A/N: Hey, ZareEraz here! I don't have much to say this time other than thank you for being patient and I hope that you enjoy this new chapter! Happy Reading! :3
Chapter Seven: Bumps in the Road
Shanks was woken up in the middle of the night by some light shaking on his bare shoulder and his name being whispered insistently. "Shanks…Shanks…Shanks, wake up!" Groggily, the man recognized his girlfriend's voice and her urgency. "I need your help!"
Still half-asleep, he smiled, having heard this kind of urgency from her lately and thinking, She's finally come around! after having a bit of a misfire earlier in the evening. Without even looking at her, he started to pull his underwear down.
"Noooo! Not that!" she hissed and Shanks' delight instantly vanished. His disappointment was so raw from just waking up that Buggy could feel it radiating off of him even in the nearly pitch-black room. "Shit," she cursed, pausing for a moment afterward. "I promise I'll make it up to you later but I need a different favor."
"Alright," he sighed, pulling his underwear back up and then rubbing his eyes to get fully awake. He'd had a lot of practice with Buggy's normal moods and her pregnancy moods and took it all in stride. "What do you need Bug-a-boo?"
"Bug-a-boo…?" she repeated and then lightly smacked his shoulder. "Hey! Don't give me another nickname!"
"Can't help it," he replied, nuzzling her nose.
"You're impossible."
"No, you're impossible."
"Damn straight I am."
The redhead got them back on topic before they wandered off too far. "What did you need?"
"I need to take a bath," she insisted.
"Why? It's the middle of the night." He could feel Buggy roll her eyes at him and smiled mischievously at the notion.
Without missing a beat, she listed everything that was wrong in her life at that moment. "Everything is leaking, I'm cold, I'm sore, my legs keep cramping, the baby keeps kicking my ribs, I can't sleep again, and I think a warm bath will help. Is that enough of an explanation?"
"Say no more, say no more." The man yawned again and threw the covers off. Shivering, he started to rummage around the floor for the shirt he wore the day before. He didn't have to look long because Buggy's floating hand instantly shoved his robe into his hand (one that the bluenette insisted she purchase for him) along with a bathroom bag with a fresh change of clothes for both of them. She was already floating by the door in her own robe, her disconnected foot tapping impatiently.
As if wanting to justify her neediness to both of them, Buggy added, "I would go by myself, but I'm afraid that I'll get too weak and drown."
"Can't have that, can we?" Shanks slung the bag over his stumpy shoulder and took her hand as they walked out the door. "Don't worry, Buggs. I'll make sure that you don't drown."
The two of them padded to the public baths on bare feet (since Buggy's personal bathroom was in the middle of renovations and nowhere near done with accommodating the huge bathtub she wanted) and slipped quietly through the dark hallways. No one was up at this hour except those who were put on watch outside and Buggy was glad of it – as much as she liked the attention her goons gave her, having no one around was a blessing sometimes, especially when she felt like she was half a step away from falling to pieces due to lack of sleep. Once inside the baths, Buggy locked the door behind them and started to fill up one of the smaller tubs (still big enough to hold six people anyway), wanting to get as warm as possible as quickly as possible. Since neither she nor Shanks was wearing very much, they were naked in a matter of seconds and sat next to each other at the washing-up section. Buggy had to sit on the stool carefully since her belly was so big now that she couldn't even see her feet (good thing her head and hands popped off so she could put on her own shoes) but she knew that Shanks would catch her if she fell off. With practiced ease, the couple passed the shampoo between them and started washing.
Buggy sighed and started scrubbing her hair. "I hate this."
"Hate what?" Shanks asked.
"The not-sleeping right now, but that could change in a few minutes," she replied. Then she looked down at her belly. "And feeling like a whale. I can't wait for this baby to come out."
"But you're a very cute whale," Shanks said with a smile, understanding that Buggy was at the point where she was just tired of being pregnant. The bluenette looked at him, ready to snark back, but instead laughed because of how bubbly his hair was.
"You used too much," she giggled, trying to scoop some of the bubbles off of his head. Shanks laughed and ducked away from her hand.
"No, I used just the right amount!" he quipped back, snatching up the shampoo and squeezing more onto Buggy's hair. She squealed as he lathered up more bubbles and soon they were both covered in soap.
"Hey! Stop that!" the bluenette giggled. "I actually came in here to wash, not to play!" She picked up a bucket filled with water and dumped it on her rowdy boyfriend. He shouted and then grabbed his own bucket and dunked her.
A water fight ensued between the two of them, ending when Buggy accidentally inhaled water while laughing and then snorted it out of her nose painfully. Shanks rubbed her back while she had a coughing fit, apologizing for being careless. The bluenette waved his apology off but went on coughing for quite a while. Once she'd caught her breath and taken a drink from the spigot in an attempt to wash out any lingering soap, Shanks helped Buggy over to the steaming bath and made sure that she settled into the water without issue before getting in himself.
"Feel better?" he asked when Buggy sighed and sank into the water nearly up to her neck.
"Other than the queasiness of being submerged…I feel much better," she answered. Her voice had taken on that sluggish tone it always did when she was in water like she was on the brink of falling asleep. "I hate how being pregnant…has practically forced me…into daily baths. So…uncomfortable…but necessary."
Shanks pulled her up and a little closer to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder to make sure she didn't sink all the way into the water. "I can understand the irritation with your powers, but I like it when you take baths."
Buggy side-eyed her lover and batted his knee, splashing them both. "That better not be a comment about my smell."
"It's not," he assured her."
"Then it's just the fact…that you like it because I'm naked…and it's much easier for you to get frisky."
