I had never been so relieved to see my big brother in all my life.
Sprinting up the dock, tripping over my own two feet, I couldn't move fast enough, and it felt like I was suspended in the air for hours when I leapt towards him. When I finally landed in his arms, everything I had been going through over the past few weeks hit me like a boulder, and I began to cry.
"Hey, I gotcha, love, I gotcha..." Paulie assured me softly, uncaring that I had latched onto his torso like a koala to a tree.
"Paulie..." I whimpered his name, pressing my face as hard as possible into the crook of his neck, fingers digging deep into his denim jacket.
"Delivered safe and sound, just as promised." I heard Killer approaching by the click of his heels against the wooden dock.
"Surprisingly, I didn't actually doubt ya." Paulie chuckled, but it was empty.
I knew he had been worrying for me since our first call after Kid and I broke up, and likely even more so once Killer had let him know of our impending arrival.
"I'll help carry her stuff to Galley-La, then I should head off."
I don't want you to go...
Adjusting me slightly, so I could cling more comfortably, Paulie hummed a little in thought.
"It was a long trip, so I reckon you'd be wise to stay for at least a day or so. Iceberg won't mind." I hadn't expected my brother to offer that, but I was glad.
Click, clack, I could hear Killer shift from one foot to the other, uncomfortably contemplating.
"Well...I 'spose one night wouldn't hurt. If you're sure. I know you aren't too keen on the likes of my type."
I just kept my face buried as Paulie began to walk, pinching a loose thread by his denim collar.
"You...honestly don't seem as bad as your reputation. This one always tells me I need to trust her judgement, anyway." He jostled me ever so slightly upon mention. "Don't strike me as a trouble maker, either. At least on your own."
Paulie Progress.
I didn't move from my place in Paulie's arms until we reached Galley-La, where he set me down once we were inside. There, Iceberg was waiting for us, a smile on his face.
"Welcome back, (Y/N), and Killer, too. Didn't expect you to return so soo-"
There was no stopping myself crashing into him for a hug, my arms constricting his waist as his hands settled around me.
"I'm sorry for putting you out, Icy..."
Great. Crying again. My emotions just won't stay in check. Fuck you, Eustass. Fuck you, Rockstar. Fuck you, me.
"Now, don't you ever feel the need to apologise for something like that. Haven't I always told you? My doors are always open to a friend in need. Besides, Tyrannosaurus missed you just as much."
I nuzzled into the furry tickle that came from Iceberg's breast pocket, hearing the happy squeaks the little mouse offered me in greeting.
"Are you sure you don't mind me staying for the night? I don't want to be a pain..." Killer didn't sound all too thrilled about spending the night in Water 7, it seemed.
"Nonsense! It's no bother, and there's plenty of room. What's mine is yours, so just relax. Go get yourselves cleaned up, and situated." Iceberg gently coaxed me to release him from the embrace, tapping his finger to my nose. "I'll let you know when dinner is ready."
Why did I hate it here so much? I mean, I know why, but the good really did outweigh the bad...
Upstairs, Killer split off from us when we reached his room, and Paulie lead me to where I'd be staying for the indefinite future. All of the rooms were so classy and large, I didn't feel like it suited me at all, yet I felt a strong sense of comfort being somewhere so familiar.
"Okay, come on." Paulie sat down on my freshly made bed and patted his knee, giving me a look I knew all too well. His 'I know there's more to it' look. "Tell me what's really going on."
The second I sat down, I spilled everything. What had transpired in that god-awful canyon, the loss of Kid's arm, having my heart broken, turning to alcohol, even what had happened between me and Killer.
I didn't hold anything back, and all the while Paulie just listened, holding me as I sobbed, blurting it all out.
"S..So yeah...That's wh..why I needed to come home..." I sniffled, squinting when he began to use his sleeve to wipe my cheeks.
"I'm really glad you decided to come back, sweetheart. Not for these reasons, obviously, but you need a break." Paulie sighed, kind of rocking me back and forth, like he used to do when we were far younger. "That damn Eustass, I'll hang is sorry ass..."
I appreciated the aggression in my honour, but I didn't want to even think about him anymore, at least not for the time being.
"D..Do Ma and Pa know..? That I'm back..?" I dreaded the answer, but my nerves were short lived, even when Paulie nodded.
"Yeah, but I told them they better not dare start shit, and that you'd be the one coming to them if you wanted to see them. Pa had some...colourful words to say about it, but he's all talk." He reassured me, flopping back into the mattress and letting me roll to his side.
I really do have the best big brother.
"One thing has really been bothering me since the docks, though." Paulie spoke up after a short while, and I hummed in question. "You haven't once asked me if I have a girlfriend yet. It's weirding me the hell out."
I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that, a tiny, tired smile twitching my lips.
"Well, you told me about that Meika girl, so I assumed we were past that." I poked his arm and he scoffed.
