A/N: Sorry for my absence this past month! If you follow my tumblr, then you'll know that I had surgery and was out of commission for a little while lol Everything is fine and I'm on the mend now :) I'm back to writing and it's already making me so much happier to be able to continue this! I spent a lot of time sick in bed planning this, so my plan is to get out a chapter a week until it is finished! Also; important note:
If you have any specific kinks, toys, or situations you want included in the later explicit scenes; feel free to let me know in the reviews! I like to include my readers, and it's more fun if you guys have an input on the smut lol I have several chapters already planned, but it's always nice to hear what the readers want! My tumblr has a list of everything I'm already including, but please feel free to send your kinks you want lol
Anyway, enough monologuing. Enjoy the chapter!
Sanji waited in front of the door with bated breath, hardly able to hear himself think above the rapid beating of his heart in his chest. This was far more nerve wracking than he had ever believed it could be, even though another part of him was practically jumping up and down in excitement. Talking on Skype and texting constantly had definitely made him comfortable enough with Zoro, but the sudden knowledge of knowing he would be face to face with the man was causing his knees to shake.
When a light turned on within the lobby of the building Sanji inhaled sharply, taking a small step back so he wasn't obnoxiously close to the portal as he watched a shadow inside loom nearer. The person blocked out the light for a moment before Sanji heard the click of the lock and then the door was pulled open sharply. As Sanji stared up at the person in the doorway, he would've liked to say that photos and webcam had done the man justice, but they really didn't. Not in the slightest.
Even dressed as he was now, in a pair of dark green shorts and a loose fitting tank, he looked absolutely stunning. Barefoot as he was, Sanji was able to note the impressively sculpted calves of the man that he had no doubt worked on just as much as his upper body. A body that was, unfortunately, hidden under that damned shirt, and yet allowed a tantalizingly peek at his chest and amazingly defined arms.
Unruly green hair, just a tad too long – some strands falling onto his forehead even though from numerous chats online Sanji knew the man had a habit of running a hand through his hair to push it back – but still a vibrant colour that had mostly likely been re-dyed recently. Some strands were sticking up in odd places where it seemed that Zoro couldn't manage to keep them down.
Those dorky glasses were missing, but it only left the man looking more rugged as the lack of frames let his strong jaw become the focus of Sanji's eye sight. Mouth pulling back into a large grin as Zoro's eyes settled on Sanji and his whole face immediately lit up.
"Hey!"
"Hi." Sanji managed lamely, the word coming out more as a shocked breath than an actual greeting as he continued to stare the man up and down. Damn, but he felt like a thirteen year old boy standing on the door step to the house of the girl he had went on his first date with.
"C'mon in." Zoro motioned with his head to inside the clinic, "I was cleaning up the 'physio' room after the patients today."
Sanji only nodded, mentally shaking himself of his stupid jitters as he followed Zoro inside and realized, to his equally annoyed yet arousing dismay, that Zoro was a solid few inches taller than him. Not enough to make him a giant, but it was just enough to be somewhat intimidating and forced him to look up slightly just to maintain eye contact with the man. This caused a small surge of competitiveness which eased the rest of his worry as his mindset immediately switched to needing to prove to the guy that height meant nothing.
"I'd meant to have all the gear put away but a client stayed a bit longer than usual so I didn't get the chance." Zoro explained as he lead Sanji past the quaint receptionist area and back into the rest of the clinic. There was a closed office that was obviously Zoro's, and beyond it was a set of double glass doors leading into a large recreational room.
"It's not a problem." Sanji muttered absently, glancing over the huge gym at all the machines and workout gear spread throughout the area. It was basically a gym; though with a few work out machines that were definitely designed for 'physio' purposes and not intensive workouts. There was also an expansive amount of room in the middle of the gym where mats were laid out.
Seeing them brought forth the reminder that that was the whole reason why he was here in the first place; they were going to spar. And while Zoro hadn't said anything about fucking afterwards, it didn't stop those taunting words that the man had texted him earlier from ringing in his ears. A painful jolt of arousal stabbed him in the gut as his mind helpfully supplied him with the image of them both panting heavily after their fight, they would move forward to kiss passionately and it would escalate until Zoro was pushing him over the rod of a large barbell and fucking his brains out.
Those large, broad hands that were callused from hours of lifting weights would be gripping his hips roughly as he was practically slammed forward into the pinching metal of the barbell from the man's powerful thrusts. Each bucking jerk of the man's hips would have him whining in an impressive mix of pain and pleasure as a pair of perfect teeth would jaggedly clamp down on his shoulder and-
Sanji shook his head, desperately throwing aside the fantasy as he pointedly reminded himself where exactly he was and that imagining stuff like that wasn't helpful at this point. Though, it didn't at all stop his mind from pointing out that situations like those could definitely be happening soon. Taking a quiet breath, he repeated to himself his promise to take it slow and do this whole thing properly.
While Sanji struggled silently with his inner thoughts, Zoro immediately set about picking up the last of the exercising elastics and medicine balls strewn about on the floor. Sanji took the opportunity to spin a full circle to take in the place. It was almost like a private gym and Sanji could guess that it was probably here that Zoro spent several hours after work toning his fantastic body. It was a veritable playground.
"You know I was just teasing about kicking your ass," Zoro mused, dragging Sanji from his thoughts as he turned to see the man standing on the mats a few meters away, hands in his pockets, "I'm just really bad at asking people out for coffee. I thought you might say no."
That had a laugh bubbling from Sanji's chest as he guffawed, "And so you thought threatening to beat me up was a sure fire way to get a date?"
"I don't know." Zoro shrugged, clearly trying to divert attention from his blushing cheeks, "You're the masochist, you might enjoy it more..."
"Mm." Sanji hummed with a playful grin, "Fair enough."
"So..." Zoro trailed off, foot coming up to lightly nudge at the heavy medicine ball by his feet, "Coffee?"
"Oh no." Sanji shook his head with a singsong tone to his words, "You promised me a sparring match. No backing out of it now."
Zoro actually seemed surprised for a moment, brown eyes widening in an adorable way that seemed far too innocent for his hulking figure before excitement settled in and the look vanished. That disbelief was replaced by shadowed eyes and an electric grin that sent sparks shooting down Sanji's spine in arousal. It was hard to decide which look he liked more; innocent or predatory.
