IC Inbox

[justicereigns]

Smoker.

Leave me a message.

[.... Did you really expect anything longer????]

Comments

[Audio] A couple of days before Luffy's arrival

[burnt_offering]

Hey. Wanna throw an idea at you. Let me know when you've got a minute or two. It's not an emergency or anything. [But his voice sounds just a touch nervous, a little vulnerable.] How many days have I stayed over in a row this week?

[Audio] A couple of days before Luffy's arrival

[justicereigns]

I can make time for you.

I dunno, wasn't counting. Somewhere between 3 and 5. Why?

Is that bad?

[burnt_offering]

No, it's not bad. At all. I like it. It's just... [Ace pauses.] I don't want to come through the window anymore.

[justicereigns]

I haven't given you a key...

Fuck.

I meant to.

I just sort of forgot. [And before, he was stressing out and worried Ace would take it wrong like Smoker was trying to tie him down. But it sounds like Ace is okay so...]

Old rules still apply. No naked out of my bedroom, and you have to clean out the fridge in there first, not the others'.

And you can make whatever is my space your own.

You okay with that?

[burnt_offering]

So I can stay, right? [Ace laughs, but it's not really out of amusement. It's just happiness, he feels like this is a natural step, and he's happy because of it. Gods, he will always want freedom in the ability to choose what he wants for his life, but he also wants to belong. And with Smoker, his heart has a home.] I'll follow the rules, promise. It's totally okay with me.

[justicereigns]

Yeah, of course.

You're as home with me as you want to be. Trust me, I've never let another person mess up my space before. You can't get more stuck with me than that.

[burnt_offering]

Thanks, Smoker. [Gods, why does this feel so good?] I figured that once I was spending a lot of my week at your place as a rule, it was time to just move in.

[justicereigns]

Yeah.

I would have... should have invited you earlier, but you're such a tomcat I didn't want you to panic and run off. [Teasing, half still worried.]

[burnt_offering]

Yeah? Well I can be a housecat now. I don't mind a little domestication. [There's a soft, amused sound that comes after that.] Besides, it's your fault. Everyone knows that if you feed stray cats they follow you home.

[justicereigns]

[Awww Smoker's so thrilled!]

Oh, is that true? I didn't know that. I'll have to be careful not to feed any others in the future. Should be easy, one already eats everything in sight.

[burnt_offering]

I'll chase off any other cats anyway. [He's not sharing Smoker that way.] No one could handle the grocery bills of two that eat like me.

[justicereigns]

[Actually imagines it. Horror.] One cat and three dogs is more than enough for anyone.

And I'm definitely only putting up with you. You're already enough of a headache to keep me busy eternally.

[burnt_offering]

[It's a terrifying thought!] It's a pretty full house already.

I guess you're just going to have to deal with those headaches. 'Cause I'm not leaving.

[justicereigns]

I'd hunt you down and drag you back if you did.

[Half-kidding. Half-serious. He might just hunt him down and kick his ass for fucking with his head all over again. Whichever.]

[burnt_offering]

I don't think you've got anything to worry about there.

[Ace is comfortable with the idea of sticking around. He won't be running off.]

[justicereigns]

[Gah. It's so new and tender. He's never had that in his life before. The closest was Tashigi's loyalty, and it's severely different.]

[What's the right response? What can he even say to that?]

Good.

Portgas...

Thanks.

[That's probably not right, and it's probably stupid, but he means it too. He knows as much as he teases Ace about being obnoxious, Smoker is far from easy to live with or be around. And he's almost floored that Ace even tries.]

[But glad. Definitely glad.]

[burnt_offering]

No problem. We're good for each other, y'know?

[And they are, honestly. Despite all odds and differences, they balance each other out beautifully. They're happy, honestly in love, and despite some bickering and struggle they're healthy together. And to Ace, the feeling he gets when he's with Smoker is worth any of the issues that come across.] I'm gonna run and get my stuff soon. I don't have much, really. Just some clothes for the most part.

[justicereigns]

You think so?

