For aevium's birthday, because she's amazing and lovely and puts up with my shit. Also because she's 21 and it's not even properly exciting since she's Canadian. Sorry! (I didn't have any canon ideas, unfortunately.)
Working in a motorcycle shop in a small town is a lot like not working at all, really. The town's primary source of income, or people in general, stems from the fact that they are a convenient stop off of the highway, approximately one hundred miles away from the tourist traps on either side. They have one gas station with a convenience store, four chain restaurants, one family-owned diner, a bar, a rundown town information center, and an overpriced repair shop. And Franky's bike shop, called only Franky's, which basically ruins even the miniscule chance that someone would recognize that there is a place around to buy motorcycles.
Zoro had gotten the job based on his incredible merits of first, owning and riding a motorcycle, and second, being really good at not being bored. Franky had seen him one day, riding past the shop, and literally run out the door of the shop and straight into the middle of the road. Zoro's reflexes had him stopping less than an inch away from Franky, who had no reaction, not even a flinch. And just like that, he had a job and was crashing in Franky's basement. (It ruined his plan to travel the entire country on his bike, but then again looking around he was pretty sure he had been here before.)
Zoro was not the type of employee that most people were looking for, but Franky was certainly not most people. Zoro's desire to sleep most of the time and ability to wake up when there was a customer allowed him to work long hours, while Franky tinkered with bikes in the repair section of the shop. That was where most of the money was made, partly on repairs when bikes broke down on the long stretch of highway, and partly when Franky made his own designs and sold them.
So they had a surprisingly good thing going for them. Franky pretended Zoro's lunch plans every day were different than going to the bar for burgers and more than a few beers, and Zoro pretended his hours were not ridiculous.
Monday rolls around, and Zoro is especially sore from an intense workout. The shop is closed on Sundays, so Zoro gets his most intense workouts in then. He sits at the bar, the spot farthest from the door, knowing that Nami will remember his usual. She does, of course, slamming a burger and fries and a bottled beer on the bar in front of him, but she lingers, which is unusual. He looks up.
"There's someone new in town," she says, quietly enough that nobody around hears. Not that it matters. Almost nobody is in a bar at lunchtime, even if it is one of so few food choices.
"Hm," is all Zoro says, hoping she will take it as curiosity instead of indifference. He is slightly wary of new people around here, after having to act as unofficial bouncer a few times too many.
"He drives a food truck between the tourist traps, and apparently it started breaking down in the middle of the journey a few times a week, so he's over at the repair shop constantly."
"And he hasn't figured out yet that Usopp doesn't know what he's doing?" Zoro asks, interested despite himself.
"Doesn't seem like it. He has no choice, though, and Usopp obviously knows enough to patch it up."
"He'd be better off taking it to Franky's," Zoro says, thinking aloud.
"Well yeah, but how would he know that?" Nami asks, uncapping another beer and setting it in front of Zoro and tossing the empty. Zoro snorts, and drains the second one in under ten seconds, dropping money on the counter as he leaves.
Zoro is expecting it to take weeks to see the new guy, if he sees him at all. So when he sees a large truck with pictures of fruits, vegetables, and meats pulling up next to him as he puts gas in his motorcycle, he finds himself surprised. A thin blond man with a cigarette dangling from his lips steps out of the car, and Zoro as tries to think of a conversation starter that besides, "that's incredibly dangerous," Luffy runs out of the convenience store.
"Sanji!" he yells, running straight toward the man that Zoro thought nobody knew. Of course Luffy would know him. Luffy manages to gather information without even trying. "Oh, Zoro, have you met Sanji? He drives a truck full of food, how cool is that? Sometimes he even lets me have some!" Which explains the speed at which Luffy had rushed out of the store. Zoro glances inside and sees Ace smoothing things over with an elderly female customer who Luffy had likely run out on.
"Isn't that against the rules?" is what comes out of Zoro's mouth.
"Probably," Sanji agrees, "but when you're demoted from sous chef to a truck driver, you stop caring about things like giving away food or paying obscene amounts of money for shitty repairs."
That explains a lot, then. And before Luffy can even beg, Sanji has the back of the truck open and is handing him a tray of sandwiches. Luffy hands one to Zoro, before starting to eat the rest himself.
