Small Miracles chapter 9
32 minutes.
Sanji looked at the clock on his register. No. Still 32 minutes.
He'd already decided what he was going to make for dinner, some light chicken that was protein rich and not too heavy in the stomach. He didn't want any food coma threatening his evening, but he wanted to make sure Zoro was full of energy for what Sanji had planned.
Damn. Still 32 minutes. Why was time passing so slowly? He felt like he'd been chained to the damn register for days. It was like every time Zoro entered Sanji's line of sight time skipped backwards, adding an eternity to the clock. Sanji sighed, hoping the damn bastard got lost somewhere in the baking aisle and stopped making Sanji's heart ache and pants tighten just by walking by.
Yes! Finally! 31 minutes. Paulie was here early and there were no lines of any on the registers. It seemed like he'd be able to leave at exactly the designated time. Standing idly by the register was boring Sanji out of his mind. He was itching to move. Even having something to distract himself with for three minutes would be great.
"Oi, Paulie! Chain my station up; I'm going to the bathroom for a second." Sanji hit the lock button on his register as Paulie reached over to click the chain barring entrance to Sanji's register in place, giving Sanji a thumbs up and a grin. Sanji returned the gesture and stuck his hands in his pockets, taking his time walking down the stairs to the changing room.
Sanji walked past the bathroom, planning on checking his phone real quick for messages to kill time. Before he reached the changing rooms though, the door flew open and Zoro exited, closing the door behind him. The larger man seemed to fill the narrow hallway and Sanji's heart jumped a bit in his chest when Zoro's bored expression eased into a smirk.
"Slacking off at work?" The older man walked towards Sanji, whose pace had slowed considerably. The blond grimaced slightly, but before he could come up with a clever answer, Zoro leant down and snatched the words right from Sanji's mouth with his own.
The press was brief and chaste, green haired head tilted just slightly so allow their lips to meld together perfectly for the brief eternity it took Zoro to pass him on the hallway. Sanji was left in shock in the middle of the hallway, listening to the other man's soft chuckles in the distance behind him as Zoro made his way up the stairs.
The reality of the entire affair rushed over Sanji again like a tidal wave. The pressure and heat lingering on his lips and making his heart flutter and ache with longing. In just 29 minutes he'd be out of here. In a little over an hour and a half, he'd have Zoro all to himself. Kissing and touching for as long as they wanted, with no one to interrupt them and no pressing circumstances.
Just the two of them and no one to tell them what they could and could not do. Sanji checked his phone. No one had tried to contact him and the clock on his phone satisfyingly ticked down to 28 minutes left of his work day. With a sigh and a lazy stretch of his back, Sanji headed back upstairs to finish his shift.
Zoro had brought the cashbox when there were ten minutes of Sanji's shift left; plenty of time to finish wringing up his station and be out the door on the dot. He'd do some shopping right here in the store and go home. He'd have to buy the lube and condoms somewhere else though; he really didn't need any of his coworkers teasing him about it. He finished counting up his register and handing the box over to Bentham before he went downstairs to change his clothes.
Sadly there was no Zoro in the changing room this time, so Sanji was able to change his clothes without any distractions. He tucked Zoro's shirt into his bag to hand it over later that night. Realizing he had no time to lose, especially if he had to make a stop to buy some provisions for the night, Sanji shouldered his bag and climbed the steps to run through the store with his mental shopping list.
"We're having chicken?" Zoro said low, looking curiously into Sanji's shopping basket. The blond jolted in place, almost dropping the vegetable he was holding. Sanji had been so absorbed in shopping for dinner, he didn't notice Zoro watching him until the man was right up beside him.
"Shithead! Don't sneak up on me! God damned ninja-moss." Sanji snarled in anger, trying to calm his thundering heart. Zoro laughed at that, wide smile on his face making Sanji feel all sorts of warm tingles break out over his skin. The bastard didn't smile nearly often enough.
"Ninja-moss?" Zoro laughed in disbelief, his one functioning eye setting on Sanji. "You're the one who's so absorbed in cucumbers you don't notice what's going on around you."
"S-shut up! Choosing the right ingredients is just as important as making the food!" Sanji hissed, picking one of the thickest cucumbers from the group and tossing into his basket. He leant in a little closer, pulling some onions out of the shelf behind Zoro. "And if you want to enjoy it, you'll respect the preparation phase."
