Nine Years Ago

~2:15pm~

The graduation hall had a dull hum about it as the ceremony took place. Name after name called as each student made his or her way onto the stage to receive the diploma, hold for pictures taken by parents, and then depart to retake their set. Despite the small graduation class, it still felt like the whole ordeal had taken hours as they were finally nearing the end of the list.

Zoro had fallen asleep twice already only to be awoken by his buddy Ace who had somehow - miraculously - not also dozed off at some point as well. The only good thing about this ceremony being done alphabetically was that the two of them got to sit next to each other, down side was that their other friend was stuck at the end of the line.

A staticy voice mumbled into the microphone, "Vinsmoke, Reiju."

Having waited for the cue the whole ceremony, Ace and Zoro both jumped to their feet and began hollering as loud as they could as their friend made her way onto the stage in a confident stride - complete composure keeping her from looking at her two friends. Posing for the photo after receiving her Diploma, she sent a smirk in their direction as they both returned to their seats and the last of the ceremony wrapped up.

Once the final speech finished, all the students rose to their feet, removed their graduate hats, and promptly threw them into the air as high as they could. It wasn't nearly as coordinated as in the movies - some not going high enough, others ending up tossed towards the parents seating area - but it was jovial nonetheless as everyone cheered at the notion of finally leaving high school.

Out in the courtyard, in front of the large auditorium where the graduation had taken place, students in their robes milled about with their parents. Some getting their photos taken in their gowns with their diplomas, others finding their friends back and hugging tearful farewells as they had finally come to the last semester they would spend together, and others were already making their way home.

Ace and Zoro managed their way through the crowd occasionally nodding, or waving, to fellow students who shouted out to say goodbye. Pulling off his grad hat that they had been forced to find after having thrown, Zoro tucked it under his arm while attempting to work the robe off. The sooner he was out of this damn costume the better.

"Woah. Woah. Woah." Ace chided as he batted Zoro's hands away, "Keep it on for family photos."

"You know Mihawk doesn't give a shit about sentimental stuff like that." Zoro scoffed, "He probably already has the car running."

"Yeah," Ace chuckled, "But Shanks does and I guarantee he's going to want at least a dozen photos; so keep it on."

Zoro groaned – more to himself than anything else – before releasing the clasp on the gown and pulling his hat back onto his head with a gruff tug, "Fine."

"ACE!"

The booming scream signalled the end of their search as Ace's younger brother Luffy came barrelling through the crowd towards them, people parting to make way for the screaming juvenile lest they be run over. Not even bothering to slow himself, Luffy fullbody tackled his older brother and nearly took him out with one go; Ace embracing the other kid with just as much enthusiasm as he wrestled the younger boy under his arm and proceeded to give him a noogie.

A small fight broke out between the two as Zoro stepped around them to give them more space and let them duke it out. When they finally tuckered each other out, Ace shoved off of Luffy and began straightening his gown while asking, "Where's Shanks?"

"They're all over by the fountain." Luffy jerked his thumb over his shoulder, jumping back to his feet energetically and making sure to right his hat that had fallen off, "I came and found you because Shank's said he'd pay for lunch after this."

"That would explain why you actually came and found us and not off harassing some janitor." Ace commented snidely, glancing at Zoro, "I could do lunch though. You?"

"Free lunch sounds awesome."

Getting over to the fountain proved a bit more difficult than it seemed since they kept getting sidetracked by friends and classmates dragging them aside for farewells. After managing to break free from another group of students, they finally got to the fountain to find both families waiting for them. Shanks had a camera in hand and was looking far more giddy than any of the children present; it was a stark contrast to Mihawk who watched them with a stoic expression.

"Good job getting lost trying to get on stage, dumbass." Perona jeered, "Didn't think even you'd manage to fuck that up."

"Shut up." Zoro grunted towards his older sister, "They didn't tell us which side to come on from."

"Literally everyone went on from the left." Perona rolled her eyes, "How hard was it to get that?"

"Enough." Mihawk drawled with his usual exhausted tone once Zoro and Perona got going, "I already had to sit through the entire ceremony with Red crying, I do not want to listen to your bickering as well."

Shanks threw an arm around Mihawk's shoulders, pulling him tightly into his side and causing an unpleasant expression to morph on his face. Completely unperturbed, Shanks shook him excitedly, "C'mon, don't be a bummer. Our boys are graduating; this is a momentous occasion!"

Mihawk made a face, "I would be more impressed if the boy managed to somehow not graduate."