"Fine by me." Zoro bit out through a grin, picking up the medicine ball and carrying it effortlessly over to a storage area with the rest of the weight training tools for the 'physio' patients. Throwing it into a box somewhat carelessly he made his way back over to the mats, that look of childish glee still in place, "Want me to go easy on you?"
Sanji scowled at that, already kicking off his shoes so he could go out onto the matted area of the gym, "Fuck no."
Zoro didn't say anything, a simple look of approval causing his lips to quirk in a smile as he allowed Sanji a moment to roll up his pant legs and throw aside his button up shirt. Left standing in just a tank and his baggy work pants, Sanji made his way further onto the mats as he gave a short nod in acknowledgement that he was ready.
"So, watch out for the equipment." Zoro advised absently, eyes glued to Sanji's carefully advancing form, "But otherwise, go nuts."
"I plan to." Sanji smirked, immediately dropping into his standard fighting stance. Knees bent steadily with his left foot forward, right foot poised and ready for the instant Zoro made a move. Keeping his right hand clasped protectively behind his back, he raised his left and watched intently as Zoro first seemed to size up his slightly unorthodox fighting stance before clearly moving on to assessing where to strike first.
And Sanji sized Zoro up in much the same manner, all remaining nervousness was washed away as he fell into the comfortable realm of combat. No talking was needed, and yet he would still be able to converse and express himself to Zoro as much as needed. Suddenly, it was no longer just a sparring match, but it was also the ice breaker.
Darting forward Sanji decided to start things off, not worrying about getting the first hit in – this wasn't a tournament – mostly just with the intent on setting the spar into motion. Zoro reacted instantly, darting forward to match Sanji's steps, arm swiftly lashing out and trying to get an early shot in on Sanji. Responding in turn, he brought his own leg up in a standard high placed roundhouse, and found his shin blocked by Zoro's thrown arm.
Dropping his leg he immediately used his momentum from his failed kick to bring his other up in another brutal sweep which was, once again, narrowly blocked by Zoro. A swift punch was thrown that almost connected with Sanji's solar plexus' and would have ended with him no doubt on his knees, winded.
Managing to agilely twist out of the path of the attack and once more throw himself back at Zoro, he noted the thinly veiled surprise and intense curiosity written across Zoro's face. Clearly the man had not expected to get the fight out of Sanji that he was currently getting, and it only spurred Sanji's fighting spirit to greater heights. Zoro could underestimate him as much as he wanted; all that mattered to Sanji was the reverence that'd be directed his way when he proved the man wrong and one-upped him.
Newly sparked energy caused him to grin excitedly, as the rush of fighting was beginning to release enough adrenaline that he knew the warm up was over and the real fight was about to start. As he threw himself into his next strike with renewed vigour, he knew Zoro was doing the same. Evidently Zoro was no longer thinking about holding back as he stopped pulling his strikes and instead bodily threw himself into his movements.
Good! Was all that Sanji could think as Zoro expertly ducked under one of his kicks and launched himself at Sanji with eager yet ferocious intensity. This was the type of fight he had wanted. One where Zoro could see just how competent Sanji really was, and also let him show off a little for the older man.
Zoro however seemed to be over playing as well, and seemed determined to knock Sanji down. As Sanji blocked a well-placed knee meant for his ribs, he noted (only a moment too late) the feint as Zoro's fist jerked towards his face sharply. Kicking aside Zoro's knee, Sanji threw himself backwards to avoid the strike. When he fell back his hands caught him effortlessly as he shot his leg up to kick sharply at Zoro's wrist and divert the entire strike simply. Most people would block with the forearm, but this way not only protected his arms, but also caught his opponents off guard in confusion.
Zoro was no different, eyes wandering over Sanji's odd form in obvious condemnation before quickly dodging backwards to narrowly miss getting hit with Sanji's follow through kick. Legs kicking over his head, he pushed himself out of the back bend to once more land solidly on his feet and face off against the green-haired man. As they each took a moment to catch their breath, a smile worked its way onto Zoro's face as he began to chuckle softly and it became oddly contagious as Sanji returned the laugh wholeheartedly.
This was definitely one of the most interesting first dates he had ever had, and yet also one of the most fun. It wasn't like any other awkward first date where he was unable to find anything proper to say to the other person, nor was it like other sparring matches where it was a lamely one sided fight. Instead, it was a perfect mixture of introductory confrontation and wordless banter.
As the laughter died down Sanji could plainly see the spark of merriment and excitement in Zoro's face just before the man darted towards Sanji once more. Serious, yet still looking like a gleeful child, he once more threw a perfectly executed strike towards Sanji's face. Definitely one of Sanji's most interesting first dates...
Block after block he continued to divert Zoro's attacks, as his own were equally futile and he was becoming slightly impatient at his inability to get in any hit on the other man. As Zoro raised his left arm to prepare for a strike, Sanji took his opportunity to throw a kick towards the man's exposed ribs. It was a cheap shot that he usually wouldn't take, but decided for the sake of his childish competitiveness that he take the chance.
Sanji realized the mistake of his impatience the moment after he made it, the little voice in the back of his head softly swearing at his idiocy. His ill placed kick connected far too lightly against Zoro's ribs, allowing the man the snap his arm down and sharply pin his leg against Zoro's side, hand gripping his calf with painful tightness as Zoro's free hand was now free to do whatever he wanted.
The position left him exposed, immobile and unable to block any attack that could be thrown. Balancing on one leg as Zoro's taunting eyes bored into Sanji's. Unspoken, the words passed between them as Zoro mentally gave himself a point for the fight as a situation like this would immediately cost him a match in any legal tournament.
Instead of following through on a cheap shot, Zoro shifted his stance as he prepared to obviously guide Sanji into a flip to then slam him into the mats. Just as Zoro's brought his other hand up to assist with the flip Sanji scowled, not up for letting the man do what he wanted so easily. Shifting his own weight dramatically, he dropped a hand back to brace against the floor as he lifted his other leg to lash out in a swift kick.
Foot harshly clipping Zoro's ear as the man released his other leg with a hiss as Sanji spun out of the attack and put a solid few meters between them as he watched Zoro cautiously. Zoro's hand remained poised at the side of his head, before slowly lowering as he sent a dark smirk Sanji's way. It was a shadowed kind of grin that set Sanji's blood on fire and caused a lurch in his gut and as Zoro launched towards him he felt like a prey under a pouncing tiger.
