"Th-that's enough, Babe…" a certain pyro murmured, sighing heavily as his body relaxed against the mattress, yet again. He felt the exhausted Marine finally give in and flop, boneless, onto the sheets. Ace muttered softly, not feeling much like moving, either, but forced himself to sit up and work long enough to drag the albino up so they were both able to lie comfortably. Smoker only put up a soft moan before burrowing into the soft sheets and probably falling right asleep.
No one would really blame him. The pirate alone felt like jelly after that, and Smoker had insisted he do most of the work, tonight; the aching he would have in the morning from sheer strain would be more than enough to keep him still for hours; his throat would be screaming murder if its owner even tried to do more than breathe, too.
Ace could not help but smirk at the thought, a few fingers tiredly running through the snowy locks of hair at his side. He knew that Smoker only went that far to please for a very extremely small set of people and usually only for specific reasons. Being one of the few was certainly an honor. The reason, though… That was what tainted his smile to a bitter-sweet one.
It had happened while they were having their last drinks of the night. He could remember the last rays of sun dying at least a few minutes before, leaving them both bathed in firelight and the soft glow of their table's candle. There was a small pile of cherry stems, each one tied into several tiny knots. He watched Smoker tie the last one with his tongue and teeth before depositing it in the little pile with a calm smirk.
It was his game, really. The sooner they left, the less of a chance there was for him to mess up and actually speak what Ace wanted to hear. The pyro wasn't making it simple, either. He was, rather admirably, resisting the flirting and doing everything within his power to make the evening perfect. Finally, though, just as they were preparing to pay and leave, the albino said it.
"This… was the best night out I've had in a long time…"
The Marine had gone silent after that… Not in a shy or relaxed way, either. Ace could feel the anxiety floating off the other as they walked back to the inn. He waited to ask until they were in the privacy of the room, but the only answer he got was Smoker undressing. Even when he tried to press the subject, Smoker just stayed quiet and knelt next to the bed, waiting patiently. The Marine ended up tugging his pants down and essentially forcing the rest of the night to start just to get the subject to change.
It was just the Marine's way, he guessed. Ace didn't really like it, but he had figured out a while ago that this was how Smoker dealt with emotional problems or insecurity in his decisions: he ignored it. His emotions almost never conflicted with his job, so he usually didn't have to deal with it, there, but… This was different. There couldn't be much else that was more of a conflict of interests that this.
"It must be tearing you up, inside…" the pirate whispered, frowning to himself as he lightly stroked those snowy locks. "To know that I should be the last person you do this with... It must hurt so badly for you to let yourself stay. It must make you feel so unworthy and dirty and tainted. And I hate that…. Because that's the very furthest thing from you and no matter how I try to stop myself, I can't help it… You're too perfect."
Even though Smoker wasn't old enough at the time, the pyro knew that this was the kind of Marine Garp had wanted them both him and Luffy to become. This man was strong, determined, everything Garp insisted made a good man and a good Marine. There really were too few of them still in the Navy, and yet, here one was. And here he was, tempting and teasing this perfect Marine into things that would kill them both…
Smoker was more than that uniform, though, far more than that symbol 'Justice' usually meant. There was that hidden complexity, intelligence, and his softer, caring spots all covered in a thick, protective weave of stoics interlaced with moral fiber. In was a wall so firm, yet flexible, that nothing could get through without permission. After so long, it seemed that permission had been given to him, to a pirate that he should not have trusted at all. The moral fibers that acted as the firmest line of defense against his kind hadn't been able to find a real reason to keep him out…
The pyro sighed to himself and held the albino a little closer and a little more carefully. Always being strong and distant, it had to be hard. It was his job, in the end, but Smoker still shouldn't have to feel the need to do this, here. Here, he wasn't a symbol of Justice to remind people on both sides of their morals, or lack thereof. He didn't have to be pure-!
Pure… That was what Smoker was, underneath that husk and certainly physically. He was more pure and concentrated Justice than the world could handle, most days. Those emotions he would show were pure and unmixed because that was the only thing that could break through the forced apathy. Ace sighed, again. That apathy was the most peaceful thing in his world, even when Smoker was on the job and chasing him all around some random port.
The feel of that alabaster skin shifting under his hand had the pirate jump back to the physical. He whispered an apology to the barely awake form that had jolted when a tender bruise from a small mishap at sea, moving his hand back to a clear patch of skin. He smiled to himself when the albino passed right back out with barely a murmur of acceptance.
He'd only gotten a small glimpse of those tired, ruby eyes, but he'd seen them plenty, before. Smoker probably didn't know how gorgeous they could be when the light caught them just right or when something finally went his way. Then there was the smooth, almost ethereal body that might as well be sculpted from marble. Now was one of those times where he could just observe and feel it without Smoker trying to make him stop. Moments of this kind of sweetness were so rare, and the pirate let himself enjoy it as he tucked the blankets a little closer around his precious symbol of purity and peace…
"Dove…" the dark, haired male whispered, his smile brightening. Sure, calling the Marine 'Babe' and other usual terms was enjoyable, but something about claiming this Marine with a word that was all their own was… nice. "My Dove… Don't ever let me tarnish you, because nothing in this world truly can." He gave a bitter little smile at that thought, pressing a kiss onto the broad forehead that wasn't creased, for once.
