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Chapter Text

  Buggy was only 6 years old when Roger found him after the boy had tried to steal his wallet. Buggy was practically shaking in his boots when the large stranger grabbed him by the back of his shirt, his eyes bored into Buggy seeing something he couldn't. The man was big, really big. He was tall and his opened pink shirt showed his toned muscles. His hair was black and shaggy with a mustache to match. He wore a large almost regal coat draped over his shoulders. And god, he smelt awful. Despite his messy appearance (and smell), Buggy could feel his power. He knew the man holding him as if he were a stray cat could kill him with minimal effort.

  Buggy lived on the streets for as long as he could remember, death was not an unfamiliar concept to the boy. Whether it was starvation or the wrath of someone he'd stolen from, Buggy stood at death's doorstep more times than he could count. But Buggy always managed to weasel away. This time, however, Buggy felt he was truly and utterly fucked.

 Closing his eyes, Buggy flinched back, expecting the worst. What he hadn't expected was for him to laugh a hearty laugh, his frame shook with mirth. His smile blinding and overpowering. Buggy's anger clouded his rational thoughts.

 "What are you laughing for!? Is it my nose?! Fuck you! Stupid ugly-" The man's eyes widened, shocked at the before cowardly boy's sudden wraith. "Dumb tall buffoon! I'll shank you!" A tall blonde haired man came into sight, approaching the first man. 

 "What'd you get yourself into the time, Captain?" Captain? Was this man a.. pirate? Buggy's fear came back tenfold, eyes darting between the "captain" and his crewmate. Getting a closer look, the new guy was tall, almost as tall as his captain. His blonde hair was long and reached well past his shoulders. The man wore glasses, but more notably, a long scar stretched over his right eye. At his hip he carried a long sword, Buggy felt nervous at the sight of it alone.

 "Rayleigh! I found this kid trying to steal my wallet! He's a riot! Do you think we have room for another cabin b-"Thinking quick, Buggy pulled his dagger out of his boot, swung his body forward and kicked the man in the nuts. "OW SON OF A BITCH!" The man fell to his knees, hands held protectively over his balls. Buggy took the chance and jumped back, defensively pointing his dagger towards the men.

  "I warned you! If you come any closer I really will stab you!" The other man -Rayleigh, busted into laughter. Buggy glanced up at him warily, shouldn't he be mad? He just attacked his captain. Was he mocking him? These two were weird.

 "Holy shit! You weren't joking! This kid is the best, I bet Shanks would like him." Shanks? Was he another pirate? 

  Rayleigh, seeming to see the boy's utter confusion finally quieted his laughter. Crouching down to Buggy's height he smiled at him. "Hey kid, My name's Rayleigh, the idiot back there is Roger. We're pirates. But you're a smart kid, I'm sure you figured that out already." Buggy wanted to beam at the praise (he was a smart kid thank you very much) but he schooled his expression and kept the man pinned with a sharp glare. The captain -Roger stood back up, grumbling something under his breath about 'disrespectful brats' and 'stupid first mates'. "Oh quit your whining, you only have yourself to blame." Roger glared at Rayleigh, before sighing and turning towards Buggy.

"What's your name, brat?"

  Buggy huffed, "I'm not a brat! And why should I tell you?" Roger and Rayleigh shared a look, like they knew something he didn't. "Look, kid, Roger and I aren't going to hurt you, tell you what? Tell us your name, and you can keep Roger's wallet"

"What!?"

  "What do you say, kid?" Roger seemed like he wanted to protest more, but one look from Rayleigh had him reluctantly backing down. Buggy had seen the guy's wallet, it was loaded, it's why he risked going after such an obviously dangerous man.

  "What's the catch?" Something sad flashed in Rayleigh's eyes.

  "No catch, kid, promise." Buggy didn't really believe him, adults lie all the time, but... he could really use the money. "Fine..." The men smiled at him expectantly. "Buggy." He murmured. 

  "Buggy? That's adorab-hGhk" Rayleigh kicked the man's shin. "Ahem, I mean strong. That's a very strong super cool name." Roger smiled awkwardly. Buggy gave Rayleigh a 'what the fuck?' look. Rayleigh simply sighed before rising back to his feet.

  "Well, kid, a deals a deal. You can keep the wallet." Buggy felt hope and excitement swirl through him. He could buy so much with all this money! Buggy daydreamed about all the things he could buy, better clothes, toys, maybe even a house? That might be a stretch, he doesn't think there's that much money, but still! The possibilities are endless.

  A sharp pain passed through him, he let out a quiet hiss, suddenly reminded of how long it'd been since he'd last eaten. Food should probably be his first priority. Roger and Rayleigh stared at him with concern, his face burned with shame. 

  "You know, our ship has a chef." Buggy's stomach growled at the thought of homemade food. He tried to play it off.

