A/N: Heyo! ZareEraz here with another chapter! Okay, just to be completely transparent with everyone (and if the content of my eight other Clowning Around stories weren't enough indication) there will be explicit content in this fic. It was brought to my attention that this may be an issue for some and I understand that this can be uncomfortable or new for some people to read when pregnancy is involved, so I will always indicate which sections of the chapters have sexual content, that way, you can determine if you want to skip them or not. As a bit of a compromise, I will be toning down the explicit language, but sex will still be happening – you've been warned!
In this chapter, the sex happens in the first of the two sections – if you'd like to skip the sex scene, use your "find in page" function on your phone or computer to search for the paragraph beginning with "The pair dozed off for a little bit" and you'll be good to go! :3 Happy Reading and thanks for your support!
Chapter Three: Happy Reunion
As Shanks ran toward his ship, Buggy was trying to get him to slow down. "Shanks, Shanks, Shanks!" She popped her upper body off and floated behind him to yank on his shoulder, but the man would not be stopped. He dashed to his ship, jumped so suddenly and so high that Buggy yelped loudly in surprise, and then slammed the door to his room shut once he was inside (with his foot since his arm was occupied). He then very carefully placed two-thirds of his girlfriend's body on the bed, kicked off his sandals, and waited for her to reconnect the rest before straddling her thighs so she couldn't get away from him. His mouth was instantly on hers, postponing whatever complaints she had for another few moments.
When they parted, she huffed. "You are so unreasonable!" but he could tell that she wasn't really mad at him. He gave her what she'd dubbed the "heart-melting" smile and she twisted her lips into a scowl. "You are really unfair to do that to me."
"I know, but you love it," he teased, nuzzling her neck. She flushed as he started giving her little kisses all over, but knew that she had to lay down at least one ground rule before they continued any further.
"Hey, there's one rule I want," she stated even as his hand brushed the hem of her shirt.
"What's that?" he asked, pulling back to look at her face.
"You always have to ask me first if you want to have sex." She blushed a shade deeper and continued, "My body might not be cooperative and I don't want to hurt your feelings if that's the case. And sometimes, it might be a 'no' but that doesn't mean that I don't like or love you when that happens." Buggy propped herself up on her elbows to kiss his lips softly. "I love you, even when I don't act like it."
The man's heart thumped in his chest and he felt himself flush a little. "You're so cute when you're being honest and sincere," he replied. "I'm grateful that you told me. I wouldn't want to put you in a situation where you felt uncomfortable." He kissed her forehead, helping her lay back down on the bed. "Let's try this out: Buggy, may I ask you a question?"
"Yes, Shanks?" she replied, trying to stifle the smile that threatened to break out of her face from how formal he'd started acting. She could see the same struggle happening on his face.
"Are you well enough that I can make love to you?"
"Oh geez!" The bluenette rolled her eyes and batted his shoulder. "You don't have to be so formal about it!"
"I still didn't get an answer."
"Yes, I feel well enough to make love. There, are you happy?" she snarked. They both lost the battle with the repressed smiles and grinned like children sharing a dumb joke.
"I'm always happy with you," he said, sincerely. And then he added with more sincerity, "Well, most of the time." She batted his arm again in lieu of calling him an asshole but then pulled him down for another kiss.
He eagerly kissed her back as their tongues brushed against each other. While their mouths were busy, hands brushed against fabric, and Shanks' cloak was dropped onto the floor by a floating hand. Next, his shirt was unbuttoned and pulled off of his shoulders, and tossed away somewhere to be found later. The man's hand was at the hem of his lover's shirt and pulled the striped fabric up and over her head, breaking their kiss, and then doing the same with her bra. The two pairs of garments were lost wherever his shirt had ended up (along with the gloves Buggy had just yanked off) and as he looked down and saw her lying under him, Shanks didn't want to be anywhere else. All the loneliness he'd felt away from her was like a bad dream, lost in the warmth of her embrace.
"What?" she asked when he paused to look at her. Shanks' eyes had misted over and he had a crooked smile on his face.
"God, I missed you," he sighed, still just gazing at her. His hand came up to cup her face and Buggy tipped her head into that warmth.
"I missed you too," she replied, keeping the more serious tone for a moment before she teased him again. "Now, are you going keep missin' me or are you going to…?" Buggy waggled her eyebrows at him suggestively and he couldn't help but snort.
"Quit giving me a hard time, love bug!"
"You know I can't do that," she chuckled, ruffling his red hair. "I have to make your perfect life difficult sometimes or your ego will get too big."
Despite her teasing, the more serious tone came back when the man replied, "My perfect life is with you, Buggs."
