Fandom: One Piece
Pairing: Smoker x Ace
Rating: NC-17 / M
Warnings: Language, violence and sex. All the good stuff.
Summary: Impel Down timeline; Smoker grudgingly closes off his sense of justice to save one man he shouldn't want to save.
Disclaimer: Characters from 'One Piece' series belong to Eiichiro Oda. I'm just borrowing them for fun, so don't sue, I don't have a penny. Original characters belong to me.
Author's notes: Uni started and it's hard :x I have no idea when the next part will come out so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I think about three more chapters might follow, though I am not sure, my fics sometimes get out of control /
We finally learn some more about what happened in Impel Down. And yes, I threw in some fluff. It isn't my style if there isn't any. Hope it's not enough to make the whole thing too OOC.
On the side note, the picture I did of Ace sleeping was suppose to be the scene from this chapter but I moved it to next one. Plotbunnies took over :x
And I think I am loosing my touch. Writing porn never takes me that long /
...
- XII -
There was no sound.
The fact that he could not see a single thing did not surprise him. The black hood that was thrown over his head shortly before the Marine ship made it to it's dock was not transparent at all and blocking out fresh air. It seemed like hours now, the scratchy material suffocating him almost as hard as the heavy stone collar clasped tightly on his neck.
But the absence of sound made him nervous. After the brief struggle with two nameless Marines that dragged him out of the vessel's brig and after his world turned black, they lead him through corridors that smelled of dampness and dust; After that down the stairs on which he nearly tripped and the fucking Marines almost ripped his arms out of it's sockets.
He was thrown unceremoniously on the floor and the chains of his seastone cuffs were secured on some kind of lock in the stone underneath him. He didn't have much strength to escape to begin with, not with collar and shackles burning his skin for days and draining his power, making him feel like his mind was wrapped in countless layers of thick cotton. He couldn't even remember when was the last time that seastone touched him for so long.
A creak of door opening caught his attention, the only sound amongst the blackness and silence that almost rang painfully in his ears. He didn't move an inch, even though his eyes followed the noise as someone stepped into the room. The steps were heavy, slow and calculated. Only one person, heavy one, assuming from the way he or she walked. Unless there were others that stayed completely immobile.
More steps, some shuffling of paper, a gentle sound of glass tinkling when drink was poured. He still didn't even twitch, kneeling at the person's feet, chained to the floor like a stray dog.
The hood was suddenly pulled from his head and a wave of light hurt his eyes. Against his will it made him grunt in surprise and pain and he squeezed his eyes until a tiny, colorful reflections showed beneath his eyelids. It took him a minute or two to start blinking furiously, fighting the discomfort so he could see anything in the blinding white.
The first thing he noticed when he could see without squinting was a man standing in front of large, wooden desk. His eyes automatically fell on the captain's insignia on the Marine's uniform. Second thing he noticed was that the room was illuminated not by strong sunlight but by a couple of lamps and the sky outside the single window was actually gaining red and orange hues, suggesting the time of sunset.
"Ah, mister Portgas." The deep, scratchy tone made him snap back his attention back to the Marine. He was a large man with crazy moustache and even more insane look in his eyes. "We've been waiting for you, as you can probably imagine."
"Sorry," Ace rasped back, voice straining from days of practically no use in the brig. "But the gentlemen who helped me to this destination were not responding to my pleas for faster travel."
"So I noticed." The man apparently was not taken aback by his reply. "My name is captain Bohn and I am an officer in charge of Impel Down prison, which will serve as your accommodation for the time being."
Ace tried to smooth his tangled hair back out of the habit but the chains he was in were too short and merely rattled pitifully when he shook them.
"Ah yes," Bohn casted a look on the chains and locks while leaning against his desk and taking a sip from a glass that apparently held some kind of whisky, because the smell brought some memories back to Ace. Before instinctively licking his chapped lips he didn't even notice how thirsty he was. "Impel Down is a prison of highest security level in the whole Grand Line and never even once we had a case of someone breaking out. I'm afraid seastone is a must for you, mister Portgas."
Ace eyed the cuffs critically. They were heavy, tight and cold, sucking out his power and making his skin ache and burn on the contact. He could already see that skin on his wrist was scabbed and angry red, not bleeding yet but probably would soon.
"Well, I can't exactly say no to such high class treatment, can I?"
