A/N: Hello everyone! ZareEraz here and I'm finally back! I'm so happy to be able to post again! My life has been crazy for quite some time, so I apologize that this chapter has been unable to be uploaded sooner than this. I hope that everyone is doing well and I hope that you all enjoy this long-awaited chapter :3 Happy Reading!
Chapter Eleven: Clowning Around Again
"Who's a good boy?" Shanks asked, tickling his son's belly as they lay on the beach in the shade of Buggy's umbrella. The family was having a beach day, and Shanks was enjoying his time with his son and girlfriend – he'd been back for about a month and was just enjoying being a father. Little Roger laughed and grabbed his fingers as he was tickled, yanking on them and trying to put them in his mouth. Their family time was also being enjoyed (spied on) by wandering Buggy goons, all of them cooing and gushing from a distance every time they passed the beach while doing errands or skulking around.
Buggy snorted at her boyfriend's question. "Not him. That little jerk threw his breakfast all over me this morning!" She was grumpy, watching the two of them over her newspaper from her lounge chair. Shanks looked up at his girlfriend and appreciated just how scantily clad she was in her striped bikini when she put the paper down and revealed her generous bosom.
"I could have told you that oatmeal was a bad idea," he replied, smiling as he remembered the look on his lover's face when she was hit with the goopy mess. They'd been introducing Roger to solid foods since Shanks had come back, easing how many times Buggy had to breastfeed each day. The kid usually loved playing with his food more than eating it (as his mommy had experienced this morning) but what he didn't throw, he did eat, which was working out great according to Shanks' logic. Buggy, as usual, disagreed with him.
The clown crossed her oiled legs and flicked up her star-shaped sunglasses to glare at her idiot boyfriend. Just because he was very attractive and shirtless in his swim trunks at the moment didn't mean that she was going to give him a pass. "And you weren't much better because you just laughed at me!"
"I said I was sorry already, Buggs!" he protested, trying to keep the smiles that were trying to sneak onto his face at bay. "What else do you want me to say?"
"Nothing that will make me forgive you at the moment," she replied, flicking her glasses down over her eyes and putting her paper back up, covering her breasts. Shanks pouted (both for her stubbornness and not being able to see her boobs) and waited for a moment for his girlfriend to cave. When she didn't, he went back to playing with his son and waited patiently.
"Maybe if you call her 'Mama' she'll forgive me," he whispered to little Roger, but the eight-month-old child only babbled nonsense as he smacked his toys against the towel they were sitting on. Shanks played with his boy until Roger started to get fussy, dropping his toys and reaching out with grabbing hands towards his mother.
"Bugg-a-boo, the baby wants cuddles," Shanks said, simultaneously jealous that his son didn't want him and happy that this might make the bluenette get ungrumpy.
"Don't call me that! Or I'm going to start calling you 'Stumpy,'" she huffed, putting down her paper to glare at him again. The nicknames were getting ridiculous!
"Aw, don't do that!" he whined playfully, fully intending to call her Bugg-a-boo again. He then said, "Here comes the baby!" cheerfully and expertly scooped up the baby with his one arm. The bluenette watched with hidden pleasure – he'd come so far from those first shaky days of nervously holding a squirming infant and she was so proud of him. She detached her hands and hauled the growing boy over to her, placing him in her stomach as she lay back and letting him rest against her. Roger continued to whine for a moment and wiggle against her and Buggy rubbed his back with her forearm until he settled down into a comfortable position and calmed down.
Despite her grumpy mood, Buggy found that she liked snuggling with her baby. There was just something about having him close to her that satisfied her, especially if she was chosen over Shanks. Buggy had thought that she'd be a horrible mother, but she was only turning out to be an average mother, which was vastly more than she'd thought she'd be. Her temper still got the better of her at times, but Roger still loved her at the end of the day. Sometimes over Shanks, which was a huge win in Buggy's book! However satisfying that may be, she still had her grumpy face on as she soothed her child to show Shanks that he wasn't out of the doghouse yet, flicking her paper up with one detached and one attached hand, the rest of her arm concerned with supporting the baby.
The baby snuggled into her chest and started sucking his thumb, content now that he had his momma. Now that Shanks was unoccupied, he stood and kissed Buggy's forehead before telling her that he was going to get some snacks for them. She grunted in response, and as if to echo his mother, Roger also grunted. Shanks laughed at the pair and went to get snacks. While he was gone, Crocus emerged from his clinic and marched to his customary lounge chair and Buggy tossed him a copy of today's newspaper. The old man caught and opened it deftly, grunting a hello that the bluenette acknowledged with a grunt of her own, followed once again by baby Roger's grunt.
"The kid's taking more after you every day," the doctor noted, side-eyeing his brat.
"I'd say he's taking more after you," she retorted. "All he does is laze about and eat. Probably learned that from you."
Crocus glared at her and then smiled maliciously. "If anything he learned to do that under your big nose."
Buggy's head zipped over to him and whisper-yelled, "WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY NOSE?!"
Wanting to push her buttons more, the old man smirked and said, "That it's big and red!"
"NO YOU DIDN'T!" she exclaimed, so furious her head popped off. Little Roger was startled, but he just stared up at her with wide eyes, already very much used to his mother's outbursts. "BUT NOW THAT YOU HAVE I'M GOING TO RIP YOU A NEW ONE!" One of Buggy's hands floated towards the old doctor, brandishing a knife towards his face, which he dodged handily. Where she pulled the knife out from was anyone's guess, but it wasn't a surprise.
"Hey Buggy! Try not to stab Grandpa before snacks!" Shanks said, trotting over to see the mess that had happened in the few minutes he'd been gone.
"He said my nose was big and red!" she half-whined half-growled, pointing at the older man like a petulant child.
"You know that he's only trying to get a rise out of you, sweetheart," Shanks cajoled, reaching the umbrella again and setting the snacks down on the shaded blanket. When Buggy looked away to glare at Crocus, the redhead also gave him a displeased look for making Buggy upset, but all the doctor did in return was smile smugly.
"You're a right bastard," Buggy huffed, her head spinning sharply and zipped over to her neck.
"And you're a little brat," he replied.
Buggy opened her mouth to say something scathing when Shanks shoved an apple into it to shut her up. She whirled on him so fast her head nearly came off again but he just said, "I thought you might be hungry." Crocus stifled his laughter as he hid behind his newspaper. The bluenette spit the apple out so hard it konked Shanks smack in the middle of his forehead and knocked him onto his back. Now Buggy couldn't hold back as she, Crocus, and anyone else who'd seen the fall started to howl with laughter – even little Roger let out a squeal to mock his father. Shanks sat up and rubbed his forehead, blushing a bit but taking it all in good fun.
"I guess I deserved that," he said sheepishly.