"He must really like you if he shares even one sandwich with you," Sanji comments. He must pay a lot of attention to have already noticed that. Zoro nods. If someone asked him at gunpoint who his best friend was, he knows he would probably say Luffy, but he is not about to offer that information up to anybody. Honestly, Luffy is part of why Zoro has stayed here for so long. Despite his skinny exterior, he is the first person Zoro has met who can beat him in a fight, and at the same time, trusts Zoro implicitly. It makes no sense, but he cannot find it in himself to leave without figuring it out, so he stays. Their surprising camaraderie also keeps the town safer than most small towns, because Luffy has a deep sense of justice and refuses to allow his friends to be hurt. And, well, the whole town is pretty much made up of Luffy's friends.
"So what do you do," Sanji is asking Zoro, probably because he is just standing there even though his tank has long since been full. But, case in point, Robin is walking over from the information center.
"Robin!" Luffy exclaims, confusingly just as excited as when Sanji pulled up. Zoro has never fully trusted the older woman since she showed up out of nowhere and took over the welcome center. How was an outsider supposed to do that job, anyway? But Luffy assured him it was fine and that Robin was a good person, whatever that meant. He said that about Nami, too, so how could Zoro take him seriously?
"Hello, Luffy, Zoro," she says pleasantly, and suddenly it is like a switch is flipped in Sanji's head.
"Hello, beautiful lady, I am Sanji! Would you like anything to eat or drink? Your wish is my command," he gushes.
"No thank you, Sanji," she says, undoubtedly charming him further, but by the time she finishes speaking there is already a fruity beverage in her hand.
"Isn't that against the rules?" Robin asks, though she seems unconcerned as she takes a sip. Luffy laughs.
"That's exactly what Zoro –" he turns and realizes that Zoro has started to leave. "ZORO!" he yells. "I told you, you have to say bye when you leave!" He runs back into the store, immediately breaking his own rule.
"You know, there's a job for a cook at the local diner," Robin says, leaning slightly closer to Sanji as she speaks, to maintain his attention (as if it was ever an issue.)
The next day, Zoro wakes up as a customer walks into the shop, and lifts his head off the desk.
"Oh, it's you," he says, noticing Sanji. "What are you doing here?"
"Just checking out the town, in case I get a job at the diner," Sanji answers, looking around.
"If you made food for Chopper, you got the job," Zoro replies distractedly. Then he wakes up a bit more and looks Sanji up and down. "You really think you'll be spending much time here?"
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Just that I doubt your skinny legs could even hold up a bike for a second. Don't even get me started on actually riding it."
"Oh, you think there's something wrong with my legs?" Sanji asks, and Zoro smirks. Suddenly, there is a foot mere inches away from his face, stopped only by his quick hand shooting up and grasping Sanji's ankle. And… Zoro does not want to admit it, but that was a powerful kick, he can feel it. "I could definitely balance on a motorcycle," Sanji adds, still standing on one foot, and not seeming the least bit tired. Curious, Zoro attempts to land a punch, then a kick, and another punch, all of which Sanji smoothly blocks. Interesting.
Zoro is about to continue testing Sanji when Franky emerges from the back. "What's this I hear about motorcycle lessons?" he asks.
"Nobody said that!" Zoro answers quickly.
"Actually," Sanji starts, "I recently found out I'll be sticking around here. And I think I'll take motorcycle lessons."
"Sure," Franky says. "Zoro, teach him."
"I'm not a certified teacher; he could never get his license," Zoro points out.
"Oh, I don't need –"
"It's fine, I'm certified and I'll sign off on it," Franky interrupts Sanji, who smirks.
Perfect.
Of course, Sanji masters it on the first lesson. Zoro might not yet like or trust him, but it would be wrong to teach him poorly when it will reflect on Franky. So he teaches all of the proper techniques, and Sanji picks up on them immediately. Soon he is racing around the empty roads on one of the shop's used bikes, laughing the whole time.
"I guess you don't need any more lessons," Zoro says, and he thinks the fact that Sanji impressed him is somewhat evident in his voice.
