Small Miracles chapter 8

This chapter contains mature content.

Work.

Sanji had been coming to work almost every weekday since summer. He had almost been working there half a year. He'd literally unlocked his locker and put on the rough and black colored work shirt over a hundred times.

But today, Sanji was nervous. No, more like excited. He knew he was five minutes early to clock in, plus he'd already smoked two cigarettes outside the store in an attempt to calm himself down. Sanji rummaged around in his bag, pulling out the shirt Zoro had left at the Baratie last night.

It had been on the counter next to the sink, taunting him with visions of Zoro taking it off and using his shower. Sanji placed the shirt in his locker, determined to return it to Zoro at the end of the work day and ask him out. Yes. That would show his shitty old man.

Sanji took a deep breath, he was going to ask his boss out on a date and hit on him like there was no tomorrow. Great idea. Excellent.

Sanji bit his lower lip and sat down on one of the plastic chairs in the male changing room. He sighed and rubbed at his temples, trying to silence the little voice in his head that was screaming at him to think about the consequences this could have. He'd already messed up by jerking off to his boss several times, now he was going to actually pursue this?

He really wanted Zoro, and not just physically; he wanted his company as well. The only thing that made Zoro's company unpleasant was the occasionally snarky insult and the fact Sanji wasn't allowed to touch the man. The insults weren't bad in and of themselves, he grew up sprouting and taking snarky comments and pointless cursing after all.

So it was just the touching really. If Sanji was allowed to touch...

Sanji's heart started hammering in his chest at the memory: fingers brushing slightly while carrying decorations, occasional kicks under the dinner table, that brush of their legs in the storage room. Sanji's body shuddered at the memory of falling onto Zoro. He could still hardly believe that his old man kicked him down the stairs (no matter how low they were), and that his fall would be so easily broken by Zoro's surprisingly soft body.

The sweater had been thick under his fingers, the fabric bunching up in his palms as he clung to the man's clothing in an attempt to catch himself in the fall. Hands latching onto the hood and shoulder and pulling at the fabric, face buried in the man's chest as he felt thick arms close around his back.

For a second he hadn't heard anything but thundering heartbeat (it could have been his own or Zoro's) and he could practically feel the muscle racing in Zoro's chest. His own heart had been doing the same, and for a single second neither moved, savoring the moment: the heat and smell; the feeling of completeness that shook Sanji to the core and threatened to leave him feeling hollow forever. Sanji's brain threatened to implode at the sound of Zoro's slightly hitched breathing, playing the sound over and over again in his head to make sure it was real.

Pulling away from Zoro had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. Pain bloomed in his chest at just the memory of it; staring down at Zoro's feet to avoid eye contact, telling the man he'd see him later, opening the door and hoping with every fiber of his being that Zoro wouldn't touch him and make it impossible to allow him to leave.

The warmth in Sanji's body seeped out into the cold air, too much of the same flowing into his lungs and cooling him down to the core from the inside. Zoro hadn't moved for a moment and Sanji's heart was desperately beating, calling out to Zoro without the permission of Sanji's brain. His body had been aching, urging him to reach out and touch again, but he'd ignored it, held it back.

Then Zoro left.

Even after Sanji closed the door and locked the cold outside, the room's temperature had dropped and he felt cold all the way to his bones. He didn't feel like crying, he didn't feel like anything. He wanted to go to bed and sleep until work. Much to Sanji's chagrin, Zeff had burst into his old room and challenged him, making all the hard work so far to NOT flirt with Zoro a complete waste.

Sanji sighed and got up, walking to the computer and clocking himself in. This was possibly going to be the longest day at work ever. At least he had all 6 hours of it to contemplate how he was going to ask Zoro out at the end of his shift; not that he'd been able to think about anything else since he made up his mind.

"Sanji! You're early! The shrill voice of a coworker almost gave the blond a heart attack; Perona's footsteps were really silent for a girl on killer heel pumps. Her striped leggings and fluffy skirt shattered her professional image as much as her makeup and gothic Lolita hairpins. Zoro had asked her to dress more modestly for work, but apparently Perona 'never takes fashion advice from cavemen'.

"Ah! Perona-chan~" Sanji cooed at the girl who made her way over to him on her hot pink pumps. "How was Christmas with your boyfriend?" She was much shorter than Sanji in reality, but the extra height from the heels made them practically eyelevel.

"Boyfriend…" Perona looked at him in confusion for a second and Sanji realized she'd most likely lied about needing someone to cover her Christmas shift. Sanji's smile shrunk a molar as irritation set in at the back of his mind, but a man always forgives a woman's lies after all.