Bohn only shook his head, finishing his drink and setting the empty glass on his desk, in a spot where Ace could clearly see it, before turning around and moving to the window. From the angle the boy was in he could not really see the outside word, but he could see the reddening skies.
"Impel Down," Bohn started while he gazed out of the window, his back turned on the prisoner. "Is a jewel in the crown of World Government, mister Portgas. A perfect institution set up in to keep the kinds like you locked down, away from normal citizens. Pirates are a filth of this world, which we will get rid off, so help me gods."
Someone opened the door again and captain turned back slightly to look at the rugged pirate with the corner of his eye.
"Tell me, mister Portgas," Bohn's voice lost it's dark note. "Do you enjoy sunsets?"
The question caught the younger man a bit off guard but he didn't show it.
"As a matter of fact I do."
"Good," Bohn nodded thoughtfully at the two Marine guards that entered the room a moment before and now proceeded with removing the lock that kept Ace chained to the floor, while twisting his arms again and getting ready to drag him away once more. The back hood was back, cutting off his sight. "Because I am going to make sure you will never see sun again."
- XIII -
The sounds that could be heard on the ship were well known to Smoker; There was the gentle rocking of waves against the sides of the ship, wind singing in between that sails and now also a faint hum of running shower.
He had observed him at first; Blamed the action on the common sense that the boy might collapse suddenly, having just woken from seastone coma. Ace seemed fine though, shaken and visibly exhausted, but otherwise steady on his feet. He watched as the pirate discarded his clothes and unwound the bandages from his chest and arms and stepped into the shower. Even though Ace tried to conceal it, a sharp hiss of pain escaped him when steaming water hit his injured back and ran over the open wound.
At any other time Smoker might have been annoyed at the needless waste of hot water from the ship's already poor supply, but he chose to stay silent this time, watching as the boy rested his forehead against cool wall and stayed like that for good couple of minutes.
By the time Ace was done and left the bathroom, letting out the gentle waves of steam Smoker was already sitting at the edge of his bed for a long time, eyes focused on polishing his jitte; Anything that kept him occupied was good. The boy was wearing only the pair of Smoker's own plain boxers – obviously too large for his too lanky frame – and a towel draped loosely around his neck. With his hair dripping wet and clinging to his face and with colorful set of bruises that covered his body even Ace had to admit he looked fucking miserable.
Smoker put away the weapon carefully, placing it by the nearby wall and instead he pulled out the medical kit he had retrieved from the infirmary earlier, when the boy was still in the shower.
"Come here."
The command was simple enough and Ace listened, nearing the bed and allowing the Marine to turn him around.
The wound of Ace's back was deep and nasty and Smoker couldn't help but to frown at the sight. The edges of it were not clean like from a knife cut, but torn and scarred. It was not healing well, obviously infected during boy's stay in containment and it refused to close, even if it didn't bleed that much anymore. Smoker made a mental note to have Yamada take a closer look at it in the morning.
Ace's hands were in a bit better state, the burned skin on them healing and closing up, but they ran nearly up to his elbows. Smoker hadn't seen something so grotesque in a very long time – a fire logia user with burn marks.
"How did this happen?" Smoker took his time with wrapping up the boy's chest in fresh bandages; There was really no need to wake Yamada up just for this one purpose when he was more then capable of doing it himself.
"Not now." Ace said nothing more while the examination and patching continued, remaining silent even when Smoker tended to his arms. He was exhausted and sleepy, the hot shower nearly lulling him to sleep with warmth and steady sound of falling water.
Smoker did not reply, finishing his job and making sure the bandages weren't wrapped too tightly over the broken ribs. Ace waited for him to put away the kit, before reaching out and combing his fingers through the gray hair. Smoker just looked at him, staying still for a moment, before raising his own hand in response and brushing it over pirate's less bruised side, knuckles tickling the skin lightly. His other palm settled over the small of Ace's back, slowly tugging him closer, until the boy had no other choice but to rest his knees at the edge of the bed and sit in the other man's lap. Aching, bony fingers of the pirate rested heavily at the back of Smoker's neck as Ace pressed their foreheads together and let out a tired sigh.