"Thanks, old man." Zoro piped up, arms coming to cross over his chest as Mihawk sent him a look of warning. All it was met with was a grin since the man's scare tactics had stopped working on him years ago.

"Now," Shanks released Mihawk - not the least bit perturbed by his behaviour - turning to face the two graduates. Camera raised as he motioned for the two to move in closer for the photo. "Big smiles boys! This one's going on the mantel."

Ace threw an arm over Zoro's shoulders and Zoro kept his arms crossed as he grudgingly flashed a large grin at Shanks as he snapped a few photos. Enduring it for a few minutes until Shanks finally seemed appeased and he gave a thumbs up to let the boy's know they could stop posing.

"If you're done," Mihawk noted, "then I'll go get the car."

"Hold up!" Shanks protested, "We're going for a celebratory lunch; I already said I'm paying!"

"Very well." Mihawk conceded, and Zoro could tell from his tone he had been hoping Shanks would forget. Glancing at Zoro he added, "We will meet you by the car; finish up here."

"Yes, sir."

"Luffy and I will go bring the car around," Shanks echoed Mihawk's words, "I'll make sure Hawky knows where to meet us."

Watching them go, Ace cast a sideways glance at Zoro, "You still have to call him sir?"

"Naw." Zoro shrugged with a sly grin, "But it annoys him so I like it."

"Gassy!" A familiar voice shouted over the crowd and had both boys turning to see their classmate striding over to them with an extended arms, "Roro!"

A wide grin split Ace's face as Reiju came running over – long since accustomed to the unflattering nickname – while Zoro's just shook his head fondly, watching as Ace picked her up and spun her around in greeting before plopping her with a clumsy flourish.

Casting a glance behind them at their retreating families, she turned back to them looking mildly scandalized, "You're not leaving yet, are you?"

"Shank's promised Luffy a free lunch," Zoro shrugged, "and Dad was in a rush to get out of here as fast as possible."

"Well they'll have to wait a few more minutes. C'mon." Reiju grinned, looping an arm through each of theirs before spinning them around, "Mom wants some pics of us."

Dragging the boys across the courtyard, they found Rejui's parents standing off to the side of the main crowd; her mother throwing up an arm and waving them down as they approached. Zoro had only met Reiju's parents a handful of times due to the fact that their household was rather crowded and her father's uncomfortable racial leanings. It hadn't taken much for Zoro and Ace to realize that while Reiju didn't hold her fathers views, it was best that they not be around him when they could avoid it.

During the ceremony, Zoro's foster father and sister had been their usual charming selves while Ace's father had spent a majority of it getting choked up about them graduating and annoying Zoro's father. Reiju's family on the other hand had sat near the back with their four sons – all of whom were still in elementary school – three of them had spent the ceremony being wildly disruptive and the fourth had simply quietly kept his nose in a book.

"There you two are!" A bright smile lit up Sora's face, "I was starting to think you might have already left."

"They were by the fountain." Reiju explained, "All set?"

Holding up the camera in clear indication, Sora nodded as Reiju pulled the boys in close and they posed for the photo. Once the camera flashed, Reiju put an arm over each of their shoulders to pull them in tight for another as Zoro awkwardly held up his hand with a peace sign and smiled.

Eventually Reiju released them, and Zoro was relieved to note that the photo taking was over. Sora was silent for a few moments as she shuffled through the photos she had taken before making a soft noise and practically melting. Looking up at the three, she explained, "This is a really good one; I think I'm good."

"Oh wait wait wait wait!" Reiju stuttered in excitement, her gaze turned towards her four brothers and she hurriedly gestured towards herself. Righting herself just in time as one of her more excitable brothers launched himself into her arms and she turned back to Sora with a laugh, "The boys need to be in one."

"Great idea!" Sora exclaimed happily, as Zoro masked a grimace.

"Here Ace," Reiju explained as she handed off the squirming nine year old boy, nearly dropping him before Ace managed to catch him and right him in his arms. "Take Itchy."

"It's Ichiji!" The boy yelped in indignation, but allowed himself to be manhandled regardless as Ace hefted him up and plopped him on his shoulders. A wide smile split his face as the blue haired one came barrelling into the frame and Ace scooped him up under one arm and kept him trapped there as the other two boys came running over.

Zoro still wasn't certain on their names, but the green haired one promptly tripped the blond haired boy in favour of beating him to their sister. Clinging to her side as he stuck out his tongue teasingly at the blond boy as Zoro couldn't help but wonder how hellish the Vinsmoke household must be with four boys running around the place.

