Sanji stood at the front door to Mr. Roronoa's home; it was a nice house, a really nice house, and he wondered what the other man did for a job. Today he'd remembered to put in his contacts and, okay, maybe he'd tidied himself up a little for Tony's father but he couldn't help himself- he was curious. A strange sense of confidence had built up within him over the past couple of days, hence the effort in his appearance and the rocking forward and back on his heels on the doorstep. He was anxious to keep professional throughout the visit but he wouldn't mind if the guy ended up slipping him his number…
No. He shook his head slightly. Remain professional. He hefted the folder up a little more so he could hold it to his waistcoat covered chest with one arm, and with the other hand he rapped on the door. It took a moment but an answer came to him through a child's yelling rather than the door opening, "MY DAD IS GETTING DRESSED, I THINK HIS JEANS ARE STUCK ON HIS BUTT AGAIN."
Sanji stood there stunned for a moment whilst Tony's high pitched giggling echoed the other side of the door but it was cut off by a deeper voice.
"Tony, get away from the door right now!"
A few seconds later and the door swung open but Sanji rather wished it hadn't. The doorstep was set at a lower level so that when he looked up slightly he was met with an eyeful of part of Mr. Roronoa's chest. The teacher immediately felt the heat pooling up behind his ears and he was willing to bet anything that the tips of them had gone pink if not red, the same way they always did when he was flustered or staring unabashedly at a very well formed pair of pectorals. His eyes narrowed slightly at the thick white line he could glimpse as it cut through the left and across the sternum but Mr. Roronoa's hands were closing up the buttons of his shirt before he could make any sense of it and then it was gone.
Mr. Roronoa stood tall over him from the doorway and was looking down at him with dark brown eyes and Sanji knew he said he'd remain professional but his mind was going to one million filthy places a second because damn could he really appreciate the man this close up. Mr. Roronoa looked a little flustered but Sanji but that down to getting rushed to change and held out his hand to the man, "Mr. Roronoa."
The other took his hand and the blond teacher was greeted by a mix of soft and rough skin. There were calluses on the fingers and heel of his thumb and Sanji got the impression that Mr. Roronoa worked with his hands a lot, not at an office job at all- perhaps a labourer or something along those lines. The green haired man smiled slightly, "Hi, come in."
He stepped in as the other stepped back and around him to shut the door and Sanji saw that the house was just a lovely inside as it was outside. The floors were varnished a dark brown but covered in places with soft rugs that were either entirely white or black. In the kitchen were black tiles with white gloss cabinets and black graphite countertops, and in the corner a metallic silver fridge with many paintings from Tony- some he recognised and some he didn't. The place was amazing compared to his apartment…
"Uhm, make yourself at home. If Tony's left anything on the sofa, feel free to move it." Mr. Roronoa said and Sanji nodded dumbly, so overwhelmed by the man's home and the fact that he was finally here after days of mentally torturing himself over it. He let himself into the living room and perched on the seat of the black leather sofa, making sure he wasn't about to sit on any of Tony's toys. Speaking of Tony, the little boy was sat by the armchair the other side of the room slotting Lego bricks onto a vibrantly coloured house he was building and he waved when he noticed his teacher looking and smiled. Sanji waved back and said hello just as Mr. Roronoa walked in.
He stood by the side of the sofa and scratched the back of his head and Sanji saw the three studs in his left ear, "D'you want a drink? Tea? Coffee?"
It was easy to see the man was out of his comfort zone and the teacher couldn't help but wonder if the man played host to people often. From the looks of it he didn't.
"Tea, please." Sanji offered a warm smile to try and break the proverbial ice between them but Mr. Roronoa only dipped his head and avoided eye contact. Sanji would have felt a bit bruised at that reaction but when he caught the ever so slight tint on the bridge of the man's nose, it stroked his ego greatly. The other moved into the kitchen and began fumbling around with cups, a clattering of metal spoons rang out.
Sanji placed the folder down on his lap and opened it, taking out a booklet about the course he was offering and trying to ignore Tony's consistent staring at him from the corner. Having a pair of eyes on him like that was making him feel uncomfortable for some reason.
