A/N: Heyo! ZareEraz here! Hello everyone, thank you for being patient with me. I've had some big changes in my life recently and I was really busy for the past month. I know that I've kept you waiting so I hope that you enjoy this nice big chapter :3 Please let me know what you think! Happy Reading!
Chapter Eight: Waiting Game
Buggy giggled as she sneaked around a building, having successfully slipped past Crocus' guards (a food-coma Mohji and Ritchie) and out into the sunshine of the early morning. They have a serious problem if they're already sleeping right after breakfast, she thought. But hey, it works for me! The bluenette took a deep breath of fresh air and float-walked toward the trees where she would be safe from prying eyes. She was in her 37th week of pregnancy and for three weeks she'd been cooped up inside and could endure all she could endure. Since her fever (and every day after that) Buggy had wanted to rub her forehead against a cheese grater – that was more enjoyable than being inside all day every day. Sure, she liked spending time with her friends but there were only so many times she could have her nails painted by Alvida or win at cards with Mohji and Cabaji, or have cups of tea with Galdino before she went crazy. Being saddled with Benn was a little better because they'd just read books in companionable silence and complain about Shanks (good-naturedly, of course). Lucky Roux and Yasopp also took a turn, but the sniper kept trying to start fights with her and the cook kept leaving to get snacks, which defeated the purpose of babysitting and they were quickly phased out of the rotation. Shanks was the best companion to have time with but even then Buggy sometimes wanted to rip his hair out, and not in the good way.
The woman took another look at her surroundings as she snuck away, hoping to not get caught by anyone, especially her adoring newbies who were still over the moon about their Great Captain Buggy having a baby. She didn't want to get swamped anywhere near town – that would bring out Crocus and he'd chain her to the bed until the baby came.
"I don't need to stay in bed any longer," she whispered, "I just want to go for a walk." But she knew that she didn't 'just want to go for a walk' because she was carrying a basket of snacks, a folded-up chair, and a new novel Galdino had given to her. This expedition was definitely going to be more than a short walk.
The women managed to slip into the forest and out of sight, safe at last. She took it easy, floating through the trees at a reasonable pace. When she was sure that she'd wandered far enough away (much farther than she planned to do), she found a nice, shady spot on a stretch of beach to rest at. She popped off her arms to set up her chair and plopped right into it. She fished out a bottle of cola, a sandwich, and her new book and got to sitting on her ass again. Two or so hours passed like that, relaxing in the shade, listening to the ocean, and enjoying the freedom she'd been missing. As time when on, she felt a little moisture in her underwear, but nothing to be concerned about. This had pretty much become standard since she hit the middle of her second trimester – having a baby pressing down on her bladder was the best way to have accidents so she'd taken to wearing pads most of the time. She wasn't worried about it and kept enjoying her alone time reading and snacking and watching the sea. Her back ached a bit and she had some discomfort in her stomach from time to time, but she'd been living with discomfort for so long that she didn't worry about that either.
It wasn't until her snacks had run out and she'd become bored with her book that Buggy decided that it was probably time to go home and endure the scoldings that she knew were coming. "Shanks and Crocus are not going to be happy I snuck away, but I'm sure they'll forgive me," she chuckled.
The woman stretched, feeling sections of her arms and legs separating as she worked out her kinks. Her belly twinged harshly in pain, dragging a surprised hiss from her lips. "Ouch, that hurt!" Buggy rubbed at her stomach, trying to ease the pain. It felt like an awful period cramp and kept going for about half a minute before the woman could sigh in relief that it was gone. She swore, "That was a bitch!" before beginning to haul herself up and gather her things.
It was when she stood up that things finally clicked into place. As she straightened, the little trickle she'd felt in her panties increased, like a bag of water with a hole in it being squeezed. The trickle turned into a steady stream and Buggy knew even without a huge gush that her water had broken – she was going into labor!
"Shit!" The bluenette abandoned her things and popped her feet off, float-running towards Buggy Town. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! I'm having a baby! She was panicking, cursing herself for going out of her way to get as far away from town as possible; that had been the stupidest idea! She was at least two, maybe three miles out – that would take her at least half an hour or more to run if she was lucky and the contractions weren't bad. She was not lucky. Buggy kept running until another round of cramps stopped her. She skidded to a halt and only just managed to not crash herself into the ground, and reattached her feet before hugging herself tightly. She gritted her teeth as a wave of discomfort edged with pain washed over her. It wasn't just her stomach and uterus that were hurting, her back and thighs sparked with pain as well.
"Shit!" she cursed again, waiting for the pain to peak and fade away, her brain shutting everything else out except the thought that her baby was on the way. When the contraction passed she gasped for breath, having stopped breathing for nearly a minute. That minute gave her time to remember something that was really important: Shanks wasn't in Buggy Town at the moment. He'd said something this morning about taking care of a few things at the hidden beach where he could move around freely – she assumed they were Emperor things but whatever they were, they were about to get interrupted. The bluenette had the choice of going straight back to Buggy Town and Crocus and sending a message to Shanks or she could run to the Red Hair base, get Shanks and then have him carry her back to Buggy Town. She hardly needed a second to decide – having someone carry her around sounded great right now.
