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Revised 5-7-15

Hellfire

Chapter 2

Smoker watched the brat come back into his office. He scowled. There was something off about Portgas D. Ace, and Smoker wasn't going to give up until he found out what it was. Smoker's gaze followed the freckled brat as he hung up the safety vest on a hook attached to the side of the desk. His gray eyes caught the gun hostered at Ace's side. Smoker raised his eyebrows at Tashigi, who had caught his gaze, and nodded her head in confirmation.

The Captain leaned back in his chair, and let out a huge cloud of cigar smoke. So, the brat passed the first test. It was an important one. A gun was as important as a heart if you were a cop in Chicago, especially these days. You were screwed if it failed when you needed it the most just because it wasn't the right gun for you. Even seasoned cops made that common mistake when chosing a gun. It didnt matter if it was 'cool'.What mattered was if you knew how to handle it. Maybe the rookie knew a thing or two about what the report claimed after all.

Smoker leaned forward again and stood, " We have a job to do. kid. Get off your ass moving."

Ace narrowed his eyes at Smoker before reaching for the vest. "You wont be needing that today," Smoker snapped,and walked out of the office. His chunky boots thumped against thr tile floor dully as he strode toward the station's door.

Ace caught up with him quickly, shrugging his own coat on the rest of the way, but left it unbuttoned. Smoker was going to roll his eyes, but was distracted when he held back a shiver as the icey wind blasted him. The older man grumbled as he and Ace made their way to Smoker's car. The car was old and had a dent or two, but Smoker took pride in how well he had maintained it through all its years of service. The inside of the cab was clean, and as Smoker slid into the drivers side, he could tell that Ace was surprised.

" This car is a piece or crap! Im surprised that it still can run," the raven exclaimed.

Smoker growled in offense. "Shut your trap, you ungrateful brat! You're lucky I don't make you walk!"

The damned brat had the balls to give Smoker a half ass smirk before turning his body away toward the window. 'That little shit,' he fumed silently. Smoker's car squealed out of the stations parking lot at a speed that was boarderline illegal. He made sure that Ace's head slammed against the cealing of the car as he purposely found the deepest potholes in the road, and sharpley rounded the corner, causing the younger man to crack his head harshly against the glass of the window.

The Captain didnt look, but he felt Ace's murderous glare on the side of his face as he hissed in pain. Smoker hid a satisfied smirk behind his cigars, and hoped that the rest of the car ride was as equally silent.

Smoker fished the Post-it note out of a pocket and read the bubbly writing that spelt out the directions of the first meeting place. He grunted and took a sharp left, racing through the alleyways and back streets that he knew would be the quickest route to get to the meeting place and cut a 15 minute drive into almost six.

He threw the car into park in a vaccant alleyway, and turned in his seat to Ace. The raven haired brat was still clutching onto his seat belt with white knuckles as he glared darkly at the Captain. A lesser man would've probably died on the spot if looks could kill, but Smoker was the White Hunter and was not intimidated by looks alone.

Smoker rolled his dark grey eyes and got out of the car. He stretched his arms above his head, cracking the fluid out of his joints and tossed his cigars onto the filthy alleyway before crushing them under his boot and walking down the alley. He yanked open the door at the end of the alley and went through, not waiting to see if Ace was behind him. Since the door didnt slam shut behing him, Smoker assumed Ace was near.

" I assume that you have been briefed before hand?" Smoker asked, not wanting to have to waste time explaining, as he lit a new cigar.

"Yes," Ace said as he rolled his dark eyes.

Smoker took a long drag from his cigar and chose to ignore Ace's tone as they continued to walk down the hallway. The heavy sound of bass vibrated and echoed through the walls, already giving Smoker a headache. 'God, I hate people,' he thought as he jerked the door open the door.

The strobe lights, music, and sweaty bodies threatened to spill out into the hallway. There was alot of people here for the middle of the morning. Didn't these brats have lives?

Growling in annoyance, Smoker shouldered his way toward the private boothes of the bar. He could feel Ace press closely against his back, making sure that they were not separated. The older man slid behind the curtain of the private both that the informant had specified. They were the first ones there.

Smoker watched Ace sit on the opposite side of the booth, looking around as he did so. Ace then reached across the table and grabbed a cigarette and a lighter from the offered glass on the table. He lit up casually, arching a slender eyebrow at Smoker as the said man shook his head without realizing it. Before Ace could say anything, the dark curtain was pulled back to reveal a tall man with dark red hair and three scars across his left eye. The man Smoker had come to know as Shanks sat down next to Ace.

" Smokie!" Shanks greeted the cop with a big smile.