When Mr. Roronoa brought the drinks in and sat down, Sanji launched into showing the man the booklet and introducing the general topic. He told the parent that his son would receive an extra lesson after school some days a week and that he'd also have slightly different homework set at a level to suit him. He believed that it would encourage and nurture Tony's gifted mind and keep him from getting bored in regular classes. He smiled, "Tony is a very clever child, it's great to be teaching him."
The other nodded, "Yeah, Tony's always been bright. He says he wants to be a doctor when he's older." He smiled proudly, "And knowing him, he probably will be one."
Sanji's stomach decided to squeeze tight at the sight of that smile and he mentally scolded himself for it. Mr. Roronoa nodded, "Yeah, I think Tony will love this."
"Then all you have left to do is fill out this form. A letter will be sent home with Tony's new lessons scheduled on it." Sanji said, passing the piece of paper over and trying to ignore the strange feeling he got when his fingers brushed the other man's.
Sanji had been so engrossed in talking to the man that he hadn't noticed Tony inching closer and now he was sat by the coffee table. The teacher looked at him and Tony smiled happily and it took a moment for the blond to realise that the child was wearing a set of antlers on his head. Next to him, Mr. Roronoa was invested in signing that form and hadn't noticed.
Tony grinned, "I want to be a doctor."
Sanji nodded and replied, "Yeah, your dad said you wanted to be one."
Mr. Roronoa looked up briefly from the paper and Sanji could have sworn that the man was giving the child a pointed warning look.
"I'm going to be a doctor and I'm going to fix everyone who is poorly!" Tony giggled and the smile he gave was infectious.
"I'm sure you will, Tony."
"I can fix you if you want," Tony said suddenly, seemingly random.
"No, I'm not ill, Tony."
"Yes you are," The little boy said sternly, "You're very ill and I can fix you!"
Sanji frowned, curious at this little game Tony had started, "Alright then. What's wrong with me, Tony?"
The child looked at him long and hard, humming thoughtfully, "You are… tired aaaand… sad!"
The teacher blinked, surprised at how perceptive the kid was, "What should I do then, Doctor Tony?"
"No! I'm Doctor Chopper, I'm a reindeer!"
Sanji laughed at the innocence and how indignant Tony was, "Okay, what should I do then, Doctor Chopper?"
"Tony…" Mr. Roronoa said under his breath but whatever that was supposed to mean was lost on the child.
"You should be with daddy more because he's sad too! But he's been smiling since you came over!"
Tony's father seemed to have trapped himself in a rather dire cringe, his eyes shut tight and his brow furrowed, "Jesus Christ, Tony…" He murmured before relaxing just enough to say, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Black, I have no idea where he's getting all this from."
But the harsh blush that took up the entirety of the man's face told him exactly where Tony was getting all this from and he felt the heat rise in his own face and it felt shamelessly good, "It's alright," He said, trying to brush it off to remain professional. He had the feeling that Tony had probably made everything go awkward for the rest of the meeting and he wanted out from the uncomfortable shift of mood. He cleared his throat, "Just kids being kids. Why don't you send the form in tomorrow and I'll get going because it's getting pretty late?" He looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost 8pm.
Mr. Roronoa sighed, "Yeah… yeah, okay."
When they were stood at the door however, all that confidence Sanji had felt earlier came back because goddamn it he was damn sure now that this guy liked him and there was no way he was getting away again. Screw being professional, there was something more at stake here. He asked Mr. Roronoa to give him a second and tore off a strip from a piece of paper in the folder, scribbling numbers on it with a pen from his pocket and folded it in half. He held it out, "Here. Just in case you change your mind about the lessons or, you know, stuff…"
Mr. Roronoa frowned as he took it but Sanji held out and shook his other hand before the man could open it, "It was nice meeting you again, Mr. Roronoa."
The other almost fumbled the hand shake up, "It's Zoro."
Sanji smiled, "Sanji. Goodbye, Tony!"
"Bye!" Tony called from where he peered around the living room door.
When Sanji left the house he hurried to his car, all the confidence draining right out of him as he started the engine and pulled off the curb. He'd given the parent of one of his students his number and it was beginning to sink in alarmingly fast, messing him up inside as a range of emotions from embarrassment to excitement writhed in him.
What the hell had he been thinking? So much for staying professional…