Hey! Is nice to be back! Yes, you probably don't know me, but I'm glad I had the chance to publish something again! Let's get a fresh start!

Important: As you'll notice, this story moves around a AU. I really don't think I need to explain anything, but if you're curious, this short oneshot is a actually a sidestory for this AU I'm working on. This takes place a little before Zoro and Luffy meet (It's ZoLu :-) ).
Warning: This story contains implied shounen ai/ Yaoi. You don't like it? Nobody is forcing you to read it.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but I amuse myself fantasizing the "what if..." 's ;-)
Rating: T just to be on the safe side, really.

Genetic Flaws

Everyone has flaws, Smoker had always known that. There are big, normal and barely noticeable flaws. He also knew that there are different ways in which people usually manage to control them, hide them or simply they just learn how to live with them.

Of course, existing so many possibilities, you can actually separate them in three general categories:

Most people belong to the first one; they don't want anyone to notice their flaws, deciding that living in denial is way better than to face them. The second kind of people, let's call them eccentrics, like to expose them like it was something that they should actually be proud of. Next comes the type who actually gives a damn about them and would live to try to change them in something better so they could become better persons and bullshit like that. And finally, the group to which he belongs, the people who don't give a damn.

Smoker could bluntly state without a doubt that Portogas D. Ace's biggest flaw was of the second kind. It wasn't like Smoker was trying to hide it and it definitively wasn't a secret either, for he was very bold when he tried to rub it into the annoying brat's grinning face.

The professor had known this before he started dating Ace, it wasn't as if he ever believed the stupid saying "attraction makes you blind". The brat's obvious obsession with his brother put him in a delicate balance between sanity and complete dementia.

It was simply amazing the way someone that annoying, free spirited, tiresome, easy going, open minded, irksome and somewhat kind could flip faces so quickly the moment he saw a potential menace (in Ace's eyes anyway) nearing his brother.

And it even wasn't really something that could endanger for real his brother´s life or something more understandable as that. Oh no, normal and understandable would be out of character for Ace. And for Garp too.

When it came down to Strawhat being chased by a band of furious punks or/and gangsters seeking his and his little friends blood, Ace and the old man would let him be without a care in the world unless the kid asked for help, or the situation went really out of hand. Even then only Ace would go to the rescue. And that didn't happen often.

No, what really shook up those two was the stupid kind of danger of feeling that someone (other than death, apparently) wanted to take the baby in the family away from them.

Maybe some people who knew this side of Ace would question Smoker's own sanity for taking all the problems and risks their relationship provided. And it wasn't like he had to answer or explain a damn thing to anyone, but the brat was simply a little more bearable, even likable, when they were together not thinking about his kid brother.

Contrary to people's general belief, Ace actually did try to think of Smoker and only Smoker when they were alone together…

Or maybe not so much.

But that was beside the point. What he was trying to say with this stupid "I-somehow-appreciate-the-brat-the-fucked-up-way-he-is-even-if-he-fucking-annoys-me" talk that he had been babbling about, was that that night, when he opened the door, Smoker couldn't help to wonder not for the first time if his relationship with Portogas was really worth it. So he'd been trying to think something positive about the brat, but somehow everything ended up turning over to the opposite side. Or maybe it started on the opposite side? He couldn't remember.

Smoker had been having a terrible headache developing during the day with having to put up with stupid kids who knew nothing more but how to spell "mama" and trying to make sense of their idiotic papers. So when he was trying to relax a little after Portogas finally left for work, an annoyingly insistent sound had interrupted his peace. The professor had opened the door rudely to cruelly murder whoever was ringing at such an ungodly hour of the night.

If Smoker himself wasn't experiencing it, he couldn't have possibly believed that a headache could grow that quickly.

Naturally, he was a little pissed when there in the doorway, no, in his home's doorway, stood a person that he would most likely wanted to see only during class, or in those weird occasions where it was completely inevitable. From afar.

"What the hell do you want?" Smoker asked dryly. He wasn't about to get polite to the main reason behind his-way-too-often headaches. "I'm not bailing any of your criminal friends' asses out of jail."

"We need to talk." Was the direct response he received. Something in the tone made Smoker force himself to give a second glance at his student.

To say that Smoker could feel a little surprised behind all the annoyance was an understanding; Monkey D. Luffy with a serious expression in his usually idiotic face was surprising enough. The professor would know, he had been trying to catch the annoying kid red handed for a while now.

