3.

Zoro held the phone away from his face as he interrupted himself with yet another painful fit of coughing. When he brought it back to his ear there was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before his boss grunted, "Yeah you definitely can't come in like that. You'll spread that crud to everyone in the gym. Call me when you're well enough to work again."

Sighing, Zoro rubbed his eyes. He really couldn't afford to miss work, but the gym had strict policies to protect the health of its members and he knew if he went in like this his boss would just kick his ass and throw him out anyway, "Thanks, Garp. I'm sorry for the trouble."

His boss's voice boomed through the phone, "Just get better! You sound like shit, Roronoa!" Loud laughter made his headache painfully roar to life, and Zoro winced as he hung up the phone before burrowing his throbbing head into his pillow with a groan.

His head ached, his throat was scratchy, and dear god did his side hurt! He had the constant urge to cough and clear the discomfort in his throat, but a small cough inevitably lead to more shallow hacking and wheezing that made his still-healing ribs cry out for mercy. He'd only tried coughing deeply once and nearly dropped into a fetal position from the intense agony in his side. Colds were the fucking worst… Why did he have to catch one now of all times? Couldn't the damn virus have waited a few years?!

There was a light patter of feet in the kitchen area before Zoro heard Tony approach him on the couch, "Daddy?"

Zoro gingerly shifted on his side and cracked his eyes open, "What's wrong, Tony-Tony?"

"I brought something to make you better! Nurse Maidy says it's important to keep your hands clean!" Tony 's expression was completely serious as he held up an old washcloth, "It fights germs!"

"I think that's more for when you're not sick yet…"

His stubborn son huffed and insistently tugged at Zoro's wrists, scowling until he let the little guy pull his arms from their comfy position under his cheek. He smiled as Tony wiped his hands meticulously with the damp, soapy cloth. "Thanks, Chopper-buddy. That feels great. Good job remembering what you were taught!"

Tony blushed furiously, and Zoro gave a hoarse laugh as he tousled his son's hair with his damp fingers. The little boy squawked indignantly and twisted away, "GEEZ! CUT IT OUT!"

Zoro dropped his hands back to the mattress of the pull-out couch, and coughed into the crook of his arm. Tony fidgeted in front of him and fussed with the hem of his shirt until Zoro sighed and asked, "What is it?"

"I made you breakfast!" Tony scurried over to the kitchen counter and returned with a bowl containing one of the turkey sandwiches that had a partially squished banana and bits of cereal spilling out the sides.

Eyeing the food apprehensively, Zoro slowly pushed his aching body upright, "What is this?"

Tony shifted on his feet with a shy, but proud, expression, "Nurse Maidy says that people who are sick should eat more nutrition and… uh, good stuff. So I put in my cereal because it says on the box that it has vitamins, and bananas are supposed to be very nutritious!"

He had the cutest, best kid in the world. Grinning, Zoro took the bowl, "You're right. This is very nutritious, and perfect to help me get better. Thank you, Chopper-buddy."

Tony squirmed with delight; ducking his head so his shaggy hair flopped over his eyes and hid his pleased smile. Zoro smiled at him fondly. He'd eat whatever weird shit his son gave him if it made him this happy.

He only hesitated a minute, "Where's your breakfast, Tony?"

The little boy perked up and scurried back to the kitchen area, "I have half a sandwich! That's okay, right?" He returned with his part of a turkey sandwich on a small plate and looked up at Zoro with concerned eyes, "Am I allowed to have it?"

"Of course!" Zoro coughed painfully as he moved over to make some room, "Let's eat in bed today."

Tony cheered and climbed onto the pull-out mattress. Zoro hid a wince when his son snuggled into his injured side, and dug the remote out of a crease in the couch. Flipping on the tv, he found a cartoon and dutifully started on his unique meal. It tasted weird, but it wasn't inedible. He finished every bite, and feeling warm and relatively comfortable - he dozed off with Tony eating quietly at his side.

