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An empty house never got less lonely; not that Smoker would ever admit that. He was fine, and definitely not lonely and depressed.
He was still recovering from his career-ending injury, but he tried to convince himself that it wasn’t getting him down. And neither was the isolation of being home alone too much.
It wasn't like he didn't have people he cared about who cared about him in return. He had Hina. He had Tashigi. Even though they were still on the police force, and he wasn't, they still kept in touch.
After his shoulder injury and subsequent discharge, he'd felt aimless. Like life wasn't worth much if he couldn't help people. Hina, for her part, had told him to start doing charity work. Anything that would get him out of the house, and keep him from stewing. Tashigi spent enough time coaxing him into dinner or lunch outings that he was sure she pitied him, but she encouraged him to be more social. He wasn’t very good at listening to either woman.
It had been a tough year. Some days, he still woke up like he was going out on a patrol.
He’d spent most of it in his home alone, despite his friends' best efforts. He mostly watched a lot of old action movies and westerns, and moped. Nothing too out of the ordinary for his circumstances, he figured.
Boredom and loneliness had not driven him to anything more drastic or embarrassing than finding himself browsing sex live cam chat websites. The first time, he had stumbled upon it mostly by accident, though that hadn’t stopped him from browsing once he was there. There was one man he’d found that he kept coming back to over and over again.
Firefly. That was his cam name.
He didn't show his face, and if he did, it was only ever below the nose. He was always grinning or moaning prettily. His body was something else. He was a deep tan with lots of freckles on his broad shoulders, lean and muscled, with a great ass. He knew exactly what his best angles were and how to show them off, especially while getting off.
Smoker had been incredibly embarrassed the first several times he watched. Not that it had stopped him from jerking off to the image and sound of the man fucking himself on a huge dildo, waiting for a certain donation mark to let himself come. He couldn’t deny how much it got him going.
It had become something like a routine. He knew the stream’s schedule, and he tuned in often, sometimes daily. Not like he had much better things to do. He donated like others watching, but he never left requests or messages like most did. He liked watching whatever Firefly wanted to do.
It wasn't really like Smoker had meaningful things to spend his money on, so he donated more than most. Often. He was thanked, usually between moans, by the screen name he’d simply put as Smoker.
Smoker had become entranced by the man. He was charismatic beyond the sex appeal, and Smoker found himself toeing the line of enjoying his content to a concerning degree.
Aside from the live sessions Ace had listed private sessions as a service he offered, along with rates. The idea of a private session, without incessant chatters saying whatever came to mind, to watch by himself had crossed his mind once or twice. He put it off at first, knowing he probably shouldn’t get any deeper than he already was.
When he finally booked one, he wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
They exchanged the payment and a few typed-out messages about call service logistics.
When the call came up, Smoker felt like the dirty, pathetic old man he supposed he was. 35 wasn’t really that old, but he at least fit pathetic.
“Hey,” Firefly's smooth voice came through the speakers. He was dressed, but only in an open shirt and loose shorts, clothes that were clearly there just there for the sake of taking them off. “Thanks for booking. What would you like me to do first?”
Smoker typed out a reply, telling Firefly to take off his clothes first. There was a smirk on his lips as he slowly slipped the shirt off his shoulders and dropped his pants. “Like that?”
Smoker took in his bare body for probably the hundredth time at this point, and still found himself incredibly turned on. He typed out a ‘yes’, quickly adding that he wanted Firefly to start touching himself.
There was a grin on Firefly’s face as his hands slowly slid down his torso. He lazily wrapped a hand around his cock, getting it fully hard. He bit his lip and let out a pleasant little hum.
Smoker watched, his hand wrapping around his own cock. He stroked in time with the other man.
“Is this all you wanted to see?” Firefly asked, cooed.
Smoker grit his teeth, trying to type one-handed for a moment before giving up. He typed properly, telling him to get off, however he wanted to.
Firefly seemed to pause at the message, his hand slowing momentarily.
“Okay, sure. You can turn your mic on if typing gets too hard, by the way,” he suggested, his tone still teasing.
Smoker wanted to type that he'd definitely pass, but it seemed like talking was going to be a requirement if he wanted it to be…good. So he turned on his mic. It would probably be easier.
Firefly must have seen it come on or heard his breathing. He smirked. “There you are. Are you sure you don't have anything specific you want to see me do?”
Smoker watched as Firefly dragged his hand slowly over his cock. He seemed to be teasing himself with languid strokes.
“Do you have anything that vibrates?” He found himself asking, his voice coming out rougher than he’d have liked.
He watched Firefly's response to his voice carefully and was pleased he seemed to be into it, even if it was probably just good customer service.
“Mmm, I have a couple of things. What did you have in mind for it?” He asked.
Smoker breathed through his nose, his hand wrapped loosely around his cock. Maybe he should have just typed what he wanted all at once. This was fucking embarrassing.
“I want you to fuck yourself with one. Edge yourself a little, like you do in the streams,” he said. He watched Firefly shiver.
“You want to tell me when I'm allowed to come?” He asked, stroking himself a little faster. “ Since I don’t have a donation goal for this.”
Smoker repressed a groan. “Yeah,” he managed.
He watched as Firefly left the frame for a second before coming back to set himself up for a show. He angled himself with his ass at the camera so Smoker could watch as he took his time opening himself up on his fingers. He rocked into his own motions, whining.
Smoker was enthralled as he stroked himself, finding himself wishing, not for the first time, that he could be doing that to the other man. He watched as Firefly worked himself up before finally putting the toy in, gasping and moaning beautifully.
“Oh fuck,” he groaned, fucking himself on the toy slowly. He seemed to be looking for the perfect angle. Then he turned it on.
He watched as Firefly arched with a whine. He held it in place for a moment, moaning as he teased himself. Smoker's eyes were glued to the screen as Firefly slowly began fucking himself with it, pressing in over and over against the same spot.
“Perfect,” Smoker muttered, his voice husky.
That got a pretty moan out of Firefly as he shoved the toy in deep and dragged it out slowly. He kept an agonizing rhythm of teasing like that for what felt like ages.
“I want you to go faster,” Smoker finally said.
“Uhn, thought you'd never ask,” Firefly moaned, his voice was shaky and fucked out. He began fucking himself faster, rougher, his legs tensing and his cock hanging between them, neglected and red.
Smoker’s own hand was fast working around his cock as he let out small grunts and groans.
“Keep fucking yourself,” Smoker commanded.
