Zoro was finishing his breakfast in the peace and quiet of his bedroom when a sudden pounding on the door startled him out of his own thoughts.
"You know, I was going to give you a ride to work today, but if you're going to be an ass you can walk!" Nami shouted from the other side. She attempted to fling the door open again, and Zoro couldn't help but snicker at the frustrated noise she made when she realized she couldn't.
The ride would be much appreciated though. It had been a cold October so far and the frigid air often left Zoro's face and hands stinging after he'd walked. That in mind, he fixed his face into the most apologetic expression he could muster and pulled the chair away from the knob, allowing the redhead to spill into his room.
"Yes, I want a ride," He admitted. "I have to be there by noon. Can you leave so I can get dressed?"
Nami folded her arms across her chest and huffed in irritation. "I don't know why you think I'd actually give you a ride now. You've been so rude to me all morning. You locked me out of your room!"
Her complaints continued endlessly as the list of offenses Zoro had committed (though most of them were actually completely reasonable) piled up, but she left the room anyway, allowing Zoro a moment of peace to change clothes. He could hear her grumbling and occasionally shouting angrily at him from the living room, but he chose to ignore it for the moment.
He slipped on his usual work attire; a decent pair of jeans with minimal tearing and a clean t-shirt with the store's logo on the front. It was a casual and comfortable uniform and just one of the many perks of Zoro's job.
Despite the fact that she was still mumbling curses and complaints about him, Nami sat ready to go with her keys in her hands, waiting for him. As soon as he emerged from his bedroom her complaints finally ceased.
"About time! Let's go or we're going to be late!" She frowned, standing up and making her way for the door.
Zoro sent the living room clock a glance, if they left now Zoro would be on time even if traffic was bad, but he decided to keep that to himself for the moment. No doubt Nami knew that herself anyway. He quickly slipped into his shoes and pulled his coat from the rack by the door. He was set to head out the door before a sudden thought occurred to him.
He hadn't heard back from the blond since he'd messaged him the picture of his breakfast this morning. The other man was probably at work, Zoro assumed, since he'd had to be up so early. That thought arose another question in Zoro's mind; where did the blond man work?
He hadn't really tried to picture the blond at work before, figuring with his odd sense of style and even odder interest in communicating with pictures that Sanji was probably the unemployed artsy type or maybe a college student. He had to have a source of income some kind though, didn't he? Unless he was some rich kid whose parents paid for everything…
Zoro was curious, and the fact that he wasn't sure how to go about asking Sanji himself these questions only served encourage the flame of that curiosity. How did you ask a question through a picture? How was he going to find out more about the blond if he couldn't ask? Was he supposed to wait for more pictures to come and make assumptions about them to get a picture of the blond's life? That didn't seem like a horribly accurate way to gather information, but Zoro was stumped for what else to do.
There was one solution, the only one he could think up given his situation, but he would have to make it work. If he wanted to know more about the strange blond, maybe he should share more about himself first. His information might prompt the blond to share things about himself in kind, or so he hoped.
He turned, ignoring Nami's irritated calls for him to "stop dicking around", and held his phone camera up to the calendar that hung in their living room. He and Nami kept the crappy promotional calendar some salesman had given Nami to attempt to advertise himself. Every month featured a picture of the clean cut salesman (Nami had nicknamed him Renaldo) showing off a different product. Despite the fact that it added very little to the décor of their small apartment, the large boxes that made up each day were excellent for keeping track of their work schedules and appointments.
Zoro snapped the picture of today's date with the words "Work 12-9" written in green ink. It would have to do for the moment and he hastily attached the photo to a picture message and hit the send button as Nami screeched at him about wasting her valuable time. Photo successfully sent he humbly apologized to Nami to keep her from disturbing their neighbors and meekly followed her to her car.
Sanji's phone buzzed in his pocket again, but it would be a minute before he could step away. The lunch rush never failed to hit them all at once and God only knows what would happen if he stepped away for even a moment. He'd probably come back to find the other cooks in the fetal position and the grill on fire; he couldn't risk it.
On a normal day he would have left his phone in the office, but he'd been far too eager to see if Zoro would play his game. He'd been pleasantly surprised that he had; what were the odds of the guy being hot and adventurous enough to try something new? He sincerely hoped the message he'd just received was another message from the green-haired hottie and not a nagging text from his old man. Oh how he hoped.
