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starrysence · 4 years

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the thunderstorm fic

heyooo i am back kind of with a lil ralbert piece to get back into the writing spirit! hope u enjoy! the fic will be under the keep reading link :D word count is somewhere around 1k and i didnt proofread this bc we die like men. also its a modern au cause i can

tw for astraphobia (fear of thunderstorms) bc thats what this fic is centered around.

the searing white flash of lightning that makes the rapidly falling raindrops visible is enough to alert race as to what will come next; he’ll never admit it, but he immediately begins to tremble, using every ounce of his energy not to move his hands up to cover his ears and muffle the rumble of thunder. albert, who’s been sitting beside him for the better part of four hours to work on a project they’re partners for, takes notice of race’s sudden shaking and frowns.

“you alright, racer?”

race looks at him; albert, albie, al, his best friend, the guy he’s in love with (even though he’s still a little hesitant about admitting that part), and even though the answer to the question is initially no, looking at him does make race feel a little alright. just a little. he thinks about how this - his fear of thunder - is the only thing he’s never told albert about. it’s the one thing he feels too ashamed of to share with albert, but he’s always figured it’s not a big deal; albert wouldn’t ever have to know, right?

well, considering their current circumstances… maybe race has to rethink that one.

“yeah,” he croaks, almost flinching at how small his voice sounds. “yeah, al, i’m good.”

albert raises an eyebrow, and race knows he’s already lost this one.

“you sure? you don’t sound too sure of yourself an’ you’re, like, shaking right now.”

“dammit, albie.” race chuckles, attempting to downplay just how scared he really feels. the attempt fails as his voice quivers about halfway through the first word, and he wants to cry. but he doesn’t. “why d’you have to be so observant?”

“i’m not observant, tonio,” albert responds with a soft smile. “you’re my best friend, of course i’ll know when something’s up with you. i’ve known you long enough to notice when you’re not bein’ totally honest with me about somethin’. now, what’s the matter?”

race falls silent. he knows there’s no escaping this conversation, but he wants to try and avoid it for as long as he can.

"race."

he sighs in defeat. he managed to successfully avoid it for a total of less than two minutes.

"promise you won't make fun of me," race says; he tries his hardest to make his voice firm and steady, but it comes out as a shaky, scared whisper. he feels weak. vulnerable. afraid. he doesn't think his shaking can get any worse but in that moment it does and it makes him feel so pathetic and helpless and suddenly he's trying to make sure his breathing is steady and his vision is clear.

in a second albert is by his side, gripping his hand and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, holding him close. he knows race likes the touch, and race is so glad he just knows because he thinks that if he had to speak another word he would start crying.

"of course i promise not to make fun of you… whatever's got you scared this bad ain't somethin' i'll ever make fun of you for, tonio. you know, i'm sorry for pushing in the first place… you don't have to tell me if it's too hard for you." albert's voice is soft, his tone sincere, and race wonders how he got lucky enough to have a best friend like this.

"i wanna tell you, it's just… hard." race's voice softens more and more as he speaks, ending up as a whisper.

albert nods. "i get that, racer. just… tell me when you're ready."

"yeah… yeah. thanks, al."

a silence falls among the rather small bedroom, but neither of them really mind; it’s that same, familiar comfortable silence that occurs in the few moments when they don’t have anything to talk about.

“do you remember when we met for the first time?”

race looks up at albert, surprised, and blinks. “i guess, yeah… what about it?”

“i just think it’s crazy, you know...” a small smile starts to form on albert’s face, and race can’t help thinking about how much he wants to see that smile all the time every day, how much he wants to kiss those lips. “how it all began, i mean, and then there’s where we are now. when you sat down next to me on the first day of school in second grade and started rambling on and on about how cool you thought stars were, i immediately wanted you to be one of my friends forever. you were the first person to talk to me that year, which was huge to me ‘cause-”

“you’d just moved into the area,” race interrupts softly. the storm is still going on outside, and it shows no signs of quieting down any time soon, and race still feels himself trembling, but this helps; talking helps. touch helps. he helps. albert helps.

