justicereigns | Appointment Post / Voicemail / All That Jazz

[laughs

Then picks up his hat with his teeth, throws it across the room to be out of the way with a twist of his head, and flops down onto the bed, wriggling to be near the wall]

Night.

[........ what.]

What.

[twists to look up at him from his sausage roll, clearly puzzled by Smoker's reaction. Though not quite as puzzled as he lets on. Or at all really]

Portgas, get out of my bed! [Hissing so he doesn't wake up the whole inn or let Aokiji know there's a pirate in his bed :T]

[And attempts to drag him out.]

Don't you have your own place to go home to?!

Laame.

[allows himself to be dragged]

You're real cold hearted, you know that? [lies boneless on the floor wherever he's dragged to and then rolls around back and forth, still presumably in his sausage]

I guess this is fine.

[though he's not sleeping, just faceplanted]

[asdlkajLYTkjAldjaslkdjaslkdj]

No this is not fine.

Why are you here?

Why aren't you in your own place?

[he rests his cheek on the floor and is quiet for a moment]

Because.

[everything is far away. Marco is his nakama always but needs time with Grell and Namur knows something terrible he's done and weirdly Ace feels closest to Smoker because they understand each other.

He unrolls himself and picks up the blanket, flaring it up and around Smoker before pulling it around his shoulders]

That's a good look for you.

[and also after another moment of silence]

Think you're strong enough to catch me?

[Lassos smoke around Ace's waist, picks him up with one hand and gently sets him on the foot of the bed.]

I know I am. [Quiet voice.]

[But he leans over to his nightstand and hands Ace a cigar.]

Don't go anywhere or you'll throw off my rhythm. [Lays on his side, shifts about, tosses the blanket back onto Ace.]

This time doesn't count.

[lights the cigar with his mouth and lies on the bed, surprised to find the blanket thrown over him but not that surprised. Smoker's too good hearted for his own sake and Ace can't hate him though he feels guilty a little.]

But for any other time I'll hold you to it. [folds his hands behind his head] Maybe in Alabasta.

[because he wants to see Luffy again at least.]

[Thinks on that.... and rolls onto his back.]

I couldn't catch you in Alabasta.

I wasn't trying to either. I was trying to catch your brother, though I didn't know you were related at the time.

[Thinking harder, and puffs on his cigars, though he momentarily takes them both out with one hand.] Are you worried about being caught by someone other than me?

[Because he hadn't told Adela a lot... but he did say Ace got arrested.]

[He's 99% sure she wouldn't have told Ace that, but Ace is sharper than he seems, and with the influx of others, perhaps he's picking up something.]

I don't care what you did or didn't do. [punches him hard in the ear for trying to catch Luffy]

Catch me there. You're strong enough right? Change how it goes.

[Grabs Ace's wrist.]

[And fixes him with a very serious stare.]

No marine will arrest you but me. I can promise you that.

Don't get caught. [Drops the wrist, and flicks Ace's nose.] Or are you so weak you've lost your own will and conviction to do even that much?

[snorts and glares at him]

Do it then. Or I'll surpass you and no one will be able to.

[because if he couldn't make things better he could always make them a hell of a lot worse. So long as he doesn't do the terrible thing]

Edited 2016-07-10 06:47 (UTC)

[Fixes him back, glare for glare.]

[Then snorts, and gets out of his bed, scrambling to find his jeans and jacket and jitte.]

I need coffee, and you need a walk, even if you think this is your idea of bedroom talk.

[Tugs on the jeans, kicks on his boots, and lastly the jacket and jitte.]

Besides, you're going to punch me and I need to get out the headache before it happens.

[he doesn't want to walk. It's warm in here. Well it's warm everywhere really but it's warm in his heart in here. But it's probably better the other way. He watches uninterested as Smoker pulls on his jeans and is tempted to set his bed on fire but doesn't.

He abandons the blanket instead and puts his hat on, or at least lets it dangle from his neck and waits for Smoker to catch up.]

I'll buy you coffee.

[he'll even pay for it]

Don't buy me coffee. I'm already kicking myself for dragging you out and away.

[Besides, he has a JOB. UNLIKE SOMEEEEEE.]

So don't do it. Why do you do it? What's wrong with you. [jabs his fingers against Smoker's forehead] Have some sense, you stupid Marine, and just throw me out.

