Work Text:
Zuck's shop smells like brine, diesel, and old cedar, the front windows are fogged from the morning damp rolling off the sound.
Beyond the dock and like two miles down a ferry sits against the pier with a patched hull it's been scarred from a decade now of bad weathers, sea gulls are screaming overhead.
But inside Zuck's shop, it's like someone has hit the forward button with the record speed Zuck is going at.
He's got three tackle crates open on the counter, a spool of braided line between his teeth, he's also got a grease tucked behind one ear as he babbles away.
"Now you better be listening Collie, I'm not just running to Seattle here, because as you know if you've been listening to me the current has shifted north since that last storm, you seen it, kelp bed tore loose and as I've told you Salmon'll follow that cooler band, push toward the deeper channel past Decatur. I gotta also check the crab pots near Blakely too. If I don't reset 'em, they'll tangle, and then at that point I'm just donating gear to the ocean."
Collie is leaning against the minnow tank arms folded against his chest as he watches Zuck spin around, and keeps babbling.
"And if the tide tables still mean anything anymore, which they might not because half the buoys are gone and NOAA run by Montana now hasn't broadcast since....well, hell since you shaved that mess on your face....then slack tide's gonna hit mid afternoon. That's when I'll drop the longlines. Not before. Before's wasted hooks."
He finally stops walking in circles to actually look at Collie.
"You hearing anything I'm saying Parker or you hearing the teacher from the Peanuts?"
"I'm hearing you, I just can't exactly keep up."
Zuck snorts at this before going back to packing, he's moving at the speed of lighting everything has it's place. He's checking knots by feel, thumb rolling over each cinch testing for weakness.
His hands are broad, scarred, and his nails are trimmed short.
He built this shop from the bones of this bait and tackle store that got absolutely destroyed during that absolutely horrible first winter after the fall.
He boarded the windows, reinforced the dock, learned which generators could be coaxed back to life, and which were better used as parts.
He uses the ID cards or the barter method like everyone else around here.
Out there in the wasteland though he barters rockfish for antibiotics for the clinic here, mends nets in exchange for shotgun shells, hell he'll fix someone's freezer for something if they ask.
Which Tressler is the one who asks the third one a lot, the baker really needs a better freezer.
But then again he's not just a baker, he's on the council for New Chicago, so he probably doesn't have the time to get a new freezer.
"You know why this works South Dakota?" he asks, gesturing around the shop.
"Because I don't guess. I log everything. Wind direction. Barometer readings. Water temp. When the dogfish start biting and when they stop. You think the ocean cares that the world ended? It doesn't. It's math and memory."
He taps the side of his head as he speaks.
"I pay attention."
Collie just nods, he does respect that as a business owner himself because Zuck isn't just a fishermen at the end of the day, he's a systems guy, he knows which cove still holds halibut and which ones went quiet after the ferry wreck in the west point of the island.
He knows how to bleed salmon clean so it keeps longer without ice, which is useful in him getting it to New Chicago and New York.
He even knows which lures are worth their weight in bullets.
"And I gotta find someone to watch this place while I'm gone," Zuck continues, already shifting the topic.
"Because I know the people of Harper's Island well, but I don't want Shane and Ben coming in and grabbing gear, my inventory is tight. I got like three reels left that aren't grinding like coffee mills. Two good nets. That's it. I leave it empty, I come back to splinters."
Collie rubs his face trying to process everything, like who the hell Shane and Ben are. Because he knows two of Zuck's friend which is Danny and Sully, there's also Trish who's the owner of the Candlewick inn.
There's also Bella, she runs the bar not to far from here, you gotta respect a woman who can make good beer.
He also makes mental note to let New Chicago know he needs more inventory, Collie with North Dakota's aka Charlie's help runs just a small depot in Sioux Falls that supplies smaller communities like Potato Town, USS Pennsylvania, and The Dunes.
Well New Chicago supplies all of them, with help from Bobby aka Arizona and Angel aka Wyoming.
"How long you gonna be gone?"
"Two weeks, Tressler is coming to keep me company we're meeting in Seattle hopefully if Jensen didn't keep him, the council doesn't need him and Marty and Caden are covering the bakery, it might be three if I can peal Tressler from council duty and get Chris to cover that be amazing, it still honestly might be three if the run's strong I'll just be alone out there. But hopefully I'll bring back enough smoked king to last this winter if it's good. If it's bad I'll pivot to crab. Always pivot. You can't get sentimental about fish."
He snaps one of the crates shut.
