But I'm stuck in this fucking rut
Waiting on a second hand pick me up
And I'm over, getting older

If I could just find the time
Then I would never let another day go by
I'm over, getting old

Maybe it's not my weekend
But it's gonna be my year
And I'm so sick of watching while the minutes pass as I go nowhere
And this is my reaction
To everything I fear
Cause I've been going crazy I don't want to waste another minute here

Weightless- All Time Low

'Say Luffy,' Sanji twirled a cigarette around his fingers and tidied his fringe. 'Did you bring a guest along yesterday?' He scowled as the wind ruffled up his hair again.

'Hm?' Luffy dug into the heaped plate.

'A… green haired dude?' Sanji asked dubiously, thankful that Luffy was eating outdoors. The mess would have put off some more delicate customers.

'Oh! Zoro! You should meet him!'

'Should I?' Sanji seriously doubted he could get along with anyone of that hair colour. Luffy hummed, offering no more words. Sanji dashed back to the kitchen. The previously heaped plate was nearly empty.

'Ten thousand.' Zoro pushed up one final time before collapsing on his side. He was really out of shape. His phone buzzed on the table.

'Luffy?'

'Zoro!' Luffy practically cheered through the phone and Zoro winced as several other voices chorused their greetings.

'Yohohoho!' he heard a vaguely familiar laugh.

'Zoro!' another voice cheered. Zoro's eyebrows rose.

'Usopp?' he exclaimed.

'Zoro, come and meet us now!' Luffy's voice snapped back on the receiver.

'Hm.' Zoro knew that order was coming. 'I'll be there.' He couldn't wait to see Usopp.

'Usopp!' Zoro ruffled the wild bushy hair of Usopp.

'Zoro!' Usopp hugged Zoro tightly around the waist. When they released, he dug around one of his pockets and produced a blob of black cloth. 'I bought this off a dodgy old street vendor! He said it was spider silk, the strongest, softest cloth ever! This way you don't have to keep getting new ones,' he said brightly, pouring it into Zoro's frozen hands and mistaking his friend's stiffness for surprise. 'I know right! It feels amazing, like liquid steel! You can thank me later!' Usopp laughed, slapping Zoro on the back.

'Uh… thanks.' Zoro forced a grin. He couldn't tell Usopp the truth. Not yet. He watched on as Luffy and Usopp filled each other in on their adventures.

'Oh? Usopp!' Nami arrived, placing drinks at their table in a swirl of orange hair. 'You didn't travel all these years and forget the debt you owe me right?' she flashed her trademark Cheshire smile.

'Of course not Nami!' Usopp sputtered and Zoro rolled his eyes. What a way of showing your affection. Chat fell easily as Zoro continued to lounge back and let the flow of talk surround him. It's been a long time since he felt this. He must have dozed of sometime because when he woke, the sun was sinking low in the sky.

'Hazzuh?' he muttered dazedly, lurching up from the table.

'Zoro my man!' a blue haired man with massive forearms slapped him heartily on the back. 'Good to see you around!'

'Franky,' Zoro grinned. 'How's the DJ life going?'

'It's super man! I've just got shit load of more equipment so tomorrow night will be my fabulous comeback!' He pumped his fist.

'Nice.' Although Zoro never really had the same appreciation for thumping beats and crowds of sweating bodies lumped together in an uncoordinated 'dance', he could feel the contagious effect of Franky's enthusiasm.

'Guys you need to come inside,' Nami ushered them in, rubbing her arms from the chill of the air. 'Bring in the tables and chairs,' she added. 'I already put away the rest.' Zoro yawned.

'We're over here!' Luffy waved them over, munching on cookies. Zoro noticed the distasteful glances at him from surrounding couples. His eye twitched.

'Honey, leave them alone,' a woman whispered, pulling the arm of her annoyed date.

'Mhm, welcome ladies and gentlemen,' a voice hummed into the microphone. 'I hope you're enjoying yourself.' He cocked an eyebrow at the nearest lady, who giggled. 'Well, lovely lady, do you have any requests?'

'Uhm,' she leaned in and whispered something to her date.

'Moulin Rogue,' he called and it was greeted by various cheers of approval.

'How could I refuse?' the blonde half closed his eyes lazily as the music began. Zoro rolled his eyes. Gods, he's not going to last long in this sappy atmosphere. Groaning quietly, he started to rise from the table.

'Naw Zoro, leaving already?' Luffy whined. 'Sit down-' Zoro smothered his mouth with a hastily put hand.

'Shhh. I need to leave for work,' he muttered. The rubberman huffed.

'Ten more minutes?' he pleaded with the biggest puppy dog eyes he could manage and Zoro felt the urgent need to bang his head on the table. Luffy really wasn't letting him go.

'Fine but you'll shut up after this you hear?' he hissed and Luffy grinned, flipping him the thumbs up.

The machine screamed abuse in Zoro's ears. Unperturbed, he reloaded the machine, mind in a dull cloud. This was nothing, really. The same thing. The blonde head was vaguely familiar somehow. Had he seen him before? Was it his hair? Or maybe his voice? Maybe the fancy ass suit he wore? He met him before… somewhere. He grit his teeth in frustration. All this thinking was really bad for his health, damn it.

