Paulie x Reader Heartstrings

Always and Forever

"Hey Paulie."

"Hm?"

"Flash."

"GOSH DANGIT (Y/N)!"

Laughing you jumped out of range of his hands and bolted, dashing around Galley-La workers and construction materials. He chased after you, a grin on his face despite your less-than-decent behavior.

He caught up to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you off your feet and spinning in a circle. Paulie set you down and kissed the back of your neck, holding your hands in a loose grip.

You turned your head to kiss him on the lips, joy burning almost painfully in your chest. He gently pushed one hand up your shirt, the rough feel of his worker's hands sending shivers down your spine.

You stepped away from him, blushing. "Come on, Paul'. We still got work to do."

He kissed you again, grinning when he pulled away. "You? Reminding me of work? Maybe I got confused and brought the wrong woman to work."

"Oh, yeah, because so many sleep in your bed, right?"

"Yep."

He poked your forehead and turned to walk back to where you'd been working before, offering his arm to you. You put your hand in the crook of his elbow and let him escort you, blushing the whole way.

~~~
"Paulie, where are we going?"

He ignored your question, only bothering to give you a small smile and a kiss on the cheek. He led you through town all the way to one of the tallest buildings on the whole island. He hauled you up stairs, going so far as to carry you over his shoulder at one point.

Eventually, you reached the top.

Hot and out of breath, you punched his shoulder weakly. "Now will you tell me what's up?" Again, he said nothing, only grabbing your hand and leading you to the edge of the building.

The whole of Water Seven spread out in front of you, with the ocean sparkling blue beyond. You leaned against him and sighed. "I'll admit it, it's real pretty up here."

He gave a small hum of agreement, rubbing your arm and resting his chin on your head. "I love you. So, so much."

"I love you too, Paulie."

He held you for a moment longer before stepping away and facing you with his hands behind him. "(Y/N)..."

You watched him curiously. "Paulie."

"I..." He shifted and shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. Then he looked up and met your eyes. "(Y/N) (L/N), I love you more than anyone on this earth. You are my sun and my moon, the very thing that keeps my heart beating." He grabbed your hands, bringing them up so he could brush his lips against your knuckles. "You are my joy, my love, and I am yours. Forever and always, I am yours."

You blushed deeply at Paulie's words, caught off guard. But he wasn't finished yet.

Paulie gently cupped your face in his rough hand, rubbing his thumb across your cheek. "(Y/N), will you marry me?"

He was so close, one hand on your cheek, the other on your hip, your chests almost touching, standing so near to you that you could feel the warmth of his breath.

Your mind had gone blank at his quiet question, your heart racing. Will you marry me?

Tears pricked the corners of your eyes and Paulie pulled you closer for that last little bit of space, kissing your tears away. His touch broke you out of your frozen stupor and a sob broke out. You wrapped your arms around Paulie, burying your face in the crook of his neck. "Yes, Paulie. Yes."