Maybe being sick wasn't all bad…

Several hours later his phone alarm woke him up. Tony looked up at him from the floor where he was drawing in his favorite notebook with crayons. Zoro offered him a smile and gingerly eased himself out of bed. He didn't bother with folding up the mattress, and shuffled straight into the bathroom to get ready for his shift at the Sunny Mart. He couldn't afford to miss both jobs, so he had to go to work tonight, but he should be fine if he just stuck to the cash register.

After cleaning up as well as his aching body would tolerate, Zoro dressed in a clean uniform and left the bathroom. "Tony-Tony have you had lunch?"

"Yeah. I had more turkey! It's so good!"

Zoro wandered to the refrigerator and opened it to look at what was left. Tony was telling the truth, but that left them with only half a sandwich, some peanut butter and that damn cereal. Grimacing, Zoro coughed and closed the fridge. They needed food. He didn't have a choice. He'd have to pay less toward his loan and pick up some food for his son. Coughing again and rubbing his aching side, Zoro retrieved his keys from the small kitchen table, "Okay, Chopper-buddy, are you about ready to go over to Franky's?"

"Do I have to?" Tony 's voice was drawn out in a whine and his brown eyes were already growing shiny with tears as he looked up at Zoro, "I want to stay here with you!"

Wanting to avoid actual tears, or worse, Zoro explained gently, "I have to go to work. I need to buy you more yummy cereal and bananas. Don't you want that? And you like Franky! You guys will have lots of fun while I'm gone!"

His son's normally sweet, angelic face crumpled into a stubborn glare as he crossed his little arms, "I don't want to have fun with Franky! I want to be here with you! Why can't you stay?"

"Tony..." Zoro sighed and coughed into the crook of his elbow. Of course his kid would throw a tantrum when he felt like shit. "I would like to be able to stay and play, but daddy has to work. If I don't work then we don't have food, or coloring books, or our apartment."

Tony 's face was reddened from anger and his expression was downright mutinous, "I want to stay here! I want to play with you!"

Wearily rubbing at his aching temples, Zoro turned away from his angry kid and shuffled into Tony's room. "Today is really not a good day for this shit…" Muttering under his breath, he hunted down a pair of socks and matching shoes before stumbling back out into the main room.

"Tony, I know you want to hang out with me, but I really need you to put your shoes and socks on. Daddy's going to be late."

"NO!" Tony shrieked and threw himself on the ground, wailing dramatically as fat, crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Tony...!" Loud whining and childish screaming interrupted him, before Zoro could say anything more.

His head hurt so fucking bad, and the noise assaulting his ears from Tony's fit was actually making him feel nauseous. Closing his eyes, Zoro snapped, " Tony Chopin Roronoa, I'm not going to argue about this! Get your shoes and socks on NOW! I'm counting to three!"

The rumble of anger in his voice made Tony freeze in the act of throwing his hands and feet around in the throes of his tantrum. His son sniffled and sat up before whining, "But daaaaaddy...!"

"ONE…!" Zoro growled, taking a step forward.

"NO!" Tony scrambled to his feet and hurried to snatch his shoes and sock out of Zoro's hands.

He stood, watching silently as the little boy put them on. He always felt bad when Tony got upset like this - he couldn't help but feel that if he was able to be home more then Tony wouldn't feel so lonely. However, he was doing the best he could, and there wasn't much he could do about his working hours.

His son's small body was shaking with soft hiccups and occasional sobs as he pulled on each sneaker and clumsily knotted the laces. He stood and Zoro held out his hand, offering him a crooked smile, "Ready? Let's go see Franky."

Tony crossed his arms, tucking his hands under his armpits and looking away with a stubborn set to his jaw. Zoro sighed, "Okay then…"

Leaving their apartment, Zoro waited patiently for Tony to stomp out after him before locking the door. He slipped his keys into his pocket as he walked briskly to Franky's door and knocked. Tony was still sulking at his side and Zoro gave him a warning look, "You better be good for Franky."

Tony made a show of ignoring him as he glared at his shoes. Zoro was about to say something to make him behave when Franky answered the door, "Hey bro! Right on time! And little bro…! What's with that sour face?"