  "So?" Rayleigh gave him a look. Okay, so maybe he was hungry, but he couldn't just follow a bunch of pirates! That's dumb and dangerous. Plus, he can buy his own food! But, then again, carrying this much money around is practically begging to get robbed (He had robbed Roger for that very reason, after all). And it's not like he had anywhere to go, the townsfolk weren't exactly fond of him (Buggy's body is still covered with bruises and scars, reminders of what the townsfolk thought of him). And these men, strange as they were, showed Buggy a kindness he hadn't experienced. Weighing his options, he had an obvious choice. He could always run away if all goes wrong, Buggy was good at running away.

  "Okay... I guess I could come with you..." Roger was practically glowing, his smile back and stronger than ever. Rayleigh held a small pleased smile, still full of pity. "But! If you try anything, my threat of stabbing you still holds strong." Roger laughed again, but instead of being afraid, this time it felt comforting. Maybe this would be okay...

Chapter Text

  Roger had always had a larger than life appetite. He could clear out an entire buffet and still ask for seconds. He'd never met someone who could match his appetite, that is until he saw Buggy scarf down plate after plate of Mr Momora's food. Mr Momora seemed to have trouble keeping up with the boy's insatiable hunger.

  "Geez kid, you must've been real hungry, huh?" Mr. Momora tried to initiate small talk, or to at least get the boy to slow down, but Buggy didn't even spare him a glance. The only indication he'd heard him was a quite 'mhm' between bites. Mr. Momora sighed before going back to the kitchen, presumably to cook up another batch of food for the kid. Roger laughed at the boy's antics, he was really warming up to this 'Buggy' kid! 

  Buggy flinched at his laughter, a far cry from his previous fear, but it still worried the captain. Taking a closer look, Buggy was really small. Not just in height, but he was practically all bone. The boy looked barely four, maybe five, but Roger knew he was probably even older than that. He wore a large beanie covering most of his hair, but the few blue strands poking out seemed unwashed and unkempt. From where his too big shirt hung, Roger could see the distinct outline of the boy's collarbone, littered with bruises. The sight alone filled Roger with rage. It made him livid to see such a small child left completely uncared for. How long has this kid been on the streets? Those wounds didn't look like accidents.

  "Say, Brat, where are your parents?" Buggy stopped eating for a moment, something akin to longing in the boy's eyes. The kid looked at the floor, his hands fiddling with a loose strand of hair. 

  "Doesn't matter." He mumbled, barely audible but full of spite. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr. Momora freeze at the kid's tone. 

  "Doesn't matter? Of course it matters! No self respecting parents would leave a child on his own." Roger's voice betrayed his anger. Buggy looked up at him, a sadness in his eyes no kid should possess. 

  "It doesn't matter. I wasn't good enough to keep around, that's that. Nothing to be done about it, besides, I prefer it alone." Roger felt like the kid was lying. He turned back to his food, finished with this conversation. Roger frowned, looking up at Mr. Momora he saw the same worried look reflected in his eyes. Roger was about to try and say something, anything, maybe reassurance or ask for clarification, he wasn't sure, but the kitchen doors loudly swinging open stopped him in his tracks.

  "Captain!! I finished my chores, will you train with me now?" Shanks, Roger's first and only cabin boy loudly made his presence known. Any other time Roger would've appreciated the boy's loud personality, but now, looking at how Buggy brought his food closer to his chest and snapped his head towards the intruder defensively, he really wishes he'd taught the kid what an indoor voice was. Shanks stopped once Buggy came into view.

  The kid finally quieted down, looking down at Buggy curiously. "Who are you?" Buggy glared at him, Shanks tilted his head like a confused animal.

  "None of your business." Shanks frowned, staring at the boy with offense.

  "Geez, what's your problem?" Buggy stuck his tongue out at the boy and flipped him the finger, before going back to his food. Roger shrugged when Shanks threw him a questioning look.

  Shanks' eyes landed on Buggy's.. unique nose."What's wrong with your nose? Is it real?" Immediately Buggy stopped eating. He slowly turned his head up to Shanks, and yikes, if looks could kill Roger would be down one cabin boy.

  "What'd you say about my nose!?" Buggy leapt over the table, knocking over a few plates, and tackled Shanks. Shanks fell to the floor with an 'oof' seemingly dazed. Buggy yelled obscenities, some words Roger didn't even know, as Shanks fought back.

  "I didn't say shit! I just wanted to know if it was real!"

  "Who has a big nose?!" 

  "What!? That's not even close to what I said!"

  Roger watched amusingly at the boys rolling around on the floor. Contrastingly, Mr. Momora watched in horror as they made a mess out of his kitchen. Buggy had Shank pinned, loudly taunting him. Which didn't last long as Shanks threw his head up and bit the kid's nose. 

  "Ow! Fuck shit balls goddammit!" That kid could curse like a sailor! Shanks fell into hysterics as the boy cradled his nose. "Shuddup!" Tears welled in Buggy's eyes. Shanks, about to retort, stopped after taking in the boy's form, as if only now seeing him. He undoubtedly noticed how battered and bruised the kid was, if his softening expression was anything to go off. Pushing himself up, he grabbed Buggy's arm and pulled him up. Buggy looked at him questioningly.