And that's when Buggy started crying. Her blue eyes became watery and she was only a step or two down from actually bawling, wiping at her cheeks as big, fat tears rolled down her face. Shanks started to panic, wondering if he'd done something wrong.
"Oh my god, are you okay?!" he asked frantically, getting off of her and pulling her into his lap. Buggy instantly folded into his chest and tried to stop crying.
"Y-yeah! I'm f-fine!" she warbled. "I-I j-just start crying s-sometimes w-when I have a l-lot of f-feelings!" The woman sniffed a few times, trying to control herself. "Damn these h-hormones!"
"You kinda do that already," he mumbled, but she was crying too loud to hear. Now that he knew Buggy was okay, Shanks said, "I think it's cute," while kissing her hair.
The crying instantly stopped and she glared at him. "You'd better not! Alvida has been giving me shit about it this whole time! And then you had to go and say something so nice!"
Why is she getting mad at me for saying something nice? "Well, it's true – my perfect life is with you, Buggy."
The woman's eyes filled with tears again but she blinked them away before they could fall. "Why are you being so sappy?"
"Maybe it's because you're crying." Shanks kissed away a tear that had managed to escape and smiled at her.
"I'm not crying…" Buggy mumbled, trying to keep more tears from escaping.
"Okay, you're not crying," he cajoled, tucking her head under his chin and letting her have a quiet moment. The two of them stayed like that for a while – Buggy curled into his chest and Shanks just held her and savored her presence against him.
When she was ready Buggy said, "Okay, I'm good now," sniffing one last time.
Shanks asked, "You sure?" She nodded and he gently laid her back down on the bed. Before going on, for a moment, Shanks took in the woman that he'd been apart from and longed for. Her hair was messy, her eyes tired and red-rimmed, but she was still beautiful to him. Her bare chest was as enticing as ever, but he couldn't help but focus on her small baby bump, his heart melting every time he thought of her growing and taking care of their baby. His pulse quickened, some of the burning for her he'd felt on the beach returning in full force and mixing with his more-innocent love.
Buggy's hand came up to brush a lock of his hair away from his face. "What's going through your head?" she asked, seeing emotion flickering in his eyes.
"You are so sexy to me right now," he admitted. But then he backtracked. "I mean, you're always sexy, but right now, you're irresistible." He kissed her neck, listening to her sigh as his fingers lingered on her waistband.
Buggy's face deadpanned. "It's the baby bump, isn't it?"
The man blushed ever so slightly. "Yeah, it is."
"Well, I guess that will work for me." The woman rolled her eyes but pulled him down for another kiss and they slipped right back into what they'd been doing before Buggy had started crying. Hot kisses were left on bare skin and Buggy's hands roamed across her lover's back. Shank's hand went to her breast, flicking her hardening nipple and Buggy jolted. He swallowed her moan through their kiss and rolled the peak between his fingers eagerly. Buggy gasped sharply and pulled back from his touch.
Shanks asked, "What's wrong?"
Buggy pressed a hand against her nipple, her chest entirely too sensitive. "My nipples are very tender because of my hormones," she explained. "Please be very gentle."
"Oh, sorry." He kissed the place in between her breasts as an apology, embarrassed by his blunder.
"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "You didn't know."
"Are any other places really sensitive?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. Buggy laughed at him and playfully pushed his shoulder.
"I'm sure you can find some," she replied. "But everything else is pretty much the same, for your information."
"Good to know. Can I try again?" He got more of a noise back than an actual reply and gently cupped her breast. Instead of pinching her nipple again, he just softly rubbed his thumb across it and kissed her neck. Buggy responded favorably this time, pressing into his touch and fluttering her hand through his hair.
Buggy sighed, enjoying the little tingles his teasing was giving her. She felt her body growing uncomfortably hot – just being close to him again was more than enough to arouse her and Buggy knew that she wasn't going to last long once they truly got down to it, but she couldn't help but want to move a little faster. Buggy hooked her leg around her lover's hips and pulled his hardening erection against her.
She whispered, "I do love foreplay but I've been away from you too long to wait anymore." The woman felt her lover shiver, practically from his head down to his toes, and felt a rush of heat move through her own body when his erection hardened even more.
"God, I really do love you," he growled, his voice deep and husky. Buggy smiled and then gasped when he ground his cock against her. Her nails dug into his bare back and he made a noise in the back of his throat as they moved together. "I want you too, Buggs. Let's get you out of the rest of your clothes."