"It wasn't suppose to exist." Smoker thought as he started to kiss a trail along Ace's jaw. This whole... romance thing between them was never suppose to be real. The were opposites in every single meaning of the word and he was a Marine, he ought to know better then indulge himself in such way, to allow the pirate to get such strong hold of him. When and how exactly things between them went from just sex to more serious affair, Smoker did not know. It just happened somewhere over the years since he first met the boy. Portgas brought trouble with him wherever he went and change tagged along, ready to introduce chaos to Smoker's otherwise steady worldview.
Smoker's hand went up to tangle in the wet, jet-black hair and tugged slightly, to make the boy arch his neck more. It allowed the commodore to suck at the sensitive spot below his ear, making Ace's breath hitch and causing his hands to flex at other man's shoulders.
The Marine's other hand kneaded at his hip, open palm pressing against the bruised skin enough for Ace to feel it but not enough to hurt. The pirate's skin underneath his fingers was warm, but Smoker knew it was not the fire logia that he felt, just a reminiscence of shower heat. It was almost enough to fool him. Almost.
He brushed his lips over Ace's own, the boy's mouth opening to him willingly and he claimed the kiss, slowly, taking his time. It was far too long since they've been together like this, too many nights during which he kept wondering if Portgas is even still alive and too many weeks without any trace of the familiar warmth. Ace sighed into the kiss, relaxing his tense muscles and winding his arms loosely around his lover's neck. Smoker's hands pressed lightly over his hack, mindful of the injury.
Ace fought for the dominance in the kiss but it was only half-hearted as at the time he was content with other man claiming his mouth. It was too long for him as well, weeks without real human contact and he allowed Smoker to explore him, to massage his tongue with his own, to take him all. Anything, as long as he could feel something else then the bone-chilling void inside of him, where his logia used to rest.
A small, content sound escaped Ace's lips and his grip on the Marine grew more slacked, relaxing his frame against the other's solid body. Smoker broke the kiss with last, almost playful lick at his lips and tugged the non-resisting body along with him as he moved more towards the center of the bed, to rest on it fully. Mindful of the injuries, he let the boy settle next to him, Ace's neck tucked underneath Marine's chin.
"Hmm?" The boy muttered sleepily at the rearrangement of their position.
"If you're about to fall asleep on me, I might as well get myself comfortable." Smoker's voice was gruff but held no malice and Ace smiled once his brain, currently in shut-down mode, proceeded the thought. The evening was chilly, so Ace groped blindly around the sheets, finally finding the blankets that would do just fine to protect them both from the cold.
- XIV -
He stopped counting somewhere after fifteenth punch, after the next blow filled his mouth with blood from his own tongue he had bitten on by accident.
Fighting back didn't even make much sense anymore, not with collar on short chain binding him to the wall, not with cuffs that limited his movement, not with two huge Marines holding down his arms while the third one proceeded with what he called 'interrogation'.
The next punch hit his temple fair and square and the force of it made his head snap back painfully against the wall behind, black spots dancing before his vision and sharp sting of pain shooting down his spine. The third Marine grabbed his jaw to turn his head towards himself.
"You're done already?" The mocking tone and smirk seemed to express his satisfaction, almost as much as blood on his knuckles. "Guess the famous Fire Fist isn't that tough after all."
All he got in reply was a bloody spit in his eye.
"Son of bitch!" The Marine hissed as he took back a step and wiped his face, listening to crude laughter of his companions. "You're just begging for more."
"That's enough."
A soft voice ran through the dark cell like a thunder, stopping the man from hitting him again. The three men turned towards the source of the sound. Hands left Ace's shoulders immediately, bodies moved away, but he couldn't bother to look up just yet.
"I will take it from here. All of you, dismissed."
Ace could hear them saluting, exiting the room and then sound of door closing, leaving him and his visitor alone.
"At last, some new face." Ace coughed as he raised his head to look at the woman who just entered the cell. "I was getting bored of that three blockheads there."
The woman took a chair from the corner of the cell, one that wasn't there before, Ace noticed, and sat down gracefully, placing a small, black briefcase on the floor.
"My name is quite irrelevant in these circumstances, but people of Impel Down call me Ophelia. I suspect we will be meeting each other quite a lot." The woman moved up her glasses up to her head, where they rested on her very short brown hair. She wore Marine uniform, but Ace could not see rank insignia on her at all. She was thin as a stick and seemed to have nice, long legs that Ace would certainly appreciate in different scenario.