Firefly whimpered, fucking himself harder. The image was overwhelmingly hot, and Smoker found his embarrassment had long ago given way to his arousal.
“Turn on your back, I wanna see you come,” Smoker said, his voice gravely.
He watched as Firefly adjusted, legs spread as he lay back, with his front towards the camera, still dutifully fucking himself with the vibrator.
“Touch your cock, and come for me,” Smoker said, feeling dangerously close to the edge himself.
Firefly did exactly as he was told, eagerly and obediently. He let out a lewd moan as he spilled onto his stomach, and Smoker was coming at the sight with a groan.
Firefly removed the toy gingerly, lying there panting. He got up shortly after, seemingly to end the stream.
“Mm, that was really good. Maybe I'll have to give you a discount on your next solo,” he said, with a little teasing chuckle.
Smoker let out a noise of acknowledgement, still hazy from his orgasm.
“You still have me for another 10 minutes,” Firefly told him.
Smoker cleared his throat and sat up a bit more. “I already finished. We can end it there. I’m sure you want to get cleaned up,” he told the man.
He swore there was a slightly disappointed-looking frown on Firefly’s mouth for a moment, but that was probably definitely Smoker’s imagination, as it quickly shifted to a flirty grin.
“We could just talk until the end, if you want,” Firefly suggested.
Smoker knew he should say no, but he found himself already agreeing, “Sure.”
There wasn’t much speaking for Smoker’s part, it was mostly just Firefly rambling as he cleaned himself up. Smoker found he didn’t mind, though. He even liked hearing him chat.
All too quickly, the time was up, and Firefly was giving him a grin.
“Alright, well, you know where to find me. Hope to see you again,” he said.
And then the session was over.
Smoker just sat there for a long moment, trying to reel in all the things he was thinking and feeling.
He was so fucked.
------
Smoker still tuned in to the lives. He was certain it was in his head, but every time Firefly saw his name with a donation, he seemed to be more focused on his thank you than on other people. Sometimes it seemed like he was doing whatever he happened to do next for Smoker specifically.
Smoker waited, debating if he even should do another solo session, before he booked his next one. It had been a few weeks since the first, but he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. Which was probably really bad. He told himself he was not about to fall into a fantasy of thinking Firefly saw him as anything other than income, because he was a camboy, and he definitely didn’t.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to book him again, right? He knew his own boundaries, and that should keep him in check.
“What do you want this time?” Firefly asked, his voice easy and flirty.
Smoker started typing a reply, having decided that he would play it a little cooler this time. If he didn’t speak, it would be less intimate.
“Aww, you're not gonna talk to me? But your voice is so hot,” Firefly said as he saw the typing.
Smoker unmuted the mic.
“I want you to do whatever you want this time, really. I want to see what you’d like,” Smoker said.
Firefly let out a hum. “Alright.”
He bit his lip as he let his hands start roaming over his body. He pinched a nipple with a little gasp, working himself up much slower this time overall. Smoker watched closely as Firefly lay back, spreading his legs. He wrapped a hand around his cock, moaning as he slowly started stroking it.
“Fuck,” he murmured, working himself up slowly. After a while, he spread lube on his fingers, going back to stroking himself with one hand as the other started teasing his rim. Slipping one finger in at a time, fucking himself open with delicious gasps. Smoker watched him coming apart, stroking himself, the entire thing making him feel hot and bothered.
Firefly kept working himself up for a while before he shifted positions. He turned slightly on his side so his ass was more the center of attention as he continued to finger his hole with muffled moans.
He grabbed a dildo, one that was bigger than his average for a stream, but not the biggest he’d ever seen him use. It was one that Smoker might compare to his own cock, though maybe a bit smaller. He slowly slid his fingers out, clenching around nothing before he pressed the dildo in, bottoming out all at once with a high keening whine.
“God, that feels good,” he moaned.
Smoker was breathing heavy, his hand working over his cock quickly, wishing desperately that he was fucking that tight hole. He wanted it rougher, faster, wanted to stuff him full.
It was like Firefly could read his mind, as he started fucking himself faster, pressing in deeply as he rocked back against the dildo. His movements were getting less and less coordinated. His movements got messier and rougher as he kept fucking himself, like he was really getting lost in the pleasure.
Smoker groaned, his own movements mirroring the video call.
“Oh fuck, please,” Firefly whimpered. He shifted again, angling the front of his body towards the camera, fucking himself hard, legs spread wide. He fucked himself perfectly, wrapping a hand around his cock, stroking quickly. Smoker watched him come just like the last time.
Smoker kept his hand moving, drinking in the sight as Firefly lay there panting, covered in his own come, the toy still inside. He came with a moan not long after.
Firefly took the toy out and made his way closer to the camera. “Was that good for you?” he asked, his voice sounding rough. Fucked out.
“Yes.” Smoker said, his voice husky.
“Mmm, I went a little fast on coming, sorry. You still have twenty this time. I could always give you some extra time and see if I could go again in a bit.”
Smoker clenched his teeth because, fuck, that was really hot.
“Not so sure I could go again,” he said honestly.
“Hmm, I should give you one for free, then,” Firefly offered, sounding entirely too serious.
That gave Smoker pause. “Why?” he asked.
Firefly laughed. “What, you don’t want a free session of watching me fuck myself for you?”
Smoker made a strangled, disgruntled noise. “That’s not what I said,” he managed gruffly. “I just don’t see why you’d give me a session for free. You did exactly what I asked you to do.”
Firefly let out a thoughtful hum. “Well, usually people who want me for solos have a lot of specific requests, and it gets kind of gross and demanding on their end. I wasn’t lying when I said your voice was hot, and these are actually fun for me. I like enjoying myself,” he said.
Smoker took that in, thinking. He wasn’t entirely sure what the angle here was. If this was to keep him hooked, well, he already was, so a free session was nothing he needed. He was only half considering the possibility that it was true; that Firefly actually just wanted to give it to him for free because he was enjoying these.
“Plus, you’ve given me a decent amount of money in lives, also without requests. I guess you’ve just done a good job of catching my attention.” Firefly shrugged.
Smoker narrowed his eyes. “Wasn’t trying to,” he lied.
Firefly laughed again. “I’m sure, but you do have it. The question is if you want to do anything with it.”
Smoker thought about that. What did he want? He certainly shouldn’t get too hooked on the fantasy of this man, but that seemed to be more difficult every time.
“I’ll take your free session. We can see how that goes,” Smoker said vaguely.