"You got me!" he laughed, knowing that she knew that he knew that he'd usually be unable to stop copping a feel. He'd definitely been better about keeping his hands to himself while she was pregnant – he didn't want her to startle and slip and fall, so he always let Buggy know beforehand when he wanted to touch her. "That," he added, "And I like to watch you wash your hair." He twirled a wet strand around his finger and let it fall against her skin wetly. Buggy reached out and pushed the man's normally free hair straight back along his head, smoothing it out until it was all away from his face.
"You clean up well too," she teased lethargically, her body feeling heavier by the minute. But it felt so nice and warm, even if she did feel her stomach twisting. Or was that the baby squirming around again? Her mind got sidetracked for a minute on something baby-related, not listening to Shanks talk about how good-looking he was (she already knew that). Eventually, the sound of her name yanked her out of the fog that usually came over her in the bath.
"Hey, Buggy, are you still in there?" Shanks teased, pulling the woman up again since she'd slipped down a few inches in the water.
"Mmmhmm," came the reply. Before Shanks could tease her about ignoring him and how pretty he was, Buggy's train of thought wandered out of her mouth. "Alvida's been pestering me…about names again."
Taking the sudden change of topic in stride, Shanks asked, "What did you tell her?"
"I didn't tell her anything," the bluenette sighed.
"What's so bad about her knowing?" he continued. "It's not like we haven't talked about it. In fact, we've talked about it a lot. I think most parents do."
"I just don't want any drama about baby names….or people giving their…unsolicited opinions on our choices. And you know Alvida…would cause drama…just for fun…if nothing else."
"You got that right," he sighed. "Alvida is a good friend to you, but sometimes I can't handle her."
"But you can…handle me?" Some of Buggy's sass came back with that question. "I'm…worse."
"No you're not!" he protested, kissing her wet hair. Buggy gave him a look. The man blushed. "Okay, maybe you are," the man blushed, "But Alvida doesn't have the exception of me loving her like I love you."
"Charmer." Buggy leaned onto her boyfriend heavily, sleep starting to pull at her eyelids. She just felt so warm and comfortable now, even with the queasiness. "I hope the baby is as charming…as you are…"
"I'm sure they'll have both of our charms," he reassured her. The redhead noticed the change in her and knew that it was nearly time to get out of the tub.
Buggy mumbled, "You're never answered me before…on whether you want a boy…or a girl…" It was getting increasingly hard for her to keep her eyes open. She felt Shanks' rumbling laugh against her skin more than heard it and it made her chest feel warmer than the bath.
"That's because it does not matter," he said, smiling at his lover. "Our child will be perfect the way they are because they'll be one half of you and one half of me." When Buggy didn't reply, the man knew she was in danger of truly falling asleep in the tub and shook his head.
"Alright, love bug, back to bed with you," Shanks scooped her up and got out of the bath. He dried off his sleepy girlfriend as best he could and got her into a pair of wrinkly pajamas before he dried himself off and got dressed. The redhead then hauled her and their stuff back to their bedroom. By the time he kicked the door closed again, Buggy was well and truly asleep. The man gently put her back in her pregnancy pillow, moving her limbs around softly to put her into the position he knew she liked to sleep in best, and pulled the covers over her. Once she was settled, he brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.
"Good night, sweetheart." He was going to leave the moment on that nice note, but then he smiled. "I know you'll be up in two hours to pee but sweet dreams anyway." The man then slipped under the covers on his side of the bed and went to sleep knowing that Buggy getting out of bed to pee in two hours would wake him up, so he needed to get as much sleep as he could before then.
XXX
It was a beautiful day as Shanks chugged some alcohol and watched his girlfriend terrorize his crew. Buggy had gotten it into her head that the Red Hair Pirate's secret base on the hidden beach needed to have a room for the baby (for whenever she wanted to get away from her crazies), so now she was bossing his frantic crew around. The splitting woman had completely stopped walking normally on her swollen feet if she could help it and was floating her body everywhere at this point to give herself some relief. She was definitely the envy of pregnant women everywhere and Shanks just liked watching her bob and weave in the air with her huge belly. He was pretty sure that his baby had had just as much flying time as a bird at this point, and he smiled. Maybe the baby will dream of flying, he mused, already knowing that Buggy would take their baby on many rides and that would be one of the cutest things ever.
The redhead was just taking another swig from his bottle when one of his crew members called out to him. "Boss, aren't you going to help?" a frazzled Yasopp asked, carrying crates of booze out of the storage room that Buggy had now dubbed the baby's room.
"Nope," the redhead replied cheerfully. "I've already been yelled at three times this morning and don't intend to get yelled at again."
"Won't she yell at you for not helping?" Lucky Roux asked, coming up behind Yasopp with yet another crate of booze.
"No, because she told me to 'get my lazy ass out of her way' and to 'fuck off.' I think I'm in the clear. I'm also not getting in the way of a 34-week pregnant woman – she'll rip my head off."
Yasopp muttered, "Lucky bastard," before Buggy shouted something else and he got his ass moving again.
Shanks kept an eye on his girlfriend, making sure that she didn't push herself too hard. Buggy was still dealing with insomnia from being uncomfortable and having a screwed-up sleep schedule so she was always tired, and while she hadn't been having too many dizzy spells lately, they still happened. Crocus had tried to get his little brat to take it easy, but Buggy would be Buggy and she was just as energetic as ever. Once or twice Shanks called to her, asking her to sit down and take a break with him, have a snack with him, but even if she did sit down it would only take one of his men doing something that she found unacceptable for her to fly up again and start pestering everyone again. The man would laugh and laugh and laugh, enjoying himself immensely as he was the only spot of calm in all the chaos.
