Paulie x Reader Heartstrings

Slowly But Surely

You never left Paulie's house, and he never asked you to leave. Whenever you needed something from your own house, you just got it and came back. Slowly but surely, your possessions were being moved.

Currently, you were tucked up in Paulie's lap, holding a big teddy bear he'd gotten for you years ago. "Still can't believe you still have that old thing."

You buried your face in the bear's white fur. "Of course I still have it! You got it for me. I named it Paulie~"

"Of course you did..." You giggled at the tone of his voice. You could hear his embarrassment.

You turned around so you were straddling him, the bear squished between you as you hugged him. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Paulie!"

Paulie blushed deeper and wrapped an arm around you, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Hey now, I'm a man! I'm not cute!"

"You're absolutely adorable."

He started to protest again, but you leaned forward and brushed your lips against his. His whole face went bright red all the way to the tips of his ears and he put his head in his hands, hiding.

"Hey. Hey Paulie. Paul'. Hey. Look at me." You gently ran a hand through his blond hair. He peeked at you through the gaps between his fingers. You kissed the tip of his nose and he hid again.

You laughed and hugged him, pulling his head against your chest. "You're so sweet~"

He wrapped his arms around you, turning his head to the side and gasping for air. "Hey now, don't smother me in your boobs, (Y/N)."

"Hehe. Oops." You didn't sound very apologetic.

He suddenly stood, carrying you off your feet. Spinning you in a circle, he pressed his forehead against yours, his blue eyes bright with joy. Paulie fell back onto the couch, laughing with you in his arms.

His grip tightened around you until he was clutching you so fiercely that you wheezed as the breath was forced out of your lungs. Paulie relaxed and you laughed. "Goodness, Paulie! You trying to break a rib?"

He grinned, kissing your nose before saying, "Well, yeah."

You smiled as you settled down on top of him, a wave of affection sweeping through you as he wrapped his arms around your body, gently this time. He kissed the top of your head and grabbed hold of one of your hands, twining your fingers together. "Hey, (Y/N)?"

"Hmm?"

"Never mind."

"Same one as last time?"

"Mmhmm."

"Good to know you're still thinking about it."

He gently ran a hand up and down your spine, giving your hand a squeeze and rubbing the back of it with his thumb.

Your mind kind of blanked out as you listened to the steady beat of his heart. So much so, that when he shifted you jumped, startled out of your blank.

"Spacing out?" There was laughter in his voice.

"Maybe a bit."

He laughed, a deep, rich sound that made your breath hitch in your throat. Were you in love with him? Were you in love with your best friend? Maybe not yet. Not yet, but soon. Slowly but surely, you were falling for this gentle, blue-eyed shipwright. And Heaven knows you were going to fall hard.