Franky crouched down and rested his tattooed arms on his knees so that he was eye-level with the little boy. Tony shuffled awkwardly and refused to meet his gaze, still pouting fiercely. Zoro rolled his eyes and turned to cough before muttering, "He got himself all worked up right before we had to leave."

Nodding sympathetically at Zoro, Franky eyed Tony 's rebellious expression before grinning slyly. "Hey, Tony-bro, it's too bad you don't want to hang out with me today. I was going to go down to the dollar store and I was hoping you could help me out!"

Tony 's head jerked up and his eyes were wide, "Candy?"

Zoro gave a small nod when Franky shot him a questioning look. The big man smiled, "Sure little bro! But only if you behave and say a nice goodbye to your super dad!"

"Okay!" Tony beamed up at the two of them and held his arms up for Zoro. Crouching was painful, but Zoro tried not to grimace too badly as he gathered his son into his arms. Tony hugged him tight, "Bye, daddy!"

"Love you, Tony-Tony. I'll see you when I get home."

His son kissed his cheek before bounding into Franky's apartment. The big man stood, chuckling as he ran a hand over his thickly gelled, electric-blue dyed hair. "What a simple little guy! He's freaky smart though bro. You should have seen him messing around with tablet I was fixing the other day!"

Listening to Franky brag about his son gave Zoro a pang of hurt that had nothing to do with his injured side. He hated that he didn't get to see things like that. His little boy was growing up too fast. He needed to fucking spend some time with his kid… maybe he could after the bills were caught up.

Zoro gave his neighbor a lop-sided grin, "Yeah. He definitely got that from his mom's side of the family. Listen, I'm probably already running late but let me know how much the candy costs and I'll pay you back."

Franky snorted, "No way in hell, bro. It's a bribe so he won't be screaming on the floor for the next hour! Parents aren't supposed to know that the caretakers bribe their kids anyway! It's a super secret technique!"

"Thanks for everything." He knew better than to argue by now. Franky could be as stubborn as he was. Zoro gave him a genuine smile. He was lucky that his neighbor was such a good guy.

Franky laughed and slapped his shoulder in response before following Tony into his apartment. "See you tonight, bro!"

"Bye…" Zoro watched Franky close the door before coughing into his arm and forcing himself to jog for the stairs. Maybe if he sped again today he could make it to work on time...

Later that night, Zoro was slumped wearily over the counter resting his arms on the cool surface. If he had felt bad before work, he felt like absolute shit now. The shitty coughing had gotten worse with him becoming unable to cough lightly. Each outbreak of barking coughs left him wheezing and breathless with tears in his eyes from the sheer fucking pain and exertion. His chest ached, and his side felt like it was being stabbed every time he breathed too deeply. At this point he'd kill for some cold medication, but they didn't have any in the Sunny Mart's medicine cabinet and he sure as hell wasn't going to spend six dollars on a shitty box of pills. So he resigned himself to suffer for now - glaring at the few customers milling around the store like mindless cattle... Especially the one dirty fucker who looked like he slept on the streets and kept filling his cup with free ice and water. He'd already run to the bathroom twice since Zoro had started keeping an eye on him - weird fucker was probably high. He didn't feel like going over and telling the asshole off though. He hoped his body was able to fight this shitty cold off soon because he'd really break his ribs if he kept up this damn coughing.

He blamed his worsened condition mostly on Nami. She had thrown a bitch fit when Zoro had come in late to his shift. Hoping to appease her, he had offered to work through his half-hour break… without pay. He had been temporarily blinded by the happy shine in her eyes at the mention of free labor, and faster than Luffy could eat a hotdog, the deal was made. Naturally, she had taken full advantage of his proposition; she had made him move all the boxes piled in the back to mop the damn storage room. Then she had stood there and directed where she wanted everything put back. Goddamn evil woman... She had fucking changed her mind about the whole arrangement five fucking times. Normally Zoro would have enjoyed the workout, but with his ribs were killing him and his cough worsening the whole affair had been like torture. In the end her damn 'little' favor had taken much longer than half an hour, and now Zoro didn't fucking have the energy to move anymore.