“yeah.” there’s a full smile on albert’s face now, and it makes race want to smile, too, but all he can manage is a small upturn of his lips. “and now we’re here, and i love how it is and i love you and i wouldn’t trade this for- for anything in the world.”

the world seems to still in that moment. time stops, noise quiets, everything fades away until it’s just the two of them. race is aware of how cheesy this all sounds in his head, but he can’t bring himself to care.

it was those three words, he knows it was. they've been saying those words to each other for so long; in quick, fleeting moments, in long, heartfelt talks.

"can you stay the night?" race whispers.

"'course i can," albert responds in a soft tone.

“thank you, albie. i love you.”

“and i love you, tonio. always.”

---

i wanted to fit race telling al abt why he’s scared into this but i couldnt find a way to do that without rewriting basically the whole thing, and i love what i have so i didnt want to do that.

long story short… anyone want a lil part 2? :)

-sanj <3

tag list:

[if you want to be added to my tag list, please shoot me an ask or a message letting me know! i’d be happy to add you!]

#newsies #newsies live #newsies broadway #race higgins #racetrack higgins #albert dasilva #ralbert #sanj scribbles #whew havent used that tag in AGES god damn #its good to be back babey

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alberteatsglass · 5 years

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its officially my, let's see, 8th month of being part of the newsies fandom and i have shit to say and am really emotional right now

ahh read on for my emotions and feelings and basically crying over how much i love you heathens (all 400 of you + some call outs for certain people)

im just mhhh wow you people are amazing i have never felt this welcome anywhere before and i realized its almost been a year and like no one has like attacked me for my headcanons or anything and its just overall so positive here!

even when my blog got deleted and i cried you guys were just so great about it and refollowed and didn't give up on me and mhh im so grateful for that

@starrysence i just mhh you were so nice to me even after all of the gl*ss shit and didn't hate me and you were just overall really great and were the reason i really joined the fandom in the first place

@backgroundnewsies bk you have been so nice to me and you are one of the first people i became friends with on here and i just mhh you are a great person to talk to and im glad you can deal with my bullshit

@suddenly-im-respecsable you were the first person i actually talked to on here besides sanj and have just been really nice when we do talk (also spies might have been the reason i started writing again because it just showed me that i didn't have to stick to normal tropes and stuff and to try and just go wild with my writing)

@papesdontsellthemselves mickey it amazes me to this day that you are not fed up with my stupid jokes and you make me laugh (and fucking cry *eyes shift to angst you write*)

@evil-crutchie dude ok i saw you on bk’s blog and i was like “darn that person looks really funny i wish i could talk to them” and then you came to my blog and i was like HoLy sHiT and you make my day when you come to my ask box

@spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn i know we dont really interact that much anymore but when i made the blog originally you found out and seemed really cool and i would love to talk to you more

@aw-jus-let-em-try you were the first one who found out my main when that stuff was still going on and you also seem like a really cool person (also i heard thank you next is really good so be prepared for me to send you how much i liked it)

@infinity-fandom-trash erin oh my god where do i begin ily so much and like ahh you make my day when we talk and you make waiting behind a curtain for 2 aNd a HaLf hOuRs fun

@iwontfallinlovewfalling you are my og bagel bro and i miss talking to you so much holy shit man ily

@sunshine-davenport mhh i love you so much bro you are so fun to have on the discord and i remember when we first started talking and i was at farmers market not having a good time and you sent me an ask for some headcanons and i made me really happy to write them also the race liking furbies thing ahh just you are such a nice person to talk to and match my enthusiasm for a lot of things so its just so nice

@gremlin-newsboy ZOINKS SCOOB (but really you make me happy when we talk and its funny how we just yell zoinks at each other sometimes instead of talking)

@spot-the-brooklyn-pirate god you are great i love your writing and you are just so nice to me and i dont know why-

@orollyitsracetrackhiggins I SAVED YOU FOR LAST YOU GREMLIN, ok where do i even START you deal with so much of my bullshit and im just really happy to have you as a friend and ily so much dude how you play spot is gold and i love yelling at you on tumblr

ok thanks for dealing with my rambles ill go now thank you for all of this and i guess this is kinda a thing for 400 followers idk mhh <3

#matt is happy

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futurewriter2000 · 6 years

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I care too much

A/N: I finally did a Cedric one. Wooo. And yes, I’m working on part 2 of Standing up and Sanje but I just felt like Cedric today so here’s this. I mean I don’t know who to pair the reader with. Maybe George, maybe Fred or maybe Cedric, I’ll leave that to you guys and if you want me to make part 2 of course I’ll write it (feedback pls). Requests are still open.