Buggy turned on her heel and dove into the trees, float-running through the forest as far as she could until the next contraction hit her. This one was more of a dull pain that spread throughout her torso, drawing pitiful moans out of her rather than sharp curses. She had to stop but was able to make it to the Red Hair camp before another contraction came. The bluenette started shouting Shanks' name before the camp was even in sight.
The redhead was at his desk in his bedroom, looking over some work he'd been procrastinating doing, when he heard his name from far off.
"SHAAAAAANKS!"
"Aw shit," he cursed, realizing that Buggy was very far from where she was supposed to be. "She got out." He sighed and put the papers he was looking at away. "Oh well. She's given me a good excuse to continue putting this crap off." He stretched his cramped body out and yawned hugely; he'd been doing work so much that it was a good thing Buggy had come to distract him. Though, he was worried about her being out when she was supposed to be resting. He heard his name being shouted again, a little closer this time, but he was still using his haki to hear it. "She better not make herself sick again," he grumbled, praying that she wasn't exerting herself too much.
Shanks got up from his desk and walked out onto the deck of the Red Force, waiting for his wayward lover. The sea breeze tousled his hair, and he wondered if Buggy would call him cute again if he let his hair stay like that. Buggy shouted again, emerging from the trees on the far side of the beach, her feet pattering on behind her.
"SHAAAAANKS!" He was about to call out to her when she did something unexpected – she stopped running, reattached her feet, and hugged her belly tightly, curling up and groaning.
"Buggy!?" The man leaped off the deck and ran to her the second his sandals hit the ground. He frantically looked her over for signs of injury, placing his hand on her back to comfort her. "Buggy, are you okay?" She glared up at him, her eyes bright with pain, a sheen of sweat glistening on her skin.
"Do I look like I'm okay!?" she retorted, the last word turning into a groan. Her shouting and his running had gathered a crowd of Shanks' men, all of them looking on with trepidation, waiting for something else bad to happen. The man's hand stayed on his girlfriend's back until she straightened up, her skin a little shiner, her eyes bright with pain, and her chest heaving. "That wasn't even a bad one…" she sighed.
"A bad one?" Shanks repeated, not understanding. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close.
Buggy rolled her eyes, a strand of her blue hair coming loose from her ponytail. "You idiot," she chuckled dryly. "I'm in labor here."
It took several seconds for him and his men to process what they'd just heard and time seemed to slow down. The gears in Shanks' brain tried to fire up again, grinding a little but getting nowhere. He decided that if he asked for clarification, maybe that would help. "Say that again?"
"You were supposed to react better than this," she complained. But then she tried to suppress a smile when she remembered having a similar conversation with him back when she'd told him she was pregnant. "I'm having the baby!" she exclaimed. "Right now!"
That seemed to snap the man out of it. "The baby's coming?!"
"Yes!" she laughed, watching the emotions run across his face – shock, joy, panic, excitement – all one after another. She was feeling all of that herself, she'd just had the run here to go through them once. She would probably go through that cycle a million more times, but she'd at least have one up on him. "Now take me to Crocus, please!"
That snapped him into action.
"Oh my gosh! We gotta go! We gotta go!" Already knowing what Buggy wanted, Shanks scooped her up into his arm and started booking it towards town. The bluenette held on as she moved faster than she ever remembered moving before – it was almost like he was flying – and her heart leaped at every jump he made. She was not scared that he would drop her, but her heart still pounded. As they flew through the forest, Buggy remembered something.
"I left my crap at a beach," she muttered. "Shit."
"We'll find it all later, Buggs," Shanks replied, sailing over a small river. "I'll have the guys go get it."
"Thanks," she said, tucking her head into his chest.
"Don't worry. We'll get you taken care of." They didn't speak for a minute until Shanks asked a question. "The baby is coming a little early, right?"
"About three weeks."
"You think everything's okay?"
"I hope so," she replied, a furrow forming between her eyebrows.
"Don't worry," he comforted, "Crocus will know and he'll handle it." Then he chuckled dryly. "I have to confess, I was kind of hoping to have those three weeks."
"Me too," Buggy agreed. The worry on her face increased. "I'm scared, Shanks. I thought I had more time."
Hearing her confess that Shanks finally pushed aside the urgency that clouded his brain since Buggy had appeared on the beach and realized that he was also scared. "I am too," he agreed with her. "And I'm scared for you too." She gave him a questioning look and he explained his thoughts. "I guess 'worried' is a more accurate word – I hate seeing you in pain."
"Well, sucks for you because this is all going to be pain," Buggy laughed at the dark humor that slipped out of her mouth.
"Don't joke about this!"
"But that's what I do when things are terrifying!" she argued. "I'm scared shitless right now! And probably will be shitless at some point if all those medical books are right!"
"Well, you will be pushing a watermelon out of your body so I'm fully expecting you to poo – "
"Don't joke about that!" Buggy blushed furiously, mortified.
"You're the one that brought it up!" The bluenette blushed a shade deeper and then yanked on his ear. Shanks made a misstep but still managed to sidestep a tree.
"Don't do that!" he snapped, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.
"Oh, you're fine!" she snapped back.
"It's not me I'm worried about, it's you! I don't want to drop you!"
"Then don't drop me!"