"Yes, you did!" Buggy laughed. She was about to poke fun at him again when something unusual caught her eye. At first, it was just a huge mass on the sea that turned into a spiny monster coming right for them. It wasn't quite Sea King size, but it was still several times taller than she was and could swallow her in one gulp! She was about to freak out when she realized that the giant fish was dead and that it was being dragged by a very familiar man.
Rayleigh came wading onto the beach clad in only his shorts and dragging the huge fish behind him. Buggy's jaw dropped when she saw that he was pulling the creature with ease despite it being many times his size. And while the fish was impressive, the bluenette's jaw was also on the ground because of how ripped the old pirate looked! She knew that he was still fit, but she didn't know that he was hiding abs that were more sculpted than Shanks' under his hobo shirt! And she would know because Shanks had fine-ass abs that he consistently showed off with his low-cut shirts!
"I caught dinner!" Rayleigh called out casually, smiling and dripping from head to toe as he walked up the beach. Buggy had to pinch herself to stop staring at his muscles and then became embarrassed-angry that she'd gotten so flustered in the first place.
"You are not allowed to look that good when you're pushing 80, you old fart!" she shouted, trying very hard to hide her blush under her angry face. She hated being caught off guard like that!
Shanks was staring too as Rayleigh approached them, awed at the majesty of his mentor. He said, "I want to look that good when I'm pushing 80," and Buggy konked his head with a floating hand and barked at him to stop staring even though she had just been doing the same thing.
Rayleigh just laughed at their reactions, loving how much they still acted like his little idiots. "If you swim seas, fight outlaws, and get into scuffles with Navy Admirals, you can look as good as me when you're old!" he hollered,
"Looking good doesn't count for much," Crocus jabbed, snapping his newspaper down.
"Any why is that?" Rayleigh asked, smiling easily and letting go of his catch as he approached the group. The second he stepped away, a hoard of Buggy Pirates descended on the poor animal, quickly cut it to bits, and hauled it off to be cooked with the efficiency of those who lived of life of looting and/or endured the scarcity of Impel Down. If Buggy had been paying attention she would've been impressed.
"Because comfort is more important," the old doctor argued. "For example, Roger likes sleeping on my stomach more because it's much squishier than yours. Comfort over flash wins every time," he reiterated.
Buggy was about to argue that flashiness was always better than comfort when Rayleigh replied, "That may be true, but Roger knows that Grandpa Ray is way more fun than grumpy Crocus! My muscley arms can toss him so much higher than you and he loves that."
Buggy was about to argue that no one could beat her at play-tossing her child because of her unfair Devil Fruit advantage when Crocus snapped, "Well, I can take care of all his boo-boos so much better that you can!"
Rayleigh replied, "I'll just have to protect him from all the boo-boos so you don't have to trouble yourself!" While Crocus was getting seriously irritated, the Dark King looked as if he was having so much fun.
"Well, I don't put him in dangerous situations so he doesn't need protecting!"
"I don't either," came the carefree reply.
"Tell that to the bear you ran into on your last forest walk with him!" Buggy definitely agreed that bears were trouble –having been stalked by one herself – and she'd been so upset when Rayleigh had come back laughing about how baby Roger had "seen his first bear close up." In her head, she knew that Grandpa Ray could perfectly protect himself and her baby, but she'd had (and still had) an irrational fear and panic that only mothers of new babies could have and freaked out a Buggy amount. It had scared even Shanks on how distressed she'd been and it took the better part of an afternoon and evening to calm her down again (well, as calm as Buggy could be, after all).
"Oh, it turned out just fine!"
"I could have never been so irresponsible!"
"I'll have you know that I've successfully raised two kids already," Rayleigh reminded him.
"Yep, and they're both idiots."
Buggy and Shanks shouted, "Hey!" indignantly, but the old men were too far into their argument to acknowledge them.
As they continued, Shanks whispered, "Should we stop them?" curiously watching the argument play out. Usually, it was he and Buggy who were arguing; it was a fascinating experience to be a spectator.
"Nah, let them be," the bluenette shrugged, still getting distracted by Rayleigh's abs even after being insulted. Were they always like that? She couldn't remember what he'd looked like in his younger days and puzzled over it for a few moments. However, it had been too long ago for her to be sure, though she perfectly remembered Captain Roger's abs – he'd had the same taste in low-cut and open shirts like Shanks. Or actually…it was probably the other way around and Shanks had the same taste in low-cut and open shirts like the captain, which Buggy could appreciate now that she was in a relationship with the idiot redhead.
The bluenette was dragged back into the ongoing argument between the two old men when Crocus hurled an explosive insult and Rayleigh shot one right back. As the two grandpas argued with each other, Shanks gave Buggy some of his chocolate and gave baby Rogers pieces of banana to eat. The whole family ate, very entertained, with Buggy and Shanks still sneaking peeks at Rayleigh's abs.
"He's just so buff for an old man! Who would've thought?" Shanks whispered.
"They're really something," she whispered back. She felt something sticky on her chest and looked down to find Roger squishing banana against her skin, having pulverized the fruit in his fat little fingers. She was about to make an angry protest when Alvida walked by and needled her first.
Sneering, the black-haired woman scoffed, "If you love them so much, why don't your abs look like that?" she prodded, wanting to get a rise out of her. "And you should stop eating chocolate if you want to lose weight."
"I don't need to hear that from someone who lost all her weight from a Devil Fruit side-effect!" Buggy glared at her and snarled, "If you hadn't noticed I've been too busy! It's a miracle that I've lost as much weight as I have, considering that I've had to constantly take care of Mr. Sticky over here!" The bluenette held up her baby who was very sticky and fumed as a messy hand touched her face. She then whirled on Shanks and glared at him, snapping, "And why did you have to give him the banana?! You know that he only likes to squish it between his fingers!"
Shanks looked very sheepish and innocently replied, "He likes bananas."
"He likes to squish it between his fingers more than he likes eating them!" she huffed. The woman then deflated with a sigh and started to dejectedly clean her baby's hands and cheeks. "I know this is just wishful thinking, but for once I'd just like a day when I can be completely clean and not have to worry about oatmeal, or bananas, or spit up, or blowouts."
Having said that, both grandpas stopped arguing with each other and stared at Buggy, formulating a plan.
Rayleigh spoke up first. "Then why don't you let us handle the baby? You could have some time off and we could have more time Grandpa Time with Roger; it's a win-win for everyone!"
"Now that's something we can agree on," Crocus nodded in agreement. This was a golden opportunity to see who the most-loved grandfather was and he wasn't going to let it pass him by!
Buggy and Shanks were more shocked that the two of them had agreed on something so quickly during what was shaping up to be a drawn-out argument. It took a second to process, but when Shanks and Buggy realized what they had been offered their eyes went wide and they looked at each other with excitement, formulating their own plan. Their gazes were yanked back to their mentor when he spoke again.
