con fuoco - chapter three (pt 1)
Title: con fuoco
first movement, chapter two, 'sonore'
Info: One Piece fanfiction, around 3000 words (gah they're shrinking!)
Rating: T
Pairing: SmokerxAce and other pairings on the side
Summary: [Alternate Universe] Smoker is a conductor with an ear for talent, and Ace is a gifted pianist that has never played at a large scale performance.
--
FIRST MOVEMENT
"Music is to me the perfect expression of the soul." (Robert Schumann)
--
Sonore
harmonious
--
“Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony?” (Leonardo da Vinci)
--
There was little over a week left until Ace’s first large-scale concert and Smoker was more or less in a good mood. To others who did not know the man well, Smoker would’ve appeared to be one large bundle of irritation with two legs and two cigars. However, Hina and Tashigi both noticed that Smoker was ‘happier’ than usual and concluded that preparations must have been going well.
The members of the Galley-La Orchestra were also in a pleasant mood. A sense of ominous doom had hung over them when Tashigi broke her arm, but after meeting Ace they had felt much, much better. He could play the song. He could play the song well. He was nice, cheerful, and was an overall agreeable person. Also, Ace was not female nor did he wear skirts, a fact that halted the concertmaster Paulie’s frequent nosebleeds which ruined perfectly good sheets of music… a definite plus.
After many long rehearsals, Smoker was pretty much satisfied. The only things that needed adjusting were how the orchestra and Ace played together, and some minor changes here and there. Regarding technical skill, Ace played nearly perfectly after a couple of days, a feat which duly impressed the other instrumentalists. Ace didn't even fall asleep (much). The only incident that stuck out particularly in Smoker’s mind was when Ace nodded off in his solo at the beginning of the second movement.
Ace was also pleased with their progress. He was proud that his narcoleptic lapses didn’t occur very often. Normally, it was whenever Smoker started talking (Ace wondered vaguely if this irritated the older man) and not in the middle of playing. Anyways, the Galley-La Orchestra found his odd sleeping habits to be great fun, and Ace had woken up to camera flashes on many an occasion.
After a couple of weeks of friendly bickering, eating together, practicing the concerto, talking, not-so-friendly bickering, and generally spending time together, Smoker and Ace learned miscellaneous things about each other.
Smoker discovered that Ace was actually twenty years old. Ace’s favourite colour was orange (or persimmon, whatever) although he liked all flashy colours. He disliked coffee and tea because they were bitter. Ace avoided any abundant amounts of liquids at meals on the off chance he’d drown in them, but he actually liked chicken noodle soup very much. Ace liked sticking a spoon inside the peanut butter jar, scooping out a large chunk, and then eating it a little at a time. He also liked doing the same thing with ice cream, but he confessed he liked the peanut butter better because he didn't have to worry about it melting. Ace tended to avoid the brass section, mainly the tuba player. Ace had the most irritating laugh and smile that Smoker had ever heard or seen. Smoker also found out, to his horror, that Garp was Ace’s and Luffy’s grandfather.
Ace learned that Smoker was 34 (“Golly, you’re old”, Ace had remarked, earning himself a whack on the head). Smoker refused to tell anybody his real name which led Ace to believe that it was highly embarrassing. Smoker smoked two cigars when stressed, which was nearly all the time anyways. He did not like it when people went near his motorcycle. He hated paperwork. Smoker also did not particularly like or dislike any food, although he seemed to steer clear of tea and crackers, for which Ace was very thankful. Smoker’s cellphone was never, ever, ever charged. He could drink more than a drunkard and was still coherent, grumpy and… well, normal… after copious amounts of alcohol. The man was also obsessed with Justice (and Ace liked to capitalize it, just for fun), be it criminal justice, or doing a musical piece justice by playing it the way it was intended to be. Ace also found out, to his amusement, that Garp was in a way Smoker’s boss.
The two of them picked up each other’s little habits. Smoker became certain that Ace chewed his lip when troubled, while Ace noticed Smoker had a penchant for erratically glancing at his watch. When Ace was happy he’d smile lopsidedly, and when Smoker was happy… hmm… well, he frowned a little less. Smoker would continue saying “mmhmm” whenever he wasn’t paying attention, a fact Ace discovered after the conductor agreed to marry him and have fifty Garp-children together. On the other hand, Ace would just fall asleep out of sheer boredom.
There were some things that Smoker and Ace never told each other, but found out anyways after talking to each other’s close associates.