It became a flurry of ruthlessly executed kicks and punches followed through by equally impressive blocks and dodges as Sanji was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to land a solid incapacitating blow. As he narrowly avoided a perfectly thrown left jab he began to realize he probably wouldn't be able to last much longer before Zoro would manage to land a hit. Sanji had agility on his side, but Zoro's stamina was easily a match for him and it was quickly deteriorating into a waiting game between who would slip up first.
As he felt the ridge of a mat under his foot he realized with slight annoyance that Zoro had been managing to slowly make Sanji back up. This little bit of knowledge that Zoro's offensive was slightly overpowering him caused him to scowl in annoyance as he threw himself wholly into his next attack. Kicking aside both of Zoro's arms as he leaped up, leg lashing out for Zoro's head.
When Zoro managed to duck the kick with only the top of his head getting grazed, Sanji knew his move had been suicidal as Zoro now had the complete advantage. Before his foot could even touch the ground Zoro was throwing a hit – clearly restrained in force – as he seemed to be giving Sanji a chance to block. Huffing at the man's courtesy he landed on the mat, foot clipping the uneven ridge between two mats as he fumbled and the punch followed through with stark intensity.
Lying flat on the mats, there was an incessant ringing in his ears and a burning sensation began to take place from the epicentre of where the blow landed. Sanji remained still for a moment in shock. He realized the hit had been much harsher than anything he had really experienced to date, as a bit of blackness edged at his vision. He could tell Zoro had restrained himself in the punch but it didn't stop Sanji from blinking up blearily through the pain in mild awe at the man's strength.
And Sanji loved it.
Being thrown down like this, feeling the adrenaline run through his veins as each pounding throb in the side of his head was the rushing of blood through his brain. Thrill causing his fingertips to tingle icily as the pain knocked aside the numbing effect of the adrenaline and brought everything back into ripe clarity. Excitement pounded through his body as he could feel his entire form practically shaking in its fatigue. It was exhilarating...
In the distant haze of his hearing he could hear Zoro cuss in worry, vaguely see him dropping his guard as he began to make his way over. Smirking through his daze, Sanji's competitiveness won out as he decided to show the man that it'd take more than just a punch to take him down. Zoro wanted a sexual partner that could match him? Then Sanji was sure as hell going to give him one.
Hands placed on the ground on either side of his head he kicked his legs into the air, arms assisting as he fully launched himself from his laying position back to his feet. Only giving Zoro a moment for confusion before spinning out of his landing and connecting the side of his foot directly to Zoro's head, sending the man sprawling on the mats with a grunt and look of pure shock.
Swallowing thickly, Sanji shook off the last vestiges of his daze as he planted his feet in a secure fighting stance, arms rising expertly as he drew a slick tongue across chapped lips. Eyes sharply glaring Zoro down through his bangs as his flyaway hair fell into his eyes, and Zoro remained lying on the mats, propped up on an arm in confusion as he watched Sanji with a look nothing short of awe.
"We're only getting started." Sanji muttered, watching Zoro heatedly as the man still seemed too surprised to make a move. "Don't start dropping your guard now."
The words seemed to snap Zoro out of whatever surprise had rendered him immobile, as a large grin split his face and he was jumping back to his feet, already launching himself at Sanji once more as the real fight began. Sanji couldn't remember the last time he fought like this. At practice it was always theory, and motions, and being weary of his partner's pain tolerance. Even at tournaments it only went as far as a solidly landed hit before the match was called the adrenaline was washed away. But with this; this was a real fight.
As the wear of the fight stared to take its toll Sanji was beginning to notice more and more as each of them slipped up, and blows were being landed more frequently. It was a stupid mistake, in hindsight, and as Zoro's hand clasped around his foolishly unguarded wrist he knew the match was over. Jerking Sanji bodily by his arm, Zoro's other leg shot out and clipped the back of his heel in a perfect foot sweep. His legs were sent sprawling out from underneath him as Zoro pounded him down into the mats, landing heavily on top of him a moment later.
Winded, Sanji still put up an effort to struggle, but it wasn't long before Zoro finally managed to pin him, legs caught under a pinching knee braced across his thighs and two large, calloused hands gripping Sanji's wrists in a secure grip. Panting, inches away from Sanji's face, as sweat was running hotly down the side of the man's face, his hot gasps were washing over Sanji's chest.
It took a moment for Sanji to realize the erotic nature of the situation and quickly gazed up at Zoro, noting the same mischievous look reflected there before it seemed to be forcefully washed away. Hands gently loosened their grip as he pulled away from Sanji, remaining sitting on his lap for a moment watching Sanji with a heated gaze before pushing himself up and off the blond.
As Zoro remained sitting, panting quietly as he was clearly recovering from their strenuous fight, Sanji took the opportunity to remain on the ground, catching his breath as he stared up at the ceiling in a fatigued daze, body still throbbing excitedly from all the blood rushing through him from the fight. However, he could feel the beginnings of deeper throbbing that would no doubt become bruises in the near future.
"Not bad." Sanji finally admitted reluctantly, a bit annoyed that the man had managed to get the upper hand in the end, but at the same time thoroughly impressed. Despite having lost in the end, he couldn't get over how amazing the sparring had been; he hadn't been this worked up in ages.
Zoro glanced over his shoulder, an eyebrow cocked humorously as the corner of his lip was jerking up in a tiny smirk that clearly stated how hilarious he found Sanji's compliment. Before Sanji could stutter out another reply Zoro jerked his head toward the exit of the gym, "C'mon, let's go get patched up."
Feeling rather comfortable on the sparring mats Sanji let out a childish whine, "I don't need to be patched up. I'm fine."
"Trust me." Zoro chuckled, pushing himself to his knees as he scooped his arms under Sanji's armpits and tugged him into a sitting position, "You'll thank me later."
Casting a glance over his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes at the man playfully, "You should look yourself over before telling others to get 'patched up'."
"Alright." Zoro rolled his eyes, "I will too. Just come on."
Fighting with the man just a little bit longer – if only to annoy him – he finally gave in and pushed himself to his feet and followed. Grabbing his shoes and discarded shirt on the way out, he was beginning to feel the strain of the fight settling into his muscles and stiffening his back slightly. The walk wasn't far and, as Sanji had suspected, the closed room was indeed Zoro's office as the man lead them inside and turned on the light.
