4.

Normally on Sunday mornings Zoro would drop off Tony at his school-friend, Sabo's house and his mother would look after the boys. It gave Franky a break and Zoro didn't have to hire some other babysitter. However, today he was still too sick to be working at the gym so he'd decided to go grocery shopping before his shift at the Sunny Mart, and he'd offered to bring the boys along so he could spend some time with his son. As he wearily pushed his cart through the aisles and tried his best to keep the two rambunctious children at his side and quiet, he couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't made a mistake. Maybe it would have helped if they hadn't eaten that damn pie for breakfast. He just didn't have the energy to keep up with his son on a sugar high.

Last night he had barely slept. He'd tossed and turned, tormented by his persistent cough and burning ribs. Now today he was too exhausted to even cough properly, and he alternated between shallow wheezing and clearing his throat in an effort to relieve the ache that was settling deep in his chest. The slice of pie from that morning was sitting heavily in his gut. Honestly he regretted eating at all as his endless coughing made his stomach churn and had him frequently swallowing back the bile that crept up to burn in his throat.

Sabo pulled down a colorful cereal box off the shelf, and Zoro cringed as several more came tumbling with it. The curly-headed blond shoved his prize at his friend, unconcerned with the mess he'd made. "Tony! You should get this! Then we'll have the same breakfast!"

Tony grabbed the box with an eager squeal and waved it enthusiastically, "Can we get it daddy? Please? Please, please, plea…!"

"Chopper-buddy..." Zoro shook his head as he sighed wearily, "I don't have a coupon for that one. You like the cereal we have at home, so why don't we get that?"

Tony pouted as he clutched the cereal box to his chest; a small whine of complaint heralding an impending tantrum. Zoro wheezed out a weak cough and miserably massaged at his aching chest. He really fucking did not want to deal with Tony having a fit today... "If you're good and let daddy decide what food to buy then I'll let you and Sabo get some bubble gum, okay?"

The change was instantaneous, and Tony 's expression went from stormy to cheerful in a heartbeat, "Okay!" The little boy chirped as he obediently put the cereal back on the shelf. Thank God for bribery.

Zoro smiled and walked over to tousle his son's fluffy hair before crouching slowly and painfully to pick up the mess of cereal boxes that Sabo had made. Both boys were quick to help, pressing cereal boxes into his hands, and he could practically see puppy tails wagging happily when he thanked them each time. Zoro couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at either them about the mess, even though his every breath burned like fire in his chest and side as his body rebelled at being put into his current position. Finally the last box was put back where it belonged, and Zoro got up heavily, clutching his side with a low groan. Sabo and Tony chased each other down the aisle, dodging around other shoppers and nearly running into an older man with a cane.

"Tony! Sabo!" Zoro coughed wetly from the effort of raising his voice and leaned heavily on the cart as he waited for the old man to pass out of his way.

"I found it, daddy!" Tony skidded to a stop in front of the cart, victoriously brandishing the cereal Zoro had been looking for.

"That's great, Tony-Tony. Can you put it in the cart for me?" His son happily obeyed before bounding after Sabo again. The old man, who was still lingering in his way, grunted in disapproval, but Zoro ignored him and thumbed through his coupons. He could have sworn he had one for hotdogs in here…

"No wonder you're sick if this is the crap you eat!"

Zoro looked up, startled, to see the old man reaching into his cart and rudely pushing aside the cereal to look at the items underneath. He looked up at Zoro with steely grey eyes and snorted; his ridiculously long and braided blonde mustache twitching as he sneered, "You shouldn't waste your money on shit that isn't even actually food!"

"Excuse me?!" Zoro growled and tried to take a step back away from the crazy fucker and his threateningly tapping cane. However an oatmeal display behind him blocked his retreat. He tried to stay relatively calm as he spat out bluntly, "I didn't ask your opinion, now kindly back the hell off!"

"Listen you damn asparagus, I've been in deep shit before. I was homeless for three years, and I had to learn the hard way how to keep myself and my son fed. He grew up well, skinny little shit that he is, so I know what I'm saying when I tell you that you can have food that's actually good for your body for less than you're spending on most of this garbage!" The older man stared him straight in the eye with an uncomfortably knowing look and Zoro couldn't make himself hold that sharp gaze.