"Does that go for the food too?" Zoro said casually, trying to keep the perverted smile off his lips and failing amusingly. Sanji reddened considerably at that, pulling away glaring awkwardly at a stack of leeks.
"Of course it does! Pervert-boss." Sanji huffed and turned away, stalking over to the fruit stall to pick out some lemons. Zoro followed him as inconspicuously as he could, that is to say, not inconspicuously at all. The green haired man checked the clock with an impatient furrow of his brow.
"Shit time is moving so slow I'm sure it's going backwards." Zoro sighed with a slight groan, rubbing at his temple with his thumb, his other fingers ghosting over the scar on his eye as if by habit. Sanji bagged some lemons and tried to ignore the sudden burning need to kiss over Zoro's injured eye. The scar was so sharp, especially around the thin skin on the eyelid.
It must have hurt so badly. Had it bled a lot? Was the eye gone or was he just blind? Had there been nerve damage? Had the pain kept him up at night? Had he suffered through that alone?
"Cook?" Zoro leant slightly closer, filling Sanji's field of view completely and arching a brow at him. "You're zoning out again."
"Don't LEAN over me like that damn it! It's like an avalanche!" Sanji shook himself out of his self-induced trance, heat in his cheeks and tension rising in his chest. "You're blocking my view moss brain! Moss-mountain!"
"I was asking if you wanted me to buy anything." Zoro took a step back, crossing his arms with an amused look on his face. Sanji grimaced a little, he wasn't sure he wanted to rely on the moss-head to remember anything vital.
"You can supply drinks." Sanji said casually, knowing he had various kinds of drinks at home if something happened.
"Leave the drinks to me." Zoro said confidently, his face splitting in a wide happy grin. Sanji's entire body tingled at the sight and his heart ached and seemed to struggle beating. Shit, he'd let Zoro be in charge of alcohol forever if he got a smile like that every time.
"I need to get going so we can eat as soon as you come over." Sanji checked his watch, he also wanted to take a shower and clean his apartment up a little. "Call me as soon as you're off work, don't wander anywhere and get lost!"
"I don't get lost." Zoro grumbled, rolling his one healthy eye in annoyance. "Just tell me your address and I'll take a cab."
Sanji shrugged, they weight of the basket pulling on his arm. He didn't have time for this, he still had to stop by somewhere and buy lube and condoms. "It's just a ten minute walk though."
"Don't care; it'll be faster for me and easier for you." Zoro shrugged and pulled the small work-notebook out of his back pocket. He handed it over to Sanji expectantly, flipping to the last page. "Put it here."
Sanji stared at the older man for a second, realizing that yes, if Zoro was willing to pay the money for a drive to his place that would be more convenient. He scribbled down his address, adding his phone number for good measure. Zoro pocketed the book after looking the information over for a second.
"Your handwriting is shit." Zoro pointed out as he smirked at Sanji.
"Your handwriting is illegible shit." Sanji sighed, turning on his heel to walk to the registers. "See you later moss-brain." He got no answer other than an approving grunt, he had the feeling Zoro was staring at his ass. Good.
There was no line on Perona's register, so Sanji was delighted to be able to get out of this annoying place as soon as possible. Usually people preferred Paulie's awkward fumbling to Perona's frown and bizarre giant bat earrings, and that suited Sanji just fine. The pink haired girl mumbled something about wanting to go home, but Sanji didn't listen, he couldn't possibly do anything about it and she didn't seem to be directly asking him for any more favors.
Speaking of which.
"There was enough coffee in the staff room today." Sanji said as politely as he could, studying Perona for any clues for her bizarre behavior. "It looked like it was filled yesterday even."
Perona rang his chicken with an annoyed disbelieving look, chewing on gum she wasn't actually allowed to have during work hours. Another thing Zoro kept scolding her for. Sanji remembered seeing Zoro practically turn her upside down by her ankles trying to get her to spit it out.
"Oh is that so? How silly of me. Tee-hee." Perona sighed rolling her big round eyes and scanning his fruits with practiced clicks of their designated numbers. "You guys just better fucking invite me to the damn wedding." She mumbled under her breath a little too fast for Sanji to catch.