He'd also met Zoro properly because of this whole thing, so he wasn't really angry. The pink haired woman seemed to remember asking Sanji with tears in her eyes to cover her shift, and suddenly she smiled at him cutely with a cute wink.

"It was really nice~ You really saved my Christmas!" She said joyfully, sighing wistfully over the apparently wonderful Christmas she had. Sanji let it go, his holiday had been wonderful as well and it was all thanks to Perona.

"Perona-chan, did you know Zoro's the national champion of swordsmanship?" Sanji asked for curiosity's sake, Perona gave him an unimpressed arc of her elegant eyebrow and Sanji hastily added; "I saw him on the sports channel, pretty surprising."

"Not really, He was the champ last year too." Perona said in a bored tone, eyes half lidded as if the conversation was making it physically hard to keep her eyes open. "But of course you don't know that, you just started working here what… 5 months ago?"

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Sanji shrugged a little, grimacing that he'd missed out on all those chances to watch Zoro's matches on TV. The internet footage had been mostly recorded on phone and terrible quality. The only high quality video he found was when Mihawk sliced Zoro up and he was rushed to the emergency ward.

The memory still chilled Sanji to the bones. Crimson arch of blood in the air splattering Mihawk's face and clothing as Zoro fell backwards like a ragdoll.

"Well, we didn't see the point? He was going to quit anyway." Perona looked her black lacquered nails over arrogantly. "He got offered some sponsorship deal and quit. He only had two weeks left of his notice when you came along."

"What?" Sanji stared at her in disbelief, trying to process the information. Zoro had quit this job? Really? They had been so close to not meeting, the idea alone set Sanji on edge.

"Yeah, we don't have any idea either. He just said it was complicated and didn't tell us why. The brand probably bailed on him or something, it's a shame since he was excited about it." Perona's words just added to Sanji's confusion.

"He was… excited?" Sanji blinked, he wasn't sure they were talking about the same Zoro anymore.

"I guess he just really wanted that one particular brand, since old farts in really un-cute suits like to come to the store regularly and offer Zoro deals." Perona sighed dramatically, turning on her high heels and stomping off to the female changing room. "Pity for him; but if I have to suffer in this obnoxious place, I'm glad Zoro and everyone else has to too."

Sanji would have liked to point out how 'un-cute' that statement was, but Perona was giggling to herself as she closed the door to the changing room and Sanji decided to let it be. He wasn't one to argue with a lady after all.

Sanji walked up the stairs to the main floor. The constant sound of cash registers he'd gotten used to hearing so long ago filled his ears, and the smell of the merchandise and multiple people dragging snow into the store filled his senses. The sound of rubber soles on wet tile floor was grating on his sanity and made him long for a smoke.

God he hated retail.

The rest of the day was passed uneventfully. Sanji was stuck on his post, unable to do much more than longingly glance at Zoro when the man walked past, carrying boxes and signing clipboards held out by anxious looking delivery men. They hadn't made eye contact all day, and Sanji had the painfully lingering fear that Zoro was avoiding him.

Had he given up when Sanji quite literally left him in the cold? He supposed Zoro might have misunderstood it, well, there was nothing to misunderstand. Zoro might have drawn the completely logical conclusion that Sanji wasn't interested in him from the way he showed him out the door.

Sanji bit his lower lip, trying to smooth out a barcode on a bag of chips enough for the scanner to read it. After taking the man's payment and giving him back his change and receipt, Sanji smiled to the next customer. A middle aged man who was holding a single can of corn and, assuming from his expression, the can had offended his mother.

"Can I assist you?" Sanji asked as politely as he could, eyeing the three people in line after the frankly furious looking man. He slipped a finger down to the large red button under his register, calling Perona back to her register to ease his line.

The bell chimed and the sound of Perona's heels got closer, the people in line moved over to her register, and Sanji turned fully to the man who was glaring him down; ready to take the rant that was no doubt welling up inside the man.

"I certainly hope so!" The man spat out angrily, slamming the can down on the counter loud enough to startle a passing old lady. Sanji took a deep breath to calm down and looked at the innocent can of corn. He quickly glanced the label over, the product didn't seem to be expired or damaged in any way.

"What seems to be the problem?" Sanji managed to force a smile, picking up the can of corn slowly as one might approach a rabid dog. He held it up and turned it around. The man reached out and snatched it from Sanji's hand, pointing furiously at it and shaking it at the blonde's face.

"THIS BRAND! I do not WANT this brand! Where are the others?!" The man was furious, snarling at Sanji like the corn happened to be his heart medication and Sanji had dumped them into the ocean. "There was NO assistance to be had in the canned food aisle! HORRIBLE service!"