"It would be nice to have someone intelligent to talk to, for a change." He smirked, spitting out another mouthful of blood that ran from his tongue.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, number sixty-seven." She referred to him by the prison number he knew that was carved on the seastone cuff. "I'm afraid you will be the one doing all the talking."
With a tip of her boot she kicked the briefcase down, it's lid snapping open at the impact and revealing it's content to the beaten up pirate. Ace's eyes winded up a tiniest bit when his sight fell at the shiny steel instruments inside.
"Now," Ophelia leaned in, taking one of the spotless tools and rolling the sleeves of her uniform up to her elbows. "Why don't we start with some basics, hmm? Like coordinates of Newgate's main ship?"
Ace did not take his eyes off from the item in her hand, seemingly harmless for now, but let out a quiet laugh at the question.
"Why do I have this weird feeling you are going to turn out to be a sadistic little bitch?"
"Oh," She blinked, as if in confuse, while raising herself from the chair and closing the space between them. "That's probably because I will."
- XV -
The first thing Smoker registered after waking up suddenly in the middle of the night was the fact that he was fucking freezing.
Blinking tiredly a couple of times he noticed the blankets were thrown away haphazardly and there was a thin strap of light from underneath his bathroom door. Even in his half-wake state he could put the puzzle pieces together. The slam of door followed by pitiful sound of retching was the reason he had woken up.
He did expect this to be true. Ace was walking around an hour after waking up from a week-long sleep. Even if he didn't snatch anything from the galley while Smoker was on watch it was obvious that his body wasn't ready for neither food nor any physical strain.
The sounds of unsuccessful attempts at vomiting stopped after a couple of minutes followed by the flush of toilet and running water, as the brat was probably trying to wash away the nasty taste of bile from his mouth. The light switch was flipped again and when Ace stepped out of the bathroom he was surprised to see the other man wide awake.
"Sorry." He mumbled with a sheepish grin. "Didn't mean to wake you up."
The younger man made his way back to the bed, supporting himself by using the wall and occasionally the furniture. Ace kept one arm wrapped around his torso; His ribs obviously bothered his while his stomach rebelled. Instead of unceremoniously throwing himself on the bed like he always used to, the pirate lowered himself carefully this time, rearranging himself until he found a comfortable position. Tucking in his head under Commodore's chin once again he breathed in deeply, as if the slightly smoky scent helped to calm his queasy stomach.
Sea stone sickness was never pretty, Smoker thought, as he reached for the blankets to once again tuck them both in. Depending on how strong the organism of Devil Fruit user was the effects could last for days. Ace's logia was not back yet, but Smoker knew that when the fire once again starting burning in the pirate's body, the rest of healing process would be a flash. For now, though, the carefully measured breaths warming the skin of his neck were the proof that the boy was not feeling well at all.
"How exactly did you get these?" One of Smoker's arms was wrapped loosely around Portgas's waist while he used the thumb of his free hand to brush across the three ragged scars decorating Ace's nose and cheek. They did not stand out much, but at such close distance he could see them quite clearly.
"These?" Ace muttered tiredly glad that he was warming up once more thanks to the Marine's body heat. "Blackbeard. Him and his damn rings. Those things actually tear the skin up on hit. Nasty trick, really." He ended with an amused snort.
Smoker's hand continued exploring, running over the shape of the scar, moving to pirate's jaw and tracing it up to the shell of his ear. Ace purred contently when those fingers moved to tangle in his hair, gently massaging his scalp and moved to rest at his neck.
Smoker frowned when Ace tensed a little and underneath his fingers he could feel the skin that was not smooth and soft, but scarred and irregular.
"And this?" Smoker asked when he moved back the wild black hair a bit and looked at the circular fresh scars.
Ace did not reply. Truth to be told, he didn't really need to. Smoker knew what Impel Down was like; what Marines in there could do to extract information. Ace was a valuable source of it, being in the position he was. He didn't have to reply and Smoker never asked about it again. It was the unspoken agreement they both have accepted.
Ace's own fingers were tracing the line of Smoker's jaw, but the action was a bit absent-minded, as if he was not thinking about what he was doing and his thoughts were far away. Smoker could only hope it was not back into the dark cells where violence and strength determined who lived and who died.