"I won't!" Then the man took a breath and decided to let the argument go. Instead, he joked, "Why do I keep having to carry you through this forest?"
"Because I don't know," she answered. "All I do know is that this time, I wanted you to carry me and that you'd be faster than me running."
Hearing her confidence in him chased his agitation away for a moment. "Aw, you're so cute to come to me!"
"Why would I not?! It's your baby too and you're going to suffer with me!" As harsh as that sounded, Shanks saw right through Buggy and knew that she just wanted him around to comfort her. He let her comment slide and kept running until Buggy Town was in sight. They had to stop at the tree line as Buggy's body contracted again and Shanks murmured comforting words and held her close until it passed. Then, after taking a quick look around to make sure that he wouldn't be seen, the man dashed out into the open and headed toward the clinic. Buggy's floating hand shot out and opened the door before anyone saw them and slammed it shut again. Thankfully, no one else was in the clinic and both of them yelled for Crocus.
"What is it this time?" the old man grumbled as he came stomping down the stairs from his apartment. He glanced at his two brats and instantly took stock of Buggy's hunched position and Shanks' concerned face and comforting hold on her. "It's time, isn't it?"
"Yeah," they both answered.
"My water broke," Buggy added. "This is a bitch."
Crocus laughed and patted her on the head. "We'll get you taken care of, don't worry."
"Aren't you surprised?" she asked. "It surprised me! The baby's coming early!"
"It's not particularly dangerous for babies to be born at 37 weeks – especially spontaneously as seems to be the case," he explained. "So while I'm a bit surprised, I'm not worried." Then the old man smiled mischievously. "Though, this just means your baby has a flare for the dramatic, just like their mother."
Buggy smiled back. "They've got to be flashy to be my baby!"
"That's true! Now, let's get you cleaned up and into some comfy clothes." Crocus turned to Shanks and asked him to go get Buggy's labor and delivery bag that they'd packed and left upstairs in the upstairs apartment. While he did that, Crocus got Buggy into the patient's room and helped her out of her dirty clothes before shooing her into the shower. While she was in there, Shanks came down and the old man sighed.
"She wasn't in her room when this all started, was she?" he asked.
Shanks shook his head, placing the bag he was carrying on the ground and rummaging around in it for Buggy's designated birthing dress, robe, and fluffy socks with grips. "Nope. She was on a beach."
"I'm going to have to give Mohji and Ritchie an earful for letting her get out," Crocus muttered. "At least nothing serious happened."
The redhead nodded in agreement, one-handedly pulling out clothes, hair ties, a brush, and snacks. "She came right to me as soon as she realized. I wish she didn't have to go through the trees, but at least she could float."
"Little blessings." Crocus then took a good look at Buggy's clothes and half-scoffed and half-laughed. "She's gonna wear that?"
"I couldn't get her to go any less flashy," Shanks confessed, smiling widely. Buggy had chosen a flowing, lacey, light blue, knee-length dress with an intricate, yellow star pattern and a long-sleeve, ankle-length, red and white striped robe to go over it. "The dress is very functional though – it's got pockets and the top unzips."
Crocus shook his head at her antics. "As long as it's functional, I won't give her shit for it."
"Give me shit for what?" Buggy poked her head out of the bathroom, looking much more relaxed now that she was clean.
"Your dumb clothes," Crocus explained.
"They're not dumb! They're flashy!"
"Whatever you say."
After that, Shanks helped Buggy get dressed and both men helped her get settled for the long haul. After Shanks insisted on brushing out her wet hair himself, the woman swept it up into a massive blue bun on the top of her head and then plopped back on the bed.
"How are you feeling?" Shanks asked, taking a seat next to the bed.
"Scared and in pain," she replied. A furrow was about to form between his eyebrows when Buggy continued, "But excited. I want to meet my baby."
Shanks smiled. "I want to meet my baby too." He took his lover's hand and squeezed it. "You tell me if you need something, okay? Anything at all. I want to make this as comfortable as possible."
Buggy's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. "I think you're going to eventually regret that," she snickered.
"Hey, I just want to be supportive enough not to get yelled at, but I'm probably going to get yelled at anyway."
Buggy blushed, already embarrassed by what she was probably going to do at some point during her labor. "I apologize in advance for mostly likely yelling at you. Please forgive everything I am going to say."
"You're forgiven," the redhead said, kissing her cheek. Buggy opened her mouth to reply but was then interrupted.
"I think I'm going to throw up from all this sweetness," Crocus interjected.
"You can't throw up! You're in charge, you old fart!" the bluenette snapped, her head flying off to pester Crocus. The banter continued on until Buggy's next contraction and both men worked to get her comfortable. Despite the pain she was enduring and was going to endure, Buggy was as excited as she'd said. Her baby was finally coming!
XXX
The baby wasn't coming fast enough now. Two and a half hours in and Buggy was ready to stab something, preferably not Crocus or Shanks. So instead of just stabbing something like she normally did and wanting to not be a bitch this early on in her labor, she expressed that she wanted to stab something.
"I want to stab something right now!" she snapped, plopping down on the bed again after taking a few loops around the room.