"Or how about a few days?" Rayleigh amended, his brain taking his kids' reactions into account. "Then you could have a nice weekend alone."
"And we'd take care of everything here," Crocus added, instantly picking up what his rival was putting down.
A whole weekend! Buggy could hardly believe it! Sure, she had lots of help from her crew when it came to taking care of Roger, and Shanks always helped when he was here, but Roger was such a Mommy's Boy and Daddy's Boy that he never left either of them for long. And since Shanks was almost just as needy as his son, he was always around Buggy, so the baby was always around both of them! It was exhausting work being a mother and girlfriend at the same time, rewarding, but exhausting. Maybe this break was what she needed.
When the bluenette saw the look on Shanks' face, she knew that he was eager too. Shanks may not always have parental duties, but he took those duties seriously when he was on the island and did his best to support her and little Roger in whatever way he could. But just like Buggy, he also missed out on alone time just as much as she did. Buggy also knew there were times when he was left completely on his own when she passed out from exhaustion, always graciously letting her sleep even when he wanted time to be with her. They'd made their sacrifices in different ways, and maybe this break was what they both needed.
She and Shanks shouted, "Yes!" and the grandpas nodded in satisfaction. Baby Roger squealed in delight, picking up on his parents' mood – and probably formulating his own plan to cause as much trouble for his grandfathers as he could while Mommy and Daddy were away. The weekend wouldn't be boring for anyone involved, that was guaranteed.
XXX
Everyone was happy until a few days later when Buggy and Shanks were getting ready to leave on their trip. Shanks had been excited to go until the night before when his mood dropped. He was on the bed snuggling with his son when he started to frown and get misty eyes. While Buggy was finishing packing up twice as many things she wouldn't need on such a short trip, she asked what was wrong.
"I don't want to leave him now," he pouted, squishing his cheek against the baby's head.
Buggy's jaw dropped. "Seriously?! You'd pass up on a nice weekend trip just to take care of that little goblin?" she grumbled, upset with the possibility that her boyfriend might be having second thoughts. If he didn't go then she couldn't go with a good conscience, and she wanted to go and wanted to go in good conscience. While she did worry about leaving Roger, she was sure that Rayleigh, Crocus, and everyone else could handle it. Hopefully. "You've already done it twice anyway!" she pointed out.
"It's not like I wanted to do it either of those times!" the man argued back. "It was the hardest thing to do, leaving you and him." A pang went off in his chest, the reminder of how much it hurt to sail away from Buggy each time and how it was even worse with Roger added in. It had felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest and left on the beach with them – that's where it was anyway. "I want to be with you all the time," he added miserably.
The bluenette sighed and put down the fourteenth shirt that she didn't need and lay down on the bed with her lover, spooning his back and hugging him. She'd felt those pangs in her chest too, having missed him so much each time he left, but this was a completely different situation and she said as much. "It's just for a weekend. He'll be okay."
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice almost a whine.
"Yes, the redheaded terror will be fine," she said firmly. Even if she had worries, she wasn't going to say them out loud and potentially lose her free weekend.
"And blue-headed," Shanks reminded her, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout.
Buggy smiled and kissed his hair for comfort. But then she said, "You're pathetic," and got a chuckle in response.
Even though she'd given her boyfriend shit about his behavior the night before, went it was Buggy's turn to say goodbye, all of a sudden it was the hardest thing in the world to do. They were standing at the dock, their bags stowed in the cabin of one of Buggy's small, unmarked sailing vessels, and the bluenette couldn't let go of her baby.
"You were so excited to leave," Crocus pointed out, smiling teasingly as he watched little Roger trying to squirm out of his mother's fierce hug as she tried to hold back tears. It was like he knew Mommy was going away and wanted her to leave as soon as possible, which was very amusing considering that he usually wanted Buggy to hold him.
"I am…" she sniffed, "But this is so hard…!" In the background, Buggy's goons were all crying too, wailing about how their Great Captain Buggy was such a loving mother.
"Now who's pathetic?" Shanks teased lightly, patting her on the back comfortingly.
"You've left him before, but I haven't ever!" Buggy sniffed again, failing to stop the tears that were leaking out. Once she'd stepped onto the pier, the bluenette had felt an irrational fear take hold of her, thinking about only the worst things that could happen if she left her baby alone. At the same time, a fierce protectiveness and longing wrapped around that fear and lodged the whole bundle of worry into her throat. How could she have ever thought of leaving her baby?!
"It's okay, Buggy," Rayleigh comforted, trying to keep from laughing. He found it very amusing that Buggy was acting this way – it was the same kind of behavior she'd displayed as a child whenever she got her share of looted treasure. Little Buggy would haul her entire collection around possessively in a chest so that she didn't have to "leave it alone" and "keep it safe," especially from Shanks. He and the rest of the crew had found it hilarious to see such a young child struggle to toddle around with her ever-growing, hefty treasure chest, but it had been so cute to watch until she'd eaten her Devil Fruit and then floated it around with ease. The man kept those thoughts to himself though, since Buggy would probably snap at him for thinking her struggles were "cute" and instead reassured her, "We'll take care of everything. Roger's going to have so much fun with Grandpa Ray this weekend."
"And Grandpa Crocus," the old doctor added with a glare. "Isn't that right?" he asked Roger in a baby voice. In response to that, the kid grabbed a handful of Buggy's blue hair and yanked on it hard.
"Ow!" Buggy glared at her baby for a moment, but then her heart softened instantly as her own blue eyes stared back at her. During her pregnancy, she'd struggled to believe that she could be a mother and love her baby the way they would deserve, but now that she was going to leave him (admittedly only for a few days), Buggy couldn't believe that she had ever felt like she couldn't love her son. Even as Roger blew a raspberry in her face, she couldn't help but smile. "I'm going to miss you, you little brat."
Crocus smiled smugly as his little brat called her little brat a brat and Rayleigh laughed. The woman gave her baby a big red kiss on his forehead and another long, squirmy hug, preparing to let him go. She very slowly loosened her hold on him and held the child out for the eager hands of Rayleigh and Crocus. Shanks ruffled his hair and told him to be good as Roger was passed to the grandpas (where Crocus immediately wiped off the lipstick mark). The couple lingered for a while, and Shanks let Buggy have as much time as she needed before they boarded their little ship. He watched her gloved hands clench and unclench as she resisted reaching out and snatching her baby back. He smiled softly, perfectly understanding the impulse – he'd wanted to snatch Roger away too every time he left the island or haul Buggy onto the ship with him. Eventually, Buggy sighed and turned smartly on her heel, stomping up the gangway to get ready to leave. The redhead stifled a chuckle and followed her up. The little vessel was made ready to sail and the anchor was hoisted up, casting off as a good wind filled the sail. The couple went back to the stern of the ship after Buggy set their course and waved goodbye to everyone. The whole island waved back, even Alvida as she reveled in being the only woman demanding attention from the crew. Once they were too far away to make out anything on the beach, Buggy settled in at the steering pole and Shanks came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her stomach. She was still wiping a few tears off her face and he asked her if she was okay.
