My One Piece Highschool {a Perona fanfiction} [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 17~ Tell Me

Perona POV~

I woke up to a familiar smell around me, kind of like Old Spice, but mixed with something else I couldn't quite place.

It was nice. Comforting.

Flickering my eyes open, the first thing I realized was that I wasn't in my own bed. The second thing I realized was that I wasn't in my own room.

This room was smaller and cozier than my own room, cleaner too, and the color scheme was many tones of steely grey.

I sat up in the bed, wincing in pain as I did so. Where was I again?

Looking around a bit more, I noticed a bag of mine sitting at the foot of the bed, and memories of the previous night began to resurface.

My eyes widened as I realized what the comforting smell that practically soaked the bed was.

Mihawk.

This was his bed.

With a bit of a struggle, I managed to get myself out of bed and hobble out the door and to the stairs.

As carefully as I could, I made my way down the staircase and to the familiar first floor of my ex-teacher's home. He was nowhere in sight, but a pillow and a blanket had been carelessly left draped on the couch, making the unpleasant feeling of guilt worm it's way into my stomach.

I'm intruding on his home. I should have slept on the couch, not him.

The the smell of coffee made my nose twitch, and I made my way towards the kitchen.

It was a relatively large room with marble countertops and a center island. To the side by a door that led to a small courtyard outside, stood a little breakfast table.

My former teacher sat there with his head in his hands, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. It looked as though he hadn't slept the entire night.

"Dracule?" I called, moving a little further into the kitchen.

His shoulders tensed up for a moment before he looked up at me. It was strange to see him with stubble along his face. I guess I was just so used to the clean cut beard and mustache he usually sported...

"Oh, Perona." He grumbled, completely monotone as he stared down at his coffe. "Good morning. Are you feeling better?"

I nodded a little bit and awkwardly sat down at the table across from him, trying not to hit my light blue cast against anything.

"You should have let me t-take the couch." I said, my voice wavering just the slightest bit. Damn... Mihawk was scary first thing in the morning, but cute all the same.

Wait, what?

"Nonsense." He mumbled with a wave of his hand, as if dismissing the idea. "You were obviously in poor condition, and I had to take care of you. It was the least I could do."

I looked down at my lap at that and said a muted "thank you" as my cheeks burned pink.

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Mihawk POV~

I sat awake all night, scolding and hating myself.

You idiot! How could you kiss her?! The sensible part of me would shout.

I kept tossing and turning, self loathing in an abundant supply. I disgusted myself. The most beautiful girl I had ever met was in my house. In my room. In my bed. What had I been thinking?!

Finally, I just said 'fuck it' as the sun began to rise and stood from my couch to go get a cup of coffee.

I rubbed the stubble on my face as I sat down at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of me. My fingers brushed over my mouth and I took a deep breath. I couldn't get the feel of her soft pink lips out of my head.

Sighing, I rested my head in my hands. "What have I done?" I muttered quietly

"Dracule?" A small voice called out from the entrance to the kitchen.

I tensed up, fearing that she may have heard me, then slowly looked up at the pink haired beauty that now stood in my kitchen.

Her face didn't show any signs of shock or fear or disgust, so I assumed she hadn't heard me. I took a deep breath and tried to show as little emotion as possible.

"Oh, Perona." I grumbled, completely monotone as I looked back down at my coffe. "Good morning. Are you feeling better?" I winced internally. That sounded harsher than it should have...

Perona nodded a little bit and awkwardly sat down at the seat across from me, shifting so as not to hit her light blue cast against anything.

"You should have let me t-take the couch." She said, her voice wavering just the slightest bit.

I spat a curse to myself in my head. Dammit, don't scare the poor girl!

I sighed again and ran my fingers through my hair before waving my hand by my head dismissively, still looking down at my coffe.

"Nonsense." I mumbled. "You were obviously in poor condition, and I had to"- I gulped at this -"take care of you. It was the least I could do." Something dirty popped into my mind at my words and I had to bite down on my tongue to reprimand myself and to repress the heat rising to my face.

You're sick! I hissed to myself as I watched my former student look down at her lap, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thank you." She practically whispered, avoiding my gaze.

Remembering the previous night, I swallowed the metallic liquid that filled my mouth and moved to grab my cup of coffe. "So." I began, taking a sip to wash away the taste of blood. "Why was it that I had to pick you up last night?" I took another sip as she took a shaky breath.

I could tell she was nervous by the way her stuttering increased. "W-well, I-I h-ha-had th-this d-dream, you s-see..."

As she told me about her dream, I felt my eyes growing wider. At the mention of someone beating the pinkette, I nearly lost it. Whoever 'they' were, I was going to kill them.

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Perona POV~

As I trailed off with the details of my dream, I looked up from my lap at Dracule, wiping some stray tears from my cheeks as I did so.

The man before me was not the same Dracule Mihawk that I had always known. The one I know is emotionless, calm, level headed. This man was not him. This Dracule was gripping the edge of the wooden breakfast table so tightly that his knuckles turned bone white and I was afraid he would break the poor piece of furniture. He was glaring down at the floor with so much hate that if it were sentient, it would have wet itself and ran away with its tail between its legs. A low rumbling that sounded like the beginnings of a snarl echoed from deep within his chest.

This Dracule Mihawk frightened me.

"D-Dracule...?" I asked quietly, trying not to sound afraid.

"Who is Victoria Cindry?" He growled, his sharp golden gaze shifting around as though he was deep in thought. 

My eyes widened slightly. "M-my foster sister..." I muttered in a hushed tone. "We met in th-the f-foster system. She was a f-few years older th-than me, a-and we l-looked out f-for each other..."

His eyes still glued to the floor, Dracule took in the information I supplied him with soundless moving lips and hard features, as if he was concentrating extremely hard on something and trying to figure it out.

When he snapped his head back to me, I jumped in shock, not expecting the quick movement.

"Everything." He demanded. "Tell me everything that happened to you."