the hoof of the soaring dragon | ONE PIECE (discontinued)

Chapter 12 *

"If you keep this up, I'll knock you out."

The young girl laughed at the demeaning words of her companion "Give me some time. Sleep does not come like that. Besides, it's hard to sleep when my whole body is shivering"

"You're cold? You just had to say it" he immediately wrapped her in his arms "Now sleep."

She smiled, face trapped between his arms "I may not be cold anymore, but sleep is still not there"

He grumbled and squeezed her even more "Just sleep!"

•••

Upon waking, Akira burrowed herself into the warmth of the one whose hold didn't budge during the night. Even with her squirming, her head tossing from side to side, he didn't move. He would simply squeeze her arm to remind her that he was there, accompanied by small murmurs of reassurance.

She quietly yawned and rubbed the remainders of sleep from her eyes. The sun had already made its entrance into the room and at the sound of footsteps, she could guess that a good part of the crew was already wide awake which meant Gaal was going to pick her up soon.

She tried to get up but Shanks trapped her against his chest with his arm around her waist. "Shanks, you need to let me go"

Humming was his only response. She sighed and let herself be carried away in the warmth that was offered. In this position, she could watch the late morning light paint his features with a soft glow. She let her fingers trace his jaw, going up to caress his scar. He hummed contentedly at the contact and invited her to lay her head back to its original place.

Her eyes closed, her eyelashed faintly batting against his chest when she blinked. A little tickle that sent shivers through him.

Knowing that one of the kids was probably going to pick her up, he was debating whether or not he should let her go. However, at that moment, cuddling with Akira with the faint sound of the waves hitting the boat, the soft light that caressed his face; he was at peace.

"Are you awake? Akira! The child is awake and waiting!" called a familiar voice. It was Gaal who came looking for her as usual.

Akira immediately got up while the sleepyhead grumbled at the loss of the sensation. He tried to catch her again, to put her back in place but she was already standing and out of bed.

He cracked an eye open, immediately closing it again as sunlight assaulted him. He tried again and slowly opened his eye to take a peek at her figure searching in the wardrobe for an outfit for the day.

"I'm coming... Just wait outside! I need to get dressed!" she shouted to her guide who was getting impatient at the sound of his fingers tapping on the door.

As she rushed into the bathroom, the captain did not move a bit. His eyes were fixed on the bathroom door. The night was not without inconvenience but the sound of her steady breath when she happened to finally fell asleep had warmed his heart.

"I'm going first. You should wait a bit before going out," advised Akira who had just finished changing. In recent days, she often opted for a simple shirt paired with long pants. With all the round trips she made in the library, she needed to be comfortable.

He rose up to get a better view of the woman who had given up all effort in achieving a hairstyle since she had been offered the eye patch. He plotted his head against his hand and smirked "What? Ashamed of people knowing we slept together?"