"Of course I'm okay!" she snapped, using only a quarter of her usual venom. Shanks smiled and gave her a sloppy cheek kiss, glad that she hadn't put on her full face of makeup (they were going to have to try and blend in with normal people after all). Buggy tried pushing him away, acting very much like an annoyed cat that was sick of affection from their owner but failed as his iron strength glued him to her. "You are so annoying!"
"Well you're stuck with me for a whole weekend!" he teased. Buggy muttered something about actually being stuck with him for life, but the redhead didn't catch it. "What was that?" he asked, only getting a furious, "Nothing!" in response.
The teasing and flirting and a bit of groping continued all the way to the closest island where they were going to be staying for their trip. Buggy had successfully managed to keep Shanks from jumping her while she was trying to steer, but couldn't deny that she had thoroughly enjoyed the attention he was giving, though she didn't say so out loud. Happy to be distracted from the building heat in her stomach, the bluenette set about docking the boat with her boyfriend's help and disembarking. Leaving their bags locked up in the little boat's cabin, the couple started their date as the afternoon began to edge into evening.
They both managed to not cause any trouble as the hours passed and enjoyed being able to focus on and enjoy themselves. A simmering tension grew between them as they walked around town, and the desire both of them had to find a room and not come out of it lingered in the back of their minds. At the same time, it was a little comical that throughout the evening, both Buggy and Shanks kept stopping to look around for their baby who wasn't with them, especially Buggy since she'd had to spend weeks at a time being the only parent around. They would be eating and Buggy would turn to give a little morsel to Roger only to remember that he wasn't there or Shanks would see something and intend to grab his son and show him the cool bug or a cute toy in a store window only to realize that Buggy didn't have the stroller. When that happened to either of them, they'd both laugh awkwardly and move on while still feeling a little weird.
Eventually Buggy said, "It's strange how quickly we both got used to having a baby around in the last eight months that now being without him is weird, despite not having a baby for most of our lives."
"Yeah, I'm with you on that one," Shanks replied, thinking it over while swinging their clasped hands between them. Buggy was holding their shopping bags filled with toys and clothes for Roger; neither of them could resist buying things for him even when he wasn't with them.
"I still feel kind of bad that I'm not with him…" Buggy admitted, her heart panging in her chest again. This was the longest and the farthest she'd ever been away from her baby and it was throwing her off.
Shanks gave her a side-long look. "See? It's not so easy to get over," he poked, enjoying watching her face screw up as he tossed last night's mocking into her face.
"Shut it," came the terse reply. The woman's eyebrows were furrowed cutely and her red lips were pulled into a delicious frown. Shanks wanted to kiss that frown and turn it into something sexy, like an open-mouthed moan. He might be getting that chance soon, but he also wanted to enjoy as much time with Buggy on their date first. They had all weekend to mess around after all, what was a few more hours?
So, instead of saying a lecherous comment that would get his ear yanked, Shanks only said, "It's okay! You just look so cute when you're worried!"
Buggy blushed furiously and prickled that he had the upper hand in their conversation – she hated being called out for anything, especially hypocritical. "I AM NOT WORRIED!" she lied furiously.
"Whatever you say!" he remarked, casually. Completely used to his girlfriend's outbursts, Shanks just rolled with it and pulled towards another shop. With any luck, Buggy would get distracted and stop yelling.
Instead of going in, Buggy instead pulled Shanks further down the street, having spotted an expensive-looking clothing shop and ice cream parlor and deciding that the best way to get revenge on her dumb boyfriend was to spend his money until they found a place to stay for the night. And she did surprisingly well, as several hours later when they stumbled back to the ship for their bags, Shanks' pockets were loads lighter and Buggy was carrying an abundance of bags.
"You sure know how to have a good time!" Shanks laughed, happy that his Buggy was happy.
"Of course, I do!" she said pompously. "I'm just flashy that way!" The woman paused and then added, "Though that bar you found had some surprisingly good booze."
"I know, right?" the man replied happily. "I'm happy we bought some; I can't wait to share it with the guys when we get back!"
"You'd better save some for me!" Buggy chided. "I won't have you drinking all the good stuff while I'm still breastfeeding!"
Alcohol was one thing Buggy had struggled with after giving birth since her sense of smell and taste had returned to normal a few weeks later. She wasn't completely repulsed by the smell of booze anymore and thought that it would be fine for her to drink again normally, but she was still breastfeeding and had refrained from drinking altogether for the safety of her baby. However, when she'd asked Crocus if it was okay to drink a little on this trip, the doctor had stated that as long as she gave her body enough to process the alcohol, it shouldn't cause any harm to Roger when she got back. The only reason she'd had something to drink tonight was because she wouldn't be breastfeeding for a few days, but that wouldn't be the case once they returned to Karai Bari. So just for tonight, Buggy had allowed herself a couple of drinks. Sharing a bottle of "the good stuff" across a cozy table with the man she loved had made Buggy feel warm, and floaty – like her body would just drift away from happiness. She had missed drinking with Shanks and thoroughly enjoyed doing it again, even for just one night.
The man kissed her cheek affectionately, loving how possessive she was being. "You can pick out a few bottles you want to share," he suggested. "We'll put them away and then make a romantic evening of it when we crack them open."
Buggy smiled. "I like the sound of that!"
A lull came of their conversation as they walked towards the harbor. Shanks then asked, "But what about our romantic night right now?"
Buggy turned to look at him and saw the twinkle in his eyes even before he waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. She rolled her own eyes and shook her head good-naturedly. "I was wondering when you were going to bring this up," she snickered. "You lasted quite a long time."
"Yeah, but now I'm done waiting." Shanks pulled Buggy's waist towards him, her hands floating out of the way with all their shopping bags as they kissed. Heat bloomed between them and the bluenette knew exactly what he wanted, and what she wanted too.
When she was allowed to breathe again, Buggy murmured, "Then let's dump what we don't need and get started, shall we?"
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Shanks agreed, reaching for a handful of bags and snatching them away. Buggy yelped, startled, and then started running after her boyfriend as he dashed towards the harbor, their footsteps and laughter echoing in the night air.