Before anyone could stall him further, Sanji set off for home, taking big steps and listening to the snow crunch under his feet. He'd have to make sure not to jump Zoro the moment he stepped inside his apartment. Sanji lit himself a cigarette, taking a long drag that he'd been craving for hours.
As tempting as it was to yank Zoro to the floor by his shirt and grind against him until their clothes were gone, Sanji wanted more than just sex. Well, he really wanted the sex, but he wanted Zoro too. He wanted his company, he wanted his respect, and he wanted to wake up beside him just as much as he wanted him inside him.
Fuck. He wanted to date Zoro. He'd known the man for roughly half a year, but he'd only spoken to him at work, and only as his boss. And yes, he'd enjoyed looking when no one was around to catch him, indulged in the rare naughty thought here and there, and gotten into some occasional, electrifying, fights. Okay so the fights weren't 'occasional'; they were a regular thing, and he'd enjoyed them every single time. He was glad that didn't seem to be changing any time soon.
He only had to take a slight detour to walk past a 24 hour store on the way home. There were no customers in there since a much cheaper store was within walking distance and open at this time of the day.
Perfect.
Despite having left his teens, Sanji was still a little uncomfortable buying condoms. He supposed he'd grow out of it eventually, but his cheeks reddened slightly as he walked over to the shelf housing the rows of condom packs and lubricants. He avoided eye contact with the bored looking cashier that was currently reading a magazine.
The variation of condoms was excessive: ribbed and dotted, extra thin, extra thick, flavored and more. Sanji got hot in the face just looking at the colorful packs. He reached out for the ribbed ones he usually bought. His hand stilled as he paused.
That's right. Zoro was the one who was going to be using these. His fingers hesitated on the package. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle that; it would be so embarrassing if he didn't last more than a couple of minutes. He looked around for other sizes, finding the regular, plain XL condoms. He squirmed slightly at the thought.
Sanji picked out both silicone and non-silicone based lubrication, unsure of which Zoro preferred. The bottles were relatively small and Sanji bit his lower lip, glancing up to the shelf. "Fuck it, he's huge. Better to have too much than too little..." Sanji breathed in embarrassment and threw two of each into the basket. Hopefully he'd be able to use all of it, even if it wasn't tonight specifically.
He looked up at the register; the staff member wasn't sitting by the desk. Confused by this, Sanji looked around, jumping out of his skin when he saw the young man looking extremely awkward by the magazine rack.
Shit. Wait. Did he just say that out loud? Damn. Sanji avoided eye contact completely, placing the huge amount of sex-supplies on the counter. Damn, he would like to buy something else to make it look less obvious, but the amount of lube would make even the most innocent lollipop or umbrella look out of place or sexual. The cashier looked a little uncomfortable ringing up the large amounts of lube and condoms.
"I don't need a bag." Sanji said awkwardly, passing his card over as he swept the entire stockpile into his grocery bag. He took his card back and waved the guy, walking out red faced and heading straight home. Unknowingly leaving the poor cashier extremely aroused and staring after him.
Sanji got home with 30 minutes to spare until Zoro was out of work. He got the chicken ready, heating the oven and preparing what had to cook for at least 30 minutes. Zoro wouldn't get out on the dot, and after he did, he'd still have to get here. Sanji placed the chicken in the oven, deciding to prioritize a shower over the salad.
Sanji washed thoroughly, scrubbing away at any and all spots Zoro might kiss. Judging from the way the older man had sucked on his neck that was pretty much his entire body. The mental image alone made Sanji harden; he couldn't WAIT to pull off Zoro's clothes. Touch that scar on his chest, lick at it and try to get Zoro to make more of those addicting sounds.
Knowing a lost battle when he saw one, Sanji leant on the wall, taking ahold of himself and rubbing at the head in the same way Zoro did through his pants earlier in the storage room. The memory alone made Sanji's back arch and pulled a loud moan from his throat, the cold of the tiles reminding him of the steel of the shelves. The heat and memory of Zoro's breath on his neck mixed in with his earlier fantasies pushing Sanji over the edge with a buckle of his hips and an openmouthed gasp that filled his mouth with water.