Zoro watched dully as Luffy energetically ran around the damn store, cheerfully shoving bags of chips into every nook and cranny of each shelf - even if they didn't belong there - and then jumping on the boxes until they were flat and piling them in front of the office. Luffy was lucky that Nami had left for the day and wasn't around to see the mess. However, Zoro should at least try to fix everything up before Usopp came in... Zoro groaned and dropped his forehead to the counter in despair.

"Wakey, wakey!" A finger jabbed rudely at his cheek.

Zoro slapped blindly at the offending hand. "Piss off, Lu."

Luffy chuckled, apparently finding Zoro's obvious misery entertaining, "Can't. It's time to get rid of the old food but I'm not done with the chips." He gave Zoro a pleading look, "Can you do it? Nami will yell if everything isn't done!"

Wincing slightly, Zoro pushed himself up and snorted, "She's going to yell anyway…"

Luffy tilted his head, not getting Zoro's point, "You're gonna do it?"

Sighing, he nodded at the store owner, "Yeah, sure... Are you taking anything home today?"

"Yeah, thanks, Zoro! Don't forget to give me the ham sandwiches!" He thought a moment before adding, "And pudding! And jello! Does the jello expire? Or is it like those weird cakes? Wouldn't it be funny to try one hundred year old jello?"

"Whatever you say, Lu. Hey, is it okay if I take a few things home too?"

"Sure!" Luffy shrugged, "As long as I get what I want I don't care!"

Zoro rolled his eyes and grabbed a couple of plastic bags before wandering over to the refrigerated display with the scanner. He coughed harshly as the cooler air brushed his face, and he rested a hand on his side with a pained expression as he tried to steady his breathing. Just fuck, fucking everything right now…

"Hey, mean-and-green. You okay there?"

"I have a cold." Zoro informed the nosy blonde bluntly as he turned with a scowl.

Sanji's tired blue eye travelled over his features before a slight wrinkle formed on his pale forehead, "Yeah, I could fucking hear you hacking up your guts from out by my damn car!"

Snorting, Zoro turned back to the food and scanned an expired turkey sandwich before stuffing it in the bag he was taking home. "You don't have to come here if you're worried about your pansy-ass self getting sick. You could just go piss off to another store."

Sanji laughed shortly before heading for the coffee, "No such luck, jackass!"

Grumbling, Zoro resisted the urge to flip off the blonde again, plucked up an expired pudding cup, scanned that, and put it in Luffy's bag. He looked over to the shitty cook, and sure enough he was fucking pouring coffee into the trashcan again. Zoro rolled his eyes and aggressively stuffed a container of apple slices in his bag.

There wasn't much expiring today, or in the near future for that matter from what he could see. He supposed that was a good thing because it meant they were actually selling shit, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed that he only had three sandwiches and those apple slices to take home. He'd have to make that last him the week too because there was no way he was going to miss a payment entirely to buy groceries for Tony AND himself. The last time he'd missed a payment, the loan company had hiked his interests rates without mercy. He was already dreading having to negotiate making only a partial payment, so he'd have to make this little bit of food last.

It was more important than anything that Tony got enough to eat.

There wasn't much in the bag for Luffy either. Hopefully the owner wouldn't be too upset about there only being two sandwiches. He'd made sure to put the expired watermelon in there with the pudding too just in case...

"Hey… are you getting rid of all that food?"

Startled, Zoro turned to see the skinny, homeless-looking guy from before eyeing the bags of food with hungry eyes. Getting a better look at the man, Zoro could see the bones in his too-thin hands, the way his collar bones jutted from his emaciated chest through the sagging collar of his filthy t-shirt, and how his bloodshot eyes were sunken back into his worn face. He was shaking slightly as his eyes kept darting from the food to Zoro's face. Frankly, he looked like hell.

