Mixed Up (ZoSan)

Sunday Morning Coming Down

If Sanji had thought that showing up for work thirty minutes late was bad, he would have been mortified to have been in Zoro's position.

He'd gotten lost promptly after he'd dropped Sanji off, having no idea what part of town he was in or even how he was meant to get from his current location to his place of employment. He'd rode around for what seemed like hours, turning down unfamiliar streets in directions he didn't know the names of in hopes that, by some random chance, the road might lead him to his job of its own free will.

But when the windchill got to be too much, and his gas level got to being too low, he eventually pulled over and stopped to ask a passerby for directions to Super-Star! Guitars and Music, and only then was he able to get in to work-

an hour and a half late.

Super-Star! Guitars was a low-key, but popular, streetside music store roughly twenty minutes from where he'd departed with Sanji. The store was sat snug between other establishments on one of the busiest downtown streets, and as Zoro rode up to it, he could see that they were getting plenty of business. Every parking spot in front of the store was full, and although parking was an issue for most patrons, for Zoro, it was easy.

He bumped his motorcycle up onto the sidewalk and rode it slowly through the people who were stupid enough to stand in his way and watch him go. He revved the engine to get a few stragglers out of his way as he walked it to where the bike rack was, wherein he parked his motorcycle and cut the engine.

Casting a mean look to a couple who still had their eyes on him, he undid his helmet and tucked it under his arm. He dropped the bike's kickstand and stood up, stretching his back as well as he could with the bass strapped to it. He dropped his frozen hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and grit his teeth, already dreading the teasing he was sure to get for coming in late.

He fixed his eyes on the storefront and made his way inside.

"You're late." He was greeted immediately by the slight, orange-haired woman who was snickering at him from her spot behind the welcome counter. Zoro scowled and laid his helmet on the counter's surface, leveling her with an irritated gaze.

"Shut up, Nami, I know," he said bitterly as she took his helmet and set it somewhere out of the way.

Nami laughed lightly and leaned back in her wheely chair, twirling a pen nimbly between her fingers.

"You missed three lessons, you know; poor little Tony's still sitting back there, waiting on you. What kept you? Don't tell me you got lost."

"Three? I missed three lessons?! What the fuck," Zoro said, ignoring the rest of her statement. "What time is it?"

"This is why you need a cellphone, Zoro; I've been trying all morning to get in touch with you," Nami said with a sad sigh, but then began to grin cattily. "I could always spot you the cash for one-"

"No, no, God knows I need to take out another loan from you," Zoro growled through clenched teeth, and walked on by as she laughed loudly at him.

The inside of Super-Star! Guitars was bigger than it looked from the outside, but was filled up with all sorts of musical instruments and a center stage (for open mic nights) that made walking through the store a bit of a challenge. He stepped carefully around the displayed, hand-made guitars that bore the Cutty Flam signature (staring longingly at them as he passed), and made his way to the back of the store where they offered music lessons.

The large banner that advertised them hung above a short, out of the way hallway that Zoro walked down, hoping that he wasn't in for too much trouble. As he turned the corner that led to the waiting room, he could see the lessons coordinator sitting in his office and a small, young little boy looking quite dejected on one of the tacky, hawaiian print couches the owner of the store had insisted on buying.