The blond panted, twisting the showerhead to wash all evidence off the wall. He groaned, running a hand through his hair and shampooing as he tried to calm his heart. That had been way too fast, it had been a good thing to top off a little he supposed as he finished his shower and stepped out.
He'd be less desperate now. How embarrassing it would have been to come before he took his pants off. Besides, he'd be able to last longer with Zoro and-
Damn it he was getting hard again.
Ignoring his hyperactive sex drive, Sanji put on some of his nicer clothes. He didn't want to overdress since Zoro was probably just wearing jeans and a sweater and the last thing he wanted was to make the other man uncomfortable. He also didn't want to wear anything expensive just in case it had to come off fast.
He finished preparing the side dishes and salad, glancing at the clock every two minutes just to make sure time was still passing. Sanji set the table, tidied up his apartment, changed the sheets, opened all the windows to get some oxygen into the apartment and eventually sat down by the window to smoke.
It was already ten minutes past; the chicken was ready and being kept warm. Sanji knew that Zoro probably needed at least ten minutes to finish up at work, clock out and such, but the waiting was still painful. When the clock ticked to 17 minutes past, Sanji's phone rang.
The blond threw himself out of his seat and stomped to the living room, grabbing his phone and catching his breath while staring at 'shitty boss (don't answer)' on his call display. Sanji winced, he'd have to change that. Sanji flicked the answer tab to the side and brought the phone up to his ear.
"I'm outside the building, what entrance do I use? The blue one?" Zoro's voice was agitated and Sanji could tell the man had been trying to figure it out for a while. Just knowing Zoro was in the vicinity of his home made Sanji all giddy, and he didn't care that Zoro was currently standing by the backdoor of the neighbor's house.
"No lost idiot. That's the backdoor. Not even MY back door." Sanji had to resist making jokes relating to Zoro being welcome to 'come to his backdoor'. "Come around the side of the house where the garbage cans are."
Sanji toed on his shoes and kept the phone on his ear, listening to Zoro grumble something under his breath. Sanji opened his front door and stepped outside, watching the corner where Zoro appeared frowning with a tinge of embarrassed pink around his ears.
"Oh wait. There's some stupid bastard in my yard." Sanji said with fake worry, watching Zoro look around angrily for the non-existent perpetrator. "My mistake. It's only you." Sanji said with a laugh, loud enough for Zoro to hear him across the yard.
The marimo frowned and dramatically hung up, pocketing his phone and making his way to Sanji's door. Sanji took a step back, holding the door open as Zoro entered his apartment, looking out of place in his long green coat that was buttoned at the front and lined with some dark fur-like material.
Zoro dropped the bag he was holding to the floor with a bright clatter of bottles, pulling off his gloves as Sanji shut the door. The blond locked the door firmly, turning off the doorbell just in case someone might get the idea to interrupt them. When he turned around Zoro caught his shoulders, pressed him against the door and kissed him firmly, lips pulling at Sanji's gently to coax them apart.
The wait and anxiety drained from Sanji´s system, forced out by the want and warmth that blossomed in his chest and spread all the way to his fingertips. Zoro's nose was cold when it brushed against Sanji's cheek, head tilting in an attempt to deepen the kiss.
Sanji ran his hands up to Zoro's face, cupping the cold cheeks in his warm palms and parting his lips, licking teasingly over Zoro's bottom lip in a greeting. Zoro seemed to melt into his touch, cold hands creeping up to Sanji's sides before suddenly dipping under the fabric of his shirt.
"AAAAH! Bastard! Cold!" Sanji gasped in horror and squirmed. Zoro's hands were sliding along his bare sides, spreading cold shivers and a burning need simultaneously. Sanji shuddered for two completely different reasons, pulling away from Zoro and his icy cold hands.
"Take off your coat and hang it up. Dinner's getting cold." Sanji scooped the bag from the floor and sidestepped out of Zoro's reach when the man attempted to catch him. "I'm not letting you touch me with those icy hands! How long were you lost outside my house?"
Zoro huffed in annoyance, pulling off his coat and revealing the plain black long sleeve shirt and black jeans underneath. "Not that long. Maybe five minutes?" He placed the jacket on one of the chairs, disregarding Sanji's instructions to hang it up properly.