There was a slight lull in between orders, the last one in a rush of about ten had just been plated and the waiter was taking the next order for a couple that had just walked in. If there was a moment Sanji could slip away to check his messages without the kitchen falling to pieces, this was it.
Sanji slipped into the office, just long enough to pull his phone from his pocket and check the message. He sighed with relief that it was a picture message (his old man had barely figured out texting, pictures were still beyond him). With a smile he opened the message to get a better look at the picture.
It seemed to be a calendar, a box with the number thirteen marked inside was all Sanji could really make out. The month wasn't pictured, but Sanji was going to take a wild guess and say this was a picture of today's date. That much decided, Sanji inspected the other elements of the photo.
Inside the box and just below the little thirteen in the corner, was the message "Work 12-9" written in green ink that matched the color of moss surprisingly well. It was no doubt the mossy haired man's schedule for today, but Sanji had no idea why the other man had sent it to him. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to text or respond during that time? Sanji could understand. He had the same issue at the moment, but he could wait until later, so…why?
One of the bus boys popped his head into the office.
"Sanji, one of the customers is complaining that his food is cold and Patty went to take care of him, but…"
Sanji groaned. Patty had the worst customer service skills imaginable, which is why Sanji never let him out in the dining area if he could help it. That will teach him to leave the kitchen for even a moment. With a regretful sigh he shut his phone in the top drawer of the desk and followed the bus boy out, hoping to amend the situation.
"You're acting strange," Nami commented as they pulled up to a traffic light.
"How?" Zoro asked, his scowl deepening in confusion. She'd finished her tirade when they got to the car, but since then they'd been sitting in disconcerting silence. Zoro wasn't a fool. Silence from Nami was a sure sign of her mind working out any puzzles presented to her.
And apparently she'd decided Zoro was one of those puzzles.
"With the pictures," Nami pointed out. "You hardly use your phone at all and now suddenly you're taking pictures of everything and sending them to everyone you know?"
"I'm not sending them to everyone I know! Just one person!" Zoro snapped defensively.
Nami grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Oh? So who is the lucky recipient?"
Zoro instantly realized his mistake. Nami was fishing for information, and he was practically handing it to her! He knew he was no match for Nami's conniving and quick wit, she often trapped him in this same manner, and by now he had learned his wisest course of action was to keep quiet.
Folding his arms over his chest he stubbornly refused to answer any of her persistent questions, and once again they lapsed into a tense silence. The war was far from over, but at least Zoro could claim victory over this battle.
They pulled up in front of Humming Brook's Record Shop with plenty of time to spare. The small little shop looked dingy and worn compared to the more modern architecture that surrounded it, but it boasted a unique collection of musical memorabilia, some of which was proudly put on display in the front window. The large shop sign upfront was weather faded so that the once vibrant colors were muted, but the fading only seemed to add to the historical draw of the shop.
On its surface the shop sold old vinyl records. It was only very recently that the store's owner, Brook (for whom the shop is named), had added the more contemporary option of CDs to their inventory. Vinyl records were more of a collector's item any more, and while the shop still offered them for sale (buy or trade, best offers in town!) CDs were more popular amongst the younger crowd.
The main source of income for the little store, however, did not come from their record sales. Over time, old man Brook had gathered quite a collection of valuable music related collectibles that were quite high in value; everything from drum kits used by a famous drummer to sheet music hand written by some long dead guitarist. So while on the surface they were a humble record shop, they were also a buy and sell for antique and valuable music related items. In the end, the little store did well enough for itself to keep in business, and it paid well enough for Zoro.
Nami put the car and park and looked to Zoro. "You can walk home, right? Don't get lost again. If you have to, stop and ask for directions."
"I know how to get home, Nami," Zoro scowled and made for the door handle.
One little reminder stopped him. His idea had been to take a picture of the record shop to show Sanji, so the other man would know where he worked. But during the nearly silent car ride, he'd wondered if just the picture of the shop would be enough. It wasn't exactly a well-known place, but it did have a reputation that tended to precede it. If the blond lived nearby, he probably had passed by the shop before. Would a picture of a random little record shop be enough to tell Sanji what exactly Zoro was trying to say? Even with the image of the calendar before, it was a stretch.
