"…And the football was kicked onto the sidelines straight towards me, so I caught it. The thing is, no one seemed to realize that I wasn't a player. They kept coming after me, so, naturally, I had to make the touchdown myself! I must have ran about 150 yards total." Usopp finished rather proudly. His grin widened at Summer's apparent bewildered or impressed expression. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to realize that she wasn't exactly impressed.
Summer sipped silently at her soda, staring at her long-nosed date with wide eyes.
"Oh, and then there was the time that I climbed up part of the Empire State Building because my newspaper got caught by the wind." He added, digging into his food wholeheartedly. Summer's eyebrows raised.
"All for a newspaper, huh?" She asked, not believing anything that came out of his mouth. She hoped her polite intentions were masking the bored monotone that her tone of voice seemed to prefer at that moment. She was still shocked that he was confident enough to be saying these things in the first place. She'd never met such a blatant liar before.
"Well, the supermodel I'd met earlier that day had written her number on the back page, so I had to get it back!" He exclaimed, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Summer nodded.
"Right. Right." She agreed. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the wall, wishing that time would move faster. Usopp didn't seem to notice her discomfort, since he continued to ramble on about his great accomplishments. Summer sighed internally.
'Why did I agree to this?'
He'd been nice enough to start. He'd asked if there was anything he could do to make her more comfortable. He'd made sure to remind her that he was paying for the whole bill. He was a gentleman, apologizing for having to use the restroom earlier on.
She just didn't expect him to be such a blatant liar.
Maybe she should have seen it coming from the way he'd introduced himself in the laundromat. His casual 'Hi, I'm Usopp, the man who invented the toaster' had certainly surprised her, but she'd played it off as a unique and memorable way to start things off with someone. Not a clue to what his true personality was like.
She'd certainly learned now, and she regretted not thinking things through before outright agreeing to a date…
Thankfully, the waitress came around and seemed to see that Summer wasn't have a very good time of it, and so she inserted herself into the conversation as casually as possible.
"Will that be all for you tonight? Would you like me to bring out your check?" She'd asked sweetly, secretly winking at her in reassurance. The blonde smiled gratefully. Usopp was cut off mid-sentence, but waved it off casually.
"Oh, actually yes! That'd be great."
"Great, I'll be right back." She hurried off to get their bill, and Usopp turned back to her sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed gesture.
"I kinda rambled on for a while there. Sorry." Much as Summer was uncomfortable about the date in general, she didn't dislike Usopp. It was difficult not to think fondly of the overzealous liar. He was just so…human. She smiled hesitantly, shaking her head.
"It's alright."
The waitress returned a moment later, giving Usopp the check and they departed the restaurant after paying. They'd met each other there instead of picking Summer up, and so after giving a slightly-awkward goodbye to each other, they separated to seek out their individual cars.
Summer fumbled in the dark for her car keys, hands digging through the stuff in her purse for the touch of metal. She could hear them but couldn't seem to distinguish where they were, the blasted things. Reaching her car, she stood outside the door until her hand emerged holding the metal key.
Slipping inside, she closed the door and started up the engine, sitting in the dimly-lit cab as she pondered going straight back home or stopping by The Heart Seat first.
She hadn't visited in a couple days, at least since her first awful date the week before. Well, and photographing the bar's interior for Corazon, though it just felt strange without Law there behind the counter, his easy grin in place. He didn't start his shift until 8:00 each night, and so naturally he wasn't present during her photoshoot of the place in the morning.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel on either side. It was a little cold outside, and the cab wasn't any warmer after sitting in the parking lot for close to an hour. Realizing that her fingers were beginning to go numb from misuse, she decided that she'd let her mind wander and take her to wherever her heart was feeling that night. Strapping on her seatbelt, she reversed out of the parking spot and headed towards the road.
Law poured drinks for the bride-to-be and bridesmaids who laughed drunkenly from their seats across the counter. He raised a brow, ignoring their catcalls and hollers directed at him. More than once, they'd urged him to take off his shirt for them, probably thinking that he was their entertainment for the night. Each time he had to remind him that no, he wasn't a male stripper and that yes, he was indeed an actual bartender.
The bride-to-be, outfitted in a short veil and a sash wrapped around her shoulder that proclaimed her title for the night, raised her glass once more, toasted to god know's what since her speech was becoming more and more slurred as the drinks went on. Law sighed and wandered down the counter and into the small hallway hidden by a wall, hoping to lose the attention of the four loud and extremely drunk women at his bar.