"I apologize Sir; perhaps our 'canned good specialist' happens to be on break. I will assist you as I can." Sanji locked his register and walked the man to the aisle hosting the goods. The man kept ranting about there being no service to be had from these young people today. Sanji ignored it as he'd heard this a thousand times. He wasn't going to lose control of his temper. This wasn't worth it.

"Here is where our stock of corn is kept." Sanji gestured professionally to the row of cans on the shelf.

"And this damn store doesn't have the brand I want! Where is it? It's ALWAYS been right here!" The man pointed angrily to a can of corn on the shelf. Sanji could faintly remember some other logo being on the shelf a long time ago.

"I'm sorry sir. If it's not here we either don't carry it anymore or it happens to be out of stock. It happens occasionally following Christmas." Sanji tried his best to explain, every single can was perfectly displayed, so Kaku had clearly been here to front the shelves this morning. If there was a brand missing, Kaku knew about it.

"If it always happens on Christmas, you should order more you ingrate!" The man snarled, clutching the can. Sanji felt his temper bubbling up in his chest, but he had to keep in check. Disrespecting the customers; no matter how obnoxious they were acting, was against store policy.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

"It does not always happen." Sanji managed to say calmly, his brow twitching in bottled up rage. "We have five other brands sir, I'm sure you can-"

"Don't you argue with me! The customer is always right!" The man howled and, for a second, Sanji was actually afraid he was going to throw the can at his face. "I ALWAYS have that particular brand of corn, I WANT that particular brand of corn and you better go and find some! It's probably somewhere in the back and you are simply too LAZY to go check!"

"Listen up… sir…" Sanji bristled at the insult, the man's voice had become loud enough to attract curious customers. He couldn't for the life of him understand why this person needed that particular brand of damn corn so desperately! "If you could please tell me the name of the brand you want, I can ask our 'canned goods specialist'-"

"I don't remember the damn brand name!" The man shook his finger at Sanji gesturing to the shelf and dragging his hand across the rows, upsetting the flawless fronting that probably took Kaku a long time to accomplish. "It's the one that ISN'T on this shelf!"

"Sir… do you expect me to go and search for a brand by excluding every single brand name-" Sanji began, but the man huffed and crossed his arms petulantly.

"Just use the computer!" The man demanded, clearly not knowing anything about how the computer system in stores and supermarkets worked. "Look it up!"

"That's not possible." Sanji was swallowing his rage, his hands were literally shaking. "That is… not how it works."

"How dare you talk back to me!" the man almost screamed, and Sanji wanted to yell at him to buy another shitty brand of corn for CRYING out loud. It was just fucking CORN. It took all of his self-control to resist screaming at the man's face how utterly insane he was acting.

"What is going on here?" Zoro's voice was like sweet music to Sanji's ears for several reasons. One of them was because the husky baritone WAS sweet music to his ears, the other happened to be the fact that he wasn't going to have to deal with this horrible customer on his own anymore.

"Well this INSUFFERABLY RUDE young man refuses to assist me!" The man growled at Zoro, glaring at him as the green haired man came closer. "I DEMAND to see a manager!"

"I am the manager." Zoro said bluntly, crossing his arms threateningly over his chest, looking more like a wrestler than a manager. The fabric of Zoro's uniform strained on the flex, stretching the logo out as Zoro gestured to the name tag.

'Roronoa Zoro - Store Manager' The color drained instantly from the customer's face and Sanji held his breath and tried not making a sound or bursting out in rude, victorious laughter.

"Well, you see-" The man began, eyes darting from Zoro's bulging muscles to his eye scar, down to the three glistening earrings dangling at his ear. "I wanted another brand of corn, but it's NOT HERE."

"Then it's not here." Zoro said bluntly, almost causing Sanji to lose his cool.

"No you don't understand, it's ALWAYS been here." The man gestured to the shelf, poking one of the cans off to the back. Zoro's brow twitched slightly in annoyance. The customer must have misinterpreted it as some sign of weakness, since his confidence grew and his voice got louder. "And when I asked this… BRAT here to assist me, I was treated rudely!"

Sanji couldn't help but snarl at that, there was only so much disrespect he could take before some of it started showing on his face. Zoro placed a large warm hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze that seemed to siphon all the anger out of Sanji.

"I see. And the problem with these other brands is?" Zoro asked in a bored voice, arching a brow that the man who seemed appalled to be asked such a rude question.

"It is NOT my brand! This is unacceptable!" The man yelled, raising his hand and shaking the can at Zoro's face. "The brand I like has a different logo!"

"What is the brand's name sir?"

"I DO NOT KNOW! YOU SHOULD KNOW! YOU WORK HERE!"

"You say you purchase this can of corn every time?"

