Chapter Text
Perona wasn’t able to return to her body until early the next morning, and Perona silently cursed Red Haired Shanks into an early grave. After her heart restarted, Perona was left feeling a horrible ache that was the result of her being out of her body too long. She had only recently come back from Sabaody, and that had been a week long trip away from her body, and she still had not fully recovered from it.
“If that Red Haired Menace is still here when I wake up, I am going to make him wish that he was never born.” Perona sat up with a wince, and she could actually hear her bones creak as she moved. To be immobile for almost a whole day while still recovering from her last trip, her body was worn out, and Perona let out several curses as she forced her body to stand. She went through her routine stretches in order to promote blood flow throughout her body, and once the pins and needles faded, Perona gingerly laid back on her bed with a wince. She needed sleep, and even though the thought of being still for even one more second made her want to cry, Perona knew that she would regret it if she didn’t allow her body to rest.
And so Perona fell asleep, and she dreamed of obnoxious laughter and red haired midgets that were crying and wishing they were dead.
When Perona woke up later that morning, the image of Shanks’ ship sailing away flashed through her mind. She opened her eyes to the sight of her Hollow smiling down at her, and Perona smiled back as she sat up on the bed inside her safe room.
She no longer had to hide, and she sighed happily as she stood up and drowsily wandered toward the lock on her door. After a lot of fumbling Perona finally unlocked it, and then stumbled her way out into the guest room and its attached bathroom. The bathroom was the only outward sign that this room was ever used, and after Perona brushed her teeth and put her messy curls into a ponytail, she yawned and began to make her way downstairs.
The sun had almost reached the middle of the sky by then, and was shining happily through the ever present fog that shrouded Kuraigana Island. Perona made a face at the cheery sight, annoyed that she had been forced to sleep in so late, and she could only silently lament at how off her sleeping schedule was going to be now. Perona yawned again, and then opened the door that led into the kitchen, and to the sight of Mihawk sitting at the table.
The kitchen was a massive room that could have easily fit a dozen chefs, and it also had a casual dining table set up inside for the castle's past workers and servants. Though the castle also had a formal dining area, after she and Zoro moved in, this was where they usually ended up eating. After all, it was too much of a hassle to move the food all the way from the kitchen into the dining room- that was way too big for the three of them anyway. And so, the smaller and much closer kitchen table became their usual meeting place.
Mihawk was reading that morning's newspaper with an empty plate of food sitting in front of him. He was also nursing a cup of tea as he read, and the sight of it made Perona grimace. She wandered toward the coffee maker, feeling a bit like a zombie from Thriller Bark, and let out a joyful noise when she saw the pot already full and waiting for her.
“I love you, you know that? You are a godsend.”
Mihawk hummed noncommittally, and turned the page of his paper. Had it been any other time of the day, Perona would have felt hurt at the casual dismissal- but after two years of living with him and Zoro, they both knew that she would say that to anyone who made her coffee in the morning.
“Your addiction to that foul substance is unhealthy.” He commented for the thousandth time, and Perona chuckled. With just as much casualness, she replied as she filled her coffee cup, “And I don’t give a damn, thank you very much. One day Mihawk, I’ll make you appreciate a well-made cup of coffee.”
“That will be an interesting day.” He mused, before folding his newspaper and setting it aside so he could give her his full attention, “I left you a plate in the hotbox if you want it.”
Perona squealed, and eagerly hurried over to the hotbox. She opened it, and moaned when the delicious scent of food hit her nose. She looked down through the steaming air to see a plate full of scrambled eggs mixed with homemade salsa, and two sides of buttered toast. Perona happily grabbed her plate along with her cup of coffee, and then made her way towards the table where Mihawk was sitting.
“So, what is going on in the world today?” Perona asked as she sat down. She began devouring Mihawk’s simply divine eggs and salsa with the familiar sound of his voice in her ears as he related the news that he had been reading about. Their routine was utterly familiar, and it felt wonderful. Perona found herself relaxing at the feeling of rightness that this scene caused her to feel, and she allowed herself a small private smile.
