A/N: Hi everyone! ZareEraz here! I apologize that this chapter took a little longer than usual to get out, I was suffering from some writer's block _||| But we made it and I hope you like this chapter!
In this chapter, some intimacy happens in the second section, so if you'd like to skip it, use the "Find in page" function on your phone or computer from wherever you stopped in the second section to search for the paragraph beginning with, "Feeling generous, Buggy didn't call him a pervert" and you'll be good to go! Happy reading and thanks for your support! :3
Chapter Five: Close to Home
"Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Shanks asked sweetly, peeking into Buggy's room. It had been about two weeks since the assassination attempt and she was still recovering. The bluenette had fully moved into the biggest tent-like building after Crocus gave her a clean bill of health, other than letting her shoulder injury rest and heal, of course. Everyone else was on edge and they were all taking turns patrolling the island, making sure she was safe, but it was still a pretty stressful time. Buggy, as always, was being a bit of a diva about it because she was miserable.
"Like shit," came the reply from a pile of pillows and blankets. She un-burrowed herself from the pile and her hair popped up in a huge blue mess. Buggy's arm was wrapped in a sling to keep her from using it and hurting her shoulder more, but she had just jarred her elbow after losing her balance and falling over on her way back from the bathroom, so she was in a sour mood. Things like that had been happening a lot more lately since her body weight and balance were constantly changing, sometimes her brain just couldn't keep up.
"I'm sorry," he said, walking over and sitting down on the bed. He was going to say something else comforting but then noticed her little friends. "Your bats doubled," Shanks pointed out, noting the extra visitor in her hair.
Buggy looked up and then rolled her eyes. "Bluster brought a letter from the government and a friend. This is Bingo."
Shanks brushed her hair out of her face and tried to put it back into some order. "Why is he Bingo?"
"Because he brought me a sapphire half the size of an egg."
"He did?" She pulled the gem out of her breasts and held it up – it really was huge! "Well damn. Looks like I have some competition for bringing you shiny things."
"I'm pretty sure he stole it." Both bats chirped as if to confirm her suspicion.
"And you don't think that the stuff I give you isn't stolen?" The redhead smiled at her devilishly and got her to smile back a little. His smile got even bigger and he was so proud of that because it was her first actual smile in a few days – being grumpy, hurt, and pregnant had really done a number on her.
"Oh, I know that most of it is stolen," she replied. "But I also know that you actually buy the important ones."
He shrugged sheepishly. "Guilty." The man looked at the huge gem Buggy was admiring with her good hand. "We'll have to make it into an earring for you or something…you'll look so pretty."
"You think so?"
"I know so," he said with a warm smile. The man then turned his attention to the Carrier Bats in Buggy's hair. "Hey guys, can you give us some space?" Bluster and Bingo chirped at each other a few times, discussing the matter. They then nuzzled their favorite person one last time before flapping out the door that Shanks had left open, going to find some food.
"What's up?" Buggy asked, curious as to why he'd wanted the bats gone.
The redhead pulled rolls of bandages and ointments out of his pockets. "Nothing special. Crocus wanted me to help change your bandages."
Buggy sighed, displeased. "Well, when we're done with this you can help me put lotion on my belly. It itches like crap."
"Shanks chuckled at her. "Alright, I'll help you if you're good for me."
Using his hand and her floating hands, the two of them got her brace off and very carefully removed her shirt and unwound the old bandages. Shanks' anger always kindled a little bit whenever he saw the jagged wound in her shoulder, but it had healed really well so far. Now that the stitches had come out and two weeks of healing had transpired, the wound was finally closed and very pink, but most of the bruising had faded. Unable to help himself, Shanks leaned over and gently kissed her scarred skin, silently sending one of his million apologies for not protecting her. Buggy didn't say anything, letting the moment pass in silence. When his lips left her skin, she passed him one of Crocus' smelly ointments after opening it with her floating hands so that she didn't wrench her shoulder again. Shanks dipped his hand in the salve and rubbed it on her back, making sure to be as gentle as possible on her healing skin and muscles. Buggy always complained about the aches and pains both the wound and her pregnancy gave her and he didn't want to add to it. Once he was done, the man wiped his hand on a towel and took the offered gauze Buggy held out to him.
"Are you still having nightmares?" he asked, placing the gauze where it needed to go. One of Buggy's floating hands came up to hold it in place while the other assisted the man's one hand in beginning to wrap the cloth bandage around and around her chest and shoulder. They'd both become very good at doing this and didn't even need to instruct the other on what to do next as they passed the roll from hand to hand, around and around and around.
"They're getting better," she replied, not elaborating. Buggy getting shot had been traumatic for just about everyone, but she, of course, had taken it the hardest.
For several days after the incident, Buggy hadn't wanted to leave the clinic for any reason, scared for her and her baby's safety. Shanks hadn't even been able to get her to walk around and get some fresh air until she was fully sure that she was safe, and while they'd walked, her good arm was always wrapped around her belly protectively. To help her feel safer, Shanks had carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kept reassuring her in calm tones that everything was going to be fine, but on the inside, he was just as worried and his eyes kept flicking around and his observation haki was sharp to make sure she stayed safe. When she'd moved into her room, she spent most of her time there and Shanks spent as much time in there as he could when he wasn't getting pulled away by his own crew. He was also sleeping with her at night but knew that she was embarrassed that she was having nightmares and desperately tried not to wake him up. That made him sad but he was also very well aware that Buggy was a prideful person, even if he'd softened her up.
So, instead of pushing, he just reminded her, "If you ever need me just wake me up."
Buggy mumbled, "I know, I know." But she rarely did and knew that she rarely would. She loved Shanks and knew that he would do anything for her, but that was part of her problem now: he was just too good at doing things for her and she felt that she didn't deserve any of it, but kept relying on him anyway. That may be the pregnancy hormones talking, but that was the way she felt. He'd even taken care of her assassin for her and had nursed her alongside Crocus, on top of helping her during her pregnancy! And what had she done for him? Complain, mostly. She just felt like a burden at the moment, which wasn't a nice feeling.
"You know, Crocus could've done this for me," she commented, holding back a wince when the bandage went on a little tight. Shanks, sensing her discomfort, instantly went back and loosened it.
