Chapter Text
The sun dipped beyond the horizon and the last golden hues turned into deep blue shades, signaling the beginning of the night.
Paulie had come back with good news and now both men were getting ready for the night. They used the ensuite bathroom one after the other to brush their teeth with hospital-borrowed toothbrushes and do their businesses.
Franky had left the room briefly after Paulie was done showering, and came back with blankets for both of them. He walked over to Paulie coming to stand behind him as he sat in his chair. Franky placed both hands on Paulie’s shoulders as he draped the blanket over him, shielding him from the cooling night.
"Thanks.." Paulie whispered, craning his head to look up at the other man and placing his hand over Franky's.
Franky blushed a little and pulled his hands away. "Don't mention it.." he answered bashfully.
Paulie smiled and turned back to Iceburg. "You should sit down too Franky," he said quietly.
Franky nodded even though Paulie couldn't see it and walked over to his own chair, spreading the second blanket over his legs and lower abdomen.
"Who was it by the way? The culprit?" Franky asked quietly. "I only read a gossip flyer about the incident, which didn't mention anything about the perpetrator," he continued, looking at Paulie.
Paulie glanced up from watching Iceburg, his eyes landing on Franky. "It was the Straw Hat pirates," he said.
Franky hummed. "What was their motive, I wonder?" he asked rhetorically.
"They were pretty mad that we couldn't fix their ship yesterday. They were even willing to pay 300 000 000 berries for the repairs," Paulie hummed back.
"Wow, it must've been in terrible condition if even the guys at Dock 1 couldn't fix it!" Franky said, surprised.
"From what I heard from Kaku, the keel was completely shattered. It was a miracle they made it this far," Paulie answered.
"Ah, then it's understandable. It would've been better if they hadn't made it here at all though, or we wouldn't be in this situation," Franky replied.
"Indeed," Paulie agreed.
"Would anyone kill for a reason like that though? This seems excessive. It's just a ship," Franky theorized out loud.
That got Paulie thinking.
The conversation died down after that. Franky’s curiosity was sated for now, while Paulie’s suspicions were roused.
As the clock started nearing midnight, Paulie’s eyes began to slip shut. He had had a long day, after all.
"Sleep, Paulie," Franky said softly, offering him a pillow. "I'll keep watch," he continued.
"But..." Paulie began, but was interrupted by a yawn.
"I promise to wake you up if something happens or when I feel like sleeping. My sleep routine is weird anyways," Franky said seriously, but chuckled at his own joke.
"Ok, it's a promise..." Paulie mumbled, already falling asleep.
"Good night," Franky whispered and smiled softly.
With nothing else to do, Franky turned his head to look upon Iceburg's sleeping form.
Like this it just looked like the man was in a peaceful sleep, but looking down at the different lines in his arms and the oxygen mask on his face broke the illusion. Franky’s smile fell and he looked devastated.
He took Iceburg's hand in his own and leaned his forehead against it, praying to all the entities in existence for Iceburg's speedy recovery.
"Please, do not take him from me..." he repeated again and again, like a mantra.
Hours slipped by, with Franky keeping a vigilant watch over the two sleeping men. He had grown quiet after an hour of praying and was now leaning back against the backrest of the armchair, still holding Iceburg's hand in his own. He didn't dare let go.
Around five o'clock in the morning, when the deep blue hues were just starting to get lighter, Paulie woke up.
His breathing changed from slow, deep breaths as his consciousness slipped back in. He blinked slowly, rubbing his eyes as he looked around the room.
"Good morning," Franky whispered, and Paulie turned to look at the bigger man.
"Good morning," he whispered back. "What time is it?" he inquired.
"Just about five am," Franky said, smiling tiredly. "Nothing happened while you were asleep," he continued, yawning.
"You could've woken me up earlier, so that you could get some sleep too," Paulie said, looking guilty as he reached out to pat Franky's arm.
"It’s fine, you needed it more than I did anyway..." Franky said, placing his hand over Paulie’s.
Paulie got up and walked over to Franky’s chair, taking his blanket and pillow with him. He placed the pillow behind Franky’s head and draped his blanket over the other man’s chest and arms. The warmth of Paulie’s body heat lingered on the blanket and it made Franky melt into the pillow with a content sigh.
"Now it's your turn to sleep," Paulie whispered, petting Franky’s hair as the other fell asleep.
"Sweet dreams," Paulie whispered, and walked off into the ensuite bathroom to freshen up.
Coming back after washing his face, Paulie debated on whether he could leave for just a minute to get some much-needed breakfast. He had thrown up all the food he had eaten yesterday, and then he had skipped lunch and dinner altogether.
Suddenly the door slid open and Paulie’s fight-or-flight kicked in. Assuming a fighting pose, ready to defend the sleeping men with everything he had.
A nurse turned around and faced Paulie, looking perplexed.
Paulie dropped his arms, sighing in relief. "Wow, you scared me," he laughed.
"The feeling is mutual," the nurse said, looking at the scene before her. "I just came to check up on the patient. Don't mind me," she continued.
"Actually can you stay here until I come back? I just want to grab some food, but I'm not supposed to leave them unattended," Paulie asked, already heading for the door.
"Sure, I'm not in a hurry since there are no other VIP rooms being used right now. He's my only patient," she agreed.
"Thanks a lot. I'll be quick," he said, waving a brief goodbye at the door and walked out.
He went to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor, which had the words 'Cafeteria and Lounge' written next to it.
Arriving at the correct floor, Paulie made his way to the same cafeteria where he had spent some time yesterday. The place was just now opening for the day, with the staff unlocking and rolling up the metallic rolling security grilles.
"Good morning," Paulie greeted as he ducked under one and walked to the start of the line, grabbing a tray and walking over to the vitrine.
Looking over the breakfast sandwiches, nothing really appealed to him. He was about to give up on the idea of food, when he noticed a large pot on a portable burner that was on low heat. He walked over and lifted the lid. It was oat porridge.
Suddenly feeling very hungry, Paulie grabbed a large bowl and scooped up three ladlefuls of the porridge into it, adding a piece of butter and sprinkling some sugar on top. He walked over to the till, grabbing a glass bottle of orange juice on the way.
A kind-looking elderly lady sat behind the till and greeted Paulie warmly. "Good morning, young man. Will that be all today?" she asked.
"Yeah, for now, until my friend wakes up at least," Paulie chuckled.
"That'll be 300 berries," she calculated. Pulling out his wallet, Paulie paid and took his tray to go back upstairs. "Thank you, have a nice day," he called back.
Reaching the elevator and going back to the seventh floor, he relieved the nurse he had left to keep watch. After placing the tray on the coffee table, he carefully lifted his chair and carried it over, trying not to wake Franky. He dove into his breakfast.
The warm, silky-smooth oat porridge did wonders to Paulie’s mood. His energy levels picked back up.
After he was done, he cleared up the dishes and carried his chair back next to Iceburg’s bed, smiling as he looked over at Franky. He had had the demolition man all wrong. Sure he was loud and flashy, but he could be tender and caring--and surprisingly emotional, too.
Thinking back to the past sixteen hours they had spent together, his respect for the man had grown tenfold.
Spending the rest of the early morning hours in his thoughts, Paulie watched Franky the whole time.
The orange-yellow rays of sunlight began to filter in through the gaps in the curtains, reflecting a beam of light straight onto Franky's face. Franky furrowed his brows and turned away, making a sound of discomfort. Paulie got up and walked to the window, pulling the curtains tighter together so that the other could sleep more peacefully.