Because Ace couldn’t drive, Smoker picked him up from his apartment with Tashigi’s car -- his motorcycle would be too small -- every time there was a rehearsal. Many times Ace would be asleep when Smoker went to pick him up, which meant Luffy would chatter inanely at (not with, at) him while he was waiting. Smoker eventually found out that the time Ace had broken his arm was because he had been trying to get Luffy out of a tree. Ace had received his iconic hat on his fifteenth birthday. Luffy also informed Smoker many unnecessary things that he, quite frankly, did not want to know… for example, that Ace had fallen asleep on the toilet for the four hundredth, twenty-sixth time the day before. Lastly, to Smoker’s surprise and mild guilt, Ace had waited over two hours with his motorcycle for somebody to come fix it on the day the two of them had first met.
Tashigi occasionally followed along with Smoker and Ace to rehearsal, and Ace talked to her often during breaks. It was during these brief moments of rest that Ace met Hina as well. He learned from the two of them that, as a practical joke, Smoker’s orchestra emblazoned ‘JUSTICE’ on the back of his favourite jacket. He still kept wearing it afterwards. Apparently, those same orchestra members nicknamed Smoker’s baton ‘the jitte’ after he hit a violinist on the head with it during one particularly stressful practice. Lastly, Ace found out Smoker disliked fortunes, horoscopes, and the like after somebody had ‘prophesized’ that his ideal method of relaxation would be to stack rocks.
Ace was actually very happy that he knew little things about Smoker. After all, he mused one afternoon in Smoker’s office, it’s the small things that you remember the most fondly later on. Besides, it was funny that both of them preferred not to wear shirts, although Ace had never seen Smoker without one on. Upon inquiry, Smoker had gruffly replied, “That’s because I have a sense of decency, unlike some people with the shame of a whore.” Anyways, Ace wouldn’t have known their shared dislike if it wasn’t for that interesting photo he had unearthed out of Smoker’s desk’s bottom right drawer a week earlier…
Before Ace could decide whether or not to raid the conductor’s desk again, Smoker entered the room. “Come on Portgas, time to go,” Smoker grumbled, collecting things he needed and slightly cleaning up his desk.
“Alright,” Ace said cheerfully. Glancing at the clock, he added, “You took longer than usual today. Did anything happen?”
“Not really,” Smoker responded, haphazardly stuffing random papers into his bag. “I just had to discuss something with Aokiji. What time is it?”
“3:52,” Ace answered quickly.
Eight minutes before the tea-and-crackers interrogation, Smoker thought vaguely. “Let’s go then,” he stated, putting on his jacket (infused with the power of Justice, Ace thought wryly, smirking). Smoker tossed a helmet at Ace. “Tashigi had to leave so she took her car. We’ll have to use my motorcycle.”
Ace blinked. Oh yeah. Smoker had called him in the morning asking him to use public transportation; neither he nor Tashigi had time to go back and get him since they were both already at the building. Ace grabbed his coat as well (he didn’t mind the cold, but it was raining and Luffy had turned Ace’s umbrella into a parachute for his guitar) and followed Smoker out of his office. “Where’s Tashigi going?” he asked curiously when they reached the elevator.
“Getting new glasses,” Smoker snorted. “Not like they’d stop her from tripping over her own feet all the time.” They walked into the elevator and Smoker jabbed the ‘P1’ button.
“Don't be so mean,” Ace chided, smiling (what’s he so happy about, Smoker mentally grumbled). Ace looked at the plain black helmet he was holding and said, “How am I supposed to ride on your motorcycle?”
Smoker thought for a few seconds and replied dryly, “You sit, hold on, and try not to fall off.”
“Helpful advice,” Ace remarked sarcastically as they exited the elevator and began walking towards the topic of their discussion.
“Then here’s some more,” Smoker said, corners of his mouth twitching. “Don’t fall asleep or you’re really screwed.”
Ace shot him a dirty look and said with a grimace, “I drank some coffee before we left. Plus, I took a nap in your office, so I should be okay.” When they reached Smoker’s motorcycle Ace stared intently at it. “Okay, I'm serious. How the hell are both of us going to ride this?” he demanded, hastily putting on his helmet.
“Just sit behind me and hold onto me so you stay on,” Smoker said, sitting on his bike.
Ace carefully got on behind Smoker and loosely wrapped his arms around the larger man’s waist. “Aww, need a hug, Smokey?” he teased.
Smoker turned his head and glared at the cheeky pianist. “I drive really fast, brat,” he threatened, starting his motorcycle.
“I know that already,” Ace retorted, rolling his eyes. “You drive Tashigi’s car with me in it, remember? This won’t be much different.”
“… No seat belts,” Smoker said mildly. As they tore out of the parking lot, Smoker allowed himself a small chuckle at Ace’s expense when the freckled man yelped and clung tightly to his larger frame. Smoker smiled slightly… it wasn’t as if Ace would see it.