He looked off to the side and mumbled sullenly, "We're fine. I don't need your fucking pity."

"No, what you need is advice and kick upside the head…!" The old man grinned suddenly, the lines in his face deepening, "You remind me of myself. I learned shit the hard way, but now I'm a professional chef. I run my own place, and I know what I'm talking about..."

Zoro rolled his eyes in irritation and watched as the old man shifted his shopping basket to the hand gripping his cane and dug out his wallet from his worn, tan slacks. "I don't want your fucking money!" Zoro hissed in anger, seriously considering running the old bastard over with his cart and escaping.

The elderly blonde gave him a dark glare, "Shut up you ungrateful ingrate. I'm not giving you a damn penny!" He pulled out a worn and creased old index card and shoved it at Zoro's chest, "This recipe makes four meals for less than two dollars apiece, and you can portion it out to last for six if you eat slightly smaller plates."

Zoro grudgingly accepted the card before looking it over curiously. The chili and pasta recipe was handwritten and faded, but still legible. None of the ingredients looked too expensive either. He had to admit that the thought of that many meals for so cheap was appealing, but he had neither the time or the energy to play chef. Besides, Tony loved ramen, and Zoro had made sure that he picked up a few of those eighty-nine cent bags of frozen veggies and some bananas... They were fine, and they certainly didn't need strangers butting into their business.

"I appreciate that you want to help, but I didn't ASK you for it..." He tucked the recipe into the pocket of his jeans before crossing his arms, "Seriously, what is it with you cooks all thinking that you have the right to force shit on people?"

The older blonde snorted, "Stubborn ass... Do what you want, but better food will help you and your kids."

Rolling his eyes, Zoro huffed in annoyance, "I know how to take care of my own kid. Now could you please move your damn cane? I have to actually buy this food before I go into work."

"Shitty asparagus brat..." The old man groused, "Promise that you'll at least give that recipe one try? It was my son's favorite, and if you get hard taco shells you can also eat it that way. Kids like that." He hobbled out of Zoro's way before adding, "Also oatmeal is cheaper in the long run than that shit cereal, and it tastes better if you add a little syrup or fruit. Don't get your produce here either. Go to the shop on Fifth and Orange. Much cheaper…"

"Jesus Christ, I'll try the fucking recipe! Just please stop talking to me!" Zoro coughed into his arm and shook his head.

"Ungrateful." The old man rolled his eyes, "You're fucking welcome, dumbass. And if you ever need a job go to the Baratie and ask for Zeff. We always need busboys and waiters." He patted Zoro's shoulder firmly before limping down the aisle and out of sight.

Grumbling to himself, Zoro pushed his shopping cart down the aisle. He just needed a small loaf of bread for Tony's sandwiches and then they could get the hell out of here before he was accosted by anymore shitty cooks. That old bastard actually reminded him quite a bit of that shitty emo-blond from the Sunny Mart. Maybe they were related. Zoro snorted a laugh.

"What's funny, daddy?" Tony looked up at him with wide eyes as he walked alongside the cart, waiting for Sabo to get off the front so he could have a ride.

"It's nothing, Chopper-buddy. Remember daddy's rule about not talking to strangers?" Tony nodded rapidly and Zoro grinned at him, "Good. That man daddy was talking to is a bad stranger who doesn't know how to mind his own business, and if you see him you should run away and find daddy or Franky, okay?" He was satisfied when Tony nodded again, his brown eyes huge as he drew closer to grab at Zoro's hand.

Wheeling his shopping cart into a checkout line, Zoro coughed weakly off to the side before playfully swinging their joined hands and asking his son, "So what kind of bubble gum do you and Sabo want?"

"COTTON CANDY!"

"Of course..." Zoro chuckled and grabbed the candy out of the rack in the checkout aisle.