Shanks shifted his weight off of her so that he could pull her pants and underwear down far enough for Buggy to kick them off the rest of the way, as well as kick off her shoes. Then, she sat up and undid the button on his pants and pulled them down so that he could do the same. His erection sprang free once his underwear slipped off and Buggy felt her insides clench in anticipation. Once they were completely naked, Buggy had thought that Shanks would get right down to it, but he took several moments to kiss his way down her body instead. He started with her hair, then her forehead and cheeks, stopping to kiss her nose several times before gently pecking her lips. He then trailed hot little kisses down her throat, in between her breasts, and down to her stomach. She loved the feel of his lips on her skin, but she wiggled in frustration a little as he denied her what she'd asked for.
"So impatient," he chuckled, reading her mood. "Let me just do this and then I'll give you what you want." The man gently pressed his cheek to her lover's little baby bump, as if trying to feel the little life just beneath her skin.
Buggy snorted, finally figuring out what he really wanted. "You're so silly; it's not even that big yet! You'd be better off waiting for it to grow some more."
"It doesn't matter," he replied, kissing her little bump. Buggy shivered, finding that his little kisses were more potent in that area now that she was carrying his baby. "It's amazing no matter how small it is." He gave her the warmest look she'd ever seen and her heart fluttered. "And so are you, my beautiful Buggy."
The bluenette blushed a deep shade of red and grabbed the back of Shanks' neck, nearly manhandling him back up to her lips. As she crashed his mouth onto hers Buggy's legs wrapped around her lover's hips, pressing his hardness against her wetness. The moment before they connected was breathless – and tangle of breaths and bodies, heat and passion. The sheer agony of anticipation – of knowing he was right there but not close enough gnawed at her chest. When they parted, she gasped his name and he whispered hers back, knowing what she wanted. He moved away from her only enough to sink into her, properly this time. Buggy bit her lip, her eyes squeezing shut in pleasure as he entered her. Shanks was holding his breath, not wanting anything else to distract him from the feel of his lover around him. When he finally sank all the way inside of her, he let out that held breath, the air ruffling Buggy's hair a bit.
"God, I've missed this," he whispered. The bluenette made a noise that could've been an agreement but Shanks couldn't tell. He stayed still, letting Buggy adjust to him as much as she needed and enjoying her warmth. In the meantime, he balanced himself over her, reaching his lone hand up into her hair and taking her ponytail out. As usual, the waves cascaded over the bed and a couple of strands even made it down to her chest. It was one of his favorite sights to see – Buggy lying on his bed, surrounded by her hair – and it was made even better by the fact that she was naked and underneath him at the moment, though he also liked it when she was sleeping and nearly buried in pillows and sometimes all he could see was blue.
But even as he thought about their more wholesome moments, desire burned in his belly and he wanted to move, but Buggy hadn't given him any kind of indication that she was ready – she was just laying on the bed with her eyes closed, her legs and arms loosely wrapped around him. He felt like a bowstring that was getting pulled tighter and tighter and when he couldn't take it anymore he asked, "Hey Buggs, are you ready?"
Her blue eyes popped open and she looked a little sheepish. "I didn't really need to adjust, I just wanted to feel you," she admitted. Shanks couldn't even be irritated with her because it was so cute and so sexy at the same time.
"Naughty girl," he said, kissing her nose.
Before she could come up with some snappy retort, Shanks began moving inside her, sliding out and pushing back in with a slower but firm pace. Buggy moaned, already losing herself to the feel of her lover moving inside her. She pushed her hips up to let him in deeper and moved against him, her hands digging into the sheets. God, I missed this…she thought, her mouth too busy making those little noises and moans that she knew Shanks loved to hear. She felt like her body was getting set on fire, the heat that she and Shanks were sharing moving quickly down her legs and up her stomach to her chest. Heat, friction, the sound of their bodies coming together in the otherwise quiet room, and the moans and sighs that slipped from their lips – that was all that was between them and that's all they really needed.
Buggy opened her eyes an undetermined amount of time later, not even realizing that she'd closed them. When she looked up, she saw Shanks leaning over her, his red hair falling down around his face. His eyes were also squeezed shut like hers had been, a little furrow between his eyebrows as he moved against her. His muscles were straining and bunching up as he rocked and his hand was also gripping the sheets as hard as she was. Buggy felt her heart swell with love for him as her body also craved each and every inch of him against her and inside her. She was bucking faster now, working to keep up with the pace her lover was giving her now. It wouldn't be long until she finished; even if she wanted their lovemaking to go on longer she just couldn't control herself. The heat inside her was becoming unbearable but in the best way possible – Shanks always knew how to make her feel like that. He'd given her all of his heart and all of his body, and he'd also given her the precious gift of their child – was there something she could give back, even just a little bit, for all of his love? She could try. The woman's hands let go of the sheets and one moved up his right arm while the other caressed his stump lovingly.