PAIRING: Leaving this to you guys

WARNING: /

TAGS: @shadyladyperfection, @geeksareunique, @huflerin

Part 2

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo Buscaglia

Leo Buscaglia. His words kept repeating in your head as your eyes kept scanning the alluring horizon. The sun was already up, few grey clouds passing by while the birds kept flying further away and you just couldn’t stop thinking about him. Why would someone put their life at risk like that. People get badly injured at this kind of tournaments and you cannot handle losing him. He was your best friend, your other half and all you kept thinking about was the words of the famous American author Leo Buscaglia.

Thinking of the way he wrapps his arms around you to make you feel safe and warm, his smile that lights the whole room on the darkest of days, his kind word, which he never runs out of, or his listening ear available every single second. Honesty, you cherish him because of it and his smallest act of caring, which you noticed just now thinking about it.

“I can hear you.” he spoke quietly, watching you from the corner of his crystal grey eyes and his perpetual smirk, which you still loved to see.

“I wish I could hear you.” you sighed and turned your gaze away from the horizon.

“That’s because my thoughts aren’t screaming like yours.” he smiled and leaned on the branch.

You kept looking down, sitting high up on a tree, and taking another big sigh. He was your best friend, he trusted you with this decision and you knew he was determined to enter the Triwizard Tournament this year. So instead of pouting you looked up at his eyes and smiled. “ I know you think I don’t support you at this but know that I will always be here. I won’t leave you with this alone.”

His eyes sparkled as he heard you say that. Knowing he will have you by his side with this meant a lot to him. Without you he would be lost. “Thank you.” he replied and turned his gaze back at the horizon.

“But there is a slight chance that you’ll get chosen.” you blurted out, breaking the silence and making him chuckle. “ I mean it hasn’t even begun yet and here you are making assumptions you are going to get chosen. Maybe I’ll get chosen.” you rambled on.

“If you have the guts to enter.” he chuckled.

“Is that a challange Diggory?” you smiled and stood up on your branch.

“Am I wrong?”

“No. You are completly right.” you giggled and sat back down.

"Of course I am. Now shut up and enjoy the last few moments we have left before the Weasleys come."

---

"Arthur!" yelled Amos from the ground, making it your cue to come down from the tree.

Cedric was the first to jump down, introducing himself to the Weasleys while you took another moment to see the horizon for one last time. "And this must be Cedric?" said Arthur and shaked the boy's hand.

Looking down at the three you prepared yourself to jump down, landing perfectly on your feet and fixing your posture. "Hello. I'm (y/n)." you introduced yourself and shook hands with mr.Weasley.

You looked over to the other young Weasleys, Hermoine and Harry and gave everybody a wave. Knowing most of them, you always thought of the Weasleys as a big, happy family, but never have you considered them, as what the others called them, the blood-traitors.

Charlie was the frist of the Weasleys you met. He was always so kind and nice to you and you couldn’t help yourself but to develop a small crush on the handsome boy. Him leaving Hogwarts left you a bit devestated, as he always was and always will be, your first love.

Fred and George are in your year and as they are known as the biggest pranksters in the whole school, to you they are mostly known as annoying Gryffindors you share Herbology with. They weren’t bad. You loved their comments during class, but sometimes even you wanted to learn something without them intruding with their stupid, yet funny, comments.

Ron was your favorite, to be honest. You tutored him Transfiguration and he always makes you laugh when the two of you study. He might not be good at Transfiguration and his bad temper but the boy sure is something.

For the other three Weasleys, you haven’t got much clue. Charlie used to talk about Bill when he was tutoring you, but you never really knew the guy. As for Percy and Ginny, you only knew them by reputation. Hermoine was brilliant and you always respected her and her ambition to work hard, as for Harry you only heard stories and rumors.