Shanks smiled as she felt the sea breeze brush against his face. It was nice to feel this free. Whenever he was in Buggy Town, he had to be careful not to be seen by the newer mercenaries who flocked to Buggy – any of them could take the information that Emperor Red Hair Shanks was hanging around to any number of sources who were ready to cause trouble, both with and against the World Government. Shanks would be able to hold his own, of course, but he was more worried about what might happen to Buggy and the baby, especially if he was away at any given time. Having an army of devoted goons around her would definitely help his girlfriend, but he still felt the fear that every father felt for his lover and his child, one that grew stronger and stronger each day it seemed. But when he was here, away from the need for secrecy, that burden and fear vanished. He could just be Shanks, drink the day away, and spend all the time in the world with Buggy and his friends.
Many happy hours passed like that – the Red Hair rearranging what was now the baby's room in the secret base, Buggy's underlings bringing in extra baby furniture that they'd brought back from jobs, Yasopp complaining, and Buggy ordering. It would have been a perfect day if it had only stayed like that.
The first sign that something was wrong was when Buggy connected to her feet again and wiped some sweat off of her forehead, but Shanks didn't think much of it until what happened next actually happened. The bluenette stumbled on her feet and swayed a little, which had also become commonplace – balance issues with her large belly, her dizzy spells, etc. – and the man was starting to get up to go support her if she needed it when Buggy completely collapsed on the sand. His heart stopped and his body went cold. The man panicked, running over to her while several shouts went up from nearby men. Shanks' heart was in his throat as she reached his lover, shouting her name and kneeling down next to her, shaking her shoulder. What he saw horrified him: Buggy's face was bright red and her nose was even brighter, practically glowing with heat. Her skin was raging with fever when he gently touched her face and he instantly became twice as worried. Benn was at his shoulder, saying something to him that he couldn't comprehend. Shanks' heart was in his throat and his vision was tunneling down to only Buggy's red face, her heavy breathing, and the sheen of sweat on her skin. She was looking worse by the minute and he had to do something but was frozen in panic.
How could this have happened? he thought. She was fine just a minute ago…how could this happen? What am I going to do? Those kinds of thoughts consumed him for a long, endless moment before he was shaken out of it. The world snapped back into place when Buggy groaned in pain, jolting the man into action. Shanks yelled something to his men that he didn't remember, and gathered Buggy up in his arm before he started running as fast as he could.
Shanks had only seen Buggy like this one other time in their lives, when she'd fallen ill right before Captain Roger and the crew was to sail to the final island on the Grand Line, to Laugh Tale. She'd been so sick that the adults had to leave the young apprentices behind and continue the journey without them. Shanks had joked to her while she tried to struggle out of bed that only a kid would get sick before such a great adventure, but he hadn't admitted how scared he had been. She'd been bedridden for days and didn't fully recover until a day or two before the Captain and the crew returned. Shanks had been left on his own to care for her, optimistic, but still worried about her health. It had been terrifying to be in charge of her all by himself, even with Crocus' medicine and instructions. He'd worried over her so much, praying that he didn't screw anything up, hoping that she would get better, and fretting over every little moan she let out. But however scary that time had been, the man was far more worried now, carrying his girlfriend and child back to Buggy Town.
"Buggy! Buggy! Wake up!" he urged, cradling her gently as he practically flew through the forest. He felt helpless and panicked, plagued by a different kind of worry than the last time Buggy had been sick, even different from when she'd been shot. He could do something about the bastard that had hurt her but what could he do against a fever? Absolutely nothing.
He leaped over a fallen tree, landing lightly and speeding on through the foliage. Buggy's eyes didn't open at the sound of his voice when he kept calling her or the jostling as he raced through the forest. She didn't even react when her hair had fallen in her face and she nearly accidentally breathed it in. He would've liked to brush it away but could only curse his misfortune of having just one arm. He pulled her as close as he could and kept running, his heart beating with fear and exertion. He looked down at her again after taking another jump, constantly checking on her, his eyebrows knitted with worry as her face got redder and her body burned against his skin.
"Just stay with me, love bug, okay?" he said, his voice trembling the tiniest bit. "We'll get you taken care of."
Shanks couldn't get into town fast enough. It was a good thing that Buggy had gotten a new pile of jobs just a few days ago because Buggy Town was once again only populated by those who already knew what was going on. The second Shanks breached the tree line, he was yelling for Crocus in a voice loud enough to wake the dead, his powerful, panicked presence was affecting the atmosphere around him, sending the air crackling with tension. This, along with his shouts had the old doctor running out of his clinic almost as fast as Shanks had been running.
"What happened?!" he yelled, looking just as frantic as he'd been when Buggy had gotten shot.
"Buggy collapsed on the beach and she's got a high fever!" the redhead skidded to a halt in front of the old man and let him look her over.
Crocus swore and placed his hand on her face – her breathing was getting more labored and her skin was wet with perspiration. The same memory of Buggy falling ill during the Roger Pirates' last voyage surfaced in his mind just as it had with Shanks', only this time there were two people at risk instead of just little Buggy. "Bring her inside!" he ordered, striding back into the clinic with Shanks on his heels.
In the darkness, Buggy was wondering who was calling her name so loudly. She'd been on the beach by the Red Hair base, yelling at Yasopp to stop being an ass to her and getting a room for the baby ready, but then she couldn't remember much after that. There'd been a rush of wind and a feeling of floating but she'd fallen unconscious. She didn't know how much time had passed, but now her brain slowly recognized that she was hovering near consciousness, still halfway in blissful oblivion and uncomfortable reality. Her head was pounding and she was unbearably hot. She would've kicked all of her blankets off if she had the energy but she couldn't even open her eyes, let alone move her legs. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, seeing the flicker of shadows from behind her eyelids. There was heat everywhere around her – her pillow, her mattress, her sheets, all warmed by her feverish skin.
Her situation finally registered. I'm very sick…I hope my baby will be okay…Buggy didn't have the energy to think more than that and sank back into the suffocating heat where her bones felt like molten metal and her stomach felt like it had been wadded up into a hard ball by an unforgiving hand. She didn't know how much time had passed before a voice was pulling her out of the darkness.