"It's okay, Sanji!" Reiju coaxed the blond boy over with a wide smile, pulling him in for a quick kiss to the cheek before handing him off to Zoro. "You can be with Zoro."

There was a moment of awkward fumbling as Zoro was unexpectedly handed one of Rei's brothers and was forced to prop him on his hip. Zoro looked down at the blond-haired kid awkwardly, unsure of what to say but it seemed the task was taken from him; a confident frown marred the kid's face before he declared rather promptly, "Your hair looks stupid."

Caught off guard by how brash and bold the kid was, all Zoro had time to rationalize was, "It's the same colour as your brother's..."

"Exactly."

"Alright all of you!" Sora called out loudly, needing to project over the other families laughing and shouting while taking their own photos and especially needing to be heard over the four yelling children in the shot, "Look here please!"

Zoro only had enough time to turn his head towards the camera before the shot happened, but not enough to erase the look of indignation on his face. Sanji had adopted a rather innocent smile that matched most of his brother's – aside from the one blue haired one that hadn't righted himself in Ace's arm in time – Ace had his dashing smile in place, and Rei had a gorgeous grin splitting her's.

A large flash and the moment was frozen in time.

Present Day

~1:25am~

"Two Red Lines and the Skypiea IPA." Listing off the drinks as he placed them on the counter in front of himself, Zoro held out his hand to the young woman on the other side the bar, "Twenty-seven fifty."

"Keep the change."

Handing Zoro several bills, she gave a flirtatious smile as her response was barely audible over the music pumping through the bar from the band currently playing on stage. Nabbing the two bottles in one hand and the pint in the other, she made her way back into the chaos of the bar while Zoro put through the order on the till and pocketed the tip.

Slamming the till shut, he snagged the towel from his shoulder and gave the bar a quick pass to mop up some of the spilt liquor from the progressively drunken patrons before finding another order to take. He managed to get through several more before a call from the other end of the bar had him looking up, Kaku holding the ancient landline up and mouthing, "For you."

Nabbing the phone out of the other man's grip, he let the blond get back to working his end as Zoro turned away from the bar and covered his other ear in an attempt to hear better. "Zoro speaking."

"Hey, Roro." A familiar voice crooned in his ear, "Busy?"

"At work." Zoro explained through a smile, having not heard from the other in several weeks. "How's Germany?"

"Oh my God, it's amazing. It's been a month but it only feels like a couple days, and work is fantastic I-" Reiju cut herself short and laughed, the line crackling under the noise, "But I can tell you about it later when you have more time; I'm calling cause I need a favour."

"Sure." Zoro shrugged as he adjusted the phone, propping it between shoulder and ear as he returned to the bar where a few impatient customers had formed a line. Considering how loud the music was, it wasn't like he really needed to be able to hear what the patrons were ordering anyway, just be able to read their lips well enough to get them the drink they wanted, "But I'm gonna have to serve and talk."

"That's fine. Serve away." Reiju mused, "I'll talk."

Turning towards the man nearest him, Zoro jerked his head with a quick, "What can I get ya?"

"Pitcher of Hody Jones and four glasses."

Nodding, Zoro snagged a pitcher from under the bar and set it under the tap as he pulled the lever, humming into the receiver, "Hm?"

Reiju was obviously hesitant, "I need you to give one of my brothers a job at the theatre."

Zoro's immediate response was a no, but instead he held his tongue which was just as worse as Reiju could no doubt hear his reluctance through the telephone line. Not sure what to say, he instead finished topping up the pitcher and set it down on the bar in front of the customer. Snatching up the bill from the customer, he returned to the till and put in the order. Grabbing the change and four glasses, he handed everything off before eventually muttering down the line, "I dunno…"

"C'mon Roro." Rei smirked, "For me?"

"Ugh..." Zoro breathed in annoyance, hand coming up to run through his hair before asking, "Which one?"

"Hm?"

"Which one is it?" Zoro clarified as he noted another order from a customer. Heading back over to the taps and beginning to fill up a pint with Alabasta Rain, "The one that bit me, the one that stole my bike, the one that left dog shit on my porch, or the one that kicks me in the shins at every opportunity."

"Shin kicker." Reiju laughed at that.

"Lovely." Zoro's words all but dripped with sarcasm, "Should be a real treat."

Reiju's tone turned wistful as she implored, "He's grown up a lot – they all have – speaking of; when was the last time you saw them?"