Deciding that a distraction would work well for now, Smoker moved his head just a little to take an unbandaged tip of one of the wandering fingers in between his lips and sucked at he digit lightly. The effect was almost immediate. Portgas's eyes focused on him and on what his mouth was doing. The Marine would have grinned if his mouth was not occupied at the moment, so instead he sucked a bit harder, teeth grazing over the calloused skin lightly. Ace didn't even bother to surpass a shiver that ran down his back and he moved his finger a little, to press over his bedmate's teeth and over the lapping tongue.
"Sly old man." Ace whispered as he pulled his hand back and closing his heavy-lidded eyes he lapped at Marine's lips, begging for a permission to enter. "Don't go easy on me. I will be back to annoying the shit out of you pretty soon."
One large hand that was resting on Ace's waist moved lower to clamp down at a perfect globe of pirate's ass, making the boy's breath hitch.
"I have no doubts about that, Portgas."
Ace claimed the Marine's lips hungrily, allowing his tongue to tangle with the other man's, exploring more of that pleasing warmth his mouth provided. His hands ran over the muscled chest; Smoker frowned at the weird dichotomy between warm fingertips and scratchy bandages. The Commodore placed both hands over Ace's ass, pressing their weights together and using the opportunity to grind his erection against Ace's thigh, trapped in between his own. Ace grunted into their kiss, thrusting down to mimic the action.
"Ah damn..." Ace broke the kiss when Smoker's hands slipped underneath the waistband of the boxers and stroked over the uncovered skin of his backside. He rested his forehead against Marine's chest while his fingers tangled in short gray hair. "You're trying to make me loose it first, aren't you?"
Smoker merely smirked moving his hands in hard, broad strokes, almost like a massage. He moved over that smooth skin, up to the waist that was not wrapped in bandages and then lightly over the covered injury. Ace wasn't staying idle through the whole time either. His fingers were working quickly at Smoker's zipper and soon one hand was free to slip in and grasp at Marine's already hard cock.
"Hmm." Ace purred as Smoker groaned and squeezed his eyes tightly to concentrate. Ace was confident with his moves and pressing just exactly where Smoker wanted him to, knowing from experience what made the Commodore lose control. The pirate vaguely thought that after all of this they would probably need to change his bandages again, but it left his mind quickly as his hand smeared precum all over Smoker's shaft as Smoker reached for his nightstand. He used that as an opportunity to get rid of the boxers and rearrange himself on the bed making himself comfortable, but when he laid on his side his ribs protested with sharp pain and Ace let out a hiss.
"Easy." Smoker was there almost spooning against his back as he brushed his hand lightly over the bandaged side and leaned in to nip at Ace's exposed neck.
Ace let out a frustrated sigh, waiting for the throbbing in his ribs to lessen before turning his head back slightly to nuzzle at his bedmate's hair. Smoker's mouth was plenty of distraction and there was barely even a sting of pain when two of the Commodore's slick fingers prodded at his entrance and then slipped slowly inside, stretching and caressing the tense muscles. Smoker's other hand found its way underneath Ace and around his waist, bringing them close together in a resemblance of a hug.
"Ah..." Ace gasped in pleasure, arching his neck back when the older man brushed his fingertips over his prostate and his legs parted a bit wider on their own. "Oh yeah... right there."
Smoker smirked from his spot between boy's neck and shoulder, licking at the sensitive skin. He complied for some time stroking exactly at the same area, his fingers rubbing in small circles as he listened to Ace's breathing that started to get heavier with each passing moment. His own need was demanding some attention, but for now he focused on what he was doing. Ace didn't stay still for very long though. One of his hands rested on the arm that Smoker had wrapped around him, while the other reached back and after some blind searching he closed his fingers around the Marine's aching cock and stroked.
Smoker closed his eyes and groaned into the other's shoulder; it definitely had been far too long between the two of them. Even before Ace's capture they hadn't shared a bed for couple of weeks and Smoker would never admit it, even to himself, he missed having the boy here with him; missed having him like this, so close, so needy and so delicious, writhing underneath his touch and begging for more.
"Fuck." Ace tugged a little harder trying to pull Smoker closer to him. "That's enough old man. Just get in me already."