"Buggy? Buggy, can you hear me?" It was Shanks' voice, though it took her a moment to recognize it. "If you can hear me, try to open your eyes." It took a mighty effort, but she got them open, even if she couldn't focus properly. "Good girl! Now, stay with us. We're going to help you." She made a pitiful groan and let her eyelids flutter shut again. She was so exhausted. She wished the loud voice would shut up so her head could stop throbbing.
"No, Buggy! Open your eyes! You cannot go to sleep yet!" Shanks shook her shoulder roughly but it was too hard to keep her eyes open. She tried but almost immediately gave up. Then, there was a pain on her cheek and some sharp tugging. Buggy's eyes sprang open while her boyfriend hissed Crocus' name and told him not to pinch her.
"Don't give me that," the old doctor hissed back, letting her cheek go. "She's got to stay awake long enough to swallow this!" Buggy's eyes couldn't quite focus but she registered that a blurry Crocus and Shanks were arguing above her. She also felt a cool, wet cloth on her head that was quickly warming up, much to her dismay. She wanted to soak in a cool bath but couldn't even move. Shanks had to help her into a sitting position, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and completely supporting her limp body. The energy that had been shocked into her by the pinch was quickly fading and Buggy was already drifting off again.
Shanks' voice was loud in her ear when he said, "Buggy! Hang in there!" while Crocus instructed, "Just drink this and then you can go back to sleep." He held up a cup of murky liquid – drugs mixed with water – and Buggy shook her head slightly, trying to indicate that she both didn't have the energy to do that and that she didn't want to drink it because she knew it was going to be bitter. Crocus seemed to understand all of what she was trying to say and lifted her chin up with one hand. "It's okay. I'll help. Just let your mouth fall open – before I have to force it open – and everything will be fine."
Buggy would have smiled at how rude he was being but could only manage to relax her jaw and let her mouth part a little. It was enough. But since Crocus was always so thorough, there was a lot of medicine to drink, and while it didn't taste as bad as some of the other things he'd made her take, Buggy spent whatever energy she'd had to swallow it down. Once Shanks had laid her down again, she was instantly unconscious again.
Light, dark, pain, medicine, whispered conferences while she slept fitfully. Cool towels on her head, more medicine and water when she came close enough to consciousness to drink, and then more light and darkness. Hands on her head, on her cheek, someone holding her hand, and hands on her belly, searching for movement. Buggy was unaware of how pitifully she was moaning during the hours of her fitful sleep but every little noise had either Shanks or Crocus racing to her side. She was unaware of how Shanks hardly left her other than to take care of his body's needs. She was unaware of how gently he wiped her body with cool cloths to ease the miserable heat in any way he could. She was unaware of the hushed and worried conversations taking place at her bedside about her and the baby. She was unaware of how many visitors she'd had, quietly coming in and out of her room and fretting over her sickness while she was trapped in her fevered dreams.
And they were strange dreams, horrifying nightmares at times. She'd had vivid dreams throughout her pregnancy, but these were on a different level. She dreamed of giving birth in such detail that it almost felt real, but then that dream transformed into a haze of red blood and death that left her weeping for her lost baby. In another, she dreamed that the baby was fine until she fell into the sea and was unable to save them because she couldn't swim and was drowning. In others, she got shot again and again – sometimes in the shoulder, sometimes in her back or her stomach – dragging up the pain she'd locked down in her mind and losing her child before they were even born. Once she dreamed that she and the baby had died during childbirth, leaving Shanks all alone. That one was the worst and all Dream Buggy could do was stay by his side as he cried, invisible and insubstantial, unable to comfort him. Buggy would've screamed during her nightmares, but she only whimpered, worrying those around her. At times while she slept, she thought that she could feel a strong grip on her hand but wasn't sure if that was a reality or a dream.
Sometimes a dream stayed good, allowing her to just rock in her chair, holding her huge belly while Shanks brushed her hair or she was able to feel the baby's fingers wrapped around hers tightly. She dreamed of getting a glimpse at first steps or first words and how excited she and Shanks were. Buggy liked these kinds of dreams best, though they were rare in between the unrelenting heat, her nightmares, and stolen moments of wakefulness. When Buggy cracked her eyes open, she always saw a blurry and worried face or two before choking down medicine and guzzling water. She was so thirsty all the time, but could barely take what she needed, let alone what she wanted. Even in the midst of her fever, she knew she needed to do what the voices said – drink this, sit up, open your eyes, sleep now – she did it all, even though it was hard sometimes.
And just as suddenly as it had come, the fever left. Buggy woke up and her eyes snapped open, finally able to put her blurry surroundings into focus as she stared up at the ceiling. I'm in Crocus' clinic…How long have I been here? She could feel a sea breeze coming through an open door and a partially-curtained window and it felt good. Buggy felt like she could finally take an easy breath and filled her lungs up only to half-choke on that breath when a loud snore startled her. As she stifled her body's reaction, the bluenette turned her head to the right and saw Shanks sleeping next to her, his body slumped onto her bed. She smiled at how he was both resting his head on his arm and holding her hand at the same time and thought, So cute! Even if he is snoring loud enough to shake the rafters. She popped her left hand off and gently placed it on his hair, petting him affectionately. She could only imagine how much he had worried over her and felt her chest warm to know that he'd stayed by her side.
Though she hadn't meant to wake him, the soft movement on his head made the man's eyes flutter open. "Good morning," she whispered in a scratchy, shaky voice as he blinked owlishly at her. Tears instantly sprang to his eyes.