XXX
The second the hotel door closed behind them, Shanks' knapsack hit the floor and he was all over Buggy. She was so startled by how fast he moved that she dropped her bags and knocked over her suitcase as her hands scrambled to grab her boyfriend's shirt while she was being kissed senseless. His lips were hot against hers – insistent, needy, and much more passionate than they'd been in a long time. Having a baby really screwed up their sex life: They had to be quiet when they tried to have sex, half the time they couldn't even get far because the baby would start crying, and the other half of the time both of them were just too exhausted to do anything more than a goodnight kiss before passing out. What Shanks was doing to her right now was an unrestrained passion that had built up for a long time. His arm wrapped around her and melded them together, leaving no space between their bodies. His fingers felt like they were sinking into her skin, and his hot breath mingling with hers sent shivers down her spine. By the time her brain had caught up to what he was doing, she was just as desperate as he was. Buggy threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, opening her mouth to him. Shanks slid his tongue inside and started to play with her. The bluenette started to moan loudly but then stopped, stiffening instinctively and going quiet. Shanks also froze and they looked at each other, both waiting for something to happen that wasn't going to come. Buggy's noises had woken Roger up many times at night, but there was no Roger around to wake up this time.
"The baby's not here," the redhead reminded both of them. They laughed and visibly relaxed, the frantic tension in their bodies ebbing away.
"I can't believe I did that," she said, shaking her head.
"I can! We've been doing it for months," he replied. "And I'm so happy we don't have to do it right now," he said before he started kissing again, not giving his lover any time to reply and get distracted from what they should be doing. Buggy instantly gave in, kissing him back with almost as much passion. Now that she was actively participating, the man's hand didn't have to be occupied with holding her and could do other things – like grabbing her left leg behind the knee and pulling it up so she was on her toes, straddling his thigh.
"Shan-!" she gasped, startled by the sudden movement, but then her words were swallowed by his kisses again. Buggy shuddered against him as his hand moved down her back and slipped into her underwear and in between her now-open thighs. The bluenette sighed into the man's mouth as his finger slipped inside her, testing how wet she was. It went in easily and Shanks covered up his reactionary shiver of pleasure with a laugh. Buggy hissed, "What are you laughing at!?"
"Nothing, it's just that you're already so wet and we haven't even done anything."
Buggy's blush deepened and she snapped, "Well, you're not much better! Look how hard you are!" She pressed against his already-hard erection and he groaned softly.
"I never said I wasn't just as worked up," he argued, his voice low in her ear as they pressed against one another. His voice went soft as he whispered sensually, "It's been so long since I've had you all to myself…" A nip at her ear, another of his fingers slipping inside her body, and Buggy clung to him. He loved the look on her face as his fingers started to move inside her. Her mouth was still open slightly, ready to scold him if she didn't like what he was doing but her eyes fluttered somewhere between open and closed. When they locked onto his gaze again, Shanks gave her his special smile, which he knew melted her heart.
"No fair…you're not allowed to be this sexy," she half-moaned. At some point, Buggy had subconsciously disconnected parts of her legs and let her shorts and underwear fall to the floor, along with several knives and a thump that wasn't a knife. Seeing how needy she was to be naked and all over him made the molten heat inside him flare up.
"You should see yourself," Shanks replied, kissing her neck softly. Her grip on him tightened as his lips moved down her neck and then back up to her jawline. "You're not allowed to be this sexy."
"I can't help it…" came her breathless reply. Buggy felt so hot and needy, moving herself against her lover's fingers and brushing against his hard body. He touched a really good spot inside her unexpectedly and her hips bucked, her thigh rubbing harshly against his erection. Shanks hissed and then pulled his fingers out, also pulling a groan of disappointment from the woman.
The redhead growled, "I can't help it either," and wrapped his arm around her tightly. He then picked the bluenette up and she squealed, wrapping her legs around his waist and clinging to him as he turned around and knelt on the floor. He laid his lover's shoulders on the floor and then pulled her hips up, essentially folding her in half and resting her back against his thighs.
"What are you doin-ah!" Buggy's complaint turned into a moan as his mouth kissed her wetness, his arm wrapping around her lower abdomen to keep her in place. Despite how embarrassing having her feet hang down by her head was, she was soon distracted by her lover's mouth teasing her. His tongue felt so good, especially since she was only feeling and not seeing, having covered up her mortified expression with her gloved hands. Buggy wasn't focused on anything but how his mouth felt and how it was affecting her body, and she was very affected as he slipped his tongue inside her after only a few moments of teasing.
For his part, Shanks did his best to hold onto his lover as she wiggled in response to his ministrations. His tongue dipped in and out of her, tasting her, and then rubbed her clit before doing it all over again. He felt his cock jump in his pants a little with each squirm she managed despite her awkward position. He then grunted in surprise when her legs wrapped around his neck suddenly, her ankles hooked behind him and her thighs holding him in place as he continued to thrust his tongue in and out. Shanks had to admire her enthusiasm – it was one of the things he loved about her – and he had to admit that having his face squished between her thighs was one of his favorite places to be.
"I see that dumb look on our face," Buggy grumbled, peeking out between her fingers.
"What dumb look?" Shanks asked, pausing to kiss the inside of her thigh lovingly. He didn't know how much longer he was going to last – their foreplay hadn't been more than a handful of minutes, but he needed her, soon.
"That dumb look you get when you're disgustingly happy. It's dopy looking."
"I am disgustingly happy," the redhead countered. "What's not to love about eating out my lovely girlfriend?" His fingers rubbed a sensitive spot of skin on her hip and Buggy jolted. He chuckled and she glared at him with her one peeking eye. His voice then dropped low as he said, "Though, now I'm much more interested in something else…"
Buggy knew that look. This was the one where his dark eyes burned as they gazed at her and the very corner of his mouth quirked up in a mischievous, but also slightly dangerous, half-smile: He was ready to pounce on her.
Buggy's hands few away from her face and she pointed further into the room with one of them. "Shanks…the bed…" she tried to suggest but he wasn't hearing it.
"Too far," came the gruff reply. Shanks let his lover's hips rest against him as his hand pushed down his pants enough to release his cock.
"You're going it here?!" the bluenette half-shrieked. They weren't even out of the entryway yet!
"I said the bed was too far…" he reminded her, steadying her body but still folding her over. "I want you now." His voice was rough and wanting, and Buggy's heart skipped a beat, enthralled by the heat in his eyes. She couldn't resist him or fight back now – he was too enticing. But, of course, she wasn't going to admit that.
"God, you're such an idiot," she complained, her blush undermining the annoyed tone she was going for. Shanks saw how hard she was trying and bit back a chuckle – he didn't need her pissed at him.
"But I'm your idiot," he purred, kissing the inside of her thigh. She huffed, and the man knew that that little sound was going to be all the go-ahead he was going to get. "Keep yourself there," he instructed as he got to his feet before bending his knees until his cock was pressing against her wetness. Buggy shuddered, both from his words and from seeing just how hard he was – she hadn't even done anything to him other than some rubbing and he was fully erect! A moan then slipped out when he pressed his erection against her, rubbing himself in her wetness. He suppressed a shudder at how hot she felt and the lewd sounds her body made as they rubbed together, holding onto his suave attitude despite how much he just wanted to crumble at her feet. "That sounded nice," he said, giving her a teasing smile, "And you're so wet."