This time Smoker obeyed the bossy tone and after a brief moment his fingers withdrew, leaving the boy empty and sighing in pent-up frustration. The Marine moved, making sure not to irritate the wound on Portgas's back and wrapped his free arm around the other's thigh, keeping him spread wide for what was about to come. The head of his cock nudged against pirate's opening, slick and stretched and oh-so-ready for him. He thrust slowly, sliding his cock against the waiting entrance, both to tease his bedmate and to cover himself up in some of that oil that he used to stretch that lovely piece of ass just a minute ago.
"Hmm..." Ace let out a content purr as he felt Smoker shift against him, so close he could feel the heat radiating from every part of his body. One of his hands still clung to the arm Smoker had wrapped around him, but the other moved to stroke at his own neglected cock, shuddering at his own touch.
The older man moved again changing the angle of his hips just a little, but enough for the head of his cock to enter the resisting opening. Ace gasped in surprise at the initial sting that penetration always brought. The Commodore entered his body slowly but surely, stopping only when he was buried to the hilt.
Smoker nearly growled into the boy's skin once again; Ace was always so hot, so deliciously warm inside and this hadn't changed even with his fire gone. He could feel Ace's unsteady breath washing over his forehead in small gasps as he mouthed the pirate's neck. The younger man was trying to get used to the burning feeling of fullness. He wasn't a virgin and Smoker's cock was not much larger then his own, but for Ace it always felt like he was being stretched almost to the point of impossibility. The boy was tight, still, no matter how many times they have done it and Smoker let out a restrained hiss as he shifted, arm no longer supporting the shivering thigh but instead grasping at Ace's bony hip that fitted perfectly into his large hand.
Smoker knew how to make boy scream; how to make him shift between flesh and the element that made his core, between the body of man and shape of fire. He knew how it felt to mingle his smoke with the burning sensation of flames, and how it felt to snuff away the fire that slipped away from Ace's control when he was no longer paying attention to anything else than the friction between them.
This, however, felt different. There was no familiar pull of logia right from the beginning, no vortex of fire sucking him in. It was just firm flesh against flesh, no raging elements, just solid bodies, wounds, bandages, and shaky fingers threading through his hair. It was as much human as it ever could be.
He moved tentatively at first, testing out the other's reactions. Ace breathed his name out in a tone that left no doubt that he was fine. Smoker kissed at the warm skin just below boy's ear and let himself slide almost all the way out, before thrusting in the heated body again. The slow, measured pace was enough. He wanted it to last and rushing things no matter how satisfying simply wouldn't do.
Ace was making all kinds of little noises that Smoker nearly learned by heart after all their previous encounters. He groped at the sharp hip a bit harder, shifting and searching for a different angle to his leisure thrusts. Knowing he found his goal when Ace jerked within his grasp and whimpered. Smoker's hand stopped him from moving and thrusting himself harder on his bedmate's cock. Turning his head towards the Commodore he intended to say something about being a controlling bastard, but Smoker shut him up with a kiss and another measured stroke against his prostate.
The heat was enough to make Smoker lose his own control. Their pace never really changed, shifting between a slow, deep thrust to more shallow ones, but nevertheless Smoker took his time. Ace was gasping, moaning out his name and slowly coming undone in his hands and he savored every second of it. Ace's heat, his hand that clawed gently at Smoker's arm, they way he squeezed his eyes shut and shivered when Smoker stroked him in just the right way... It had beentoo long.
Ace was breathing soft moans and curses against the Marine's mouth as time passed. Smoker's body behind him served as his anchor to reality as he slowly lost the connection to the world around him. Nothing mattered anymore; there was no annoyingly painful ache in his back, no more memories he wanted to erase - just passion, hard thrusts that reached the core of him, the friction of two bodies and the fire and lust shared in between them. He tugged harder at his own cock, desperate for the release.
But then Smoker's hand was there moving from his hip and batting his own palm away, fingers wrapping around Ace's dripping cock. A couple more hard strokes were enough and Ace was coming, half-screaming, half-gasping Smoker's name. The Commodore felt his fist filling with warm seed, dripping in between his fingers as he held Ace close, his other hand stroking over the quivering stomach letting the boy ride out his release.
After wiping his hand on the corner of the sheets and waiting for the tremors of Ace's body to lessen, Smoker moved again thrusting back into the other's heat, seeking his own completion. Ace only hummed sleepily, neck twisting so he could kiss his bedmate while his arm wrapped awkwardly around Smoker's hip urging him to go faster. Smoker complied letting his world turn into hot white waves of lust as he came, spilling deep inside the warm body pressed against him.