  "C'mon, I'm taking you to our ship's doctor to get you patched up." Roger's eyes softened. Shanks' was a good kid, he was lucky to have him on the ship. 

  "What? I don't need a doctor." Shanks raised an unamused eyebrow at his numerous cuts and bruises. Buggy ducked his head in embarrassment. "Let's go." Shanks lead the boy out of the kitchen while Buggy mumbled his complaints. Mr. Momora sighed in relief. Roger smiled pityingly at him.

  "That kid has an appetite that could match yours, Captain." Roger laughed, the kid was full of surprises. Mr. Momora's eyes softened. "He's a good kid, I hope he stays a while. Looks like he could use a break." Thinking of the boy's defensive attitude, his small injured body and longing eyes, Roger couldn't help but agree.

Chapter Text

  Shanks pulled Buggy along, hands interlocked; he was careful to avoid the cuts on the boy's knuckles. Ignoring the stares and confused questions from his crew mates, Shanks was dead set on finding Bankuro. Captain always told him it was important to go to the crew's doctor whenever he was hurt, no matter how small, because small injuries could fester into something worse. And looking at the kid behind him, Shanks was sure Buggy hadn't seen a doctor in a long time.

  When Shanks arrived at Bankuro's office he found the doctor huddled over some medical supplies, organizing them into neat piles. In stark contrast to the rest of the ship's unorderly disarray, Bankuro always kept his office clean and organized. Shanks guessed that all doctors were neat freaks like that.

  "Shanks? Wha's up kiddo, ye hurt?" Bankuro lifted his head, his eyes settling on Buggy. "Who's this?" Buggy pushed himself further behind Shanks, Shanks could feel the slight tremble in his hands.

  "Bankuro is nice, you don't have to be afraid." Shanks kept his voice quiet and low, trying not to embarrass the boy. Bankuro really was a nice guy, once you got over his odd way for speaking. Buggy puffed up anyways, cheeks red as he snatched his hand away from Shanks.

  "I'm not scared, idiot." Buggy grumbled, his eyes burning holes into the floor. Despite this, Buggy didn't make any move to step out from behind Shanks.

  "Shanks? Yer friend be alright?" This time Shanks huffed. They were not friends. Buggy was a weird and annoying kid, Shanks just felt bad for him.

  Not getting a response from Shanks, Bankuro directed his attention to Buggy. "Ahoy kiddo, name's Bankuro, any reason ye're in me cabin?" Buggy looked up at Bankuro, eyes hesitant and untrusting. Shanks sighed.

  "He's hurt." Buggy sputtered behind him, arms flailing comically.

  "I am not!!!" Sighing, Shanks quickly sidestepped revealing Buggy and all his injuries. Feeling Bankuro’s eyes on him, Buggy shrunk in on himself moving his hands to cover his arms. Not that it did much, Buggy’s injuries extended far past his arms. To Bankuro’s credit, he did not comment or question Buggy about their origin, just pointed him towards a hospital bed. Buggy’s eyes remained untrusting and hesitant, casting a judgemental look towards Bankuro. Bakuro simply smiled, all soft and understanding. Buggy’s posture loosened, his shoulder slumped, and while he still seemed concerned he hesitantly made his way towards the bed.

  Buggy greatly struggled getting onto the bed, his short stature and weak upper arm strength doing him no favors. Shanks couldn’t contain his giggles, the glare Buggy sent him only made him laugh harder. 

  Shanks mocked him, “Need help, tiny?” Buggy seemed to be thinking of all the different ways he could kill Shanks with how hard he glared at him. His face turned red, almost matching his nose.

  “Fuck off, beanstalk.” Buggy clambered his way up, sitting with triumph as he stared at Shanks smugly. The absurdity of it all had Shanks hiding a snort. Thankfully Bankuro interrupted the two before a fight could break loose.

  “Buggy, are thar any major injuries I best be aware o' first? 'tis a safe ship, ye can tell me anythin'.” Buggy glanced between Shanks and Bakuro, “If ye’d like, I could ask Shanks t' leave.” Normally the suggestion would have offended Shanks, but he could see where Bankuro was coming from. Buggy seemed very hesitant to trust, he wasn’t sure how he’d feel telling two people about his injuries. 

  Despite what some people think, Shanks was not stupid. Sure, he couldn't read yet and he often jumped into things without thinking, but Shanks was smart in other ways. Rayleigh said he was 'emotionally intelligent' and Shanks was inclined to believe him, Rayleigh always said what he believed. So he knew that the injuries on Buggy's body weren't accidents and were probably a touchy subject.

  “Shanks?” Bankuro didn’t need to say anything more, he simply turned on his heel and left. If Buggy didn't want him there he wasn’t going to pry. Maybe, if Buggy ended up staying, he would tell him about them another day. Shanks tried to ignore the fact that Buggy might not want to stay.

——————

  Buggy heaved a sigh of relief when Shanks left. He didn't want to tell ‘Bankuro’ anything, let alone Shanks. 