"What do you want?" he asked again lighting his usual two cigars, this time a little more intrigued.

"It's about Ace."

That rang a bell. He lifted an eyebrow in question. Smoker couldn't help but assure himself that the brat had to be okay since he was pestering him just a couple of hours ago, just before he went to work.

Then again, the brat's work was dangerous in a lot of different ways. Especially with that boss of his.

"Get in." Smoker somehow urged the kid to step in the house leaving the door wide open, trusting Luffy to follow. Because of the professor's quick entrance, he missed the startled expression on the brat's little brother's face.

Smoker sat in his usual place at the table where his leftovers from dinner with Ace were still unwashed and dismissively gestured to his unwanted guest to take a sit across his own.

"Well, Strawhat? Spit it out," he asked before the kid could even sit properly. "What's wrong with Portogas?"

"What a rude guy!" Luffy protested with his annoying voice. "I can't get why Ace likes you."

"You came here to talk about your brother, so talk or I'll kick your ass out." Smoker growled while chewing on his cigars.

"I don't like it." Luffy stated out of the blue while looking directly to Smoker eyes and 'secretly' stealing some of the food from the table. The professor tried to guess if he was talking about the cigars or something else.

"What are y-?"

"I don't like you going out with my brother."

There was a big silence. Of all the reasons Smoker could have possibly imagine that could bring Ace's moronic baby brother all the way to his home, risking getting killed (not that the kid would think of it that way) and with a serious and somewhat worried face, THAT wasn't on the list.

Luffy had always been way too airheaded and carefree to notice anything in his surroundings, much less their hidden relationship. Of course, when Ace and Smoker first started dating, the younger of the two had felt guilty about not telling his baby brother, so he went ahead and told him rather bluntly with 'no problem at all', as Ace had happily put it.

That had been seven months ago and Luffy had never seemed upset, against or even interested in their relationship at all. Then why now?

"And you are telling me that I should give a damn about wherever you like or not my relationship with your brother?" Smoker replayed sarcastically when he finally snapped out of it. In fact, he personally couldn't care less if the brat hated his guts or was secretly planning his demise or something like that, but he knew that Ace would be absolutely devastated if he heard that his little brother didn't approve. In this kind of situation, Smoker knew he had to play it off as if it wouldn't matter either way; he wasn't about to let the little bastard know that he had the upper hand in this. "Why do you care, anyway? You've known for a while, so why are you butting in now?"

This made the kid's gaze turn hard and angry. He even stopped chewing the food he had been so obviously stealing.

"Ace is very important to me, of course I care."Luffy stated with indignation. "And I'm here now because Ace is working and because it was just today that my friends made me realize that you two are really going out. I was really surprised!"

"What the hell do you mean by that?" now was Smoker's turn to get a little mad. What the fuck was this kid getting at? Really dating? What did he think? That they have been fooling around for, what? Seven months and a week? All that time and…you'd think…

He'd be damned! Portogas was making Smoker think corny shit again!

Probably not even the stalker brat knew how long they have been dating. Smoker could just picture the smug grin in the stupid brat's freckled-covered face if he knew the professor did.

"I'm telling you! It's because before you were many others." Luffy explained as if it were something everyone knows. Smoker didn't. "So when he came and told me that he was dating you I thought it was going to be like every other time, you know? Then I kind'a forgot about it until recently."

It seemed that he was going to have a long talk about this when the brat came back. Well, what was equivalent for them to a talk, anyway.

The professor sure knew that Ace was one of the most popular kids in school, but he didn't know anything about his conquests before him. Something as stupid as this wasn't even slightly bothering Smoker, but he was probably expected to be the one who was the most aware of all this useless shit. Nothing else.

But now that he thought about it, the fucking brat has always been too good in bed for his young age. Not that he was complaining, of course.

Besides, there couldn't have been that much relationships, right?

"And what made you think that this was different?" Smoker decided to ask instead. He didn't have to let this kid know that something as stupid as that was making him feel a little angry.

"Well, you see…" suddenly Luffy's serious face was replaced by a concentrated look. As if he was trying very hard to remember every word he had studied for an especially difficult test. "Last week I went to visit Ace at his job at the old man's and I tried to sneak in from the back door as usual…"

"Why the hell would you want to sneak in if everyone lets you enter anyway?" Smoker couldn't help but to feel a little annoyed by the fact that those guys let a minor drink without any remorse. Even if the kid was a pain in the ass, he was still his student.