"YES!" the man was practically howling in anger. "FOR YEARS! DECADES EVEN!"

"And yet you can't remember the brand name?" Zoro asked again, and the man turned red in the face from a mix of anger and embarrassment. Other customers were laughing at the scene and it seemed to be upsetting the man.

"If the brand isn't here, it is either out of stock or has been taken from shelves." Zoro explained in a slow soothing tone, almost mocking as if he was speaking to a child. "If it will spare you the tantrum, I can call the staff member in charge of the canned goods and ask if he has any clue which it is."

"That is what I have been asking all along!" The man snarled in fury, hands trembling. "DO IT." The man stomped his foot, earning him a death glare from Zoro. The man instantly froze, withdrawing as if Zoro had slapped him across the face.

Zoro pulled a phone from his belt, dialing the inside number for the staff room where Kaku was presumably eating. The customer fiddled around with the can, huffing and mumbling under his breath while avoiding eye contact with Zoro.

"Yo, Kaku." Zoro said after a moment, sounding quite calm about the whole deal. "There's a… geezer here who's bitching at me because his favorite brand of corn isn't on the shelf; are we missing any brands?"

Sanji snorted in amusement, the laughter bubbled from his chest and he tried his best to keep it down. The look on the rude old man's face was priceless. He would have loved to call the asshole a geezer himself, so he was extremely satisfied with Zoro's choice of words.

"GEEZER?" The man snapped in indignation, Zoro gave him a look and turned the phone from his mouth.

"Are you eavesdropping on a private conversation?" Zoro asked casually, and the man shook his head ferociously, taking a step back and staring at the floor. Zoro turned back to the phone, Sanji could faintly hear Kaku's overly polite voice over the clatter of Zoro's earrings.

Without saying good bye on the phone, Zoro hung up and turned to the old man.

"The one brand that is missing on these shelves has been discontinued and will never be in stock again." Zoro said casually gesturing to the other brands. "Apparently there was some sort of medical problem." The swordsman's lips parted in a smug smirk.

"P-problem!?" the man huffed in disbelief. "I don't believe that for a second! I've been eating those corn for decades and I am perfectly healthy!"

"Apparently extended consumption makes people arrogant, rude and petty. It's science." Zoro said casually, and Sanji couldn't help but smirk, that was obvious bullshit, yet Zoro was smiling. "Now I recommend you ask this highly qualified man here for advice on what brand of corn you should change to. He's an educated chef."

The man stared wide eyed at Zoro and then over to Sanji, who squirmed slightly for being gaped at. Feeling a little bad for being given a title he did not technically have, he decided to clarify.

"-Kamabakka cooking school actually."

"A..ah. I see. A pro." The man managed to choke up, turning to the shelf. "S-so… what do you recommend?" Sanji glanced over to Zoro arched a brow at him teasingly, taking a step back to watch.

"This one is popular in restaurants." Sanji gestured to a high end brand, handing the man a can. He couldn't help but gloat a little, so he gestured to the logo with a flourish. "If you are a man of high quality corn that is."

"Ah… yes… I will try these then. Thank you for the assistance." The man said awkwardly, sliding the abused can he'd been carrying since he called Sanji out here back into the shelf before practically running with his tail between his legs and red faced with embarrassment out of the store.

The small crowd that had formed scattered again, leaving Sanji and Zoro alone in the canned goods hallway. Zoro hadn't said a word nor looked at Sanji, and the blond was getting anxious.

"Hey-" Sanji began, but was interrupted by Kaku running towards him.

"Ah! I apologize! I'm here now to assist-" The man looked around, casting a slightly sad glance at the messed up shelf. "You took care of it I assume?"

"Yes, it's taken care of." Zoro sighed and walked to the shelf, crouching and fixing up the cans. Kaku joined him with a thankful look, turning the cans this way and that and pulling them to the front of the shelf.

"Oi, curly, get back to the register and send Perona on her break." Zoro jerked his head to the side, not sparing Sanji a single glance. Damn it. Sanji turned and stomped to the register, faking a smile when a large section of Perona's line scurried over to him in hopes of saving a minute of their day.

How was he supposed to assure Zoro that he was actually interested? He didn't even want to wait until the end of the day anymore, but he couldn't make a move at work. So far, this day wasn't going as planned. Sanji's mood was turning foul.

The day continued to not go as planned at all, Sanji's lunch break dragged late because Perona was a few extra minutes. Naturally Sanji didn't mention this, as he would hate to get a lady in trouble for something as minor as 18 minutes or so.

As soon as he returned though, Perona turned around for a favor.