“Okay. Just let me know when you want to set up a time,” Firefly said, and then the call ended.
-------
Smoker spent the entire next week trying to ignore that in his back pocket. He tried to distract himself, and he didn’t tune into the streams for the week either.
He tried to figure out what he was allowed to ask for and what would be too much, because he’d come to the conclusion he really wanted to see Firefly’s face. He didn’t think that was a particularly good idea, though. Realistically, none of this was a good idea, but he finally sent the private request for the session.
“Hi,” Firefly answered exactly on time.
“Hey,” Smoker said, his mic already on for once.
“I really thought I scared you off for good,” Firefly said with an awkward laugh.
Smoker shifted in place on his bed. “I’ve just been busy,” he lied.
“So what do you want from your free session?” Firefly asked, his flirty tone coming back quickly.
Smoker huffed. “I don’t know,” he said, feeling on edge. As much as he had thought about it, the only thing that came to mind was asking for too much.
“Don’t know, or don’t want to say?” Firefly asked, teasing.
“I want to see your face, but I don’t think that’s on the table,” Smoker blurted.
Firefly stiffened a little, his shoulders hitching up. “Hm, well, that’s not really what I expected.”
And Smoker was certain he’d just ruined whatever fragile thing was starting to form here with that request. He was sure Firefly was going to back out on the free session when the camera tilted, and Firefly’s face came into view.
He had dark brown eyes and hair that framed his pretty, freckled face perfectly, with full lips that were pulled into a smirk. He also looked significantly younger than Smoker, but he was absolutely stunning.
He was stunned for a moment, not having expected him to show his face at all. Despite knowing he must be pretty, he was still shocked at how perfect he looked.
“All you ever dreamed of?” Firefly asked sarcastically.
“Yes,” Smoker said, a little breathless.
He watched with a bit of pride as Firefly’s cheeks turned a little red.
Firefly huffed, looking a little uncharacteristically nervous. “Doesn’t feel fair that I don’t get to see you back.”
Smoker was silent for a long moment before sighing. “Does it have an option for me to turn my camera on?”
Firefly’s eyes lit up as he nodded. “If you’re comfortable with that, I really would like to see you.”
Smoker wasn’t hopeful that seeing his face would do anything for the other man. Mostly, he had a suspicion that Firefly would see him and find that the voice didn’t do it for him anymore. That would probably be for the best anyway.
He peered at the screen, finding a camera icon, and flicked it on.
He saw himself appear in the corner, shirtless and dimly lit, with his shoulder scar fully on display. Ugh.
Firefly, however, didn’t seem to be turned off by his looks. He bit his lip, looking at Smoker on the screen.
“You gonna keep staring, or what?” Smoker asked, his voice coming out snippier than he meant it to.
“Sorry, you’re just… really hot,” Firefly said before clearing his throat. “What do you want now that you get to see my pretty face?” he asked, obviously trying to move things along.
Smoker let out a shaky sigh. “I dunno, I didn’t think I’d get this far.”
Firefly laughed. “I can always just start by touching myself, and if something comes to mind, you can tell me,”
Smoker nodded, watching intently as Ace wrapped a hand around his cock as he started working himself up. He spread his legs apart a little wider, biting off a moan.
It was nice to see his face. He was so expressive. It was really fucking hot.
“You want to tell me what to do? What would you do if you were with me?” Firefly asked breathlessly.
Smoker groaned. “Don't say shit like that.”
“Why, what would you do?”
“I would be touching you myself, for one,” He grumbled.
“Yeah? I bet you'd have your hands all over me.” He ran a hand up his abs and chest, pinching his nipple with a breathy moan. “Would you touch me like this?” He ran his hand down to his hole, teasing his rim. “Or here?”
“I'd already be fucking you open on my fingers if I were there,” Smoker said bluntly, his own hand working to jerk himself off.
Firefly moaned. He watched as he pressed two fingers into himself, with a groan. He watched the cute little concentrated look that took over his face as he worked himself open, his breath hitching every few strokes.
“I want you to use the same one as last time to fuck yourself,” Smoker said, his voice gravely.
Firefly nodded shakily, removing his fingers and fumbling for the same thick dildo he'd used the last time. He spread lube over it, almost as if jerking it off, his eyelids heavy as he stared at his screen at what had to be Smoker. He situated himself before he pushed it in with a moan.
“So fucking pretty,” Smoker said without thinking, soaking up the whine he got in return.
Firefly adjusted his position, rocking his hips down against his own thrusts. “Fuck,” he groaned. “Wish you were fucking me like this,” he exhaled, his gaze coming back to the screen.
Smoker continued to watch intensely, groaning at the way the younger man was getting lost in it. Moaning and keening and repeating how good it felt. He wrapped his hand back around his cock, jerking himself off with the dildo stuffed deep inside him.
“Uhn, you're so hot. I want to come. Please,” he begged.
“Go ahead, baby,” Smoker said, voice rough, his own orgasm drawing near.
Firefly looked absolutely beautiful when he came. Smoker kept his hand moving, watching as Firefly's hand moved down to pull the dildo out.
“Leave it in,” Smoker commanded, watching the way Firefly bit his lip, and listened, spreading his legs with his hands to show himself off.
Smoker came, gripping the sheets on his bed by the laptop, folding in on himself a little.
When he looked back up, Firefly was empty and relaxed, staring at him with a look far too comfortable and nonchalant for the situation.
“You look as hot as you sound,” Firefly told him. Smoker quirked his brow, suddenly very tired. He flicked his camera off, watching as Firefly began to pout.
“Rude.”
“Hold on,” Smoker said, grabbing something to clean up.
“You know,” Firefly said absently. “I really liked that. I liked seeing your face. And I know you liked seeing mine.”
Smoker turned his camera back on to humor this all for a moment longer. “I did,” he confirmed, crossing his arms.
Firefly smirked, then flopped onto his side dramatically. “You don't happen to live in the Alabasta metro area, do you?”
Smoker blinked back his shock. Had he just told him the implications of where he lived? A specific area of a specific city?
“I don't.” He said, but truthfully, he didn't live far.
Firefly sighed. “What a shame.”
“You probably shouldn't tell someone you met through your camming where you live. You could get a stalker like that,” Smoker warned. He has seen plenty of situations less precarious than this go south fast.
“Well, if it were you, I wouldn't really care. I'll even tell you my real name is actually Ace.” He said cheekily.