"Yeah, but I wanted to be the one to do it. It makes me feel like I'm doing something good for you." Since I couldn't protect you…that was left unsaid. They went back to passing the bandage roll around and around.
"Shanks, you always do good things for me," Buggy replied, trying to express some of what she'd been feeling. Then her big mouth got in the way of her trying to be sincere. "But if you want to do something good for me, you can find a sapphire that matches Bingo's."
"That's going to be nearly impossible," he shot back. "I think we'll just have to see if he finds another for you first."
"Whatever you say. If you think you can't find one just as good, we can leave it to Bingo." She turned her head to look back at him and give him a sly look.
Shanks pouted. "I didn't say I wasn't going to try, but Bingo knows best where he found the rock and he could find another one in the same place."
"Sounds like an excuse!"
"It's not!" Shanks laughed and Buggy smiled again, the two of them finishing bandaging her up. Once her shirt was back in place, Shanks sat down again facing her. He asked, "How's my baby today?" and placed his face on her ever-growing belly.
"Pretty quiet, but I felt a kick or two earlier," Buggy replied. "If you do a good job with that lotion, baby may kick just for you!" she teased, wiggling the jar back and forth in her hand.
"You're a bit of a slave driver, aren't you?" he smirked, sitting up and letting her drop the jar into his hand.
"I never said I was going to make this easy for you. In fact, I'm pretty sure I said it was going to be hard."
"But you said that you were going to try and not be so demanding, even with your wound."
She gave him a blank look. "Did I?"
"Did you forget already?!"
"I don't remember," she said off-handedly.
"Buggy!" Her giggles gave her away and Shanks shook his head at her, his heart warm at hearing her laughter. It seemed that Buggy was getting back some of her energy now, having fun tormenting him. "Alright Mama, shut up and pull your shirt up." Buggy did as she was asked and pulled her shirt up over her belly, revealing her bump and the stretch marks that had appeared on her body. She'd been worried about how the marks looked on her skin and if they would go away at the end of all this but when the couple was alone at night, Shanks would kiss them lovingly and tell her not to worry because they meant that she was taking good care of their baby. She did her best not to worry about them and these kinds of little moments with her lover made that a little easier.
"Will you open this for me?" he held out the jar to her.
"Hold it still." With Shanks holding the bottom of the jar, she unscrewed the top with her good hand. The lotion smelled like lavender and vanilla – Buggy's favorite scent.
The woman sighed as his hand touched her belly, warm and slick with the lotion. "I'm going to need some of my ice cream later," she murmured, breathing in deeply as Shanks rubbed the lotion into her skin. As with everything when it came to her, he was so gentle, his touch soothing.
"So you can eat what it smells like?" the man snickered.
"You're going to keep harping on that for the rest of my pregnancy, aren't you?"
"Maybe the rest of your life! I was expecting some weird cravings from you, but so far you've only really wanted to eat your perfume." He laughed and she bonked him on the head with her good hand.
"Next time I'll make it something really hard to get and then nag you for not being able to get it for me! How do you like that?!"
"Aw, come on, love bug! Don't be so mean!"
"You asked for it!"
Shanks tickled her belly and Buggy tried to get away from him while trying to stay mad and not laugh. She failed, and when he eventually stopped to let her catch her breath, he dipped his hand in the lotion and spread some more across her skin. "You're getting big," he noted, smiling.
"Yeah and it gets hard to breathe sometimes," she replied, patting her bump. "I feel like this kid of pushing all of my other organs out of the way, especially my bladder." She gave him a sidelong look. "Kinda like how you're pushy with me and always somehow worming your way into and out of my good graces, despite being an idiot."
"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," he snorted.
"You should, only you could do that." Buggy rubbed her belly, closing her eyes and feeling the baby roll inside of her. Shanks felt it too and stopped his hand where he felt the movement. He smiled, so happy to feel his baby moving around. The bluenette murmured, "Wouldn't it be nice if our baby took after you? So carefree and easygoing, if a little dorky."
The man responded, "I'd rather they take after you – so full of energy with just the right amount of sass to hide a good heart."
Buggy pouted, but her blush signaled that she was pleased with the compliment. "If they take after you, baby will also be a shameless flirt!"
"I only flirt with you, love bug," Shanks chuckled, "And if they take after you, every compliment will be precious." The child kicked as if agreeing with both its parents and Buggy's small smile came back.
And then, as if on cue, her stomach gave a great rumble. She blushed a deeper shade of red and Shanks laughed. "Let's go get some food," he said, pulling down her shirt. He helped her out of bed but she stumbled, feeling a little dizzy. The redhead steadied her against him, looking concerned.
"I'll be fine," she waved him off with her good hand. "Especially after I get some food in me."
"Always thinking with your stomach," Shanks teased, helping her to the door.
Buggy gave him a look. "Yeah, and you think with your head."
"Thanks."
"I don't think you picked up what I put down," she replied with a smirk, starting to walk by herself.
Shanks paused and took a moment to think about it. Then ran after her, calling, "Hey, Buggy! That wasn't nice!" She cackled and disconnected her feet, curling up and holding her belly with one arm so she could float faster than he jogged. The woman's feet only caught up with her in the kitchen, after Shanks had scooped her up into a careful bear hug and peppered her face with kisses.
While she was still floating, Shanks asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"Why do you always ask me what I want instead of suggesting something?" she complained. Shanks gave her baby bump a pointed look.
Buggy re-attached her feet and extricated herself from the hug. "Alright, alright. I get it! I'll pick…" And then she didn't pick anything; Buggy couldn't figure out what she wanted to eat. She wanted something sweet but also salty and savory, and something light but maybe heavy – her stomach was a mess. Shanks was right that she hadn't had any truly crazy cravings, but her main issue was that she never truly knew what she wanted to eat outside of tomatoes and her ice cream; it was frustrating as crap. Thankfully, her crew came to her rescue.
"Captain Buggy! Look what we found!" A group of her goons piled into the kitchen, disturbing those who were already cooking, and held up several packages and baskets of food. The bluenette's eyes latched onto one in particular and they lit up. Her good hand grabbed onto Shanks' hand while the other detached and snatched an item out of the hand of one of her underlings.