Zoro knew what it felt like to be hungry, and in the end he didn't give a shit if this man was a criminal or caught up in addiction… No one should have to starve when he was literally holding free food. Wordlessly, Zoro shoved his bag into the man's hands and watched as he stared stupidly at it a moment before sniffling, "Shit… God bless you man! You don't even know…! God bless!"

"Thank me by getting the hell out and getting somewhere safe to stay tonight." Zoro huffed, avoiding the man's grateful eyes, "And fucking bless yourself, because that shit's never done any good for me…"

"Bless you, sir!" With a last, loud expression of gratitude, finally the man left with his embarrassing display, and Zoro let out a long,exasperated breath. Why couldn't that guy have just taken the fucking food and left quietly? Zoro really hadn't been looking for thanks, and the only reason he wasn't fleeing to the back room was there was almost no one in the store to have seen that display.

Coughing against his arm, Zoro morosely eyed the bag of food in his hand meant for Luffy. There wasn't any more food expiring today and Luffy would be upset if Zoro took his share. He knew with the refrigerator at home being empty that he had no choice but to buy some groceries for Tony, but he really had been counting on the expired food from work to feed himself. He couldn't eat his son's food when he wasn't sure when he'd be able to buy groceries again… Also glancing over the food expiration dates quickly he could see that only one or two things would expire in the next few days. Nami must have put out all new stock this morning and almost none of it would be ready to expire for almost a week. God fucking damn it, why did he have to give that guy the WHOLE bag?!

"Excuse me, Are you going to take my money or are you just going to make eyes at those gross-ass sandwiches all night?"

Zoro looked back at the register and let his lips twist into a snarl as he glared at his least favorite blonde. Stalking over behind the counter, he stashed Luffy's food under the register to give to the owner after the fucking emo-blonde got the fuck out. The chef was impatiently tapping his long fingers against his coffee cup, and as Zoro began to ring the sale, he reminded the cashier dryly, "Cigarettes. Two."

Scowling, Zoro slapped Sanji's usual order on the counter. "Pay up, asshole."

A slow smirk spread across Sanji's face as he dramatically pulled a clear plastic baggie from his suit pocket. "Eighteen dollars and eighty cents, right?"

Zoro's eyes widened in horror as he saw the contents of the bag, "You wouldn't…!"

Laughing like a cliche villain, Sanji poured a massive pile of change onto the counter. To make things worse it was mostly all nickles... Zoro shot him a look of pure hatred and deftly began to count everything into little piles representing one dollar. The blonde gave a satisfied sigh, and turned to lean on the counter to wait for Zoro to finish.

"I saw what you did earlier by the way."

Zoro briefly flicked his dark scowl from the coins littering the counter to study the blonde's expression, but Sanji was still faced the other way and all he could see was that dumb hairstyle. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"You gave that guy free food."

Flushing slightly, Zoro lost count and had to start over on the little pile he was currently arranging. Gluing his gaze to the coins under his fingers he muttered sullenly, "You got a problem with that...?"

He heard Sanji shift and reluctantly glanced up to see the blonde looking at him directly with a serious expression, "If you hadn't done something, I would have given him something myself… but I'm glad you're not a complete bastard."

Zoro shrugged and finished counting the change, scooping it up to sort into his register, "It wasn't a big deal. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Sanji lingered a moment and Zoro decided to ignore the weirdo and grabbed the bag of food to give to Luffy, "Hey, Lu! I'm putting your shit in the office! You took the wrong thing home the last time I put it in the walk-in!"

Luffy's hand shot up over one of the product isles in a wave, "Thanks, Zoro! Shishishishi, I remember Nami was so mad!"

Zoro shook his head and grinned to himself before walking out from behind the counter. The shitty blonde stepped in his way and Zoro rolled his eyes, coughing into his elbow. "What do you want now?!"

The chef eyed the bag of food, "Is that all really for Luffy?"

"Well yeah. That's all there is." Another round of deep coughs made Sanji wince, and Zoro gave him a sour look, "It's really none of your damn business, shitty cook."

Sanji didn't get angry at the short response; instead he stepped back into Zoro's way when he tried to slip by, "What were you going to do with that other bag anyway?"

