Chapter Text
The bar Sanji had picked for their outing wasn't exactly swanky, but Zoro doubted he would have picked the location himself. While he wasn’t especially fussy about where he got a drink, he liked to keep his wallet healthy–something more easily done in seedier locales
They had come here to celebrate Luffy’s 21st birthday and it was early enough in the night that the group managed to snag a table with little difficulty. The place was near a university, and Zoro noticed what seemed to be a lot of artsy twenty-somethings in the mix. Sanji also seemed to notice this… which didn’t leave much speculation behind his choice for their night out.
Zoro had little hope that Luffy would turn out to be a “bar guy” if he was being honest. He was social sure… but more in a sunshine way and less in a drink way. Regardless, they had determined that it was simply the thing-to-do on a 21st birthday–and Luffy, above all being a friends guy, had been glad enough to entertain them.
With their table secured and drinks on their way thanks to Usopp going off to get them (he acted like an authority on bars now despite being the second youngest)... Zoro settled in for an evening of alcohol and absorbing ambient friendship. He was hardly concerned with the topic of conversation, and there wasn’t much remarkable about Luffy’s “first drink” given that tonight was so many years removed from that particular accolade.
Or at least he was… until Sanji started “coaching” Koby on how to hit on some girl and Zoro choked on a laugh, subjecting him to the attention of his comrades.
“Oh, does our drunk suddenly have something to say?” Sanji’s eyebrow was raised and he looked about ready to pick a fight–something Zoro was set against stooping to tonight.
“Nope… you were just showing him how to get a Valentine in the first grade, right?” Oh well, maybe one of these days he wouldn’t get into it with Sanji, but it seemed that day wouldn’t be today.
“Close,” he said in a smarmy voice that implied the opposite. “I was actually instructing him on the art of romance, something you could also benefit from by the way”
“Oh yeah?” bickering with Sanji never failed to bring out a childishness in Zoro.
“Yeah–unlike someone,” he began–eyeing Zoro up and down almost comically, “I actually talk to the women I’m interested in instead of just dragging them to bed and kicking them out in the morning. Forgive me if I actually know how to treat a lady.”Their friends’ conversations quieted but this was hardly out of the ordinary for the two of them.
“You wouldn’t know what to do with a woman in your b—” so much for childish.
“Actually, when was the last time you hooked up with anyone, Zoro? Much less went on a date–’cause I’ll tell you, it certainly escapes my recollection.” He could be such an ass sometimes.
“At least I’d know what to do on one. God help you Sanji if some poor soul ever actually does take you up on your simpering,” he smiled. “Maybe it’s for the best no girl ever will.” At that, Sanji looked ready to lunge clear across the table for a more violent conclusion to their spat when Luffy stepped in.
“Okay, okay, okay we get it,” Luffy gestured with one hand to the blonde. “Sanji can pick women up but can’t get laid–”
“Oy!” Usopp patted Sanji on the back,
“–and Zoro can get laid but can’t pick them up.” He finished with a gesture at Zoro that mirrored his first. Luffy looked satisfied by that placation, but before Sanji could defend himself, Zoro gave a little huff of a laugh.
“Try again, I could pick up any woman easy.” And just like that, Sanji seemed to forget Luffy’s slight against him in favor of rising to Zoro’s challenge, crossing his arms.
“Is that so?” he asked in a tone that told Zoro this would be neither quick nor painless, but when is it ever.
“Easy.”
“I’d like to see you even try”
Zoro leaned back in his seat. “Mmkay then…watch. Pick any girl in this joint and I’ll show you, and you know what, I want $20 while we’re at it” He cast his eyes lazily across the bar, trying to guess who Sanji might pick–because there was no doubt in Zoro’s mind he would take up the bet.
“Oookay someone’s feeling cocky, ehhh,” Sanji turned to survey the bar and Zoro joined him. No one particularly stood out to him until he saw a girl sitting alone, she had red hair and something else about her… It did not take Sanji’s assessment long to land on the same girl and he let a mean smile curl his lip. “Her.”
Sanji looked very pleased with himself. “I’ll give you five minutes to get her number or you owe me $30.”
“Five minutes… is that how long it usually takes them to reject you?”
“Shut up, you ass. She is so far out of your league–you’ll be lucky if she gives you any time at all… clocks ticking.” He taunted, gesturing to his watchless wrist.
With that, Zoro made his way over. The bar had gotten busier since their arrival so it was a bit of a stop-start fight to get to the woman. He was loath to give Sanji credit for anything…ever, but he hadn’t been wrong in his implications that Zoro was not exactly a ladies’ man or a people person generally to be honest. Still though, there seemed to be a kind of sadness sitting on the young woman’s shoulders. She sat like she was well acquainted with the empty space around her, or in a word: lonely.
There was practically a bubble of stillness around her, one he almost regretted having to disturb. Were he inclined to assume, he might have said she looked lost in thought. But at last he reached her. Zoro would have been more concerned with how long it took him to get to her but, well….
The bubble popped.