Corazon came around the corner, staying out of sight of the women in case they decided to zero in on him as their next target of lewd comments. They seemed to be getting more brash as time went on. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, staying in the shadows of the hallway with Law as he observed his customers.
"Didn't think they'd be this rowdy." He muttered to the bartender, who smirked a little beside himself.
"What'd you expect? Tea time and book club? It's a bachelorette party, after all." Corazon sighed, digging in his pockets for another cigarette.
"Still. They're scaring off my usual customers." He noted, watching as Betsy, one of his regulars, slipped out the front door with a glare towards the four women.
"At least not everyone seems afraid of staying." Law commented, nodding towards the door once more. The owner swung his gaze to the door, smiling at who came in. Summer slipped inside, raising her eyebrows at the loud display the four party-goers were displaying at the front.
She made her way past the usual customers at their tables and approached the bar, albeit further down the counter from where the four women knocked back their previous drinks. Corazon and Law reappeared from behind the wall and met her as she took a seat on a stool.
"Summer! Thanks for helping me out the other day, though I've gotta say I'm not too sure about agreeing to host their party in the first place." The owner gave an uneasy glance to the women as the bride-to-be swayed unsteadily in her stool.
Summer laughed, taking off her bag from her shoulder and placing it on the seat beside her. "Well, as long as they're happy. And making you money, right? How many drinks have they had anyway? They look halfway to the moon." She chuckled, giving another secretive glance.
Law grinned, leaning on the counter. "I lost count after eight."
"God, I think I need about that many shots right now." Summer sighed deeply, rubbing her temples while placing her elbows on the counter. "That was almost the worst date ever. Second only to Tarot Card Guy."
"That bad, huh?" Law asked neutrally. His only facial expression change was a simple raise of his eyebrow.
Corazon cocked his head and smiled widely. "Ah, you can't just leave us guessing! Let's hear all about it."
She sighed, though it sounded more like a short laugh than anything else. "Well, did you know for one he is the only person in the world to have ever tamed a shark and kept him as a pet? Or that he invented the toaster?" She held up her fingers, counting the stories as she went. "He climbed part way up the Empire State Building. Won a Nobel Prize just for being alive. Solved world hunger but lost the directions on how to do it and he has short term memory loss. Climbed Mount Everest by accident. Met the Queen of England. Need I say more?" She shrugged holding up her head with one hand.
Corazon gave a low whistle, chuckling under his breath. "Quite a keeper, that one." He said sarcastically.
"I'll get you that drink." Law finally said, a small grin marking his face. After hearing about how uncomfortably bad the date had gone, the feeling of jealously had disappeared from his chest. God, he needed to get a handle on these urges. He reached under the counter for the makings of an Island Breeze. Corazon mentioned that he needed to take care of some things in the back and slipped away. Law however, after learning about the older man's wager on Summer's love life, was willing to bet that he did so simply for the sake of giving them some 'alone time.'
"I just need a good date to happen." Summer lamented, cringing at the loud shouting of the four women further down the counter. She wished they weren't so loud. Law only grunted in reply. Then, coming up with a way to distract herself, she reaching into her bag and pulled out her camera.
Law noticed her pull out her tool of trade, frowning a little in concentration at the screen. "Capture anything new?" He asked lightly, eyes focused on mixing her drink but attention on her. She glance up before turning the screen towards him.
"I passed by that run-down looking bus stop in front of the old factory on Sixth Street, and there was this old lady sitting on the bench. She looked pretty lonely and sad, eyes far away like she was thinking hard about something, you know? So I snapped a quick picture."
Law nodded, his eyes taking in the image she was describing on her camera. An old woman, dressed in a vintage-looking dress and head wrapped in a blue scarf, was staring off to one side, her hands folded delicately in her lap. Her face showed lines and wrinkles, but her eyes held wisdom and sorrow like only someone who'd seen the world for a very long time.
"Very compelling." He agreed, returning to making her drink. After finishing it up with a lime on the rim of the glass, he pushed it towards her. She glanced up with a smile, switching her attention to her drink.
"I just need to meet someone who isn't crazy. That's all." She surmised, taking a deep sip. Law raised a brow, putting away the alcohol products.
"I think that's gonna be a little difficult." He warned, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter on his hip. She glanced quizzically at him, frowning.
"Really? Why?" He smirked then, looking away with a roll of his eyes.