"Hey, Sanji, It's my turn to refill the coffee and sugar and everything for the staff room, but it's heavy and my wrist hurts." She battered her eyelashes at him, a cute pout on her barbie pink lips. "-and the boxes with the coffee and cups and everything is really high up on the shelf."

"Of course Perona-chan~" His patience would have started to wear thin if Perona wasn't a woman. But he couldn't expect her to carry such heavy things, not the delicate lady~

"Ring the bell if you need assistance on the registers." Sanji headed over to the storage room, flicking the lights on and looking around. The boxes of coffee weren't in their usual place. Sanji had to walk all the way to the back of the storage room, squinting through the meager lighting to read the labels.

"Oi! What is it?" The storage room door opened with a loud thump, heavy footsteps joining Sanji in the room. The blond turned around just as Zoro rounded a corner, the older man paused and his brow fell slightly in confusion. "What? Where is the creepy-girl?"

"Don't call Perona-chan that!" Sanji huffed, crossing his arms. "She asked me to get the coffee because the boxes were heavy."

Zoro glanced around to the storage room like he was half expecting Perona to jump out and scare him. Sanji remembered Perona talking about how she and Zoro had been working together for a few years, just exactly what had the poor marimo had to suffer through to make him so wary?

"Well, the coffee is up there." Zoro gestured to one of the larger boxes on the top shelf. Sanji turned around to glare at it, reaching up and standing on his toes to pull at it, trying to coax it from the shelf. His fingers slipped on the cardboard corner, and the box remained in place.

"I'll do it… shorty cook." Zoro sighed and walked over, reaching up to the box with his extra height and rolling his one functioning eye. Sanji frowned at that, turning to glare at Zoro until he realized how incredibly close the older man was.

When Sanji turned around, his face was almost flushed up against Zoro, the smell of his aftershave assaulting Sanji's senses and the heat rolled off Zoro's body in waves. He was reaching over Sanji, standing with his neck arched as he was focused on the box above them. Sanji's heart was rampaging in his chest, bashing around as if it was attempting to escape its cage.

Zoro's earrings clattered in the soft light, rattling by the sharp curve of Zoro's powerful jaw. Sanji stared captivated for a moment as the man's jaw clenched and relaxed, lips parting slightly as the man cursed under his breath as the box slipped from his hand. The skin on Zoro's jaw looked endlessly tempting, soft and freshly shaven.

' I didn't raise a coward! '

Zeff's booming voice echoed in the back of Sanji's mind, silencing the shrill voice of doubt. That's right, he wasn't a coward. Sanji inhaled as silently as he could, turning half way to the larger man without him noticing. Zoro didn't seem to have noticed how close they were or how Sanji had turned to face him, all his attention on the box slowly sliding to the edge.

Sanji leaned forward in a flash, pressing his lips right above Zoro's jaw, feeling his lips sink slightly into the soft skin on Zoro's cheek. He could feel the jaw under his lips snap shut, tension ran though Zoro's body and the box above them stopped moving.

Wanting to make sure the message got across, Sanji held the kiss for a second before pulling back, the soft sound of lips parting from skin echoing almost maddeningly loud in the storage room. Sanji attempted to back up further to get a good view of Zoro's reaction.

His back hit the shelf and he realized he was trapped, caught between Zoro and the shelves. His heart was beating madly, pumping blood to his face and turning it red. He grinned slightly, unable to hold back the joy of FINALLY acting on some of his feelings. No matter how stupid those feelings really were.

Zoro stared down at him for a moment, his face completely blank and rather stupid looking; but that was nothing new to Sanji. Zoro's one remaining eye was wide in disbelief, and he reached up to touch the spot Sanji kissed tentatively. The blond grimaced slightly, averting his eyes with embarrassment, Zoro wasn't DOING anything damn it!

"Say something mossbrain! I'm putting myself out there and you-" Sanji's argument died in his throat when he turned to glare at Zoro, the man was so close now and his hand wasn't on his cheek anymore. The fingers were at Sanji' shoulder, moving upwards and brushing against Sanji's chin.

The warmth and electric pulse that travelled through every single nerve in Sanji's face ran down Sanji's back in a shiver. Zoro's eye was slightly hooded, the dark gaze flicking down to Sanji's lips and lingering hungrily for a second before their eyes met again.

Zoro's breath ghosted over Sanji's lips and chin, just barely tickling the skin as the older man leant closer. Sanji could feel the warmth, fingers caressing his jaw and tilting his head upwards slightly, giving him every chance to back out as Zoro's lips parted and brushed against Sanji's.

The feeling of Zoro's lips and hot breath on Sanji's mouth threatened to pull a moan from his chest. He wasn't going to let that happen, but Zoro was moving so horribly slow when Sanji needed this NOW. He parted his lips and eased into Zoro's, pressing them together gently and grabbing onto Zoro's shirt to force him to stay.