“And so, other than the updates on those rebellions, nothing generated much interest. It did mention in excruciating detail however, that the Reverie would be occurring this year.”
Perona booed, and then stuffed a piece of toast into her mouth. After chewing, she wiped her mouth with a napkin, “Nothing on our green haired idiot?”
Mihawk smiled a bit before hiding it behind his cup of tea, “Not since the edition about Sabaody.”
“They are actually laying low for once,” Perona’s face showed her surprise as she pushed her plate away and nursed her cup of coffee, “I didn’t know that they could actually do that- who knew?” Mihawk laughed at her comment, and Perona narrowed her eyes at the sound as he stood up with his used dishes in hand.
“You shouldn’t assume that just because their actions are not printed in the paper, that they are in fact,’laying low’.”
Perona groaned at Mihawk’s apparent amusement, and dreaded hearing what he had to say, “What did they do this time?”
Mihawk had been making his way toward the sink basin, and now his back to her as he began washing his dishes by hand, “From what I’ve heard, they’ve been busy disrupting a live demonstration for a new chemical weapon being sold on the black market- Ceasar Clown’s ‘Shinokuni’, I believe it was called.”
“Wasn’t that the scientist who destroyed Punk Hazard with all that poison?!”
Mihawk glanced over his shoulder and raised a single eyebrow, “I’m surprised that you remembered his name.”
Perona shrugged and replied absently, her thoughts far away- picturing Zoro running like a madman in order to escape toxic fumes. It was both a worrying thought, and an amusing one, “Moria-sama mentioned him once. He called him an egotistical jackass whose weapons were overstated, and overpriced.”
Mihawk chuckled, and dried his last dish with the dish towel, “Well said, and quite accurate too.”
Perona stared at Mihawk’s back for a long moment, and then forcefully shook her head to rid it of her musings. She had long since resigned herself to never figuring out how Mihawk knew these things. He had to have at least one contact in the underworld, but how he communicated with them was a mystery. Perona let out a lazy sigh, and picked up her dishes. She walked over to the sink, and then turned the water back on in order to wash her dishes. They stood side by side for several comfortable moments, and finally, Perona couldn’t help but glance at Mihawk and comment, “Your friends are way too noisy. I was about ready to drown them in Negative Hollows last night.”
It had been an unexpected surprise for Perona- Mihawk had only spoken in passing on the Yonko, and all Zoro knew about the man was a secondhand account of his captain’s interaction with him. All Perona had known about Red Haired Shanks was that Mihawk respected his strength, and that he was a good man. But to think that Mihawk's friends would be so boisterous when he himself was…
Perona silently cackled at the annoyed look on Mihawk's face at her comment, “I wouldn’t have objected.” He muttered, but his expression softened at the sound of her laughter. Unfortunately, his content expression was quick to disappear when he saw her flinch.
“What is it?” Mihawk stepped closer to Perona, his eyes sharp and serious as he watched her lips turn up into a snarl. She angrily dropped the dish she had been cleaning into the sink, and aggressively began to wipe her hands dry, “Fucking pirates and their fucking timing!”
Perona’s face was murderous, and she murmured some very choice words as she stalked back to her seat at the table, and shakily exhaled. Mihawk watched her physically float out of her body, and found that it was a sight that would never cease to disturb him. Shaking off his uneasiness, Mihawk raised a questioning eyebrow, and felt his weariness fade just a bit, “I’m guessing that they are not worth either of our time then?”
Perona hadn’t even bothered to change out of her sleeping clothes, and never before had he seen her so unconcerned that she would confront an intruder in her fluffy panda bear shorts. She wasn’t even wearing makeup.
Perona didn’t reply to his comment, instead, she continued to murmur ominously to herself as she floated through the wall and toward the soon-to-be-sorry home invaders, “I am going to knock in their skulls and have them forgetting their own names, those fucking cockroaches .”
