Queen of the Pirates

College AU Filler Chapter 3

The words on my laptop screen are beginning to blur together, and I'm not sure how much longer I can push the tiredness down before I pass out. I've been up since eight working on papers, finishing projects, and checking on grades for classes I already took tests in. Now it is slowly approaching one in the morning. Finals week has been hell, but there's only one more day for me to get everything turned in. All I have to do is get through this last paper.

"You should go to sleep, my sweets," Luffy whispers to me. "The paper is going to be there when you wake up, and then you can turn it in."

"But it's the last thing I have to do," I whine, leaning into Luffy. "Once I turn it in, I don't have to worry about anything else. I can just get the rest of you food and drinks, finish Christmas shopping, and let all the stress roll out of my body. I'm almost done anyways."

He softly chuckles, taking the laptop from my lap, saving the document, and then closing it to place it on the side table. "You're not thinking straight, dumpling. Your brain isn't firing on all cylinders. You need to sleep."

"Maybe you're right," I mumble, shuffling to climb into his lap. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"And leave you to force yourself to pull an all-nighter? I think that would make me a horrible boyfriend. I'm supposed to take care of you," he presses a kiss to the top of my head. "I don't have anything besides a test tomorrow, and I can't be any more prepared at this point."

"You're so warm," I hum. "You really stayed up until I got too tired to function in order to easily persuade me into sleep?"

"You give me too much credit. I knew that I would probably have to tell you to quit for the night, but I didn't think that far ahead. My laptop just died, so I thought it was the perfect time."

I take a quick scan of the common room before I settle into Luffy's hold and let my eyes fall shut.

Zoro is still working away on his laptop while sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, glancing at Chopper who has fallen asleep right next to him. Sanji and Nami are curled up, fast asleep, in one chair. Robin is in her beanbag, reading away after having taken a nap earlier. She's now sipping on a coffee, but I believe that she finished all her finals yesterday, so she just wants to read a book she's probably been looking forward to. Franky and Usopp are over at a table working on their own engineering projects, but Usopp has long since passed out. Franky is surrounded by energy drinks, and I'm surprised that his heart hasn't stopped. That leaves Luffy and I now curled up on the couch.

Luffy lies us down on the couch, keeping his arms wrapped securely around me. "How would you like to listen to some music while we try to fall asleep?"

"I'd like that a lot," I sigh.

He sits up, rummaging around his backpack, and then an earbud is gently placed in my ear. In the next few moments, a soft song fills my brain, and Luffy lies back down with me. His lips pressing to my nose for a few seconds. "I made this playlist a long time ago, but they're all songs that make me think of you. They're all about love in some way, and that's what I think first when I think about you. I'm in love with you, Akari, and I always will be."

I lazily smile, feeling my heart swell. "I can't believe that you can still make my heart flutter with sentiments like that. I can't believe that I can fall in love with you more when you talk to me like that. I can't believe that I get to have you all to myself."

He lowly chuckles, "There's only one girl that I have ever wanted, and that is you. You never have to worry about that."

"I've never worried."