"Just as long as it's not me!" Shanks laughed. Buggy shot him a look and he shut his mouth. "I'll be right back, don't move." She grumped at him as he dashed out of the room. He peeked out of all the curtained windows in the lobby and found that he couldn't get out of the clinic without being seen by a rookie. However, as luck would have it, Galdino was walking past the clinic. The redhead cracked the window open to get his attention.
"Psst! Galdino!" The wax head stopped and looked around to see who was talking to him. He saw the hand poking out of the window and waving at him. He walked over and saw that it was Shanks. It wasn't a secret that Buggy was in labor now, the whole island knew at this point because, besides the one exception of Shanks' identity, nobody could keep a secret.
"What is it?" the wax man asked, curious.
"Can we get a dart board in here or something?"
"Why? Are you bored? You better not say that to Buggy – she'll kill you."
"No, Buggy wants to stab something," Shanks explained.
Galdino's face instantly paled. "I hope it's not me!"
"I made the same joke!" Shanks chuckled.
"I was not joking," the wax man replied, drooping visibly.
"Oh." There was an awkward pause. "Well, I don't want to give her a knife right now, so I thought darts would be a bit better."
Galdino adjusted his glasses and nodded. "I'm sure I can't find one, give me a minute."
A short while later, the man returned with not only one dartboard but several, all with their own sets of darts from adorning crewmembers. In Buggy's crew, it was go big or go home. And the bluenette was quite pleased to have something to stab and spent the next fifteen minutes "killing" the dart boards with deadly accuracy. Shanks thought it was really hot how good she was and even took shots himself when she handed him his own darts. They ended up playing a few games until Buggy had tired herself out, pausing their last game to take a break.
Shanks held out a glass of water to the woman with a smile. "Here have some water."
She glared at the cup. "Why do I need more water? I'm not thirsty right now."
Shanks gentled his voice but stayed insistent. "Crocus said that you need to keep drinking water. I think it's because you're going to be losing a lot of…" he paused, not knowing how to put it in a way that wouldn't offend her for a second. "Fluids." Yeah, that was a good word. "Please, just drink it."
As Buggy was about to argue, another contraction started and she hunched up, holding her belly and gritting her teeth as sheer uncomfortableness twisted her insides. Crocus walked in during those moments and gently soothed her along with Shanks. When the pain eased, Buggy flopped back against her pillows and held out her hand.
She gasped, "Water!" and found two hands holding out glasses to her, for which she was grateful. Crocus said something about a bathroom break and left the room again. Once she was done chugging both glasses, Buggy tossed two darts onto the board, reducing her score to zero by hitting both a double segment and a bullseye.
"Aw, shit!" Shanks laughed. He tossed his last three darts for fun but was left with a score of five, which would've been nearly impossible to get down to zero without going bust.
"Ha!" Buggy gloated. "I'm finally better at something than you."
Shanks sat on her bed and kissed her cheek. "You're already doing something that I can't do, love bug." He rubbed her belly affectionately. "You can do anything that you put your mind to."
"Except get this baby out faster," she quipped.
"If this baby is anything like you, they'll come out when they're good and ready," he chuckled, kissing her nose this time.
Buggy smirked, patting her belly, "And with maximum flash!"
"With maximum flash, of course." Buggy tipped her head up and Shanks immediately knew what she wanted. Making sure that they were alone, the man pressed his lips to hers, feeling their warmth. And when she opened her mouth to him, he opened his mouth and let her tongue in. This kiss was gentle but deep, and both of them enjoyed the intimacy. Her hand was gripping his shirt, the other floating to cup his cheek. They moved together, softly, and just as Shanks was about to move his tongue into her mouth, the door opened again and Crocus walked back in from his bathroom break. The two of them sprang apart and blushed while the doctor just rolled his eyes.
"Save it, lovebirds. I know that's going to have at least three more times before this is over." The old man put on his doctor's coat and washed his hands again before putting on gloves. "Let's see where you are baby-wise since I know where you are boyfriend-wise, shall we?"
Buggy, still blushing, nodded and let go of Shanks. The redhead got up and went to put the dart boards away until the next time she wanted to stab something, and he was sure that Buggy would want to stab something later, which he still hoped would not be him.
XXX
"Shit!" Buggy sat straight up from where she'd been dozing and startled Shanks and Crocus.
"What is it?!" they both shouted, thinking that something was wrong.
Buggy started crying, big fat tears rolling down her face, making the men panic even more. That is until she opened her mouth again. "I forgot about Rayleigh! I forgot to tell him!" Both men sighed, thankful that she didn't feel something off and Shanks pulled her into a hug. She sobbed, "I don't even know where he is!"
"Don't worry, Buggy," Shanks soothed, pressing his cheek against her head. "I don't know where he went after seeing him in the newspaper at Marineford, but the last time I was near the Sabaody Archipelago, I left a message with Shakky for him and a piece of your Vivre Card."
Buggy sniffed, calming down a little, but still kept crying. "W-who the h-hell is Shakky?"
"His…uh…" the man didn't quite know how to explain it. "Ummmm…wife, I think? I don't quite know, actually," he laughed awkwardly. "They've got an odd thing."
"Kind of like us?" Buggy sniffed, wiping at her tears. She was trying to stop them but was failing miserably, damn hormones.
"I don't go chasing after other women," he protested. "I only chase you!"
"So he still does that?" Buggy laughed wryly.