"Crazy people attract other crazy people." His words sunk in and she playfully slapped his elbow which was just close enough for her to reach.
"Yeah, thanks for that. You're a real gentleman." She mocked. He chuckled and moved out of her range of motion, and the two chuckled together.
Her drink was downed in the next couple minutes as they chatted about insignificant things. Time passed quickly, far faster than it felt, and in no time at all it was 10:30. Finishing up her drink, she slid the empty glass towards him and rose from her stool.
"Well, I'd better go. Don't wanna keep Max waiting too long." She strapped her bag on and began moving towards the door.
"See ya." Law raised a hand in goodbye, watching as the blonde gave one last smile before slipping out the door. After she was gone, he sighed deeply, turning his attention back onto the vulgar women wasting precious oxygen and counter space at his bar.
Law wiped down the counter, sighing as the bridesmaids and bride-to-be finally wandered out of the bar with headaches and slightly smudged makeup. It was about time they left the premises. Their continuous shouting had certainly taken a toll on their bar attendance. Less than half of the patrons who'd come in before they showed up were gone. And the ones that had remained looked decidedly less happy after that experience.
Vivi appeared half a dozen times to deliver orders, dodging the chairs and tables scattered throughout the room. She expertly held four baskets, balancing two on her arms while holding the others. Several times she gave Law a sympathetic smile when he scowled at the oblivious drunken women.
Close to midnight, after the women had already left, she passed close to the bar and got his attention. "Corazon mentioned if you want to head home early tonight he could cover." Her soft voice offered. Law finished cleaning a glass and leaned against the counter.
"It's fine. Just glad those women are gone. Tell Cora-san to never do that again." She chuckled, glancing around at the other patrons.
"Well, they brought in a lot of revenue just from drinks alone. And he charged them a couple hundred bucks alone as a downpayment for reserving a spot." She gossiped. Law nodded slowly.
"Good. It's time we brought some money in. Things haven't been so busy lately." He replied gruffly. Maybe the price of a few hundred dollars was a bit much for a small bachelorette party of four, but after going through that fiasco, Law had half a mind to make them pay more.
"Yeah, hopefully the summer months will bring some more business." She concluded, going to move away. Then, she stopped, frowning at something below the counter. She reached down on the stool and picked up a black object. "Isn't this Summer's?"
Law realized it was the blonde's camera, complete with neck strap and lens cover. She must have forgotten it when she'd left in a hurry. Law took it from the bluenette, sighing gently.
"She's got her photography class tomorrow." He said. She peered mischievously at him.
"And how do you know that, huh?" He glanced away, fearing she'd see the red that was beginning to tinge his cheeks.
"She mentioned it once." He muttered, trying to avoid the question. She chuckled a moment, then Vivi's face took on an expression of concern.
"Isn't it finals week too? She really needs it for her thesis."
Corazon came around the corner, holding a case of new shot glasses for Law to stock. He noticed Vivi and the young bartender crowded around the object and gently set down the case onto the counter.
"Did Summer forget her camera?" They nodded and he scratched his head. "Better take that to her as soon as possible. That camera's like her second heart." He looked pointedly at Law, who frowned.
"My shift doesn't end until four in the morning. I doubt she'll want to be woken up that early."
"You're right. That's why I'm sending you right now. The bar's been quiet since those women left, so take the rest of the night off."
"Now?" He looked down at the camera, his feelings in turmoil at the object in question. If he hadn't known that Summer was forgetful sometimes, he would have believed that Corazon intentionally planned this out just to have his bet turn out in his favor. "But-"
"The longer you stay here, the greater the chance she'll be sleeping when you get there." Corazon said, walking away before Law could say anything more. "Better get going." He called over his shoulder with a wide grin.
Law sighed deeply, glancing at Vivi for support. She merely shrugged with a small smile of her own. One of the customers raised their hand for her attention and she left the bartender to his thoughts.
He looked down at the camera again, unconsciously turning it on and gazing at the first picture in the reel. It was of the old woman, looking far away at something unseen. Law felt a tiny smile touch his lips, remembering Summer's excitement at telling him about the photo in question.
He felt eyes on him, and saw Zoro staring at him upon looking up. The green-haired security guard smirked at him, nudging his head towards the door. Glaring at him, Law turned off the screen and grabbed his jacket from the peg, all the while digging out the keys to his motorcycle from the pocket.
He still felt him staring as he pushed open the back door.
Summer spread out the photos across the floor, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the mass. She frowned, staring at each image with a critical eye.
