justicereigns | Friendly Relations and its ironically UNfriendly start

Smoker leaned back in the giant armchair with his bootheels on the desk in front of him, ignoring the stacks of paperwork on either side.

This is not where he wanted to be. Not where he was needed, not where he should be.

He should be out enforcing laws, protecting places from terrorism or piracy, not on a pretend mission to nowhere... or worse.

At least the others were safe. Smoker's political temper (or lack of willingness to bend a knee) could get him into trouble, but he could never forgive himself if it affected the others.

There was a brief knock at the door and though Smoker was surprised, he didn't move a muscle. "Open," he growled, still staring at the ceiling of his ship.

"His" ship. Pretty much everyone from the commissioner, the companies involved in making it, the politicians, the emperor, and the all the way down to the cabin boys and cooks would dispute that. But so long as he was Captain, reluctant though that was, it was going to be his ship and he would fight tooth and nail to defend it.

"Long time, no see, Smokey!"

Smoker twitched. Only a few idiots and his niece thought they could get away with calling him that, and Smoker had to resist the urge to push the brat out the door to ignore his existence.

"Portgas," he growled, the only concession to acknowledging the brat's presence. He didn't need to look over to already know there would be an all-too predictable cheshire cat shit-eating grin.

"What? No kiss?"

Smoker started to shove him out the door. The brat was wearing all black, a suit, and even a black shirt, though the tie was red and orange flames.

"Easy, easy on the merchandise!" Ace protested, and dodged around the smoke fists. "I have a letter from Gramps! Slow down!"

Smoker sighed, growled, and eased up, waiting for Ace to retrieve and pass over the letter. Though whatever irritation he had only jumped exponentially as he read the paper.

"What the fuck is this?" he growled.

"I'm sure I didn't read your private mail, sir!" Ace answered with a snappy salute and cheeky grin.

"Don't fuck with me, Portgas. How the hell did you get assigned to be on this dead-end disaster?" Smoker growled.

Ace sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, you know... punch a few too many idiots who deserve it, guess we're both being put out of the way."

Smoker's eyes slid sideways out from behind the letter, "Yeah, right."

"I have my formal papers here too, but I know how you feel about paperwork, so I took care of it." Ace explained

"Too kind," that actually got a smirk from the Captain. "All right, so us babysitting each other aside, what do you want to pretend to do around here?"

"Pretend?!" Ace pouted. "I'm hurt! Genuinely hurt Smokey! I will absolutely pull my weight as much as everyone else!"

"By sleeping on the job and eating everything in the galley?"

"That's not fair~!" Ace whined cheerfully. Smoker snorted. "Anyway," Ace continued, "I'll tend bar. AND keep the rest of the agents off your contrails."

"There's a but coming," Smoker locked eyes with the freckled youngster.

Ace nodded. "A big one. We should never be alone together, we have to keep sending complaints to up the chain, and must never get along publicly."

Smoker laughed, "Where's the catch?"

Ace just grinned wryly, "I knew you'd see it that way."