Categories > Anime/Manga > One Piece > Where You Belong
"Mmm…" Lexi muttered, shifting her position on the chair. Her cheek was pressed against the plush arm, but the hard edges left an uncomfortable pressure against her face. She scrunched her face up, rubbing at her eyes with a hand. Yawning, she sat up in her chair.
Upon opening her eyes, she recognized the buzzing sensation in her pocket, as well as the small jingle her alarm produced. Grabbing her phone from her pocket, she turned it off and looked around.
People were still milling around the union, some eating and some tapping away at laptop keys. Then, she remembered that a certain pirate was supposed to-
Turning, she sighed audibly at the absence of Law in the chair beside her. Thankfully, her stuff was still on the ground beside her, the laptop folded nicely and placed squarely in the middle of the small table, and it didn't look like anything had moved or been taken. Grabbing it all up, she cursed under her breath and straightened out her clothes.
"Damn him…" Frantically glancing around, there wasn't any sign of the pirate and her mood instantly darkened. Why couldn't he just listen to one thing she said? God, she'd known him less than a week and her patience with him was already running thin.
Luckily, before she could panic too much, a flash of yellow and a spotted hat could be seen in the cafeteria area further down. Huffing, she quickened her pace and headed towards Law.
There was a crowd of guys surrounding a tv. It showed a football game, and the boys watched anxiously as one of the players on the tv started running down the field, ball in hand with several members of the opposing team after him.
"Go! Go!" The guys shouted. Law, she could see, only watched the events unfold with confused amusement. She was willing to bet that he only had half an idea of what was going on.
The player made it to the end zone, and the guys all erupted in cheers.
"Yes! We're going to the playoffs, baby!" They high-fiver each other and started talking with much enthusiasm. Lexi took the opportunity to slip close and tap Law on the shoulder.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" She asked through a false smile. Law raised an eyebrow but still retained the infuriating smirk.
"Learning about your world's choice of entertainment. This, 'football,' as you call it, seems quite tame compared to what I'm used to."
Lexi rolled her eyes, pulling at his sleeve, but he held back. "You can just look it up later on my laptop. Can we go now? I've got a class in fifteen minutes."
One of the guys must have heard, because in the next instant one of them had draped an arm around Law's shoulders, grinning good-naturedly.
"Ahh, you're taking our rookie with you? But we were just showing him the Classic American Pastime." The blonde boy had a missing tooth, no doubt from a long career of childhood and young adult sports. His nose looked slightly crooked, previously broken. He was casually dressed, but obviously his clothes came from the high-end stores, the ones Lexi could only dream of shopping at. So, he was wealthy, or at least middle class. She tried not to assume things about people, but his cocky grin gave her the distinction that he was one of those that flaunted his status around.
She could smell the musk of his too-strong cologne and resisted the urge to gag. This man was certainly a presence. Just not one she wanted to be around, especially if her assumption was right. She was never one to hang out with the jocks, not because she'd had bad experiences with them before. She'd never been bullied or anything like that. Their personalities just weren't compatible. She was shy. They were loud.
A few of the others tried appealing to her, but she only raised an eyebrow.
"He's coming with me." She finalized, and they laughed off their disappointment, saying their goodbyes to Law. Though, they only called him 'rookie.'
The blonde, though, hadn't let go of him yet. He leaned in close, giving Lexi a close-up view of his white teeth. At least his breath smelled better than his perfume.
"Listen, your friend here is pretty cool to have around, being from Greece and all. I've got this party on the 31st at the Gamma Sigma frat house. A way to end the semester with a bang, ya know?" He looked rather pleased with himself for just mentioning it. He continued. "He's invited, and I suppose we could squeeze you onto the guest list."
He pulled out a piece of paper from his football letterman jacket, handing it to Lexi. It was black with white letters proclaiming, 'GAMMA SIGMA END-OF-SEMESTER KICK-OFF PARTY.' Below the dramatic title were the words, 'This flyer is your ticket into the Gamma Sigma fraternity house at the west end of the campus. Bring a friend and be ready to party!'