  “Alright kiddo,” Buggy really disliked how often people referred to him as a child, Buggy was not a kid “back t' me previous riddle, any major injuries?” (Buggy wondered if Bankuro always spoke like this, or if he was purposely trying to talk like a pirate.) Buggy shook his head, none of his cuts had been anything deep. The worst he had was the cut running down his calf he’d gotten after trying to jump a fence, a sharp jagged piece of metal leaving him with the nasty cut. Buggy ended up haphazardly washing it out and throwing some gauze he had from a stolen medkit on it. 

  “Let’s start wit' yer arms then, let me know if it hurts, aye?” Buggy didn’t answer, Bankuro took it as an agreement. Moving towards the sink Bankuro washed his hands before putting a pair of gloves on. Buggy felt the precaution to be unnecessary, but chose not to comment on it. 

  The doctor pulled open a drawer, grabbed a roll of bandages, a rag, and a couple bottles that Buggy couldn't recognize. Turning back, Bankuro came to kneel in front of Buggy. He grabbed a bottle of what Buggy assumed was disinfectant and sprayed some onto the rag. Grabbing Buggy’s arm in a firm yet careful hold, he glanced at Buggy for permission. Buggy just nodded, upon receiving approval Bankuro gently pressed the towel against his cuts. Buggy couldn't hold back his wince at the sting, Bankuro looked at him with empathetic understanding.

  Releasing his arm he looked at Buggy to clarify, “I’m goin' t' rub some antibiotic on it 'n bandage it. These cuts ain't mighty deep, but I’d rather nah risk infection. Does that sound alright?” Buggy wasn't sure why Bankuro kept asking him for approval. It’s not like Buggy’s opinions on this mattered, he wasn't the doctor. 

  “Whatever.” Buggy tried to be nonchalant to hide how confused the sentiment made him. Bankuro once again smiled like he understood. The gesture made Buggy feel all weird and fuzzy.

  Bankuro gently rubbed the antibiotic on his arm. The sting was not nearly as strong as when he’d used the disinfectant. The texture was weird and goopy, he wasn't sure how to feel about it. Bankuro wrapped Buggy's arm in a thin layer of bandage on the cuts, not before running Buggy through the process, in an offensively pirate-ey voice of course. What a weird guy…

  Bankuro did the same on Buggy's other arm, always checking and making sure Buggy was comfortable before moving onto the next step. 

  "Looks like ye've got quite the cut on yer leg thar, kiddo. Might leave some temporary scarrin'." Buggy shrugged, uncaring. But Bankuro looked at it almost fondly, like a weirdo. "Ye know, Cap'n has a scar jus' like it. Except he got his from trying t' fist fight a swordfish' ' His eyes were filled with mirth, huffing a soft chuckle as he recalled a fond memory. "I imagine yer tale be a wee less… eccentric." Buggy had no idea what a swordfish was, but it must've been some beast to be able to hurt a man so clearly dangerous like Roger. "Luckily, it doesn't look like it'll needs stitchin'. I be goin' t' patch it up the same way I did the others, 'n then ye can be on yer way." His eyes shifted. "Though, if ye stayed a wee longer, I'd be able t' give ye another checkup, jus' t' be sure ye're nah leavin' wit' any infections. Better safe than sorry, that's wha' I say." Buggy supposed that made sense, he might as well stay a little while longer. Get the most out of this before he has to go back to the streets. Maybe they'll even drop him off on a different island, one that's a little nicer to strays.

  "... I'll think 'bout it." Bankuro smiled at him like he won something, Buggy wasn't sure he liked that. He felt like he'd been tricked somehow. 

Chapter Text

  Buggy left Bankuro's office only to be immediately dragged off by Shanks, he must've been waiting right outside the door, needy bastard.

  "C'mon Buggy, you're mooching off us, can't you just help me with this?" Shanks looked at him with the most pathetic attempt at puppy eyes Buggy had ever seen, he almost felt bad, not for not helping Shanks with his ridiculous schemes, but for his honestly downright horrendous attempt at manipulation. Buggy didn't mean to brag, but he was a professional at puppy eyes. People with bleeding hearts always gave the most money. Throw on a shy pathetic persona, some watery eyes, and suddenly Buggy was at least 200 berries richer.

  "Shanks, I'm not helping you sneak into your Captain's quarters." Shanks tried even harder at the puppy eyes, Buggy swore he was about to pop a nerve. "Ughk, stop that. You look like you have a hernia."

  Shanks huffed indignantly. "Why not?! Don't you want to see all his super-duper cool pirate things? He probably has tons of awesome weapons and maybe mounted heads of his enemies!" That was definitely not helping convince Buggy, conjuring up the image of his head on a gold plaque. "Oooh you know what, I bet he has treasure maps!"

  "Treasure?" Shanks grinned at Buggy's poorly disguised interest, Buggy would've punched him if not for the promise of treasure. Just one hefty piece of gold could give him what he needed to survive for at least a few months, a whole treasure chest could last him his whole life!

  "Yeah, I bet he even has some gold himself just laying around, he likes to keep souvenirs."

"Where'd you say his quarters were?" Shanks grinned like he found gold.

