[Zoro recognizes these halls. He's been through them before, as a teenager, as a stuntman, as a mourner. It'd be a lie to say he wasn't comforted by its signs, the view from its windows. That still doesn't stop him from trying to get out.

Only the sight of Baren stops him. For a minute, he thinks he imagined him but the image stays solid and Zoro moves towards him, wordlessly. Trails behind him as he brings him to the door of a name that's completely unfamiliar.

He doesn't step inside. Wants to preserve Baren's privacy. The nurses don't seem to care as much. Zoro glares at them until he gets no reaction.]

[Baren lost Tanuki-san and it's one of those rare moments where he's actually not happy about that. It's about to get dark soon and if he doesn't find him in time, he might deal with yet another experience of having to run around in the fog without efficient transportation.

So that's why he's standing in front of a haunted house.

There's a brief look around - maybe he misjudged and Tanuki was actually somewhere else - but instead he spots—]

If it isn't my favorite meathead - Z, we're going in here.

[NO CHOICE.]

[what]

No. [i mean, he's stopping anyway but] Go inside yourself. [and, you know. walking over himself.] Why the hell do you wanna waste your time in one of those anyway?

[The sky is blue.

And as such, there's no preamble, there's no hesitation, there is only Baren suddenly appearing wherever Zoro is and grabbing onto his arm - ]

We're going to the beach, Z!

[NO ARGUMENT.]

[the fact that the ocean is blue has not yet hit zoro. he resists, if only a bit.]

What the hell? Why? Isn't the water too cold for you?

[since you know. baren's a wimp.]

[ riiiiiiing. it's a voice you've never heard of before, zoro. ]

I've learned how to cook now so can you just confirm that you guys are coming home for the holidays? Jeez.

What are you cooking?

[Zoro tried so hard to escape.

But surprise, they still halfway fucking live together.

Which is probably why Baren has no shame on parking his ass on their shared couch sometime after he finishes talking to Sanji and... waiting. Where the hell is Zoro anyway? Work? Well, he can play the waiting game. He doesn't text him because then Zoro will never fucking come home.

Instead, he orders Thai and turns on reruns of America's Next Top Model.

When he hears the door, he finishes slurping up his mouthful of Pad Thai and - ]

Yours is in the fridge.

[and that's fucking it]

[all baren will hear is a muttered "shit", then the door closing. without zoro entering the apartment.]

[Zoro said he needed a day.

And he didn't tell Baren that he needed more than a day.

So without much concern at all, that's why Baren's going to stroll into their shared apartment and pick up conversation as if nothing ever happened between them.]

Oh yeah.

I saw Sanj.

[ . . . not really the truth because he specifically went to find Sanji but whatever, same deal.]

[yup. things are seemingly back to normal. zoro's just like. casually doing chin-ups in a doorway. doesn't even stop for conversation.]

Congratulations.

[fuck sanji]

[Baren rarely calls.

He normally texts. What he has to say is rarely urgent. It's normally a joke.

Baren calls Zoro early on the morning of the 16th with chattering teeth and a voice that sounds like it's about to snap:]

Get dressed. I need—[god shit damn fuck he needs a lot of things]—to fucking hit something.

[he'll end the call without waiting for an answer and let himself into the apartment space without hesitating anyway. making a beeline for the drawer of his spare clothes, glad that he never bothered to take them away, and he doesn't want to talk about why he looks so obviously pissed off with every single line of his body tense]

Coat's in the closet. One in the front hall. Got it dry-cleaned the other day.

[that's what baren was looking for, right? zoro had been on his way to get it the moment he heard baren's chattering teeth.

he hadn't considered asking about baren's apparent fury. he never did.

instead he simply wanders over to his own closet and throws a sweater on over his sweatpants. for once, baren had caught him right before he was planning to sleep.]

Got something in mind?

Edited 2018-01-17 08:24 pm (UTC)

is this because he wanted me to steal a whale?

[well it's not like they'll respond]

yea whatever if he's going i'm going. i'm coming.

I WASNT

[... oh, what the hell. he sighs and texts again a few minutes later.]

some naked ghost woman shoved me into the lake. had to strip to stop hypothermia.