Yeah. [Smoker's less... everything wrong with him around Ace. More relaxed. Calmer. It's weird. He shouldn't be. And yet...]

[That's cute too. That Ace is being so formal about this.] Like I said, my space is officially yours. You can throw in some color, or pirate trash too, if you want. It's fine.

[burnt_offering]

Yeah. I do. We just fit together. I can't really explain it but that's how it is.

[Ace honestly doesn't have much in the way of belongings. Because he's felt unsteady in Genessia, like he didn't have a real home, he didn't bother collecting things.

But he'll probably buy a couple of things to make it feel like his space too.]

I guess I'll have to, huh?

[justicereigns]

Yeah.

And not just logia. [Because when Sabo inherited it, it mostly just irked Smoker.]

[And not just the Roger thing, because Luffy was more like Roger, and yeah, a little bit the Whitebeard thing, because Smoker did respect the Whitebeards. Especially now.]

[But it's the same thing he said before. About G-5. Even before really knowing Ace, never mind intimately, Portgas changed his whole life. Set it on fire. Damn brat.]

Well, as long as we both recognize it, it probably doesn't need to be defined, right?

[Kismet?????? That sends a chill down Smoker's spine. He doesn't like the idea of fate, and he wonders what Fujitora would think of it. Especially after Straw Hat. He'd probably laugh. Almost definitely. But even beyond that...]

[He wonders if he could even anonymously ask the network without wanting to kill himself like trying to talk to Namur about what it was... Smoker kind of doubts it.]

[Better to leave it unclassified.]

[Maybe Tashigi would know.]

I mean you don't have to. If I come back to bright orange "A" all over the walls I won't gouge my eyes out like Issho, but I probably won't let you pick the designs on any of the bikes. Ever.

[burnt_offering]

You're right. It doesn't need to be defined. It's just us. And that's good enough for me.

[There's a quiet noise as Ace thinks for a moment.] I'll pass on the A, maybe I'll get some art to go over the bed or something. I dunno. I really don't have a lot right now. I never felt like it was my home at Marco's or Namur's. Not that they didn't try to make me feel good when I stayed but it just wasn't where I was meant to be. So I didn't buy stuff. Aside from my clothes and some stuff for showers and things like that, I've got a knife and the notebook Sabo got me. That's pretty much it. [And then, it comes to him.] When you have some time free, we'll go pick something out together. Kinda of a way to make it our space, in the bedroom at least.

[Ace snorts.] I'd make great designs. You're missing out.

[justicereigns]

You should have seen my place back in Loguetown. Completely functional. I never wanted to stay, so I never got anything besides books and the basics. I mean even now, I only picked up what I needed. And it's been... 4 or 5 years? Nearly as long here as there. So you'll have to show me the ropes. All I can say is what I hate or not. And don't expect a lot of strong opinions except on pink and lace. And maroon. No maroon.

All right, you can show me your ideas on paper and we'll see if customers like it.

[burnt_offering]

Yeah. Well... [There really wasn't any way for that to happen back home. It took death and the transfer between worlds for Ace and Smoker to really have a chance.] We'll figure something out. Back home I just put up Luffy's wanted posters as far as decoration went. So it's a new thing for me too. [Ace laughs.] Do I seem like someone who's gonna fill a place with pink and Lace? Really?

Good. I'm gonna do some pretty amazing stuff. [A lot of fire. A lot of skulls. Very rocker brat.]

[justicereigns]

[Smoker is down for fire, skulls, and also:]

By all means, put up his whole crew's wanted posters.

[ :| ]

[ :||||| ]

And yours if you want. I didn't usually need to see them more than once, but if it makes you happy.

[burnt_offering]

[At least someone will like Ace's designs then.]

I'll pass. That's a whole world away. I think we can do a little better. Especially if it's going to be in the room we sleep in. And sleep together in. I don't wanna see Luffy's face on the walls when we're trying to enjoy ourselves. [He doesn't really want to think of his own wanted poster at all, honestly. Much less seeing Luffy's face in the bedroom.]