'Where are the waiters here damn it?' a pink haired man hissed, drumming his large ringed fingers on the table.

'Just be a little patient Fullbody darling,' the woman across him smiled anxiously.

'Hey you!' Fullbody called brashly across the room in the hope that a waiter would come. Sanji tutted into the microphone and clicked his fingers, giving the indication for the instrumental change.

'How may I serve you?' he half sang, taking the microphone off its stand and walking over to the table. Good thing Frank upgraded it to a wireless one. 'Sir and lady?'

'Serve us the wine and take our orders,' Fullbody snapped.

'Hm, hm,' Sanji turned to disappear into the kitchen and continued singing, much to the amusement of the crowd. 'Here you go sir and milady.' He brandished the bottle fancily, and produced oohs and ahs from the crowd as he served the wine, showing off his skills. No a drop out of place. He caught the wine like it was frozen in the air. The man huffed, grudgingly impressed and lifted the glass, taking a deep sniff. He swirled the alcohol and frowned thoughtfully.

'This sweet smell, with a hint of spice. The meaty notes … ah… give this a Spanish feel. The warm spicy palate is rich and soft. It's balanced perfectly. It must be… Château Lafite!' he held the glass up high, ego inflated at the open mouths from the other diners.

'Absolutely…'

'I knew I was a great wine taster! I have memorised thousands of wines over my lifetime!' Fullbody boasted.

'Not.' Sanji jumped back into the song 'Oh sir, you were never so wrong.' He turned to head back up to the stage. The other diners laughed. A crash and a shriek made him snap his head back around. The scene was atrocious. The beloved dish he spent three days making was a ruined puddle on the floor. The table was snapped clean in half with the crockery shattered. He snapped his fingers again and the music stopped. Someone needed to be taught a lesson.

'Sanji you twerp! Stop trying to kill the customer!' Patty wrestled with the furious chef. 'Guys I need some help!' Luffy shot up and wrapped his rubbery arms around Sanji.

'Let me go!'

'And what? Try to kill him? He's already half dead and unconscious on the floor Sanji!'

'It's not enough! If people don't understand the importance of food then-'

'Sanji! That's enough!' a gruff voice interrupted the shouting. A large man with an impressive braided moustache and a tall chef hat strode up to the trio. 'That's enough.'

'Ugh Zeff-'

'It seems placing you as the unofficial bouncer here has come back to bite me in the ass. You've been bashing every troublemaker to the verge of death.' Zeff snorted. 'It doesn't worry me but we'll never get customers if they see this every week.' Sanji clenched his teeth. It was annoying that he couldn't argue back and even worse that the old man understood his feelings. He lit a cigarette, taking a long draw of nicotine. He really needed a stress reliever now that his nerves were highly strung.

'Fine.'

'Something on your mind Zoro?' Cabaji's ugly leer loomed next to his face. Zoro grunted, scowling deeply and leaned away.

'Piss off Cabaji,' he said tiredly, wiping his forehead.

'Do you have an injury I need to pick at?'

'Even if you did, I could still get over it and floor you.'

'But you don't fight anymore do you?' At this, Zoro turned away. It seems everyone could use that against him.

You don't fight do you?

It's a shame you gave up.

When are you going to come back?

You're coming back right?

Ngaw Zoro…

Come back ok?

No. No. No. I won't. I can't. To lose as a swordsman is unacceptable. I got cut in half.

He felt like a broken record, stuttering and stating his same repeated excuses and reasons.

Excuses?

They're weren't excuses. They were perfectly justified reasons.

But didn't he say something to you? His eye twitched. Trust it for Luffy to notice that.

'I'll be waiting for you. At the top. Live, Roronoa Zoro.' Shit. How would Mihawk feel if he saw Zoro as he is now, slaving away for shitty people?

It would be even worse than losing, right?

'Hey Zoro don't zone out on me,' Cabaji's face loomed closer. Zoro shoved him away. The man took this as a cue for his win and he left, smirking triumphantly.

That was another loss again wasn't it?

'I'll get you fired and this place shut down!' Fullbody screamed through his broken nose and bloody mouth. Sanji leaned down and blew a cloud of smoke at his face.

'Say something?'

'You filth! Do you think you can get away with this? I'm a Government official!

'And you have to deal with all the managers who own this place,' Sanji smirked and began counting them off his fingers. 'Ms Boa Hancock, Mr Joker, Mr Crocodile, Zeff, Mr Moria … did I miss any?' he asked the head chef. He grunted and shrugged. 'Well there you have some of them anyways. I'm sure they'll be delighted to hear you reason for kicking them out and shutting down the club.'

'I might not be able to shut this place down but at least I'll get you fired!' Fullbody couldn't resist the small shiver when he heard the names. They were all extremely wealthy influential people who all played their cards in the underground but were too powerful for the Government to arrest. They weren't exactly enemies of the Government, but nor were they allies.

'I don't think so. I can lodge a complaint against you as a bouncer for causing damage to property, causing a disruption and for using coarse language.'

'Just you watch! I'll get you fired!' Fullbody stumbled to his feet and ignoring the cries of his date, fled the restaurant.

Weo! Thanks for reading!