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Zoro’s date hasn’t started yet, but it’s already going downhill.
His alarm didn’t ring that morning. Kuina had to wake him up (“Weren’t you supposed to meet Luffy and Nami at the mall today?”) which was so embarrassing. He’s not a child anymore, damn it! He’s almost as skilled with a kendo shinai as she is!
Zoro skips breakfast, something Luffy would never do. He leaves the house and curses—the dark sky threatens rain, meaning that Nami was right and their local weather reporter was wrong, which she’ll be insufferable about—but doesn’t go back for an umbrella.
They moved the train station again. He runs past the school twice, looking for it. By the time Zoro finds the station, he’s hungry, tired, and not in the mood for anything, let alone a date.
What makes today their first date, anyway? He, Luffy, and Nami hang out together all the time—though, he supposes, it’s usually with a lot more people. Sometimes it seems like everyone at school is friends with or knows someone who is friends with Luffy.
Luffy and Nami are waiting by the entrance for him, hand in hand. Their faces light up when they see Zoro.
“Zoro!” Luffy calls out, waving at him.
For all the time they spend together, Zoro rarely sees Luffy or Nami in anything other than their school uniforms. Luffy is wearing a red t-shirt and denim overall shorts with his usual straw hat. One strap on his overalls has fallen down. It’s cute. Luffy is cute. Zoro does not feel his heart skip a beat.
“You’re only half an hour late this time, Zoro! I’m so proud of you,” Nami says.
Nami is wearing an orange dress. It has long sleeves with white stripes running down them, and a skirt that’s way shorter than the one she wears at school. Zoro averts his gaze from her. He does not feel his cheeks grow hot.
“Whatever,” he says. “Let’s go.”
Thunder rumbles in the distance then, and Nami laughs. “I told you it was going to rain, didn’t I?” she says, a huge grin on her face. “Don’t worry, I brought an umbrella big enough for all three of us.”
Luffy cheers. “Alright! Let’s go!”
It’s pouring by the time they exit the train station downtown. Nami insists that Zoro holds the umbrella (“You’re the tallest one here, aren’t you?”) as they walk.
“Where do you guys want to go for food afterwards?” she asks.
Luffy hums a little, thinking. Then he points across the street. “Oh! Nami! That’s where you work, isn’t it?”
Zoro looks in the direction that he’s pointing. Ah, yes. The establishment formerly known as Arlong Bar and Grill, which reopened last year under new management.
“Yes, it is,” Nami says, “and no, we’re not eating there. Jinbe is cool and all, but that doesn’t mean I want to see him on one of my days off.”
“We’re not eating at The Baratie either,” Zoro quickly adds. He can barely stand the blond bastard on a normal day. Listening to him fawn over Nami, or Luffy admiring his cooking skills, on their date? Yeah, no thanks.
“Huh? Why not?” Luffy asks, and Zoro hesitates. How does he explain without sounding lame as hell?
Nami watches him stumble over his words at least five times before finally taking pity on him. She rolls her eyes. “Fine, Zoro, whatever you want. Now, come on, we’re going to be late for the movie!”
Kozuki Oden and the Akazaya Nine is sold out by the time they arrive at the theater, to Zoro’s dismay. It’s the only movie that he’s interested in watching. Luffy suggests that they see The Mystery of Thriller Bark instead, and Nami (and Zoro begrudgingly) agree.
They’re waiting in line when Nami turns to him. “Thanks for paying for our tickets, Zoro,” she says, batting her eyelashes.
Oh, she can’t be serious. “You’re the only one here with a job,” he points out. Nami’s smile grows bigger.
“Yeah, and all the money I earn is going into my university tuition fund,” she says. “I know Mr. Shimotsuki gives you and Kuina allowances, and I also know that you’re not going to make Luffy pay.”
Luffy grins at him. “Thanks, Zoro! You’re the best!”
Zoro buys their tickets, and an extra large buttered popcorn.
The trailers are ending as they walk into Auditorium #5. It’s almost empty—everyone else is watching the samurai movie, after all—so they’re able to score good seats in the back. Zoro takes off his green hoodie and drops it onto Nami’s lap after she sits down.
Nami raises an eyebrow at him. “Someone is being nice today,” she says.
Zoro sits down beside her. “I’m always nice.”
Luffy sits down beside him and reaches over to grab a big handful of popcorn. Nami readjusts the hoodie so that it covers her lap, then leans over to hold on to his arm. “Maybe you are.”
Her hold turns into a death grip not even ten minutes into the movie. Nami hides her face against Zoro’s shoulder any time something especially gruesome appears on screen. Zoro has never been good at comforting people, but he pats her head whenever she does that.
Luffy laughs at almost everything that happens. Whenever one of the zombies loses a body part, he laughs even harder. He gets bored about halfway through, and puts the popcorn container on the ground to rest his head on Zoro’s lap.
Yeah, so the movie wasn’t all that bad.
“Aw, don’t cry, Nami!” Luffy says. They’re back in the theater’s main foyer. There’s a huge grin on Luffy’s face as he goes to hug Nami.
“I’m not crying!” Nami says, sniffling a little. “I’m just glad that the bride got away. The actress who played Victoria Cindry looked exactly like her when she was in her twenties. That really surprised me.”
Zoro still doesn’t know who that is. He won’t say anything, though: Nami almost killed him a few weeks ago when he told her he didn’t know who Uta was, then almost killed Luffy when he told them the world–famous popstar was his sister. Then she asked if he could get them tickets to her sold out Red tour.
Luffy laughs. He lets go of Nami to hold her hand, then reaches out to hold Zoro’s too. Zoro, who can feel his cheeks growing hot again, has never been able to refuse him.
“Come on!” Luffy says. “Let’s go eat!”