"Because! If I come in from the kitchen, sometimes I can steal food!" And now, to make things worse for his headache, the idiotic kid was looking at Smoker like it was the most logical thing in the world and he was the stupid one for not knowing.

"Yeah, sure, silly me." He grumbled for the kid to continue. He wanted this over with; there was so much patience he could muster. "Just get to the frigging point."

"Anyway!" Luffy continued satisfied with his professor's answer. "I got in reeeally silent and in front of the kitchen's door I saw that Marco had Ace against a wall and was all over him, right?"

"…Over-?" Smoker was still trying to process the new piece of information while at the same time trying not to look too shocked and bothered by it, when Strawhat continued his story as if he wasn't telling his brother's… especial friend that he was cheating on him.

"Yes, you know, kissing him and stuff." Luffy continued not noticing or simply ignoring the way the almost spent cigars were almost falling from his professor's lips. "And well, it didn't surprise me because that's pretty normal in Ace's line of work; he usually has someone bothering him like that all night."

"…Who is this Marco?" Smoker asked in a suspiciously low voice even if his mind was swimming in with so much more questions.

So Ace was making out in regular basis with random people? He was so kicking the fucking brat's cheating ass for this! The hell with that! The frigging brat would be dead as soon as he tried to cross Smoker's door! And that Marco-guy will-

"You don't know him?" Luffy asked confused in return interrupting his murderous thoughts. Apparently the kid didn't know what an impact such a conversation would have with someone's lo… special friend. Talking about air headed. "He's kindda Ace's boss. He is directly under the old man's command. I think he is cool because he has this pineapple head and he gives me some free food sometimes."

The pineapple guy, then. He knew him; he was the bartender that was always bossing Ace around every time Smoker went to the bar.

Smoker wasn't a jealous person, especially not for someone like his annoying student. At least he usually didn't give much thought about all the times he noticed the way a lot of people looked at Portogas as if he were a piece of good meat. Those times he wouldn't even give a second glance at the hungry looks; Smoker knew they wouldn't dare to make a move on Ace. The brat was meat too expensive for them and thank god for common sense because they knew it too. Most of the times.

But this was taking it to a completely different level. Apparently this Marco-guy was way too comfortable with making out with his… with Portogas in the middle of work.

Portogas was a dead man.

And screw the liberty Ace and all the stupid youth now days babbled about while talking about school or relationships. It was something Smoker wouldn't tolerate.

Anyway, he had thought of visiting Whitebeard's bar more often before. Not that it had anything to do with the new discovering of people hitting on Ace on a daily basis. It was simply because in that place he could have a good, relaxing drink and maybe he could get a more objective opinion of what was happening by keeping an eye on the situation… maybe on the pineapple guy, too.

"Yeah, I normally like him, but that day I wanted to hit him in the face because he made Ace so angry!" Luffy continued; his hard look taking over his face again. Smoker's attention snapped back to the kid. "Ace got this weird expression all day because of Marco. Even at home. He didn't even scold me when I broke his favorite cup."

"What do you mean?"

"What you don't understand about it? Are you an idiot or something?" Luffy asked as if annoyed by Smoker's complete ineptitude. "It was the cup he liked the most!"

"What did Portogas do? Why was he acting out so unusual?" he clarified without any more patience. This was one of the most important questions he would ask, and he needed the exasperating kid to concentrate for more than two seconds.

"That's what surprised me!" exclaimed the boy with wonder back in his voice. "Ace would never have pushed another guy away like that and start yelling at him! Especially not at Marco!"

Smoker realized then that he may not know so much about Ace if his baby brother was surprised with the way that Ace had reacted. The professor thought that that should be a normal reaction for someone who was… well, dating. For some reason, Smoker thought he had just founded a side of Ace he never thought he had to worry about before…

… And then again, there was the explanation of why Luffy hadn't taken him seriously since the beginning.

Even so, he allowed the anger he felt towards the maybe-not-so-cheating brat lower a little.

At Smoker's silence, Luffy elaborated "He's his best bud, you know?"