"I know what we're having for dinner!" she declared.
"You do?" Shanks asked as he was dragged along.
"Yep!" Buggy held up the find and grinned, leading him to a quieter corner of the massive kitchen.
He smiled back and said, "Ah, so you picked my favorite today."
"I'm going to make you lobster and kimchi and chahan," she declared, feeling generous because he'd been so sweet to her.
"Great! Let's get started!"
Buggy frowned. "I said I was going to make it for you!"
Shanks frowned too, confused. "Why can't I help? I know how to make it better than you; it is my favorite after all."
"I want to make it for you for everything you've done for me!"
"You don't have to do that; I wanted to help!"
"Quit being stubborn!"
"You quit being stubborn! You only have one good arm and two floating hands!"
"You only have one arm!"
"Then between us, we have two good arms!"
Buggy's retort died on her lips as his logic got to her – it made a lot of sense – but she still started tearing up anyway no matter how hard she tried not to. "I…j-just wanted…t-to do something…for you…" she mumbled miserably.
Shanks blinked, taken off guard by her mood swing even though he should've been expecting it. What he also should've expected was the glares everyone in the kitchen was giving him for making their goddess cry, even if he didn't mean to do it.
"Hey, Buggy," he started softly, pulling her into another, more gentle hug. "How about when your arm gets better you can cook something for me okay? I help you now and you can do something nice for me later, hm? Does that sound good?"
Buggy sniffed but nodded. "O-okay…" Shanks looked back and Buggy's goons and they gave him a thumbs-up as their goddess wiped her tears away.
It was a little odd and chaotic, having to pass Buggy's left arm between them and negotiate with a floating hand, but soon the two of them were laughing and having fun. While Shanks was working on cooking the lobster, he'd have to ask to use her arm or hand to do this or cut that or grab that seasoning, and she'd float over to help him. When she needed help with the chahan, he was right next to her adding ingredients to the huge wok someone had managed to find, and helping her flip with rice with various successes and failures and a lot of laughter. If there was mixing to do, Shanks held the bowl and Buggy stirred, if something needed to be cut, Buggy would pull a knife out of thin air and get it done. During their cooking, Shanks looked over and was struck by just how wonderful she looked, even while slicing veggies and complaining about how her stomach was starting to get in the way. His belly got all warm the way it did when he wanted to make love to her and it just felt so good to see her up and happy again. And while he wasn't trying to ruin the cozy moment they were having in the kitchen, his big mouth got in the way.
"You look so cute right now, I just wanna take you to bed and– " and Buggy slapped her good hand over his mouth, shutting him up before he could say anything embarrassing in front of everyone.
"You pervert!" she gasped, a little mortified. "And no!" Anyone in the kitchen laughed at how red Buggy had gotten, even Shanks. It was hard for both of them to get back to work when he kept giving her warm looks and she tried to ignore them.
Why can't he just ever find an appropriate time and place to be like that!? Buggy thought. She wasn't even ready for any kind of intimacy yet and he had to say something like that! As if sensing her mental turmoil, the redhead chuckled and Buggy sent her foot over to kick him in the shin. He dodged her and went back to cooking with a dumb grin on his face.
The atmosphere was so cute to watch that many members of both crews popped their heads into the kitchen just to see the pair figure out how to cook like this and to watch their banter and little fights. Crocus was the only one who had anything to say outside of "Awwwwwww!" and "How cute!" by reminding both of them to be careful with Buggy's shoulder so that, "I don't have to sew the damn thing up again!" They both responded they would and then Buggy proceeded to slip on a towel that had been dropped on the floor and was only saved from crashing by Shanks and Crocus both grabbing her. She blushed in embarrassment when the doctor gave her his intense stare and meekly promised to be more careful. The old man then took it upon himself to babysit the two kiddos and make sure no other accidents happened.
By the end of it all, everyone was laughing, smiling, and eating a good meal together. Buggy hadn't felt this good in days, maybe even weeks, and she was able to forget about her worries and pains for the evening. She snorted when Shanks started inhaling his food and he protested her teasing by pouting that this was his favorite meal she shouldn't make fun of him. He then shoved a spoonful of food into her mouth to shut her up and laughed at her surprise. Alvida, Galdino, Benn, and Lucky Roux had to stop them from starting a food fight while Crocus, Yasopp, Moji, Cabaji, and everyone else just laughed and laughed and laughed (Richie was the only one who was stealing food from other people's plates and purring loudly while he ate). Once the pair stopped trying to force-feed one another, there wasn't a smile bigger than Buggy's, except maybe Shanks' smile. It had been a good day.
XXX
Buggy had a problem. A Shanks problem – one of her own making, and she was going to have to face it sooner or later, and sooner seemed almost certain.
It was very easy to deny him at first, she was recovering from a gunshot wound after all – it was a full-proof excuse. It had only been a week, but then one week turned into two weeks, then three… and as she healed, Buggy found that it got harder and harder to ignore the fact that she, for once in their relationship, did not want to have sex with her boyfriend. She just didn't feel like it and her body didn't seem to want it like it had. It was so strange because she was usually just as bad as Shanks was – before she was pregnant they did it practically every day, if not multiple times a day. When they met again during her first trimester, they did it at least a couple of times a week if she was up to it. Now, nothing. And that worried her. She knew that pregnancy could change her sex drive, but she felt uneasy and worried that not showing him that affection might hurt him, but she couldn't help it.
For a week and a half she couldn't have done anything whatsoever, but two weeks ago she could've done something not strenuous, but nope, she wasn't feeling it and she'd been deflecting and dodging every attempt he'd made since then. When he started nibbling at her ear it was always "I'm too tired," or when he started kissing her back it was, "My shoulder hurts." Then it was, "I'm feeling a little sick," when he caressed her thigh or "I've had a rough day" with a "Don't manhandle me!" thrown in there when he pinched her butt. Sometimes she'd say, "I'm not in the mood right now," and later when he asked if "right now" was over, she'd shake her head and he'd back off. Shanks, as always, was very understanding but he'd sometimes make a sad face that broke her heart a little but didn't change how her body felt. As the weeks dragged on it became clearer and clearer that he was getting a little disappointed.