"Buggy! Thank god you're okay!" Shanks half-laughed in relief and leaned in to kiss her gently but firmly. She melted into that kiss, the heat of his lips on hers the kind of heat she wanted. She could feel his worries slip off of his shoulders during that kiss and she hugged him tightly, hoping that her embrace could make it up to him somehow. They stayed like that for a moment or two more before Shanks let her go. "I was so worried – you've been out for two whole days!"
"WHAT?!" She tried to sit up suddenly but didn't have the strength. That and Shanks' hand had moved faster than she could see and was holding her shoulder down. He's sprung up just as fast as she'd tried to and insisted that she stay lying down. "Two days…?" she breathed.
"Yeah," he sighed, letting her go when he was sure she wouldn't move suddenly. Shanks reached over to wipe her face with a damp cloth that had been left by her bedside. It had been sitting there a while so the water was lukewarm rather than cold, but it was still a relief to her skin. "Crocus said we should really start worrying if your fever hadn't broken after three days, so I'm so happy that you're awake now."
Shanks was trying to hide it behind his casual tone but Buggy could see a trace of true fear still lingering behind the joy and the exhaustion in his eyes. Even though she was also happy to be awake, the woman also felt the lingering effects of her own nightmares, of blood and fear and loss. So when he murmured, "I should go get him…" after remembering that Crocus would want to know Buggy was awake, the bluenette grabbed onto his shirt to stop him from leaving.
"Please…just a few more minutes." Her voice must have been more distressed than she'd meant to have it sound and Shanks' brows furrowed.
He sat back down in his chair and asked, "Buggy, are you okay?"
She gave him a wan smile. "Yeah, I just want to be alone with you for a bit." He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing perfectly well that she was hiding something. "Okay," she admitted, "I had some bad dreams."
"Want to talk about them?" Buggy shook her head. "Just want me to stick around?" She nodded. "Okay, Buggs, scooch over." She moved over and he wedged himself into what little space there was on the bed. Shanks spooned her side and laid his arm on her bump, holding her as best he could. Buggy's left hand rested on top of his on her stomach and their fingers twined as they lay together. They didn't speak for quite some time, just taking comfort in the other's presence, but eventually Buggy revealed one of her fears.
"Is the baby going to be okay?" Shanks felt her shiver as she spoke, coming to the conclusion that at least some of her dreams had dealt with just that, which was also one of his own fears about her fever.
"Crocus said that as long as the fever didn't last too long, a third-trimester baby would be fine," he reassured her, kissing her cheek. Despite that reassurance, they both waited, their three hands itching to feel movement inside Buggy's body. It took a while but suddenly there were three hard kicks that had Buggy wincing and then a roll that let them know the baby was just as active as ever.
"Ouch, that little stinker," Buggy half-groaned half-laughed, rubbing her now sore bump.
"Oh good, the brat's awake," a stern but relieved voice said from the doorway. The couple started, both blushing a little as they were caught in bed together by Crocus. "Am I interrupting something?" the old doctor asked with a bit of attitude.
"You're always interrupting, you old fart," Buggy retorted with mock rudeness.
"At least her sass is intact." The doctor smiled, his eyes warm despite his jabs.
Shanks beamed too as he said, "I know, right?"
"And you," Crocus walked to them and bonked the man on the head, "When were you going to come and tell me that Buggy was awake, you little snot?"
"I was going to come to get you!" Shanks protested. Buggy snorted, amused by the situation. "Hey! This is your fault, Buggy!"
Her anger flared, though not as volatile as it would be if she wasn't recovering. "Why are you blaming me!?" she shrieked.
"You asked me to stay!"
"You're the one who agreed to it!"
Before a full-blown argument broke out, Crocus bonked both of his brats on the head.
"Ouch!"
"Both of you shut up!" he chided. "I don't want Buggy straining herself with arguments
Shanks glared at the old man. "Then why did you have to make a fuss?"
"Yeah! Why did you make a fuss, you old fart?" Clearly, Buggy was now on Shanks' side, and that riled Crocus up since he was only trying to help the bluenette get better.
"I out to slug both of you!"
"You already have!"
"I'll do it again!"
"Just try it!"
And that's how the Buggy and Red Hair officers found their captains and the doctor a short while later, arguing loud enough to cause concern. They all looked at each other, worried that something had gone horribly wrong, and dashed for the clinic. When the seven of them (and Ritchie) scrambled into the building, they fell over each other in a heap at the door in their haste – except for Alvida, who had climbed over them all to stand at the top of the pile. Their fears that something bad had happened were dispelled when they saw Buggy flailing around and complaining about needing a drink, Crocus yelling at her to not strain herself, and Shanks shouting at him to stop hitting them on the head – each of them smiling while they tormented each other. The officers sighed in relief.
"I guess we didn't need to worry after all," Alvida said, trying to sound miffed that she'd had to worry over Buggy at all.
"I think the worry is what made everything turn out alright," Benn mused, pushing Yasopp's arm away from his face. "I think she felt our love."
"Love?" the sniper huffed. "I'd say coincidental concern."
Lucky Roux batted him on the head. "You love her in your own way, admit it," he teased.
"No I do not!" he argued back. He got a hard stare from everyone around him. "Okay," he admitted, "But only because she makes the Captain happy."
"And you like pissing her off," Galdino added.
"And I like pissing her off," the sniper agreed.
"I think we're going to have to keep worrying!" Cabaji pointed a frantic finger at the still-arguing trio.
"Why?" Mohji asked.
"Because Captain Buggy is going to fall out of her bed!" And it was true: Shanks and Crocus were wrestling with each other as the doctor tried to pull the man out of his girlfriend's sickbed and in the scuffle Buggy was teetering on the far edge. Just as she was about to tip backward over, Ritchie burst out from under the pile of officers and bounded into the room, catching his captain on his broad back before she could hit the floor. Shanks and Crocus froze, realizing what they had done, and looked really sheepish as Buggy glared at them from on top of the lion.