"How could someone like that be…?" he let himself fall quiet. He wasn't about to share his incredibly stupid and useless doubts to the most brainless idiot in his entire classroom, which was quite the achievement considering there were plenty others who were participating for the grand moronic prize. No way in hell.

"Well, they used to 'fool around' a lot." Luffy explained. "That was what Nami told me, anyway; I think I normally don't notice this kind of stuff."

That didn't help to improve Smoker's mood at all. It got impossibly worse when he suddenly realized that his cigars had been long gone.

Still, it seemed that Ace had worked on some of his flaws when he met him, and for some idiotic reason he didn't want to give much thought at, he was flattered.

"Maybe he didn't know that Ace was seriously dating too?" Luffy asked in a low voice as if in thought. But Smoker knew better; he knew that nobody working or particularly regular in the fucking bar could possible ignore the fact that the freckled brat and him were dating. You had to be a complete, utterly and hopeless idiot not to notice that.

They had been dating in secret, yes, they have been circumspect, of course; but he knew for a fact that Portogas' friends knew about them since the beginning. And he didn't need to hear it from Portogas' lips; it just wasn't in Ace's nature to keep things important to him from the people he cared about. Let alone 'his best frigging bud'.

"What did you came here for?" Smoker asked with a long sigh after a big silence was created. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Why you say…" There was that annoying gaze of superiority again. "You're the one who asked, weren't you? You wanted me to tell you why did I think that you were different, remember?"

"…"

"Isn't it obvious? Ace had never been in love before!" Luffy declared as if it was his fucking place to shout it to the big blue sky.

Smoker froze. Those words were still considered taboo on their relationship. They were more the kind of couple who showed their appreciation to each other by unorthodox ways. Like Portogas doing things just to piss Smoker off, or Smoker threatening the kid to a painful death.

To have the brat's kid brother declaring such a thing so openly made him want to snap.

"How could you know something like that?" he shouted redfaced while jumping from his seat. "You barely know what's happening in front of your moronic nose!"

"I knew it! You are a rude guy!" Luffy complained completely unfazed by Smoker outburst. "And of course I'll know! I can tell! I'm Ace's only brother! "

The pride that accompanied that last phrase made him immediately think about how similar yet different the fucking brothers were. Still, brotherly instinct didn't prove anything, especially if that instinct came fro…

"And I heard it from Ace himself when he yelled it at Marco, too." Luffy added when Smoker took his place across the table again. "Marco was so shocked, as well! He stood there completely frozen for hours! I thought it was weird, but I went to look for Ace when he stormed out with his face all red."

"He… he said it himself?"

"Hey, are you listening?" Luffy reproached waving an annoying hand in front of Smoker's now pale face. "I just told you so, didn't I?"

This was a really unique occasion when you could see Smoker having all sorts of mixed feelings in front of another human being that wasn't the freckled boy. Sure, one part of him was a little confused, and somehow disappointed he had to admit; he couldn't stop wondering why did he had to hear such an important thing coming out of the mouth of the kid that made Ace annoying most of the time. More annoying than usual, obviously.

Another part of him was surprisingly out of control. He couldn't get to understand what was happening in his head. Maybe he wasn't in love with the kid, maybe he was, but he could honestly admit to himself that if he had heard that new piece of information from the right person, he wouldn't be completely uncomfortable.

"I don't really know you." Luffy commented taking Smoker's thoughts back to their conversation. "Maybe I need to know you better."

"That's none of-"

"I just know that you are evil in class and that you would really like to see me and my friends behind the bars of the detention classroom every recess…"

"Oi, oi, there aren't any bars in the detention-"

"So I don't really know what your intentions with my brother are." Luffy admitted totally ignoring the fact that Smoker had spoken, and more importantly, that he hadn't denied Luffy's words completely. "But I know one thing,"

Strawhat waited till their eyes were completely locked so that there wouldn't be any confusion in what he was about to say. Not even an ounce of misunderstanding.

"If you ever, EVER make my brother unhappy in any way," he continued deathly serious. "I'll personally come to quick your smoky ass."

Smoker was overcomed with the need to point something out or at least replay with a sarcastic comeback when Luffy interrupted him for the thousandth time that night.

"But! If you break his heart, I won't let you live through it."

It would take an idiot not to understand the meaning behind his student's words. And Smoker immediately believed him. He had rarely seen that look in someone's eyes; they were full of promise and lack of forgiveness. The professor knew that if he upset this kid there wouldn't be turning back, he would have to fight to survive.

