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The sound of the door opening signalled the return of your boyfriend and made you look up from the book you were currently reading. Getting up and moving towards the door, you heard him let out a heavy sigh. “Long day?” you asked as you moved closer to him, taking the coat he had just shrugged off and hanging it on the rack where it belonged before he could just drop it somewhere else like he had a tendency to do.
When no immediate answer came from your otherwise so chatty partner, you grew a bit worried, “Buggy? Want to talk about it?”
“No, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” His eyes met yours as he responded, but the usual childish gleam missed in them. Instead, they looked dull and lacked life.
“Hey,” you spoke once more, stepping forward and wrapping your arms around him. “We missed you.”
Buggy chuckled. ‘We’; that was how you had started referring to yourself once you had gotten a few weeks into the second trimester of your pregnancy and the baby was really starting to move around. Their activity already reminded you of how energetic their dad was all the time, and you couldn’t wait to meet the little person growing inside of you and introduce them to their wonderful dad as well.
He wrapped his arms around you, returning the hug as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. “I missed you too…” he spoke softly, and you swore you could hear his voice break near the end of the sentence.
“That damn Crocodile and Mihawk. I was relieved when they stopped physically hurting you as much, but seeing you like this I’m not sure that this is much better either… What did they say to you Buggy?”
“Nothing that isn’t true…”
There it was, his incredibly low self-esteem that he normally could hide behind his extravagant and flashy behaviour and looks like an expert actor, the side of him that only came out when he was alone with you…
“Buggy, if it’s about your nose or your looks, you already know I-“
“It’s not that,” he spoke softly.
“I don’t care what they say about me. But I’m so scared of losing you…” A sob escaped him and he hugged you closer to him, near squeezing you into his chest as much as he could with your growing belly getting in the way.
“Buggy?” your response was one of surprise “You’re not going to lose me, why would you think that?”
“Because they’re right. In no possible way is someone like me ever good enough for someone as amazing as you. You’re so amazing and pretty and talented and smart and I’m- I’m just a clown…” Another sob rocked his body, and you were pretty sure that your shirt was a colourful mess with all the make-up rubbing off his face by now.
“Everything I’ve ever accomplished in life is just because of sheer luck and now I’m dragging you down with me by putting my kid inside of you and trapping you here.” His entire body was shaking and you rubbed comforting circles on his back as he continued rambling, just getting everything off his chest.
“Buggy, hey, look at me, please,” you told him, snapping him out of his rambling and making him back up just a little bit so he could look at your face like you requested. His eyes looked red and puffy and the tears were making the watercolour blue colour of his eyes pop out even more, making you fall for him even more if that were even possible. His make-up that was usually applied spotless, was not a runny, smudged mess from the tears and him rubbing his face against your neck and shirt but somehow it didn’t mind. This was the man you loved the most in the whole wide world. No treasure could ever compare, you were sure not even the one piece itself could start to compete with how important this man in front of you was to you.
“I don’t care what Crocodile or Mihawk say at all. And while it’s really hard, you shouldn’t either. So just listen to what I have to say to you now okay?”
He nodded, sniffing softly. “You are the strongest, most wonderful man in the whole wide world I know. And I love you so damn much Buggy the clown. You’re mine, you hear that. Even if you wanted to leave me I wouldn’t let you. You’re not trapping anyone with any child, you hear me. I am staying here because I want to. And-“ grabbing his hands, you put them over your belly and covered them with your own “I’m sure they will feel the same and I can’t wait for us to meet them.”
Just then, a hard kick was felt right against one of Buggy’s hands, as if even the baby was agreeing with what you said. Buggy looked down at your belly and his hands, and then back up at you, and he couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips as he felt the baby, his child, moving.
“See, the two of us can’t wait to be with you every step along the way. And when you become the next pirate king we’ll be right there with you Buggy.” You pulled his head down so you could kiss him and he returned the kiss without hesitation.
“I love you Bugs… Don’t ever dare forget that, please.”