onepieceyaoi100 | Praying for Forgiveness

Title: Praying for Forgiveness
Pairing: Smoker x Luffy
Rating: PG-13-ish?
Word Count: 358
Theme: Scars - implied
Note: this is my pet ship XD

Smoker sat in his brand new office and shivered. Everything was so horribly wrong - he wanted his old dingy desk back and for the Strawhat Pirates to remain elusive on the Grand Line. Instead, his big promotion came with a hollow conscience and a scarred heart.

It happened all too quickly; a wide happy smile frozen momentarily by sea stone before falling helplessly into his arms.

The warmth from the youth's paralyzed body sped up the scruffy marine's heart, as memories of Alabasta came flooding back into his mind; the awkward first kiss, the playful tugs, the teasing touches and the lingering heat. He'd surrendered to the overwhelming sweetness countless time that night. Try as he might, he could never forget the nimble fingers or the wide grin that greeted him in the light.

Oh gods, that smile of his - honesty in all its perfection - Luffy could've lit up the whole world yet the pirate settled for a foolish marine like him. Him who had later on been personally responsible for vanquishing its brightness.

Stunned by the easy capture, no thoughts registered in his mind until Hina took the hapless pirate away in cuffs. Smoker never forgot her cold words, so full of sarcasm and pity;

"Hina congratulates Smoker on the capture of the Pirate King."

Brought back to reality by shouts of 'intruders', the marine looked up and into the swords of Roronoa Zoro.

"You!" Smoker was speechless.

"I'm not here for your life, not this time anyway." Answered the green-haired man coldly.

"Then what?"

"You took our captain away from us. You took him away from me, in more ways than one."
Here Zoro's voiced broke, but he registered the marine's flinch before continuing on,

"But both Shanks and I agreed that you should keep this."

Smoker's eyes widen in amazement as he saw Zoro hand over a straw hat.

"It's what Luffy would've wanted." Zoro said softly as a means of saying farewell, before jumping out of the window of the marine headquarters.

Smoker's vision was blurred as he held onto the lifeline he had just been given.

Luffy's forgiveness and love.