[It shouldn't happen. Why does it have to happen? Why does it even exist? There is not a single aspect of it Smoker is even remotely okay with.]
[He leans against the wall outside the door and debates following to try to talk. Like an adult.]
[An adult marine to a teenage pirate. RIGHT... yeah that success rate is miniscule.]
[He rubs his forehead and bridge between his eyes and reluctantly comes in, and grabs the couch.]
Sometimes people have to risk getting hurt to get stronger.
[Like Tashigi, and her tears. Or Smoker and his scars.]
[But on something like this...]
[He doesn't like it.]
[He doesn't know what Straw Hat's looking for and that makes Smoker incredibly nervous and ready to bolt. And he's pretty sure Straw Hat doesn't know what he's looking for either.]
[Again, there is no single part of this Smoker is even a little okay with.]
[He's not used to feeling this confused either. And he hates that it's over something this incredibly idiotic.]
[He's annoyed again just thinking about it, he's annoyed that it is even a thing, and he's annoyed that he feels obligated to deal with it, and he's quadruply annoyed for thinking about it, and being a confused thirty-six year old dealing with brats half that age and all of them just confusing each other, none of it is right, it's all ass-backwards and wrong.]
If you don't care about dating, and we both agree it's incredibly stupid, then why the hell do you still want it?
I don't--
[He growls, clenches his teeth on the cigars and facepalms, focusing on calming down again. He was a teen once too, but it feels longer ago lately than he's even used to.]
If you only worry about hurting someone, you'll hurt yourself. [Doesn't he know that from the hard way? Or did he stop caring? Or was it something Tashigi learned or -- ugh. Too much thinking again.]
This stuff isn't...
[Isn't what? Poignant? Relevant? Meaningful? Anything to do with anything? Something he should be concerned about. Definitely that one, but Smoker can't begin to word it and he's not even sure which of them shouldn't be concerned with it. BOTH of them probably.]
[action]
[So stupid.]
[It shouldn't happen. Why does it have to happen? Why does it even exist? There is not a single aspect of it Smoker is even remotely okay with.]
[He leans against the wall outside the door and debates following to try to talk. Like an adult.]
[An adult marine to a teenage pirate. RIGHT... yeah that success rate is miniscule.]
[He rubs his forehead and bridge between his eyes and reluctantly comes in, and grabs the couch.]
Sometimes people have to risk getting hurt to get stronger.
[Like Tashigi, and her tears. Or Smoker and his scars.]
[But on something like this...]
[He doesn't like it.]
[He doesn't know what Straw Hat's looking for and that makes Smoker incredibly nervous and ready to bolt. And he's pretty sure Straw Hat doesn't know what he's looking for either.]
[Again, there is no single part of this Smoker is even a little okay with.]
[He's not used to feeling this confused either. And he hates that it's over something this incredibly idiotic.]
[He's annoyed again just thinking about it, he's annoyed that it is even a thing, and he's annoyed that he feels obligated to deal with it, and he's quadruply annoyed for thinking about it, and being a confused thirty-six year old dealing with brats half that age and all of them just confusing each other, none of it is right, it's all ass-backwards and wrong.]
If you don't care about dating, and we both agree it's incredibly stupid, then why the hell do you still want it?
I don't--
[He growls, clenches his teeth on the cigars and facepalms, focusing on calming down again. He was a teen once too, but it feels longer ago lately than he's even used to.]
If you only worry about hurting someone, you'll hurt yourself. [Doesn't he know that from the hard way? Or did he stop caring? Or was it something Tashigi learned or -- ugh. Too much thinking again.]
This stuff isn't...
[Isn't what? Poignant? Relevant? Meaningful? Anything to do with anything? Something he should be concerned about. Definitely that one, but Smoker can't begin to word it and he's not even sure which of them shouldn't be concerned with it. BOTH of them probably.]
Something that makes you stronger.
Did you know your parents growing up?