set it off and away from him. He wiped off the sweat off his forehead and brow, quietly praying that Sanji wasn't going to call again. Sanji, however, knew when Zoro lied, and that was an obvious lie. Zoro was coming up with a credible excuse to tell Sanji while turning away from his cell phone.
But the call never came.
Although Zoro was relieved, he felt a little disappointed. Well, at least he got better at lying.
-.-.-
Sanji had the cell phone in his hand, it had been idle for longer than three minutes so it went into sleep mode.
"Do you think we should-"
Zoro's question circled his mind over and over. His friend was lying; his habit was to talk a tad faster. But what was Zoro about to say? Sanji was curious, but his mind already filled in the blanks for him.
"Do you think we should go out?"
If he hadn't controlled himself, blood would've burst from his nose and spilled over his cell phone. He breathed in quick pants as he tried to keep cool. Was Zoro going to ask him out? He would've said 'Can I sleep with you?' but why did Zoro stop? His conscience told him to call back and say 'yes', but he sat there frozen with the phone in his hand.
He couldn't do it, and it made him very pitiful. He had never been this embarrassed in his life. Would he be able to look at Zoro in the same way, laugh and joke about stupid things without looking at him adoringly? Wanting? Would Zoro be treating him the same way, in spite of the unfinished question?
Sanji wanted to remain friends, but he also wanted to kiss Zoro. The inner conflict was worsening since adolescence.
Friend was first priority. But he wanted Zoro.
Sanji gently pressed the cell phone to his lips, wondering what he should do. First things first, he needed to call Zoro again. He needed to tell him.
Zoro answered the phone unusually fast. He was probably sitting next to the phone.
"Sanji?"
"Zoro?"
"Uh, about what I was trying to say earlier...I was-"
"Zoro," Sanji paused and swallowed a lot of saliva, "I think I know what you are going to say." Zoro immediately fell silent, "But, wait. Please wait...for me."
"For...you?"
"Yeah." Sanji scratched at his head, "Err...you know, I'm still fourteen and you're fourteen...I'm going to make a lot of mistakes for sure. So, wait two more years. Just two more...I'll tell you when I'm ready. And then..." Heat crept up to his face and he licked his lips, "A-And then, can you tell me what you were going to say?"
"Errm..." Sanji heard Zoro hesitate, "O-Okay."
"Thanks. I'll hang up now."
"Thank you too Sanji. Bye."
"Bye."
When he closed the phone, Sanji let out a long sigh of relief. Sanji calculated that he was going to mature within the two years. He might learn new techniques to love and flirt, too (Of course, his first was going to be with Zoro). In the meantime, Zoro was going to change also. His voice was starting to croak, and he was starting to grow. He would be irresistible when the time came. If Sanji wanted to love Zoro, he was going to polish himself and become the perfect boyfriend.