"I dunno." Zoro shrugged, topping off the beer and making sure there wasn't too much head to the drink before passing it off to the customer and taking the payment. Giving a nod as the customers words of gratitude were completely lost amoungst the music and yelling patrons, "Twelfth? Thirteenth birthday?"

"Damn, has it really been that long?"

"I didn't make a habit of going to your place more than I had to." Zoro alluded as politely as he could, letting the comment hang in the air as he instead took an order of shots from a rather drunken party of younger women. Pulling out multiple shot cups and setting them across the bar in a line, reaching behind himself to nab a large bottle of Aqua Laguna.

"Fair." Rei mused, knowing exactly what Zoro was referring to. Her father was a real piece of work, and had only gotten worse when Rei's mother had passed away. In and out of jail constantly, it was amazing that none of the kids had gotten taken away and put in foster care; it was likely all Reiju's doing which was why she hadn't been able to move for so long, "Well you'll be surprised. They all shot up like weeds. Taller than me now; it's embarrassing."

"Remind me which one was the shin kicker?" Zoro groused as he finished off the line of shots and snagged the cloth from his shoulder to wipe off his hands. Snagging the phone properly from where it had been pinched between his ear and shoulder as the small reprieve from customers had given him an opportunity to actually focus on their conversation.

"Sanji." When the name caused no recognition, Rei prompted, "Blond one; bit quiet."

"Right..." Zoro beguiled.

In all honestly he hadn't been able to really tell them apart that much; from the few times Zoro had been at the Vinsmoke household, he had found all four of the boys to be overly rambunctious and uncomfortably violent. Not that Zoro hadn't gotten into plenty of fights as a child, but it seemed that whatever the boys got up to was a bit more than just friendly backyard roughhousing.

"Just do it, alright?"

"Alright." Zoro finally conceded, knowing that despite his reservations there was no way he could say no to the woman. Huffing through a reluctant smile, "Tell him to be at the theatre by six."

"Thank you!" Reiju practically squealed down the line, "You're the best! I owe you!"

"Yeah. Yeah." Zoro waved off her words with a tired affection, "I need to get back to work. Talk soon."

"Of course! Talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone, Zoro whipped the cloth he had still been holding over his shoulder as he still couldn't believe what he had agreed to. Turning back to the bar, all thoughts of his questionable favour were put on hold as he was met with an intense gaze.

It was the woman from earlier, except this time she had a much more flirtatious look about her as she leaned against the counter and eyed Zoro expectantly. A smirk was already working its way onto Zoro's face as he slowly walked over to her and braced his hands against the bar as he leaned in and - despite already knowing the answer - asked, "What can I get you?"

~9:34am~

Huffing in frustration, Sanji tore the page from his notebook, crumpled it, and tossed it over his shoulder in the general direction of the rubbish bin. Paper ball joining multiple others as Sanji still wasn't happy with how this recipe was turning out. It was almost a relief when his phone began buzzing and Sanji was forced to turn away from his desk and answer the call from his sister.

"Hey Rei." Sanji chirped, "How you doing? Isn't it like midnight over there?"

"Just about." Reiju shrugged, "How are you doing?"

"Same old. Same old." Sanji leaned back in his desk chair, swivelling in place while gazing up at the ceiling, "What you calling for?"

"I got you a job."

Sanji's heart sank, "Rei, I told you-"

"No, listen." Rei chidded as she spoke over top of him, "It's over at the theatre. I had to pull some strings to get this for you so you can't back out on me."

This is exactly what he hadn't wanted. With highschool finished and only a few months before Judge would be shipping him off to boot camp, Sanji had been hoping to make the most out of this summer; not be stuck in some boring job. Trying to not let much of his disappointment show, Sanji muttered, "But-"

"No buts. This is for your own good." Reiju huffed, "Besides, if you don't show up you'll make me look bad."

Biting his lip at the thought of doing anything to tarnish his wonderful sister's reputation, Sanji stopped spinning his chair long enough to ask seriously, "To whom?"

Already Sanji could hear the relief in Reiju's voice as she could no doubt tell she had him at her whim, "Zoro, remember him?"

Sanji froze in place at the mention of that name as a cold sweat of dread began dripping down his back, the realization of what Reiju was saying setting in.

Of course he remembered Zoro.

Zoro Roronoa was the gruff, green-haired grump who used to hang out with his older sister and her other best friend from high school, Ace Portgas. He had only been around a handful of times as the age gap meant Reiju was prone to hanging out with her friends anywhere but at home where they would be bothered by Sanji and his brothers.