"You should have called." Sanji brought the food to their plates and put them on the table, opening a bottle of the very nice wine Zoro brought. "What's this? How did you know this goes well with chicken?" Sanji frowned at the label. He wasn't allowed to buy alcohol yet.
"I saw the contents of your basket, so I asked the guy at the wine store what would go well with it." Zoro shrugged, looking at the food on his plate with interest. He picked up his fork and knife as Sanji poured them wine. He wished he had some nicer wine glasses.
"You´re not as stupid as you look. Then again that would be impossible." Sanji said conversationally, ignoring the kick he got under the table. Zoro frowned at him as he took a bite out of the chicken, eyes narrowed in annoyance before he pulled back to inspect the food better.
"What? Allergic to something?" Sanji's curled brows rose, he forgot to ask, shit. Typical him. If Zoro had to go to the hospital or something Sanji would never forgive himself. He wanted to hit his head on the table. Zoro kept chewing though, glaring at Sanji all the while.
"Are you still going to insist you're not a chef?" Zoro poked the chicken threateningly with his fork, he didn't seem happy. "Because if you do I'm going to have to kick your scrawny ass."
"Not scrawny!" Sanji argued, kicking Zoro under the table. He was blushing red at the compliment but the other man just chuckled into his mouthful of salad. The sexual tension eased into talking about work and the day's obnoxious customer. They dubbed him "the corn guy".
"I mean how seriously does that guy take his corn? I've seen my old man less concerned for his pain medication!" Sanji said in exasperation, earning himself some laughter from the other side of the table.
"To be fair, your old man doesn't seem like the type to get concerned in general." Zoro pointed out with an arch of his eyebrow, taking his glass and swirling the contents. Sanji cringed as he remembered how embarrassing his old man had been.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I have no idea what he was trying to achieve." Sanji sighed, lighting himself a cigarette as he glanced at the clock. Tension ran through his body at the sight, it was getting rather late, and they finished eating almost an hour ago.
Time really flew while talking to Zoro, even if they kept arguing and kicking each other under the table like children. Sanji's cheeks warmed, Zoro had been sitting patiently across the table while he kept blathering on. Maybe he was annoyed Sanji hadn't made a move yet?
The blond glanced from the clock to Zoro, feeling the heat in his ears as he tried to study the large man's expression. The usually furrowed brow was smooth and his expression content, amused even. One functioning eye resting on Sanji's face and lips curved around the edge of the glass in a small smile.
God he was gorgeous. Sanji's mouth abruptly felt dry, sitting with Zoro across the dinner table suddenly became heart wrenchingly perfect and nerve-wracking at the same time. He'd never imagined this, the warm atmosphere in his apartment, the smell of food and Zoro's aftershave lingering it the air.
Sanji's hands trembled slightly around his cigarette, neither of them had said a word for a moment, and the silence was toxic to the younger man's sanity.
How did he change the subject to sex without making it seem that was all he wanted? He had no idea; Zoro was tearing down all his norms and flipping all his usual methods of courtship.
He wanted Zoro. Not just physically, he wanted him. All of him. Every day. Physically and mentally. He wanted long talks and arguments, surprise kisses and jokes. He wanted Zoro hot and sweaty next to him when he fell asleep every night. He wanted him snoring in his bed when he woke up.
If this was just sex to Zoro, Sanji wasn't sure he would be able to handle it. He'd felt similarly towards his girlfriends before, except this time it was real. It cut deeper; this was bigger and darker and all consuming. Eye contact burned him to his soul, and every small brush of their feet under the table sent a tingle up his spine.
"Cook?" Zoro's fingers snapped in front of Sanji's face, ripping Sanji from his thoughts. There was slight concern in the older man's expression and Sanji shook himself from his trance and smiled slightly.
"Yeah sorry. I was just thinking about how stupid your face was." Sanji shook his head, biting on his tongue as he mentally berated himself for insulting the other man. To his luck, Zoro's frown had an amused twitch to it.
"Not as stupid as your eyebrow." Zoro commented, relaxing back in his seat as the tension settled. Sanji grumbled some obscene things under his breath, finishing his drink as Zoro laughed at his extensive vocabulary of cuss words.