“I’m not a stalker. And don’t tell me your name!” Smoker snapped, a little overwhelmed at the turn of the conversation. Though he wasn't in any hurry to exit the call either.
Ace propped his chin up on his fist. “I don't think you’re a stalker. I like you, though.”
Smoker was sure he was scowling, but mostly he just felt confused, and a little concerned for the younger man. He seemed like he either had no self-preservation skills whatsoever, especially in a dangerous industry for that sort of carelessness, or he was just plain self-destructive.
Ace chuckled a little at his lack of response. “You seem so uptight. No wonder you're on this site.”
“You're a brat,” Smoker huffed.
“Guilty as charged,” Ace grinned.
Smoker let out a breath through his nose. This was far too much.
“I think we've run over your timer,” Smoker pointed out.
Ace raised an eyebrow before laughing. “Yeah, well, it was a freebie. I don’t really care. You're hot and fun to do this with. If you did live anywhere near Alabasta at all… I’d even be willing to meet up so we could actually fuck, is what I've been getting at.”
Smoker didn't even know how to respond. He just glared at the screen. “You don’t even know me. That's dangerous.”
Ace shrugged. “I'm pretty sure it isn't. Unless you're scared of little ol' me, I don’t really think you'd do anything that I didn't ask you to. Especially with how apprehensive you're being about me giving you information.”
Smoker sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Was this kid really ready to risk something terrible happening because he thought Smoker was, what? Hot?
“Unless you’re really not interested, which would be fine,” Ace said, sounding a little dejected, even if he was still smiling a little.
“I didn’t say that,” Smoker said begrudgingly. He knew it was terrible, and stupid, but he couldn’t help considering it.
“Then let me give you my number, and we can work something out,” Ace said, perking back up.
“You’re crazy, kid.” Smoker said, still almost trying to dissuade him.
He put Ace’s number in his phone.
“What should I put in for your name as a contact? Still your display name, or are you ready to give me your real name back?”
“Everyone calls me Smoker in my real life, so that display name should be fine.”
Ace gave him a sideways look. “And I’m the reckless one.”
“No one I know or care about would ever be on there, and it’s vague enough you didn’t think anything of it.”
Ace shrugged. “Alright. I know you said you don’t live in Alabasta Metro, but are you anywhere near here? Would there be a good spot to meet halfway?”
“I don’t live far. We can work out the details over the phone. I need to go to sleep,” Smoker said, glancing at the time. He was exhausted, more so by the situation than anything else.
“Okay, well. I’ll see you soon,” Ace said. He hung up with a wink.
Smoker lay back on his bed, shutting the laptop. There was no way that anything was ever going to happen from this, he was sure. The kid would probably get cold feet and back out. He almost hoped he was smart enough to do that. If nothing else, this meant he wouldn’t be going back to wasting his money on that website.
His phone dinged.
Ace: Can’t wait to see you ;)
Smoker was so fucked.
-------
Smoker tried to keep himself distracted the entire next morning, trying to think of anything but Ace. It even motivated him to finally see his friends again. Hina and Tashigi were eager to agree to lunch. He didn’t check his phone the entire time he was with them.
That didn’t mean it wasn’t going off, though. Every so often, his phone would buzz a few times where it was face down on the table.
“Smoker, who the fuck is blowing up your phone?” Hina snapped after the third or fourth time. “I didn’t think you had ever given anyone outside of the force your number, and the only two people who try to reach out to you regularly are here.”
Smoker grabbed his phone, turning it entirely off after a moment of fumbling past the multiple messages Ace had sent him.
“Well, at least you know it’s not just us he’s ignoring,” Tashigi said.
Smoker shot her a withering look.
She put her hands up defensively. “I’m just saying!”
“I’m not ignoring anyone,” he grumbled, pushing his fry around in ketchup.
“You haven’t asked to see either of us in over a month. What is going on with you?” Hina asked.
“I know things have been tough, but we can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on,” Tashigi added gently.
He felt like an ass. He’d spent the last two months so consumed with this whole Ace fiasco, he’d been neglecting his friends. He wasn’t great at keeping up with them, and it had only been worse as of late.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry,” he said.
They both gave him varying levels of disbelief in their looks.
He crossed his arms, huffing. “I’m sorry I haven’t been more present. I’m trying to be better, I just…” He thought about what to say. He obviously wasn’t going to tell them the truth. “I sort of met someone,” he managed, as it was vague enough that it wasn’t entirely a lie.
Tashigi covered her mouth in surprise, trying not to look completely shocked. Hina didn’t even try to hide her disbelief.
“Is that who’s texting you?” Hina asked, her voice accusatory. “And you didn’t even try to tell either of us?”
“Hina,” Tashigi tried to calm her down, putting a hand on her arm.
“Well, I’m telling you now,” he griped. “It’s new and probably nothing, but I’ve been distracted.”
Hina narrowed her eyes. She knew better than to press for details while Tashigi was around, but Smoker knew he would be hearing a million questions later. At least it gave him time to figure out a convincing lie.
The rest of lunch went on without much more incident after he said he didn’t want to talk about it just yet. And despite the hiccup, it was nice to see them both. He realized he’d missed them; he needed to make more of an effort for both of them.
As he said his goodbyes, he finally pulled up the texts Ace had sent him.
Ace:
I’ve been thinking about it
I should probably know how far you live to determine where we should meet.
That sounds so unsexy lol
When do you want to see me ;)
I could always go wherever you are too
If you want
There was a photo under that, of Ace pouting.
Are you going to totally ghost me?
Smoker huffed. No wonder he’d gotten so many notifications, he sent things thought by thought.
Smoker: I’m not ‘ghosting’ you. I was out with friends for lunch. You can meet me in Logue Town if you want, but it's about half an hour from Alabasta, and there are no decent hotels.
Ace: You could always bring me to your place ;)
Kidding!
What if you came to me tho
Smoker: To you?
Ace: Like to my apartment.
I don’t feel like paying for a hotel to hook up lol
And you don’t seem like you’d want me to go to you
Smoker sighed heavily. This kid had the survival instincts of a fruit fly. Then again, Smoker didn’t really want to pay for a hotel either, and it’s not like it was dangerous for him. He knew that, but he wasn’t sure why the other man was so convinced there was no danger.
Smoker: Fine.
Ace: What are you up to tonight then?
Apparently, driving to Alabasta.
Ace was all too eager to send his address and a time for them to meet up. Smoker still wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it all. He chose not to overthink it too much for now. It was already so far into motion, he may as well see it through.