It wasn't until Zoro had come by for one of their birthdays that Sanji had had the unfortunate circumstance of realizing he wasn't as straight as he had thought he was. While his brothers had all been fighting over who got to open what gift first and who got more cake, Sanji had looked at a twenty year old Zoro with mounting horror.

Sanji hadn't been able to place what it was; maybe it was the fact that Zoro had put on an extra thirty pounds of muscle in the past few years since he graduated, or maybe it was the way his jaw had finally properly come in, or even the cocky strut he now had about him. Regardless, all of it was responsible for Sanji's next few years of high school being a sexually charged mess as he tried to deny his realization and convince himself it was just a fluke.

It resulted in him overzealously chasing skirts and exaggeratedly flirting with any girl that looked his way in hopes of the random crush just being a stupid fluke. It was only in the last year that he had come to terms with everything and even become remotely okay with the idea that he was more or less open to either gender. But suddenly having to come face to face with the cause of his sexual awakening was not something he wanted to do in the slightest.

"Uh… yeah." Sanji managed out a tad strangled, "I remember him."

"Great!" Reiju continued,unbeknownst to Sanji's inner turmoil, "I don't remember the details, but he helps run the Going Merry part-time. You need to be there by six today, alright?"

"Yeah," Sanji sighed, "alright."

"And no kicking him!" Reiju added in with a cackle, "He's your boss now."

An embarrassed flush flooded Sanji's face as he sputtered indignantly, "I'm not twelve anymore! Of course I won't!"

"Okay, okay," Reiju attempted to pacify Sanji through her laughter, "Just teasing. So, what did I interrupt? Working on anything new you wanna share?"

Biting his lip and turning back to his desk where his scribbles were all scattered about, Sanji felt his spirits begin to lift substantially at the notion of being able to talk to Reiju about his creative block. Reiju always knew him best, and was the only person that had enjoyed talking to him about his recipes, "Actually, you might be able to give me some advice…"

~12:14pm~

A sudden sound of rushing water had Zoro's eyes snapping open and he was met with the bright rays of near afternoon sunlight shining through the open windows. Pushing himself up, Zoro let the sheets pool around his waist as he glanced across his modest studio apartment at the small kitchen visible from his bed. Finding the woman from last night leaning against the counter with a glass of water in her hands and nothing but a shirt on.

"Hey."

"Hey..." Zoro trailed off as he ran a hand through his hair, gaze running the length of her exposed body as he had fully intended on referring to the woman by her name before realizing he had completely forgotten it. Giving a sheepish expression, his gaze eventually met hers and he finished rather lamely, "you."

Head dipping forward, the woman chuckled into her water before looking back up at him with an amused smirk, "Monet."

"Right." Zoro nodded, "Monet."

Setting the glass of water aside, she began fixing her hair up above her head as she made her way across the studio apartment. The motion caused her shirt to ride up and confirmed that she really was wearing just a shirt and nothing else. Completely unperturbed, she motioned towards the bathroom, "Mind if I take a shower?"

"Knock yourself out."

Gifting Zoro with a pleased smile, she strode off towards the bathroom and let Zoro watch her retreating figure before she was out of sight and Zoro supposed he might as well get up. Pushing himself out of bed, he was courteous enough to pull on a pair of boxers before going about starting a pot of coffee and cleaning up after the night before.

It was only when he was picking up several items they had accidentally knocked off his shelves the other night, that he was reminded of his conversation with Reiju. Gaze turning to the bookshelf where his old yearbook sat, he knew they had some old photos in it that might help ring some bells about the kid he had supposedly just agreed to hire.

Snagging the yearbook off the wall, Zoro flipped through it idly – stopping here and there to note a picture he had forgotten about or a classmate he hadn't thought about in years – before getting to the back with all the signatures. Both pages filled with everyone's well wishes and quotes for the future, and tucked amoungst all of them were several photographs. Pulling them free, Zoro tossed the book aside on the bed as he began flipping through them.

All of them had been taken on graduation and Reiju had been thoughtful enough to track them all down for him and Ace. There was one of him with several of the guys from the football team, another with all his classmates and a few with his teachers. Reiju's and Ace's face frequented throughout the photographs.

Halfway through the stack he found the photo he had been looking for of the three of them together. It was from their graduation ceremony when Reiju had insisted on having a picture with her brothers in it. Eyes falling to the blond one, Zoro instantly remembered him as the one who had insulted his hair and the look on Zoro's face in the photo was testament to that.

