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salmon_pinkTitle: Its Own Reward
Fandom: One Piece
Pairing: Paulie/Lucci
Rating: PG-13
Words: 645
Timeline: Pre-Water 7
Summary: Payment for services rendered, or not rendered, as the case may be.
Lucci glowers at him when Paulie drops into his lap, but that just makes it funnier. Everything seems funny, ridiculously so, and maybe Paulie’s had a bit much to drink, but it’s Christmas, for God’s sake.
Lucci slowly looks up at the mistletoe being held above his head by Paulie’s unsteady hand, then back at Paulie’s flushed and grinning face.
“Cherry Mistmas!” Paulie cheers, and he hears Blueno explode with another of those deep booming laughs. “Here’s ya present.”
Lucci merely raises an eyebrow. Never plays along, and Paulie grunts and leans back, because he can’t glare properly when their faces are so close.
“Tell you what,” Paulie slurs, tone trying for diplomatic but voice raised so everyone can hear. “If you don’t want a Christmas kiss, just tell me.”
Lucci’s usually impassive eyes flare at that, and it was a joke, not an insult, but he looks pissed all the same.
Which is funny, because most people wouldn’t even notice the change in expression there, Lucci being the impassive bastard he is, but Paulie’s learnt to decipher every ghost of emotion that flits across his face.
Paulie laughs again, almost falling off Lucci’s lap in the process.
He steadies himself, hand grabbing at Lucci’s arm, and notices that Lucci’s glaring at a point just beyond his shoulder. He turns unsteadily, hand braced on Lucci’s shoulder for support, and there’s Hattori, thoroughly distracted as he pecks at the crushed nuts in Kaku’s outstretched palm.
Kaku’s smirking indulgently at Lucci, and Paulie thinks that’s funny too.
He turns back, and Lucci’s eyes flicker between him and Hattori, and he’s never seen Lucci look caged or uncomfortable before, and it’s not funny at all.
It’s Christmas, so he decides he may as well give Lucci a break.
“Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone,” he announces to Lucci and the bar in general. Lucci stares at him levelly, and Paulie feels an evil grin tug at his own lips. “If you pay me to, that is. C’mon, Lucci, coins or a kiss, your call.”
Lucci frowns but his hand dutifully reaches into his pocket and Paulie beams triumphantly, because Paulie likes money.
Except two hands suddenly shove at his back, and he doesn’t know who they belong to, only that they’re large and strong. Paulie falls forwards, mistletoe dropping to the floor as his arms flail and wrap around Lucci’s neck, and then his lips are pressing against Lucci’s mouth.
Heat, soft, moving slightly in what might be surprise. Kissing, and Paulie wants to laugh but he can’t.
When he pulls back, Lucci appears as impassive as ever, but it’s the first time Paulie’s ever wished he didn’t have the ability to read all of Lucci’s non-expressions. Because Lucci’s staring at him, lips ever so slightly parted, and he’s kind of angry and kind of confused and kind of something else Paulie’s never seen on his face before, and it’s the closest to a blush Paulie’s ever seen on him.
He knows he’s staring and he feels Lucci’s annoyance begin to grow at being so blatantly gawped at. Feels Lucci’s hands shift and knows he has about three seconds before Lucci snaps and shoves him off his lap and possible through the nearest table, so he stumbles to standing.
Blueno’s there with a free beer, as promised, and Paulie laughs because everything suddenly seems funnier again now he’s not surrounded by Lucci’s heat and scent, now he’s not pinned by Lucci’s stare.
No money though, which is a shame, and would have been worth losing the bet over. He plucks the mistletoe from the floor, ignoring the wave of vertigo that assaults him when he leans down, and glances around the bar for another possible victim, wilfully ignoring Lucci’s eyes as they bore into his back, and the flush on his face is nothing to do with alcohol.
Fandom: One Piece
Pairing: Paulie/Lucci
Rating: PG-13
Words: 645
Timeline: Pre-Water 7
Summary: Payment for services rendered, or not rendered, as the case may be.
Lucci glowers at him when Paulie drops into his lap, but that just makes it funnier. Everything seems funny, ridiculously so, and maybe Paulie’s had a bit much to drink, but it’s Christmas, for God’s sake.