The moment their lips met, Zoro pressed against Sanji, dragging his lips across parted ones and pulling on them slightly, wet sounds of saliva mixing filled the air as Sanji's tongue darted out to greet Zoro's, inviting it inside to play.

Zoro's extended arm retreated from the box above and slid down the shelf, clinging to the level besides Sanji's head with a white knuckled grip. The flexing of muscle contrasting to the gentle slip of Zoro's hot and eager tongue along the roof of Sanji's mouth, wiping the blond's mind completely blank with a strained breath and a low rumble that seemed to vibrate against Sanji's lips and rattle his heart in his ribcage.

Gradually the kisses became shorter and more frequent, lips pressing against lips as Zoro pulled away, leaving both of them breathing heavily and staring. Zoro's kiss flushed face was perfect, complete with a slight blush and hungry look in his eye made Sanji want to curse himself for not doing this sooner.

He wrapped his arms around Zoro's neck, urging him back towards him and shuddering under Zoro's touch when the older man pressed him against the shelves hungrily. Hesitation was thrown out the window as Zoro groaned loudly against Sanji's lips, kissing at the corner of Sanji's mouth and breathing erotically against his skin.

Sanji's fingers buried in the thick green hair, carefully combed strands fanning over pale fingers as he pulled gently on the locks, turning to capture Zoro's lips with his own. The tension surged in his body, his bones felt hot and liquid, barely capable of holding him up as Zoro seemed intent wiping all previous kisses from Sanji's memory.

Sanji moaned, he wanted Zoro so bad, in every sense of the word and all ways he could think of. He wanted him with him. Beside him. Over him. Behind him. Under him. IN him.

Sanji let out a shuddering breath, his body was aching for everything at once and every single touch against his skin was exactly what he was craving. Sanji hooked his leg around Zoro's waist, pulling himself up and closer to the man. He moaned into the older man's mouth at the friction against his groin, grinding slightly to get more of the pleasure.

There was a creaking sound by Sanji's head, he reluctantly pulled away to see if something was falling off the shelf. Zoro moved his attention to Sanji's neck and jaw, sucking and licking at the skin in a way that threatened to melt Sanji's brain, their breathing was heavy and the smaller man could feel Zoro's hips buckle against him erotically.

The source of the creak was the shelf Zoro was clinging to. Metal was bending slightly from his grip; the shelf was crooked where the screw had broken. Sanji moaned at the sight, arching his body against Zoro who let out a shuddering needy breath against Sanji's collarbone.

"Z…Zoro… touch me…" Sanji's voice came out breathier and more desperate than the blond had wanted, but the shudder that ran down Zoro's back clouded the embarrassment in a haze of arousal. The manager's hand left the creased metal shelf and travelled reverently down Sanji's side, fingers tugging slightly on the fabric of the work shirt.

Sanji let his head fall back when Zoro's left hand ran over his lower back, fingers teasing the back of Sanji's pants while the right one slipped under Sanji's shirt and traced thick calloused fingertips over the uneven surface of his stomach. Every single second of contact against his flesh felt like fire, threatening to burn Sanji alive and he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle the whole hand on his flesh.

"My pleasure…" Zoro groaned into Sanji's ear, kneading on Sanji's behind with one hand and the other caressing the edge of Sanji's chest. "Whenever you want… pervert" Zoro added that last word with a grin against Sanji's jaw, rubbing his fingers against the back of Sanji's pants teasingly.

"You're the pervert, mossy bastaaaahhh-" Sanji tried to argue back, but his words drowned in a moan when Zoro's fingers brushed against his nipple, wiping his mind blank for a blissful second.

Zoro, trailing his hand down Sanji's stomach again as he kissed gently at Sanji's jaw, sucking slightly on the soft skin on the underside as he took a firm hold of Sanji's ass and pulled him up to his waist. Sanji let out a little grunt of approval, using the new leverage to wrap both his legs around Zoro's body and lean over him for a dominating kiss.

Sanji wasn't expecting to be allowed to lead, so when Zoro parted his lips and allowed the smaller man to explore freely, the blond did so eagerly. Aggressively crushing their lips together, he moaned as Zoro's tongue tangled with his. The taste and warmth made Sanji lightheaded, the erotic sounds Zoro made when Sanji sucked on his tongue made Sanji wonder if it was possible to come with just kissing.

Suddenly Sanji's entire body jolted and he pulled away from the kiss with a loud gasp, it took a moment for Sanji's kiss-addled brain to catch up with the pleasure that shot up his spine like an electric shock. Sanji panted and clung to Zoro's hair, yanking on it with a shaking hand as Zoro kept rubbing at the front of Sanji's pants.