He got on his motorcycle, plugged the address into the maps app, and started the drive. It was closer to an hour and 10 minutes to where Ace lived, but by the time he dealt with parking, Smoker was more than a little cranky.
He texted that he was there and waited outside the boring, cheap-looking apartment building. Ace buzzed Smoker in, and suddenly something like nerves crept up on him as he walked up the stairs to the right apartment number.
Ace opened the door, and instantly Smoker decided that the camera didn’t quite do him justice. He was just so gorgeous. And he looked at Smoker like he wanted to jump him in the hallway. He was taller than he had expected, but not nearly as tall as Smoker.
“You made it,” Ace said, his voice smirking
“Yeah,” Smoker managed dumbly. “Parking was a bitch.”
Ace chuckled, opening the door wider to let Smoker in. Smoker stepped in awkwardly, trying to figure out how this was all supposed to go as Ace shut the door behind him.
“You look nervous,” Ace said, his voice light.
Smoker felt tense, and he knew he probably looked it. He wasn’t about to agree that he was nervous.
“So you’re uptight in person, too, huh?” Ace teased. He took a step forward, testing the waters. “You can relax.”
Smoker didn’t back away or say anything, simply finding that looking at Ace in person made him feel a little less nervous. He was all eager eyes and an easy smile. Smoker took a step forward.
Taking that as an okay, apparently, Ace crowded into Smoker’s space. He pressed their bodies together. “Kissing is, like, a really good ice breaker,” he suggested with a cheeky smile.
Smoker obliged, bringing their lips together in a slow start. Ace let out a pleased hum, deepening the kiss eagerly. Smoker’s hands found their way to Ace’s waist, pulling him impossibly closer.
It was unsurprisingly very easy to get lost in the heat of the kiss, and the warm press of Ace's body against his. When they broke apart, Ace quickly led him to his room.
“I’ll be right back,” Ace said, leaving for what was probably an ensuite bathroom.
Smoker sat down on the edge of the bed, taking off his shoes and jacket. He felt a little like an intruder, knowing this was where he'd watched Ace get off countless times before.
“Don't worry, there are no cameras going right now,” Ace joked, startling Smoker slightly as he entered the room.
Ace tossed the lube on the bed, off to the side of Smoker. He straddled his lap, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.
“You're really way hotter than your shitty Webcam gave you credit for,” Ace told him, kissing down the side of his neck.
“You're better in person, too,” Smoker said, his voice coming out a little strained.
He felt Ace smile into a kiss, clearly happy to hear the praise. He brought his hands down to the hem of Smoker’s shirt, pulling it off of him and tossing it to the side. He let his hands wander over Smoker’s chest and arms, feeling him up.
Eventually, Ace slipped onto the floor to settle between Smoker’s thighs, his hand pushing them wider before rubbing a hand over his half-hard cock. He bit his lip.
Ace undid Smoker’s belt and tugged down his jeans and boxers. Smoker lifted his hips to make it a little easier. Ace’s hand was quick to wrap around Smoker’s cock, stroking it to full hardness, looking at it hungrily.
He stuck his tongue out, rubbing Smoker’s cock against it lewdly. Smoker groaned, gripping the blanket under his hands on Ace's bed as he wrapped his lips fully around the head. He let his tongue explore, running teasing circles around him before he started bobbing his head, taking more and more into his mouth.
“Fuck,” Smoker groaned, his hand coming to tangle loosely in Ace's hair.
Ace moaned around him at the motion, and Smoker's hips jerked at the sensation, making Ace take him deeper. He took it effortlessly, a hand resting on Smoker’s hip as he continued to suck him off. The heat of his tongue and mouth was intoxicating.
After a moment, Ace pulled away with an obscene pop, a small trail of saliva connecting him. “You can pull my hair, if you want,” Ace told him breathlessly.
Smoker gripped his hair a little tighter as he went back down. He did his best to keep himself in check, but he was tugging him deeper, his hips thrusting into the motions lightly.
He pulled Ace off, bringing him up for a searing kiss. Ace reached for the lube as they pulled apart, and he quickly rid himself of his boxers.
“Can I?” Smoker asked, holding his hand out for the lube.
Ace groaned. “Yeah. Fuck, you're so hot.”
Ace put his face down against the mattress and his hips up, practically presenting himself for Smoker. Smoker brought a hand to grab his perfect ass, giving it a squeeze. Ace spread his legs a little wider.
He spread a generous amount of lube on his fingers before pressing a finger to massage around the ring of muscle. Ace moaned, pushing back into the sensation eagerly.
He easily took one of Smoker’s thick fingers, pressing all the way in with a whine, and asked for more. Smoker felt overwhelmed with lust. He worked him open as slowly as he could manage, but it was hard when Ace kept begging for more.
“Smoker,” he whined. “Please just fuck me, I want it.”
He didn't need to ask twice. Smoker gently removed his fingers and slicked himself up. He pressed up against Ace's ass before a thought occurred to him. He leaned back.
“Turn over,” he said.
Ace wasted no time complying, rolling onto his back to look up at the older man through thick lashes. “You wanna see me when I come?” He asked, his voice teasing and knowing.
“Yes,” Smoker said, his voice rough. He pushed Ace's legs towards himself, practically folding him in half before pressing into him.
Ace gasped, and the tight heat of his body was nearly overwhelming. Smoker stayed still for a moment, just basking in the sensation, and giving Ace a moment to adjust.
“Oh fuck.” Ace groaned, already trying to grind his hips down for some sense of friction. “You’re so big,” he whined.
Smoker pressed a little further forward, slowly, until he was fully inside.
Ace clenched around him, gasping for air. “Oh, my god,” he moaned.
“You alright?” Smoker managed to ask, his willpower to not fuck the man beneath him into the mattress barely holding.
“I will be when you start moving,” Ace panted.
Smoker started with slow, deep thrusts, reveling in the reactions from Ace as well as the tight pleasure building. Ace was desperately trying to fuck himself faster, and Smoker put his hands on his hips to still him.
“Let me do the work,” Smoker said.
Ace moaned, stilling immediately. Smoker picked up the pace of his thrusts, starting to fuck Ace properly. He shifted his angle slightly, hitting deeper, and clearly in a way that Ace really seemed to like.
“Smoker,” he whined, back arching off the bed.
Smoker moved a hand to wrap around Ace’s cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts.
“Oh fuck,” Ace cried. Smoker kept a rough pace, fucking Ace until he came with a shout, clenching around Smoker, his expression one of pure ecstasy.