The black and white photo of the Wilhelm Bridge wasn't in correlation to the Golden Rule, and probably wouldn't achieve the high marks she was hoping for her thesis. Even though the focus had turned out perfect, she knew exactly what her professor would say about the extremely far-away view.
"Where did you take this, from the other side of the state? It's almost too small to see. You need to make it the focus, not the backdrop."
She sighed, placing it to the side of rejected photographs.
She had to turn in a set of five pictures that emphasized true human emotion. Out of the hundreds of images she'd taken, she had to narrow it down to five that would display the top quality of her work. How she was going to do that without a problem was beyond her. Added to that, she had to come up with a paper for each picture, describing its impact and why it was meaningful. Though Summer was fairly skilled at creative writing, the only problem was picking a solid five pictures to write them on. And she had to make sure that each one was somehow meaningful to any audience that looked at it. How was she supposed to do that when everyone was different? This assignment felt almost impossible.
'Maybe it would just be easier to write one for every single picture beforehand.' She thought ruefully, playing with the idea seriously a moment.
She thought about that picture with the old woman. That would be one of the best in her portfolio, as she felt it showed the most emotion. She reached over to her bag, digging through the contents in search of her camera. After not finding it for several seconds, she frowned, looking deep inside to try to locate her valuable tool.
Frustrated, she gave a muttered 'Come on' and dumped the contents onto the floor. Her wallet, small makeup bag and dozens of receipts were dropped to the carpet. She sifted through the lip glosses and pieces of crumpled paper but couldn't find the camera.
'Shit, where is it?' She thought, rising from the floor and walking over to the kitchen counter. Her knee-high Batman socks were silent against the linoleum floor. Though the cold room was easily felt and she shivered, figuring that her sleep shorts and tank top didn't do much in terms of keeping warm. But still, they were comfy.
She flipped on the light, hoping to see the camera abandoned on the counter, instead seeing Max in the middle of the floor with one of his cat toys by his feet. Upon her approach, he looked up and cocked his head. She smiled, crouching down to his level and petting his head gently.
"Hey, little one." She cooed, picking up his tiny mouse toy and dangling it in front of his face. Max's small cat eyes widened and he smiled at it as ferociously as a tiny kitten could.
There was a knock on her door. Summer stood, glancing at the clock on the stove. It was 12:20 in the morning. Who on earth would be at her door at this time of night. Feeling a little on edge, she grabbed a dirty frying pan from the counter. Her soft steps took her to the door.
She peered out the little peephole, eyes widening at who it was. She unlatched the chain and unlocked the door, swinging it open.
"Law, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" He shrugged, taking out one of his hands and producing her precious camera. She gasped, smile widening on her face. She reached for it eagerly. "My camera!"
"You left it at the bar." He explained, handing it over. It was then he noticed the frying pan in her hand. "Cooking?" He questioned, his confusion plainly evident on his face. It was pretty late to be making food.
"Huh?" Summer responded, finally glancing down at the pan. "Oh! No, I just-I didn't know who'd be at the door and I, well, yeah." She chuckled, obviously embarrassed at admitting her weapon of choice was a cooking utensil.
"Quite intimidating." Law agreed sarcastically, a small grin gracing his lips. He gestured to her feet. "Nice socks."
"Yeah…" She tried edging her way further behind her door, suddenly realizing she wasn't very clothed at that moment and it was none other than Law seeing her this way. Her cheeks heated up. "This just keeps getting more and more embarrassing." She gave a sideways grin.
"I'll leave you be then to…whatever you're doing." Law chuckled, back-stepping to head out. Then, on a whim, Summer held out the hand with the pan.
"Wait!" Her exclamation came out with more force than she'd intended, and Law stopped short. He waited expectantly, one foot on the step below her porch.
"Umm…do you think you could help me with something? It's not hard or anything, just something for my thesis." She said meekly, suddenly unsure about her question. She noticed his quick glance towards the street, which sent her into an insecure tailspin. "If you've got to get back to work that's fine, it was selfish of me to ask. You don't have to-"
"Sure." He answered, interrupting her downward spiral. He grinned at her surprised expression and tapped her forehead. "You gonna stand there all night?"
Summer closed her mouth and stepped back into her apartment, allowing Law to enter. She set down both the camera and frying pan onto the kitchen counter before closing the front door. Her dimly-lit living room was littered with her photos, a larger pile of rejected shots by the love seat.