Stuffing it into her bag so she could forget about it, she sighed. "We'll think about it." Her monotone reply was apparently good enough for him, because he released his grasp on Law, and the pirate stepped forward. They were about to leave, but the guy stuck out his hand for her to shake.
"I'm Cooper, by the way. Number 37 on the football team." His eyes flicked down, just under her jawline, his grin widened slightly, and Lexi's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. She remembered just then that her top had a slightly lower neckline than her normal attire, a long-ago gift from Nana that she had thrown on without a thought. Still, it seemed Cooper just couldn't resist a look. It seemed her earlier assumption had been correct. Her hand shot forwards in a tighter grip than was necessary before releasing it just a little too quickly.
"Lexi." She ground out, turning on her heel without bothering to check to see if Law was following.
Three Hours Later
The Heart Pirates looked up from the card game they'd been playing at the sound of the door opening. Law walked through first, looking decidedly pleased with his adventure in Lexi's world. The brunette in question stepped in next, looking much less happy. She sighed loudly and then stopped, staring at Bepo.
"Did Nana have a hallucination again?" She asked, and the bear nodded. Sighing, she went upstairs to put her stuff away before dealing with her grandmother.
"How was the university, Captain?" Bepo asked, still holding onto Nana. She glared at the pirates. They ignored her.
"Quite informative. Though it's apparent that the education system in this world is far below that of ours. I had to take matters in my own hands for Lexi-ya's anatomy class."
The others nodded before going back to their card game, the pack of which they'd found earlier in a cabinet. Law took up a position on the couch, stretching out comfortably. Lexi returned from upstairs, going straight to Nana and crouching in front of her.
"Nana, do you know who I am?" She asked quietly, and the older woman's bleared eyes tried focusing on her.
"Soldier, get back to your post! There's an attack on the northern outpost and I need to tend to wounded!" She tried struggling against the bear, but Bepo had a firm grip.
"Of course." She let out a pent up breath, standing and heading towards the phone.
"What are you doing?" Shachi asked, watching as Lexi pressed buttons on the phone in her hand.
"Calling her psychiatrist." She responded, holding it up to her ear and walking into the kitchen. Her footsteps halted and in the next moment she was shouting her confusion.
"What the hell did you do to my kitchen!?"
Upon opening her eyes, she recognized the buzzing sensation in her pocket, as well as the small jingle her alarm produced. Grabbing her phone from her pocket, she turned it off and looked around.
People were still milling around the union, some eating and some tapping away at laptop keys. Then, she remembered that a certain pirate was supposed to-
Turning, she sighed audibly at the absence of Law in the chair beside her. Thankfully, her stuff was still on the ground beside her, the laptop folded nicely and placed squarely in the middle of the small table, and it didn't look like anything had moved or been taken. Grabbing it all up, she cursed under her breath and straightened out her clothes.
"Damn him…" Frantically glancing around, there wasn't any sign of the pirate and her mood instantly darkened. Why couldn't he just listen to one thing she said? God, she'd known him less than a week and her patience with him was already running thin.
Luckily, before she could panic too much, a flash of yellow and a spotted hat could be seen in the cafeteria area further down. Huffing, she quickened her pace and headed towards Law.
There was a crowd of guys surrounding a tv. It showed a football game, and the boys watched anxiously as one of the players on the tv started running down the field, ball in hand with several members of the opposing team after him.
"Go! Go!" The guys shouted. Law, she could see, only watched the events unfold with confused amusement. She was willing to bet that he only had half an idea of what was going on.
The player made it to the end zone, and the guys all erupted in cheers.
"Yes! We're going to the playoffs, baby!" They high-fiver each other and started talking with much enthusiasm. Lexi took the opportunity to slip close and tap Law on the shoulder.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" She asked through a false smile. Law raised an eyebrow but still retained the infuriating smirk.
"Learning about your world's choice of entertainment. This, 'football,' as you call it, seems quite tame compared to what I'm used to."
Lexi rolled her eyes, pulling at his sleeve, but he held back. "You can just look it up later on my laptop. Can we go now? I've got a class in fifteen minutes."
