"Captain!"
"A baby!"
The obnoxious yelling of two voices made Mihawk reluctantly crack an eye open, peering from under the shade of the tree he had been relaxing against. They manage to get a denden for Buggy to contact his crew who are on Buggy's main ship traversing the edges of the east Blue until Buggy manages to figure out what he wants to do with his new situation.
Buggy and Ace are a little ways away tucked into a hammock with the denden on his stomach and Ace between his legs talking to his first mate, Mohji, an animal trainer and an apparent unicyclist Cabaji.
Mihawk can't say he is surprised, the captain is a literal clown.
"Hush! I don't want to wake up Mihawk, he's just now letting me take a break." Buggy whispers harshly, making Mihawk's lip twitch as he shifts, settling and letting his head drop back down as he listens to the conversation.
"Sorry, captain." The two chorus.
"S'alright, I mainly wanted to let you all know that I am fine," The clown says in a more controlled tone.
"We already knew that Captain Buggy, you're the greatest! nothing can keep you down!" Cabaji croons.
"Oh stop it!" The clown admonishes them with a reluctant smile, his free hand absently tracing Ace's nose bridge "How is Big Top? And the crew? No one has tried anything right?"
"Sorry, I'm not there." He whispers the last part guiltily.
"Captain! Don't cry!" Cabaji squawks.
"We are fine!" Mohji says frantically, "Big Top is happy and the crew is content. Though we do miss you…But! Don't you worry!." He hurries to reassure before the buggy can go into hysterics.
"We know you are doing something big, Captain, we trust you and will follow you to the ends of the world. The crew is standing by awaiting your word. You just focus on your kid."
"He's not mine!"
"-and we'll make sure no one thinks to go eastbound for you and Ace." He continues like Buggy didn't yelp.
"You guys" he whispers, feeling choked up.
"Good, I don't know what I did to get such a good crew." Buggy replies much calmer, but still embarrassed at his emotional responses.
"You are Captain Buggy." They both intone like a fact like that explains anything.
Mihawk shakes his head, a wiry frown on his face as he silently admonishes the clown for his low self-esteem, he's only known the other for a week and he can see how self-deprecating the fool is.
Hopefully, he can beat some sense of worth into that pretty head of him.
With that in mind he stands stretching like a cat who just woke up from sunbathing and tilts his head towards the clown, wondering why the other is blushing letting his arms drop which causes his shirt to slip down covering his abdomen he calls out, "Breaks over."
——-
"This one-" the blue-haired boy with a clown nose and colorful makeup, with a baby strapped to his front attempts to reach for one of his lower-quality blades, before the intimidating one cuts him off.
"No," his voice is flat and dry.
"What about-" This one's voice is full of vibrancy and life.
"No," the black-clad-wearing teen says again.
The baby coo's.
Hardening his nerves, "Sir, I assure you that these are very good quality…" trying in vain to weigh in as the two boys continue to argue over which blade to get the brightly colored one, though he doesn't understand why the clown seems interested in a blade.
"Shut up" the one who stares at him like a reaper would say, making his poor heart jump, and break out in a sweat.
"Oui, wha-!" The other squawks with incredulity, causing the baby to giggle as he is jostled by the exaggerated movements. The other sighs with what looks like acquired patience telling the clown that he wasn't talking to him before those yellow eyes shift to his quivering person.
And if the shopkeeper thought the other was merely tolerant of the clown because he had a child with him, then he immediately reevaluates that thought as the young man, no monster, stares at him as if he is nothing but a blight in their presence.
It's nothing big, but there is a slight shift in the other's expression that wasn't noticeable until he shifted his focus away from the clown boy. The lukewarm gaze that had been weighing on the blue-haired boy is now void of nothing, gazing at him as if he doesn't have worth.
He barely registers the blue brat peering behind him in favor of keeping the threat to his life in his sights.
"Oh, ooh!" The clown explains springing past them oblivious to the stare down, "What about this one?" He asks leaning over the counter to look into the glass casing behind said counter.
"That cursed one?' he thinks, with a gulp as the monster in human skin focuses on him as if he was purposefully hiding the damned thing from the exited clown.
Shakily walking to the other side he carefully pulls the curved scabbard out of the case, the arced blade glinting as it catches the light, "I-I, are you sure that blade is very… peculiar." He ends lamely, withering under the monster's stare as if he knew what the shopkeeper was thinking.
'That clown couldn't possibly be good with a sword.'
The shopkeeper wisely keeps the thought to himself.
Feeling a shift the shopkeeper looks down at the sudden lack of weight in his hands, looking back up he sees that the monster had snatched the scimitar out of his hand and now has it drawn out of the scabbard.
'There wasn't even the slightest hint of noise when taking it out of the sheath? And so quick.'
"Mmh," the other hums, while the clown seems to vibrate beside him in excitement, seeing something in the other's expression that he can't.
"So..!" The clown says, bouncing up to the monster casually as if the man wouldn't skin him alive for merely breathing the same air.
"It'll do." The monster says, absently plucking a pouch tossing it to the shopkeeper, and proceeding to drag the other out without a word.
"Hey I was gonna pay for that-" the clown whines but lets the other drag him, probably already used to submitting to the monster out of self-preservation if nothing else.
Shaking out of his stumped form he pushes forward feeling indignant, "H-hey," he says shakily, "you can't just leave what if that isn't the right amount-" he stops as an impression of pure irritation hits him to the core.
"That pouch will suffice," the other says, and he can only nod, not wanting to die only slumping once they leave.
Taking a second to make sure they are truly gone he then rushes to the door to turn the open sign closed feeling the need to spend the next few hours drinking something strong.