The man's eyes flew open at her touch and he looked down at Buggy. She was smiling at him her face flushed with heat and desire, her eyes glazing over with pleasure. He gave her a particularly hard thrust and she gasped, her mouth staying open as he continued to pleasure both of them. She let her arm slide under his, wrapping it around his shoulder and using him a little to get up to his mouth. Her lips were hot on his, so full of passion, and he devoured her just as much as she devoured him. He longed to hold her close to him but didn't want to squish her under his weight, so that would have to wait until later, but even then he was perfectly content to keep thrusting into her until they finished. Shanks always felt satisfied when he was with her– like he needed nothing else. Buggy had given him her everything – her love, her body, and now she was giving him a child – there was nothing he wanted for. Except for more of her, of course, which he knew she would happily give (probably after pinching his cheek and calling him a pervert, but even that was something he wanted).
When she eventually pulled away and broke their kiss, he found that she was crying – tears rolling down her cheeks for the second time. "What's wrong, Buggy?" he asked, concerned for her. He paused, hoping he hadn't hurt her in any way. Her next words blew those worries away.
"Nothing," she sniffed, smiling at him. "I'm just so happy."
Shanks smiled back. "Me too. There's no place I'd rather be than here in your arms."
"Same," she replied and then teased. "Well, just an arm for you." The redhead made a mock hurt face. Buggy rolled her eyes. "Oh, you big baby." But even as she poked fun at him, the bluenette was still caressing his stump, loving all of him the way he was, as he knew she always would.
"You know you love me," he chuckled, resuming their loving making. Buggy's breath hitched as he slipped deep inside her again and he smirked when her nails truly dug into his shoulders this time – he was definitely going to have scratches when this was all over.
"Oh god…I do…!" The last part of her admission turned into a whine as he hit a good spot and Buggy squeezed her eyes shut to just feel him again. She was getting very close now as the pace resumed and also sped up. She did her best to move with her lover, but soon she was overwhelmed and just let him have his way, holding her hips up for him trying to hold onto her shattering control.
This time when her release came, it caught both of them by surprise, because Buggy didn't make her little hitched-breath sign, nor did she say that she was going to come – she just did. It was triggered by Shanks sitting up for just a moment, placing his hand on her hip, and shifting her up his thighs to get her just a little bit closer before his thumb rubbed the side of her very small baby bump. While a tender caress like that was not anything out of the ordinary, the fact that the bluenette was hyper-aware of anything to do with her baby and Shanks tipped her over the edge. Having lost her lover's shoulders went he sat up, she twisted her hands into the sheets and cried out wordlessly, her body strung tight, legs stiff, toes curling, and spine arching suddenly. The heat that had been building up rushed out of her, her insides clenching as she came. Shanks swore, caught completely off guard by her unexpected release, and found his cock being squeezed very tightly as she pulsed around him. Unable to resist or exercise any kind of control, the man came as well, a deep groan mixing with Buggy's cries. Both of them were lost in their own pleasure for several immeasurable moments, their bodies locked together as their minds floated elsewhere.
It took some time for the man to come back to himself but when he did, he let his lover know she'd messed him up. "Shit Buggy, I wasn't ready for that."
"Sorry…" she panted, still trying to mentally yank her brain back into her body. "I didn't…mean too…"
"But damn that felt good." He groaned again, pulling out a little and pushing back in again to chase the last lingering tingles of his release before he softened. Buggy squirmed underneath him, over-stimulated but also liking that feeling as well. When he was too tired to move anymore, Shanks collapsed, but thankfully not fully on top of her. He lay partially on his left side and wrapped his arm around his love, pulling her close. She snuggled into his embrace, putting her ear to his chest and listening to the beating of his heart. It seemed to say, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here, and Buggy felt so calm and safe with him. Shanks was listening to the sound of Buggy's breath, remembering all the nights when he thought he heard her next to him in bed but had been dismayed to see that she was still gone. In the same way as Buggy, he felt a little more at ease with her near him.
The pair dozed off for a little bit, just enjoying the closeness they shared. Buggy was even nice enough to pull the covers over them with her floating hands, just so they didn't have to get up yet. Eventually, the bluenette's eyes fluttered open again and she smiled when she saw her lover's cute sleeping face. She couldn't help but place a soft hand against his jaw, even though she knew it would wake him up; she just wanted to touch him. As expected, the redhead stirred, blinking his eyes open lazily. He didn't register her presence immediately, but when he did, a huge smile broke out on his face.
He whispered, "You're still here."
"Of course I am," she replied. "I'm not leaving this bed until I have to pee, eat, or throw up."