Smoker didn’t take long to finish after that.
He carefully pulled out, trying to catch his breath as he fell back onto the bed.
Ace let out a small pleased hum beside him, rolling onto his side to look at the older man. He looked a little tired and like he’d been thoroughly fucked. His lazy smile and hooded eyes did something to Smoker’s chest.
“That was really hot,” Ace said, scooting closer to Smoker on the bed.
Smoker, who was still catching his breath, let out a hum and gave a little nod in agreement. “All you hoped for?” he joked.
“Better than,” Ace said, curling up against Smoker’s side.
The quiet intimacy of the action gave Smoker a moment of pause. This was supposed to be a hookup, but there was something about Ace he couldn’t quite place that made him wrap an arm around him, pulling him closer in return. He didn’t quite know what to make of it.
“We should absolutely do this again,” Ace murmured into his shoulder.
Smoker knew he should definitely not be doing this again. He needed to nip this in the bud. Still, somehow, he ended up staying through the night.
When he woke up the next morning, Ace was still wrapped around him, sleeping soundly. He gingerly tried to disentangle himself from the other man, waking him up in the process. Ace blinked blearily up at him before a lazy smile spread across his face.
“Morning,” he sighed.
Smoker cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to find his clothes. “I should probably get going.”
Stretching out with a yawn, Ace nodded. “Do you have work?”
“I’m retired,” Smoker said, a little bitterness lacing his voice at the admission.
Ace furrowed his brow, cocking his head to the side. “Look, I know you’re older than me, but you don’t look old enough to be retired.”
Smoker huffed, gesturing vaguely to his scarred shoulder. “It wasn’t really an age thing.”
Ace nodded in understanding. “Ah, I’m sorry. What did you do?”
“I was a cop,” Smoker said, pulling on his boxers as he found them, still trying to locate the rest of his clothes.
“Hmm, yeah, I guess that tracks,” Ace said. “How old are you then?”
“Thirty-five,” Smoker said, not looking at the younger man as he picked up his shirt.
Ace raised his eyebrows, but didn’t particularly seem upset, maybe just a little surprised. “Damn, I’m twenty-one.”
Smoker cringed a little as he grabbed his last article of clothing from the floor. He supposed it didn’t really matter at this point, but damn. He was fucking old.
“Anyway, I wanted to ask when you’d be willing to come by again?” Ace asked, changing the topic entirely, obviously not phased by the age gap.
Smoker closed his eyes, breathing through his nose.
“Not sure,” he said non-commitally. As much as he knew this was all a terrible idea, he couldn’t bring himself to say for certain that he wouldn’t be coming back.
“Well, when you figure it out, you have my number. And if you don’t text me first, trust me, I’ll be texting you.” Ace said casually.
Smoker looked at him, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say to that. He was fully dressed now, and he knew he needed to leave, but the open-ended feeling made him a little uncomfortable.
“Alright. Well, I’ll see you around,” Smoker finally said.
Ace rolled over, snuggling back into his bed with a little nod. “See you next time,” he said.
Smoker left, still wondering what the hell he was doing.
-----------
Over the next several weeks, Smoker saw Ace more than a few times-- definitely more than he should have. The sex was really good, and though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, he found he really enjoyed the moments of quiet company in between the sex.
Smoker wasn’t stupid. He knew Ace liked the sex, but he wasn’t under any illusion that there was more to their dynamic than that for the other man.
Smoker knew he wasn’t likable or an easy person to get to know. He was certainly not making it easy for Ace to know him at all, even with all the questions he always asked. There was no reason for Ace to want him for more than his dick at the moment, especially because Smoker was trying to keep his distance. They had sex, and he stayed the night for convenience's sake, and then he left. Even if Smoker was aware he was starting to like Ace for more than his body, he wasn’t going to let that complicate things.
Ace entertained conversations more than Smoker might have expected originally, but they still only ever saw each other to hook up. That was probably for the best. He should be okay with it staying that way.
He told himself he was okay with that. The distance kept things simple.
He hadn’t ever really expected Ace to try to change up their rhythm. So it was especially unexpected to Smoker when Ace asked to come see him for the first time.
Ace: Can I come see you this time?
Smoker: You want to come to Logue Town?
Ace: Yeah I wanna see where you live lol
Smoker had thought about it for a while before he begrudingly agreed. He absolutely did not frantically tidy up his living space after giving Ace his address.
His house was pretty big, and pretty empty. He really never had anyone over, other than Tashigi, and that was only very occasionally. Hina had come over once or twice. Neither woman had ever made much comment about his home, so he wasn’t really sure how Ace would perceive it.
“You have a fucking house?” Ace exclaimed as he got out of his old rusty car in front of Smoker’s driveway. “That pension must be really nice.”
Smoker crossed his arms with a small huff. “It’s okay.”
“Mhmmm. Well, you’ll have to give me a little tour.” Ace said as they walked up the front steps to the door where Smoker was.
He gave him a little kiss before Smoker opened the door.
“There’s not a lot to show,” Smoker said as they stepped into the living room. To the right of the door, there was a huge couch in front of his massive TV on the wall, beneath that was a cabinet with see-through doors, absolutely filled with DVDs.
“You like a lot of movies?” Ace asked, nodding at the setup.
Smoker shrugged. “It’s something to do,” he said.
Normally, they were pretty quick to get into things at Ace’s, but he seemed so genuinely curious about Smoker’s house that he couldn’t help but humor the tour. They walked through the living room and into the spacious kitchen beyond it.
Ace was mostly snooping at that point, scrunching up his face at the nearly empty fridge as he opened it. “You’ve got a nice kitchen. Of course, you don’t use it,” he lamented.
“I’m a terrible cook,” Smoker told him.
“You should let me cook for you sometime,” Ace said, casually, continuing out of the kitchen and into the back porch.
“This house is so cute,” he said, grinning in the dim evening light of the sunporch. “Or it could be if you decorated a little,” he teased.
As he looked through the screens of the porch, he noticed the white garage past the backyard and further up the driveway. Without any preamble, he walked into the backyard, and Smoker simply followed.
“What kind of car do you drive?” he asked as he headed towards the garage, turning around to look at Smoker as he walked backwards. “I’ve literally never even gotten to see your ride since you’re always parked somewhere away from my apartment.”
“I can show you,” Smoker said, leading him to the garage, which realistically had become something of a shop for his bike. He liked to keep up on the maintenance himself, something he’d recently started working on being able to do again.