In the small medical room, Zoro pulled out a cushioned stool for Sanji to sit on while Zoro pulled out and straddled a stool of his own as he sat in front of Sanji. Ignoring Sanji's earlier comments, his surprisingly gentle hands took hold of Sanji's arm and begun putting it through some basic motions; testing the limits of its flexibility carefully, before twisting the joint to check for any pressure points that might have been damaged in the fight.
"I'm fine." Sanji reiterated through a huff as the older man took a careful grip on his upper arm, before slowly beginning to work his elbow in an odd sort of rotation. It felt funny, but at the same time stretched the worn ligaments in just the right way to become instantly relaxing.
"I'm the doctor, aren't I?" Zoro drawled back with a smirk, "Trust me; you'll appreciate this when you wake up tomorrow and don't feel like you got hit by a truck."
"Confident that you gave me that good of a beating?" Sanji replied snarkily, raising a taunting eyebrow but doing nothing to remove his arm from Zoro's hold; revelling in the amazingly gentle touch of those strong hands that had, to date, only thrown him down into the floor. He had fantasized about them for a while, but they were much nicer than any fantasy.
"I'm confident enough to know that I can dislocate your shoulder right now if you don't stop sassing me." Zoro bit out, pausing in his careful movements to shift his grip and begin to put pressure on Sanji's shoulder. With a goading look, Sanji met Zoro's eyes, but as he glared the man down he quickly noted the resolve hidden there; Zoro was definitely the type to follow through on something like that.
"Alright. Alright. Jeez." Sanji rolled his eyes though was unable to keep the smile from working its way onto his cheeks, "Do you usually threaten all of your first dates?"
"Only the really annoying ones." Zoro grunted, doing a final motion test with Sanji's elbow before releasing it with a satisfied sound, turning to Sanji's jaw and assessing the bruise beginning to blossom, "Besides. If I injure you then I get to see you every day for physiotherapy."
"Ah, so that's how you get your dates to stick around." Sanji concluded with a grin as Zoro started doing the same motions with Sanji's other arm, giving it the same gentle treatment that was melting Sanji's bones in pleasure. He hadn't ever had a proper massage before, but if it was anything like what Zoro was doing; he realized he must've been missing out.
"Oh, shut it!" Zoro snapped through a smile, hands releasing his arm in order to reach down and scoop up one of Sanji's feet. Pulling the appendage into his lap, Sanji allowed it as he watched the older man lightly. Hands were again set to work on pulling the fatigue from the skin and replacing it with a tingling rejuvenation.
Leaning back slightly in his seat, Sanji allowed himself to enjoy the special treatment for the time being as Zoro's hands worked up his ankle to his calf before eventually starting on the other foot. Putting his freshly massaged leg down on the floor he couldn't help but smile at how drastically better he already felt from the small bit of rotating and tendon massaging that Zoro had performed.
"Mm." Sanji hummed in approval, eyes sliding shut as he focused more intently on the skilled hands working along the sole of his foot and making the ankle joint sing in bliss. Damn, but the man knew his way around a body... That thought had him blushing instantly and his head snapped back down to look at Zoro in a slight panic. Could he not just have a regular interaction with this man without thinking about something sexual?!
Zoro seemed to catch his distraught panic and paused him his motions to look up at Sanji in worry, "Something wrong?"
"Ah. Nope." Sanji corrected hurriedly, shaking his head before expectantly looking down at his foot for Zoro to continue. "Just not my usual first date."
"How so?" Zoro quirked a brow, keeping his eyes levelled with Sanji's as his hands resumed their work without the aid of his eyesight. Thumb working at a particularly tense spot in the centre of his foot that had him biting the inside of his cheek to keep from making any noise.
"I don't usually get beat up then given a massage..." Sanji intoned with a laugh, "but I did enjoy knocking you on your ass."
"Let's not forget who pinned whom at the end." Zoro huffed, "I believe it was my victory."
"For now." Sanji stuck out his tongue childishly, "Next time I'll make sure to knock you out."
The sudden jerk was unexpected as Zoro's hand quickly shifted from cradling his foot to securely gripping his ankle and he was bodily dragged forward. Wheels of the stool squeaking lightly as the chair rolled forward until it bumped against Zoro's and Sanji was left to make an undignified noise at the sudden closeness. His leg practically over Zoro's shoulder as the doctor refused to loosen his grip, Sanji's other leg had slid underneath Zoro's chair and he was left basically pelvis to pelvis with the other man.
Even as Sanji was infinitely aware of Zoro practically straddling his lower body, Zoro didn't seem the least bit perturbed as he leaned into Sanji's personal space. Hand still on his ankle, keeping Sanji from leaning away any more than he wanted as Zoro smirked playful, "Is that so?"
Eyes flicking down swiftly to note their position before back up again, he fought with every remaining ounce of dignity to keep down his blush as he bit back, "Damn straight."
"Mm?" Zoro rumbled the sound of interest in his throat as his other hand came up, sliding along Sanji's lower calf before fingers came up to brush across his upper thigh. For a moment Sanji wondered just how far the man intended to keep the motion going, before it diverted to playfully tug at one of the buttons on Sanji's shirt and drag the blond even closer towards smirking lips, "I look forward to it."
Sanji didn't even care if they were still in the beginnings of this odd sexual relationship, could hardly worry about the fact that they hadn't even discussed basic ground rules for their kinky sex; all he knew was that his limits were already being tested. The yearning to just dart forward and kiss those lips was becoming stronger by the second, and he really was beginning to hate that he promised himself to take this slow.
Zoro's lips were inches from his own, those eyes promising so much and reflecting the exact same want that Sanji knew was in his own eyes. Yet just as he was sure the tension had snapped, just as he became positive that Zoro was going to lean forward and seal their fate; it didn't happen.
A friendly smile fell into place over Zoro's lips, hand on his ankle loosening as the physician drew away with an innocent look and unabashed grin. Playing dumb as he lowered Sanji's leg back to the floor, glancing Sanji over as he commented, "Well, I think that's all for now. You shouldn't have any problems with cramping tomorrow."
Without Zoro holding up his leg, he slowly lowered it back to the floor as Zoro pushed himself up and off his chair, sparing Sanji an innocent glance as the blond stared back up, slightly betrayed and annoyed. Sanji could blatantly see the jest tugging at the corners of the man's lips as he obviously was enjoying leaving Sanji hanging.
"C'mon." Zoro grinned, pushing his chair away under his desk, "Let's go get that coffee now."
