A thing happened! I wrote the chapter! And I wrote the english one before I wrote the german one! Which reminds me: I really need to update the old chapters some day...
Well. This is the last chapter – there will be an epilogue, though. I hope you enjoy!
And then Nami decided to brave. It was one of the things Ruffy taught her; maybe even the most important one: being brave. Of course this was no fight. No ones life was at edge. No one needed to be saved. Or protected. But nevertheless doing what she was about to do needed some serious courage. Because no matter how it would end – it would hurt.
"Pauly...", she sighed, her voice warm, quiet but with a hint of sadness.
"Y-yes...?" he asked and the fact that she swam closer to him made him incredible nervous.
And then there weren't any more words. Just Nami being brave, flinging her arms around his neck, holding onto him. She pressed her body against his and for a moment Pauly's eyes widened in panic but then her lips found his and the world seemed to stop.
For a brief second both of them forgot they were in the water and stopped swimming, but Pauly got it soon enough to hold them both over the surface.
At first their kiss was soft, nearly shy. Nami hasn't been sure how Paulie would've reacted if she'd been more demanding, more passionate. After all she hasn't even been sure if he wanted her to kiss him. To her surprise it was him who deepened the kiss. There was some fire, some desire in him that surprised her – but in a very good way.
After a while Nami realized that he'd slowly swam backwards, until they reached the edge of the basin.
"Pauly...", she whispered again, eyes closed and her sweet voice sighing his name, her wet body pressed against his – it drove him crazy.
"Nami... I... I think I'm in l-", he started but felt a finger pressed against his lips.
"Don't", she said with a sad voice and confused, Paulie opened his eyes. Namis face was so close to his, that their noses could touch and he felt her warm breath on his lips. Her eyes were still closed, her arms still around his neck. "Don't say it."
"But-" Pauly started but Nami interrupted him again and shook her head. Slowly she opened her brown eyes and Pauly didn't fail to recognize the sorrow in them. Nami knew it would hurt. And she knew that it would've hurt less if he'd rejected her. But he didn't.
"I'll be gone soon... maybe tomorrow morning, I don't know", she whispered and suddenly she lowered her gaze.
"You're ever in my thoughts. Since I found you at the train station at the day the Aqua Laguna hit. Nami... don't tell me I should bury my feelings after you kissed me like that. I tried to. I tried since the day we both woke up at my place after that party. Believe me... it didn't work" Pauly said with a deep voice.
Gently he stroke a wet strain of copper-colored hair away from her face. Suddenly he smiled.
"I can wait. I will wait. May it take years or decades for you to come back, I don't care" he said determined. "You... will come back, won't you?" he asked. Nami blinked in surprise. Before she could even think about her next words, she immediately said "Of course I will. One day I will come back. I promise."
It was the last thing they spoke for the next hour.
She kissed him again but this time she didn't held back her passion. They both saw in the eyes of the other that they wanted more, so it was only a matter of seconds until they crawled out of the water basin and laid down on Pauly's jacket. There was a difficulty to get rid of the wet clothes Pauly was still in, specially his jeans. There would've been better places than the cold, rough stone ground but with the stars and Pauly above her Nami couldn't care less. He wasn't her first man but it still felt like a first time. She was nervous and didn't even know why - maybe it was the difference when love was involved, not only lust. But any doubt was just brushed away 'cause Paulie wasn't only a gently lover but also an experienced one; a thing she would've never made a bet on. He didn't gave the impression of having lot of experience with woman but this one time Nami was just glad she was wrong.
Later they just laid on the ground, watching the stars. Nami was snuggled against his bare chest, stroking his skin softly. She felt so small and save against his body. But the heat of lust and sex slowly vanished and a shiver went through her body.
"You're cold?" Pauly asked and sounded alarmed. He said up and grabbed his jacket.
"Pauly... it's far to big for me", she said with a pouting mouth.
"I think you look cute in it", Pauly said and watched the delicate woman who just seemed lost in his jacket. Of couse it was far to big for her.
"You know what? Keep it", he said all of a sudden. "So you have something that... I don't know", he shrugged and there it was again, his shy, adorable stuttering, "reminds you of me?"
Nami smiled a wide smile. For a second she felt the itch to tease him, but then nodded softly and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Pauly. I will."
The next day was basically one big rush. Franky did manage to finish the new ship, the Thousand Sunny and he did just in time – cause the Marine arrived in Water Seven. The Strawhats had to take their leave immediately and took Franky with them; everyone knew about that – except for Franky.
When Pauly and the guys from the Galeera-Company waved them goodbye, watching the ship setting off to the sea, Loui-Loui noticed something on his friend: "What happened to your jacket? The blue one?" he asked and took a look at the a black jacket emblazoned with roses and chains his friend was wearing. Pauly frowned. "A man can have more than one jacked, can he?" he said, puffing out a smoke ring.
Pauly still stood at the relign when everyone else was gone and the Thousand Sunny could not be seen anymore. "You're okay Pauly?" a familiar voice asked and the shipwright turned around to see Iceburg. His Boss was watching the waves and the sea. Pauly followed his gaze. He didn't answer immediately but slowly a small smile formed on his lips. "Yes", he said lightly, "I am."