Mihawk stared after her for a few moments and then sighed, before moving back toward the sink. He had half a mind to join Perona on her wrathful raid on those unsuspecting pirates, but he knew from experience that she would be done with them by the time he reached the shore. She also wasn’t in the mood to play around with her prey, so her vengeance would be especially swift and merciless. So instead, he focussed his aggression on washing her dishes, and afterwards he put them back into their respective places. Without anything else to distract him, Mihawk was left standing alone in the too quiet kitchen, and feeling utterly restless.
Mihawk ran a hand through his hair and stalked out of the kitchen. He moved with purpose toward the front of the castle after he calculated that she was probably already on her way back. And so after taking a small detour, Mihawk headed toward the entrance hall. Sure enough, after he got a bit closer, he heard the creak of the castle doors opening,
With a small grin, Mihawk turned around the last corner and was finally able to hear her angry curses.
“Fucking bastards are lucky I was feeling merciful. I almost broke their rudder- be thankful scum.”
Mihawk sweatdropped, and then slowly peeked down the staircase. Perona was still floating in her ghost form, and her teeth were sharpened into needle thin points. The doors of the castle were wide open, and a line of her Hollows were entering with loot balanced on their backs.
Mihawk’s lips twitched in amusement. “Merciful indeed.”
Perona turned, and though she was still obviously irritated, her expression softened. “Oh? Am I detecting sarcasm from the great Hawk-Eyed Mihawk right now?” Perona let out a chuckle, “Who would have thought I’d live to see the day.”
The Hollows closed the doors behind them, and Mihawk descended the stairs with an expression of slight amusement. “First you strangle them with negativity, then you knock them out with that metal pipe you're so fond of.” Mihawk eyed the treasure chests pointedly, “And then you rob them of their treasure and booze before setting them off on a course to the Florian triangle.”
Perona crossed her arms over her chest and pouted cutely, “And your point is?”
Mihawk’s lips pulled up into a small smile, “You are a terrifying woman.”
Perona blinked, startled, and then smiled at the compliment. “Hmph,” She subtly flipped her hair over her shoulder, and placed a hand on her hip, “Well of course I’m a terrifying woman, as the Queen of Kuraigana Island, I could be nothing less. Horohorohoro~”
Mihawk chuckled along with her, though his expression was replaced by a sudden seriousness that confused Perona, “In fact, I do not believe that I have ever thanked you for your consideration before. I know you are not fond of alcohol, and yet you’ve always made sure to include it in your looting because you know how much Zoro and I enjoy it.” Mihawk gave her a slight bow, “Thank you Perona, for your kind and considerate gesture.”
Perona blinked rapidly at the gesture, and blushed at the sudden seriousness of the situation. She averted her eyes with an awkward laugh and a careless wave, “All this over a some stupid wine barrels, sheesh Mihawk, you really are like an old man!”
Perona winced, and wanted to slap herself for saying something so stupid, but luckily her fatigue overwhelmed her embarrassment before she could embarrass herself further. Mihawk moved to her side, arms held ready to steady her should she need it, and he became alarmed at the sheer exhaustion he saw on her face, “Perona-”
“I really hate being in this form at home.” Perona gave a shaky sigh, but attempted to give Mihawk a smile while she gestured that she did not need help, “I’m fine Mihawk, just tired.”
She began to float in the direction of the kitchen, but she paused before passing through the wall. She glanced at Mihawk over her shoulder, and she hated how soft her request came out, “Can we spar after this Mihawk? I really need to move around in my actual body right now- my back is starting to ache.”
Mihawk did not even hesitate at the sudden shift in subject, “Of course.”
Perona gave him one last smile, and then turned and disappeared through the wall. Her expression immediately darkened as she once again hovered over her prone body, and as she settled into it, her heart gave an exhausted sputter before restarting once more.
When Perona opened her eyes and felt her limbs screaming in pain, her expression became the thing of nightmares, “ I should have broken their rudder and set them on course for certain death.”