"I'm going to make you both regret this," she threatened, and even pregnant and very round, she looked terrifying. "After someone brings me some water," Buggy amended. Everyone laughed or sighed in relief, knowing that things were going to be just fine.
XXX
"I HATE THIS!" Buggy bellowed, her shout sending a flock of sea birds into the air from her volume. It also sent her hoard of bats flapping around the room like their tails were on fire. Bluster, Bogus, Bozo, Bingo, and Boom were all visiting (much to Shanks' chagrin, since they liked to sleep in Buggy's hair) and they'd brought along a new friend this time. The newly-named Buffoon was a delight, despite being a bat, because he was the most amusing of the pack and somehow managed to even make the grumpiest Buggy smile most of the time. However, this was not one of those times, and no matter how amusing or cute her little bat army was, Buggy was unhappy.
It had only been a week since her high fever had broken but she was already bored out of her mind and itching to leave the bed. Crocus had put her on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy, citing that she "always pushed too hard" and that she caused him "all kinds of unnecessary trouble," which she staunchly refused to believe was the case. He'd also made sure that there was always someone with Buggy to shove her back into bed if she got out for anything other than going to the bathroom since she "can't be trusted to follow instructions." And he was right, of course, Buggy had already tried to escape three times, each of those times getting pulled back into or cajoled back to her bed.
She grumbled, "At least when I got shot Crocus put me on all sorts of pain medications to help my recovery and I was so wiped that I slept most of the time…I can't even get him to give me a sleeping pill because 'it'll hurt the baby!'"
"Oh, calm down. It's for your own good," Alvida chided, "And those kinds of medications will hurt the baby, so shut up." She handed Buggy a pint of her lavender ice cream to placate her and the bluenette took the container, digging right into it. As a trade, Alvida was able to put her hands and ear to Buggy's bump – food was the best way to get the stubborn woman to let anyone touch her belly.
For the majority of the idiot's pregnancy, Alvida had been largely indifferent but supportive. She'd been Buggy's main support until Shanks had rightfully taken up that role and she'd taken a backseat. She'd been an excellent friend according to her standards (which Buggy would've denied), but as the baby's birth approached, she'd become interested again. She wanted to tidy up the nursery, touch Buggy's bump, talk about all the things the little one was going to do with "Auntie Vida," which would've made the bluenette roll her eyes if she could've guaranteed that she wouldn't be bashed on the head with an iron mace. What sweetened the odd change in her friend for Buggy was that Alvida gave her snacks even after Crocus had cut her off for the day in order to touch her belly, like what was happening now. Alvida could feel the baby moving underneath her hands and if she listened hard enough around the sounds of Buggy's body, she thought she could hear a small heartbeat, though she might be imagining it.
Buggy let her friend listen for a few more minutes before she started complaining again. "And now everyone on that island that I didn't want to know about this knows!" Buggy continued complaining.
Alvida sighed and moved her ear away from the baby bump but kept her hands there. "It's not like we could've kept it secret any longer anyway. You're going to give birth in a month. And let's be honest, your plans never go according to plan."
"Shut up."
"I think it's a good thing. Now that it's in the open, we don't have to hide it from the newbies – just that Shanks is your baby daddy.
"You think that's a good thing? I don't." Buggy sulked, shoveling in another spoonful of ice cream.
It was true though – her prolonged absence from holding assemblies was going to be noticed if she went all the way to 40 weeks. Four more weeks was a long time for her to be gone without reason, let alone the one she'd already had – and the new hires were steadily trickling back to the island from their jobs. Buggy knew that she wasn't going to be able to hide her pregnancy and baby from her new goons forever; she had just been avoiding the issue. Alvida had handled the announcement, as Crocus' mandate had kept her in bed, guarded by whoever the old fart had sent to babysit her while she wallowed in misery. Thankfully, all the announcement did was shock all the mercenaries and then made them worship her even more – they even called her the "Queen Mother" while she wasn't looking for starting a "Buggy dynasty." For fuck's sake everything was getting more and more ridiculous by the day!
By the time Buggy came out of her thoughts, Alvida was listening to her tummy again. It was cute how she'd warmed up to the baby, but the bluenette was tired of her blunt company.
She unabashedly said, "I'm getting tired of you."
The other woman's head snapped up and she glared at her friend harshly. "You are awful!"
"Don't you have a second round of a skin routine to do?" she replied snidely.
"You could benefit from a skin routine, bumpy." Buggy's ice cream spoon clattered to the floor as both women froze. Even the bats stopped their flapping and hid inside the orange captain's coat hanging on the back of Buggy's door, peeking out at the two fierce women. They were both glaring at each other now, dark green eyes to clear blue, tension sparking in the air. Buggy was the first to speak.
"You better hope my next babysitter gets here soon or you're going to regret that."
"He's here and you'll like him," came a teasing voice from the window, right on cue.
"Shanks!" Buggy's face lit up as her lover stepped through her open window. He'd easily made it through the town without anyone noticing him and leaped up the wall without difficulty, not even bothering to go through the building like a normal person. I wonder how he does that, the bluenette mused. I can barely go two feet without being recognized and worshipped, but he can traipse across the island without anyone noticing him if he wants. It made her kind of jealous.
"Alvida, you're off the hook," the redhead gave her a charming smile. Alvida stuck her tongue out at Buggy as a final retort and the bluenette did the same as the other woman glided toward the door. "And remember," Shanks called out, "My Buggy is perfect just the way she is!"
A dismissive hand flicked the air. "Whatever you say." And then she was gone.