“You have a motorcycle?” Ace asked, clearly shocked. “I don’t know why, but I expected a pickup.”
Smoker let out a little chuckle. “I really should get something like that instead, but it’s hard to let go. I used to fix bikes up as a hobby.”
“Can you give me a little ride?” Ace asked, looking excited by his own suggestion.
Smoker raised his brow, but shrugged. Why the hell not?
“Sure.” He pulled out his spare helmet, handing it to Ace before they got on.
Ace was pressed snuggly against his back, arms wrapped around him. As they shot out of the now open garage, Ace tensed a bit, squeezing him tighter with a peel of exhilarated laughter.
Smoker took him by a few places around town that he liked. A park with a pond, by his favorite diner, past the old police station. Places he found special, he didn’t really know why he did it, but he found himself enjoying it nonetheless; he might even go as far as to say it was fun. Ace clinging to him while they went to his old haunts felt good.
“You really ride that everywhere? What if it rains?” Ace asked as they were walking back into his house.
“You get wet.”
Ace shook his head, laughing lightly, and Smoker caught himself looking back at him with far too much fondness.
After the ride, he mostly let Ace lead the rest of the ‘tour’. He looked around the spare room, and into the finished upstairs attic, and back down to the living room. It was a little jarring having Ace in his home, particularly exploring it with commentary. It felt strangely vulnerable in a way he hadn’t expected. All of this did. It all felt a little too…intimate? Romantic? Neither word felt like it should apply to them.
Ace turned to look at Smoker as he leaned back against the door that led out of the living room and into his bedroom with a grin.
“Is this one yours?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Smoker nodded, finally feeling like this was more familiar territory as Ace went into his room.
The king-size bed was still unmade, but Ace was quick to make himself comfortable on it, sprawling out suggestively. Smoker followed him onto the bed, moving in to kiss him. It wasn’t as passionate or straight to the point as most of their kisses. This felt slower and more deliberate. Softer.
The kiss eventually melted into something more heated, and Smoker let his hands wander over Ace’s body. He pushed his hands under his t-shirt, pushing it up and off. They continued to kiss, slowly undressing each other, their bodies grinding together.
Smoker kissed up his inner thighs as he wrapped a hand around his cock. Ace groaned. Smoker continued to stroke and kiss before settling to wrap his hand around the bottom of Ace’s cock, taking the tip into his mouth, running his tongue across the head.
“Oh fuck, Smoker,” he whined.
Smoker continued to take more into his mouth, bobbing his head eagerly, the salty taste on his tongue urging him on. Ace kept moaning prettily, gasping between muttered ‘yes’s, his hips twitching up.
Smoker kept going until Ace pushed him away, panting for air. “I want you to fuck me,” he said.
Smoker chuckled, resting his face against Ace’s inner thigh for a moment. “Yeah?”
“Mhmm, c’mere,” Ace said, opening his arms invitingly.
Smoker kissed up Ace’s stomach and chest, his hand moving down between Ace’s legs. He quickly lubed up his fingers, opening Ace up with practiced ease as he bit back moans.
“You’re so pretty,” Smoker said in a gravely voice. Ace spread his legs a little further with a whine.
Smoker kissed him, shifting to line himself up before pushing in. Ace moaned into the kiss, his back arching, pressing them closer together. Smoker wrapped a hand around Ace’s cock between them, stoking in time with his thrusts.
“Feels good,” Ace panted between kisses.
Smoker kissed down the side of his throat, licking and biting little spots that made Ace twitch in his hand. He could tell he was getting close, and he picked up the pace of his thrusts, fucking him harder just how he liked.
“So pretty for me,” Smoker praised, as he kissed the spot below Ace’s ear.
Ace came into Smoker’s hand with a loud, drawn-out moan, clinging around him, and shaking. Smoker fucked him through his orgasm, only pulling out to finish himself off with his hand when he knew Ace was overstimulated.
Smoker made quick work of cleaning them up before he lay down, wrapping his arms around Ace habitually.
He was about to fall asleep when Ace pulled away to sit up, looking at Smoker thoughtfully. “Do you want to watch a movie?”
Smoker blinked a few times with a furrowed brow, trying to process the question with his mind lagging half asleep. “Huh?”
“You just have a lot of movies. I want to see your favorite.” Ace said.
“I don’t really have a favorite,” Smoker said, still incredibly confused by the conversation.
“Can I pick one from your collection then?” Ace asked.
“Sure,” Smoker said with a yawn, sitting up and stretching.
Ace ended up picking a random action movie that Smoker had seen maybe once, but Smoker didn’t really mind. He was barely watching it, tired and comfortable. He knew things felt different here, in his house, in this moment. But he was too tired and satisfied to think about it too hard.
He fell asleep on the couch in the middle of the movie, with Ace cuddled up to him. He only woke up in the middle of the night because sleeping on the couch was giving him shoulder pain. Ace had fallen asleep, resting against him peacefully. He carried him back to his room, wrapping his arms around him to fall back asleep.
--------
Smoker woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking in his kitchen. He groggily tried to piece together how that was possible, especially considering he didn’t even have either of those items in his fridge last he’d checked.
Smoker made his way into his kitchen, where Ace stood. There was a pot of coffee brewing on the side counter where it lived as Ace casually hummed, clearly cooking breakfast. Smoker tilted his head to the side.
“Did you go to the store?” he asked, his voice a little rough with sleep.
Ace nodded. “You literally had like, condiments and take-out leftovers in your fridge. I had to.”
The entire scene felt so…domestic? He felt ridiculous even thinking the word. He couldn’t deny the feeling it evoked, though, a small, quiet part of him feeling hopeful for what he knew he shouldn’t even want from the other man. This all felt too complicated. It was a lot.
Smoker sat at the kitchen table, trying to weigh his options as he watched Ace flip an egg. He decided he could let himself have this moment, he could let himself pretend. For the moment.
It wasn’t realistic to want something else. Something more than hook-ups and some occasional casual intimacy. He needed to stop. He needed to let it go before he got any more overly attached than he was. Ace wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, and neither was he. This was weird, though, and he knew he couldn’t let it carry on.
He let the rest of the morning pass by, thinking about what he should do as Ace continued to stay later and later into it. There was a part of Smoker that recognized that Ace wouldn’t be acting like this if he didn’t like Smoker, if he didn’t see him for more than the casual hookups. Something about that made Smoker more sure he needed to put distance back into it all the more.