Buggy lightly punched his stump instead of his other arm so he didn't fall on top of her. "Be quiet you," she hissed. "You're the one who couldn't even make it to the bed like some horny teenag– ah!" Buggy's cry melted into a delicious moan as Shanks sank into her and he also couldn't hold back a noise of satisfaction.
She's so soft…he thought weakly. God I've missed this. His brain was a mess of desires and half-formed strings of thought that quickly faded as he started to move inside her. Normally, he would've wanted to take it slow since they hadn't done it in a while, but that night he couldn't hold back. While the man wasn't rough with her, his first thrust was firm and fast, leaving Buggy gasping as she was filled quickly. Her hands scrambled across his body, searching for something to hold onto until they dug into his back. She clung to him desperately while he fucked her, anchoring herself to him.
God…he's so hard…the bluenette grabbed onto that one slow thought as she was drowning in a sea of heat and pleasure. Shanks wasn't being too rough with her, but he certainly wasn't going easy on her either. Insistent, that's what he was, and fiercely so. She almost couldn't catch her breath, that's how quick and firm each thrust was, and she could already feel her release breaking over her. It was embarrassingly fast and after only a minute or two more, she came while clinging to him, pulling him deeper into her as her entire body spasmed around him.
Shanks was caught off guard by just how quickly his lover came and found himself being forced to cum with her. He thrust his cock into her as far as it would go and released all the heat that had been building up inside him, hardly able to draw a full breath due to the suddenness of it all. Buggy twitched around him, her insides squeezing him tightly along with the rest of her body. She was hugging him almost painfully, but it was worth it to hear her broken moans and to feel his cum inside her. When he was spent, they both sank against the floor panting and sweaty. A few moments of quiet passed before Shanks spoke, his head popping up with a glare in his eyes. Buggy gave him a confused look and was about to ask what was wrong when he spoke up.
"I don't usually…cum that quick," the man insisted, blushing.
"Why are you embarrassed?!" she exclaimed. He was pouting! She had to stop herself from laughing because he definitely wouldn't appreciate it and instead pouted herself. "And I came first anyway, so I should be upset that I came too fast!"
"It's sexy when you do it," he growled back, frustrated at himself. "But not when I do it!"
"You're wrong!" Buggy argued, realizing just how petty they were being but unable to stop. "I think it's really sexy that you couldn't…control…yourself…" her words tapered off when she realized just what she'd said and her blush deepened.
Shanks' face instantly lit up. "My Buggs is so forgiving!" he exclaimed while hugging her and snuggling into her chest.
"Not that forgiving!" the bluenette snapped, pushing against him like a cat that didn't want to be touched. "Get off me!"
"Nope! That was not enough for me!" The man wrapped his arm around the bluenette's waist and cupped her butt, scooping her against his body as she scrambled to hang onto him. Once secure, Shanks stood up and dashed to the bed, practically jumping onto it while Buggy squealed in surprise and clung to him. Before she could complain, he was gently laying her down on the pillows and burying his face in her chest, which he just realized was still clothed. He tugged at the tie holding the front together with his teeth, slowly pulling the bow until it came undone and started revealing the skin underneath.
"And that couldn't have been enough for you…right?" he asked, dropping the string and kissing her cleavage. He said it in such a way that Buggy flushed from her head to her toes in response. Her gloved hands flew to her face again, vainly trying to cover up her blush, and she groaned in frustration. "Right?" Shanks, asked again, teasing her by kissing her breast through her shirt. He loved watching her push against him in response, so needy.
Buggy glared at him through her fingers again for his cheeky attitude but didn't stop him from kissing her breasts. She felt so confined in her shirt, wanting her breasts to be free now that her lover was taunting her, and after kissing all around her nipple and teasing her with one nip, she ripped her gloves off and went to pull her shirt and bra off with a very helpful hand from Shanks.
"Why am I the only one who's naked?" she asked grumpily, tossing her shirt over her boyfriend's head. He shook it off and gave her a dopey smile.
"That's a good question!" he replied, before proceeding to stand up and toss every piece of clothing off of his body. Shanks then practically leaped onto his lover, hugging her and burying his face in her voluptuous chest. "Now we're both naked!"
"You are such an idiot," the bluenette sighed, wrapping her arms gently around his head.
"I'm your idiot," he corrected, kissing her breasts again. He usually would've started sucking on her nipples, but Buggy had told him several times that she was incredibly sensitive from breastfeeding all the time and "the kid sucks so hard and I don't need you doing it too!" so he instead just kissed her nipples softly and enjoyed the shudder she gave. The man wasn't going to be ready for round two for a bit, so he decided that he would spoil Buggy rotten until he was ready. In between leaving warm kisses across her breasts, the man asked, "What do you want, love bug?"
Buggy thought about it for a moment, contemplating what she wanted most, and then tried (and failed) to suppress her blush. "Your fingers."
Shanks chuckled, delighted. "You're just itching for something to be in there, aren't you?" he teased.
"Don't be so lewd!" she snapped.
"Quit worrying about it," he quipped back. "We're way past the point where any lewdness should be frowned upon. Right, Ms. If-I'm-Naked-You-Should-Be-Too?" Buggy scowled at him and the man smiled, wiggling himself up her body until he could kiss her deeply. When he pulled away, the woman's face was the picture of lewd – her eyes were hooded, blinking seductively slow, her mouth was partially open, her lips swelling slightly at the force of their kiss, and her breath was coming hard and fast, making her ample chest heave. He was breathing hard too, and his breath hitched when Buggy leaned forward to place an open-mouthed kiss on his jaw, down his neck, and across his collarbone. Even after all of their kissing, Shanks knew that he still had faint lipstick marks everywhere now – and he liked it. Buggy could mark him all she wanted, especially if she let him do the same.
The man shifted, lying down on his left side along his lover's body, He propped up his right leg and then nudged her leg closest to him in between his so that she was more open for him. Once in place, Shanks kissed her again while his hand drifted up her thigh, teasing her with little touches. Buggy huffed into his mouth and when she couldn't stand it anymore, she grabbed his hand and guided it between her legs. The man's fingers slid inside her body, sinking in deep to pleasure her, and his thumb teased her clit frequently, getting her to wiggle and writhe against him. The bluenette moaned into his kisses and her hips moved gently with his ministrations, enjoying his body against her and his fingers inside her. Neither of them wanted her to finish before he was ready again, so they took it slow but steady, the heat between them gradually increasing again. When they weren't kissing, Shanks was sucking at her skin, leaving little love bites on her breasts while he teased her, and she kissed his chest and neck until all of her lipstick had completely rubbed off and then kept going. By the time Shanks had recovered, Buggy was a wet mess, her legs trembling with pleasure and from the strain of being held open for so long. The pleasant warmth that had run through her body languidly had flared into a sharp hunger for him and all she wanted was for him to be inside her again.