Zoro thought it was probably better for him to be in the picture. With his work shirt on, anyone could tell clearly Zoro worked there. That solution, however, only drew about another problem. If Zoro tried to take the picture himself, he wouldn't be able to get enough of the store in the background to convey the message. On the other hand, he couldn't very well photograph the store without himself in the picture, that only took him back to square one.
Perhaps he could send two separate pictures? It was certainly an option, though it seemed easier for the blond to understand if Zoro could take one with himself in it. Zoro would prefer it that way as well.
He'd thought about asking Brook to help him. The old man would probably gladly offer his assistance, but Brook had a hard time with electronic devices. It wasn't until very recently that the old musician even touched an electric guitar, and even the old fashioned cash register was a challenge for him to understand. Handing the man a cellphone and asking him to take a picture with it would probably end up being far more trouble than it was worth.
Zoro's eyes landed hopefully on Nami. Despite the fact that he refused to satisfy her curiosity, surely she would still be willing to help him out, right?
"What?" She frowned slightly, catching the gleam in his eye.
"Can you do me a favor?" He asked.
Nami sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, now you want a favor after giving me the cold shoulder?" She asked, sounding more than a little miffed. "What is it?"
"Can you just…" Zoro trailed off. It was a lot harder to ask Nami this favor than he'd thought. Given how curious she was about his knew picture hobby at the moment, he was sure to catch some kind of hell for this. "Can you just take my picture in front of the store?"
There was a beat of silence in which Nami raised one elegant eyebrow. Zoro could see the mockery glinting in her brown eyes and his scowl deepened. It had been a huge mistake to ask Nami. It would have been easier to teach Brook how to take the picture.
He made to get out of the car again, figuring on doing just that, when Nami grabbed his arm.
"Give me your phone, I'll take it," She said.
Zoro raised an eyebrow skeptically. Just a moment ago he had been sure she was going to make fun of him, or perhaps launch into another barrage of questions. At the moment, however, she looked like the perfect picture of helpfulness, like the genuinely caring friend she could be when there wasn't a potential for gain involved.
With a sigh and the feeling he was going to regret his actions, Zoro handed her his phone.
"Good," She smiled. "Now go stand in front of the shop."
Zoro did as he was told, slipping out of the car and standing what he felt was a reasonable distance in front of the shop. He waited impatiently while Nami took a moment to find the camera feature in his phone. While he waited he tried to figure out the best way to stand. He wasn't used to having his picture taken and suddenly his arms felt very awkward on the sides of his body. What was he supposed to do with them?
Nami finally seemed to have found the camera option and she held his phone up to position. In a sudden panic over what to with himself, Zoro folded his arms over his chest and held his pose until Nami lowered the phone again.
"You're really photographic, Zoro," She snorted sarcastically.
Zoro ignored her snide remark and held his hand out for his phone, which she handed over to him. He busied himself with sending the picture to the blonde and failed to notice Nami's wicked grin.
"So his name's Sanji, huh?" She commented casually. "He's really hot."
Zoro's face reddened in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. He should have known better than to trust her, and in the time he had suspected she was spending figuring out his camera, she was actually snooping through his messages. Now she knew everything she wanted to know and he had literally handed all of the information to her!
"Have a good day!" Nami smiled, turning to get back into her car. "And tell Sanji I said 'hi'!"
Zoro snapped his phone shut, giving her a warning glare before he shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way into the store.
He pushed through the shop door with a little more force than necessary, causing the bells hanging from the door to jangle violently and startling a group of kids that had been searching through the CDs and marveling over the collectibles.
Zoro only turned his glare on them (teens were notorious shoplifters) before taking up his place behind the counter. He slipped his jacket off of his shoulders and hung it from the back of the chair by the register. Aside from the teenagers who were now shooting Zoro wary glances every time they flipped a CD, the store appeared empty. That wasn't entirely unusual; with a shop so small it wasn't uncommon for only one person to watch the store at a time, and sometimes when business was slow, boredom led them into the back room to work on unpacking merchandise or organizing for quicker inventory.