She looked him up and down with a bored and decidedly uninterested nod of her head. This didn’t particularly surprise him, Sanji did pick her for her looks and it wasn’t hard to picture her surrounded by swarms of would-be-suitors on the regular. Zoro didn’t imagine he measured up to much in her mind–especially since he really hadn’t planned on going home with anyone tonight… and had dressed the part: in loose dark pants and a white shirt with ill-kept hair and nothing aside from base physical attractiveness to speak for him. He knew he was a decent-looking guy, but if he’d wanted to pick someone up, this isn’t what he would have worn.
He hated to admit it, but if he intended on playing fair, then Sanji probably would have had him beat with this woman. How fortuitous for his pockets that he had no such intentions. Now he just had to get her on his side.
“Hey–”
“not in the mood, sorry.” Ouch.
Zoro brought a hand to his heart as if shot. “That was fast, but not actually what I’m after right now.”
She looked at him warily, and with a touch of confusion. He supposed this might now be unfamiliar territory for someone accustomed to come ons. Not wanting to further waste time, or risk intimidating her, Zoro figured it would be best to get to the point.
“See that blonde guy over there?” He said, gesturing over to Sanji and the table as subtly as he could to not arouse suspicion. “He bet me 30$ I couldn’t get your number in five minutes. Now, I’m not really in the mood tonight either, for what it’s worth,” and if a lick of ire bled through, that was hardly his fault. “But I am in the mood for 15$”
The woman raised a fine brow. “Only $15?” She said this with the start of a smile, and he would have bet the whole thirty that she had caught on faster than she was letting on.
“Yeah, I’ll split it with you if you give me your number. Or any number I guess…” It’s not like he needed her real digits or anything–she clearly didn’t want him calling her.
Her smile sharpened. “Hmmm, and what would you say if I wanted 20 of those 30 dollars?”
She has a sparkle in her eye now giving him the sense that letting him walk away with only a third of the winnings was her way of playing nice, and for the first time in their encounter, he actually felt a stirring in his chest. He fought back a grin, what a shame he was in a time crunch because when he took a moment to look… her hair almost seemed a little brighter, her skin warmer, eyes more playful than cunning.
Damn… glancing over his friends, who seemed wrapped up in something Usopp and Luffy were doing with spoons and… Sanji’s tie? What the hell, he had a little time to play.
“Then I might say that’s hardly fair, just a minute ago you weren’t even getting any money” The grin he had been fighting slipped out.
“I dunno… it seems to me like you’re not actually in any position to bargain,” she raised her hands in a coy shrug, “unless you want to make a fool of yourself for your blonde friend over there…” She smiled, a cat playing with her mouse.
Well squeak squeak because now he was gunning for a real number after all. Why did he even suggest a fake one? Shortsighted as ever.
“I hate to say you’ve got a point there.” Zoro leaned in ever so slightly. “But before my five minutes run out… Can I offer you an alternative?”The bar was getting more crowded, or they had turned up the temperature to fight the chill outside, either way, it was warmer than it had been only moments ago. She nodded for him to continue.
“I take the full 30…” Her shrewd eyes began to squint and she opened her mouth–but before she could say anything he finished his offer. “And I spend it all on you—you let me take you out for real.”
The squint fell to her mouth and she was smiling now, but he should have known it wouldn’t be so easy.
“Tell you what… you give me all the money, and then you take me out anyway.”
Like a prostitute? He couldn’t help thinking to himself, but he figured if this was as good as he was going to get, he could part with thirty bucks. Only apparently that hadn't been a thought to himself because as he was about to accept she turned beet red and cried out.
“Excuse you? Not like a prostitute! No! Oh my god what is wrong with you? No.”
Her exasperations became less and less intelligible until she was just spluttering, red as her hair and by the looks of it about this close to kicking him in places he’d prefer to keep un-kicked. Despite all of that, he couldn’t help a burst of laughter–at her indignation, at himself for getting into this mess, for still thinking she looked gorgeous. That seemed to shock her out of it.
“How about we go back to splitting it,” an echo of that laugh still in his voice, “and I still take you out.”
“20-10” She said, still a bit flushed but apparently unwilling to back down from that stance.
“I dunno… a $10 date doesn’t seem like it’ll be all that great,” he was snickering again and she moved to shove him “but I’ll take it.”
He caught a movement in the corner of his eye and saw Sanji tapping his wrist, his time must be almost up by now–honestly Zoro was amazed he hadn’t gone over at this point but when he looked down again, the woman was writing a phone number onto a napkin with a small brown pencil. She looked up, handing it to him with a smile”
“Nami… by the way”
Nami
“Zoro”
He looked over at his table and back at her. He’d never thank Sanji for this, but… well he might have to.
“Sorry, but I gotta get going if we want any kind of winnings to split, I’ll shoot you a text.” He said almost regretfully. Zoro had her number now, but her presence was so warm and electric he almost wanted to forfeit the bet with Sanji to spend more time with Nami. Although seeing as said bet was the entire frame for their encounter and set the expectation for their continued acquaintance… he should get back to his friends.
“I’ll be waiting…” Nami tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes like it had earlier and gave a little wave as he turned away.
As he walked back to his rowdy table, pocketing Nami’s phone number, Zoro couldn't help but think not for long.