Next
Back to Chapter 2
first movement, chapter two, 'sonore'
Info: One Piece fanfiction, around 3000 words (gah they're shrinking!)
Rating: T
Pairing: SmokerxAce and other pairings on the side
Summary: [Alternate Universe] Smoker is a conductor with an ear for talent, and Ace is a gifted pianist that has never played at a large scale performance.
--
FIRST MOVEMENT
"Music is to me the perfect expression of the soul." (Robert Schumann)
--
Sonore
harmonious
--
“Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony?” (Leonardo da Vinci)
--
There was little over a week left until Ace’s first large-scale concert and Smoker was more or less in a good mood. To others who did not know the man well, Smoker would’ve appeared to be one large bundle of irritation with two legs and two cigars. However, Hina and Tashigi both noticed that Smoker was ‘happier’ than usual and concluded that preparations must have been going well.
The members of the Galley-La Orchestra were also in a pleasant mood. A sense of ominous doom had hung over them when Tashigi broke her arm, but after meeting Ace they had felt much, much better. He could play the song. He could play the song well. He was nice, cheerful, and was an overall agreeable person. Also, Ace was not female nor did he wear skirts, a fact that halted the concertmaster Paulie’s frequent nosebleeds which ruined perfectly good sheets of music… a definite plus.
After many long rehearsals, Smoker was pretty much satisfied. The only things that needed adjusting were how the orchestra and Ace played together, and some minor changes here and there. Regarding technical skill, Ace played nearly perfectly after a couple of days, a feat which duly impressed the other instrumentalists. Ace didn't even fall asleep (much). The only incident that stuck out particularly in Smoker’s mind was when Ace nodded off in his solo at the beginning of the second movement.
Ace was also pleased with their progress. He was proud that his narcoleptic lapses didn’t occur very often. Normally, it was whenever Smoker started talking (Ace wondered vaguely if this irritated the older man) and not in the middle of playing. Anyways, the Galley-La Orchestra found his odd sleeping habits to be great fun, and Ace had woken up to camera flashes on many an occasion.
After a couple of weeks of friendly bickering, eating together, practicing the concerto, talking, not-so-friendly bickering, and generally spending time together, Smoker and Ace learned miscellaneous things about each other.
Smoker discovered that Ace was actually twenty years old. Ace’s favourite colour was orange (or persimmon, whatever) although he liked all flashy colours. He disliked coffee and tea because they were bitter. Ace avoided any abundant amounts of liquids at meals on the off chance he’d drown in them, but he actually liked chicken noodle soup very much. Ace liked sticking a spoon inside the peanut butter jar, scooping out a large chunk, and then eating it a little at a time. He also liked doing the same thing with ice cream, but he confessed he liked the peanut butter better because he didn't have to worry about it melting. Ace tended to avoid the brass section, mainly the tuba player. Ace had the most irritating laugh and smile that Smoker had ever heard or seen. Smoker also found out, to his horror, that Garp was Ace’s and Luffy’s grandfather.
Ace learned that Smoker was 34 (“Golly, you’re old”, Ace had remarked, earning himself a whack on the head). Smoker refused to tell anybody his real name which led Ace to believe that it was highly embarrassing. Smoker smoked two cigars when stressed, which was nearly all the time anyways. He did not like it when people went near his motorcycle. He hated paperwork. Smoker also did not particularly like or dislike any food, although he seemed to steer clear of tea and crackers, for which Ace was very thankful. Smoker’s cellphone was never, ever, ever charged. He could drink more than a drunkard and was still coherent, grumpy and… well, normal… after copious amounts of alcohol. The man was also obsessed with Justice (and Ace liked to capitalize it, just for fun), be it criminal justice, or doing a musical piece justice by playing it the way it was intended to be. Ace also found out, to his amusement, that Garp was in a way Smoker’s boss.
The two of them picked up each other’s little habits. Smoker became certain that Ace chewed his lip when troubled, while Ace noticed Smoker had a penchant for erratically glancing at his watch. When Ace was happy he’d smile lopsidedly, and when Smoker was happy… hmm… well, he frowned a little less. Smoker would continue saying “mmhmm” whenever he wasn’t paying attention, a fact Ace discovered after the conductor agreed to marry him and have fifty Garp-children together. On the other hand, Ace would just fall asleep out of sheer boredom.
There were some things that Smoker and Ace never told each other, but found out anyways after talking to each other’s close associates.