Lucci slowly looks up at the mistletoe being held above his head by Paulie’s unsteady hand, then back at Paulie’s flushed and grinning face.
“Cherry Mistmas!” Paulie cheers, and he hears Blueno explode with another of those deep booming laughs. “Here’s ya present.”
Lucci merely raises an eyebrow. Never plays along, and Paulie grunts and leans back, because he can’t glare properly when their faces are so close.
“Tell you what,” Paulie slurs, tone trying for diplomatic but voice raised so everyone can hear. “If you don’t want a Christmas kiss, just tell me.”
Lucci’s usually impassive eyes flare at that, and it was a joke, not an insult, but he looks pissed all the same.
Which is funny, because most people wouldn’t even notice the change in expression there, Lucci being the impassive bastard he is, but Paulie’s learnt to decipher every ghost of emotion that flits across his face.
Paulie laughs again, almost falling off Lucci’s lap in the process.
He steadies himself, hand grabbing at Lucci’s arm, and notices that Lucci’s glaring at a point just beyond his shoulder. He turns unsteadily, hand braced on Lucci’s shoulder for support, and there’s Hattori, thoroughly distracted as he pecks at the crushed nuts in Kaku’s outstretched palm.
Kaku’s smirking indulgently at Lucci, and Paulie thinks that’s funny too.
He turns back, and Lucci’s eyes flicker between him and Hattori, and he’s never seen Lucci look caged or uncomfortable before, and it’s not funny at all.
It’s Christmas, so he decides he may as well give Lucci a break.
“Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone,” he announces to Lucci and the bar in general. Lucci stares at him levelly, and Paulie feels an evil grin tug at his own lips. “If you pay me to, that is. C’mon, Lucci, coins or a kiss, your call.”
Lucci frowns but his hand dutifully reaches into his pocket and Paulie beams triumphantly, because Paulie likes money.
Except two hands suddenly shove at his back, and he doesn’t know who they belong to, only that they’re large and strong. Paulie falls forwards, mistletoe dropping to the floor as his arms flail and wrap around Lucci’s neck, and then his lips are pressing against Lucci’s mouth.
Heat, soft, moving slightly in what might be surprise. Kissing, and Paulie wants to laugh but he can’t.
When he pulls back, Lucci appears as impassive as ever, but it’s the first time Paulie’s ever wished he didn’t have the ability to read all of Lucci’s non-expressions. Because Lucci’s staring at him, lips ever so slightly parted, and he’s kind of angry and kind of confused and kind of something else Paulie’s never seen on his face before, and it’s the closest to a blush Paulie’s ever seen on him.
He knows he’s staring and he feels Lucci’s annoyance begin to grow at being so blatantly gawped at. Feels Lucci’s hands shift and knows he has about three seconds before Lucci snaps and shoves him off his lap and possible through the nearest table, so he stumbles to standing.
Blueno’s there with a free beer, as promised, and Paulie laughs because everything suddenly seems funnier again now he’s not surrounded by Lucci’s heat and scent, now he’s not pinned by Lucci’s stare.
No money though, which is a shame, and would have been worth losing the bet over. He plucks the mistletoe from the floor, ignoring the wave of vertigo that assaults him when he leans down, and glances around the bar for another possible victim, wilfully ignoring Lucci’s eyes as they bore into his back, and the flush on his face is nothing to do with alcohol.
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Date: 27/12/2007 01:12 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27/12/2007 13:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27/12/2007 01:15 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27/12/2007 13:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27/12/2007 17:20 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27/12/2007 21:10 (UTC)no subject
Date: 28/12/2007 02:43 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27/12/2007 22:25 (UTC)And although we know the future, to perceive what's lying behind that stoneface is... whoa.
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Date: 28/12/2007 02:44 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30/12/2007 22:15 (UTC)Lucci frowns but his hand dutifully reaches into his pocket and Paulie beams triumphantly, because Paulie likes money.
So simple and funny. Haha I chuckle :]
<33 love your stuff perusual.
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Date: 30/12/2007 22:34 (UTC)no subject
Date: 14/04/2008 03:58 (UTC)