When the time came that she needed to be completely honest with her boyfriend, she was getting ready to take a bath. The side effects of Devil Fruit powers usually had her trimming down bathing as much as possible, but as much as she struggled with bathes, she took them all the time now just to relax and feel clean. Also, the buoyancy of the water took the pressure of her sizable belly off of her hips and back, which was a huge bonus. Buggy was grabbing the comfiest pajamas she had and finding her hair ties when Shanks came up behind her and kissed her neck, his arm rubbing her bare shoulder and tugging on her tank top strap. She froze as he then hugged her, his hand resting on her belly and rubbing it a little. His lips were on her skin, warm and wanting, and he was beginning to whisper lowly in her ear.
"You look so pretty, Buggy…" she knew she didn't – she had been cranky and achy all day, only doing enough to get dressed and brush her hair – but it was nice to hear that. He kissed her neck again, peppering her skin, and as he started to compliment her, the bluenette knew exactly where this was headed. She wanted to feel what she would normally feel, but as nice as the hugs and kisses were, it was doing nothing for her in the arousal department. However, it was doing everything for Shanks because she could feel him getting hard against her ass and knew that she had to stop him before he went too far and she disappointed him again.
She slipped out from his arm and put her 23-week belly in between them, placing her arms on his shoulders to keep him from hugging her again. Her heart twinged as his expression became confused. She nervously started, "Shanks, I should've told you this a while ago…" and now his face was concerned and she felt a little worse. Buggy didn't want to say it out loud but knew that she had to. So, she squeezed her eyes shut (not wanting to see if she'd shattered his dreams or something) and it all came out in a rush. "But I just don't feel like having sex, at all. I have no drive for it."
It was so quiet in Buggy's room that you could hear a pin drop for a moment. The woman's heart was in her throat and her pulse was pounding even though she knew she had probably nothing to worry about, she was still worried about it. She cracked an eye open when another quiet moment passed.
Shanks was giving her a crooked smile. "Well, damn. Bummer."
Her other eye popped open and she saw that while he didn't look eager anymore, he wasn't angry either. "You're not mad?" she asked.
The man's hand came up to her face and he caressed her cheek. "Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed – because I am just so obsessed with your everything and want you all the time – " he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, "But not in you, Buggs. If you're not feeling it, you're not feeling it. You can't help that." As he kissed her cheek, it felt like a huge burden had lifted off of Buggy's chest. Shanks actually felt her shoulders relax and felt bad that she'd been worried about his reaction so much. "I knew that this could happen, it just kinda stinks. But just because you don't feel like having sex or can't have it doesn't mean that I'm going to be mad at you. I want you to feel as comfortable as possible."
Buggy's eyes misted but she refused to cry yet again (she'd already cried three times that day over stupid things). She hugged her man tightly and said, "God, I don't deserve you."
The redhead smiled and rested his chin on her head. "Of course you do. It's me who doesn't deserve you."
"Liar."
"It's true."
"Flirt."
"Okay, that's more accurate," he chuckled. The man just held her for while, ignoring his half-formed erection for as long as he could. Once Buggy went to take a bath, he'd take care of himself, but not until then. Even if she wasn't interested in lovemaking, holding her, feeling her warmth, it was enough for him. He focused on slowing his breathing, trying to push down the desire that licked at his brain. His fingers tingled where he touched his lover, wanting more, but he resisted and only rubbed her back comfortingly.
But no matter how hard he tried, the longer he held her, the worse his desire for her became. Apparently, her mere presence was kindling the fire of his passion. He huffed in frustration with his lack of restraint and was just about to prompt Buggy to go take her bath when her fingers brushed against his thigh. Now it was his turn to freeze as those fingers gently ran up his leg and rested on his waistband.
"Buggy…?" he whispered, his voice coming out more desperate and breathy than he had intended. His knees trembled as her fingertips dipped in between the fabric and his skin and rubbed there softly. She was teasing him!
"I could just do something for you…" she suggested with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Something to relieve you, at least."
"Don't tease me, love," he pleaded, his hand moving up her back to her neck.
She smiled at him. "I'm not teasing. I may not want to go all the way, but I can at least do this much." Her hand slipped into his pants a little more and the hand at her neck trembled. Buggy tried to suppress a smile but failed, her grin stretching across her face. "Besides, your hard-on was not going away and you know it!"
"I'm embarrassed to say that you're right…" She giggled and he couldn't help but kiss her again, this time on the lips. She opened her mouth to him, letting him inside for a gentle game of push and pull between them. Since this was not one of their passionate and reckless times, they just took it at a leisurely pace, kissing deeply.
When they parted, Shanks was burning for her while she looked more serene. He asked, "You don't feel anything? Because I definitely did."
Buggy bit back another remark about how she knew he was feeling it because his erection had gotten bigger and instead was honest. "I feel loved and I feel your desire, but I don't feel...that…that burning I usually have." He could tell that she was struggling a little to describe what she was feeling. He also knew that she was trying not to hurt his feelings, which was so cute. "It's like…like a lid has been put on my desire…it's muted, under the surface, or something."
"I can't really understand that," he admitted, his stomach hot with the burning that Buggy lacked. "I just really want you." The man pulled her a little closer, her round belly pressing firmly against his hard stomach. "I guess I'll have all the fire for a while."
Her blue eyes twinkled. "Well, there may be some smoldering embers for you somewhere…" she teased, "Waiting to burst into flames."
"How poetic, Buggy!" he teased back, but was quite surprised by how eloquent she was being. And then her big mouth got in the way.
"Now, sit your ass down," she ordered, pointing to her bed.
He laughed, "That was not so poetic, but I like it just as much." The redhead scooped his lover up in his arm and she squealed as he jumped them onto the bed.
"Shanks! Put me down!" she yelped, batting his shoulder. When he set her down, she hugged her stomach and tried to look cross with him while holding back a giggle. "I think you almost scared the baby out of me!"
He gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I got excited."
"I know," she stated. "Now take your pants off."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Don't call me ma'am, it makes me feel old."