When the cashier got everything rung up he was delighted that what he'd gotten came to a little over twenty-one dollars. Hesitating a moment, Zoro pulled out the twenty dollar bill that Luffy had given him and unzipped the change pocket on his wallet to count the rest out in coins. The line behind him was impatient and he could hear people grumbling, but he didn't give a shit. If he didn't have to dip into what was in his bank account then that meant that he would be able to make his full loan payment after all. He'd just have to pay back Sanji another time…

As soon as he got the boys back to his apartment, put the groceries away, and fed the kids peanut butter sandwiches, sparing the remaining pie in his refrigerator a dark glare. It hadn't tasted bad, but his stomach was still unsettled and he would rather wait until tonight after work or tomorrow to try eating again. Besides if he stuck to eating once a day then the food he'd bought would last that much longer. He flopped facedown on the pullout couch and promptly fell asleep. He slept restlessly until he was shaken awake by small hands, "Daddy!"

"Mmugh..." He felt achy, hot and disoriented as he slowly rolled over and asked without opening his eyes, "What is it, Tony?"

"Your phone is ringing a lot and you said I'm not supposed to answer it anymore."

It took his confused brain a moment to sort out what his son had said and that the ringing in his ears was actual ringing. He shot upright and groaned, clutching his pained ribs as he scrambled to grab his phone from where it had fallen and landed in a pile of shirts. "Shit, shit, SHIT!"

"Ooh...!" Tony clapped his hands over hid gaping mouth before running off to his room giggling, "My daddy said a bad word!"

Zoro sighed, knowing he'd have to deal with that problem later, and glanced at the too familiar number on his caller id before coughing wetly and answering, "Roronoa..."

"ZORO WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?! YOUR SHIFT STARTED FORTY MINUTES AGO!"

"Nami! I'm so sorry. I fell asleep and forgot to set my alarm..." He quickly explained as he looked around his dirty living room for his uniform, "I need to drop off Tony and I'll be there in thirty minutes."

He was already up and shucking off his jeans to put on his khaki slacks when Nami snapped, "Make it twenty!"

She hung up without saying goodbye, and Zoro let out an agonized hiss through gritted teeth as he bent to pull up his pants. The bruise on his side had faded into a sickly, mottled yellow and blue, with reddish-purple marks lingering where the injury had been deepest. His ribs sure as hell didn't feel like they were any better though. He was willing to bet all this fucking coughing was exacerbating the fracture and prolonging his misery. Things like this made him wonder what he'd done to make the universe hate him.

Zoro stumbled into the bathroom while pulling on his shirt; clutching at the sink as a wave of dizziness made his head swim. Coughing, he shook off the feeling and snatched up his toothbrush, "Tony! Sabo! We need to go now!" He heard a chorus of whining until he reminded them, "You can play with Sabo's video games when you get there!"

Rolling his eyes at the excited squeals and the sounds of little feet scampering through the apartment, Zoro spat out his mouthful of toothpaste and limped out hurriedly to hunt down his battered work shoes. The boys were waiting impatiently by the door as he stumbled over, pausing to yank on his sneakers as he went. He grabbed the car keys from the table and gave the pair a mad grin, "I'll race you guys to the car!"

Tony hesitated a moment until Zoro opened the apartment door, but he quickly recovered and ran down the hall, shrieking with delight. Sabo was hot on the fuzzy-headed brat's heels, also whooping and hollering. His neighbors were going to be so pissed.

Zoro made sure the apartment was locked up before following the boys in a slow jog. Normally he'd only be a step or two behind that hyper pair, but his burning side and his recent inability to catch his breath was slowing him down considerably. He sorely regretted running down those stairs when he wheezed and coughed all the way to drop off the kids, as well as most of the way into work. The drive was miserable; the strap from his seatbelt dug uncomfortably into his aching side, and all the damn coughing made him swerve occasionally into the wrong lane. By the time he got to work, his eyes and nose were watering unattractively from the stress of the constant choking, and the instant he stepped into the building, Zoro made a beeline for the counter. He grabbed a handful of napkins and retreated to the back room.

It didn't take Nami long to hunt him down. Her expression was murderous as she cornered him by the trash bin. "YOU FELL ASLEEP?! SERIOUSLY?!"

Zoro threw out his wad of napkins only to cough again into his arm before he defended himself hoarsely, "I said I'm sorry! I got here as soon as I could!"