——
Buggy can't help the sappy grin that slips out as he sits beside Ace on the beach watching the waves, sitting as close as he dares, the scimitar's sheath gently resting against his hip as he giggles a chain of his keys, these go to his supply of liquor on the Big Top. Who was a gift from Tom of all people? The Fishman had told him he won their little bet fair and square. The bet was that his luck would cause him to miss out on Laugh Tell and the jolly shipwright said that he wouldn't, low and behold he got sick and missed out. But hey he got his ship out of it, and it's made by the same maker as Oro, 'so hah! Shanks! Beat that.' This sword, though, is the second gift he's ever received, a gift that Mihawk himself paid for. The fact that it was from his pocket, even if it was on a whim, it still warms Buggy's heart.
'Why is he still here?' He thinks feeling a tinge of self-deprecation as he compares his rumbled-up appearance to the other's spotless one.
Buggy doesn't understand why Mihawk is sticking around, the other has big ambitions, and as much as he enjoys the man's presence, hasn't felt so safe, since his captain's head hit the floor and Nakama abandoned him. He doesn't want to be the cause of stifling Mihawk's potential. Just a few sessions of training are enough to tell him that the man is so strong even stronger than he initially thought. He knows his devil fruit is the only reason he even survives through it.
"Your depressive aura reeks, if you don't stop with those negative thoughts I'll have Yoru show you the consequences," Mihawk calls to him, drawing him out of his thoughts.
"H-Hai!" He squeaks jolting as Mihawk moves from his favorite spot and comes to sit close to him, probably to just make his threat more menacing.
"Ah!" 'Quick distraction!'
Speaking of gifts, with a nervous wringing his hands as he debates on whether to give his gift to the man, the object that he is giving away is something he stole from Shiki himself. He's surprised that the thing was placed here, but then again he likes to hide stuff in plain sight. Who would have thought it would be important if it was in a simple dinghy?
The others never knew that he focused on the treasure to block out the multitude of Voices that would go dark during their battles. It was difficult but he wasn't taught by Rouge and called the best thief of Oro Jackson by Roger himself for nothing. It's the perfect thing for Mihawk, and to make it better it belonged to a celestial.
At least the Edd War was good for something he supposed.
—-
"I got you something." Those words reverberate throughout his mind as he watches Buggy detach one of his hands, the one that isn't playing with Ace. The way that Buggy uses his ability out of combat is so mesmerizing, he has no backing, but Mihawk can bet that most don't have their devil fruit powers nearly as controlled as Buggy does. No matter how much the other is blind to his abilities.
For instance, the man isn't even looking at the direction he sent his hand, and the limb expertly navigates through the air towards the clown's dinghy that has a cabin on it.
Does the clown realize how accomplished he is, from his tells, and boy does the clown like to talk? He has sailed with The pirate king, as a child. His friend was a pirate on the most infamous crew while he was in his single digits.
When Blue Hair told him that, he felt stupid for how could he forget the other's desperate cry as they all watched his captain get executed. He is honored that Buggy trusts him enough to reveal his status as a Roger, most would take advantage of it, or just laugh in his face.
But most are either greedy idiotic, or both.
He tilts his head curiously as the hand returns with a bundle of fabric.
He withholds a smile as the clown shifts nervously, does Buggy think he'll hate the gift? Does he truly believe Mihawk would be so callous as to not appreciate a gift from such a kindred soul?
Mihawk has dealt with a very shitty hand in life and he hasn't had much color in his life. He was orphaned and a street rat until he was scraped up by a swordsman who took pity on his scrawny form. He never got the other's name, but he still remembers the man's moss hair. That was the first time a shade of color came into his life.
Then this loud clown came crashing into his life like a blast of rainbows.
Carefully with delicate care he reaches for the bundle, the black leather feeling oddly soft but extremely sturdy, there aren't the thick seams that normal leather would have if he didn't know better he'd say it's a cloth. He pauses as he feels something firmly wrapped in it, with a quick look he can see Buggy vibrating with anticipation, Ace himself oblivious to the whole thing having fallen asleep from the keys. Taking his time, mainly to torture Buggy he uncurls the fabric, to reveal a smile wide-brimmed black hat with three white ostrich feathers curing around the brim reminding him of a cloud.
"So you're always free," Buggy explains shifting fast when he looks up in confusion, the emotion running through him too fast to understand.
"Free?" He says, wondering how the other knows how he hates being restrained.
"Yeah, I thought you'd like a piece of the sky, I mean you can't really have a cloud on there, we'll I could but it would be too difficult to get up in Skypiea as I don't want to step into the grand line any time soon, but." He interrupts the other knowing he won't ever shut up unless he's stopped.
"Thank you," he barely prevents himself from tightening his grip as he comes up with a conclusion to his thoughts.
Mihawk knows he is a selfish person, and he knows he won't ever be able to comfortably sail under a roger and he doesn't and won't give up his dream.
But what he can give is his Loyalty.
"It's nothing," Buggy says with a bashful look, turning his head to the side, though his nose shimmering gives his embarrassment away.
It's everything.
A/n:
So, I hope Mihawk isn't OOC or if he is it's not too much.
To me I'm of the mind that he's very simple with his way of thinking and Buggy has a natural charisma that is equal to Roger. Some might argue Buggy embodies Roger's will the most.
It's not love, I'd say it's a school crush, but like diluted in emotional constipation and not understanding the new emotions he has.
Sorry if anyone wants a training session, i suck at fight scenes, and I don't want to ruin too much of what Buggy can do.
Also sorry for the lack of ace screen time, it's hard to make babies interesting.
So I'm using buggy's tendency to fall up as a way to get him Big Top and I like the Tom aspect ever since I read a fic about it.
Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome, it always inspires me to hear how others interpret what could or would happen.
If I make sense T-T