"Actually, that didn't work out...but I met someone else, and we're going out for our fourth date Friday night..."
I rolled to face him, and he did the same, my shocked expression to his prideful one.
"Fuck right off. No shit?" That piece of information would have floored me if I hadn't already been horizontal.
"No shit."
Yep. Things really are changing.
"I need all the details. Name, age, gender identity, where you met, height, blood type, list of allergies, bone density-"
"Her name is Guppy, she's twenty two, and we met down at the bull yard. Before you ask, she has curly blonde hair, blue eyes, beautiful tan skin and is way out of my league."
My smile grew a little more, and for the first time in a while I felt genuinely happy.
"You dog, you. So, when can I meet her? Can I be your best man? Oh, I call shotgun on being the fun aunt and taking your kids out on all kinds of wacky adventures that'll send you into a stress induced seizure-" I trailed off when I noticed Paulie smiling softly at me, and quirked a brow. "What..?"
"Nothing. I'm just glad you're acting like your old self again." He chuckled, and I felt a deep pang in my chest. I knew it was momentary, and I had a ways to go until I was back to 'normal', but I didn't want to worry him any more than I already had. "Where'd you get this hat, anyway? It's funky." Paulie reached and flicked the brim of my hat, and I sucked my lips inward.
"That's...not something you wanna know..." I tried to warn him, but my brother wasn't having it. He just never seemed to learn.
"Try me." Well, he asked for it.
"I stole it from Dracule Mihawk."
Paulie nearly ascended when he jerked upright, eyes bugging out of his head.
"YOU STOLE IT FROM WHO?!" He shrieked, and I remained where I was, laying on my side on the bed.
"Mihawk. You know, that sword guy, kind of rocks the vampire aesthetic, looks like his moustache was drawn on with a marker? Absolute sex god?"
Paulie spluttered and wheezed before he pinched the bridge of his nose, a hand raising as though he was trying to physically shove a mental breakdown back to whence it came.
"How the everloving fuck did you survive infancy?" He asked through his teeth.
"Sheer pettiness."
Heaving one of his patented long sighs, Paulie rubbed at his face before flopping back down, causing the bed to bounce.
"It's like you have no sense of self preservation..." He muttered, and again I sucked my teeth.
"That's...really not the worst thing I've done. Not by a longshot. Besides, he kind of just let me take it."
Paulie's glare was brimming with exhausted stress, but I could tell he was morbidly curious, questions dancing on the tip of his tongue.
"Do I even want to know?" He asked hesitantly, and I moved my hand so I could lightly tap the lenses of his goggles.
"Nope, but now that you're privy to the fact I have done worse, you're gonna think about it until you do know, aren't ya?" I smirked when he nodded. I knew him better than I knew myself, and it was always good fun.
"Okay, shoot. Hit me with the worst."
Oh, jeez, that's a tough one...
There were so many things I could recall that could make the top of the list, but one jumped out to me. One that would really have his blood pressure sky-rocket.
"You've heard of Bellamy the Hyena, right?"
Hesitantly, Paulie nodded, obviously already regretting being so curious.
"Yeah...he's that big time rookie who recently joined up with the Donquixote Pirates, isn't he? What about him..?" Should I? I knew the answer was probably no, but this was a great distraction, and now I couldn't exactly take it back.
"Well, back when he was in charge of his own crew, I'd heard he had a fat stash of berries he'd swiped from some passenger ship, so I moseyed on down to this little bar he hung at in Mock Town. Homeboy acted all tough, but a little flirting and an overnight stay later, and he was putty in my hands. Ended up set for a good few months with what I stole from him."
Paulie just stared at me in horror for what seemed like minutes, and I knew exactly which part of the story was haunting him the most.
"Over...night...stay..?" The words seemed like they were poisoning him on the way out, and I shrugged.
"Don't worry about that. Just a lil sleepover. You're overthinking it." He totally wasn't. That certainly had been an interesting night, especially with that Spring-Spring Fruit of his.
"You're why I found a grey hair last week. I need you to know that. You're making me age prematurely. You're ageing me, (Y/N)."
I've missed teasing him in person. I've missed so much, but...
My mood dropped rather suddenly, and I wriggled closer, pressing my face into his yellow shirt, dampening the material with my exhale.
"My heart hurts..."
Sighing, Paulie wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin atop my head.
"I know, hun, I know..." He had always been so good at comforting me, even when we were children. Without him, I would have ended up with a lot more mental scars than I did.
"Can we stay like this for a while? Until dinner?" I asked hopefully, wriggling up so my forehead rested against his throat. He was warm, safe, the most familiar. He always would be.
"Sure thing, sweetheart...but first, you need a shower. You smell like a seaking's ass."
"Wow. Thanks."
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***I want Paulie to be my brother so bad, I swear.
Kind of filler-ish. I have a few plans for the upcoming chapters.
Next Time: Sabbatical***