"Are you sick...?" Nami crossed her arms and looked him over with a scowl, "You look like shit. Did you even brush your hair?!"

"I have a cold! And who actually fucking cares about my hair! Would you rather that I have taken twenty minutes to gel it up all nice into pretty shapes?!" Zoro snarled and stomped around the angry manager to head out to the register.

Nami rolled her eyes, "Don't you fucking talk like that to me! I'm writing your ass up by the way. If you're ever this late again I'll fire you! I don't care what Luffy says!"

Zoro paused with his hand on the door-handle, shoulders tense. He couldn't lose this job. If he got fired then he'd have to go back to working at a factory, and he'd probably have to quit working at the gym. He'd fucking left a higher paying factory job just so he could work at Garp's gym. The rough old man had offered him a chance to pursue his high school love of martial arts, along with a promise of grooming Zoro to take over the Iron Monkey Gym. For a guy like him who had dropped out of school to take care of his kid, he might never have another opportunity to follow his dream of being a professional martial arts instructor.

"It won't happen again." He did his best to convey his sincerity, looking Nami square in the eyes.

After a short staredown, she sighed, "You're a good employee. I know you won't let this become an issue. I still have to write you up, but if nothing serious happens in the next six months I'll strike it from your file, okay?"

He nodded, "Sounds fair."

She gave him a brief smile, "Okay. Now go get Luffy off the register before he fucks up another transaction! I'm going home and having a fucking glass of wine."

Zoro smirked and nodded. That was probably the real reason why she was so mad. He knew she understood his situation with Tony, and she hadn't even batted an eye that one time Coby had missed half his shift because he'd overslept after one of his college exams. She must have been missing one of her television shows - she never shut up about that one with the zombies… Also Luffy always triggered her rampages when he messed up the money. Unfortunately, instead of screaming at the owner like the idiot deserved, she'd gone off on him tonight because he'd had the bad luck to run late today, and because Luffy never seemed to understand the things he did wrong no matter how much he got lectured. The good news was since she wasn't really mad at HIM, and just taking out her Luffy-related frustrations, all he had to do was be more careful and he'd be back in her good graces. He wouldn't care about her liking him though if she wasn't the one who arranged all their schedules. She could make his life miserable if she wanted to... He'd just have to be on his best behavior for a while.

He was hit by another painful fit of coughing right as he reached Luffy. He clutched his side, trying desperately to keep his coughs shallow as pain shot through his ribs, but that only prolonged the episode until he was wheezing and dizzy. Luffy was frowning at him as he handed over a napkin, "You sound sick."

"It's just a cold. I'm fine."

Luffy shrugged before stepping aside, "I need to go put all the big bags of ice in the freezer."

Zoro waved him off, "Yeah, okay."

The manager scampered off with his usual huge grin. It made Zoro feel even more wrung out just watching him. For now he would just take it easy and hang out at the register. Sunday nights were usually slow so Luffy wouldn't mind, and if he didn't overdo it then maybe his shitty cold wouldn't act up too much...

However, more coughing soon had him doubled over and in agony while the customers backed away from the counter. This cold seemed to be getting worse, and right now it felt like someone had been using his head for a gong while kicking him in the side. He almost lost his balance when he straightened and a sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed him.

Gazing longingly at the stupid cold medication sitting in their little pharmacy display next to the motion sickness relief pills, he grabbed another wad of napkins to clean off any stray spittle or snot. Trying to convince himself that he could ride out this illness and that he'd feel better tomorrow, Zoro tried to focus on the customers coming to the counter instead of the medicine right there in front of him, taunting him with the promise of cough relief and no headache.

He couldn't wait for this damn shift to end so he could go home and sleep.

It seemed that the time was absolutely crawling by… Every minute was hell, and Zoro was feeling more and more surly every time he checked the damn clock. His headache had worsened to the point of him breaking down and taking some of the cheap pain reliever from the store's first aid kit. It didn't do a thing for the damn cough though, and he was feeling more weak and disoriented than he had that morning. The continued onslaught of deep, painful coughing spasms made his stomach churn even as it sent burning pain through his ribs. It was probably because he hadn't eaten a damn thing all day since he'd had a small slice of pie for breakfast. He knew he should eat. However, even if he had the money to buy some dinner - which he didn't - the thought of chewing and swallowing made him feel nauseous, even more so than he already did.

