The note sat right in the center of his desk, almost like that was where it belonged, on a Marine's desk. Smoker knew better than that. He knew damn well that a note from a pirate with the address of a small inn room was not supposed to be there on his desk. But there it was, and it wasn't the first time one such note had been there. Sighing faintly to himself, the smoke user sat heavily in his desk chair, staring at the still closed note laying before him. His mind flitted to the man who had obviously left it there.
Fire Fist Ace was the very last person he thought would ever want anything to do with him. They could honestly list all the things about them that were different. In personality, appearance, just about everything he could think of, Smoker could point out just how opposite they were.
Ace was in every sense vivid, if he had to be summed up in one word. He wore colors that stood out, making him stand apart from the crowd, and even among other pirates. The black and orange stood out, and yet... It went so well with the sun kissed skin that was always showing, seeing how rarely the young man wore shirts of any kind. Tanned to near perfection, it was a real wonder why the pirate didn't have mobs of horny women on his tail whenever he strode into a bar. Or a pack of horny men, depending on the evening.
And that was just his looks. The expressions that flickered on the fire user's freckled face had so much depth, and yet could be read by someone as clueless as, well... as Straw Hat Luffy. But there could be subtlety, so minute, yet completely changing each feeling Ace showed. Smoker swore he could stare at the young man's face for hours and it would shift from one kind of joy to fondness, to some weird kind of boredom, and cycle back through until something else happened. Each expression was faintly different and so easily missed if you didn't watch for them. The spectrum of faces and feelings the Marine had seem play across the canvass that was the pirate were nothing short of many.
All this wasn't even touching on their careers. A pirate and a Marine? Nothing but violence and trickery could come of that. Be it for information or just some petty hate, the two groups were made to butt heads. Ace's interactions were just not normal; a sweet smile, civil conversations, and passionate sex fueled by respectful and mutual attraction should not appear anywhere in a description of their occasional meetings. Sure, they had set down rules to try and keep some distance between them, but the gap was closing quickly.
The… interactions they had, now, were sober. Not a drop of alcohol had to be there, and usually wasn't, and everything was becoming so different. It was an almost normal schedule, now, and it was, in the least, terrifying. Acclimating to this kind of activity, to sneaking out, making a mess of, and then sleeping through the rest of the night in a tavern bed, was not something he really ever expected, especially not with someone like that. A life like that was something silly and uninformed young girls fantasized about without understanding just what they were actually getting themselves into, not a grown man who knew very well what these kinds of people were capable of-!
The Marine made the sound of his head slamming against his desk to stop the torrent of meditation as inaudible as possible; the overflowing piles of paperwork doing a rather sizeable job muffling the thump. "Damn."
He was acting like some- some lovesick adolescent, worrying over what the note might say! And that was bringing up more worries that were honestly relevant. The 'whys', 'hows', 'whens', all the questions he didn't know how to answer were there, and all because he couldn't get over the feeling that so much change had occurred that there was no going back! Enough… this was more than enough for tonight!
With a little more roughness than the poor scrap of parchment deserved, Smoker opened it and scowled at the neat lettering. Almost immediately, his scowl faltered to a shocked circle and his eyes darted over the letters again and again. He can't be… No, he could not be serious!
"'You've finally seemed to master the first two lessons, S. You seem more comfortable, so I'm going to propose something. Technically, I was supposed to 'wine and dine' you before even touching you, but for you, it seems we needed to wait to try that. Consider this an invitation for you to break into lesson 1.3! If you don't want to, just show up at the hotel, usual time (Address in corner), but if you want to get a taste of something less… steamy, meet me out front dressed casual at…. Just a little while before dusk?'" The neat letters and lack of signature was enough proof to tell it was definitely from Ace, but this…?! Going out to dinner?! What was he even thinking?!
Smoker actually found himself pacing, muttering under his cigar breath as he popped in a third to try and get his mind to stop panicking and these odd fluttery feelings in his stomach to cut it out. This was one of the worst ideas he'd ever heard!