And right now when you were walking with Cedric, you suddenly heard whispers behind you. You turned around to see two identical ginger boys looking at you and smiling. You tapped Cedric on the shoulder and walked over to them.

"Frodo, Horhe." you teased and started walking beside them "Is there a problem?"

"In fact there are two." said one of the twins, lifting his two fingers and smiling.

"Well continue. I'm all ears." you replied and put your hair behind your ear.

"The first one is that my name is George and his is Fred." said George.

"And the second problem here is how have we never met you?" added the other one, his eyes scanning you from head to toe.

"Well. You have never met me because you only hang with eachother and because you really don't care who is in your Transfiguration class. Mostly because you either don't show up or don't pay attention." you stated the facts making each twin smirk. " As for the first problem, I’ll see what I can do." you winked at them before walking away and turning back to Cedric.

Catching up to him, you wrapped your arms around his neck and jumped on his back. “Carry me, my slave.” you joked as his hands grabbed your legs and he continued to walk on.

He didn’t mind carrying you. You were the most important person in his life, besides his father. You weren’t just a best friend to him. You were someone who he would give his life for in a heartbeat. Your goofy smile and your dirty jokes, he could never live without them. And as your mother and father continue to work abroad, he took it himself to care for you and to protect you.

But you were heavy and right now you didn’t need protection. “Okay, that’s enough.” he panted and dropped you on the ground.

Finally arriving to the portkey, shaped as an old boot, you couldn’t wait to see how it works. You have never traveled by one, so this felt quite exciting. The twins walked beside you, each on one side, squeezing you in the middle.

“You can hold my hand if you want.” grinned Fred and offered you a hand. “Wouldn’t want a lady to travel without feeling safe.”

“You are completly right.” you replied, taking George’s hand and pulling him to the portkey, leaving Fred behind, alone but intrigued.

You placed yourself between Ginny and George, still holding his hand, while Cedric and Fred stood right across you. Others gathered around and put their hands on the portkey. Looking up at Cedric and seeing his eyes set on George, you quickly interrupted him with a short whistle.

“Are you ready?”

“Ready.”

#cedric diggory #cedric diggory x reader #george weasley x reader #george weasley #george weasley imagine #fred weasley #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley imagine #weasley twins #harry potter #harry potter imagine #harry potter imagines #ron weasley #weasley

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swiftlydnp · 5 months

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this meme but it's their miis

#dan and phil #soo accurate lmaoo especially phil's #sanj rambles #dnpg #gamingmas

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vse-kar-vem · 14 days

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studying? no. controversial ranking of all joker out songs

#switch bele sanje and katrina btw #vee rambles #everybody's waiting would be between ssol and cd (english song jail)

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your-iron-lung · 7 years

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Mixed Up 16 | Take It Easy (Love Nothing)

Chapter Word Count: 3711

Pairings: Zoro/Sanji

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Chapter Warning: Strong Language

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Next Chapter: 17

"So, how was the show? Did you enjoy it?"

Seated opposite of one another at a small window-side table, Nami smiled encouragingly at Sanji. He returned the smile and hoped it didn't look as forced as he felt it was.

At Nami's insistence, they'd gone to a small, locally owned café that Sanji was relatively familiar with. Originally, he'd wanted to take her somewhere a bit more upscale and popular; a place where he could vouch for the quality of the food they served, but she had refused and expressed an unwillingness to support any sort of non-local chain establishment.

And while Sanji knew the owner of the Mermaid Café, he didn't know much about the menu or what they served. Nami had seemed delighted, though, when he'd brought her there after picking her up from the downtown area's community parking lot.

"It was interesting, to say the least," he said, passing their waitress a charming smile as she dropped off their drinks. He drew his coffee closer towards him as Nami went to take a sip of her tea. He traced a finger around the saucer dish of his cup absentmindedly before reaching for a sugar packet nestled in a ceramic container in the middle of the table.

As he opened it and began to pour it into his coffee, Nami set her cup down and offered him another smile.

"Oh yeah?"

