Chapter Text
“Okay,” Jackson Price says, looking at his wrist. “It’s 5 minutes before closing time, we can start closing up.” He stood next to the cash register, leaning on the counter.
His legs crossed and black curly hair falling in front of his eyes. Usopp gives Luffy an incredulous look.
Luffy blinks, pushes up his straw hat that Jackson had told him from day one that he wasn’t allowed to wear and goes back to being bent over the cooker, cleaning it for the employees tomorrow.
Usopp shoots Jackson a glance before stating, “What are you looking at?”
Jackson raises his eyebrow and turns his hand so his wrist is visible. “My watch.” He exclaims with passion, smiling proudly, Usopp spots the badly drawn, sharpied on watch that reads, 9:55pm.
“Who drew that?” Usopp began. “A 5 year old?”
Luffy butts into the conversation. “I think it looks pretty good,” He comments genuinely. Usopp turns to him and rolls his eyes before muttering something under his breath.
Jackson goes to the door, reaching for the keys in his pocket.
The door slams open, hitting Jackson squarely in the face, and knocking him backwards into the wall.
A man with light tan olive skin and black hair that looked like it was cut by someone who may have been drunk or high, possibly both, wearing sweatpants, a wife beater and a jacket that needed to be retired into the goodwill bin long ago, stands in the doorway, his hand stretched out, holding the door open.
His face looks displeased and his mouth is curled slightly into a frown.
“What the fuck, woman!” Jackson exclaimed from his position on the floor.
Ace sent him a glance. “I am not a bitch.”
Luffy pokes his head out of the kitchen, and over the cashier counter, recognizing Ace’s voice.
Grinning, Luffy jumps over the counter that Usopp just cleaned. “Hey Ace!” Luffy exclaims.
“Luffy!” Usopp scolds, wiping down the counter again. “Why couldn’t you have just gone around the counter?”
“Really?” Jackson asked, a little exasperated from the floor.
“No one’s gonna mention the fact I was slammed into the wall by a drug dealing hoodlum?”
Ace steps into the McDonalds, closing the door, and turns to Jackson, his eyes blaze with something hotter than fire.
“I am not a drug dealer.” Ace says indignantly. “I am a pharmacist."
Jackson muttered something under his breath and stood up.
Without missing a beat, Ace punches Jackson before he can fully regain his balance and Jackson goes down yet again.
Usopp comes around the counter, the wet rag he used to clean the counter on his shoulder, and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Ace, can you stop damaging the wall?” Usopp queries. “Me and your brother are trying to close up shop here.”
Ace turns on his heel, facing Usopp, looming over him.
“You don’t close for 2 minutes.” Ace comments menacingly. “And I’m a little hungry.”
Usopp sputters and Luffy nods seriously, and without giving another thought to it, runs to the counter and jumps over it again. Usopp witnesses Luffy’s jump and curses under his breath, before turning back to Ace. “What do you want?”
Ace grins. “10 big macs, 5 fries, 4 large soda’s all different, 8 mcflurries and 12, 10 piece chicken nuggets.”
Ace reports, hands on his hips. Usopp looks at him like he just demanded the entire world on a silver platter.
He finally looks at Jackson, hoping the manager will shut down the order, but finds him passed out on the floor.
“The ice cream machine isn’t working.” Usopp lies, trying to find a way to cut down the order.
“Oh,” Ace says, almost to himself. “Thats’ fine. I can wait.” Usopp mumbles under his breath, but loud enough that Ace could hear.
“Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“What?” Ace says assertively, getting in Usopp’s personal space. Usopp crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow.
“Sir,” He gritted through his teeth, “This place closes in.” He reached into his pocket for his phone and Ace grabbed something at his hip.
A gun, Usopp thinks, useless without it, he remarks to himself.
“--approximately 60 seconds.” He puts his phone away. “Can I recommend a different McDonalds that’s open?”
“No.” Ace said sternly. “I want this McDonalds.” Usopp gawks at Ace, swerves his head to Luffy, but Luffy isn’t paying attention and is chasing down a roach with his spatula.
Luffy temporarily stopped chasing the cockroach that was still scurrying on the cooker before turning on the heat.
Vigorously, Luffy begins to watch the roach die.
Ace looks into the kitchen then back at Usopp, and asks, “You’re expecting him to back you up?”