Finally Zoro just couldn't put up with one more little old lady counting out her change with the same horrible slowness as the minute hand, and he demanded that Luffy take over the register. If Nami found out she'd freak out, but right now he felt like he'd strangle the next customer he saw… or vomit all over their shoes. Fortunately Luffy was all too happy to stand at the register and talk the ears off anyone in range, so Zoro took his chance to slip to the back of the store.

The coffee pot looked a little low so Zoro grabbed the bag of coffee grinds from under the counter, grunting in discomfort as he was forced to bend over. As he straightened he could feel the urge to cough tickling unbearably in the back of his throat. Willing himself not to give in and cough all over the coffee grinds, Zoro hurriedly pulled out the old coffee basket from the machine, tossed the old grinds, and stuffed a new filter inside. However, as he started pouring the new grounds, he couldn't hold it in anymore and he turned his head as his body shook with the force of his coughs.

"Fucking hell… Don't get your shitty moss germs in the coffee, asshole!"

Zoro refused to turn and look at the shitty blond. Some of the coffee had spilled on the counter, so he quietly wiped that up while keeping his mouth shut. Maybe if he ignored the fucker, he'd go away and bother Luffy.

"Oh my god, are you seriously just going to put that in the machine?! I just saw you fucking cough all over it!"

Zoro turned and scowled, "I did not!"

Sanji's lip curled in a disgusted sneer as he eyed the full coffee basket in Zoro's hands, "And you put way too much in there. Did you even wash your hands before pouring that in?"

Why would he wash his hands?! He was just touching the damn package! Huffing, Zoro turned to pour some of the coffee back into the bag.

"Fucking neanderthal…" The blond huffed and leaned on the counter; resting his weight on his hands, "I'm not drinking that contaminated shit. Go throw it out and then wash up before you try again."

Shooting the annoying bastard an exasperated look, Zoro sneered, "No one says you have to drink it. Please, go piss off to some other store."

"That's no way to treat your valuable customer. You're absolute shit at this job, you know? Why the hell do you work here anyway?"

Zoro shrugged as he gathered up the full coffee filter and carried it to the nearby trash can, "S'none of your damn business."

Sanji's gaze traveled slowly from his hair down to his ragged shoes, "You look terrible."

Throwing up his hands in frustration, Zoro stomped over to the employee sink and away from the mouthy, blond fucker. He cursed under his breath as he carefully washed his hands under the steaming water and fantasized about strangling the shitty cook before drowning him in this very sink. Sadly, murdering the bastard would definitely get him fired, so Zoro resigned himself to giving the chef the dirtiest look he could muster as he returned and stuffed a new filter into the coffee basket.

"So…" Sanji was not looking at him as he spoke, turning over his cigarette lighter in his hands repeatedly, "Did you reheat the food I gave you properly?"

Zoro grunted as he carefully poured less coffee into the filter than before and set it to brew, "I don't have time for that shit. Luffy ate most of it anyway."

"I see…"

Sanji's expression was unclear as he avoided Zoro's gaze and fiddled restlessly with that damn lighter. Was he upset? Zoro actually felt a little guilty about the whole thing, even though he didn't want to give this fucker the idea that he wanted handouts…

"The pie was fine."

That tired blue eye flicked over to meet his gaze in surprise briefly before the chef snorted, "My pie is the fucking best in the city, you heathen."

Rolling his eyes, Zoro spotted a customer waiting impatiently up at the counter and Luffy was mysteriously nowhere to be seen. Of course. Zoro waved his hand at the coffee before coughing harshly and mumbling, "It'll be ready in few minutes. Don't mess with it."

He could feel Sanji watching him as he hunched forward, caught up in another coughing fit that sent burning pain through his side. He struggled to breathe as his lungs spasmed out of his control, and he could barely see through the tears blurring his vision. His foot caught the edge of a shelf and his sluggish thoughts didn't catch up to the danger until he was already falling forward with nothing to stop him. "Oh shit!"