What was unusual was the eerie silence Zoro perceived. Usually he would hear someone in the backroom, the clack of CDs or the sound of the radio were common sounds when someone was working alone, but there was no sound except for the murmured whispers of their only customers.
Zoro was curious, and with one last warning look at the teens he headed to the backroom to investigate the odd silence.
"Hello?" He called, pushing through the storeroom door.
The sight that greeted him was nothing short of a disaster. Boxes were tossed carelessly in a pile, their contents spilled haphazardly over the floor. Some of the cases for CDs had cracked or shattered, and it was all one massively destroyed mess.
For one panicked moment Zoro thought they had been robbed, but a voice from beneath the chaotic mess of boxes spoke before he could think to call the police.
"Zoro? Is that you?" Brook's voice called out. His tone was casual and calm, but Zoro couldn't find him from among the mess.
"Brook?" Zoro called back, hoping to locate the owner by the sound of his voice.
"Yo ho ho ho," Brook laughed his unusual laugh. Zoro could never tell if the other man was truly laughing or if he was practicing his scales for singing, especially when his laugh was slow and each syllable clearly pronounced like that.
"I seem to have gotten into a bit of a fix," The store owner said. "Do you think you could lend me a hand and remove some of these boxes?"
Zoro realized with some shock that Brook's voice was actually coming from beneath the mess, and if he looked carefully he could make out patches of fabric that made up the other man's clothing.
"Shit, Brook!" Zoro swore, immediately tossing some of the boxes aside. He was careful not to tip more of their contents onto the buried man, but he tossed them aside without any regards for their wellbeing. Most of their product had been spilled or damaged anyway. "What the hell were you doing?"
"Well you see," Brook replied, pausing momentarily to attempt to sit up now that the weight of several boxes had been lifted from him. "I thought I would attempt to pull down the Halloween decorations, with the holiday approaching and all, but it seems we have an unstable shelf," He gestured above them to where one of the higher shelves had tipped, spilling their boxes down onto the shelves below them, dislodging several boxes from those shelves as well, creating a crushing avalanche of product.
"That's great, Brook," Zoro sighed, helping to free his boss's legs. "But the shelf probably wouldn't have tipped if you'd have used the ladder instead of trying to climb the shelves."
Brook scratched at his massive afro and had the decency to look a little sheepish. "I really hadn't thought of it…"
"And another thing," Zoro frowned, lending the man a hand in standing up. Brook was tall but incredibly thin and Zoro was amazed the man seemed relatively unharmed from the accident. "The Halloween decorations are over there," He pointed to his left, a low shelf with one box clearly labeled "HALLOWEEN" on the front.
Brook let out another peal of laughter, higher and more enthusiastic this time, so Zoro assumed it was real laughter.
"Well, what do you know!" Brook exclaimed. "It seems that my tumble was all for nothing!"
Zoro sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "Just…clean this up, okay? I'll watch the front," He said. It may have been overstepping his bounds by giving Brook an order, but there was no way he wanted to be the one to clean up this disaster.
"Of course!" Brook mock saluted him before turning to begin reorganizing the CDs and other items that had fallen.
Zoro returned to the front of the store, taking a seat at the register. The teens from before had moved away from the CD displays and were staring in awe at the shop's impressive vinyl record collection. Zoro wasn't surprised, some of those albums were older than he was, and they were certainly a relic from the past that most of today's youth wouldn't find at home.
It was clear these kids weren't going to shoplift or they would have been long gone already, so he picked up a magazine and flipped it open, hoping to kill some time reading it, at least until a better distraction came along.
He hoped that distraction would be in the form of a picture message from a certain blond.
A/N:
Heeey, long time no see! Sorry about the long break. The Christmas fic I had to write for an exchange ended up being a bit of a struggle, and I sort of got sidetracked from this fic. I'm back now though and it shouldn't take me forever to update this again.
I realized things are still a little slow at the moment. They'll pick up soon, I promise. As I was writing this chapter, it was getting longer and longer and longer and I still had a lot I wanted to write. I've been keeping these chapters fairly short so far, so I decided the best course of action would be to split the chapter into two separate chapters. It's shorter now, but I am able to update it now rather than waiting another week.
Long story short, I know it's slow but things will pick up. Thank you for reading!