Shanks climbed on the bed and took the ice cream from Buggy's hand, noticing that it was almost gone. Naughty, naughty, he mentally scolded but refrained from saying so out loud. He knew that Alvida was behind it, constantly giving Buggy food she knew she wasn't supposed to have once Crocus cut her off from the day. He decided not to bring up that particular subject and was about to start talking to his girlfriend when he noticed the six bats hiding in Buggy's captain coat. With a jerk of his head, the bats understood and swooped out of the still-open window and left the couple alone. Shanks placed his hand on Buggy's forehead, checking her temperature, which was a little warm, but not alarming. It didn't feel anything like Buggy's high fever; it was only the rise in temperature that meant her body was hard at work growing a baby.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, starting to go into pampering mode by rearranging her blankets and patting her pillows to make sure they were fluffy enough.
Buggy waved him off and sighed, stretching out her restless legs. "Bored. Achy. Ready to pop." Buggy rubbed her large belly and smiled. "Needing to see my feet again."
"You saw your feet this morning," Shanks pointed out.
"You're right!" Buggy popped her head off and looked down at her swollen feet, wiggling them in their striped socks. "And I just saw them again!"
They shared a laugh, and Buggy asked about his day and chattered on about how much fun he'd had being outside and Crocus-free, unlike her. They talked for a little bit, but even though Shanks wanted to feel the warm fuzzies he usually felt, they weren't coming this time, and he knew why. He masked his agitation, trying to ignore the thoughts that kept poking at him, feeling like his heart was in his throat. It was so unlike how he usually was, but now that they were heading into the last month of Buggy's pregnancy, the pressure had started to eat away at him. Eventually, he let his anxiety out just a little and asked a seemingly innocent question:
"Are you excited for baby to come?"
Not missing a beat, Buggy started joking around. "I think at this point, I'm just ready not to be pregnant," she laughed, "And if it ends in a baby, hooray!"
"Buggy, I'm being serious." The tone of Shanks' voice changed, as if he was trying to sound carefree and light but a sharp edge lingered all the same. The bluenette looked at her boyfriend, concern furrowing her eyebrows.
"Oh, I wasn't…I didn't…I mean…" she didn't even know what to say as tried to figure out what was going on. Shanks had seemed in a normal mood before, maybe just a little distracted, but Buggy was sure she hadn't done anything big enough to tick him off yet. "What's wrong?" she asked, confused.
"Nothing's wrong," he deflected but her hand shot out and she grabbed his stubbly chin and made him look at her.
"Something's wrong or you wouldn't have snapped at me."
"I didn't snap at you!"
"Pretty much."
"I did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Just tell me what's going on!" Buggy shouted. She panted afterward, the sheer bulk and weight of her belly squishing all of her organs. Shanks watched her struggle for breath and his heart twinged at causing her distress. Before he could apologize for making her upset, she spoke again, her voice quiet and shaky. "Can you not even tell me? Am I so unreliable that you can't let me know when something is upsetting you?" She looked so crestfallen that Shanks instantly felt guilty. Buggy's fingers let go of his chin but before they could fall away, he grabbed them and kissed their tips one by one.
Buggy's eyes narrowed. "You'd better not try to distract me. I want to know what's going on."
This time, the redhead's smile was truly genuine. "I'm not trying to distract you. I'm kissing apologies onto your fingers."
The woman's hand came up to his cheek, touching him gently. "Please, tell me, Shanks. Let me help you if something is wrong."
"Nothing's wrong, Buggs, really," he started, taking the end of the knot of anxiety in his chest and giving it a tug. "I'm not proud to say this, but I'm really scared."
Buggy asked, "Scared of what?" now extremely concerned. If Shanks was scared of something, what the hell was she supposed to do? He was hardly scared of anything!
Before answering, the man took a moment to think about it, his chest tightening. He threaded his fingers through hers and squeezed them hard, his hand trembling slightly. "I'm scared of how close we are to having a baby…and of being a father. It just all started to feel so real for me…I can't even explain everything that's going through my head." Buggy was stunned and only just managed to keep her mouth from falling open in shock.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa…I'm supposed to be the mess here!" Buggy said, chuckling in disbelief. "You're the one who's been my rock this whole time!"
"So I'm not allowed to crack?" he asked, slightly irritated at her. "Am I not allowed to feel scared?"
"No, no…that's not what I meant!" Buggy's voice softened and she squeezed his hand back, feeling the hard calluses he'd developed from holding a sword all of his life. Shanks had always been so carefree and unflappable during her pregnancy, rolling with all of her punches and only getting distressed when something happened to her. It had never occurred to her that he could have been hiding many of his own fears. "I guess I'm just surprised since you've been so excited this whole time. I'm sorry I didn't think that you might also be nervous."
"This is something that's completely different from anything I've ever had to do," he tried to explain, his anxiety easing a little the more Buggy understood. But of course, her big mouth couldn't help itself.
"Says the man who conquered the most dangerous sea in the world."
"I'm pretty sure you don't conquer babies, they conquer you. It would be a lot easier if I could do that."He sighed, "Am I even going to be a good father?"
Buggy smiled at him, her heart melting at just how sincere he was being. She kissed his lips softly "I have no doubt that you're going to be the best dad ever," she assured him. "I've never doubted that, no matter what happened, even when I felt that I could never measure up to what a good mother should be."
Shanks squeezed her hand harder. "You're going to be the best mother ever, Buggy," he said with all seriousness.
"I highly doubt that, but I'll do my best. I'll probably be the most dramatic mother ever if nothing else, but we were talking about you and how great of a dad you're going to be." She kissed his cheek. "I'm going to be right there with you, so there's no need to worry so much. We can handle anything. Probably."The man snorted at the sheepish face she made. Buggy blushed and sputtered, "B-besides, we learned from the best dads, right?! And we had so many of them!"
Shanks laughed, pointing out, "You do remember that they took us into battle with them, right? And let you play with explosives. And handed me a sword almost from the time I could walk!"