"Shanks," Smoker grumbled flatly. " Portgas, this is Shanks. He's a reliable informant, and also the owner of this bar-"

"Club," Shanks interrupted.

Smoker resisted the urge to roll his eyes before he finished, "Shanks, this is my new partner."

Shanks half turned to Ace, who in turn gave the club owner a rueful smile as he held out his right hand in gretting. Shanks smirked in return and shook Ace's out stretched hand.

Shanks turned back to Smoker, "So, the info about Crocodile is in here," the cloaked man said quietly as he handed Smoker a manilla folder that he had pulled out of his black cloak. Smoker bit back a growl at the name.

Crocodile. Smoker gritted his teeth at the name, almost biting his smoke in half. God, he hated that bastard more then he hated anyone else. The first time Smoker had met Crocodile had been twenty-three years ago on that horrible night. It had taken another eight years to track down Crocodile again through an elite assassination group called Baroque Works, but when Smoker finally caught up though, he had given that bastard a reason or two to remember him. The damn reptile had been hiding ever since, working even more in the shadows then before.

The Captain took the filder from the red head and tucked it into his own jacket. Shanks stood, gracefully excusing himself by nodding at Smoker and Ace in a silent goodbye and giving them a smile and a thumbs up before heading out the booth. Smoker stood up himself, soon followed by Ace.

The younger man stubbed out his cigarette and said, "I gotta piss before we go, okay... Smokie?"

Smoker snarled and swiped at Ace, who nimbly dodged the older mans attack, and laughed at Smoker heartily. Smoker's ears turned slightly pink, from the heat in the room, he was sure, and snapped, "Well, hurry it up you damn brat!"

Ace rolled his dark eyes as he strode towards the the neon sign at the back of the club pointed to the bathrooms. After almost ten minutes Smoker was almosr bursting from impatience.

"What the hell is taking so long?!" He thought venomusly as he stomped around the corner to the bathrooms.

The Captain then stopped short, not sure what he was seeing, but he had a pretty good idea that it was supposed to be private.

Ace was arguing with a taller man,and even though Smoker couldn't tell what was being said, it was about something serious. The taller man was watching Ace intently. He followed the ravens agitated movements and started interrupting Ace, running his hands threw pale yellow hair. Ace started to wave his hands in front himself as if he trying to put distance between the men.

Suddenly the blond man grabbed Ace by the upper arms in... desperation? Anger? Then the man kissed Ace deeply on the mouth, pinning Ace to the wall behind them. Okay, so desperation, then... Smoker was jolted by the startled, outraged, and regretful expression on Ace's face, and was about to walk away , but the Captain's feet were stopped again as Ace brought up his knee and connected it with the other mans gut. The man crumpled with a groan, but still tried to grab Ace's wrist weakly.

"Please," the man rasped loudly, practically yelling as Ace turned away.

"Its no use, Marco. Whats done is done and theres no changing it." The raven's voice was cold as ice, but from where Smoker was standing, he could see the younger mans face was full of pain. There was a pause from Ace as if he wanted to say something more but seemed to decide against it and started to walk away.

Smoker scrambled backwards not wanting to be seen eavesdropping on what was now obviously a ex-lovers quarrel. He quickly placed him self in front of the bar and shoved two more cigars into his mouth. He was puffing like a chimney to hide his embarrassment. While he was trying to look as pissed as possible for Ace, two okama sauntered up to him. Great, another thing to try to drown out with a strong drink of whiskey later.

They were both scantly dressed and plastered in make up, but Smoker could tell from the poorly disguised bulges between their legs and from the false high soprano voices as on asked, " Hey there, sugar. You need someone to help keep you company?"

Smoker's brain went blank from an overload of embarrassment as he blushed for the second time that day, his face turning a dark shade of red, as felt a body press into his back and drape an arm around his shoulders.

"Sorry, sweetie, but he's with me," Ace drawled lazily, smirking cheekily at the men in drag.

Then, as if to emphasize his 'claim', Ace ran a hand down Smoker's chest till he was in between the older mans legs and squeezed. Smoker yelped, he was ashamed to admit, but couldn't move as Ace held him in place.

The two hookers huffed and sighed in disappointment, but turned to shuffle away in their ridiculously high shoes.

When they were gone, Smoker shoved Ace away roughly. " What the hell, you brat?!"

Ace just shrugged, and laughed. "Don't make it so easy to take advantage of you, Smokie." The tease sounded forced, making Smoker remember what had transpired only minutes before.

The Captain took a drag from all three cigars in his mouth at the same time and blew all the smoke in Ace's shitty, freckled face. Damn him. Smoker stomped away from Ace and proceeded back the way they had entered the bar. Damn him to hell.

Heehee. These chapters are coming in floods but it takes a while to type it all out. Phew!