Right... the shin kicker.

Zoro remembered now. Sanji was the wiry one that was always trailing behind the other three, never saw him without his nose in a book, and had seemed the least violent of the four. His reservations about giving the kid a summer job were quickly fading, however he was still a little skeptical.

Shower still running, the sound of the curtain being pulled aside had Zoro glancing up from the photos and the subsequent memories caused by them - only to find a very naked Monet watching him from the doorway. She looked coy before asking rather expectantly, "Well, you joining me or what?"

Tossing the photos aside on his desk, a wide grin split Zoro's face as he followed her back into the shower. He supposed that nothing bad could come from letting the runt of the litter come work for the summer. It wasn't like the guy would still be liable to kicking Zoro in the shins anymore or anything like that.

~5:24pm~

Gathering up the notes and random papers from all the recipes he had been working on, Sanji shoved them all into a folder which was then thrown in his knapsack. It wasn't like the papers had anything incriminating on them besides som haphazard culinary ideas, but he didn't want any of his brothers digging through his stuff and messing with it while he was out. He gave his room a final once over to confirm it was tidy enough that he wouldn't get in trouble later and then headed out to the hallway.

Making his way downstairs as casually as he could, Sanji was really hoping he'd be able to get out of the house clear of any riot acts. He could hear the television blaring some sort of asinine show in the living room which meant his brothers were likely preoccupied. Sanji made it halfway to the front door before he had been spotted and Niji shouted from the couch, "Where are you going?"

"None of your fucking business," Sanji snapped as he strode past the living room and continued towards the doorway. Pausing to kick on his shoes as he remarked over his shoulder, "how about that?"

"Probably going to meet up with his secret boyfriend and take it up the ass," Yonji sneered, "Ain't that right, twerp?"

Shucking on his jacket, Sanji made sure his backpack was securely on before glancing back at his brother and shrugged, "I dunno, you tell me. You're the expert on getting fucked. Didn't one of the Charlotte's screw you out of two hundred bucks?"

Yonji hissed angrily as he placed a hand on the back of the couch and launched himself over it, stalking towards Sanji as the blond began backing his way out of the entryway and reaching for the doorknob behind him. Managing to grasp it just as Yonji barked, "Fuck you, that's not what happened and you know it!"

"Right, my mistake," Sanji amended as he twisted the knob and pushed the door open behind himself. Continuing to back out across the porch as Yonji was clearly looking like he was ready for a fight, and Sanji was more than happy to goad him. Pointing a finger at Yonji, he corrected mockingly, "He screwed you for two hundred bucks."

Yonji's face managed to turn a whole new shade of red, "You're dead, runt!"

Not wanting to wait around to see the consequences of his actions, Sanji bolted down the porch steps and into the yard before Yonji had a chance to grab him. Snatching his bmx from the front yard, Sanji took off down the sidewalk as fast as the bike could carry him as Yonji's furious screams became more and more distant. Eventually feeling safe enough to glance over his shoulder and laugh at his brother several yards away - quickly running out of steam and stumbling to a halt to yell after Sanji, "Your ass is beat when you get home!"

Letting the bike coast, Sanji raised a hand and flipped his brother off before continuing to make his way downtown and towards the theatre. It probably hadn't been the best idea to piss Yonji off, but he was feeling a bit confrontational today - now that he had found out he was being forced into a job by his older sister - Yonji and the others would probably pick a fight when he got back after work, but it wasn't like that was anything new.

Getting from Germa subdivision to the heart of downtown on bike would only take about twenty minutes, and luckily gave him more than enough time to have a smoke before he'd be expected to arrive. Pulling up outside the Goa Kingdom Movie Theatre, Sanji spared a second to lock up his bike before fingering a cigarette from the pack in his back pocket, lighting it as he glanced up at the old building he would now be working at.

Paint was peeling in a few areas of the siding that hadn't been touched up in years, and the posters out front were in plastic display cases that had clearly been damaged by kids attempting to break them thinking they were glass. At some point someone had graffitied a large ram's head on the side of building in black spray paint which caught Sanji's attention long enough to finish his cigarette before finally settling his sights on the signage high above on the building that displayed the theatre's name.

Multiple neon lights had been burnt out for years, but it seemed as though the owner had never had the desire to fix it so the location had lovingly been given the name 'Going Meare' by most of the local kids. While it wasn't as new as the other two theatres in town, it had an old charm to it and enough business to keep it running. Once a month they would get in a major blockbuster that would play in the main theatre, and the rest of the time there was always showings of dated films in the secondary hall.