"Yeah, but they never let anything bad happen to us!" the bluenette argued. "Hell, if anything, I know how to be a reckless dad better than I know how to be a loving mother."
"Or a really strict dad, if we're talking about Rayleigh."
"Damn, that geezer really was a pain in the ass, wasn't he?"
"So was the Captain, in his own ways," Shanks remembered. "Half the time he got himself into trouble before thinking about the repercussions, kinda like someone else I know." He gave her a pointed but good-natured look.
"Hey! Now you're being an ass!" Buggy pinched his cheek with her free hand.
"But I'm not wrong!" he shot back, yanking her hand away.
"Quit trying to be like Rayleigh – thinking you're always right no matter what!"
"He was always right! And you have to admit that you are almost just as reckless as the Captain!"
Wanting to end the argument, Buggy scowled and proposed a solution. "How about this? You be mom and I'll be dad, that way we can switch worries! Sounds good, right?"
Shanks smiled and shook his head at her logic. He carefully bundled Buggy into his arm, placing her on his lap and hugging her as tightly as her belly would allow. He already felt better, the knot in his chest having unraveled during both their discussion and their argument.
"There's no need to switch worries," he said, kissing her hair. "We'll figure them out together, that way we don't have to worry alone."
Tears sprang to Buggy's eyes and she realized that they had done just that without even trying, together. And she felt a little proud that she had helped Shanks a little, especially after everything that he had done for her.
"We'll just be the best parents we can be, okay?" she proposed.
"That sounds good to me," he agreed. They shared a sweet kiss that went on for longer than either of them planned, just enjoying the closeness. Eventually, things got a little heated and Shanks slipped his tongue into Buggy's mouth, coaxing her to play a bit, to which she happily obliged. Her hands gripped his shirt as she pulled herself as close as she could, shivering in pleasure as her lover's hand moved slowly up her spine, caressing her back in a way that sent tingles all over her skin. As the kiss deepened one of her hands drifted to his neck, tracing little circles at the back just under his hairline, and it was the man's turn to shiver. He groaned into their kiss and just as his hand was going to her ass, Buggy broke away and used her free hand to move it back up to her waist.
Signaling that that was as far as she wanted to go, the woman joked, "Just as long as neither of us becomes the kind of parent Crocus is!" Shanks pulled his lips into his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh as he belatedly sensed someone at the door.
"I heard that, you brat!" Buggy jumped in her boyfriend's arm, having been caught as the old doctor walked into the room. "And after I put you on bed rest I find the two of you in a compromising position yet again!"
"You just have bad timing," Buggy argued, not moving from her boyfriend's lap.
"You shouldn't be straining yourself in any way, you little snot! After all the trouble Shanks and I went through to nurse you back to health."
"Quit calling me names, old fart! That's one of the reasons I don't want to end up like you!"
"I'm a wonderful parent!" Crocus argued back, setting his medical bag on the bed, "Especially when someone like you is the child in the equation!"
"I am not a child!"
"Oh yeah?" he said sarcastically. "Then do the grownup thing and quit trying to jump your boyfriend when you're supposed to be resting."
Buggy blushed furiously. "I was not trying to jump him!"
"That's not what it looked like to me," the old man shot back.
Out of good retorts, the bluenette snapped, "Screw you!" and both Crocus and Shanks said, "I hope not!" And then they all burst out laughing, the angry tension draining away.
Crocus placed his hands on his kiddos' heads and ruffled their red and blue hair like he did when they were children. Neither the Emperor nor the Warlord would admit it, but it felt good to be patted on the head like they had been when they were young; it had been so long since either of them had felt this kind of love, the love of a parent who cared about them deeply. No matter how much they got on each other's nerves, Buggy and Shanks would always love their many, many dads, even when Crocus was cranky with them.
"You're good kids," the old man murmured, "And I'm sure you're going to do a bang-up job with this baby." Buggy and Shanks smiled widely, bringing a tear to Crocus' eye when he saw the young things they'd been in their adult faces. But because he was Crocus, the old man threw out one more jab, smiling wryly. "Just as long as the kiddo doesn't pick up their mother's bad attitude!"
As expected, Buggy blew up. "Hey! That's not nice!" Shanks held back as much of her as he could, but her head popped off and the bluenette floated around Crocus like an angry hornet while the doctor batted her away.
"And her disposition to disobey orders," he added, "Because she's still in your lap, Shanks!"
Now Shanks took offense. "Hey! I like her in my lap!"
"Not when she's supposed to be resting!"
"You're doing a good job of making her not want to rest!"
As if picking the perfect moment to add to the chaos, the Carrier Bat pack zipped back into the room, squeaking loudly and flapping about with their favorite person's head, which was still annoying the old man. It took quite some time to get everyone settled in again (especially with Buggy egging her bats on), but eventually, things calmed down and Buggy had the checkup that Crocus had come in to do. Despite her insistence that she didn't need or want rest, it wasn't long after that that Buggy had been tucked back into bed and had fallen asleep from all the excitement. The two men shook their heads at her, the woman's contrary personality no surprise to either of them. Crocus packed up his bag again and let Shanks know that he'd been back in a couple of hours to check on her again. The doctor turned to go but stopped momentarily before returning to Shanks.
"You're going to be just fine," the old doctor said, the pride and warmth in his voice clear. He ruffled the younger man's hair again and walked toward the door. "Both of you are."
Shanks placed his hand on his head, touching the warmth the old man's hand had left for a few moments before it faded. He smiled, feeling the best he had all day. If he and Buggy could turn out alright considering the chaos of their own childhoods, maybe he could do this father thing after all. It would be hard, but if Buggy was with him, he was sure he could do it, and that made him smile all the more.
To be Continued...
A/N: And there you go! See you next time! :3