"I think If Shakky had a problem with it she'd beat his ass. We Roger Pirates like our women strong," he continued, winking at her. Buggy rolled her eyes, her tears not completely gone yet. She still felt like she was definitely not up to that standard, but she didn't say that out loud as Shanks continued talking. "But from what she's told me, they're very happy."
"Good for him. I hope that old fart is happy."
"That 'old fart' better not ever hear you call him 'old fart' or he's going to beat your ass," Crocus half-teased, half-warned. "I am much more lenient when it comes to that stuff."
Buggy and Shanks were both about to list the many times they'd been bonked on the head for calling him old, but then Buggy hissed in pain as another contraction started. The conversation was put on hold while Shanks prompted her to do her breathing exercises while getting through the pain. Buggy snapped at him to not tell her how to breathe – because she knew how to breathe goddammit! – but couldn't deny that having him close helped ease her discomfort. When the contraction was over, she picked up the conversation again.
"I'll just have to bribe him with a baby," the bluenette panted when her body relaxed again.
"That's good thinking," Shanks agreed, handing Buggy a glass of water when she held out her hand. When the hand came out again, he rummaged around their labor bag for a snack. Being the best boyfriend ever (and having learned the hard way forty-five minutes ago) he instantly handed Buggy a chocolate bar, rice crackers, and a raw tomato for her to choose from. She chose the chocolate bar, Shanks' addition to the bag. As she munched, Shanks thought, Buggy's going through these pretty fast…I'm going to have to send someone to get more snacks. His thoughts were interrupted when his girlfriend started speaking around her food.
"If only the damn baby would get out of me! How long has it been?"
"About four hours," Crocus reported. "It's been about three since you came to me, I figure, and then the half an hour to forty-five minutes you spent getting Shanks and getting here. Maybe a little longer." He'd been keeping track of her hours and the frequency, and the length of her contractions since she'd been in the clinic.
"How long is it supposed to last again?"
"The average labor time for a first pregnancy is twelve to nineteen hours, give or take."
"Son of a bitch!"
Shanks laughed and kissed his pissed lover on her red nose. "Just think about all the bribery you're going to pull on both grandpas after the baby is born."
"I'm not going to fall for it!" the old doctor protested.
Buggy's and Shanks' responses were immediate. "Yes, you are."
"Who do you think is going to be worse, Crocus or Rayleigh?" the redhead asked.
"Crocus because he's going to be around since day one," the bluenette answered.
"I think it's going to be Rayleigh because he's going to miss out until he gets here," Shanks countered. "And he'll be so jealous that Crocus has been here the whole time."
Buggy gave Crocus a knowing smile. "But this old fart is going to be even more jealous that Grandpa Rayleigh is going to take baby's attention away when he gets here!"
Now it was Crocus' turn to blush and he hollered, "Shut up, you brats!" and went on about how they needed to stop making fun of him to his face and be more grateful for everything he was doing. While they were both definitely grateful, his brats just laughed and laughed until he joined in with them.
XXX
During hour six, something unexpected happened: one of Buggy's newbies was really dumb and sliced his arm open. The man came into Crocus' clinic for treatment and the old doctor poked his head out of the temporary delivery room to see the extent of the damage.
"Goddamn…" he breathed, seeing the wads of bloody cloth pressed into his arm. "Buggy I'll be back in a bit. One of your men is injured and I've got to stitch him up."
"A bit!? And you're just going to leave me here!?" came the shrill reply. The Buggy pirate instantly perked up at hearing his captain's voice and started bouncing in his seat with joy.
"You've got hours to go, you brat. Just eat a snack while I'm gone," the old man argued back, shutting the door as he went back inside for a minute before emerging with his medical bag and leaving the grumpy woman inside.
The injured man thought that Captain Buggy was left alone, but as the door was pulled shut by Crocus, he saw something unexpected in the room – a glimpse of red hair and a very familiar face. The man hardly registered Crocus cleaning his wound, stitching it up, and bandaging it – he was too busy thinking about the redheaded man he'd briefly seen in the other room, the pieces of the mystery surrounding his captain starting to click into place. Captain Buggy had been pregnant the whole time she'd been on Karai Bari Island, but none of the mercenary-turned-pirates were aware of whom the father could be. The older crew members were likely to know something since she'd been pregnant longer than the island had been founded but hadn't said anything to the new recruits. Additionally, Captain Buggy wouldn't allow just anyone to be in the delivery room with her and surely if the father knew of the child, he'd be with Buggy while she was giving birth. And besides the glimpse he'd seen of the man just beyond the closed door, the other major indicator that the man in there was supposed to be in there boiled down to two facts: that Warlord of the Sea Buggy the Clown and Emperor of the Sea Shanks had a history together on the crew of the King of the Pirates, and that she had escaped Marineford on his ship. The father of Captain Buggy's baby had to be Red Hair Shanks! And that meant that the Great Captain Buggy had made an Emperor of the Sea fall madly in love with her! He had to tell the others what he had seen!
Once the man had drawn all the conclusions that he'd wanted, it was hard to stay still in his seat and Crocus had to snap at him to hold still or he'd get a stitch where he didn't want a stitch. The pirate did his best to stifle his newfound energy and the news bubbling on his tongue until the doctor was done. After he was bandaged up and given some painkillers, the man practically skipped out of the clinic, happy to have sliced his arm open.