There was something wrong about this, Sanji thought. Something had happened to him the other day that he hadn't been able to figure out, but had affected him so greatly that he could no longer find the energy to flirt as effectively as he knew Nami deserved. He still found her to be irresistible and absolutely darling in every aspect, but something was blocking his will to express his adoration to her.

He felt awkward, stiff, and found, ultimately, that he didn't really want to be there with her. In the back of his mind, there was another person he found he wanted to be spending his time with.

"How was it putting up with Zoro that whole time? I bet that was rough, huh?"

Sanji's heart palpitated at the mention of his name and he had to advert his eyes as soon as she'd spoken it.

"It wasn't that bad, actually," Sanji replied, swallowing the feeling down with a quick drink of coffee. "The worst part was not being able to smoke throughout the whole thing."

Nami nodded solemnly and held her cup between her hands, sipping at her drink whilst pretending that the awkwardness between them wasn't there. She didn't want to try and force the conversation if he didn't want to participate in it, but she would've been lying if she'd said she was having a nice time.

"Zoro told me you met Robin," she said, trying to give the conversation some kindling to work off of. "How'd that go?"

As she spoke, she saw again the same reaction breach Sanji's face that he'd expressed before at the mention of Zoro's name. It was a sour look accompanied with a deep frown that left him looking incredibly uncomfortable.

Sighing, he nodded almost reluctantly.

"He warned me about her," he said melodramatically, slouching over the table. "I had every intention of avoiding her, but, alas, her beauty sought me out."

As he spoke, he reached a hand into his coat pocket that was draped across the back of his chair, intending on taking out his cigarettes, and paused.

"Do you mind if I do?" he asked, glancing at Nami before he withdrew his pack.

"Nope! Go ahead," she said pleasantly, amused by the start of his story.

He smiled thankfully and pulled out his pack, taking out a single cigarette and pulling the ashtray closer towards himself.

With his cigarette lit, Sanji drew in a deep, smoky breath and instantly felt a bit better. A new energy entered him that he had been lacking previously, and he wasted no time in directing it towards his date.

"In fact," he began, easily settling into the charming personality he'd spent a great many years nurturing. "I dare think she had a bit of a thing for me."

"Is that so?" Nami said, giving him a catty grin. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, for one, it was she who sought me out to begin with! What woman alive is immune to my charm?" At this, he winked at Nami and blew her a kiss, to which she responded with a roll of her eye.

"And, well, beyond that, if she didn't fancy me, then why would she have gone through the trouble of bailing us out?"

Nami shrugged, entertaining Sanji's long-winded thoughts on the matter. She knew everything about what had happened that night already, having pestered Zoro about it as soon as he let her know he was home. To be honest, she was just relieved Sanji seemed to have dug his way out of whatever slump he'd gotten himself into.

"She must have fallen in love with me at first sight," Sanj continued, smiling serenely to himself. "I can find no other explanation for her actions."

"Obviously," Nami said, taking a drink of her tea. They fell into a relaxed silence as they waited on their food, listening absentmindedly to the conversations happening around them.

It was just about to become a nice lunch outing for Nami when she felt her phone buzz against her leg. She debated on whether or not she should check it now or later, but as she looked at Sanji, still lost in his fantasy, she decided she would.

Leaning to the side a bit for leverage, she managed to weasel her phone from out of her pocket to see that she had received an email from Zoro. Here she hesitated, unsure if she wanted to see whatever it was he had to say about her date. Curiosity getting the better of her, though, she opened it.

Sender: wildslutangel22

Subject: guess what I got

Message: hows the date with the asshole. look what I got

Frowning, she noticed that there was a picture attached. She hadn't even known Zoro knew how to attach an image to an email, seeing as how he was so technologically inept. Across the table, drinking his coffee languidly, Sanji watched her expression as she opened the attachment and saw her face turn from shock to utter outrage in a matter of seconds.

"Oh my fucking God! I can't believe he did that!" she exclaimed angrily, fury boiling in her eyes as she slammed the phone down onto the table.

"What? Who?" Sanji said, startled and a little bit frightened by her sudden mood swing. Nearby patrons of the Mermaid Café had turned to look at what had disrupted their peaceful meals, making him nervous. "What happened, my sweet?"