"In that order?" he teased with a laugh. But then he took on a more serious tone. "I would dream of you sleeping next to me and then when I woke up, you wouldn't be there."
Buggy's heart gave a twinge. She'd had similar experiences – thinking that Shanks was just behind her, waiting to jump-hug her, or that he'd just gone out for a moment and would be back in her bed in no time, but none of that ever happened. For now, she wasn't going to have to feel that loneliness, and that made her heart lighter. "I'm here now, that's what matters," she said comfortingly, wrapping her arms around his back and hugging him tightly. When she did that, there was a slight kink in her back from their earlier exertions. Buggy made an unhappy noise and Shanks' face became concerned.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Just a kink in my back. She moved her hand to massage the spot, but Shanks was there first, moving his warm fingers across her skin until he found the spot and gently worked the knot out. Buggy sighed and relaxed against him again when her back felt better. "Thanks," she sighed. "I have a feeling I'm going to need more of that in the coming months when I get bigger."
Shanks smiled again, thinking about their baby. He just couldn't seem to stop the grins that kept coming to his face. "I'll help you, Buggs! That's was good boyfriends are for!"
The bluenette chuckled at his enthusiasm despite knowing she might drive him crazy down the line. "I'll try not to be too grumpy about the whole thing," she promised, wanting him to know that she'd at least try to be reasonable whether or not that actually happened.
"I highly doubt that."
"Jerk." She pinched his cheek and pulled it, causing him to go "owowowowow!" and then grin sheepishly. She let him go and giggled, rubbing her nose against his once, twice, before settling against his bare chest again.
Shanks was about to settle down again when he remembered something. "Oh! Before I forget, I have a gift for you!"
"Other than the pile of presents we left outside?" the bluenette replied.
"Most of those are for the baby," the redhead admitted. "But some are for you too. But this one, this one I wanted to give you in private." He rolled off the bed and walked over to his desk, pulling out his present and hiding it behind his back like a child. He practically skipped back and plopped down on the bed again, bringing his arm out and showing Buggy a small box. "For you!"
She sat up and took it, opening the box and gasping. It was a bracelet fashioned with sapphires and silver made to like ocean waves. Buggy's vision started swimming as her eyes filled with tears yet again, happy ones. The woman took the bracelet out and wrestled with the clasp for a moment before cursing and popping off her wrist to slip it on without opening the clasp. Once her hand was reattached, she turned her arm this way and that way to see how the blue stones sparkled against her skin. "Thank you, Shanks! It's beautiful!"
He smiled, watching her admire her new jewelry. He had to hold back a chuckle, knowing that he had something else up his sleeve, and let her have her moment. A minute or so later, Buggy noticed that he had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"What is it?" she asked, giving him a pointed look.
Knowing he was caught, the man's smile widened. "I have something else for you!" He pulled what he'd hidden behind his back, having dropped it on the bed to keep hiding it from her (one arm struggles), and Buggy started laughing when she saw the rolled-up parchment. She took it from him, untied the fastener, and unrolled it.
"Well, shit!" she swore, laughing dryly at the treasure map in her hands. "Now I can't give you crap about this anymore!" She had planned to hold Shanks accountable for (and eternally remind him of) the treasure map he'd lied about giving to her for taking the straw hat back to Strawhat at Marineford. She had been so mad at him for tricking her like that and had been serious about him paying her back at the time, but over time it had become something she mostly teased him about. But now, she had nothing to hold over him – his debt to her had been paid.
Shanks was beaming at her, clearly proud of himself. "Now I'm off the hook!"
"I guess you are," she said with another chuckle. "I'm kind of sad that I don't have anything to hold over your head anymore."
"I'm sure you'll find something sooner or later." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. They both snuggled under the covers again, looking at the map and trying to figure out where it led with the few faded labels of island names that may or may not exist. Buggy muttered that she might even have the damn thing upside down and Shanks smiled as she turned it around and then turned it around again.
"Wanna go look for it?" he asked, happy that she was excited about his gifts. Even while their focus was on the treasure map, the bracelet he'd given her glinted on her wrist and he noticed Buggy's eyes kept drifting from the map to admire it.
"Of course!" she replied with a huge smile. "If there's treasure involved, I'm all over that!"
Shanks loved that smile, the one she gave when she thought about treasure – it was half pure joy, half pure greed, and all Buggy. "Good!" he replied, "We'll put it on our list of things to do."
"But not right now," Buggy yawned. "I'm getting tired. Shanks looked out his window and the bright sunlight still streaming in – it couldn't be later than mid-afternoon. He gave her a questioning look.