He could not believe he had talked himself into this… Smoker smoothed his hair back for the seemingly thousandth time, huffing as he walked along the main road as non-conspicuously as he could muster. It felt odd… Not being in his Navy attire, not having the fading sunlight and afternoon breeze against his bare chest, even the lack of cigars! It had taken an hour to find a shirt that wasn't ruined by training, another to get enough nicotine patches to sate himself, and a few minutes to come up with an excuse to leave the ship and not be there for dinner without worrying anyone or letting on why he was going. To the smoke user, this was a little pathetic.
It was just a meal, an extended foreplay, but definitely, certainly, absolutely not a date. There was no extended attachment lingering in this, just a meal, a social custom, and that's that. He shouldn't be this worked up, anyways. It was just the brat, and chances were, this was just going to be some quick bar food before the usual evening, and it was going to work out perfectly. Nothing was wrong….
It was easy to spot Ace waiting contently, standing on the walkway and looking at nothing in particular. His hat was nowhere in sight, his own torso covered, and the worn black shorts replaced with something that looked rather new and clean. As always, the colors were bright, and the shirt was woven in a vibrant pattern and was loose-fitted, but still covering his tattoo and his stomach. Light must have bounced off a puddle in the road or something when the fire user noticed him, because a warm, sunny glow just seemed to light right up and made him feel all fluttery, again. Damn weather was conspiring against him!
"Where to," he muttered the moment they were in earshot, glancing everywhere but the beaming freckled face before him. It felt like a Neptunian was swimming up and down and in all kinds of odd knots within his guts whenever he did. There was a light hum and an arm lightly touching his shoulder to guide him along as they walked.
"Nice little place I found. Just this week, too," the young pirate chimed. "The drinks are good, food is better, and the best part is, it's quiet and not too expensive. Not a lot of Marines or pirates, too." Ace's mood seemed bubbly, for some reason, and it was infecting. The small talk actually had two sides by the time they reached the building. It was a modest setting overlooking the bay and docks, and most of the seating was outside. Sweeter smells filled the air and mingled with flowering trees that were scattered around the area and all along the edge.
Through some form of magic, charm, and possibly preparation, the pair was lead to a table with a view that could be summed up in one word, even though that one word would do far from giving it its due. Just glancing over to the west gave the most magnificent image of the sun gently dipping down into the bay and the sprawling lights of the port town starting to flicker on like stars. Lush greens and rosy pinks were woven through the buildings, and even though the trees were lovely from the ground, looking down on them as they caught the last glow of the sun was breathtaking. Scenery had never been very captivating for him, but just this once, Smoker didn't mind watching the world around him for just a little bit.
"Like it?"
Almost jumping, the smoke user forgot he was just standing next to their table and leaning lightly on the railing instead of paying attention to Ace. He coughed into his hand slightly, nodding before turning back to see his chair pulled out and offered to him. Smoker played along, rolling his eyes at the insistence that he be sat first and his chair pushed in by the raven-haired male instead of by his own power.
"It's alright… Nice to look at," he admitted, watching a twinkle flicker on in the fiery orbs looking him over.
"Only alright?" the pirate purred, his lips quirking in a challenging way. "And just what would you do if I got you to say that this was one of the greatest experiences of your life before you set foot inside the hotel room after we eat?" So they were going to play it this way, then…
"I'll take care of that problem you've been complaining about getting in the mornings, recently," smirked the albino, his ruby irises sharpening with his confidence. "And tonight? I'll do that one thing you like with my tongue until it's sore." He watched a tanned adam's apple bob slightly at the wager. "And if I don't say it, you'll let me… eat ribs right in front of you without having any go missing, again."
"A hard bargain," Ace hummed, grinning and nodding. "You'd better drink a lot of water, then, because I don't think I can let myself lose."
"I will not take it easy on you just because you invited me out."
"That, my dear Smokey, is what makes it fun. Let the bet begin!"