———————————

"Damnit Shanks! Would you stop moving so much?! You're going to knock me off!!" Buggy was precariously balancing on Shanks shoulders, trying to finick his lockpick into the Captains door, but with Shanks constant shuffling it was not only more difficult for him to work his magic, but also super fucking annoying.

  "It's not my fault your so heavy!" Buggy swears Shanks moving more on purpose.

  "Knock that off!" Buggy bonked him on the head. "And bullshit! You're just weak, I'm like 30 pounds soaking wet." Shanks scoffed, clearly annoyed but out of witty comebacks. He, eventually, got his footing (thank God, Buggy was not religious by any means, but this was truly a blessing. He's going to have to thank the big man upstairs for this one.) With a bit more fidgeting, he heard the telltale click of the door unlocking.

   "No fucking way!!! You actually got it?!" His bewilderment was downright offensive.

  "Of course I did! I'm amaz -ACK" Shanks unceremoniously shoved Buggy off his shoulders and dashed into the room. "You fucking bastard!" Buggy raced in after him, not even considering the possible dangers a literal pirate captain could have in his room, fully prepared to give Shanks hell. But he abruptly stopped after he took in his surroundings. As Shanks said, the Captain's walls were covered in "trophies". But not heads like he'd theorized. No, these were pictures. Dozens of photographs were messily nailed to the walls. All of his crew, or him with people Buggy couldn't recognize. His smile is wide and happy, with all the people around him smiling, posing for the camera. Buggy even saw one of him with two little girls sitting on his flexing upper arms. Buggy wondered if he forced these people to take photos with him, for some nefarious reason. But he wasn't sure you could ever fake a smile like those people did, and Buggy would know. The town folk always wore them.

  Shanks didn't even seem remotely surprised. Almost like he was expecting this, though he did seem disappointed at the lack of heads.

  "Man, this is so lame! Where's the excitement? He doesn't even have a gun in here, just pictures." Shanks walked over to the Captain's desk, the desk was a lot less fancy than Buggy would've thought. Just simple mahogany wood with engravings of ships battling against the ocean currents circling up the desk legs. There were chips taken out of it, and one of the legs seemed shorter than the rest. Shanks saw no problem however and just clambered up the Captain's chair, eagerly looking at the drawers.

  "What're you standing around for? If he's got maps, they've gotta be in here!" Buggy snapped out of his baffled faze and hesitantly walked over to Shanks. He did not need Shanks' hand to get up the chair. And anyone who said otherwise was a cheat and a liar trying to besmirch his good name.

   Shanks took to looking through the drawers on the left, ogling at every souvenir he found. "Buggy, look! This is the knife Captain used to stab his way out of that sea king!" Buggy nearly gagged at the imagery.

   "Yeah, uh, cool whatever." Shanks ignored Buggy's lackluster response, just going back to shoveling through each drawer, sometimes pulling out some random trinket to show Buggy. Buggy would say he seemed proud.

   Buggy turned his attention to the drawers on the right. He dug through them with much more care, gently pushing things aside. Never picking anything up, making sure he put them right back where they were. At some point he'd gotten to the last drawer, not expecting anything big he found a rolled up yellowed worn piece of paper, a red ribbon tied around it. He gingerly picked it up, undoing the red tie. He pulled it open to reveal a map with a big X marking an unknown island. Holy shit. He found a treasure map, a real treasure map!

   "Hey Buggy, check this out!" Thinking quickly, Buggy hid the treasure map under his hat, folding it in half so it'd fit. Shanks eyed him weirdly.

   "...my hat was falling off." Shanks didn't seem entirely convinced but was way more interested in showing off whatever he'd found this time. Internally, Buggy huffed a sign of relief. He'd better keep this to himself, wouldn't want anyone stealing his treasure. Yet another reason to stay on board, he has treasure to find.

   Buggy listened to Shanks drone on about some fantastical tale. He'd admit, it was kind of exciting. He'd never heard of half the places Shanks talked about, this was the most Buggy ever learned about anything outside his little island. He was almost… happy. And wasn't that a dangerous feeling? He couldn't get attached to these people. They were thieves and killers. Besides, trust never got Buggy very far.

   He was just about to tell Shanks they should leave when he heard the door creak open. Both he and Shanks snapped their heads towards the intruder. Leaning on the door frame, hand on his hip and an amused expression painted on his face was the Captain's first mate.

Fuck

Chapter Text

  Buggy swore his heart stopped beating for a moment, embarrassingly he had to furiously blink back tears. Because across the room stood none other than Rayleigh, first mate of the scariest man Buggy's ever met. And he caught them stealing from his captain.

  “Shanks…” Rayleigh wasn't screaming, but Buggy felt like covering his ears anyways. He was just glad Rayleigh's glare was directed at Shanks, who was shuffling guiltily in his seat, looking like a child who just got caught hand halfway in the cookie jar, and not him. “What have I told you about the captain's room?” Shanks tipped his head down, pointedly not looking at Rayleigh.

“...not to go in it.”

“And what did you do?”