The look that the store worker gave him the distinct impression that Zoro thought he was an absolute idiot, "I was going to eat it. But now…" He stopped talking abruptly - eyebrows furrowing deeply.

Unwilling to let the subject drop, Sanji pressed for an answer, "But now, what?"

"Now I won't!" Zoro snapped and rudely shoved him to the side with his shoulder and arm, "Fucking MOVE already!"

Sanji absently rubbed his arm where he'd been pushed as he watched Zoro stomp off into the office. The grumpy cashier had to be in his twenties, but he hadn't weighed what Sanji had expected when he'd forced his way past. In fact, Sanji was certain he had been able to clearly feel his ribs where his hand had been briefly pressed against Zoro's side. He looked pale too. Certainly he was sick, but Sanji couldn't shake the nagging thought that Zoro had just given away his dinner, and it pissed him off. Unpleasant feelings stirred in his gut, and he felt a little nauseous as old memories of hard times when he was small and his father had been struggling after his injury flashed through his mind… Hunger was a terrible feeling, and not even shitty cashiers should go hungry.

Interrupting his unhappy reminiscing, Zoro emerged from the office, hunching as he coughed and wheezed into the crook his elbow. Sanji frowned, listening to the deep, rattling sound of the cough, and observing the way that the cashier rubbed his side like it hurt… Someone that sick really should eat lots of food.

Making up his mind, Sanji marched out to his car. He had always had food. There was no sense in wasting the good leftovers from his restaurant, and it made him feel better knowing he had plenty on hand. Maybe he could make amends for being such an ass - at least this once - and share what he had...

He looked over the food that he'd packed up in a large, cardboard box thoughtfully before just grabbing the whole damn thing and carrying it inside. He barely made it through the doors when Luffy's head popped up over the store shelves like a hairless, lanky gopher, and honed right in on that package. "SAAAAAAANJI! FOOOOD!"

Sanji coolly ignored Luffy's screeching and unpacked two beautiful pies; setting them on the counter. Luffy scrambled out of the aisle and careened through the store, leaping in the air to pounce like a hungry animal when he drew close. However, Sanji harshly kept him at bay with a shining dress shoes planted firmly on the owner's chest. "You want the pie?" Sanji lifted one and moved it back and forth, smirking as Luffy's eyes followed the dessert faithfully. "Go ahead and get it!" Sanji threw it away from himself like a frisbee, grinning from ear-to-ear when Luffy actually caught it mid-air.

"What the fuck…?" Zoro walked over from the coffee counter holding a bulging trashbag. Sanji waved him over with a smug grin, and casually pushed the remaining pie toward the green-haired cashier.

"What is this?" Zoro scowled at him with his arms crossed, the bag dangling from his fingers at his side.

Sanji snorted, "Apple pie. You're not allergic to anything weird, right?"

Zoro just stared. The silence stretched out for a moment, making Sanji nervous, until Zoro finally asked, "You didn't make it, did you?"

"Well no...?"

Smirking, the cashier leaned his hip casually against the counter, "Then I'm sure it won't kill me."

Sanji snarled in response, "Shut up and take the fucking pie!"

Zoro's scowl was back in full force and he met Sanji's gaze with a fierce glare, "And what the hell are you trying to give me this damn pie for?"

"Actually there's some chicken salad in here too." Sanji checked the box before adding, "And some salisbury steak."

"What the fuck do you want, cook?"

Sanji chewed his lip thoughtfully as he slipped a hand into the pocket of his slacks to run his fingers over the skin-warmed metal of his lighter, "It's my job."

Zoro snorted before walking away toward the door to the back room, "I don't fucking want any favors from you, and like hell am I paying for that crap!"

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Sanji chased after him; catching the touchy bastard by the arm before he could make his escape, "Just this once!" Zoro turned, shaking off his grip and raising an eyebrow. Sanji ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm down a little - not caring if he ruined his hairstyle. "I don't like the thought of anyone missing a meal. Even shitheads like you. I don't know if you have something else for dinner, but it would just make me feel better if I just fed you and knew for sure."