"You're not old, you're perfect." He gave her one more quick kiss before he slipped his pants and underwear off and tossed them to the edge of the bed. When he turned back around, Buggy was kneeling on the bed and patted the mattress, wanting him to sit down. When he did, she gently pushed him so he was lying back on the mountain of pillows she insisted the bed have ("I need all of them to be comfortable and maybe prop my belly, you dolt"). Once he was settled, legs slightly spread and his erection standing proudly for her, she scooted a little closer to his right side and rubbed her hands together to warm them up a bit. Shanks watched her, his eyes eagerly locked on her movements. Before getting to work, Buggy unbuttoned the man's shirt and pushed it open, baring his chest. Shanks smirked at her fingers brushed against his chest and trailed across his abs.
"Like what you see?" he teased.
"I'm jealous that you still have your abs," she admitted, letting her hand rest on his stomach and looking at hers. Just the fact that she was touching him and he knew she was going to touch him more sent his heart pounding. The little brushes and her warmth were not helping him in the arousal department and Shanks just wanted, needed her to do more.
"Don't worry about it, Buggs, you look beautiful just the way you are, and you're doing something amazing," She gave him a pointed look and he shrugged. "It's true, though. If you're worried about it, I'm sure you'll get your abs back, no problem."
"You think so?" the bluenette asked, her hands splaying across his muscles. They were also inching lower too, which is exactly what the man wanted.
"Yeah, you can do anything you put your mind to," he replied. Then his gentle smile became a little smirk. "And I know what you can put your mind to – and those hands – if you'd stop teasing me."
Buggy tsked at him and rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I love you." She ran her finger from the base of his cock to the head, causing him to jump, and his legs trembled as a spike of pleasure zinged through him. She then finally wrapped her hand around his erection firmly and gave it a few strokes.
The man groaned, "God…yes, I am. I'm…ah…damn lucky." He moved his hips a little with her firm strokes, but she placed her other hand on his thigh to still him and then rubbed the inside of his leg sensually.
"I'm doing all the work today since you've done a lot of work for me. You just feel good, okay?" Shanks nodded, not trusting his voice as she moved her hand up and down on his dick. At first, she was firm but slower with her pace, getting him to full hardness. Shanks felt good already, the warmth in his belly spreading throughout his body, and he just focused on the feel of her hand on him. Several quiet minutes passed where Buggy alternated between a steady, but increasing, pace and teasing the head of his erection. By the time she spoke again, a little precum had started bubbling up.
"Someone's happy," she noted, smearing the liquid around with her thumb. She felt Shanks tense up and smiled.
"Of…course, I am…" he panted. "The woman…I love…is touching me…" He reached out his hand to brush a stray lock of blue hair out of her face.
Buggy blushed at his innocent gesture while her hand was busy getting him off. "W-well it's the least I can do after you've been so patient with me…helping me…dealing with my crying…my complaining…" Now his hand was over her mouth, shutting her up, and a muffled "Oi!" came out from in between his fingers.
"Please, don't get distracted," he begged, feeling his control slipping but also that her grip on his erection had softened. "I couldn't handle it."
"Oops, sorry." Buggy shook her head and started to concentrate again. She added her other hand, letting one continue to pump him while the other exclusively teased his head. Shanks hissed in pleasure and she smirked, happy that she got that reaction out of him – his hand even tangled into her hair and tugged a bit, so cute. She wiggled her palm over the head of his cock and his hips twitched violently.
"Now, you're…just…being mean…!" he huffed, but then added, "But so good!" which ended in another moan.
"You said not to get distracted," she teased, doing it again. Her lover's hips twitched a second time and she kept at it, knowing he was getting close. While she wanted to drag this out as long as possible, she also didn't want to torture him since he'd been so nice to her for so long. So she would be nice too and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
With his body locked in her pleasure, Shank's gaze locked on her lips. "Kiss me," he breathed. Buggy smiled a soft smile, touched by his pretty innocent request – he could've asked her for anything and chose kissing over all the other indecent things she knew he thought about. She gently pressed her lips on his stubbly jaw, and then his cheek…his nose and then Buggy kissed Shanks just as passionately as he always kissed her, her hands still working him toward release. Shanks let her tongue inside his mouth, sliding his own against hers, playing with her as he got close to releasing. However, no matter how clear she'd been, he still wanted to do something for her. He reached to touch her stomach, his hand beginning to drift down towards her shorts, but Buggy broke the kiss to pull his hand away and placed her lips against his fingers.
"You don't need to do anything, button. Just enjoy."
"Damn…" he groaned, shivering at his pet name. "But I want to…"
"Don't worry about it." She kissed his palm and moved down to kiss his wrist while her other hand kept a steady pace. Then she started doing this twisting motion that had his mind blanking and he forgot everything except what her hands and lips were doing.
"Shit…!" he groaned, trying to keep himself from wiggling out of her grip.
Buggy snickered. "That's a nice sound. I must be doing something right."
"Oh…you're doing everything right, love bug. Don't stop."
She put his arm on his chest and added her other hand back in, teasing both his head and shaft as she had before. Besides checking to make sure she was stroking all of him, Buggy mostly kept her gaze on his face, watching his emotions and his reactions and adjusting when she did something he liked. They didn't really need to speak at this point, Buggy was that good at reading him, but sometimes Shanks would let out little noises or plead for her to do something again and she obliged. He liked it when she twisted her hand just a little, he liked it when she pressed her thumb against his head, he didn't really mind her touching his balls but he liked other things better – the two of them worked together in their own ways and soon the man was going to burst. He was even nice enough to let her know, though it did very little as a warning.
"I'm gonna…cum…!" Shanks panted as he felt his body tightening and his cock swelling. Buggy wanted to let him cum in her mouth (and save the sheets) but she didn't get much warning. As she was leaning over, he came, spurting all over her chest and tank top. She gasped as his hot cum hit her skin, a feeling of triumph washing through her. Shanks was a twitching, groaning mess and if her body was cooperating, she'd be for hot for him right now. But instead, she was just proud of her herself and pleased that she'd made him cum. Buggy kept moving her hand, pumping his member while he finished releasing. When he was done, the man completely relaxed on the bed, his chest heaving. Buggy's hands and her cleavage were a completely sticky mess and when Shanks cracked open his eyes and saw that he felt another shiver of pleasure run up his spine.