  Regaining some of his previous fire and passion Shanks raised his head to glare at Rayleigh. “It's not fair! You guys know all about captain's cool adventures, but I don't! I just wanted to see some of his pirate-y things… I know I'm not very smart, but I wasn't going to break anything!” Shanks' eyes watered with tears of frustration, his fists clenching at his sides.

  Rayleigh frowned, slowly he walked around the table, kneeling in front of Shanks. Buggy braced himself, ready to flee if things got messy. If Shanks didn't know how to shut his mouth, that was his fault. Rayleigh placed a hand on Shanks trembling shoulder, Buggy flinched back, he silently prayed Rayleigh didn't notice. But the worried look Rayleigh sent Buggy over Shank's shoulder squandered those hopes, observant bastard.

  Rayleigh turns back to Shanks, his words earnest. “Shanks, kid, you've got to tell me these things. I don't let you in the captain's room because I’m worried you'll hurt yourself, not any of Roger’s knick knacks." Apparently, said knick knacks include treasure maps leading to possibly millions of berries wort of treasure. "Some of these drawers have dangerous weapons, and while I know you're more than capable of handling yourself, if you got hurt in here neither me or the rest of the crew would hear you from up on the deck. Shanks, I promise you I don't think you're stupid. You're the best damn cabin boy we could ask for.” Rayleigh smiles down at Shanks, so full of affection and care and worry it made Buggy feel ill.

  Shanks looks up at Rayleigh, tears streaming freely now, and abruptly lunges into Rayleigh’s arms. Rayleigh grunts and tips backwards a bit, but he steadies himself and once his surprise wears off he awkwardly pats the boy on his back.

  He must've noticed Buggy’s baffled staring because he sends him a look that screams help. Buggy just shrugs, desperately trying to think of a way to get out of this awkward situation.

  Eventually Shanks pulls back, leaving a wet patch of snot and tears on Rayleigh's shoulder that he winces at.

  “Good talk kid, now get the hell out of here. I'll meet you out on the deck.” Shanks nods, Buggy goes to follow him but Rayleigh sends him a look that has him sinking back into his seat. Shanks looks back at him confusedly, Rayleigh nods him to the door. Shanks reluctantly follows orders.

  When Shanks is halfway out the door Rayleigh yells to him “And while you're out there, mop the decks. You're still not off the hook!” Shanks sinks in on himself, grumbling about ‘bossy old men’, he mouths ‘good luck’ to Buggy before closing the door behind him. Buggy sticks his tongue out at the already closed door, asshole.

  Rayleigh sighs and Buggy just about jumps out of his skin. Rayleigh is talking, he's not sure what. Something about safety and boundaries. Buggy's thoughts are already spiraling. He's now alone with him, and as he said before, no one would hear him if he was in trouble. Maybe he had said that as some sort of veiled threat so Shanks wouldn't understand? God he was so screwed. Buggy knew he was shaking, he was usually better at composing himself but now, sitting mere feet away from someone who could kill him, someone who had probably killed others before, he feels he can't breathe.

  “Kid?” Buggy flinches away from the hand reaching towards him. His eyes dart from Rayleigh's shocked face to the door, but no plan he thinks of can get him out of this one. He's really done it now, he's going to die alone in the bottom of a pirate ship. Ironic, he's dying on the same pirate ship that was supposed to be his ticket to the good life. And the worst part is he can't even think of anything he's going to miss, and no one who will miss him. His breathing quickens and his eyesight blurs with tears, he doesn't notice Rayleigh leave until he returns with someone else.

  “Buggy?” There's a different voice speaking to him now, it's much deeper but oddly he finds it comforting.

  “Breath kid, you're okay.” Rayleigh speaks, through his bleary eyes he can see two figures. The tall blond one he recognizes as Rayleigh, and next to him… the captain, Roger.

  “Hey Buggy, it's alright.” Roger speaks to him, suddenly his voice seems less comforting.

  “I-I didn't me-mean to, please don't hu-hurt me.” He's stuttering like a damn child. It's so pathetic, he bites his tongue, he's probably just digging himself into a deeper hole. Or maybe they like that he's being pathetic, maybe that's why they haven't done anything yet. They're savoring his pain. He slides his hands under his beanie, pulling at his hair.

  Roger’s rough calloused hands gently pry his hands away from his hair. Buggy tugs his hands back and Roger lets him, he holds his hands to his chest feeling as his chest rises and falls rapidly as he pants. Why aren't they doing anything? He must've said that out loud, because Roger looks at him with worried confusion, and in Rayleigh's case it's mixed with concern and maybe a little understanding, huh.

  “Do what, Buggy?” Buggy looks at him like he's stupid. He stays silent, better not to give him any ideas. The way Rayleigh is looking at him like he can see through him is certainly not helping his nerves.

  “We're not going to hurt you kid, promise. Please, I need you to breathe. Can you do that?” Buggy should keep fighting to save a little face, or maybe beg some more, but against all his instincts he nods. Rayleigh smiles at him, buts its clearly forced. “Copy my breathing kid, you're doing great.” Following along he slowly catches his breath. When he looks up, Rayleigh is staring at him with a deep sadness, not pity. It almost makes him cry.