"She has got some of the strangest goons, I swear," Crocus commented, watching the unsettling sight of a battle-hardened mercenary skip out the door giggling. He cleaned up the bloody bandages and his equipment, unaware of the chaos that was about to descend on the island. It wasn't until Benn openly walked into the clinic a little while later that it became clear what had happened.
"Buggy, there's a bit of a situation out here," Benn said, poking his head into the delivery room after knocking.
"I'm a little busy here! What kind of situation?!" she snapped, preparing for the contraction she felt was coming. At the same time, Shanks asked, "What are you doing here Benn?" He was the only one who had noticed how casually his first mate was being, out in the open for any of Buggy's men to see him. He may not be the captain, but the first mate of the Red Hair Pirates was certainly someone who was clearly recognizable.
"Um…" Benn didn't quite know what to say, but then a huge roar outside saved him the effort.
"CAPTAIN BUGGY CHARMED AN EMPEROR OF THE SEA! SHE IS OUR AMAZING CAPTAIN BUGGY!"
Buggy and Shanks both shouted, "Shit! Not this again!" looking at each other in horror. But then the bluenette spasmed in pain, holding her belly with both arms as Shanks' held her. Everyone's attention was on her for the duration of the contraction but when she finally relaxed again she just sighed in defeat.
"Oh well. It's not like I could've kept it from them for forever. Just tell the guys who already knew to intimidate them into keeping their big mouths shut." Benn looked at his captain and got an agreeing nod.
"Will do."
"Wait." Benn turned to look at Buggy, watching as she struggled to get out of bed. "I'll do it myself."
"Buggy!" Shanks protested, "You should be resting!"
"I need to get out of this room for a minute!" she argued back.
"Crocus!" The redhead turned to their mentor for backup.
"Walking will actually do her some good right now," the doctor shrugged, his medical knowledge helping Buggy in this instance.
"Are you coming or not!?" the bluenette asked, holding her hand out for Shanks. It was clear that she didn't want to do this alone and the man couldn't stop his heart from melting as she (begrudgingly) asked for his help.
"Stubborn ass," he chuckled, taking her hand and kissing her nose.
"Look who's talking," she piped back, squeezing his hand. They slowly walked out of the clinic, with Buggy brushing stray hair behind her ears to look at least a little put together while Shanks helped her step into some shoes. The couple then walked out together to face the general chaos that was Buggy's crew.
A sea of colorful bodies greeted them, a mix of both old and new members bubbling like champagne outside the clinic. "CAPTAIN BUGGY!" they shouted enthusiastically, "YOU'RE SO AMAZING!" Underneath all the shouting, a wave of whispers passed through the crowd.
"It is Red Hair!"
"He was right!"
"It wasn't a joke!"
"I can't believe this!"
"It's too amazing!"
"Look how they're holding hands!"
"He compliments our captain so well!"
Buggy rolled her eyes and blushed while Shanks stifled a snort as he was reduced to an accessory to the crew's beloved captain yet again.
"ALRIGHT! SHUT IT!" she shouted, efficiently quieting her goons. She placed her free hand on her spine and leaned back, stretching her uncomfortable body. "Now listen up!"
"YES, CAPTAIN BUGGY!" came the resounding echo.
"Just to set the record straight for everyone here: This is Shanks, Captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Emperor of the yadda, yadda, yadda…" She paused for just a moment, squeezing Shanks' hand. "And I love him very much."
Shanks blushed, grinning like a fool and practically radiating his affection for her. The Buggy newbies felt that love for the first time while the veterans gushed over it with them for the thousandth time. "AAAAAAWWWWWWWW!"
And then, stating the obvious, Buggy added, "And this is his baby too and I'll have no sass about it!"
"YES, CAPTAIN BUGGY!" came the immediate reply.
"And now that you idiots know, you not gonna say anything, RIGHT?! This is strictly secret!" she shouted, glaring at her men. Instead of cowering like Shanks was sure Buggy wanted, the men got even more excited that their captain was trusting them with this secret.
"CAPTAIN BUGGY! WE'LL TAKE IT TO OUT GRAVES!"
"GOOD!" she hollered. "Now get lost! I'm going for a walk! Come on, Shanks!" She yanked her lover's hand and pulled him along. It did not go unnoticed that her calves were disconnected from her swollen feet and ankles to make the walk easier.
The man smiled as he glanced at her feet and said, "Yes, ma'am!"
"Don't start that with me," she grumbled. "I get enough of it with them."
"You're right, Buggs."
She thought for a moment before adding, "But I do like it when they fawn over me sometimes."
"Of course you do, love bug."
She glared at the huge smile on his face. "You're being cheeky."
"You're right, bug-a-boo!"
"Stop using my nicknames!"
"Whatever you say, ladybug!" he teased.
"You did it again!" She paused. "That one was new!"
"Was it, sweet pea?"
"I'm going to strangle you!" Shanks broke into chuckles as Buggy half-playfully threatened him, grabbing at his shirt collar while he dodged.
When she calmed down, Buggy sighed and looked as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "I'm actually relieved that I don't have to worry about secrets around them anymore."
