Chapter Text
It's already way past noon when you finally wake up, and you feel surprisingly good considering the alcohol, the party, and everything else that happened last night.
You open your eyes and immediately begin to smile, Buggy is still fast asleep; He’s lying on his back with his arms and legs spread like a starfish, body barely covered by your shared blanket, and his hair and makeup a complete mess.
He looked so cute, and you could’ve stayed in his arms for hours, listening to his steady breathing and feeling the warmth of his body, but you really needed a glass of water- the taste of alcohol was still coating the inside of your mouth; and you wouldn’t mind a chance to freshen up either.
Luckily, his cabin was connected to a small bathroom, so you only needed to slip out of bed and make it back before he woke up.
You wait for a few more seconds to pass- then carefully roll out of his arm and throw on some random pieces of clothing; and just as you’re about to stand up- you feel a tuck on your wrist… shit.
You turn around and see his tired eyes stare at you, his hand firmly grabbing onto yours in an attempt to prevent you from leaving. He doesn't say anything, but you still understand what he means.
“I'll be right back” You whisper, unsure if he was fully awake or still half asleep.
The clown softly grunts and closes his eyes again, his hand detaching itself from his body, refusing to let go of you.
You smile, place his separated hand onto your shoulder, and then quickly head into the bathroom to take care of all your necessities.
His fingers keep brushing over the skin of your neck and fidget with the collar of your shirt while you’re detangling your hair, and you can hear him stir and shuffle in his sheets as soon as you start washing your face, the sounds of his footsteps drawing closer and closer until you’re sure he was right behind you.
You dry off your face and straighten your back, immediately feeling warm arms wrap around your body and spotting a familiar blue-haired figure in the reflection of the mirror, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
Seems like he got impatient.
You slowly turn around in his arm, careful not to break the embrace, and with the damp cloth in your hand- you gently remove his ruined makeup. For the entirety of this process, he just watches you in silence, a relaxed but drowsy look on his face- like he just wanted to take you back to bed and take another nap.
You finish your little task and put the cloth away, taking his now spotless face into your hands and rubbing your thumbs over his stubbly cheeks. “There, all clean.”
He leans down to match your height, a small, almost invisible smile on his lips, and then- he kisses you. Without breaking the sweet touch, he starts guiding you back to his room, hands landing on your hips to push you safely through the doorway.
He stops right in front of his bed and ends the kiss, his eyes focusing on yours while an embarrassed look washes over his features.
“… I… y’know… ” He mutters and rubs the back of his neck, gaze landing on the ground, words refusing to leave his chest. Why was saying it now feel 10 times more embarrassing than last night?
You pull him a little closer and trace your fingers along his jaw, knowing fully well what he was trying to say and more than ready to finally say it back… since he didn’t give you any time for it last night. “I lov-” But before you can finish your sentence, he pins you to the bed and kneels over you, his hand intertwining with yours- keeping them on each side of your head.
“No” He grumbles, face irritated and a deep red blush creeping onto his cheeks. “ I'M going to say it first.”
You can feel your heart thumb against your chest, and you're almost sure he'd be able to hear it if he got any closer, but you still meet his eyes, excitement, and anticipation consuming every thought inside your head. You were desperate to hear these words again.
Buggy glares at you, annoyed with himself once more, this was getting ridiculous. “I love you.” He finally states, voice steady and firm, no stuttering, no whispering, kind of resembling the way a captain commanded his crew, brave and confident.
You smile and hold his gaze, wishing you could use your hands to pull him closer- but instead; you lift your head and quickly peck his lips before plopping back down onto the mattress. ”I love you, too. Buggy.”
He grins, still embarrassed but now filled with pride, and lays down next to you, holding you as close as possible, his head nuzzling against your ear, and muttering something along the lines of ‘since I’m getting better at stuff like this’...
“That thing…you asked about yesterday.” He mumbles, more to himself than you, his warm breath brushing against your skin. “... I was supposed to… protect you…”
Hm? What was he- oh. Did he mean the promise you asked about? That made sense.
Shanks was usually the one keeping an eye on both you and Buggy, sometimes you even thought the old man had given him the explicit job to keep you two safe, or maybe he followed his own, personal oath- but whatever it was, he must’ve been worried to part ways. You could see how Shanks would make Buggy promise something like that.
You hum in response and run your fingers through his hair, remembering that he claimed he ‘already broke his promise’. “But you didn’t break it. I’m still alive.
“... Whatever…” He murmurs and brushes his lips over your scar, almost like he was apologizing for it, or maybe he was trying to point something out- maybe he meant to say ‘but you barely survived’...
He must still be blaming himself… and to be completely honest, you weren’t sure if he would ever stop, or if he’ll ever forgive himself- but at this moment, you also promise yourself something: you would never make him feel like it was his fault, and you’ll do your best to distract him from these memories, showering him with your love and making sure he knew just how amazing he was.
You take his face into your hands and start kissing him, showing him that everything was fine, that you were right there, that you’d never let go of him… and you can feel him slowly enjoy the here and now, forgetting all about his dark thoughts and the guilt inside his stomach…
… And so you spend the rest of the day in bed, cuddling, kissing… whispering sweet nothing's into each other's ears and making up for 10 years without each other.