"Zoro! That fucking prick!" Fuming, she shoved her cellphone across the table to Sanji, who gingerly picked it up to inspect the picture displayed on the screen.

The picture was a little blurry and there was part of a finger in the image, but Zoro was the clear focus. He was sticking his gross tongue out and holding out what looked to be a movie or concert ticket. He didn't understand what the big deal was, unless he was holding something Nami had wanted and was unable to obtain herself.

"Um," he began, unsure of what the appropriate response to this situation should be. "Yikes."

"He bought his own ticket to the Tralalaw show so he wouldn't have to pay me back," Nami pouted, sighing as she took her phone back when Sanji offered it to her. "To be fair, I was going to make him pay me double back for it, but still! Now I have an extra ticket, and he knows I hate dealing with scalpers."

Sanji didn't know what a Tralalaw was, nor did he know whose side he should be on regarding the issue, but the look on Nami's disheartened face told him he should at least try to make amends.

"I'll buy it off you, if you'd let me," he offered, despite not knowing anything about what it entailed. "It hurts me deeply to see how unfairly he treats you."

He reached out to touch the back of her hand in support and was taken aback by the sudden mirthful look of glee that shot across Nami's face.

"Oh my God. Oh my God, yes, that's perfect! Of course you can, Sanji! In fact, I insist."

With that, she took her hand away from under his and turned to grab her purse. He watched her root through it excitedly before she produced an envelope. The manic look in her eye frightened him to some degree.

"This is for you," she said, opening the unsealed envelope and taking out a ticket. As he took it from her and read the front, he ascertained that it must have been Zoro's ticket for whatever the hell the Tralalaws were.

Sanji took in a deep a breath to prepare to give a speech of thanks when Nami cut him short.

"Save your thanks, just- do me this one favor real quick; take a selfie with me?"

Baffled, he found he could only nod, inciting an evil grin from her as she got up from her chair, grabbing her phone and coming to stand by Sanji.

"This is going to be so good," Nami rambled excitedly, opening the camera on her phone and wrapping her arm around Sanji's shoulders, forcing them to become very close together. "Hold that ticket up, and, ready?"

Too fixated on being pressed so close to Nami's body, Sanji didn't even get a chance to see how the picture had turned out before Nami had returned to her seat. When he realized her chest was no longer pressed against the side of his face, he returned to his senses and peered at the ticket still in his hand while she began giggling menacingly, rapidly typing out an email response to Zoro.

Subject: RE: guess what I got

Message Body: Wow! I'm impressed; what'd you even use to take that picture with? That's crazy. But hey, no skin off my back, I've already got someone lined up for your ticket.

Attaching the picture she'd just taken with Sanji to the message, she hit send and could almost hear Zoro's outrage from where he sat, miles away at the work computer, smug feelings of having one-upped her transforming into abrupt horror.

"Fuck!" He shouted at the screen, face paling as he stared at the picture Nami had just sent him. "She can't do that!"

Customers of Super-Star! Guitars had long since grown accustomed to Zoro's crude outbursts, but the newer ones feigned offense when they heard his unfiltered tongue. He ignored them as he studied the picture, twisting his lips in annoyance at the idiotic expression on Sanji's ridiculous face.

"That witch!"

"Who can't do what, Zoro?"

Recognizing Tony's voice, he tore his eyes away from the screen and reluctantly stood up, gazing down over the counter to find Tony standing there, waiting for him.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Zoro grumbled angrily, rubbing at his forehead that had begun to ache. Coming around the desk, he looked up and around alertly. "Where's your grandma?"

"Trying to find parking," Tony said pleasantly, hefting up his guitar case.

"Alright, quick, let's go to the back before she does."

Together, subtly trying to hurry, they made their way into the lesson room they used. Tony fell into their routine easily, unpacking his guitar and plugging it into the nearby floor amp. Zoro still looked pissed, despite his assurances to Tony that he wasn't, and took a while to find his groove.

How was it that Sanji kept finding ways to interfere with his life? If Zoro had known that giving a ride to him a week ago would have resulted in all this meddling, he wouldn't have done it. He could handle taking him to the art show (at Nami's absolute insistence); didn't even mind getting high with him, but, guitar lessons? The Tralalaw show? Sanji was getting far too involved in the aspects of Zoro's life that actually meant something to him.