"Shanks…" she whispered, her voice hoarse from all the kissing. "Please…" She hoped that he'd understand her desires and move on, but instead, he just kept teasing her with his fingers. He also moved over her, but instead of getting in between her legs, he straddled her thigh instead which was frustrating as hell. And what was more frustrating was that she could feel how hard he was against her but he wasn't making a move! She tried again. "Shanks…please…I need…yo – " her plea cut off by his lips again. Desire panged in her stomach and Buggy growled into the kiss. She gave him one more chance to do what she wanted by pulling away from his fingers as much as she could and trying to tell him she wanted him in between his searing kisses. When he didn't get the hint, Buggy snarled and pushed him off of her with all her might.
The man fell back and landed on his ass with a shocked look on his face and stared at his lover in confusion. "What's wrong, Buggs?"
The woman glared at him and snapped, "Aren't you ready yet?! I want you!"
Shanks gave her a lopsided grin, and she struggled to stay mad at him when he looked like that. But then he made it easy by teasing her again with a question. "You do?"
Buggy's glare sharpened in annoyance, but her immense displeasure was cut short by two things: One, Shanks was immune to her wrath at the moment due to his immense love for everything that was her (including her prickly-ness), and two, the bluenette was too impatient to keep glaring at him and was too riled up to wait any longer. She practically jumped on top of him and pushed him down onto the bed. The woman leaned over her lover's body, her hair and breasts brushing his skin as she pressed her hip up against him. She saw him swallow hard, watching her every move, his eyes flicking between her face and her breasts. Buggy smiled, pleased with how captivated he was. She leaned down and kissed him slowly but deeply, her hand reaching behind her to touch his erection.
When she broke their kiss she asked, "How's this for an answer?" She watched as a shiver rattled her lover's body and her stomach clenched in pleasure.
His eyes were hungry as he gazed up at her. "I love it," he growled, his hand came up to touch her face before brushing down her skin to her breast. Still mindful of what she'd asked him, Shanks avoided her nipple directly and instead palmed her whole breast, squeezing her tenderly. Buggy bit her lip at the touch of his warm hand. She firmly pressed his erection against her ass for a moment before lifting herself up and slowly pushing him inside her. They both moaned as he slipped in and when Buggy's hips were flushed with her lover's, she took a moment just to feel him. Shanks, watched her eyes close and her head tip back, and smiled when she sighed contentedly.
"Hopefully you're not just planning to sit there," he teased, but he was very pleased that she was already feeling good.
"Maybe I will," she shot back. "That'll teach you not to ignore me." Before he could answer, she raised her hips and sank back down, dragging a groan from his lips as she started a moderate pace. The man felt so good inside her, especially after their long dry spell. She was riled up but didn't want to finish the fun too soon and kept a steady rhythm instead of going as fast as she could. As she looked down at her lover, she could tell that Shanks was enjoying every bit of her riding him, watching every little bounce. She grinned triumphantly when he caught her watching him and the red on her cheeks deepened.
"Like what you see?" she breathed, leaning over a little more so her breasts were tantalizingly close to his face.
"Oh god…you look amazing right now…" the man groaned. He loved it when Buggy rode him, showing him just how much she wanted him. He could tell that she was feeling good – she was tight and wet and her pace had just picked up a little – so Shanks started moving with her, thrusting in time with his lover. The bluenette gasped at the added force and ended in a moan that was probably his name but was too muddled to understand.
"That sounded good," he murmured, giving her ass a light slap. Buggy's breath sucked in at the unexpected sharpness and was embarrassed that she shuddered in pleasure as well. To cover it up, she snapped at her boyfriend.
"Hey!"
"What?" he replied with feigned innocence.
"You know exactly what, idiot!" Buggy's face was as red as her nose and Shanks gave her a lopsided smile.
"Oh come on!" he teased. "I know you liked that, I felt you squeeze harder!" The bluenette was about to tell him that she'd squeeze the life out of his manhood (but not in a good way) after this until he begged her to stop, but her retort was cut off when her boyfriend swatted her ass again. Buggy's nails dug into Shanks' chest as her body shuddered a second time, tensing up as a spike of heat flushed her skin. The man loved the reaction and tolerated the pinpricks of pain on his chest just to see it. "Wow, I love that," he breathed, rubbing the sensitive skin he knew was reddening on her ass.
"Of course, you do," Buggy growled, frustrated and needy. He can be such an ass sometimes! the woman bemoaned internally. She loved him, but sometimes she just wanted to wipe that dumb, smug smile off of his big dumb face! "You're lucky that I love you or you'd get kicked out on your ass for being a cheeky bastard!" she said, poking him in the chest a few times. Instead of being insulted, the redhead just smiled at her and moved his hand to spank her again. Quicker than he was, Buggy's hand detached and grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from her. She then leaned incredibly close to his face and gave him a hard stare.
"You try that again and you'll have no hands when I'm done with you," she threatened, her voice low and menacing with the promise of something unpleasant. Instead of being intimidating like she wanted it to be, the bluenette saw Shanks shudder like she had when he'd spanked her, the heat in his eyes flaring. She gasped as she felt him twitch inside her and grow a little bigger, making her stomach burn in response. Buggy then flushed bright red down to her chest, remembering that her lover found it incredibly arousing when she took control from him and put him under her thumb. She hadn't been able to do it for so long that she'd forgotten about it due to their separation, her pregnancy, and the birth of their baby, but if the barely restrained look that the man was giving her was anything to go by, she'd just made everything worse!
They both groaned at the same time for different reasons, Shanks' being, "God, I love it so much when you do that!" and Buggy's "God, what have I done!" They looked at each other for a moment and then burst out laughing. Buggy threw her head back to laugh, letting go of her lover's wrist to hold her stomach while she laughed, but then she felt Shanks' hand on the back of her head, pulling her down again for one of his breathtaking kisses. Their tongues moved together, both of them gasping for air in little bursts when they could part from each other just for a moment. Their bodies were flush together, each movement affecting the other no matter how small. Hands wandered, touched, teased, and caressed every inch within reach, but Shanks' hand eventually made it back to his lover's ass. He gripped her firmly while he shifted beneath her, still kissing her senseless.
The bluenette felt him moving but didn't pay much attention to it since their kisses took up almost all of her attention. But she did notice when her ass cheek was once again in his hand and the man was squeezing and holding her steady as he started the pace again, thrusting up into her body.