Zoro dropped his gaze and shifted uncomfortably, and Sanji pushed the envelope a little further, "You did a good thing by helping that man out, but you shouldn't have to go hungry tonight either."

The cashier still wouldn't meet his gaze, but Sanji saw something soften in his expression, and his shoulders eased slightly, "Just this once. If it'll get you to get the fuck out."

Sanji nodded rapidly, and a huge smile spread over his face as he took a step toward the doors, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

The irritated store worker simply grunted; his scowl actually deepening. Sanji lifted his hand in a casual wave as he left. Thanks would have been nice, but he really didn't expect that kind of decency from that green neanderthal. As soon as he was outside, he dug out his nearly finished pack of cigarettes and promptly lit up. Looking back into the store through the large front window, he could see Zoro put the second pie back in the cardboard box and carefully close the flaps. Leaning against the side of his car, he felt his nagging worry and that damn need to meddle finally calm down inside of himself. Sanji slowly breathed in the cigarette smoke, letting the routine of smoking chase away the shitty memories that were still trying to resurface, and waited until he saw Zoro carry the box of food out of sight into the office area. He knew he was getting too involved here, and that the irritable green asshole was more trouble than he was worth. However, feeding people is what he did, and as Sanji got into his car to drive home he felt immensely satisfied with himself.

Zoro knew that fucker was smoking out front and watching him. It pissed him off that the shitty blonde had stuck his nose in where it didn't belong and turned the situation into an opportunity to rub his wealth and abundant resources in Zoro's face. He resented being treated with pity. If he hadn't been too sick and tired to put up a fight, he'd have kicked that bastard's blonde ass right out the door along with his shitty food. However, feeling poorly made him weak, and despite his wounded pride, he was fighting the urge to take this food home, eat well for once and hope he didn't choke on his crumbling self-esteem.

Uncomfortable with knowing he was being watched, Zoro carried the box of food to the office and out of sight, snorting a soft laugh at Luffy hunched over his desk like a vulture; his face covered in pie crumbs. He nodded at the cardboard box before putting it on the desk, "Sanji left this. There's another pie in there."

"Really?!" Luffy grabbed at the box and dragged it closer while drooling.

Zoro grinned, "Eat what you want, Lu. And I'm going to pay him back for it later, so don't worry about that either."

Luffy shot him a sharp look before putting the steak in front of himself with a toothy grin, "Okay, Zoro! You're the best!"

Zoro left him to it, feeling smug at having foiled that shitty blonde's plans.

Waiting for the night to end was excruciating, and Zoro almost cried with relief when Usopp finally came in for his shift. He limped back toward the office as fast as possible to clock out, and just when he'd punched in his code Luffy grabbed him by the arm. The store owner grinned and shoved Sanji's apple pie into his hands. Zoro was definitely surprised, "You didn't want this?"

Shaking his head, Luffy pressed the pie into his hold more insistently, "I'm full."

Zoro snorted incredulously but accepted the pie, "Liar."

"Shishishishi!" Luffy chuckled as he pulled out his wallet and flipped through it, "Here. Take this too."

Zoro scowled at the twenty dollar bill in Luffy's hand and snarled, "I'm not taking your money, Luffy!"

Luffy didn't seem fazed at all by Zoro's anger, and he simply laid the money on the pie's plastic lid, "I'm not asking you to take it. You're paying Sanji back, right? That's for what I ate."

"I told you not to…!" Zoro's argument trailed off into a painful fit of coughing.

The store owner's face grew stern, "I'm telling you as your boss to take that money to pay Sanji. So shut up about it!"

Zoro closed his gaping mouth with a sharp click of his teeth, and glared as he obediently took the money off the pie and stuffed it in his pants pocket. Luffy almost never gave orders as 'the boss', and even on his worst day Zoro knew better than to argue with Luffy when he was this serious. Feeling irritable, and sick, and just generally fed up with the day, Zoro stomped out the front doors carrying the damn pie.

It had fucking better be delicious.