Because Ace couldn’t drive, Smoker picked him up from his apartment with Tashigi’s car -- his motorcycle would be too small -- every time there was a rehearsal. Many times Ace would be asleep when Smoker went to pick him up, which meant Luffy would chatter inanely at (not with, at) him while he was waiting. Smoker eventually found out that the time Ace had broken his arm was because he had been trying to get Luffy out of a tree. Ace had received his iconic hat on his fifteenth birthday. Luffy also informed Smoker many unnecessary things that he, quite frankly, did not want to know… for example, that Ace had fallen asleep on the toilet for the four hundredth, twenty-sixth time the day before. Lastly, to Smoker’s surprise and mild guilt, Ace had waited over two hours with his motorcycle for somebody to come fix it on the day the two of them had first met.
Tashigi occasionally followed along with Smoker and Ace to rehearsal, and Ace talked to her often during breaks. It was during these brief moments of rest that Ace met Hina as well. He learned from the two of them that, as a practical joke, Smoker’s orchestra emblazoned ‘JUSTICE’ on the back of his favourite jacket. He still kept wearing it afterwards. Apparently, those same orchestra members nicknamed Smoker’s baton ‘the jitte’ after he hit a violinist on the head with it during one particularly stressful practice. Lastly, Ace found out Smoker disliked fortunes, horoscopes, and the like after somebody had ‘prophesized’ that his ideal method of relaxation would be to stack rocks.
Ace was actually very happy that he knew little things about Smoker. After all, he mused one afternoon in Smoker’s office, it’s the small things that you remember the most fondly later on. Besides, it was funny that both of them preferred not to wear shirts, although Ace had never seen Smoker without one on. Upon inquiry, Smoker had gruffly replied, “That’s because I have a sense of decency, unlike some people with the shame of a whore.” Anyways, Ace wouldn’t have known their shared dislike if it wasn’t for that interesting photo he had unearthed out of Smoker’s desk’s bottom right drawer a week earlier…
Before Ace could decide whether or not to raid the conductor’s desk again, Smoker entered the room. “Come on Portgas, time to go,” Smoker grumbled, collecting things he needed and slightly cleaning up his desk.
“Alright,” Ace said cheerfully. Glancing at the clock, he added, “You took longer than usual today. Did anything happen?”
“Not really,” Smoker responded, haphazardly stuffing random papers into his bag. “I just had to discuss something with Aokiji. What time is it?”
“3:52,” Ace answered quickly.
Eight minutes before the tea-and-crackers interrogation, Smoker thought vaguely. “Let’s go then,” he stated, putting on his jacket (infused with the power of Justice, Ace thought wryly, smirking). Smoker tossed a helmet at Ace. “Tashigi had to leave so she took her car. We’ll have to use my motorcycle.”
Ace blinked. Oh yeah. Smoker had called him in the morning asking him to use public transportation; neither he nor Tashigi had time to go back and get him since they were both already at the building. Ace grabbed his coat as well (he didn’t mind the cold, but it was raining and Luffy had turned Ace’s umbrella into a parachute for his guitar) and followed Smoker out of his office. “Where’s Tashigi going?” he asked curiously when they reached the elevator.
“Getting new glasses,” Smoker snorted. “Not like they’d stop her from tripping over her own feet all the time.” They walked into the elevator and Smoker jabbed the ‘P1’ button.
“Don't be so mean,” Ace chided, smiling (what’s he so happy about, Smoker mentally grumbled). Ace looked at the plain black helmet he was holding and said, “How am I supposed to ride on your motorcycle?”
Smoker thought for a few seconds and replied dryly, “You sit, hold on, and try not to fall off.”
“Helpful advice,” Ace remarked sarcastically as they exited the elevator and began walking towards the topic of their discussion.
“Then here’s some more,” Smoker said, corners of his mouth twitching. “Don’t fall asleep or you’re really screwed.”
Ace shot him a dirty look and said with a grimace, “I drank some coffee before we left. Plus, I took a nap in your office, so I should be okay.” When they reached Smoker’s motorcycle Ace stared intently at it. “Okay, I'm serious. How the hell are both of us going to ride this?” he demanded, hastily putting on his helmet.
“Just sit behind me and hold onto me so you stay on,” Smoker said, sitting on his bike.
Ace carefully got on behind Smoker and loosely wrapped his arms around the larger man’s waist. “Aww, need a hug, Smokey?” he teased.
Smoker turned his head and glared at the cheeky pianist. “I drive really fast, brat,” he threatened, starting his motorcycle.
“I know that already,” Ace retorted, rolling his eyes. “You drive Tashigi’s car with me in it, remember? This won’t be much different.”
“… No seat belts,” Smoker said mildly. As they tore out of the parking lot, Smoker allowed himself a small chuckle at Ace’s expense when the freckled man yelped and clung tightly to his larger frame. Smoker smiled slightly… it wasn’t as if Ace would see it.
Next
Back to Chapter 2