  Roger is crouched next to him, there's a fury in his eyes he can't decipher the meaning for but it melts away when he makes eye contact with Buggy. Roger smiles at him, it's different from his usual one, this one is small and full of relief.

  “Gave us quite a scare there, Buggy. How are you feeling?” He's tired, but there's a distinct lack of fear. He just feels numb.

  “ 'm tired…” Roger chuckles, a far cry from his usual boisterous laugh.

  “Fair enough, do you want to sleep in a bed? I could take you to the infirmary, I'm sure Bankuro wouldn't mind. Or I could bring you to one of our rooms, my bed’s pretty soft.” Buggy just grumbles in response. He's so tired, he's not really listening. He doesn't fight when Roger gently lifts him into his arms, he's asleep before they leave the room. He dreams of treasure, pirates, and warm words.

Chapter Text

Buggy wakes up and his head feels fuzzy. Everything feels distant, like he's not really awake, just a distant conscience. He's laying on something very soft, it's white and cushions around his body like a hug. He wonders if he's sleeping on a fluffy cloud. The cloud, and by extension him, is slowly rocking back and forth. If he focuses, he can hear the sound of waves crashing against the ship's walls.

….

Ship? 

Oh. That's right, it's all coming back to him. He's on a pirate ship, not a cloud. And he just had a tantrum in front of the captain and his first mate. 

Hahaha

…

He's so screwed.

He should get up, try to run, or do something. But he finds he doesn't really want to. The bed is soft, softer than anything he's ever felt. He could count on one hand the amount of times where he got to sleep in an actual bed, and none of them were anything like this. He's tempted to fall back asleep, let his conscience drift away. 

Before he even gets the chance to consider it, the door handle starts to turn, Buggy forces himself up, stares daggers at the door trying to will it shut with his mind but despite his valiant efforts the door swings open. And oh, that's not who he expected.

“Bankuro?” The man stands frozen at the sound of his voice, like he didn't think he'd be awake. 

He shakes himself out of it, smiling at him kindly. “Good mornin' kiddo, did ye sleep well?” Morning? When Buggy and Shanks were caught in the Captain's room it had to have been at most 2pm… had he really slept for that long? 

“Aye kiddo, ye did. 'n if ye ask me, it looked like ye needed it.” Ah. He said that out loud, he really is out of it. But something about the way Bankuro smiles at him makes it really hard for him to put his guard back up. That can't be good, did they drug him? 

“I’m sorry t' wake ye, kiddo, ye can go back t' sleep if ye'd like. But whenever ye're ready, the cap'n be up on the deck, he wants t' talk t' ye,” Buggy pales at this, he must be getting rusty because Bankuro amends “yer nah in trouble. He's jus' worried, we all be.” Worried? They're worried about him? What did he do to incite a reaction like that? He's not dangerous, compared to them he's like a mouse in a lion's den, he poses no threat. 

Bankuro leaves before he musters together a reply, gently closing the door behind him. He's left with two options: he could stay in this room until they inevitably grow tired of his waiting and drag him out kicking and screaming, or, he could confront the captain himself. The captain would probably be angry with him if he struggled too much, and he'd really rather not anger him more than he already has. He briefly considered making a mad dash once he got upstairs, but last he saw there were crew mates posted around every corner of the ship. The captain is the strongest man Buggy has ever met, just his presence sets him on edge, he doubts the captain picks anyone but the best to be on his crew. So, in short, he's fucked. But considerably less fucked if he grows a pair and confronts the man himself. 

Buggy takes a deep breath, holds it, clambers out of bed and rushes to the door. Only when the handle turns, does he exhale. He pushes the door open just enough for him to slip out, he gently pushes the door closed behind him, willing it to stay silent. Glancing down the hallway, Buggy realizes he has no idea where he is. And he'd really rather not run into any of the captain's less forgiving subordinates. 

“Psst!” He jolts, turning to his right he sees Shanks peeking around the corner. “I snuck out to find you! That and also so I could get out of mopping the deck, but in my defense I've been cleaning the deck for hours. But mainly for you.” Somehow, Buggy doubts Shanks' proclamation of (mainly) pure intentions, but he's thankful nonetheless. 

But, he does have a reputation to upkeep, so; “Why would I need your help? I'm not lost. I know exactly where I'm going!” 

Shanks grins “I didn't say anything about you being lost.” Buggy flushes red, hunching in on himself and stomping his foot.

“Shut up!” 

Shanks rolls his eyes. “Fine, get lost for all I care. But the next time you run into someone, it won't be me.”

Buggy pales, he suddenly feels very very cold. Is Shanks implying what he thinks he is? Would the crew actually hurt him? Sure, he had his suspicions, but it's another thing to hear them all but confirmed. He peers up at Shanks, he looks mostly smug, like he's caught Buggy, but if he looks a little deeper he can see a faint hint of concern in his gaze. Maybe he really does want to help him, he feels a little warmer.