Buggy ripped her mouth away from his to give a cry that trailed off into a moan, followed by several others while she was fucked. He was so deep inside her and it felt so good! She resisted the urge to just collapse against his chest and let him have his way (though she very much wanted to do just that) and instead pressed back against his thrusts to push them even deeper. She was concentrating so hard on matching her lover's fast pace that the bluenette didn't notice him gazing at her face, taking in her every move. Shanks couldn't get enough of his Buggs, and drank in every little detail from the sheen of sweat on her forehead, to the little furrow between her eyebrows that appeared when she was intently focused on something, to how her skin felt rubbing against his, to how her fingers gripped his shoulders and her thighs his torso, and just how amazing it felt to be surrounded by her entire body.
Buggy was the one who started moving even faster, desperation leaking into her movements. Shanks groaned and squeezed her ass with his one hand, helping her move more forcefully against his cock. Only their breath and the sounds of their bodies could be heard for the next few minutes as both lovers worked themselves toward release. The man knew the end was coming when Buggy lost her legs. Both of them split into several pieces right below her knees and lay on the bed while. Shanks had a fleeting thought that now she was just like him with her missing limbs, but his brain didn't hold onto it for long, too occupied with getting her to cum.
Having not quite found her release, Buggy resorted to floating her body up and down, still helped by her lover, her fingers digging into his chest again for support. Shanks hissed but was so aroused by the fact that his lover was literally beginning to fall apart that he sat up, bringing a startled Buggy up with him. Now she was pushing heavily down onto his cock and he slipped in that last, impossibly deep bit. She cried out, eyes starting to mist over, her need to cum taking over her entire being as they both frantically moved together. Then, it happened. Buggy's body tensed in Shanks' one arm, her breath hitched, and he knew she was going to cum. The next few thrusts he gave her were the most forceful of them all, and he saw his lover begin to crumble, overwhelmed with pleasure and finally finding her release.
Buggy's body was on fire, and as Shanks' cock pushed inside her as deep as it would go, she felt something inside her finally give. She cried out his name as her orgasm slammed through her entire body, her voice near a scream, as her insides convulsed harshly around her lover's cock and the rest of her writhed in his arm. Even while she was overwhelmed with heat and pleasure, her brain going foggy and detaching in ecstasy, Buggy could still feel his comforting arm around her, holding her safe while she came completely undone.
"Shit!" the man growled, almost in pain by how hard his cock was being squeezed. But damn, it felt so good! The bluenette was still twitching in his arm, still cumming while he thrust into her a few more times, before sharing the ecstasy she was in. He came with a roar equal to her cry and released his hot cum deep inside her body. Shanks clung to Buggy, squeezing her burning body to his, wanting her as close to him as possible. Their skin seemed to melt together until he didn't know where he ended and she began. He was unaware of the world outside of their heat and never wanted to leave, he wanted her to keep her there forever. He blanked out for several long moments, breathing hard, listening to his lover's breaths against his ear, feeling their chests pressing together as they both rode out their release. He didn't know how much time had passed by the time he came back to himself, but exhausted, Shanks flopped back against the bed and Buggy's torso collapsed on top of him. Well, most of it. Buggy's chest stayed on his, but her stomach slid off of his and her head popped off and slipped onto the bed. Her arms also followed suit, falling on the bed next to the redhead, and soon he found himself only holding what remained up her upper back with her hips and the tops of her thighs remaining at his waist.
"You know…" he panted, tipping his head so that he could look at Buggy's detached head as she slowly blinked at him, "As sexy as…it is…that you fall apart…it's kinda annoying…since I want to…hold you."
"Just give…me a minute…and I'll pull myself…together…ya bastard…" she panted back.
"One…two…three…four…" the man started counting with a devilish grin.
Buggy's hand came up and lightly konked him on the head. "I was…going to say that… you could then hold me…as long as…you wanted…but now…" A devilish light glinted in her eyes as she saw the dismay on her lover's face.
"I want to hold you forever!" he exclaimed. "I'll wait however long!" Buggy laughed and then took a break to get her breath back and pull herself together. She contemplated making Shanks wait for much longer than a minute, but decided against it – she wanted him to hold her. Piece by piece, she righted her body and then snuggled into her lover's left side as she lay down on the bed. Her head rested on his stump, she kissed the scarred skin before completely settling in. Shanks rolled on his side, wrapping his arm around her back and pulling her close.
They were body breathing easily now, recovering from their intimacy. Shanks kissed his Buggy everywhere he could reach, gentle slow kisses on her forehead, little pecks on her cheeks, and his favorite, a loving one on her big, red nose. Buggy loved feeling his lips on her skin and shivered in delight. She also took a turn kissing him, her slightly open lips pressing first against his neck, then at his stubbly jaw, before moving up to gently kiss the scars over his left eye. When they were both finished, they gazed into each other's eyes and smiled.
"That was nice," the redhead said.
"Of course, it's nice when I do it!" Buggy replied haughtily. Shanks rolled his eyes and squeezed her tightly.
"I love you, Buggs," he said before kissing her deeply. When they pulled apart, Buggy glared at him, but it was one of her softest glares yet. "What?" he asked.
"Were you ever going to let me say it back?" she huffed, a twinkle in her eye. The man's face lit up and he waited in anticipation. And waited. And waited. Pretty soon he was giving her a hard look.
"Are you going to say it?"
"Not now!" she teased, mirthfully enjoying the look on his face.
Shanks then gave her a predatory smile, looking quite dangerous, which sent a shock up her spine. "Then I guess I'll just have to tease it out of you!" And then he pounced, ready to please his lover as long as it took for her to say she loved him back. Buggy squealed as he pushed her onto his back, raring to go yet again, and pushed against him until they rolled right off the bed and onto the floor with a clatter. They both yelped at the sudden fall and ended up with Buggy underneath Shanks, their bodies flush once again.
"I think we've been in a similar position before," Shanks said, his eyes twinkling thinking of their first night together. He knew Buggy remembered when her cheeks flushed as red as her nose. "And what were we doing back then?"
"We were kissing," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down into a passionate kiss. Shanks felt his face heat up a bit, his body responding very favorably to her. When they broke, she added, "And I'm so very glad we did. Even if you're an idiot."
Shanks pouted. "You didn't need to add that last part."
Buggy pinched his cheek lightly, pulling on it a bit. "But even if you're an idiot, you're my idiot and I love you." Shanks' heart soared and he grinned happily. Buggy gasped as his lips were crushed to hers again, heat flaring between them, and then she yelped as her lover bundled her up in his arm yet again and practically flew back to the bed with eagerness. She smiled widely, knowing full well that their night had only just begun.
To be Continued...
A/N: And there you do! I hope that you enjoyed this update and I'll see you around for the next one! :3