Peccavi.

[chibi_trillian]

As an apology to paxnirvana for being a teasing bitch, I offer up my SmoAce cherry. Please beat me with a jitte if I'm out of character, as I've never written these two before.

Title: Fear and Trust
Series: One Piece.
One Piece: Not mine.
Rating: PG-13 for language and implications.
Summary: Smoker is introspective, and Ace is...Ace.


Symbols. Smoker spent his life surrounded by them. The flag on his ship, the words on his jacket, the suffix his men called out after his name, the salutes and the uniforms and the chain of command—all symbols of the trust the world put in him to be good person, a just person, a moral person, a symbol in himself. Something more than human, better than human.

The brat in his bed was evidence enough that he had failed that precious trust.

He wondered why he did this, why he did something so monumentally stupid over and over again, what it was about Portgas D. Ace that made him temptation given flesh and flame. Deep down, he knew what it was.

The boy wasn’t afraid of him.

Fear laced the polite greetings civilians gave to him. Fear of the power he wielded, political, cursed, and physical. Little kids ran away from him in the street, for goodness’ sake.

Fear flickered in the backs of the eyes of his men even as they called out greetings or saluted him as he passed. They trusted him not to hurt them, but they knew that he could kill every person on this ship without much effort.

Tashigi was best at hiding it—she trusted him the most—but even she occasionally looked at him with something darker edging her normal respect, something that cut as deeply as her katana and with infinitely more force.

He’d managed to frighten Strawhat Luffy, a boy who was afraid of almost nothing, until all the rubber man would do when confronted with him was run. Only Luffy’s damnable luck and the intervention of outside forces had allowed the Strawhat brat to slip out of his fingers time and again.

Fear and trust. They defined Smoker’s life.

Ace sighed in his sleep, pointedly not giving a shit about the fact that Smoker could arrest him tonight on several dozen charges, shackle him in seastone, send him away to face trial, and have him dead inside of a month. Trust without fear.

Stupid. Disrespectful. Insulting.

And completely irresistible.

Comments

[denimjo.livejournal.com]

You know, I've got to tell you this: I am not a fan of yaoi at all. You, however, write it so well that a tiny little part of me is tempted to join the yaoi-lovers ranks. It goes away soon, but still...

Ace is my favorite character. Considering that you wrote about him sleeping, I'd say you nailed his character perfectly (as did Smoker, apparently...). >=)

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

Different strokes for different folks. I'm not about to try to convert you. I'm just glad you read my stuff despite the content not appealing very much. ^.^;

Ace really ought to get that narcolepsy problem checked out. He's going to die by drowning in a bowl of soup, and that's just a really lame way to go.

[denimjo.livejournal.com]

Oh wouldn't that be a bummer, though. I can already see the headlines: 'Fire Fist Ace, scourge of the seven seas, pirate extraordinaire, First Mate of the infamous White Beard, was taken down today not by a fiercesome foe but by half a bowl of New England Clam Chowder. The Chowder could not be reached for comment.' Yikes.

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

And Luffy vows vengeance on all chowder everywhere. I know it'll be hard for him, having to eat every bowl of chowder he comes across, but he knows Ace would have wanted it that way.

[mettathron.livejournal.com]

*twitch* What, the Ace icon you spent two hours wheedling out of me, that I spent three hours drawing and adjusting text and making it just so for you, that I did instead of illustrating Phoenix Falling, wasn't good enough? I see how it is. *sulks* See if I ever make you icons again.

Nice fic, though. So not going to finish that illustration. [/grumping]

[paxnirvana.livejournal.com]

*pounces* SmoAce! And very good, introspective Smoker too. ^_^ Hee. At least the man knows his own mind... even as he lets his libido drive him. Ace wins! (Descriptions of Ace in Smoker's bed always makes me a happy, happy pervert woman. Thankee!)

DAMN IT WOMAN, CROSS POST YOUR STUFF TO OPYAOI ALREADY!! Share the Chibirific goodness, m'kay??

[creamy-twilight.livejournal.com]

*and a grin appears on my face* That's all I have to say *or do*

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

I just felt like using a black-and-white icon! *sniffle, teary eyes*

And I'm glad you kinda-sorta-almost finished it anyway. Now, if you scan it and give to me so I can go "ZOMG SmoAce near-pr0n0! Smoker in jockey shorts! Ace in considerably less and looking pleased with himself!" I'll be a happy girl.

And I like the way you draw Smoker, even if you do beat him with the shojo stick.

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

Oh, goodie. I was nervous--I'd reread Smoker and Ace's first fight, but I still wasn't sure that I'd gotten them both in character. Well, not that Ace sleeping is hard to put in character.

Butbutbut...OPYaoi is where the good authors go to play! I'm nervous! I don't know if any of my stuff is good enough for the community! *fail, panic attack, die*

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

Heee, I'm glad you liked my first SmoAce.

[paxnirvana.livejournal.com]

*pokes you in the shoulder, lifts brow* None of that! You're more than good enough for the community. Post. Share. Bask in the glow of comments! *^_^*

Seriously, your stuff is wonderfully insightful and clever and filled with a love of all the characters that shines through beautifully. You write the pairings you want to write according to your inspiration without dumbing down or bashing any of the other characters in order to 'justify' your own pairing. I admire that perception and talent in any fanwriter, but to me it's the absolute necessary quality for a One Piece writer. ^_^ It's all about nakama, after all.

So spread the love around. I'll sniffle and cry and wail when you become a big name fan and forget all about me, but I'll get over it... someday. *grins, wipes crocodile tears away*

*pushes you toward the comm* Go. Share. ^_^

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

I stand lectured and chastised. Let me get something written that I like a lot first, ne? Well, that has yaoi in it anyway. Then I will crosspost and throw my chest out with a DON!

I bah upon the me becoming a big name fan and forgetting about you bit. You've got seniority, and in the Navy that means you outrank me. So there, nyah. ^_~