"God Buggy, I'm sorry, but that looks so good on you."
Feeling generous, Buggy didn't call him a pervert and instead just said, "I'm happy you felt good. I'll wipe this up and then go take a bath."
Shanks immediately perked up, fighting off his post-orgasm haze. "I'm going with you!"
"Of course, you are," she said with a wry smile as he tripped and went in search of his pants.
Buggy cleaned herself up as best as she could but before she could get off the bed, Shanks asked "You don't want me to get you off?"
"No, I don't. This was just for you." The woman grabbed her clothes and started to leave the room with her boyfriend right on her heels.
"Are you sure I can't do anything for you?" he pestered as they walked to the bath, giving his girlfriend puppy eyes. He was still baffled that even after pleasuring him, Buggy didn't want anything in return and didn't even seem to be aroused like she normally would be.
"For the last time, no!" she sighed, exasperated. "What you can actually do for me is wash my back."
"Okay!"
She thought about it for a moment and then sighed. "But that just means that you'll be helping me again and you always help me. I feel so useless sometimes."
Shanks took her left hand (the one he knew she left free as much as possible so that when he wanted to hold it he could) and squeezed it comfortingly. "Buggy, that's what a good boyfriend is supposed to do. And you may not realize it, but you do a lot for me, even if you don't think you do."
"Like what?" she asked, skeptical.
"Oh, lots of things," he replied. "But it can't really be measured; it's about feelings."
The woman scoffed, "That sounds like a cop-out answer."
"It's the only one I've got." The man smiled at her. "That and you're already giving me the greatest thing ever." He looked at her baby bump and she then looked at her baby bump, understanding just a bit. "I couldn't ask for more; it'd be too much I don't deserve." And he really meant it. Buggy was doing so much for him already that his little helps would never pay her back enough, but he didn't worry about it like she did – he just did what he could. "And besides, by helping you, I'm helping baby too, and I want to be a good father. It's a win-win all around."
He kissed her cheek and pulled her toward the bath. Buggy tried not to blush but failed and the next time Shanks looked back, she was smiling warmly to herself. And when Buggy smiled, he smiled too. It was a win-win all around.
XXX
It was odd, but this time when Shanks came back to the island he actually had to go looking for Buggy. With the island becoming more and more a hub of villainy, everyone was preparing for Buggy to hire outside mercenaries and cutthroats and finally get Buggy's Delivery up and running as a full-fledged organization, but that didn't explain why Shanks couldn't find Buggy. She wasn't on the beach to greet him when he'd arrived back from another trip off the island or in the clinic with Crocus. In fact, the old man hadn't seen her all day and started to whip up some of his signature concoctions that she despised to force-feed her later. She wasn't yelling at her goons as they started putting up another building and she wasn't in the assembly hall making a stink about something. She wasn't raiding the fridge in the kitchen for her ice cream or any other craving or napping in her room. Where the heck was she? It wasn't until Shanks heard swearing from a nearby room that he found where Buggy was.
When he opened the door, he was met with an explosion of color and a huge mess, and dropped the bag he was carrying on the floor in shock. The walls were striped with white and blue and colorful garlands of pennant flags were zigzagging across the ceiling. Piles of boxes and bags, padding, hardware, and tools were scattered everywhere along with all the toys and clothes that they had both purchased for the baby over the past few months. And Buggy was sitting in the middle of it, banging together some kind of furniture with varying degrees of success, a swath of disorganization in her wake. When the door opened, her head whirled to look at him as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't, holding her hammer up in the air.
He greeted her as normally as possible, considering he didn't really understand why his girlfriend had taken up a construction hobby without him. "Hey, Buggy." She brought the hammer down and notched a piece of whatever she was working on more into place.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be back today." The bluenette sounded very unenthusiastic with him, which was odd – usually, she was very happy to see him after his little trips away. She turned back to her work and smacked the wood with the hammer again. Shanks felt a little twinge in his chest, but he was sure that she'd spit out whatever was bothering her soon enough and played it cool.
The man picked his way through the mess and crouched down beside his girlfriend. "Whatcha doin', love bug?"
The woman looked around at the mess which was in the early stages of looking somewhat like a nursery…kind of. She had felt the sudden urge to start putting the nursery together this morning like one of her cravings for lavender ice cream, or tomatoes, or pickles and peanut butter, but for doing things instead of eating things. And while she should've probably been resting since she'd had a dizzy spell this morning (thank you low blood pressure) Crocus hadn't seen her yet to nag her for pushing herself too hard. She figured if she felt bad, she'd just detach her hands and have them work while the rest of her body took a break.
Buggy answered, "One of Crocus' books called this a 'nesting instinct.' Apparently, my brain wants to prepare everything for baby's arrival and get organized, but I guess I'm not very organized right now." Shanks almost physically saw Buggy's demeanor drop, like she was so disappointed in herself when she had no need to feel that way.
"Oh," he started. "That sounds like something good to do." The man placed his hand on her back. "But you don't look very happy…is something wrong?"
"It's so motherly of me…I never thought I'd do something like this…" she started, but then didn't say anything for a while, just kept hammering on what Shanks figured out was half of a crib. When she finally did say something else, it was an apology. "I'm sorry I started decorating without you. And that it's all circus-themed." Buggy wiped at her eyes, shedding what Shanks knew she considered "involuntary and annoying" tears. "I kept getting circus things as gifts…I don't know what you wanted the nursery to look like."
"Well, it makes a lot of sense," he admitted. "You are a clown." Buggy gasped in horror and anger, the apologetic tears gone in an instant. Shanks looked at her with a bewildered look on his face. "Buggs, you are a clown," he added hesitantly, confused as to how that had been offensive.
"I know," she replied, waving her gloved hands and the hammer around a bit. "You just didn't have to say it so blatantly!"
Still confused, the redhead asked, "I would like to know what I should have said."