Sanji remained in his seat, disgruntled for only a moment or two longer before giving and shrugging, "Alright, why not."
As Zoro left the room to go get changed from his workout clothes, Sanji couldn't help but watch the retreating man's back with slight disdain. Zoro was already fantastic at playing him; getting under Sanji's skin and making him squirm without more than a look and a casual touch. Sanji had never found himself so easily riled before, and already was beginning to wonder how far Zoro could take these mental manipulations in the bedroom.
Brushing aside his curious thoughts, he put his socks and shoes back on before standing and pulling on his shirt. Absently he glanced around the stereotypical doctor's office as practised hands did up the front of his shirt with ease. By the time he had readjusted the cuffs he could hear Zoro making his way back to the room, footsteps loud on the linoleum floor of the empty building.
"Alright, c'mon." Zoro chirped happily, popping around the corner of the office and glancing at Sanji, "It's just a few blocks down, so I won't keep you too late."
"Naw." Sanji waved off the worry as glanced over Zoro's now dressed form. The straight cut jeans fitting the man perfectly as a dark green hoodie hid the rest of his amazing frame from Sanji's ogling view. However, the lack of eye-candy was made up for by the fact that the man had replaced his glasses on his nose and looked absolutely ravishing. "I don't have to work tomorrow till later."
"Still," Zoro mused as he led Sanji out of the building, unaware of Sanji's eyes glued to his jean clad rear, "Wouldn't want to break mummy's curfew."
"Oh fuck off." Sanji scoffed as he stepped out onto the front step, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blazer while waiting for Zoro to lock up the place, "I'm not that young."
Pocketing his keys, Zoro turned to Sanji with a taunting smirk, "You're only like 21, right?"
"So?" Sanji snapped, puffing his chest out slightly as he narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Aw." Zoro's goading look broke, falling away as his face softened into a more coddling gaze as a calloused hand came up to cradle Sanji's jaw lightly, "Little twink."
Sanji's eyes widened in shock, before the look of outrage replaced it and he yelped indignantly, "Am not."
Zoro just started guffawing at that, and Sanji swiftly smacked his hand away and made to grab the man. Zoro easily dodged it however and took off down the street running as Sanji booked it after him. Not sure whether he wanted to catch him to kick him, or to simply just grind his knuckles into the moss-head's face in annoyance.
Turned out that when Zoro was running, he also tended to not look where he was going and they ended up down a random street which in turn caused the physician have to stop his teasing as he looked around in confusion. As Sanji watched the slightly helpless look flash across the man's face, a thought dawned on him and he spoke without thinking, "You're lost?"
"Am not!" Zoro echoed Sanji's indignant words from earlier as a blush gave him away, scowling in an obvious attempt to try and scare it away as he glanced around the area trying to get his bearings.
"Oh my god," Sanji snorted into his hand, "You totally are! Does this happen often?"
"No!" Zoro snapped quickly, which was enough of a hint that it probably did happen a lot, before taking off in the direction that had originally come from, "Only when I'm being distracted."
"Hm..." Sanji grinned knowingly, "You seem to get distracted quite a lot when I'm around. What a terrible coincidence..."
"You know it's not a coincidence, you mouthy little insect repellant." Zoro scoffed, eyes flickering over Sanji momentarily before returning to the street ahead.
"Excuse you?!" Sanji balked. "Moss-head!"
Raising a brow, Zoro remained silent for a moment before a grin stretched across Zoro's face, "Curly."
"Muscle-brain."
"Tech-monkey."
"Pervy doctor."
"Dumb blond."
The constant banter continued the entire way back out onto the proper street, names getting thrown and insulting jibes given, even as a humorous grin was splitting both of their faces. It wasn't long before Zoro got them back on track, arguing all the while, and they were able to locate the rustic little coffee shop, which was settled quaintly between two large buildings.
Everything from the entrance to the outer window trimming screamed hipster, but Sanji forcefully kept his sassy comments to himself as Zoro led him inside. There was a fairly impressive line for such a small place, but it wasn't long before they were at the till. Zoro ordered a simple coffee, before insisting on buying something for Sanji as well. Usually Sanji was averse to doting, but let it slide as he figured he could get the guy back for it later.
Drinks in hand they found a small corner of the shop. Taking up one of the small tables that was empty, Sanji tried to bat down the urge to smile dopily as he looked across the small table at Zoro. Going from meeting last week, to Skype-ing, to texting and now to sitting across from each other on a casual date; Sanji couldn't help but feel elated at how easily the whole thing had flowed into place.
Stomping down the urge to say something silly or romantic, Sanji instead worked the lid off of his to-go latte, letting it cool as he clasped it in his hands. Cradling the warmth, he glanced back up at Zoro whom was watching him expectantly.
"What?" Sanji enquired with a grin, never quite knowing with the man whether he wanted to say something and was restraining himself, or if he was simply lost in thought and was just scowling unconsciously.
"Ah well... I know we didn't talk about it much over Skype," Zoro began lightly, seeming calm but playing with the edge of his cup nervously, "but I was thinking we should discuss how exactly this whole relationship is going to work." He glanced up at Sanji before hurriedly adding, "Only if you want."
"Yeah, I'm okay with it." Sanji smiled, oddly finding himself more excited than nervous at the prospect at finally setting this whole thing into motion. Though what exactly they were starting was another matter entirely, and how was it even going to... Oh lord, Sanji was becoming nervous again. Letting out a small groan, that was more of a defeated sigh, he raised a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose lightly.
Zoro chuckled, though his voice sounded concerned when he asked, "What's bothering you?"
"The "new" thing." Sanji muttered, knowing he didn't need to elaborate. Zoro knew very well that he was new to this whole thing and practically inexperienced. Opening his eyes he glanced over at Zoro as the man only watched him fondly.
"Ah." Zoro made a sound of understanding, seemingly mulling it over before grinning. "Well, what do you want to know? Ask me stuff, and I'll explain it to you best I can. From there we can decide what we're going to do."
"I know some of the basics," Sanji replied, "but most of it is pretty confusing – or at least not explained very well – and I just..."
"Where do you want to start?"
"Okay, here's the thing." Sanji started, words somewhat rushed as he fiddled with the cup in his hands idly, "I know what I like. And I realize I requested a Dom/sub relationship. What I don't understand is just all the different names for all the different types of relationships. Did I get the name right? Are they the same or...?"