The sun was passed the midway point when they met outside on the training grounds. They had both changed into casual clothes, because while they made it a point to also practice in their everyday wear, neither of them wanted to deal with the extra layers today. Perona set her water bottle down at the edge of the field, and then began to stretch. She took a moment to simply enjoy the feeling of it- of being able to feel. It was unnerving at times, when she spent too long in her ghost body- unable to feel touch, to feel hot or cold or even the air she breathed. It made her uneasy.
And that was why she enjoyed her spars with Mihawk so much, because she always felt more in control of herself afterwards. Their spars were a reminder that she was still alive, that she was still in control of a body that needed to breathe and that felt pain when struck. A body that could feel the touch of others. Sometimes, Perona felt more dead than alive, but it was a silly worry that she would never voice, even if she knew that Mihawk would never make fun of her.
Letting out a deep breathe as she settled on the ground to stretch her legs, Perona shook herself out of her depressing thoughts by focussing her attention on the present where it belonged, “How many rounds do you think we should go today?”
Mihawk hummed absently as he squatted and began stretching out his legs and arms. Perona paused in order to watch, because Mihawk's arms always looked utterly fantastic when he did those stretches. And today he just so happened to be wearing a muscle shirt that left his shoulders and upper arms exposed. Perona silently appreciated the view, but acknowledged that his upper arm strength was monstrous , especially in hand to hand combat.
“... how about three rounds, and then we’ll see how you feel after that.”
“Sounds good to me!” Perona shook her unhelpfully unclean thoughts out of her mind, and then sprang up from the ground where she had finished her leg stretches. She turned, cocked her hip to the side, and smirked at Mihawk, “I am going to win at least one of these rounds, you bastard.”
Mihawk laughed outright at her confident claim, “Oh? We’ll see about that.” His smirk was a challenge, and Perona eagerly shifted into an aggressive stance.
Perona’s voice was utterly sweet and innocent as she said, “I promise, no groin punches this time.”
Mihawk moved into a similar stance, and his yellow eyes positively glowed , “And why don't I believe you?”
Perona laughed at the dryness of his tone, and gave the man a cheeky wink, “Because you’re a smart man~”
The humandrills began to gather at the edges of the training grounds, and their enthusiastic screaming was the perfect compliment to the tension in the air. For a moment, the two fighters simply looked at each other, and Perona tensed because they both knew that she would not be the one to make the first move. It would have left her wide open, and Mihawk nodded to show his approval before disappearing.
Now, while Mihawk was a swordsman by trade and reputation, this did not mean that he could not fight hand to hand, even if it was not his preferred fighting method. Perona’s eyes shifted to the side with an almost impossible quickness, and she neatly avoided Mihawk’s grabbing hands that tried to pull her into a strangling position. Mihawk said nothing, because he was always unnaturally silent while they sparred, unless he was pointing out places where she made a mistake or where she could improve.
Perona took his silence as approval, and eagerly made a counterattack when one of his punches left his side exposed. She fell backwards onto her hands in order to avoid the hit, and then pushed up with all her strength to kick him with both her legs. The hit landed and Mihawk stumbled back a step, but before she could use the momentum of the kick to distance herself, Mihawk grabbed her ankles in a punishing grip.
Perona’s eyes widened in alarm, and she gave a small scream when he turned and threw her over his shoulder and harshly into the ground. She was left in a small crater, her head dizzy with the hit and the sound of the humandrill’s excited screeching. But Perona did not let any of this distract her from the very real threat of Mihawk, who was now standing above her prone form.
“I’ve told you to be careful when using that move Perona. While the power behind it is effective, it leaves you vulnerable in mid air for several seconds.”
Perona was quick to scramble away from him, and she was right to do so because she barely avoided his unmerciful stomps that would have broken her bones. Mihawk gave a considering hum as he stretched his arm back and punched where her head had been a mere second beforehand, “You should make an effort to only use that move later in a fight, after you have worn down your opponent's stamina. And only aim for their throat, groin, or gut; you can use that move without a chance of a counterattack if you leave your opponent unable to breathe while you are vulnerable.”