"Should I leave?" Alvida piped up from the corner she hadn't been noticed in where she'd been folding and organizing baby clothes. "I got roped into this because I'm really good at cleaning but this sounds like it's going to turn into a fight."
"This isn't a fight," Shanks replied.
"Not unless you turn it into one," Buggy snapped.
"What should I have called you if not a clown!? It is literally in your epithet!" he argued back.
The bluenette thought about it for a minute before answering, "An 'entertainer extraordinaire.'"
"Well, it makes a lot of sense that you got circus-themed items as gifts because you are an 'entertainer extraordinaire,'" Shanks amended dramatically. Before Buggy could comment on his tone, Alvida did.
"Don't take that tone with Buggy! She hung a man up on a tent pole by his pants this morning for looking at her wrong!" The bluenette nodded smugly in agreement.
"Was it Galdino?" The question was out before Shanks could stop it.
"It was Galdino." Alvida thought about that for a moment. "He might still be up there."
An unapologetic "Whoops," was all Buggy said about the matter.
Alvida waved her off. "I'm sure he's fine." Shanks was not so sure and promised silently to go check on the man later and help him down if he was still on the tent pole. And now that Buggy had been distracted by the fight that had almost started, Shanks took action.
"Can I help you make the crib?" he asked, diverting her attention again.
Buggy blinked, her train of disgruntlement having been disrupted. "Sure, give me a hand."
"That's all I can give anyway," he joked. The bubble of tension in the room popped and all three of them burst into laughter for several minutes. Once they had pulled themselves back together (literally in Buggy's case), they got to work. Alvida kept organizing the mountain of baby clothes, shoes, blankets, and bibs that would go into the unfinished dressers and Shanks and Buggy worked on putting the crib together. Thankfully, Buggy only almost smacked his fingers a few times with the hammer because he was quick enough to yank his hand out of the way. He also couldn't figure out if it was on purpose or not but Buggy kept getting distracted by whatever cute item of clothing Alvida was gushing over (Shanks also got distracted so that may have also been an issue). Once those tasks were done the three of them worked on getting a dresser put together so at least some of the adorable clothes could be put away and quit distracting them. During that time, Crocus barged in and made Buggy drink one of those concoctions that Shanks has seen him making and the bluenette tried to strangle the redhead when he let it slip that he'd reminded the old doctor that he hadn't given Buggy anything that day. While Crocus and Alvida restrained her body, Buggy's head chased Shanks around the room until he tripped over something and smacked into a wall. Buggy, Crocus, and Alvida howled with laughter and his girlfriend let him off the hook, deeming him punished enough. The redhead picked himself up and dusted himself off with a red face from the impact and from blushing.
When everyone finally caught their breath, and with a new set of hands in the room, Crocus was roped into helping put together two dressers and by the time that was done, everyone needed a break. Alvida went to get her fix of adoration and a snack (with a promise to Shanks to check to see if Galdino was still hanging by his pants), Crocus was complaining about needing an old man nap, and the love birds decided to take a walk alone on the beach. However, the "alone" bit was thrown out the window when they stepped outside. The second Buggy had made it into the open, three Carrier Bats were instantly flying towards her – two of them heading for her hair and one of them looking like he was trying to wriggle down her shirt.
"Oh my god, stop, stop!" Buggy shrieked, trying to get the one bat out of her breasts. "Bozo! Stop it!" Sensing the anger in her voice, the bat squeaked what seemed to be an apology and flapped up to sit on the bluenette's head instead.
Shanks looked at the three bats with a shocked look. "They're multiplying!"
Buggy sighed, "Yes, it seems like Bluster has been spreading his fascination with me to the other bats again." She then sarcastically added, "It's not like I don't already have enough of that adoration to deal with regarding their human counterparts." Shanks laughed at her disgruntled face and laughed harder to the point where he almost fell over when he noticed that some of his girlfriend's goons were mooning over her from a distance already.
Buggy crossed her arms and glared at him while he clutched his stomach. When he finally calmed down she asked, "Are you finished?"
"Yes…yes, I am!" he wheezed, trying to catch his breath. This continued for a few minutes until Buggy snapped at him to shut up. Finally calm, the man asked, "Why is he 'Bozo?'"
"Because he keeps trying to nestle in my boobs like one!"
Shanks instantly sobered up and gave the bat a hard look. "Hey! Those boobs are mine!" Bozo just hissed back at him and Buggy prepared to have to break up a fight between her boyfriend and her bat – what an odd day it was turning out to be. The two boys sized each other up and Bozo decided that it was better to not provoke the man in front of him and decided to try and get down his favorite person's shirt when the angry red one wasn't around.
Deciding to ignore their little guests, Buggy and Shanks headed to the beach while the late afternoon sun was shining. Having taken many walks like this before, Shanks was able to walk close enough to the water that the waves washed over his feet while Buggy was far enough away to steer clear while they both held hands, with Buggy carrying Shanks' sandals for him because she was "being nice." The redhead looked over at his girlfriend and smiled at how much more content she seemed now, the funk of whatever she'd been feeling long gone.
"You seem a lot better now," he commented, swinging their hands back and forth.
"I feel a lot better now," she replied.
"What was wrong?"
"Well, I was guilty about decorating the nursery without you but had that nagging feeling to start on it and I was stressed about work. Alvida, Galdino, and some of the others are pushing harder to hire more members because just the crew can't handle the increasing amount of jobs coming in. However, despite being on the job those idiots keep bringing back baby things no matter what kind of mess they've been dropped into!" Shanks bit back a chuckle at Buggy's irritation but could see her point of view – the goons had been sent to complete some dirty business but always managed to come back with toys and diapers and whatever else had caught their fancy to give their to "Great Captain Buggy!"
"Cut them some slack, they're almost as excited as we are," he soothed. "Do you think you can handle it?" Buggy opened her mouth to complain about her underlings again but Shanks interrupted with what he'd actually meant. "Your expanding business, I mean, not the unexpected presents."
Buggy eyed her boyfriend. "You brought me something, didn't you?"
"Just answer the question," he insisted, trying to cover up that he had, indeed, brought her something.
The woman rolled her eyes. "I guess. I don't really want to go public about the baby with total strangers, but we're going to need more people if work keeps piling up that's for sure…I just don't know what to do."
