Black Heart [One Piece x OC]

Warming Up

The blond scoffed and sent her a quick frown.

"You didn't interrupt anything, Darlin'," he chewed on the butt of a lit cigar, "Ah, sorry. I rushed in here without thinking."

He removed the cigar and stubbed it out on the floor.

It must have been bad if he's calling me that. Onyx stretched her arms up over her head and let out a groan. A slight sting pricked her knee. Damn, why do the little ones hurt more whenever it's Paulie?

"Well, now that I'm up-," she shifted her legs and Paulie stood to give her room, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"You know I hate makin' requests," the blond grumbled and shoved his hands deep into his pants pockets.

Onyx swung her legs out of the bed and squished the blue shag carpet under her toes. She let the familiar sensation soothe her. The pain in her chest subsided to a tolerable level.

"How does... pancakes sound?" she hummed, gathering her hair into messy bun.

"Delicious," Paulie mumbled, still giving her an anxious stare.

Onyx let out a sigh and stood, making sure her baggy black pyjama pants and long sleeves were covering her body fully before brushing the curtain aside and striding for the kitchen.

"Don't worry about me, Paulie," she said as she pulled out a bowl and some flour, "I'm used to it. But... waking up with someone else there was... it made it a lot better. Thank you."

She didn't turn around, focusing instead on beating some eggs and then mixing the ingredients together.

"You know..." Paulie hesitantly cleared his throat, "If you stayed... I could always be there."

Onyx's hand froze, bowl hovering over the warming frying pan. She could feel her heart beating against her ribcage as temptation reared its beautiful head.

If I stayed...

Then the figure from her dream drifted through her mind.

Rule #1.

She let out a quiet sigh and shook her head.

"Sorry, Rope Man," she mumbled, "Nature of the job, you know. I have to keep up my contacts..." she poured the first drops of batter into the pan and listened to it sizzle.

A low sigh from behind her told her that Paulie was now at the table.

"Was worth a shot," he muttered under his breath.

Onyx gave the pancakes a sad glance before she flipped them.

"Don't worry, Paulie... When I do eventually settle down..." her voice was soft but she knew he could hear her, "This area is near the top of my list. There's an abandoned little island a few leagues west of here that looks promising."

She sensed the man approaching her and carefully put the pancakes onto a plate before turning to find him standing right behind her.

"Here you go," she said, but then paused when she saw his frown, "What?"

Paulie's hands slowly came up and clenched lightly on her shoulders. He met her gaze and Onyx felt her heart thump at the cautious warmth in his honey-brown eyes.

Had his grip always been so comforting? Why was there a flicker of anger in his expression?

"You better mean those words, Darlin'," Paulie rumbled.

Onyx blinked and a flush moved slowly over her cheeks.

She lowered her eyes.

"You know I could never lie to you," she mumbled.