Buggy shrugged. "I get tired anytime, all the time." She floated a hand over to one of Shanks' dressers, opened it, and grabbed one of his clean shirts. He smiled when she pulled it on like a nightgown and snuggled into the pillows, the map tucked safely underneath one of them. "When I wake up, I'm going to need a bath."
"Yeah you do," he snickered, placing a kiss on her sweaty forehead.
She glared at him. "And whose fault is that?"
"Mine," he said proudly.
"Yeah, yours," she whispered, closing her eyes. The corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile and then she was asleep, snoring softly a few minutes later. Shanks bit his lip to hold in a chuckle, not wanting to disturb her.
His hand gently played with a lock of her hair – identical to the one he always kept on his person – and just looked at her as if he'd never tire of it. I'd fall asleep with her, but it's way too early for that, he thought, carefully crawling off the bed. Cleaning up a little bit, the man put on a fresh pair of clothes as quietly as possible, slid his sandals back on, and slipped out the door. Shutting it behind him with a soft click, the man left his girlfriend to sleep, content to know that she'd be there when he got back.
XXX
It didn't take long for Shanks to find who he'd set out to see. While the beach was currently a shanty town of tents and sleeping bags for those who didn't want to sleep on the ship or a higgledy-piggledy mess of camping, lounge, and beach furniture, it was clear exactly where Crocus' space was. The old doctor was the only orderly one in the camp besides Alvida, but his lounge chair was not surrounded by adoring men like her couch usually was (he wouldn't have appreciated it like she did anyway). He had set up near the edge of the chaos but was still a part of it and was reading a book under a palm tree while everyone else mingled. The old man was already smiling and giving Shanks a knowing look as he approached and the younger man couldn't help but smile as well.
"There you are, Shanks!" Crocus chuckled, closing his book. "I was wondering how long you two were going to be, taking into account what little I've heard about your private life."
Buggy would've been mortified by his comment (the man probably had mortified her at some point already) but Shanks just laughed, unconcerned about it. "Not very long this time; Buggy was very tired."
"I can only imagine!" Crocus roared with laughter for a moment and then went deadpan. "But I honestly don't want to. I seriously never thought that you'd ever have that kind of relationship." Shanks didn't have a clue about how Crocus was feeling about his two kiddos being together – it was probably weird at best and very unsettling at worst when the old man's last experience with him and Buggy was probably the bluenette trying to rip his head off over some small slight. And then Crocus added. "Rayleigh did though."
"I know, it can be a little odd," Shanks admitted, and then he paused, registering the late addition. "Wait…Rayleigh thought we'd get together!?"
"He sure did! Or at least he thought it would be cute if you did. I wonder what he'd think now that it actually happened!" the man roared. He was clearly having a good time and Shanks couldn't blame him.
The redhead sat on the sand next to his old friend, feeling very much like he was a child again, but not having a problem with it. "How do you feel about it?"
"What? Your relationship with Buggy?" The older man took a long moment to think, closing his eyes to do so. The moment was so long that Shanks almost thought he'd fallen asleep. "I will say that it had taken a bit of time to get used to the idea of you two being romantically involved, but honestly, you had a close – if contentious – relationship as children. I think I'm more just happy that both of you are going just fine, and if that means that you're together then at least you're together." The old man paused, a glint in his eye. "At least that means that I get to torment both of you at the same time!"
Shanks yelped as Crocus hooked his arm around his neck and yanked him into a headlock. "It's been an uphill battle to get Buggy to do what I want!"
"She's a stubborn one for sure!" Both men were laughing as the redhead had his hair ruffled lovingly, if harshly. When he was released, Shanks sat back down on the ground and tried to brush some order back into his hair. Crocus noted how his left arm stayed hidden underneath his cloak and remembered how he'd carried Buggy off with only one arm – he'd heard the rumors a long time ago but hadn't seen the man since whatever had happened had happened.
"Let me see that arm of yours," he ordered, holding out his hand.
Shanks chuckled, "Always the doctor," while shrugging off his cloak.
"Of course!" The old man looked offended that the youngster would ever think differently. He got out of his chair and sat down on the ground while Shanks slipped his shoulder out of his low-cut shirt and raised his stump. The doctor pushed his glasses up his nose and took stock of the old injury. "How long ago did this happen?"
"Ten years or so." Crocus grunted and looked at the arm in his hand. Shanks' arm had been amputated above his elbow, leaving partial biceps and triceps muscles, and despite the apparent trauma, it had healed quite well. Whoever had treated him had done an excellent job and Shanks had thrived even with one arm. Hell, when Crocus had squeezed the affected muscles he noted that the kid had even managed to keep his shoulder and back muscles on that side just as strong as his working arm. Whatever he had had to overcome, Shanks had done it beautifully.