"What's all this?" He asked, careful to step around the pictures on the ground. Summer sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her exhaustion didn't seem to hit her until that moment.
"I've got to decide on which ones I'm going to turn in for my final. I have to choose five pictures," She spread her arms wide, "out of all of these photos."
"Only five?" He asked incredulously. He was surprised a final would be so simple.
"Yeah, and it would help to have someone else take a look. Which ones do you think hold the most meaning?" She sat herself on the couch, watching as Law knelt on the ground to take a look at what was on display.
He squinted at the images for several minutes, Summer glancing between him and the pictures. Unbeknownst to him, her heart was beating rapidly in her chest at the thought of him just being there. Law had shown up a couple times to ask her for things on Corazon's behalf, mostly when her phone died, but he'd never come over in the middle of the night and stayed for more than a few minutes.
This seemed much more…intimate. It held so much more emphasis behind it, especially to her. She'd never invited a man into her apartment besides to have work done on the house. Someone she held an attachment to had never been invited in on grounds other than work.
And here he was, leaning over her pictures on her living room floor, in a perfect pose to be observed unseen by Summer. She eyed the tattoos on his fingers, spelling out the word DEATH. They'd always intrigued her, but she'd never asked. His lean figure was a misgiving, probably hiding a well-muscled chest underneath that t-shirt and hoodie. And the sharp angle of his jaw was rather-
"This one." He interrupted her thoughts, and she gazed at the picture he pointed to. Picking it up, he gave it to her. "Use this as one of them."
"What makes it so meaningful?" She asked, noticing it was the picture of the bridge. He smirked, standing and moving beside her. He held it out at arm's length against the light of the ceiling. Summer stared at it.
"When I was eight, my dad and I stopped halfway down the bridge and walked to the very edge." Law pointed to a specific part of the structure. "I used to be afraid of heights. Don't laugh." He said sternly upon seeing a grin split her face.
"Sorry." She shook her head, urging him to continue. He gave her a skeptical glance before turning his attention back to the story.
"Anyways, I didn't want to walk all the way up to the edge, even though my dad said there was nothing to worry about. I was scared beyond belief.
"He told me, 'One day, you'll be able to walk up to this railing and stare down into the river below without fear. And at that moment, you'll be invincible, if only just a moment.'"
"Really?" Summer asked, staring at the picture as if she could see his story play out before her eyes. She could almost see a small Law with his father, him afraid to go close to the large railing with his dad gesturing him forward.
"Well, after they died, I would go to that bridge and just stare at the spot we'd stopped. I must have visited that railing a hundred times. But I never stepped up to the edge. And then one day I worked up the nerve to walk up to that railing. And you know how it felt?" He glanced at Summer, who had her eyes wide open in wonder.
"How?" She asked in anticipation. He smiled sadly.
"Like I was invincible. But only for a second. Just like he said. I found I wasn't afraid of heights anymore in those few seconds, but after that it was of something else entirely." His voice drifted into a low murmur, as if he were talking to himself. He unconsciously touched his fingers. He was silent a moment, but Summer took the picture in her hands. She frowned, thinking about what he'd said.
"So, it's meaningful specifically to you because of something you experienced there." She muttered, staring at it intently. Law watched her then, his turn to inspect the blonde beauty in what he could jokingly call her natural habitat: dressed in her pajamas as she looked over pictures on the living room floor at midnight. But when he caught himself staring, he forced those thoughts to go away.
"Hope I helped." He said a little gruffly, rising from beside her. She snapped out of her trance then, seeing him heading towards the door. She stood too, surprised by his sudden desire to leave.
"Oh, yeah it is rather late." She admitted, seeing the time. A whole half hour had passed in the blink of an eye, and she hadn't even noticed how tired she was during that time. He fixed the trim of his jacket, opening the door.
"Good luck on your thesis." He said quietly, slipping outside with a small smile. Summer walked quickly to the door and looked out onto the porch.
"Thanks for the help, Law! Goodnight!" She called, watching as he raised a hand in reply. He walked off into the dark evening, disappearing behind the building after a few seconds, gone as quickly as he appeared.
Summer gently closed the door behind her, staring at the floor of pictures, an unconscious smile plastered to her face. Law…he was so mysterious. He always kept her guessing. She never knew what to expect from him. Her smile was growing by the second, until her face hurt from prolonged use. Finally moving from the door, she returned to her pictures with a newfound motivation to work.
She didn't feel very tired anymore.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