"There's definitely variants." Zoro disclosed casually, "I'm not too good on specifics, but most of it is dependent on the scale of power control within the relationship. You can give it names and terms, but in the end it's completely up to you on how you want the whole relationship to go. There's no laid down set of rules on how you have to do it."
"But there are different extremes on that scale?"
"Yeah, sure." Zoro nodded, "You can get to the far end where you're dealing with Master/Slave and Pet relationships, or you can be at the other end where it's simply a person with a pain kink. Either way, it doesn't matter what name you give it as long as you are doing it the way that is comfortable for you."
"So a Master/Slave and Dom/sub relationship are different?" Sanji frowned in confusion, he had been pretty sure that they were synonymous.
"Yeah. Pretty different." Zoro chuckled, "A Master/Slave relationship is exactly what it sounds like; it's more than just sexual; it's like a twenty-four hour commitment."
"I'm not following." Sanji deadpanned.
"Basically it consists of the Master having constant control over the Slave's life; work, clothes, friends, eating habits." Zoro explained simply, "The Slave is usually marked with a collar, and the Master acts just as the role implies. He or she is in charge of the relationship and the Slave's life."
Sanji's eyes widened slightly at that. That was a bit of information that he hadn't been aware of, he was actually bit intrigued by how such a constant relationship would work. Though a part of him could understand the sexually invigorating parts to it, another part of him found the idea of having his daily life controlled a bit more annoying than arousing. Sex was like an escape, he didn't want that same chaotic escape becoming part of his life as well.
"From the look on your face I can tell that's not your thing." Zoro chuckled.
"No..." Sanji hummed cautiously, not wanting to seem rude, "I think that's a bit too intense for me."
"I figured." Zoro shrugged, "Not really my thing either."
"Yeah..." Sanji muttered, "So how is a Dom/sub different?"
"It's almost the same thing, but just in the bed room." Zoro waved off Sanji's worries, "Outside of it, the relationship is completely normal. Although I've known some Doms who still do the collar thing, but that's a preference."
"Ah." Sanji made a noise of understanding, "Okay, pretty big difference between the two then."
"Yeah, a bit." Zoro shrugged, "But then again, you can have the relationship work however you want. I've known Master's with pretty tame relationships; you don't have to follow a standard set of rules. It's like any other relationship out there; you control it."
Zoro's words lifted a weight Sanji hadn't even realized had been weighing on his shoulders and he perked up slightly, "So we do this how we want?"
"Absolutely." Zoro nodded seriously, "Though we'll still do a contract."
"A contract?" Sanji repeated, feeling a little weird constantly parroting all of Zoro's words. It also made him realize just how ignorant he truly was to all of these terms and vocabulary.
"Not exactly, just a standard agreement on everything we're consenting to do together." Zoro corrected with a chuckle. "Things like after-care, hard limits, safe-words. That stuff."
Sanji stared up at Zoro quietly, once more berating himself for not understanding half the words the man had just spoken, not to mention feeling horribly embarrassed by seeming like such an idiot.
"Sorry, but what?" Sanji gave a nervous breath of laughter, "I only understood one word from that."
"After-care is just as it sounds." Zoro waved a hand, "When we're done I'll properly take care of you; clean you, talk to you, sleep with you. This stuff is incredibly mentally and physically taxing so the after-care is just as important as the foreplay."
"I did not know that." Sanji mused lightly, his voice soft but his mind raging as he contemplated the idea. He'd had no idea that such a thing even existed in BDSM relationships; sure Sadi had always patched him up after her little whip escapades, but he hadn't thought that that was a necessary part of the exchange. He had no idea that clean-up was such a clear obligation for the Dom.
"Yeah." Zoro nodded, voice somewhat serious, "Doms who don't do that are pretty heavily looked down on."
Sanji vaguely thought back to some of the rash, dirty replies he had received for his post on Grand Line and wondered how many of them would have properly taken after-care into account. Let alone even know what it was. Glancing over at Zoro Sanji was beginning to feel grateful in his choice to pick someone patient and actually willing to properly teach him these things.
As Zoro tentatively took a sip of his coffee, Sanji took a large gulp of his cooling drink as he asked his next question, "What about hard limits?"
"Hard limits and soft limits are things that you don't want to do." Zoro explained, setting down his cup, "A hard limit is something that you never want done. Any certain kinks, or toys that are a serious uncomfortable area you just need to label as one. A soft limit is something that makes you uncomfortable, but you might consider it at some point in the future. Regardless though, both are limits you can set, and I don't cross them. Ever."
The last word was punctuated harshly, with a seriousness that made Sanji not only relieved, but respectful of the notion all at once. The more and more he was hearing about these rules, the more it seemed that aside from the actual act of sex itself, Sanji would have most of the control in the situation. Something that was extremely encouraging and also stress-relieving.
"And as for safewords..." Zoro gave a sly grin, "I have a feeling you know that already."
"Yeah, that I figured out on my own." Sanji returned the smirk before asking, "Anything else?"
"Not really." Zoro shrugged, "Rest is just how you want the relationship to go. Dating fully? Sex only? Though I think we already decided on dating, yeah?"
Sanji nodded, trying not to let his excitement show through too much as a smile lit up his face. It'd been a fair bit since his last online relationship, but this had already become infinitely more exciting and interesting.
"So, yeah." Zoro concluded with a grin, "Take your time with thinking on your hard limits, and we'll just enjoy the time being for now. I honestly enjoy just hanging with you."
"You don't mind waiting?" Sanji knew that he had asked questions like this before, but he couldn't help but worry that perhaps Zoro's patience was getting tested as much as Sanji's was...
"Not at all." Zoro smirked, a flash of teeth visible as his eyes sparked lightly, "It gives me a chance to watch you and work out your ticks."
"My ticks?" Sanji asked through a chuckle, not quite expecting that sort of reply, "What do you mean?"
"I have a very..." Zoro paused for a moment, eyes flickering up as though trying to grasp for the proper word from the air before glancing back down at Sanji with a smirk, "peculiar way with how I start my relationships."
"Oh?" Sanji mocked before taking a tentative sip of his still fairly hot latte, "And having me try and kick the shit out of you wasn't peculiar enough?"
Zoro hummed lightly, eyes glancing away as he pretended to be thinking it over before grinning, "Fair enough."