The friction against his arousal felt amazing; Zoro's palm cupped the bulge and kneaded it sinfully as his fingers dragged against the fabric. Sanji buckled up into the tight friction, burying his heels in the back of Zoro's thighs demandingly as he arched into the shelves.

The cold metal against his skin felt great, contrasting to the kisses against his neck and aggressive rubbing of his trapped erection. His breathing was getting harder, every time the heel of Zoro's palm ground against the throbbing head of his cock Sanji's vision went white and he buckled against the bigger man.

He could feel Zoro's heavy breath on his skin, the slickness of his tongue and the pull when the swordsman dragged his teeth over tense muscle. Sanji grabbed onto the shelf support behind him with one hand and buried his other in Zoro's hair, urging the man onwards as he tried keeping down the internal screaming that echoed inside his head.

He wanted Zoro so bad; he'd never wanted anyone as bad as this marimo bastard right now. He pulled Zoro closer with his hips, forcing him flushed against him and effectively making it impossible for the green haired bastard to fondle him to completion through his pants. He wanted more of those dirty sounds Zoro made; wanted more of the smell and taste.

Zoro's breathing softened slightly when Sanji leant over him, kissing at the sharp jaw and down the thick muscular neck. Holding Zoro's shoulders and kneading them, pulling at the shirt and burrowing his fingers deep in the tense thick muscle, Sanji loosened the vice grip his legs had on Zoro's his and slid lower.

Sanji felt how Zoro's face tilted and buried in his hair, deep inhales through the nose and soft groans of approval made Sanji's heart beat faster. He distracted Zoro with a trail of soft kisses from the very bottom of the scar at his cheek onto his lips. With Zoro sufficiently distracted, Sanji's right hand slid down the man's powerful chest and into the larger man's pants.

Zoro's breath hitched and left the man's body with a deep groan that resonated from his chest, the breath ghosting across Sanji's jaw as the man's head lowered to nuzzle at his neck. Taking this as a 'yes please' Sanji's fingers slid down, following the coarse green trail to the treasure until his fingers hit a hard and throbbing obstacle.

The heat and odd pulsating throb under Sanji's fingertips fascinated him; the needy shuddering inhale in his ear urged him on as he ran his delicate fingers around the base of Zoro's shaft. Sanji felt something slick move briefly under his fingertips as he wrapped them firmly around the shaft.

He could hear Zoro's thundering heartbeat, strained breath against his ear as the man buckled slightly into his hand. There wasn't much space to move in Zoro's tight pants, but Sanji ran a finger along the throbbing underside, swallowing thickly as Zoro's breathy moans seemed to rock his entire body. His body was humming with need, and he wasn't sure if the need was to make Zoro feel good or get off himself.

"S…San-" Zoro husky moan was interrupted by the storage room door flying open behind them, startling both men out of their haze and pulling them apart. The world came crashing down on them when Kaku entered the room and Sanji realized he was giving his boss a hand job in the storage room during work hours.

"Zoro? You in here?" Kaku half sang into the darkness, thankfully the cheerful long nose didn't seem to have noticed anything, peering through the dark of the storage room. They were hidden near the back, shielded by rows of shelves and stacks of boxes. Sanji withdrew his hand from Zoro's pants slowly.

"Yeah, I'm here." Zoro rumbled with barely supressed arousal. He glanced over his shoulder, giving Sanji an almost desperate look before he ran a hand through his hair to tame it from the wild mess it had become. Sanji was painfully hard and craving a cigarette, his mind still reeling from the sudden weight of what he'd just done.

His hand was still warm and there were thick globs of pre come on his fingers, Sanji had to physically restrain himself from the urge of licking it off. He licked his lips and moved his fingers slightly, glancing up at Zoro who looked fully aware of this and about ready to burst.

"What's up? I'm busy…" Zoro said in the most controlled tone he could manage, running a finger along Sanji's bottom lip, presumably to wipe off some saliva. Sanji almost moaned at the feeling, jerking away as if he'd been burned and hastily fixing his shirt and hair, trying not to smear cum on himself.

"Some brats were playing with the emergency exit and we need the master key to lock it properly!" Kaku said urgently, taking a step into the storage. This jolted both of them into full alertness. Sanji pushed Zoro to the door with his foot, urging him to go take care of things with a grimace and a nod of his head.

"Alright, damn brats." Zoro snarled angrily, taking a reluctant step away from Sanji. "I'll be right there as soon as I put these boxes back up, go and make sure no one slips outside."