While he was being examined, the redhead tried to read the upside-down title on Crocus' book by looking over the old man's shoulder. If Crocus had been paying attention, he would've noticed that Shanks had looked very much like his curious younger self, sticking his nose into everything. "What were you reading?"
"I was brushing up on prenatal care and delivery," he replied matter-of-factly. "It's been a while since I've needed any of that knowledge."
Shanks' heart warmed just thinking about his baby again. "Take good care of them for me, Crocus," he said sincerely.
"Of course!" he huffed. "Who do you take me for, a slacker? Buggy will be so well cared for that she's going to want to rip my head off by the end of it!" Done with his examination, Crocus slipped Shanks' arm back into his shirt and plopped his cloak back on his shoulders.
"You healed quite well. I'm just sorry that you had to go through such trauma." The old man felt a twinge in his heart, thinking about how much pain the younger man had gone through, and he didn't even have a clue about what else he'd gone through during their separation – twenty years was a long time.
The redhead just smiled warmly as he always did when someone commented on his lost arm. "I'm fine. I helped a friend and if that meant losing my arm, it's okay. I've got another one anyway!" He made muscle with his other arm with a huge grin on his face. His eyes then got soft when he said, "And Buggy doesn't mind and that's good enough for me."
The old doctor could see just by how content Shanks was that he had been just fine and was going to continue being just fine, if his fearsome reputation had anything to say about that. Crocus plopped down in his chair again, satisfied. "Speaking of Buggy, how did you two even…" he trailed off, wanting an answer.
Surprised by the change in topic, Shanks took a moment to respond, "Oh! Um, she'd taken over my room and I walked in there drunk – "
"Ah," Crocus interjected, as if the presence of alcohol explained everything (which, to be fair, it kind of did).
"Don't give me that!" Shanks huffed, a little offended.
"But that's how every interesting story starts, isn't it?" the doctor teased. "I'm pretty sure ninety-three percent of Roger's stories start like that and end with Rayleigh yanking him out of trouble!"
Shanks couldn't argue with that. "You're probably right about that! But honestly, I didn't go in there with the intention of sleeping with her! We'd just left Marineford and I hadn't seen her in years and besides getting a clean pair of shorts, I just wanted to talk to her." The man then blushed the slightest bit, thinking about that first night they'd had together and how cute Buggy had been so flustered and unsure of herself but willing to try with him. "And things just kind of fell into place a bit." Crocus refrained from poking fun at the redhead even though he wanted to because he saw quite a bit of the tender, big-hearted child he remembered; he just let Shanks continue telling the story.
"She didn't love me right away, but I'm pretty sure I did, and it just took a little time. And quite a few misadventures too!" He told Crocus about the time they beat up hooligans in a back alley, the time they fell down a hole in a jungle after a fight, and the time the bird incident happened where Buggy was carried off, making the older man laugh. He refrained from telling him about the time Buggy fell into the sea during a storm and nearly drowned because no matter how long it had been, that day had been incredibly frightening for him. Sometimes, he even still had nightmares where she either slipped out of his grasp and disappeared into the sea or that she never started breathing again on his deck. Of all the unpleasant experiences he'd had with Buggy, that one was the worst. So, he kept it to himself and just focused on the humorous ones, which Crocus also found hilarious.
The old man was wiping away tears by the end of the stories he was laughing so hard. "You've been through a lot! My god, you two make trouble!"
"Hey, it's mostly Buggy who makes trouble!" Shanks retorted, also laughing.
"Now that I completely agree with!"
After catching their breath, the two men went on to talk about how they'd been doing for the past two decades. Shanks wasn't surprised that Crocus had gone back to the Twin Cape at the beginning of the Grand Line – that was where the Roger Pirates had found him in the first place. However, he was surprised that he was now living mostly inside the giant whale, which is probably why he hadn't seen Crocus when he'd re-entered the Grand Line on his last trip. Besides being a retiree, Crocus had passed the time by messing with punk pirates that came into the Grand Line. Shanks said that he'd done much the same, just in the New World, besides having occasional skirmishes or meetings with the other Emperors of the Sea. Now he could also add "stopping a war" to his list, having brokered a ceasefire at Marineford with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and in the process, getting a girlfriend from it.