One of the guys must have heard, because in the next instant one of them had draped an arm around Law's shoulders, grinning good-naturedly.
"Ahh, you're taking our rookie with you? But we were just showing him the Classic American Pastime." The blonde boy had a missing tooth, no doubt from a long career of childhood and young adult sports. His nose looked slightly crooked, previously broken. He was casually dressed, but obviously his clothes came from the high-end stores, the ones Lexi could only dream of shopping at. So, he was wealthy, or at least middle class. She tried not to assume things about people, but his cocky grin gave her the distinction that he was one of those that flaunted his status around.
She could smell the musk of his too-strong cologne and resisted the urge to gag. This man was certainly a presence. Just not one she wanted to be around, especially if her assumption was right. She was never one to hang out with the jocks, not because she'd had bad experiences with them before. She'd never been bullied or anything like that. Their personalities just weren't compatible. She was shy. They were loud.
A few of the others tried appealing to her, but she only raised an eyebrow.
"He's coming with me." She finalized, and they laughed off their disappointment, saying their goodbyes to Law. Though, they only called him 'rookie.'
The blonde, though, hadn't let go of him yet. He leaned in close, giving Lexi a close-up view of his white teeth. At least his breath smelled better than his perfume.
"Listen, your friend here is pretty cool to have around, being from Greece and all. I've got this party on the 31st at the Gamma Sigma frat house. A way to end the semester with a bang, ya know?" He looked rather pleased with himself for just mentioning it. He continued. "He's invited, and I suppose we could squeeze you onto the guest list."
He pulled out a piece of paper from his football letterman jacket, handing it to Lexi. It was black with white letters proclaiming, 'GAMMA SIGMA END-OF-SEMESTER KICK-OFF PARTY.' Below the dramatic title were the words, 'This flyer is your ticket into the Gamma Sigma fraternity house at the west end of the campus. Bring a friend and be ready to party!'
Stuffing it into her bag so she could forget about it, she sighed. "We'll think about it." Her monotone reply was apparently good enough for him, because he released his grasp on Law, and the pirate stepped forward. They were about to leave, but the guy stuck out his hand for her to shake.
"I'm Cooper, by the way. Number 37 on the football team." His eyes flicked down, just under her jawline, his grin widened slightly, and Lexi's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. She remembered just then that her top had a slightly lower neckline than her normal attire, a long-ago gift from Nana that she had thrown on without a thought. Still, it seemed Cooper just couldn't resist a look. It seemed her earlier assumption had been correct. Her hand shot forwards in a tighter grip than was necessary before releasing it just a little too quickly.
"Lexi." She ground out, turning on her heel without bothering to check to see if Law was following.
Three Hours Later
The Heart Pirates looked up from the card game they'd been playing at the sound of the door opening. Law walked through first, looking decidedly pleased with his adventure in Lexi's world. The brunette in question stepped in next, looking much less happy. She sighed loudly and then stopped, staring at Bepo.
"Did Nana have a hallucination again?" She asked, and the bear nodded. Sighing, she went upstairs to put her stuff away before dealing with her grandmother.
"How was the university, Captain?" Bepo asked, still holding onto Nana. She glared at the pirates. They ignored her.
"Quite informative. Though it's apparent that the education system in this world is far below that of ours. I had to take matters in my own hands for Lexi-ya's anatomy class."
The others nodded before going back to their card game, the pack of which they'd found earlier in a cabinet. Law took up a position on the couch, stretching out comfortably. Lexi returned from upstairs, going straight to Nana and crouching in front of her.
"Nana, do you know who I am?" She asked quietly, and the older woman's bleared eyes tried focusing on her.
"Soldier, get back to your post! There's an attack on the northern outpost and I need to tend to wounded!" She tried struggling against the bear, but Bepo had a firm grip.
"Of course." She let out a pent up breath, standing and heading towards the phone.
"What are you doing?" Shachi asked, watching as Lexi pressed buttons on the phone in her hand.
"Calling her psychiatrist." She responded, holding it up to her ear and walking into the kitchen. Her footsteps halted and in the next moment she was shouting her confusion.
"What the hell did you do to my kitchen!?"
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