“...please”

Shanks grins madly, the concern gone. 

“What was that? I don't think I heard you.” He cups a hand around his ear and tilts his head teasingly towards Buggy. Ugh, asshole.

“Would you please help me?”

“Well why didn't you just say so! I'd be honored to help you, what kind of pirate would I be if I didn't help a poor child in need?” Buggy is 90% sure helping children isn't something pirates do. 

“‘m not a child…”

“Hm? What's that? You don't need my help?” 

“Wuh?! No!! I didn't say that!” Shanks laughs at him, tears form in his eyes as he shakes with mirth. Like this, Buggy can really see the captain in him. They both laugh with their whole chests. 

“I'm just messing with you, c'mon, cap” Buggy blanches at the blatant disrespect the nickname carries “is waiting for you.” Shanks gently grabs his hand, leading him down the hallway, twisting and turning around corners with a familiarity that suggests Shanks has traveled this route a thousand times over. They reach a stairwell, and Shanks pulls him up. The morning light blares down on him, he squints and covers his eyes with his forearm.

Shanks keeps moving, Buggy almost trips over his feet trying to keep up with him. Some of the crew look their way, they look at him with pity. They must feel bad for him, having to be dragged around like this. It gives him a strange feeling of validation.

At the front of the ship stands the captain, even from this distance Buggy feels a chill run down his spin. Every step they take towards him makes Buggy's bones feel heavier. He's talking animatedly with his first mate, but there's something tight about his expression. His smile seems more forced.

“I got him!” Shanks calls out to them, waving his free arm excitedly. Buggy feels the sharp pain of betrayal hit him. He almost staggers in his steps, it's embarrassing. It shouldn't hurt that Shanks wasn't really worried, that he was just following orders, but it does. It stings and makes his eyes water. He yanks his hand away from Shanks’ like he was burnt. He shakes his hand off, like that will get rid of the burning in his veins. Shanks looks at him with (fake fake fake) dejection. But, blessedly, the first mate shoots him a look that has him hightailing it back downstairs before he can question Buggy.

“Buggy.” For once, the captain seems to have run out of words. He stares at him, mouth gaping like a fish. Buggy feels uncomfortable and estranged under the captain's scathing gaze. His first mate backs off, starts shooing people away until the deck is mostly empty, he's still within ear distance but gives them considerably more privacy.

The captain finally pulls himself together, and Buggy braces himself for whatever it is he's going to say. For whatever bombshell he'll drop on him. If he's lucky, they'll just kick him out. It'll suck to go back to the streets, but it's better than the alternative. But he knows better than to wish for mercy. 

“Buggy, kid, I'm so sorry.” 

…What?

“I overwhelmed you yesterday, shit kid I gave you a panic attack.” Roger takes his hat off and runs a hand through his sweat slicked (ew) hair. “I didn't think about how overwhelming this must be for you. I didn't consider how you might feel, considering your… previous living conditions.” 

“Why are you sorry? I don't understand.” And he doesn't, he really doesn't. It's frustrating, not understanding. He can't figure these people out. One second he's certain they're going to kill him, and the next their captain is apologizing? To him?

Roger looks at him with what must be pity. It must be, there's no way he cares. He can't. No one can, not for Buggy.

“Buggy… what did you think I called you here to talk about?” Is this a test? If it is, he doesn't know the answer. So he just tells him the truth.

“I thought you were going to kill me.” Roger flinches back like he'd been hit. Behind him he hears Rayleigh gasp, he feels his eyes on him, but he doesn't interfere. He tries to backtrack.“Or… or maybe you were just going to kick me out..?” Roger doesn't look any less concerned, Buggy can't handle it, he looks away.

Roger kneels down to his height. It feels wrong, Roger is a captain, the strongest man Buggy knows, and he's kneeling down to Buggy's height. Like they're equals.

“Buggy, look at me.” Buggy can't, he can't look him in the eyes. He knows what he'll see, the contempt, the disgust veiled behind pity. He can't, he just can't. “Please.” Buggy's eyes snap up at that. He's asking, Roger is asking. He's not demanding, he's damn near begging him. Buggy feels like he's been hit.

“Thank you” another hit “Buggy, I promise” again, Buggy feels winded “that not me, nor anyone in this crew, would ever lay a hand on you. I don't know what kind of people you've had in your life, but that isn't normal. You're a kid, Buggy,” Buggy wants to scream, can't he see? Buggy hasn't been a kid for a long time “and anyone who would take advantage of that to… to hurt you is a sick person. You don't deserve that.” It's the final blow, Buggy can't hold it in anymore. He sobs loud and ugly. He curls in on himself, desperately wiping his eyes. In an instant, Roger’s arms are around him and it feels (safe, warm, happy) wrong. But he can't be bothered, not when he's never cried like this, never been allowed to, never been safe enough to. 

He clings desperately to Roger, grabbing at anything he can to ground himself. Roger just holds him tightly, closes him off from the rest of the world, like he can protect him from whatever's hurting him. 

And Buggy believes him.