There was nothing for it now, however, and Zoro knew he'd have to come to terms with that. If Sanji kept finding ways to get mixed up in his life then he'd either have to learn to adjust or cut the idiot out completely, no matter how attached Nami got to him. Caught up in his thoughts, Zoro almost ignored Tony when he spoke.

"Um, Zoro, about the Solstice show…"

"What, not having second thoughts again, are you?" Zoro mumbled, coming out of his thoughts. The downtrodden expression on Tony's face betrayed that he was. "Aw, c'mon Tony, how many times do I have to go over this with you? I've told you plenty of times that you are good enough to perform-"

"No, it's not like that this time! I just- just wanted to know if you'd sing the song while we play it!"

Zoro blanched at his request.

"No, absolutely not."

"But-!"

"No, Tony," Zoro said with a sigh, explaining his logic as patiently as he could. "It'd take way too much away from your playing. The recital is supposed to show off your talents, not mine."

"Yeah, I know, but, I was just thinking, the song's not really recognizable on its own, you know? With just the guitars? If you sang it, people might recognize it better!"

Tony looked so expectant and hopeful that Zoro felt a little bad turning him down.

"I can't, Tony-"

"What if I did a solo!" Tony suddenly blurt out, holding his guitar tightly in hand. "If- if I do a solo, will you sing for me then?!"

Zoro frowned; he'd been on Tony's case about improvising guitar solos for a while now. The kid was so shy though that he never would, despite having the skills to perform them. As much as he didn't want to agree to it, he found that this was a deal that he could get behind, if only because it would improve Tony's capabilities.

"I don't know, Tony," Zoro said slowly, mulling it over in his head. "It'd have to be 15 seconds long, at least."

"I can do that!" Tony said, though he appeared scared and unsure of himself.

"And you'll use chords?"

"Yeah!"

Zoro sighed again slowly before agreeing to Tony's request. He didn't want to do it; didn't really sing much anymore, though he figured his voice would be a good match for the song Tony had picked to play, even if it didn't really fit in with his usual genre.

"Alright, well, let's get to working on some structure then," he began, plucking out the tune to the song on the guitar in his hand, trying to remember the lyrics to The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis.

However, Tony, who had been looking positively jubilant a few moments ago, now appeared downcast again, prompting a comically bad chord from Zoro, who groaned and set his acoustic aside.

"Oh my God, Tony, what is it now?"

Fidgeting in his seat, Tony's face turned slightly red in embarrassment.

"W-well, it's just, I was thinking that…"

"That…?" Zoro prompted impatiently.

"That… that if you agreed to sing, then maybe you'd get Nami to play the drums for us, too! We'd have a full band!"

Zoro could hardly believe his ears. He stared long and hard at his pupil, taken aback by the demands he was being hit with.

"Are you serious? Tony, that is absolutely-"

"Absolutely a great idea!"

Standing in the doorway to their lessons room was Brook, looking jovial and positively enthused about the proposition at hand.

"What?" Tony and Zoro said in unison, both turning to stare at the tall anemic-looking man.

"How long have you been standing there?" Zoro asked suspiciously, squinting hard at him.

"Long enough to know that young Tony could gain some valuable insight on what it's like to play in a full band from this! Especially if he chooses to pursue a professional career in music! We would have to have you all play last, of course, so as not to outshine and deter our other performers, but it could work!"

Zoro had been about to retort and defend his stance on the matter, but when Brook explained his reasoning, he found that Tony's idea wasn't actually half bad. The kid didn't have much friends; all the ramblings from his grandmother told Zoro that much, so joining a band with his social presence would be hard for him to do under normal circumstances. This really could be a valuable learning experience for him.

"Alright, fine," he said finally, relenting. Tony actually jumped up from his chair to cheer, nearly throwing his guitar to the floor in the process. "But! The solo has to be 30 seconds."

Some of Tony's enthusiasm waned, but there was a strong look of determination on his face as he rose to the challenge.

"I can do it!" he exclaimed. "I think."