Sanji only chuckled lightly as he tried not to get too distracted by how adorable the man looked with his glasses, forcing himself back into the conversation as he reiterated his confusion from before. "What'd you mean by 'work out my ticks'?"
"I study people's bodies for a living." Zoro stated as though it explained everything, "So I find it kinda fun trying to map out your body before getting to even touch it."
Sanji was glad he hadn't been taking a sip of his drink because he was pretty sure he would have snorted into it or threatened choking himself. Instead he just made an awkward whine in the back of his throat as he felt his cheeks drastically warm due to the oddly erotic words. Damn, but the man always threw those incredibly hot one liners at him out of nowhere like they weren't the sexiest fucking things ever.
Trying to place his blush off as embarrassed instead of awkwardly aroused he raised a curious eyebrow at the physician, "Oh really? Think you can read me that well can you?"
Zoro's eyes sparked lightly at the challenge, "I think I can try."
"Alright..." Sanji hummed, deciding to humour the man, "What can you tell about me already?"
"A few things actually." Zoro sneered playfully.
"No," Sanji taunted, "Right now, just sitting here. What can you tell about me?"
"Ok. Um..." Zoro breathed a sigh, eyes darting over Sanji's limited visible physique, brows furrowing as he seemed to be looking for something that Sanji couldn't well guess. After a moment of careful watching Zoro finally nodded before looking back up at Sanji.
"You're right handed, yet favour your left carefully." Zoro gently reached out and snagged Sanji's left hand in his, index finger softly running over the three prominent scars on his thumb as well as the others that littered his hands. "You have scars, more so on your left than right. This means you do a kind of work where you handle a tool in your right and hold an object in your left. Simple slip of a tool and you end up nicking your left hand."
"That's weird." Sanji finally hummed, though not bothering to remove his hand from Zoro's, "But you already knew I worked in Tech with electronics; that's a pretty easy guess."
"Fine." Zoro shrugged with a chuckle, "Give me a person here."
"Okay." Sanji agreed slowly, before glancing around the small cafe, noting several people in line and pointing to a rather young woman third in line, "Her."
Zoro turned casually, hands still holding Sanji's as his thumb began to caress the skin gently as he began to assess the woman. She didn't do much, shifted weight from hip to hip as she tiredly waited in line for her drink, and pulled out her phone to text someone before Zoro turned back to Sanji.
"Rather tall, yet proper muscle growth." Zoro listed off slowly, "Definitely does a form of sport. She has an old ankle injury that you can see in the way she leans on it. Hip leans higher on the right leg because she can't put as much pressure on it. Most ankle injuries come from a high intensity sport, so I'm assuming she plays soccer or something like that."
Sanji stared at Zoro in disbelief for a moment as Zoro just stared deadpanned right back.
"You're making that up."
"Am not." Zoro snorted, "Watch. When she goes up to the counter, she'll probably have a slight limp in her left leg."
They waited quietly, and true enough, when she stepped forward to the till to order a drink she had a slight limp in her left leg. It wasn't incredibly noticeable – only if you were really looking for it – but there it was, and Zoro was grinning like the bastard he was; smug in his victory after obviously finding the shock written across Sanji's face. Scowling, Sanji wasn't about to give in and admit how impressed he was to the man just yet.
"How do you know it's a result of soccer?" Sanji snapped quickly, scrambling for any bit of evidence he could use to knock the man off his high horse, "She could've twisted it doing anything."
"She has a little soccer ball key-chain on her phone." Zoro replied easily, his smug, confident grin cutting deep as Sanji only narrowed his eyes at the egotistical man. Eyes shifting to her once more he found that indeed, just as Zoro said, a little key-chain hung innocently from her phone.
"Okay. Okay." Sanji held up his free hand in defeat, knowing a lost battle when he saw one, "You are good."
"It's my job." Zoro chuckled, "I couldn't very well help people with internal injuries if I wasn't able to see what they are."
"Well..." Sanji paused, nodding softly and gracing the man with an impressed look, "You do it well."
"Ooh." Zoro perked up, "A compliment on the first date?"
"Yeah. Yeah." Sanji waved his hand dismissively with a roll of his eyes, "You can write about it in your diary tonight."
"How'd you know?!" Zoro balked, but the large grin on his face completely gave away his false horror, breaking out into chuckles before resting his chin in his palm. Tilting his head slightly as he watched Sanji through soft eyes, "I'll have to write all about our date..."
"Oh yeah?" Sanji murmured, going along with the man, "What about?"
"Mm." Zoro mumbled through a shrug as his grin turned positively wicked, "How pretty you are..."
"Shut up." Sanji scowled, glancing away as he took a heavily gulp of his cooling coffee, ignoring the cackles of the other man. Focusing intently on the sugary caffeine, he tried ignoring the humoured eyes that were watching him.
"Did it take you long to learn how to study people like that?" Sanji asked pointedly, hoping the diversion of conversation would get Zoro to stop teasing him.
"It's actually not that hard." Zoro offered casually, "The hard part is just having the medical knowledge to assess what is wrong with the patient; but anyone with a set of eyes can see the faults in the human body."
"Really?" Sanji quirked a curled brow at the challenge, "So you could teach me?"
"You already know how." Zoro smirked back.
"Oh?"
"I've already fought you." Zoro explained, "You are a perceptive fighter. You watch your opponent's movements before striking. You get what I'm talking about, right?"
"You mean like by how they shift their weight on their feet, or angle their shoulders?" Sanji offered, taking another sip from his latte.
"Precisely." Zoro replied, "Kinesiology just takes those basics a step further, studying the human body with ligaments and muscles in mind. You may not be able to diagnose a person, but if I had asked you to watch that girl with a fighting mind set; you would have easily pointed out that she had a weak left leg."
"You better stop." Sanji warned lightly.
Zoro's eyes widened slightly, a flash of concern and confusion crossing his face, "Why?"
"My ego is big enough without you stroking it." Sanji smirked playfully.
"I'll stroke something of yours."
Once again, Sanji was caught off guard with how casual Zoro managed to say such a sexual comment – making it seem as though he were merely conversing about the weather – face remaining impassive as he continued watching Sanji calmly. Catching himself before a blush could give him away Sanji replied quickly, "I look forward to it."
"Don't worry." Zoro assured as he took a gulp of his coffee, "I always stroke my sub's hair before putting them to bed."
"-ah." Sanji's words died in his throat at the clearly joking reply, balking for a moment for how to respond before nodding stiffly and huffing, "Good."