"Aye-aye Sir!" Kaku saluted cutely with a flick of his cap and disappeared through the door, leaving them open. Both men sighed heavily, exchanging needy glances.

"We need to continue this…" Zoro swallowed thickly, walking over and pressing a pleading kiss at the corner of Sanji's mouth. "…later? You have the 6 hour shift, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Sanji whispered gently, lips barely brushing against Zoro's. "When are you off?"

"I have an 8 hour shift, but I arrive hour earlier than you, so I'll have to spend an hour in this hellhole without you." Zoro grimaced slightly, shaking his head in annoyance and his nose brushed up against Sanji's a couple of times.

"Give me a call as soon as you get off work and I'll give you live directions to my place." Sanji rested his forehead against Zoro's, "I'll keep them simple so not even you can get lost." Sanji chuckled; remembering how terribly lost the bastard could manage to get even on the simplest route.

"I don't get lost… bastard cook." Zoro frowned at him. Sanji could feel the furrows forming against his forehead. He couldn't help but chuckle, was the marimo actually sulking?

"I'll have dinner ready at my place. So I don't want you to get lost and the food getting cold." Sanji added to appease the man. The truth was that waiting alone at home for an hour would be bad enough; he didn't want to wait any more than he had to.

"And then we can continue this?" Zoro ran a hand over Sanji's groin, pleading tone in his voice threatening to bring back all the painful arousal. Sanji squirmed slightly.

"Yeah, yeah." Sanji agreed, lips lingering at Zoro's upper lip. "Get going already moss-manager! I'll have to wait a bit before I can leave." He pushed Zoro away with a foot to his stomach, keeping him a leg length away. Zoro's eyes lingered on Sanji's leg for a moment before he turned around and stomped out of the storage room.

As soon as Zoro closed the door, Sanji's knees buckled and the blond slid down the shelf to the floor, groaning to himself and staring into the muddy dust covered light bulb. He'd done it. Now all he had to do was survive the next 2 hours, go home and cook something to distract himself from the wait for Zoro to come over. To his place. Sanji shuddered at the thought.

He'd have to buy some new lube, his bottle was getting really old and half empty. Maybe extra condoms in case Zoro didn't like bare backing; he'd HATE to postpone getting his mind blown to run to the store for condoms. Hopefully Zoro would share this kink of his; he'd really like nothing between himself and Zoro when he finally got the man into bed.

First time Sanji had sex with a man he'd been an overexcited teenager in a hormonal haze, only realizing afterwards that he should have used a condom. After that he'd made sure to use them with all his partners, but it hadn't felt the same to him with men.

Sanji sighed, he knew he was clean. After his last girlfriend broke up with him and promptly informed him she'd been sleeping with a lot of other men while they dated, he'd gotten tested and (thankfully) had a clean bill of health. It was largely thanks to using a condom he supposed.

What size would Zoro need? Sanji got up and left the storage room, making sure to close the door with his clean hand, hiding the cum-stained one until he reached the staff bathroom. He rinsed off and washed thoroughly, raising his hand to the mirror and measuring the approximate size his fingers had encircled earlier.

No that couldn't possibly be right. Sanji shook his head and closed his eyes, remembering the heat in his palm as he focused on getting the approximate size correctly. When he opened them again, he raised his hand back to the mirror, confident he had a fairly accurate measurement.

Sanji bit his lip, watching how his fingertips brushed together as his hand shook slightly. -Fuck-. Sanji's eyes widened slightly as he glanced around in the bathroom, blushing slightly as he brought the circle to his mouth and measured it. Suddenly there was a flush behind him and a clatter of toilet seat, and Sanji realized he wasn't alone.

The blond darted out of the bathroom before the stall door opened, slipping inside the staff room and pretending to be busy as the water started running in the bathroom sink. He was still visibly hard and blushing, so Sanji turned his back to the door in case someone entered; pretending to take stock of the coffee.

Huh. Strange. There was more than enough coffee in here. Why would Perona send him to get more?

As soon as the footsteps passed the staff room, Sanji took a deep breath and returned to work. The people he smiled at all faded into a blur of faces he didn't feel like acknowledging. Occasionally Zoro walked past, eye contact lingering for a second before both men pretended nothing had changed. Only one hour and 42 minutes left.

Not that he was counting or anything.

Thanks to MistressHasty for being the beta for this story! She decided that the annoying customer in the first half of the chapter was Vernon Dursley from harry potter. I am in no way confirming nor denying that he was the model for this particular customer.

Also: in iceland our registers have "panic buttons" for the staff to call for assistance to prevent lines from getting long, I didn't realize not all stores had this. Wow. Must suck for your poor retail workers! D:

(Most of the retail hell in this story is taken directly from my own personal experience in retail.)