Ace left late into the morning, and Smoker felt lonelier than he had in a long time in his big, empty house.
After that Smoker was good at being distant. He was good at ignoring Ace’s texts and giving him short answers when he did reply. At first, it didn’t seem to faze Ace, but after a week and a half of excuses as to why they couldn’t see each other, even Ace seemed to catch on that something was up.
Smoker felt a little bad because he knew that if he was going to break things off for their hookups, he needed to do just that. He found that he was having a hard time committing to it, though. He knew he was going to miss Ace, even if he didn’t want to admit that. He was not often at a loss for what to do, but he certainly felt lost now.
He was so lost, he started reaching out to the friendships he’d been neglecting again. He started with Tashigi, giving her a couple of texts about how he wanted to see her again soon, and sent something similar to Hina.
Hina had snarked about him finally remembering her, and accusing him of getting in too deep with whoever he’d been seeing, while Tashigi eagerly agreed to lunch.
He had, in a way, hoped that Hina would be willing to see him first. She would have listened to the problem and not given any bullshit about what he should or shouldn’t do. Tashigi…he wasn’t even sure he should try to talk to her about the situation at all.
In the end, after talking to both, and still telling them almost nothing, he decided he needed to just talk to Ace about it. He texted to ask if he could come over, and Ace had seemed eager to agree.
When Smoker arrived, Ace lit up as he opened the door. Smoker tensed when Ace wrapped his arms around him in a hug.
“I missed you,” Ace said.
Smoker felt a terrible twist in his stomach. “We need to talk,” he said.
Ace pulled back, looking immediately more anxious than Smoker had ever seen him. He looked closed off and defensive as he crossed his arms.
“Okay,” Ace said quietly. Like he knew what was coming.
Smoker let out a deep sigh. “Look…” He searched for the words, standing there paralyzed under Ace’s gaze.
“Are you breaking up with me?” Ace asked bluntly.
Smoker blinked, a little taken aback by the phrasing. He furrowed his brow. How could he break up with him when they were never in a proper relationship?
“If you’re breaking up with me, just fucking say it, okay?” Ace said, his voice rising with emotion.
Smoker’s head swam for a moment, trying to catch up. “I…” His brow creased deeper. “Were we ever dating?”
Now it was Ace’s turn to look shocked. “What?” His voice sounded strained.
Smoker thought over his next words carefully. “I suppose…I never saw it like that.”
Ace scoffed in disbelief, his eyes wide with hurt.
Smoker put up a hand. “Hey, it’s not like we ever talked about a label. I came here to tell you we shouldn’t move into anything serious, because I didn’t think that was in the cards for either of us,” he sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “But clearly we weren’t on the same page to begin with.”
“Clearly,” Ace scoffed bitterly.
“Why did you think we were dating?” Smoker asked, still trying to wrap his head around that.
Smoker had never really seen Ace look upset. He’d certainly never seen him about to cry like he was now. “I don’t fucking know? Maybe because we were seeing each other regularly all the time? And I really like you, and I thought you liked me too?”
Smoker sighed. “I do really like you,” he admitted.
Ace’s face scrunched up. “Then what do you want, Smoker? If you came here to say we should stop sleeping together because things were getting too close and you don’t want something serious, then what do you want?”
“I want you to be happy, and I don’t really think…that’s with me.”
“Have I not seemed happy with you?” Ace pressed. He looked so hurt and confused, and it made Smoker’s chest ache.
Smoker huffed. “That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean? It’s not for you to decide what’s going to make me happy. I want you. This is about what you want, so don’t fucking put your choice on me,” Ace snapped.
Smoker pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t think we’re a good idea. None of this was from the start.”
Ace looked like he’d been slapped, eyes wide and teary. “Then why…?” Ace shook his head hard. “Get the fuck out,” he spat.
Smoker could do nothing but do as he was told. It was a long drive back to his house, and he felt miserable the entire time. He knew he didn’t handle that well, or even how he should have. He knew he’d hurt Ace; what was harder to admit was that he’d hurt himself, too.
-----------
Smoker was miserable. He didn’t think he’d been this depressed since his discharge. After he had broken things off with Ace, he’d practically done nothing but lie in bed all day for a week. All he could do was think about the night he’d shared with Ace in his house, and every other night before it, and how much he missed him. Not the sex, but Ace. He missed his laugh, his smile, every night shared together, and all the moments in between. And he felt so lonely.
Even with spending time with Hina or Tashigi, he couldn’t shake the lonely feeling. He had really fucked things up.
He thought about briefly making a different account to look at his camming, just to see he was okay, just to see him at all, but immediately knew that was the worst thing he could do.
All the same, he needed to see Ace. He needed to apologize. Even if he never saw he never saw him again after, maybe he’d at least give them both better closure.
So he decided he had to. He drove to Alabasta, and parked, and bought flowers.
He knew he looked like a jackass, standing outside the apartment, buzzing in with the code Ace had given him ages ago. He knocked on Ace’s door and held his breath.
When Ace answered, he looked like he had just woken up, eyes tired, and hair messy. Then, of course, his eyes went wide in shock.
He was apparently so shocked he couldn’t speak, just staring at Smoker like he’d stolen his voice with his mouth agape.
Smoker cleared his throat, feeling stupid. “I came to tell you that I’m sorry.”
Ace just continued to stare.
“I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but you deserve some closure and an apology. He held out the flowers awkwardly. “I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry.”
Ace blinked, holding his hand up, stopping Smoker from any continued rambling. “You came to give me flowers and apologize?”
Smoker huffed, feeling particularly embarrassed about the flowers. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you deserve an apology. I thought I was doing what was best, but I couldn’t get you out of my head. And I missed you, and I kept thinking about how I hurt you, and I never wanted that.”
There was clear apprehension in Ace’s face. “Then what do you want?” He asked, all to reminiscent of their last conversation.
“I want you,” Smoker said honestly. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I’ve been so damn miserable. I know I don’t deserve you, when I couldn’t even see that I had you to begin with, but I do want you. I always did.”
Ace opened the door a little further. “You really want to be with me? Like, actually be with me. Not just hooking up?”
Smoker nodded. “I’m sorry I couldn’t see that before.”
Ace took the flowers from his hand, slowly leaning in closer before bringing their lips together for a chaste kiss.
He pulled away, a tentative smile on his lips. “I missed you, too.”
Smoker couldn’t help the rush of relief he felt, pulling Ace in for another far less chaste kiss.