Checking his phone, Sanji discovered that he was almost fifteen minutes early and supposed there was no better time than now to duck in an introduce himself. Steeling himself for what was to come, he flicked his finished cigarette aside and made his way up to the large double glass doors and pushed them open.

A comforting aroma of warm popcorn salt, sickeningly sweet soda, and musty carpet hit him as he entered and he couldn't deny the nostalgic feeling that the interesting combination always gave him. Fondly remembering when his mother used to bring him to the theatre as a child, or even the first time he'd take a girl on a date to the movies that hadn't ended up with them making out during the film despite what he had been told.

Making his way across the rustic lobby with its high ceilings and older lights, the gaudy carpet had a weathered feel beneath each step as he noticed someone at the concession. Thumbing through a book, the man paused and glanced up at the same moment Sanji realized his presence.

Sanji stopped in his tracks as a shrewd glance pinned him to the spot, watching nervously as the man studied him for several moments with sharp eyes before recognition set in and he was pushing himself away from the counter and making his way around to where Sanji stood. For his part, Sanji remained frozen in place as the older man made his way over and suddenly felt as useless as he had on his thirteenth birthday, standing in the corner of the living room.

Erratic green hair stood out like a beacon against his dark skin, and – only momentarily – pulled away from the flawless physique of the grumpy man. His painfully tight black work shirt strained against the man's broad shoulders and pinched across his chest, it was tucked into a ratty pair of weathered jeans that sat dangerously low on narrow hips.

Without a doubt the man was Zoro - if not recognizable by the obnoxious neon hair he still sported - then surely his surly scowl would've given it away. Even though it had been a few years since Sanji last saw him, those menacing brows hadn't changed, only exaggerated a bit - likely due to overuse - and the rest of him had only gotten more defined.

All of it culminated in the realization that Sanji was - still - so totally screwed.

When Zoro neared, the initial grumpiness on his brow lessened and he cocked his head to the side and acknowledged, "Hey, Sanji, right? Long time, no see."

"Uh, yeah." Sanji agreed with an awkward nod. Forcing his hand to release his pack strap and holding it out to shake the older man's before mumbling, "It's been a while, man."

"What's it;" Zoro's hand grasped Sanji's in an aggressive hold that took Sanji aback and had him mildly insulted that the older man's hand enveloped his so easily. Fighting down the urge to return the handshake even harder, Sanji pried his hand out of the grasp as Zoro prodded, "Five? Six years?"

"Just about." Sanji admitted with a polite nod as his hand awkwardly fidgeted with the strap on his shoulder again, not sure what else to say before a wry smile exposed his teeth as he chuckled, remembering what Reiju had said earlier, "I think last time I saw you I was still kicking you at every opportunity."

"Yeah, I remember that." Zoro smiled and Sanji instantly felt a flutter in his chest that he desperately tried to stamp out. More than a little starstruck as Zoro turned away and motioned for Sanji to follow him while still making conversation, "You still in school?"

"Graduated this spring." Sanji informed as he followed Zoro into the back and down the hallway leading to the back room beyond the concession. It was fairly cramped, but was clean and well kept. As they rounded a corner, Sanji could distantly see a manager's office down the hall and a shipping bay next to it.

"Woah, already?" Zoro intoned, obviously trying to sound polite but his surprise was visible, "That happened fast."

It hadn't felt that way - especially not when he had to go through it all with his absolutely insane brothers - but Sanji supposed it could've been worse. Shrugging, Sanji just gave a small chuckle in agreement as Zoro lead them into a breakroom.

There were already two people hanging out; one lounging in a large chair in the corner with his nose buried in a handheld gaming device and the other at the table browsing in his phone. Both looked up when they entered and Sanji gave an awkward wave as Zoro gestured to the curly-haired boy who rose to shake Sanji's hand. "This is Usopp."

"I know you." Sanji muttered mid-hand shake as realization was clearly dawning on the other's face as well, "We took-"

"AP Biology." Usopp finished with smile, "Yeah, I remember. You were the guy that nearly fainted when we had to dissect that spider."

A blush mixed with a grimace on his face as the guy couldn't have said anything more degrading to completely ruin the minute bit of maturity he had managed to project to Zoro after all these years. Refraining from grabbing the kid and telling him to shut up, he instead just chuckled wearily, "Ugh, don't remind me; still freaks me out just thinking about it."