They caught up with each other until dinnertime, which is when a sleepy Buggy emerged from Shanks' ship almost literally steaming from a bath that had made her feel sick. As a courtesy to her, the small group of Crocus, Shanks, Benn, Galdino, and Alvida moved their meal to a bonfire away from the main group, allowing the crews to drink in peace without Buggy wanting to throw up from the presence of alcohol. She'd apologized to Shanks and Benn for banning alcohol from their fire, but neither man really minded – Shanks would give up anything for her and Benn was by far the most courteous member of the Red Hair crew. After getting food, Crocus shoved a cup of water into Buggy's hands and a few pills, giving her a stern look, and she looked back at him with an openly rebellious expression. Without them speaking, Shanks could tell that she'd somehow dodged him earlier in the day and now he was going to watch her take whatever bitter, horrible concoction he'd made and she wasn't going anywhere until she did. The woman reluctantly popped the pills in her mouth and chugged the water before grimacing and glaring at him.
"I hate you," she mumbled, handing the glass back and doing that thing where people try to get a nasty taste out of their mouths.
The old man replied, "I know, you brat," but still had a small smile on his face. Whether he was smiling out of affection for the bluenette or at the fact that she was still making funny disgusted faces was unclear. Everyone else around the fire stifled their giggles and started eating. Buggy wasn't too interested in eating and just laid her head against her boyfriend's shoulder while everyone else talked. He would offer her bites from his plate, and if she liked what he offered, she'd take a bite. They bantered and teased and argued and talked until late into the evening, far longer than Buggy could hold out. She was snoring softly with her head on Shanks' lap long before anyone else was even ready for sleep despite taking a nap earlier in the day, and the man was gently petting her head while she slept.
"So Boss," Benn started. "Do we have a plan of any kind?" He watched his captain dote on his lover and just knew that if he could've chosen to do anything in the world in that moment, he would've stayed by her side forever. The warmth and love in his eyes, lit by the fire, was undeniable.
"Not really," the redhead replied.
"Well, you've got to have some sort of idea about what you're going to do," Alvida piped up, her normal volume turned down due to the sleeping pregnant lady. She knew Buggy would almost rip her head off if she was woken up unexpectedly – she had nearly seen that happen about seven times in the past month.
Crocus added, "Buggy's explained to me a little bit about how things came to be as they are, with both of you apart, so I have a general idea. It would be smart to have a plan – heaven knows how bad the two of you were at planning when you were little snots. I hope you're not just big snots now."
"Give me a break, old man. Can't I just enjoy this moment?"
"No," Galdino answered. "You always have to have a plan with Buggy because most likely it's going to be a backup plan anyway when she screws things up." Four other heads nodded in agreement.
"Why are you nodding along with us!?" Alvida hissed at the redhead. "You're the one with no plan!"
Shanks started talking like he did have one but clearly didn't. "Well, we can't hang around otherwise the government and whoever else is going to notice and that would completely defeat the purpose of splitting up in the first place."
"No shit," the smooth woman said under her breath. Galdino put his hand over her mouth to shut her up and she didn't appreciate that and the two of them got into a little fight while the grown-ups talked.
"We could just make frequent trips back if there's nothing else going on," Benn suggested. "We kind of do that already when we check up on our territories." Shanks made a heartbroken expression as he thought about leaving Buggy again. "Don't give me that. We're going to have to get supplies and other things at some point as well, Captain."
"What if you left Shanks here for periods of time?" Crocus suggested. "That way, he could stay here but the very noticeable ship would be elsewhere?" Shanks liked that idea better, his eyes bright with excitement.
"Trust me, you're not going to want to be here all the time," Galdino interjected. "Buggy's a handful."
The redhead opened his mouth to say something and then clicked it shut after a moment. "What was that?" Crocus asked.
"I was about to say that I have two hands in response to handling a handful but then I remembered that I don't," he explained. If his face hadn't been lighted by the fire, everyone would've definitely seen that he'd been blushing, but lucky for him, it just looked like warmth from the flames.
"Idiot," the old doctor snorted.
"Shut it."
Moving on from the insults, Been added, "But if we get into a conflict, you're coming too."
"Shit!"
"Deal with it, Boss."
"Yeah, deal with it because we have to deal with Buggy when you're gone!" Alvida snarked. Galdino nodded vigorously and Crocus burst into laughter which was quickly shut up by six hands getting slapped over his mouth, including his own.
"Sh!" Benn and Shanks hand to stifle their laughter at the sight of three grown adults warily looking at a snoring Buggy like she was a bear or something. Well, she'll be a mama bear soon, Shanks thought, So maybe that's true.
The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the sea air as the conversation continued onto more casual topics now that there was at least a tentative plan in place. He listened to the waves against the beach, the crackling of the fire, and the snores of the woman on his lap, content. He would treasure whatever moments he was given with his beloved, who was currently rolling over and curling up with her face toward him. He gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face and knew that he was right where he needed to be, for better or for worse.
To be Continued...
A/N: And there you go! I'll see all of you again soon!