Shanks squeezed his girlfriend's hand and nodded. "Me too. Sneaking around was fun, but I'd much rather just be out in the open with you."
"Well, you may regret that sooner or later." The bluenette gestured behind them with her head and Shanks turned his head. Just as he caught sight of the crowd following them, they disappeared into bushes and trees, trying to keep a low profile. He bit back a laugh as he saw not only the new-infatuated rookies but also many reinvigorated veterans in the mix.
"You may be right about that, but I'll never regret being with you," he replied, kissing her hair for both his benefit and the starry-eyed goon's enjoyment.
Buggy instantly caught on to what he was doing when another "AAAAAAWWWWW!" rose up behind her and pinched the man's cheek. "Don't rile them up!" But even as she broke into another angry rant, Buggy never let go of Shanks' hand despite their adoring audience.
XXX
When hour nine rolled around, something shocking happened. "Shanks, don't touch me," Buggy said suddenly, glaring at his hand in hers.
The man was stunned and his mouth fell open. "Wha-?"
Buggy loosened her grip and glared at the offending appendage again. "Let go of my hand. I don't want to be touched."
The redhead held up his hand in surrender, sad and confused about the whole thing. The woman crossed her arms in a huff and started enduring her contractions without his supportive hand. While still looking at her funny, Shanks was again shocked when Buggy added. "Leave the room for a bit and find Alvida if you can," adding on a, "Please," after the fact.
Now more sad and confused, the man walked out of the delivery room and bumped into Crocus.
"What are you doing out here? There is a bathroom in there if you need to pee, remember?" the old man pointed out.
"Buggy just asked me to leave," the redhead replied, ignoring the comment. "And she didn't want to hold my hand anymore."
Crocus blinked for a moment, processing what he'd just heard. Buggy had been quite dependent on Shanks throughout her labor, so it was quite strange that she suddenly didn't want him in the room. However, the old doctor was also aware – according to a very helpful labor and delivery guide which focused on caring for the mother's emotions – that this situation was not too uncommon.
He patted the younger man on the shoulder and said, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. She's been obsessively watched for the past nine hours; she probably just needed a break. I'm sure she'll be yelling for you in no time." Crocus then stuck his head out the door.
"Hey, Benn!" he called, catching sight of the first mate. "Take your currently useless captain to get a sandwich or something. He's been dismissed for the moment and should take a break!" Shanks blushed at his current inadequacy but his first mate's comforting smile eased his shame.
"Call us back when she's ready," the gray-haired man replied.
"I'm sure you'll hear Buggy before you'll hear me," the old man laughed. As the two men turned away, Crocus called out to them again. "Hey, Shanks." Both men paused and turned. "Remember, no matter what you're doing, you're doing it wrong right now, and that's okay. She's uncomfortable as hell and is going to keep being irritated. But on the other hand, just keep doing whatever it is, because she'll appreciate it later." When he saw the corner of the redhead's mouth quirk up, he smiled too.
As the two men walked away, Shanks turned and shouted, "Oh! She wanted to see Alvida if we can find her!"
"I'll send someone to get her," Crocus agreed, already searching for some poor goon to torment.
Ten minutes later, Alvida strode into Buggy's delivery room and huffed, "Well, it's about time! I was wondering if you were ever going to include me."
"Sorry, 'Vida," the bluenette groaned. "I've been occupied."
"But it's been nine hours and I hadn't heard anything!" Alvida snapped. Even though she looked perfect on the outside, there was a telltale furrow between the woman's eyebrows that indicated her worry, however reluctant it might be.
"You didn't come to check on me either!" Buggy argued back.
"Hey, I'm not walking in here unless I'm invited!" the black-haired woman argued back. "I didn't want to get my head ripped off for no reason!" She paused to brush her hair back into place after her outburst. "Besides, I just saw a pretty cowed Shanks sulking over a sandwich outside. What's up with that?"
Buggy blushed, her eyes full of guilt. "I don't really know myself…" she started. "I just felt so claustrophobic with him around – like everything was caving in around me, and it was hard to breathe – and I just didn't want to be touched anymore." The bluenette sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have sent him out of the room, but I was just so frustrated in the moment I acted without thinking."
Alvida pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing just how unreasonable Buggy could be. "You're going to have to apologize to him, you know."
"I know." Buggy sighed even more deeply and her shoulders visibly slumped.
"Idiot."
"I know."
Alvida sat on the bed and patted Buggy's hand softly before placing her own on her lap. "At least you know how much of an asshole you're being."
"Watch it." Some of Buggy's spark was flashing in her eyes again.
"You watch it," the other woman countered. "Anyway, how far along are you? Where is all this madness at?"
"I've dilated to four centimeters at the last check, but I've been there for a bit," Buggy huffed, clearly upset.
"And how many centimeters do you need to be at to give birth again?"
"Ten."
"Aw shit, not even halfway there!"
"Don't rub it in my face! You have no idea how uncomfortable all of this has been!"
Alvida stifled the laughter bubbling up in her throat at the sight of her friend's pouty face and instead smirked gleefully. "I'm not going to say I'm sorry; I'm having too much fun."
"I bet you are!" Buggy stuck out her tongue. "And here I just wanted some feminine company," she shot back. "Especially since now I only have a stuffy old man!" The woman raised her voice with her own smirk.
