Queen of the Pirates

Royalty AU Filler Chapter 2

I let out a deep breath as I exit my bathroom. If I'm not that tired, I like to end my days with a warm bath to relax, which is what I was lucky enough to do tonight. It used to be a hassle when my hair was long, as I would have to dry it before heading to bed, but I made the choice not long ago to have Luffy takes his sword and just slice my hair right at the shoulders. It became less hassle, I felt more in control, and everyone loves it.

Night is my favorite time of the day because I don't have to worry about anything. I can take my tiara off and not wonder if it is going to fall off. I can get out of my dress and slip into a comfortable nightgown. I can read a fun book or work on the puzzle book that Robin gave me a couple months ago to help keep my mind sharp. Sometimes Ace visits me to tell me about his day, and when I was little it was when my mom would sing to me in order for me to fall asleep. There's perfect calm that the rest of the day doesn't have often.

I blow out a few candles in my room, heading to climb into bed. There's still enough energy running through me that I won't be falling asleep quite yet, but my bed is huge and the most comfortable place to be.

A knock comes at my door, making my whole face light up with a smile.

"It's open!" I call out. "It is always open."

The door creaks open, and in the next moment, Luffy is stepping into my room. He's no longer wearing his knight outfit, having traded that in for his loose nightwear. His hair is also even messier than normal, which makes me a little bit happier. If I didn't already know that I was in love with him, these kind of moments would secure that as fact.

He leans back against the door as he looks over at me with a loving smile on his face. His hand fidgeting with the lock before he can get it turned the way he wants. "My princess, you look cuddly."

I giggle, "I would say that I am. I just took a bath, so I am all clean and relaxed. Care to join me?"

"Of course," he chuckles, making his way towards me.

These kind of meetings between us have become a regular thing a few months ago. Our relationship was teetering on becoming something more before plunging into what we are now. These moments of wanted to be even closer than normal. Mostly though, these are special moments mixed in with our normal cute times. We don't like to get too serious between us. We fell in love by laughing and teasing, not kissing and sneaking away.

Luffy climbs onto the bed, crawling up to me with a smirk on his lips. "You're beautiful," he breathes out. "Did I tell you that I love you earlier? Because I sure do love you."

I giggle, feeling my face heat up and butterflies explode in my stomach. "I don't remember, but I can always hear it again. I love you so much."

He gently cups my face, "I love you so damn much." His lips are on mine in the next second, and it is unlike the ones when we were out in the garden. This one is full of longing, passion, and all the love that swirls around us. "I've been thinking about the ball, and I don't want to go as just your knight." His lips start to trail down my face and land on my jaw. His hands running down to stop on my hips. "I can't stand being apart from you like we have been."

A heavy breath leaves my lips. "I know, Luff, I know. I hate it. I hate having to sneak around. I just don't know how to tell my mom, and then how to tell everyone else. It is too hard," I mumble, running my hands through his hair.

"We can figure it all out before the end of the week," he pulls back for a moment to look into my eyes. "I want to dance with you, and I really don't want others to dance with you."