"I need someone who also won't trade away the last of my tungsten weights for a bottle of homemade peach schnapps, Sully's doing by the way, he really is blond sometimes because everyone knows Bella makes the best peach schnapps and not Dan who makes moonshine in his socks. I also need someone who can tell a square knot from a granny. Someone who'll actually write down what leaves this building, so I know what to order from New Chicago."
Collie pushes off the tank and steps closer realizing that he's asking him in his own strange way.
"You're asking me?"
"I'm asking you because you understand, you run that place in Sioux Falls with Charlie," Zuck says.
"Beside your a Nomad, folks listen to you, they won't try anything dumb."
Collie tilts his head always forgetting how much influence he has on this post apocalyptic world.
"Yea Charlie runs the place, I'm barely there because if I stay in Sioux Falls I'm not leaving for like six months, so do you really trust me with your shop?"
Zuck meets his eyes all steady and calm.
"I trust you not to panic when something goes sideways. And I trust you to respect the work."
There's a beat, as Zuck keeps talking, though softer now and less rushed.
"This place matters to me, not because it's my job or my home. People fish here because they gotta eat, sure. But they also fish because it's something normal to do. You get up early. You check your lines. You wait. The world beyond this island is crawling with rotters, but for a few hours here, it's just you and the water. That's worth protecting."
Collie watches him for a long moment thinking about it for second, trying to remember if he's needed on the mainland for something. But the sound of the ferry horn groaning out on the pier snaps him back.
"Alright, I'll watch it."
Zuck exhales, tension dropping from his shoulders.
"With Barkovitch."
Zuck freezes for a second hearing that name, because out of all the Nomads why Barkovitch.
".....Barkovitch?"
"Yeah, he's the only one who doesn't have anything to do at the moment."
Zuck slowly turns his head at this.
"You're serious, you can't just pawn him off to the smaller communities like the Pennsylvania they probably could put some manners into him or Potato Town, he could learn fun ways to eat potato's."
Collie shrugs trying not to laugh because he actually did try to get Barkovitch off his ass but inexplicably none of the smaller communities needed help with anything, go figure.
"Contrary to proper belief he's amazing with math, he scares off idiots. And if someone tries to steal your reels, he'll probably cuss them out in about seven different languages."
"Barkovitch," he repeats carefully, "The same Barkovitch who tried to ferment kelp in my personal fridge upstairs."
"He read in one of your magazines that you could turn kelp into beer."
"My apartment stunk to high heaven for three months afterwards."
Collie couldn't help the grin that came over his face, which makes Zuck stare at him another second before shaking his head.
"Man...Barkovitch? Can't you get someone else?"
"Um Richard is in school, Stebbins is helping Angel with his rabbit breeding program, listen I don't know either, Hank is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Ray is teaching in Verona Beach, Pete is teaching people in the wasteland how to hunt animals and make traps for said animals, and Art is doing community service in New York. So no unfortunately I can't."
Zuck goes quiet at this, thinking it through for a second.
"You're right, his handwriting is impeccable and he's good at keeping receipts," Zuck admits reluctantly. "And he doesn't scare easily.
"He doesn't scare at all Zuck."
"See, that's the problem."
The ferry horn sounds again much louder than the first time, which makes Zuck grab his bags and crate, he steps closer to Collie lowering his voice like Barkovitch is gonna appear out of the wood work.
"If he reorganizes my hooks again, I'm blaming you."
"That's little unfair but okay."
"Do let him take care of Lucy, my cat it should keep him from re-organizing my apartment and my business. But please don't let him make kelp beer again, Bella makes it just fine."
"I got it Zuck, it's gonna be okay. You're home and business when you come back is gonna just the way you left it, enjoy your time with Tressler please for me."
Zuck nods once, the decision has been made.
"Okay I trust you, you got the shop keys, inventory ledger's under the counter, tide charts are pinned behind the corkboard, never trust the printed ones, I marked the corrections in red, oh and if someone asks about the halibut grounds, you tell 'em nothing Parker. That's earned knowledge."
Collie to get him to stop talking and go kisses him, which makes Zuck squeak in surprise kissing him back well squeezing his forearm which is very warm, he pulls away patting Collie's cheek.
"I love you South Dakota, take care of this place please."
"I will Hawaii go, now, shoo."
Zuck step back, scanning the shop one last time, not being sentimental about it, just thorough before heading towards the door, still talking.
"If south winds kicks up, close up early. And don't let Barkovitch name the live bait and get attached it's bad for business."
Collie laughs at that gesturing for him to please go, and that he does with the sound of the bell above the door jingling away.
Collie goes to the door wanting to make sure Zuck actually gets on the ferry and he does, he stands at the door waiting until the ferry leaves before walking away to go feed the minnows.