"You know," Shanks started, "You're not going to be able to hide it forever. Hell, I'm actually surprised that we've managed to get this far."
"It does seem very lucky, doesn't it? And I usually have the best, most horrible luck ever." Buggy sighed again. "I suppose it doesn't really matter if people know I'm pregnant now that I'm established on my own island, am protected by the government, and am about to hire an army of thugs, but keeping you a secret is going to be harder now that there will be more people around."
"Just make sure to send the new recruits on the most jobs, that way, they won't be on the island as much," Shanks suggested. "And I'll be really sneaky!"
"That's actually not a bad idea…" Buggy mused, thinking about it. Before she could say more, Bluster, Bingo, and Bozo started squeaking and the three of them suddenly took off, leaving Buggy's hair a mess.
"I guess they got hungry or something," she huffed, trying to smooth her unruly hair back into place. When that didn't work, Shanks pulled out her ponytail and helped her finger-comb it into waves befitting the beach they were on. He then took her hand again and they kept on walking. Buggy kept thinking about work as they walked and something struck her suddenly. She stopped and yanked Shanks to stop as a result.
"What is it?" he asked, concern on his face.
"I just had a really dumb idea."
Shanks, used to Buggy's dumb ideas, asked, "Okay, what is it?"
"I could have a costume I wear around the new guys to hide the baby for just a bit longer."
He blinked at her, uncomprehending, looking down at her belly. "I'm not following. You haven't been able to hide your bump for a long time now."
"Shut up and listen: What it I get a huuuuuge piece of cloth," the bluenette stretched out her arms until her elbows popped off to demonstrate the hugeness she was thinking of, "And make, like, a jumpsuit out of it or something."
"Okay…" the man said slowly, still not following her.
"Then I put my feet and my hands and my head in it and then I'd go like this!" The bluenette detached the named parts of her body and floated them in the air pretending to be big. "And then I just leave my pregnant ass elsewhere where the non-crew members can't see it!"
It took a moment for the man to process what she was describing. Finally, he had to conclude that she was a dumbass. "That is a really dumb idea." Buggy's body snapped back together and she glared at him. He immediately held his hand up in surrender, not wanting to get her any madder than she already was. "But if it'll make you feel better, go ahead and do it! More power to you!"
The bluenette nodded self-righteously.
"But it's still dumb," he muttered.
"I HEARD THAT!" Shanks couldn't hold back his giggles and had to run away from Buggy as her head came after him. That was put to a quick stop when Buggy's body accidentally got too close to the sea and water splashed over her feet. She got really wobbly and Shanks had to catch her head before it plopped into the sand. He brought it back to her body and led her to a fallen palm tree to take a rest. Her body slumped against him while her head rested in his lap. When she got her energy back, the woman pulled herself together and pulled Shanks to his feet, starting their usual routine again. While they chatted, Buggy had another idea.
"If I do that thing that I was talking about, I can be big and intimidating in front of everyone!" The bluenette cackled wildly and started talking about how great she could make herself look and blathering on about how clever she was. Shanks chuckled to himself because he couldn't see Buggy as anything but adorable, but let her have her dream. She kept ranting about how cool she was going to look and that it would be so convenient not to carry around her heavy belly all the time with Shanks just holding her hand and listening to her.
Eventually, Bluster, Bingo, and Bozo came back adding their own bits of chaos and love into the mix and the walk was interrupted once when Buggy had to pee and ended when Buggy had to pee a second time. After their walk, a stop in the kitchen for some dinner, and some time working on the nursery again, two dressers, the crib, a rocking chair with a very cute-lion pattered blanket, and many of the decorations had been put up. There was still a lot to do, but they'd made good progress today. Shanks' gaze drifted to the bag that he'd brought with him and decided that now was a good time to give it to her.
When Buggy sat down in the rocking chair to try it out, the man started with, "I do have a gift for you and the baby…"
"I knew you'd bought something else, you just tried to clumsily hide it!" she accused, rocking back and forth with her hands on her baby bump. "You're the worst of them all! You always have something new for us!"
Shanks smiled, sheepishly. "Of course, I do! I have to show you how much I love you, right?"
"You do that way too much," she quipped, "But I like it most of the time."
The man smacked his fist against his chest and leaned back dramatically like she'd speared him in the heart. "Only 'most of the time!?' How heartless!"
"Quit being dramatic! You know that I only get annoyed by it when you're literally clinging to me while I'm trying to do something else. I usually have to leave whatever body part you're hugging behind just to get away from you!"
The man laughed, remembering the many times he'd end up with an arm or a leg when that happened. And her ass once – that had been the best time. "Sorry, I just love you so much."
"Dork."
"Can we stop the insults and get back to my present?" Buggy agreed and Shanks grabbed the bag he'd brought with him and set it on Buggy's shrinking lap. She opened it and gasped, pulling out a sky-blue teddy bear. It was so cute! With button eyes and a sewn smile, the bear was the most adorable thing she'd very seen! (Besides Shanks, of course, but she wasn't about to tell him that!)
"Where did you find this?!" she squealed, absolutely delighted.
"Just in a little shop on the last island we visited. Isn't she cute?"
"She?" Buggy had already thought the bear was a boy for some reason, like how children arbitrarily decide what their stuffed animals' names will be shortly after receiving them.
"Well…" Shanks reached into the back and pulled out a big red pom-pom, an even bigger smile on his face. "I can't sew well due to obvious reasons, so could you help me put the nose on?" Buggy blushed, finally putting together that the bear was supposed to be her. She was so touched and her eyes welled up with tears – she didn't know what to say! However, her big mouth had her back, and it didn't get in the way too much this time.
"Finally, something that I can do better than you!" she gloated, smiling widely. "But, of course, I'll help you." The two of them grinned at each other and by the end of the day the blue bear with the big red nose was sitting on the rocking chair with the lion blanket, waiting for baby to arrive.
To be Continued...
A/N: And there you go! Thanks for waiting and I hope to see you all again soon!
P.S. Shoutout to DeadJane on Ao3 for giving me the Buggy teddy bear idea! (ω^)