Zoro, of course, seemed completely aware of Sanji's derailed replied and laughed lightly at his expense, before shrugging lightly, "But yeah, any other questions about the whole relationship thing, or...?"
"Nope. I'm pretty good." Sanji replied, still watching Zoro intently for any other sarcastic remarks from the man, "If I think of anything I'll ask, but I guess for now I'll just work on making that list of limits."
"No rush." Zoro chuckled, "I don't really mind. I'm looking forward to just hanging out with you some more. You're fun to rile up."
"Congrats." Sanji snorted, "You get under my skin; good job."
Zoro smiled broadly like he had been given the best possible compliment before taking the finishing swig of his coffee, tossing the empty cup into a receptacle behind Sanji. Smug look still plastered across his handsome face as he glanced down at his wristwatch and muttered, "'Bout ready to go? It's getting pretty late."
"Yeah, I'm good." Sanji nodded, standing as he finished off his latte in the same quick fashion and tossed it into the trash as he followed Zoro towards the entrance.
"Did you drive?" Zoro asked absently as they exited the cafe.
"Naw, bus." Sanji grunted as he already set about pulling a fresh cigarette from his pocket and lighting up. After a heady drag he explained, "Don't really like using any vehicles if I can avoid them."
"Hm." Zoro nodded at that before glancing sidelong at the blond, "So would you accept a ride from me or...?"
Eyes flashing, Sanji grinned toothily around his smoke, "I'll accept a 'ride' from you any day."
From the sudden widening of the man's eyes and the light blush that lit up his cheeks, Sanji couldn't help but laugh at the fact that he had finally manage to get one over on the other man without him being ready for it. However the blush was gone as fast as it had appeared and it seemed Zoro was trying his damnedest to appear unaffected by the constant sexual teasing passing between them. If this was Zoro's way of toying with Sanji and prolonging the eventual torture; he was doing a damn fine job of it.
"C'mon blondie." Zoro intoned, ignoring the previous jib, seemingly pretending it hadn't happened, "My car is back at the clinic."
Eyeing the man up for a moment, he rolled his eyes in exasperation before following after him. It seemed that as much as Sanji wanted to draw this relationship out, his worries that Zoro wouldn't want to wait were completely unfounded. If anything, from the way Zoro pretended to be oblivious of the obvious sexual tension between them, it seemed Zoro enjoyed the act of teasing far more than the reward that could come of it.
Sanji couldn't quite tell if that was going to end up being a good thing or a bad thing...
Lost in his pondering, they managed to get back to the clinic without Zoro wandering astray, and soon he was buckled in the passenger seat of the new Toyota Matrix as Zoro pulled out onto the street with an obnoxious squeal of the tires. The radio was blasting some insufferable form of dub-step as Sanji gave Zoro his address and Sanji relaxed, watching as Zoro drove him home.
It wasn't long before Zoro pulled up in front of Sanji's apartment complex, though he had oddly gotten turned around at one intersection and going down an unnecessary street before getting back onto the main road. Sanji hadn't said anything because the man might not have driven in this area of the city before, but he had an inkling that Zoro was the type to inadvertently get lost every so often. Hopefully the man would be able to find the way home.
Hopping out, he turned to bid the man farewell only to find Zoro climbing out as well. Sanji's first thought was that Zoro intended to join him, and that simultaneously caused his brain to scream in excitement and fear all at once. Instead a weird sort of noise started in the back of his throat, only to be silenced as he saw Zoro leave his keys in the car while coming around to Sanji's side of the vehicle.
Gazing up at the complex, Zoro nodded lightly mouth quirking in his obvious appreciation before turning to Sanji, "Nice place."
"What?" Sanji grinned, "Thought I lived in a rundown apartment?"
"Well you do work at Apple..."Zoro started innocently, before breaking out into laughter as Sanji lightly kicked at his shins in playful annoyance. Bringing his leg up to block the kicks as best he could Zoro chuckled, "Kidding. Kidding."
Sanji rolled his eyes with a huff, turning away from the man and toward his home as he pretended to be unimpressed by Zoro's teasing. After two steps he paused and awkwardly wondered how exactly he was supposed to end their 'date'. Was he supposed to turn back and give Zoro a kiss? Or at this point was it still just a simple farewell before they each went their separate ways? Should he tell Zoro when they should go on their next date?
"Hey-" Sanji turned, words dying on his tongue as he came face to face with Zoro, the man having snuck up behind him in those few moments that he had looked away to make his way inside.
A large hand tucked under his chin, fingers and thumb gripping his jaw in a controlling hold as he was dragged forward while Zoro leaned in just as swiftly. Perfect white teeth were exposed in a devilish grin while sharp calculating eyes wandered over Sanji's face for a moment before coming back to rest on Sanji's wide blue ones. The curiosity and nervousness must have shone through because Zoro chuckled lightly, breaking the heavy tension with the simple action.
"Text me your next free day?" Zoro murmured low against Sanji's slightly parted lips, letting the man's minty fresh breath wash over him as he restrained from leaning forward and tasting that perfect mouth.
Instead he continued to stare up somewhat dizzily before muttering breathlessly, "Yeah..."
Zoro's eyes flickered over Sanji's face once more and Sanji began to tilt his chin upwards, expecting a farewell kiss before the man would have to leave. And for a solid moment it felt like Zoro was going to complete the motion, tug him forward and slant his lips over the blonds boldly, but the moment passed with no further contact. Sanji lifted his expectant eyes from Zoro's lips on to find Zoro smirking confidently as he slowly released his hold on Sanji, pulling away completely with a devious glint in his eye.
"Call me."
Was all that was uttered before Zoro was walking off down the street towards his car and Sanji was left breathing heavily on his own and more than a little disappointed. He understood that from the man's behaviour Zoro clearly liked to play games, and even more so loved the thrill of power tripping, Sanji just hadn't thought the man would immediately get Sanji hard and panting and then leave him alone.
Letting out an annoyed groan he made his way into his apartment, a confusing mixture of heated attraction and livid annoyance towards Zoro making him frown to himself. Trekking up the stairs tiredly as he decided that the moment he got home he was having a hot shower and imagining the damn green-haired man following through on what he should have.
TBC...
A/N: Ah, things moving ahead as planned and only a few more chapters before the fun begins ;) I'm having A LOT of fun writing this! Beta'd by the amazing MistressHasty whom I can't thank enough!