"Apparently not. I must be an excellent student, because it can't have been the teacher. Oh, shit. I have to be at the diner in three minutes."
"You can borrow the bike," Zoro offers, even though he really is not allowed to make that decision.
"Thanks," Sanji says begrudgingly. "Hey, you should come with. I'll make you something on the house."
"Can you really do that on your first day?" Zoro asks, but does not let Sanji answer. "Sure, oh, wait. I walked here. I don't have my bike."
"I can give you a ride," Sanji suggests, laughing.
"Yeah, I'm going to hop on the back of a motorcycle with someone who just learned today. Not likely, cook."
Sanji sighs.
"Though," Zoro points out, "I could give you a ride. That way we're following laws and everything." Sanji rolls his eyes.
"Let's just go before I'm late," he answers, sliding back and allowing Zoro to have an incredibly awkward time contorting his body to squeeze onto the front seat of the motorcycle.
They get there in record speed, police in the town are few and far between and Zoro rides much faster than Sanji can, having just learned. When Sanji gets off, he looks exhilarated, and he and Zoro part ways so Zoro can enter through the front like a customer and Sanji can use the employee entrance.
Zoro stretches out in a large corner booth, and Chopper walks up immediately to chat, already depositing a beer on the table for Zoro.
"I haven't seen you in a while," Chopper says, sitting down next to him at the booth.
"Should the owner and head and only waiter really just sit down with his customers?" Zoro asks. Chopper looks around pointedly at the pink walls of his restaurant, and Zoro notices that nobody else is there.
"When I took over as cook, service might have gotten a little slow," he answers.
"I thought it was just fine," Zoro says honestly.
"That doesn't make me feel better at all, asshole," Chopper smiles, and Zoro laughs.
The bell rings, signaling the entrance of more people, and Luffy and Ace walk in.
"Don't you need to be manning the store?" Chopper asks, panicked. Luffy laughs and sits next to him.
"It's fine; we locked it and can see it from here," Ace says. That would never work anywhere but where they live, Zoro thinks, as Ace sits next to him and he has to move to make room.
"I guess I'll take drink orders," Sanji says, coming out of the kitchen and noticing Chopper trapped in the booth. When he gets back, Nami is sitting down next to Luffy and he haphazardly puts down the drinks without giving them to the correct people in favor of introducing himself to Nami and promising her a delicious and refreshing homemade beverage, which she is only too happy to accept.
When he gets back, Franky is there having been looking for the bike, and he brought Usopp with when the mechanic tried to get tips from him. Zoro had promised Franky food, and he was no longer mad about it having been borrowed. So he takes food orders too, trying to avoid talking about Zoro giving him a ride here, and he makes the food quickly. When he gets back, Robin is there, so he serves Nami and unceremoniously drops the rest of the food to be sorted by the others. Luffy starts eating what is in front of him, which is actually Zoro's food, so Zoro takes Luffy's, who does not notice.
When Sanji comes back from preparing Robin's order, the booth is completely full, but there is an empty chair on the outside.
"Oi, Cook!" Zoro says from the exact middle of the booth. "Have a seat!"
"I have a job," he points out. Everyone at the table simultaneously glances around the empty restaurant, and Sanji drops down into the chair, defeated. Zoro kicks his leg, and he kicks back, hitting Zoro once and Luffy the second time. Luffy laughs like he feels no pain, and kicks back. It looks like it takes no effort, but it kills. What is that kid on?
"So," Luffy says, as they all dig into their food appreciatively. Of course, he has already finished and is trying to take anything off other people's plates as he speaks. Nami dumps half of her plate onto his, and Sanji wants to comment but Luffy keeps speaking, mouth full of his newfound food. "I heard that the manager of McDonald's is a musician!" he finishes, eyes sparkling.
"Where did you hear that?" Nami asks curiously, thinking everyone Luffy knows is currently sitting at this booth.
"I dunno," Luffy answers honestly. Robin laughs.
"What's so exciting about a musician anyway?" Zoro asks, and Luffy seems appalled, launching immediately into an impassioned tirade.
Sanji looks around the table at the seemingly mismatched bunch, centered surprisingly around Luffy and Zoro, and thinks staying here might be pretty nice.