[JUST GRABS ACE BY THE THROAT AGAIN. One hand, ALL glares.]

Don't give me orders, Portgas.

You think trying to push away everyone who likes you, who gives a damn about you will keep them safe, right? Well, it does the opposite. Instead of trying to push the world away, maybe just stop a little while and let them do what they want.

[Debates letting go... but nope, carries him all the way outside like that.]

[But when he puts him down, he's a lot calmer this time, just looks up at the sky, and takes a deep smokey breath.]

I miss my bike. [He feels like he should put on his goggles. Which is silly.]

[Instead he gives no warning before tugging Ace under one arm, by the neck and shoulders again, and lightly knuckles Ace's cheek.]

What's wrong with me is that I know too much. I've seen how justice got corrupted. And if you had no idea of it, you wouldn't be here, isn't that right?

[Lets Ace go.] What do you want of me, Portgas? Some sort of noble purity? For me to be able to do the impossible, what your nakama cannot? I'm still human, brat. [Flicks Ace's forehead.] And like it or not, Whitebeard's son or not, so are you.

Edited 2016-07-10 07:07 (UTC)

[fights a little in Smoker's grip. Irritated but not enough to blast away completely. He scowls as he's carried outside and then treated with a rough affection.]

I don't know what you're talking about. [corrupted justice? What did that even mean. It's not really something he gets aside from some things are more fair than others. Smoker knows what his nakama couldn't do; but he's not sure how it all connects and he both wants to know and doesn't]

I want you to help me change the future. [it's inherently selfish and he knows it but he doesn't care.]

I want you to stop me. Isn't that what a Marine does? Human or not you said you were strong enough to catch me.

[Starts walking.]

The only person who can stop you is yourself. I can catch you, I can't stop you from doing what you're going to do.

You want to change the future? Focus on yourself.

[Blinks... Pauses.]

[And stops short.]

[Looking up again.]

Portgas...

No.

[Runs a hand through his own hair and down at the stubby cigars, and just quietly replaces them.]

I asked you to show me whether pirates were born as pirates or not. Adela told me she promised to never try to change you.

[Hands in his pockets, continues along.]

I don't know how time or hot pockets work. I mean I know how hot pockets work, you bake them, freeze them, stick them in whatever, and then toss them in a campfire. Marine C-rations. But I mean time or whatever hot pockets. Memories.

[Adela said those who died forgot memories. Figures, doesn't it?]

If you die here. You don't stay dead. You come back, but with something lost.

[Why is he telling Ace this? What can Ace do with it all?] Usually memories.

I'm not saying you died. I'm saying... if one person remembers something another one did but that person doesn't remember it, when does it become fate, that they'll do it again, the exact same way, the exact same pattern?

[Pinches the bridge between his eyebrows. Akainu.]

If someone close to you died, what lengths would you go to to try to fix that, Portgas? And if you couldn't fix it... what then?

The vengeance of your crew is pretty famous, don't you think? Could your pride allow the fallen to go unavenged?

It's not something you did. It's not something you don't do. The whole world changes, and you're just at the epicenter. I don't think I can change that. I don't know if you can stop that. I don't know if you'd ever want to if you understood all that was involved.

What if doing so meant someone else would die, someone you cared about? No action is without consequences, and they all have ripples further than anyone can see.

So there's nothing I can do?

[no. No he refuses to believe that! It's bullshit! He's never wanted to accept it and he's not going to start now. No he is going to do something. He's going to stop himself or stop time or fix things or ... or something]

Fuck you, then. I'll do it by myself.

[and he starts to stalk away. He's in the mood for a fight... or a fire...]

Edited 2016-07-10 07:59 (UTC)

[Grabs Ace by a smoke hand, but just around the beads this time.]

I didn't say that.

I'll do whatever I can to help you change it. Just don't ask me to do what I cannot.

[is held back only because he doesn't want to break them]

I will ask you that. I'll ask you to do anything and everything.

[because Smoker is a Marine and Ace can ask and will no matter how much he respects him.]

Edited 2016-07-10 08:06 (UTC)

If you want someone to lie to you, ask your nakama. That's what they're there for.

You want me to what? Lock you in a safety box? You think that will save anyone? It's that kind of thinking that will end them, Portgas. Figure out what you really want. Or nothing either of us do will mean a god damned thing.

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