Because, after all, Monkey D. Luffy was Portogas D. Ace's little brother.

Not that he was worried. After all, Luffy was just a kid, and more importantly, he wasn't planning on breaking any hearts any time soon, anyway.

They stood like that for what they felt like hours when Smoker decided to break the threatening silence in order to not start with the wrong foot with the kid that was so important to Ace.

"I can't freaking believe I just got the big-brother-speech from you of all people." Smoker said with a sigh while looking for another pair of cigars that he could light.

Luffy answered his teacher's comment with one of his usual carefree laughs.

"I don't like it." He repeated the words that started all this drama, but this time the kid's smile was still in place. "That's what I thought when I first realized Ace have feelings for someone like you."

"Someone like…Oi!"

"Besides grandpa would never acknowledge it, and he has all the power to make your life impossible if he so desires it." Luffy held a trail of sadness and what Smoker thought was respectful fear in his tone when he said that. "And he has all his hopes on Ace, you know? The moment he hears about you, you'll both better be prepared to suffer the consequences.

"That's why I don't like it." Strawhat continued. "Ace has enough problems with grandpa as it is."

He knew the risks of dating his boss' grandchild good enough. Or he thought so until he heard someone, besides Portogas, warn him about Garp. The seriousness in the kid's expression reflected some worry and how much he believed his words.

That was it. No matter what Ace say or do, no more sex in Smoker's office from now on.(1)

"But that was before I got to know you a little better." Luffy continued, his smile widening. "Now I know that you care about Ace and that you wouldn't hurt him on purpose, or dump him for the trouble; Nami said that you'd have done it already if it were the case."

"How could you or your friends know something like that?" Despite all Smoker's efforts not to blush, he could feel his face starting to warm up. For anger or embarrassment? He never knew.

"I don't hate you!" exclaimed Luffy instead of answering the question. There was something in the way his student said those words while accompanying them with a goodhearted laugh that made it almost sounded like…

…acceptance.

That made Smoker's face turn red all the way.

Damn those overly blunt brothers!

"Wha! Smokey is turning all red! Scary!" Luffy exclaimed jumping out of his chair and walking to the door. Now that all the leftovers were safely guarded on his stomach and that his point had successfully come across, his mission was successfully achieved. "I have to tell Sanji and Usopp that you can show other expressions besides your patented grumpy face!"

"You!" Smoker slammed his hands in the table while abruptly standing and making his chair fall down. "You better watch yourself, Strawhat! This doesn't change anything! I'll still catch you and your freaking crew red handed so I can finally give you the detention you all deserve!"

"Shishishi, I wouldn't expect anything less from you, professor Smokey!"

"Stop calling me…!"

Luffy laughed as he closed quickly the door to avoid being hit in the face with the napkin ring.

When Smoker finally started to calm down and regain his normal heartbeat, he replaced the now useless cigars he had been chewing for two new ones. If he was whining about Ace's flaws, he was glad that he got to know the little brother. Now he knows there's always something worse waiting.

Suddenly, the door reopened to reveal only the face of Strawhat who was looking all serious again.

"Smokey, I forgot to tell you." He called "I definitively won't forgive you if you give Ace lung cancer. You smoke too much!"

"GET OUT!"

It wasn't long after Smoker regained his cool when he realized the connection, especially when he threw Monkey D. Garp in the equation.

Over-protectiveness to the point of madness was definitively one genetic flaw in the D. family.

Even after thinking this, Professor Smoker showed up next morning at East Blue University ready to terrorize idiotic students with a shiny skin and one of his usual two cigars missing.

The end.

(1) Yeah, right, as if he could deny anything to Ace ;D

Well, that's the first time I have uploaded something in this account (in the other one I don't publish anything in english) and it just HAD to be SmoAce. There may be mistakes (there are), but I'm waiting for my betas to keep on track but they just don't seem able to! So, bear with me until I receive notice from them, please! OR you could help me yourselves and point me out where are the errors! I'll appreciate it!

This version has been checked by me and there are little changes but nothing really important. Now that I made a more serious correction, I'll feel better answering your reviews!

Thanks in advance to everyone who read this! And extra thanks to the people that are looking at the feedback button and actually think of clicking it! I want to know what you think of this so I'll push myself to write more of this awesome couple!

Darkyu