Perona finally put enough distance between them to face him properly, and she advanced with her own series of hard punches and kicks, her skin blackened from Armament Haki.
Mihawk dodged her aggressive assault, his eyes noting every opening she left and he swiftly gave her corrections and suggestions in order to make her moves more effective.
Perona was panting slightly at this point, and angrily kicked out at his ankle after crouching in order to avoid his punch. It actually landed and managed to unbalance him. Perona used this moment to her advantage, and began using an aggressive combo that she privately thought of as her specialty. Mihawk grimaced.
Perona jumped up in the second that Mihawk was regaining his balance and brought down a heavy punch on his head. Perona swiftly followed this with hard forward stomp on that same ankle- though it unfortunately had less of an effect on Mihawk than an ordinary opponent, it still kept him off balance which was all Perona could ask for at this point. She then kicked two more times with the same leg, each kick aimed higher than the last. One at his knee, and the next at his groin. Mihawk was pushed back, but while Perona was regaining her center of balance, he unexpectedly advanced forward and brought down a similar punch on her head- only with more than twice the power behind it.
Perona was left seeing stars and stumbling, and she blindly lashed out with a series of punches at where she estimated his body to be.
“Good- you are getting better at estimating where I am. While your Observation Haki is not as advanced as I would prefer it to be, you more than make up for it by using your ghosts as a reference point to watch me while you’re blinded.”
Perona promised to preen at the subtle praise later, and narrowed her eyes in hopes of focusing them as she was forced to go on the defensive. She could not tell definitively where his punches were coming from, and could only use her Ghosts as a third person reference point. Even so, she valiantly dodged and attempted to put distance between them, and she actually lasted to the point where her vision cleared. It was her momentary joy that did her in.
Mihawk was able to slip in close to her, and then Perona was lifted off the ground in a stranglehold that cut off all her air and the blood flow to her brain.
Perona struggled uselessly, kicked back at the man behind her and clawed instinctively at his arms. His hold did not loosen.
Perona did everything she could think of to escape, but each effort was less effective than the last, and then she was seconds away from passing out.
Perona finally resigned herself to the loss, and allowed her body to go limp. She patted gently at the arm holding her, and she was immediately released. Mihawk kindly held her upright as she coughed and gasped for breath, running a gentle hand along her back as he waited for her to recover.
“Fucking hell, I hate it when you do that.” Perona croaked. Mihawk’s expression showed neither remorse nor guilt, but his hands remained gentle.
“Then you should be an expert at avoiding the move by now.”
Perona groaned dramatically and leaned back to give him a breathless protest, “I am an expert at avoiding that move!” Perona gave as much of a pout as she could, her cheeks flushed with color as she panted for breath, “It’s just that… you caught me off guard.”
Mihawk nodded at her muttered confession, and ran a soothing hand down her side as he forced her to straighten and stand on her own.
“Yes, I really wish that I could train that out of you.” Mihawk closed his eyes and sighed, “You get too eager whenever you land a hit, and it leaves you open afterwards.”
Perona laughed gently, and stepped away from Mihawk’s hands, “And whose fault is that?”
Mihawk’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and Perona laughed even harder at his obliviousness. She grimaced when her throat protested the abuse, but dutifully put distance between them as she explained, “How can I not feel eager when I land a blow on you? Even when all you're using is Observation Haki, you are a force to be reckoned with. If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t feel so happy about landing a blow.”
Perona turned and settled back into an aggressive stance, but Mihawk was slow to copy her. Perona gave him an assuring smile when she saw the small signs of worry on his face.
“I am still going to win one of these rounds Mihawk, don't you doubt it for a second.”
Mihawk shook his head, and allowed himself to give Perona a proud smile, “I never doubted you.”
Perona’s eyes burned, and her hands clenched tighter together. She was going to win. She would not be able to live with herself if she proved herself a disappointment to him.