There was no other sound in the room except for panting and shaky breaths. The heated air around them started to slowly cool down as they lay there waiting for the world to stop spinning. Ace was nearly dozing off when he finally felt Smoker removing himself from his body, softened cock slipping out and groaning at the sensation of emptiness, so strange after what they have just done.
"That," Ace shifted carefully turning around to rest his head on Smoker's shoulder, his bandaged fingers tracing random patterns over the Commodore's chest "Was definitely not good for my recovery. Yamada will have your head for wearing his patient out."
There was a soft snort into his hair as Smoker's nose nuzzled at his hair.
"Yamada is the last thing I want to think about right now."
Ace laughed quietly, stretching out his hand to grasp at the tangled blankets and pulled them up over their bodies. His brows rose in surprise as Smoker reached out and grabbed his wrist gently, to avoid any pain.
"We should probably change those." He nodded at the bandages that were not so sterile anymore and not so neat.
"Hmm…later." Ace let his hand drop and snuggled against his bedmate until he tucked his head under Smoker's chin, the beginning of stubble scratching at his nose. "I'm tired junsho. You can't deny a patient his rest."
Ace could swear he heard another snort from the other man before he drifted away to sleep almost immediately.
- XVI -
He woke up with face mashed against the cold stone, his cheek in some dirt and something else he never wanted to name.
Blinking a few times in confusion he was startled for a couple of seconds that the crazy bitch had made him blind because he could see nothing but darkness. The panic went away as his eyes started to grow accustomed to the dark surroundings.
First thing he noticed was that he was not back in his tiny cell. No, this place was much, much bigger and even more encased in darkness than his old accommodation. The second thing he noticed was the fact he was not alone.
There were shapes of people shifting around in the background. He could hear footsteps so light that he could of imagined them as well as he whispers in the dark.
After that realization he tried to move, but the next sensation that came to him was pain. Hissing in anguish he pushed himself to all fours slowly, feeling every bone and muscle in his body aching in pain. A while ago he decided pain was good.. It was enough to reassure him that he was still alive and fighting.
The cuffs around his wrist and neck were thicker than before, making breathing and thinking difficult. Ace tried to remember all the questions that the woman named Ophelia had asked him. He couldn't recall most of them, but he could very well remember the pain that came every time he refused to answer or said something he was not suppose to.
Further thinking would have to wait because his body decided it was finally time to rebel against the always-present pressure of seastone and he heaved trying not to puke all over himself. He hadn't eaten much for the last couple of days and he spit up only water and bile, the taste of it bitter in his mouth.
Shifting away from the mess he had made, Ace tried to take a deeper breath to calm his stomach down, but it seemed impossible with the collar on his neck constricting and painful. He tried clawing the damn thing away, but it only made his fingers ache more as he clung on the metal, a couple of them already bleeding or dislocated after the treatment he received earlier.
"It's no use." The voice in the darkness said next to him making him jump a little, hands shifting to his knife he had still strapped to his belt much to his own surprise. "You won't get it off even if you try, not without the key."
Ace focused on the shadows at the nearby wall that slowly started to resemble a shape of a tall, terribly thin man. A man who had been observing him for a good amount of time, it seemed.
"Newbies." The man snarled waving his hand as in dismissal. "Always running around like chickens without heads once they feel the real seastone on them."
"Fuck off." Ace croaked out, voice rough after screaming from earlier. It was probably not the best idea to make enemies in this place, but at that point he was beyond caring.
Much to his surprise the man roared with crude laughter, his voice echoing around the stone walls and down the corridors. After a couple of minutes Ace could see things more clearly.
"Nice attitude kid. If it was someone else than me, you probably would have lost an eye by now."
Ace pressed his hands over his temples trying to make the headache go away.
"Where am I exactly?"
"This place has no name." The man moved from his place coming closer to the pirate. Ace now could see his tattered clothes, messy dark beard, and eyes that seemed a little too crazy for his taste. "Just like we don't have names. They call me number 34."
Ace just shook his head in resignation. Like hell he would ever start refereeing to himself by his cell name, even if he was about to rot in Impel Down.
"But back then when I used to have a name," The man continued, as if to himself. "I was called Ginjiro. Formerly under Pirate Emperor Edward Newgate."