"Hey! This 'stuffy old man' will knock your block off!" Crocus shouted from the other room. "And you really shouldn't piss off your medical provider," he added, walking into the delivery room and handing Buggy a glass of water.
"I know you wouldn't try anything funny, Grandpa." Buggy hid her pleased smile behind her glass when she saw how happy the title made him.
"You're right, but I'm still going to give you a hard time anyway." The doctor stretched and looked at his watch – it was nearing seven in the evening. "Did you need anything else? If not, I'm going leave you with your feminine company for a bit."
"Nah, I'm good," Buggy answered.
"Good. Have fun, brat." Crocus turned to leave again but paused with his hand on the door. "And don't forget to let Shanks back in soon – you know how sulky he can get."
Buggy rolled her eyes. "I know, I know."
The bluenette allowed herself half an hour of banter with Alvida before she asked her to go find her boyfriend. She didn't have to go far because the second she stepped out of the clinic, the black-haired woman nearly tripped over the man. Shanks had been waiting by the door this whole time, moodily eating anything that had been brought to him. Shanks looked up at Alvida hopefully and she had to stifle a chuckle at the expression on his face.
"Buggy asked for me to get you," she said, resisting the urge to tease him for looking so pathetic.
"She did?!" It was clear that the man was relieved as he leaped to his feet.
Alvida waved her arm toward the door. "Don't let me stop you, lover boy." Without another word, the man disappeared in a flash and happy noises could be heard inside the clinic. Alvida just shook her head and went to join the chaos once again.
XXX
In hour twelve, Buggy was just done. "Shanks, I swear that this time I really am going to cut your dick off," she panted, relaxing from what felt like her millionth contraction. "I am never doing this again! And I am never going to let this happen again because I'm going to cut your dick off! I wasn't serious any of those other times I said that but I'm serious now!"
"Shanks," Alvida said, looking up from her newspaper in the corner of the room. She'd been designated "entertainment" for the last few hours whenever Buggy got bored, but now she was being entertained "Run."
"I'm not going to – " he started, but then a scalpel was coming toward him and he shot out the door. The sun had set just a bit ago and the sea looked wonderful under the moonlight, however, the peaceful evening was disrupted when Shanks dashed through the sand, jumping and ducking around an angry head and the scalpel she was swinging at him.
"Buggy, just calm down!" he shouted, as his and her crews both called out in concern and laughed at him at the same time.
"Don't tell me to calm down! You're not the one pushing a watermelon out of your body!"
"Fair point, but you're overreacting!"
"You're the one that got me into this mess! It's all the sex you wanted to have!"
"It takes two to tango, love bug!" he countered, ducking and sliding at the same time before his good arm got nicked.
"Don't point out the flaws in my argument! I'm angry right now!" she hollered back.
Crocus' head popped out of the clinic door and he shouted, "Buggy you really should calm down. Your body is stressing out too much."
"Fine!" Buggy threw the scalpel into the sand in frustration. "If I can't cut off your dick, then no more sex for you!"
"Buggy, come on!" he started to argue, but then the Buggy's floating head gritted her teeth and started to drop. Shanks dashed over and slid into the sand to catch her before she hit the ground. Cradled in his arm, Buggy squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered as the contraction passed.
"That one came closer together," Shanks said, holding Buggy's head gently.
"Hopefully that means I'll be done soon," she panted. Her anger ebbed away in the face of her ongoing pain and Shanks' heart twinged for the millionth time.
"I hate seeing you in so much pain," he whispered, letting her head rest in his lap while he stroked her hair. "But I'm going to stay with you until the end, okay? Even if you try to cut off my dick again." They both laughed tiredly and the man went on. "You're so strong and doing so well. I know that you can do this."
Buggy's heart warmed and a peace settled over her that she hadn't felt since twelve hours ago. She knew that the hardest part of her labor was still ahead, but now she felt like she could handle it, with a little help, of course.
"Thank you," she said, her words thick with emotion. "Take me back, please." As the man stood up and started jogging back to the clinic, she added, "And I promise to maybe not cut off your dick and maybe have sex with you again."
"That's all I can ask for," he laughed. "But you do remember that you were the instigator part of the time, right?"
"I was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was not!"
"You liar!"
"I am not lying!"
"Yes, you are!"
Crocus held the door open for the arguing pair as they came back in.
"Hey, Crocus," Shanks said as he passed into the clinic. "Keep the scalpels away from her, alright?"
"I'll do my best, but the floating hands have been an issue since she was a little brat."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Buggy huffed, pouting like the little brat she was.
"But it's so much fun," Crocus teased.
"I'll show you what's fun when I get my hands on another scalpel!"
Shanks shouted, "Quick! Get them!" while he stuck Buggy's head under his left arm and used his hand to grab at her floating ones. Crocus ran into the delivery room and swiped all of the pointy objects before she could get to them and played keep-away with the irate woman. The men and Alvida spent the next five minutes calming Buggy back down and placating her with snacks and soon, the deepening night was peaceful once again.
To be Continued...
A/N: I know, I'm so mean! ಠﭛಠ I promise to have the next chapter out sometime this week so you won't be left on a long cliffhanger! See you next time!