"Yes, that's the spirit," Brook said with a laugh. "Well, I'll leave you two to it then! Good luck, dear Tony, and practice hard!"

"Yes sir, I will!"

Brook gave a mock salute before he departed, walking with a light spring in his step and leaving Zoro alone to deal with the aftermath of his visit.

"How the hell does he always know when to come and fuck with with my shit?" Zoro wondered aloud, making Tony laugh before getting serious. "Alright though, for real, we've got a lot of practicing to do with only a week left to do it."

"Right!"

Zoro picked up his guitar and quickly went through a set of scales. He stared at Tony, who immediately hurried to do the same.

"So let's do it," Zoro announced as they launched into different scales.

As they resumed their practice in earnest, Nami and Sanji concluded their date. They'd both had light meals that left the bill small enough for Sanji to cover completely so that Nami only had to pay the tip, and as they stood on the sidewalk outside the café, he couldn't help but think that maybe his Saturday curse had somehow been lifted. The date had been nice.

He helped Nami into her coat before putting on his own, and together they walked towards where Nami had parked.

"You know, I'm actually glad you made this a lunch date instead of a dinner one," Nami said, making conversation as she took Sanji's arm. "I actually have a party to go to tonight that I'd totally forgotten about."

"A party, you say?" Sanji replied, hoping she was about to invite him to accompany her.

"Yeah, it's a fetish party, though; I don't think you'd be interested," she said, laughing at the look of disbelief that had appeared on Sanji's face. "Don't judge me! I'm only going because a friend of mine is performing, that's all!"

"I would cut off both my hands before I dare judge you, my darling," Sanji said in all seriousness. "I think it's wonderful of you to support your friends."

"Thanks."

A million images and imagined scenarios were manifesting themselves in Sanji's head about what Nami would be doing at a fetish party as they continued the rest of the short walk in silence. He missed the forlorn look on Nami's face as they stopped by her small, white pickup-truck and she separated herself from him, reaching into her purse for her keys to unlock the doors.

"I'm afraid this is goodbye, my sweet Nami."

Looking as pitiable and sad as he possibly could, he closed the door for her after she'd started the engine and taken the driver's seat. She looked sad as well, he thought, as she suddenly turned to him, biting her lip. He cocked his head as she rolled the window down and leaned out a little bit.

"Can I ask you something?" she questioned, speaking urgently.

"Of course," he replied, though he was a little wary about what she had to ask, her tone intimidating him.

A moment passed between them with neither of them saying anything before Nami finally spoke, abruptly asking, "Do you like Zoro?"

The warmth he'd felt during his lunch date was suddenly consumed and replaced by a chilled sort of dread he didn't want to focus on.

"What?" he asked, trying to force a slight chuckle but feeling his body lock up. "I mean, I guess I see him as a friend?"

"No, not like that. Do you like him?" she repeated, staring him dead in the eye.

The distant sounds of the downtown area disappeared as he both felt and heard his heartrate increasing, hating the way it felt. The idling engine of Nami's truck rumbled steadily on, even as Sanji's thoughts raced away from him.

"Where is this coming from?" he asked, ignoring the way his voice shook a little.

Nami broke eye contact and looked away guiltily.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I wasn't going to tell you this, but the fetish party thing I'm going to tonight is actually another date."

"What?" he asked, beyond confused. Of all the ways he'd pictured his date with Nami ending, this was not even remotely close to what he had imagined.

"I don't want to date you, Sanji. I'm sorry if I've led you on; I don't mean to be a bitch about it, but whatever you're feeling for him is getting to be a little obvious."

"What?"

"Just tell it to me straight, okay?" she said, turning back to him with a soft smile. "Do you like him?"

"I- I don't know." Stuttering slightly, he answered honestly, becoming distraught by the conversation and the line of questioning she was grilling him with. "I've only known him a week; is that even enough? What does any of this have to do with… anything?"

"Because, I can help you."

"Help me?" His eyebrows drew tightly together as he stared at her, unsure of what anything they had been saying meant.

"If you want it."

"With what?"

"With Zoro."

#zosan fanfic #zosan fanfictoin #zosan #zoro/sanji #one piece fanfiction #one piece #punk au #modern day au #slow burn #mixed up

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