"You were fine with the pig, and the frog." Usopp pointed out, "Don't like bugs or something?"

Sanji made a face before alluding, "...or something."

"You can catch up later; Usopp could you cover tills for opening," Zoro nodded his head towards the door, "I gotta make sure Sanji is shown the ropes."

"Sure thing!" Usopp saluted cheerfully, scooping up his phone and heading out with a final wave to Sanji, "Look forward to working with you."

"Same." Sanji waved after the guy. They hadn't talked much during school - mostly because he ran in different circles than Sanji and his brothers did - but it was going to be nice working somewhere he actually knew someone his own age. It was also going to be substantially easier making friends without his brothers constantly breathing down his neck.

Zoro waited for the exchange to end before motioning to the other man that still hadn't moved from his spot in the corner, only looking up when he heard his name spoken as Zoro introduced him, "And that's Luffy."

"Great to meet you!" Luffy bounded out of his seat and practically threw himself at Sanji, grabbing a hold of Sanji's hand and proceeding to shake it way too enthusiastically. "You're really going to enjoy working here. I promise!"

"Uh…" Sanji was thrown by the guy's exuberance, but smiled nonetheless - his confidence oddly infectious. There was a familiarity to the man that Sanji couldn't quite place, but decided not to dwell on it at the moment, "Thanks, man."

"Everything here is pretty chill." Zoro agreed, stepping around them and pulling open one of the cupboards above the sink and began rooting around in it, "Show up on time, help clean at close, and that'll pretty much make you a model employee. You can bring in outside food, just don't let customers see it; then we have to let them take theirs in."

Sanji shrugged. "Sounds fair to me."

"You're allowed one bag of popcorn and two soda refills per shift and then you have to pay." Zoro sent a weary gaze towards Luffy who had returned to his seat and snatched up his game once more, "You can thank the bottomless stomach over there for that little rule."

Luffy gave a proud thumbs up without looking at either of them.

Fighting down a smile at the other guy's behaviour, Sanji turned back to Zoro and jerked his head while asking, "What about a smoke break?"

Finally managing to pull out what he had been looking for - a wad of black fabric - Zoro shut the cupboard and graced Sanji with a raised brow. "You smoke?"

"You gonna make it a thing?" Sanji cocked a brow.

Shrugging carelessly, Zoro shook his head, "Once movies are thirty minutes in you can do whatever you want as long as you keep an eye on the till."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Sanji smirked, looking Zoro up and down with far more confidence now. Finding that once he was past the initial awkwardness that it was incredibly easy to hold a steady conversation with the man, maybe even banter a little, "What do you do?"

A smirk. "Usually nap."

"No kidding-"

"Sanji?!"

At the angelic voice, Sanji turned and immediately melted at the sight of one of his former classmates making her way into the breakroom. Auburn curls bouncing about her sweetly smiling face as she eventually came to a stop in front of him and he got a whiff of her tangerine perfume that he remembered so vividly.

"Nami!" Sanji swooned, "What are you doing here?"

"I work at this dump." Shucking her purse off her shoulder, she tossed into what was presumably her locker before rounding on Sanji with her hands on her hips. Looking him up and down suspiciously despite the wide smile splitting her sweet face, "What's your excuse?"

Zoro's soft, "Oi." of annoyance went completely ignored.

"I work here now." Sanji's grin was reaching epic proportions, "And it seems like this job just got a million times better."

Nami was as unfazed by his flirting as she always was but smiled nonetheless in agreeance. Reaching out to poke at him playfully, "Well, at least I got my favourite partner in crime back. I can already tell next year is gonna suck without you dropping off pastries and harassing third block."

"My baking skills are always at your service," Sanji argued, "Name the time and place."

"Alright, Casanova." Zoro drawled, breaking up their conversation with a look of displeasure on his face. Pointing first at Sanji and then Nami as he ordered, "You still have training, and you; go get the projector set up."

Nami made a face but turned to leave regardless, taking a second to grab her work shirt out of her locker before heading upstairs to get the movies set up. Shooting Sanji a final grin and an okay sign to let him know just how excited she was to have him there.

Turning back to Zoro with a much dumber smile on his face as the older man arched a brow, "This gonna be an issue?"

"...no?"

"Yeah… alright." Zoro sounded less than convinced, but also managing to also sound like he couldn't care less. Tossing Sanji a work shirt and hat - that conveniently managed to peg Sanji in the face - he ordered, "Put those on and I'll show you how to run the tills."

TBC...