Perona used her Haki covered forearms to block Mihawk’s punch, and then viciously retaliated with her own set of aggressive punches, two of which landed on his face and shoulder.
She had lost the first round because of his stranglehold, and she had lost the second round because of an unexpected uppercut that had thrown her into the air and left her incapacitated. One round left, and Perona refused to be beaten again. She refused .
She fought against the aches in her body, smiled through the blows that left her winded, and laughed at the pain that would have crippled her once upon a time.
Her punches hit twice as hard, and she used every dirty stick she could think of to put her at an advantage. She threw sand into Mihawk’s eyes, did a splits in order to avoid his attacks and have a straight shot at punching his groin. Perona fought like she was possessed, and she was ecstatic when she found herself actually gaining ground.
Perona threw herself forward and landed on her hands in front of Mihawk. Before he could counter her entire body curved backwards and her thighs gripped his hips in a steel like lock. Using the power in her legs, Perona literally threw Mihawk behind her, where he skidded across the ground, and Perona eagerly followed and jumped onto him before he could get up again.
Pinning down his legs with her thighs, Perona silently mourned the fact that they were only using hand to hand at the moment. Because if Perona had had her twin pistols, or her metal pipe, then this fight would have been over. Instead, Perona was forced to use her fists, and even though most of her blows hit, they were not nearly enough to knock him out.
All too soon Mihawk was able to gain the advantage. He bucked her off and then grabbed her wrist in order to flip their positions. Now she was the one pinned to the ground, and Mihawk’s hands were big enough that he could hold both her hands captive above her head with only one of them. His thighs trapped her legs so she could only kick uselessly at air as she squirmed, bucked, and did everything to escape his grasp.
But it was all futile. With a finality that made Perona want to cry, Mihawk wrapped his free hand around her throat, and won the third round.
Perona stopped her fruitless squirming, and wilted into the ground with a pathetic noise that made her want to die. She refused to admit that her lips were trembling slightly, but she was quickly pulled out of her despair when Mihawk ran his fingers along the side of her throat in a comforting gesture.
“You’ve improved leaps and bounds Perona- soon I’ll have to start using Armament Haki in order to keep up with you.” Perona gasped, and looked up at Mihawk with disbelieving eyes. Mihawk’s expression was utterly serious, and Perona could see just how much he believed what he was saying. Her heart fluttered in her chest and her face broke into a smile that could have outshone the sun.
Mihawk found himself smiling back, and his thumb absently caressed the pulse point on her throat, “Be proud.”
Perona swallowed thickly, and then gave a jerky nod, before breaking the loosened hold he had on her wrists and reaching up to wrap her arms around the surprised man.
“Perona-?”
“Thank you Mihawk.” Perona tightened her grip around his shoulders, and buried her face into the bare skin of his neck, “For everything,”
For a moment, all Mihawk could do was hover over her like he was completely paralyzed. He recovered quickly however, and then he awkwardly returned her hug. He wrapped one arm around her waist while the other curved over her upper back in order to hold her steady against him.
This was the closest that they had ever been while not training together- this was the first and only hug that either of them had ever initiated. Mihawk’s thoughts were bouncing all over the place, and then Perona shifted her legs and her hips. It was completely innocent- her legs had probably fallen asleep under his weight, but the gesture had Mihawk tensing, because was was suddenly incredibly aware of his position over her.
And it did not help that they were both dressed less than usual. Mihawk’s hand unconsciously moved a little higher on her back, and came into context with the skin of her shoulder, while his other arm was touching nothing but skin.
It wasn’t unusual for Perona to dress this way when they were training, or even when she just didn’t want to put in the effort of dressing up in her complicated dresses. Mihawk admitted privately to himself that he preferred it when she wore such casual clothing, because it made him happy to think that she was comfortable enough to show him this side of her. But he had never been put in this kind of situation with her before, and now he found himself noticing things that made him incredibly uncomfortable when he realized what he had noticed.
How incredibly soft her skin was, for example.