"That's right. I almost forgot I made desserts." Sanji got up from his seat, trying to smile confidently to the other man, but only managing a slightly awkward grin. He could do this. This wasn't anything to worry about. Zoro wanted him, if Sanji was sure of anything right now, it was that Zoro wasn't about to reject him.
With a calming breath and a confident crush of his cigarette, Sanji walked to the kitchen; trying not to inhale too much of Zoro's scent when he walked past and out of view. The man's jaw was tense and Sanji could feel that one dark eye linger on the back of his head.
Before Zoro arrived, Sanji had put together the most delicious looking whipped cream fruit parfaits. The sound of the fridge purring as he pulled them out eased his nerves. He flicked the switch on the coffee machine, listening to it bubble and hiss as he put the final touches on the desserts.
"Do you need help?" Zoro entered the kitchen after a few minutes, filling out the door frame and holding their plates. Sanji hurriedly stepped aside, blocking the desserts from view as he finished decorating them. Zoro frowned and took a step closer to Sanji, who leveled a foot threateningly to his chest to keep him away.
"No peeking!"
Zoro grumbled, still holding the plates awkwardly as he glanced down at Sanji's extended leg. The older man was significantly taller than Sanji, so burying his heel in Zoro's chest took quite the show of flexibility to pull off.
Zoro seemed to realize this at the same moment Sanji did. The swordsman took a step backwards, eye glued to Sanji's and tension visible in his neck. Zoro's ears reddened slightly as Sanji held the pose, pulling his leg back without lowering it.
"Put the plates in the sink, we'll clean up later." Sanji gestured to the small counter, lighting himself a cigarette casually. "You can take the coffee and that tray to the couch." Sanji mused using his raised foot to close the fridge, holding eye contact the entire time.
The tension in the air was practically thick enough to cut. Sanji inhaled it with the smoke, keeping it in his lungs and feeling the calm and warmth seep through his entire body. Zoro was looking at him with such an amusing mix of wonder and frustration it was almost impossible to read what the man was thinking.
Sanji felt like the entire world had narrowed down to just the two of them standing in the kitchen and listening to the final drops of coffee drip into the carafe. The smell of coffee in the air mixed with the smell of his tobacco.
The kitchen seemed smaller with Zoro standing in it like the mossy mountain he was; in fact, the whole apartment seemed fuller somehow. After a moment of awkward silence, Zoro did as he was told. Eye contact was broken as the larger man took the tray of coffee to the living room without as much as a glance in Sanji's direction.
Sanji turned back to the dessert, pulling long spoons from a drawer and tucking them in after making sure they were perfectly spotless. He could hear the clatter of tableware from the living room and the dull thud of Zoro's weight sinking into the couch and creak of leather fabric.
"It's parfaits. Fresh fruit of course." Sanji called from the kitchen and carried the dessert carefully, trying not to spill the mountain of cream and fruit that balanced beautifully at the top of the tall frosted glasses. The blond entered the living room, focusing on the spoon of the left parfait that was threatening to spill some of the cream over the edge.
"Those look fake." Zoro eyed the desserts with interest, sitting up in the couch and reaching out for his portion. Sanji glanced over to the other man, almost dropping the dessert on the table as his mind went blank for a fraction of a second.
Zoro was lounging casually on the couch, leaning on the armrest with one foot on the floor and another resting parallel with his ankle over is knee. He looked like something out of a magazine, looking up at Sanji with an outstretched hand, shirt riding up slightly in the pull.
Sanji licked his lips, trying not to stare at the large, muscular body invitingly relaxed and sensually displayed on his couch. Catching himself, he handed the parfait over, wasting no time in taking his seat besides Zoro on the couch.
The moment Zoro dug into the parfait, fishing out a cream drenched kiwi and somehow managing to eat it in the most erotic way a human being had ever eaten fruit, Sanji realized just exactly what kind of mess he'd gotten himself into.
There was no way he'd be able to continue a coherent conversation. He'd messed up, there was no way he wasn't about to make a fool out of himself.
Whipped cream and Zoro had never aided in his thinking process before.
This tension filled chapter was beta-ed with love by the amazing MistressHasty !
The idiots are practically at boiling point right now. This story is about to earn it's M rating.