“Apple didn’t fall far from the tree.” Usopp says simply, before turning his attention back to Ace.
Ace ignores the comment and crosses his arms. Usopp gives the most polite customer service smile he could before asking, “What would you like on this fine evening?”
“It’s night.” Ace retorts.
“Fine night.” Usopp corrects begrudgingly.
His smile had soured and Ace looked particularly prideful at that.
“I want 3 bigmacs, 5 spicy chicken, 2 medium rare hamburgers–I will ask you to redo them if they’re not medium rare,--7 large fries, 4 large diet cokes, 2 large sprites and 5 McFlurries.”
“Hey!” Usopp interjects loudly, “That’s not what you said last time!” He harped.
“I changed my mind.” Ace states simply, shrugging. Usopp dropped his smile and the last bit of confidence left under Ace’s scrutinizing gaze.
Usopp took one last glance at Jackson, and left the customer seating area.
Usopp slowly wrote down his order, and handed it to Luffy.
Luffy took the order joyfully from Usopp's hand, not reading the full thing.
Usopp turns to Ace and tells him the cost of his order. “How will you be paying today?”
Ace looks at him weird. “I have to pay?” Usopp feels like throwing the cash register at him, but he couldn’t risk damaging the floor. Glaring at Ace, he nods, and begins speaking to him like a child.
“Yes, Ace. You do. Do you have a way to pay for the food you oh-so desperately want?”
“I can trade you some medicine.” He offers, digging into one of his pant pockets, his hand searching around erratically.
Usopp makes a grotesque face. “I don’t want your drugs, Ace. I want money.” Usopp sighs.
He is aware of the sound of hamburgers going on the grill.
“But don’t I get an employee’s discount?” Ace asks, stopping his search in his pockets, looking up.
“What?” Usopp asks, incredulous. “You don’t work here. You’re a drug dealer–”
“No.” Ace interrupts. “I am an off the table pharmacist."
“What? No you’re not–Nevermind.” Usopp grumbles. “Ace, you need to pay full.”
“But my brother works here.” He states, motioning towards the back where Luffy was bent over the cooker looking up to the note, reading it intently, counting under his breath.
“I know,” Usopp sighs, beginning to explain before getting cut off by the sound of a yelling Luffy.
“Who the fuck orders this many things? It cannot be that good!” Usopp and Ace hold each other's eye contact and Ace dry coughs.
“Will a 50 be enough?” He asks quietly. Usopp nods and takes the 50 dollars that Ace hands to him and puts it into the cash register.
“I want the change back.” Ace states.
“Bro, you still have to pay 1 dollar and 99 cents in taxes.” Usopp retorts.
“Dude!” Ace says, getting worked up again. “It’s less than 2 dollars! Can’t you take pity on an old man such as myself?”
“You’re barely 26.” He pointed out disdainfully. “I’m surprised you can do that math.”
“Shut up.” Ace growls, leveling Usopp with a glare. “I’m the customer. What kind of customer service is this?”
“The kind that's overworked, understaffed and after hours.” Snaps Usopp. “What were you expecting?”
“Customer service.” Luffy chips.
“Goddamn this bitch is dumb.” Usopp says under his breath.
“What’d you say about him?” Ace demands.
“That he’s the best, cleverist and most amazing person I’ve ever met.” Usopp lies.
“That's what I thought.” Ace mumbles.
After about 10 minutes, Ace starts to complain that his order is taking too long.
Usopp rounds the counters and gives him his drinks, fries and McFlurries. “The burgers have had to be redone, and the chicken sandwiches are cold, so we have to microwave them, but they end up damaging the microwave.” Usopp explains.
“Can I cancel my order?” Ace asks, taking a bite of the Mcflurry with a french fry.
“What?” Usopp asks confused, “No! We’re so close to having everything done!”
“I don’t want it anymore.” Ace says disapprovingly. “I want my money back.”
“No.” Usopp asserts.
Ace looks offended but doesn’t offer anything else.
Usopp walks away and into the back, putting stuff away to finally close up shop.
Ace stands by the door, waiting for Luffy to come out of the back.
Jackson groans a little, frightening Ace who forgot he was there.
Ace turns around and kicks him in the end out of reflex and Jackson is out cold.