Mihawk couldn’t for the life of him remember what she called this piece of clothing, though he supposed it was similar to the breast bands used in Wano. Only hers was neon pink. Her loose cargo shorts were grey and they rode low on her hips, exposing her abs and slim waist to both his eyes and his hands.
Mihawk swallowed awkwardly, and then he noticed that her own hands were touching the skin of his back and shoulders. The entire situation suddenly felt incredibly intimate to him, even though he knew that it shouldn't have felt that way.
Perona was a friend.
“That is fucking bullshit and you know it!” Mihawk sighed as Shanks slammed his cup down repeatedly on the table in order to emphasize his point, “How the hell can you say that you two are only friends?! Did someone cut off your dick while I was away?!”
Mihawk’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and he gave Shanks a warning glare, “I still have a dick Shanks, thank you very much for your concern. I just don't think with it instead of my head like you tend to do.”
Shanks snorted carelessly, and grumbled into his cup before slamming it down and shouting, “Benn! Another round!”
Mihawk froze when he noticed the the tense set of Shanks’ shoulders, and he lowered his wine glass with concern in his eyes, “Shanks?”
Shanks turned, and gave him a wide smile that Mihawk could barely tell was fake, “It’s nothing old friend, you just reminded me of something.”
“Oh?”
Shanks was quick to invade his personal space and wrap an arm around his shoulders, eager to change the subject but also determined to talk about this to his friend. He didn't want Mihawk to die old and alone, with a non-existent sex life after all.
“She just took off her skirt in front of you Mihawk.”
Mihawk choked on the sip of wine he had taken from his glass, and almost ended up spewing it all over the bar. Shanks patted him violently on the back to help with his sudden coughing fit, and his smile was devilishly mischievous.
“She flashed her cute little panties at you, and you still think that you are ‘only friends’?” Shanks sighed mockingly, and looked over towards Perona, who was being harassed by a sobbing Rockstar across the room, “Poor girl, she has her work cut out for her.”
Mihawk tried to swallow past the rawness in his throat, and took a deep sip of his wine to help it, “What do you mean by that?”
Shanks turned and pouted at Mihawk in a way that he thought made him look cute, and then proceeded to poke him repeatedly in the cheek, “I mean that you are an oblivious moron when it comes to emotions. And people- and especially relationships.”
Shanks gave a long suffering sigh, and slumped against the bar as he began lamenting way too loud for Mihawk's piece of mind, “How cruel! You can't even tell when a woman is trying to seduce you- I am never going to get you laid!”
Mihawk actually blushed at Shanks’ blunt statement, and shushed the man even as he tried to ignore Perona’s curious glance in their direction, “Shut up you fool!”
Shanks looked up at him with crocodile tears in his eyes, “Mihawk, you have a gorgeous woman who wants your dick living with you, and you’ve never once thought about fucking her. You are beyond saving, my friend.”
The reminder of their argument the night before twisted Mihawk's face into an annoyed scowl, but the memory of Shanks actually managed to ruin his strange mood, so Mihawk supposed he should feel grateful.
Mihawk pulled out of the hug, and then leaned back on his heels in order to stand. He held out his hand to help Perona up as well. Everything was fine he told himself, and Mihawk smiled when Perona was quick to run over to the equipment shed at the edge of the training grounds.
“Next round I am going to practice with my pistols, okay Mihawk?”
“Yes, that’s perfectly fine.”
Everything was perfect. Perona cackled as she tied her gun holsters around her waist, and then grabbed the thin sword he used in their practice sessions, “Are you sure you don’t want to get Yoru? I am going to be using my pipe after all, and this sword is kinda pitiful.”
Mihawk threw his head back and laughed, “I’m sorry my dear, but you are not ready for that yet.” Perona grinned cheekily and handed him the sword before heading toward the other end of the field, absently twirling her pipe.
Not yet.
Perona hummed a happy tune, and then broke her pipe into two pieces and strapped it to her thigh. Not yet, but soon.
Perona could wait. She could wait for a lot of things.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"