Kellermarie asked: I got one for you if you are still taking prompts. Now that Sanji's left, Zoro goes to change and Tony follows, finding the slip of paper before Dad does and questions him on it.

It was as Zoro was helping to dress Tony into a pair of pyjamas that his son found and seized the slip of paper hanging out of his father's pocket. Zoro had been intending to inspect what Mr. Bla- er, Sanji- had written when he'd had a moment to sit down after putting the kid to bed, but Tony seemed to have beaten him to it.

"What's this?" His son asked, frowning at the crumpled and folded strip of paper in his fingers. He opened it before Zoro could get it back and he was midway through scolding his son on the fact that he wasn't supposed to snatch things from people when Tony spoke, "It's covered in numbers..?" He asked, uncertain.

"What?" Zoro said, turning the slip in Tony's hand gently, and his blood jolted at what he saw. He'd been expecting the school contact number or email, but what he was reading was quite clearly a mobile phone number. This was a personal contact number to Sanji with no having to be redirected to a school office or other staff member beforehand. He could call and speak directly to him. Sanji's words to him at the door went through Zoro's mind, "Here. Just in case you change your mind about the lessons or, you know, stuff…"

What had Sanji meant by that exactly? Was this number strictly only for calling about Tony's lessons? No, it couldn't be or he'd have been given a school contact… And what had he meant by 'stuff'? What kind of stuff? There was an anxious kind of excitement dwelling in his stomach but he tried to stamp it down before it had a chance. He remembered Sanji's other words too- how he'd brushed off Tony's words as just 'kids being kids'. He wasn't interested like that in Zoro; there was no need to try and feed air into a fire that wasn't there. Still, it couldn't hurt to try and make a friend out of his son's teacher.

He took the paper from Tony and shrugged, "It's just a mobile number."

"Oh…"

Zoro lifted Tony up onto his hip and carried him to his bed to tuck him in. His son turned on the mattress when he was set down and cuddled into his always ready and waiting teddy with a yawn, "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

Tony looked up at him from the pillow with his soft brown eyes, "Why won't you and Mr. Black be friends?"

Zoro sighed, "It's complicated, Tony."

"Why?"

"Because…" Zoro didn't know how to word it.

"Is it because he doesn't like you the same way?" Tony asked, and Zoro was struck yet again by just how smart his son really was at grasping the concept of things. During the divorce, Zoro - with his ex's permission- had told Tony as well as he could about how he was homosexual in terms that the child could understand. Tony seemed to have got it instantly and clearly knew what his father had meant and had been perfectly fine with it.

"Yeah, I don't think he likes me that way." Zoro said softly and lay down next to his son with the feeling that this was going to be a longer discussion. Tony shuffled over and tugged at his father's arm until Zoro held him into his side in a one armed hug.

"I liked him." Tony said quietly, "But you're not lonely, dad. You have me."

Zoro smiled and ruffled Tony's hair, "Yeah, I've got you."

"I love you, dad." Tony said and Zoro felt his son's smile against his shirt.

"Love you too, Tony." Zoro said and at some point amidst Zoro telling him a story about pirates of old they both fell asleep.