Paulie x Reader Heartstrings

Planning Is Hard

You yawned and rolled around on the floor, only stopping when you bumped into someone's leg. "Oh, hey Paulie."

"Hey girl." He sat down on the ground next to you and ran a hand through your hair. "What's up?"

"Planning is too stressful, I can't deal with this."

"Umm... Okay? You don't have to rush you know, we've got all the time in the world."

You groaned and said, "Can't I just wear sweatpants?"

"If you want, but you'll probably regret it later."

"Paulie, for five minutes just pretend like you don't know exactly what's going on inside my head. Can you do that? Can you act for five minutes?!"

He sighed and gathered you up in his arms, brushing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. "How 'bout I take care of most of it? Would that be better?"

"Yeeeeeeeessssssss!"

Paulie chuckled and looked at you, love in every line of his body. "I love you. You know that, right?"

You smiled and reached up to brush his jawline with your knuckles. "Of course I do, you silly boy."

"I am a MAN!"

"Sure, cupcake. Sure."

~Three Days Later~
Paulie's head dipped to his chest and a small snore sounded before he jerked back awake. Running a hand over his face, he forced himself to stand and staggered into the kitchen for coffee.

You whacked his hand away and said, "No, Paulie. You've had enough. What you need is sleep, so go to bed."

"Can't..." He muttered, now physically unable to keep his eyes open. "Got things to do..."

You shook your head and turned him around before nudging his ahead of you to the bedroom. He swayed on his feet as you quickly stripped him down to his boxers and all but shoved him into bed.

"Sleep, Paulie. I can manage for one day, alright?"

The only answer was a quiet murmur that faded into the deep breathing of sleep. You shook your head and sighed, leaning down to kiss Paulie's forehead, tugging the covers up to his chin and walking out, shutting the door quietly behind you.

~~~
You tried. You really did, but the boring monotony of making phone calls, writing down days and appointments, taking names, it all just fried your brain.

So when Paulie got up at around noon the next morning, he found you laying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by food scraps, paper, and miscellaneous working utensils, with the words 'I tried' on a sticky note on your forehead.

He couldn't help himself. Paulie laughed so hard he ended up curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach. You woke up with a yelp, startled from your dreams. Paulie made a harsh wheezing noise, laughing so hard it was silent.

You rubbed the back of your head, hair tangled up from sleep. "What's so funny...?"

Paulie was gasping for breath, tears in his eyes. "My sides hurt so bad!"

You nudged him and when he turned to look at you he started laughing all over again, almost writhing with pain.

"HELP ME WOMAN!"

You laid on top of him, effectively pinning him down. He shook beneath you, still struggling to hold back the laughter. "Better?" You mumbled past a yawn.

"A little bit, yeah."

"It wasn't that funny, Paulie."

"Seemed like it at the time."

"Mmhmm..."

"(Y/N)?" Paulie poked your side but you didn't react, having already fallen asleep once again.

~~~
"I can't do this, Paulie, I suck at planning things."

Paulie reached over and ran a hand through your hair. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart, just take your time."

"I'm trying, but when I do that, none of it seems to get done."

Paulie rolled his eyes and pulled you into his lap, wrapping his arms around your waist and putting his chin on the top of your head. "Quit stressing, honey baby."

You leaned back against him with a sigh, closing your eyes and laying your hands over his, twining your fingers together. Paulie gave your hands a gentle squeeze then said, "Do you want me to sing you a song?"

You laughed and twisted to look at him. "What?"

He blushed and looked away. "W-Well, back when I was little whenever I got too stressed or had a nightmare, my ma or pa would sing me something. Took my mind off whatever was bothering me."

You imagined a little Paulie in his little pajamas looking kawaii as heck while his father held him and sung him a song. It was quite possibly the cutest thing you'd ever imagined. "Sure," you said, "why not?"

Paulie wrapped his arms tighter around you and you leaned against him, closing your eyes and relaxing.

Whatever he sang, it wasn't in a language you recognized. But it was absolutely beautiful, his deep voice making your breath catch in your throat.

When he finished, you turned so that you straddled him and hugged him tight. "That was beautiful, Paulie. What does it mean?"

He chucked. "I don't know. My mother said it was a love song."

He wrapped his arms around you, enfolding you in his warmth. The sound of his heartbeat lulled to sleep and the last thing on your mind was, 'The wedding plans can wait till later...'

(Okay, I know you guys read these. DO I MAKE IT A LEMON OR NOT. ANSWER, GOSH DANG IT)