Archive of Our Own

" Still don't see why you both have to go." Buggy said forlornly, his voice still scratchy with sleep as he rubbed his bare cheek against the soft linen material beneath it.

The material was what made up Dracule Mihawk's shirt, and it was under Buggy D. Clown's cheek because the blue haired Yonko was currently pressed up fully against the yellow eyed swordsman's back with his arms wrapped around the older man's waist. The two of them were currently in the kitchen area of the residence they shared together, still in their respective pajamas, Mihawk in his linen poet's shirt and black sleeping pants and Buggy in the flashy electric blue and firework covered satin set he had gone to bed in the night before. Sir Crocodile in his expensive deep purple silk pajamas, they had left still slumbering in their bed. Mihawk stood at the counter mixing ingredients in preparation of breakfast while Buggy was doing a fine impression of a koala bear, clinging to him from behind. That in and of itself was astonishing, but the fact that the world's greatest swordsman with all of his austerity and stoicism was allowing him to do so without protest, or even a scowl as he spoke.

" It's a very advantageous business proposal for Cross Guild Buggy, and Crocodile thinks that the suppliers on Miri Miro Island who wish to make trade relations with us would be more... amendable to our desires if I am there by his side." Mihawk said as he rapidly chopped up the bell pepper that was going into the omelette mix he was preparing.

" Amenable? More like intimidated into giving us the best terms. You don't fool me one bit Hawky, alls you gotta do is stare and say nothing and they'll give us everything we ask for on the deal." Buggy said with a soft snort as he smiled. Then he turned his head and leaned up slightly to press a kiss to the back of Mihawk's neck. It won the genius jester an actual sigh from the yellow eyed swordsman before Mihawk set down his bowl and whisk and turned in Buggy's arms so that he was facing his Yonko lover. For a beat the unlikely pair just stared at each other before Mihawk reached up and took Buggy's bare and true face into his calloused palms and leaned down to press his lips to the younger man's in a chaste kiss. When they drew back several long moments later, they still stayed close as Mihawk spoke.

" Indeed you are right, a subtle show of force to let the other side know that Cross Guild are not to be trifled with." Mihawk said with slight warmth in his eyes before he grew sober and continued.

" I would rather have you with us Buggy, or not go at all." He said honestly.
Buggy smiled up at his lover of nearly two years, warmed by his words yet saddened too as he spoke.

" It's for Cross Guild, it's for us, and it'll only take a few days tops." Buggy said assuredly.

" Yeah well, it's still gonna be a couple of really long days, especially without you to keep us happy." A new voice rumbled, making Buggy and Mihawk turn to see a slightly grumpy and sleep rumpled Sir Crocodile shuffle his way into the kitchen, his vivid violet eyes drinking them in.

" Croco!" Buggy grinned, his whole face lighting up so much that even with all his grouchiness, Crocodile couldn't help but smile back a little as he made his way across the room to greet his lovers properly, towering over them and wrapping his well muscled arms around them.

" Good morning." Mihawk purred, earning a deep signature chuckle from Crocodile before he leaned in and shared a deep peck with the yellow eyed man. When they drew away, he did the same with his blue haired lover as well.

They stayed wrapped up in each other for a few minutes more before Mihawk shooed them both away and went back to cooking up breakfast. Buggy and Crocodile quietly conversed as they grabbed up plates and cutlery to set upon the kitchen island they would be eating at. With as much prowess as he wielded a weapon like Yoru, Mihawk whipped up an absolutely sumptuous breakfast for himself and his lovers. The three of them sat about at the kitchen island, tucking into the meal and making quiet conversation about Mihawk and Crocodile's imminent trip to Miri Miro Island, for which the two former warlords were set to get ready and leave for right after said breakfast. As he gobbled up his delicious breakfast and listened to Mihawk and Crocodile as they discussed some of the finer details of Crocodile's negotiation strategy, Buggy subtly drank in the sight of the two men he loved. He was the only one who ever got to see either of these two men like this, so unguarded and relaxed when they were known the world over for how deadly they could be, how hard and unmerciful, even hateful to anyone unfortunate enough to earn their ire.
The light of the new morning streaming in through the kitchen windows added a golden sheen to Mihawk's hair and glinted warmly off of Crocodile's signature golden hooked hand.

" You gonna just stare at us all day or finish your breakfast Clown?" Crocodile said with mock annoyance, breaking Buggy out of his reverie as he found himself under both a pale violet and deep golden gaze as Mihawk and Crocodile looked right at him.

There was a time before when being caught staring would have left Buggy wanting to sink into the floor with his whole complexion matching his distinctive nose, so red would he have gotten in embarrassment at being caught in his admiring. Those days had long since passed as Buggy grinned back at his lovers with full brilliance and spoke.

" Wouldn't be a bad way to spend the day, or the rest of my life. No offense to your cooking Hawky but the both of you are way more delicious." Buggy said before he boldly flicked out his tongue and blatantly ran it over his lips, a clear hunger filling his pale blue eyes as he leered at Mihawk and Crocodile.

In an instant the air shifted between the three of them, the pleasant easiness of before melting away into something darker, heavier. Breakfast was forgotten as Mihawk and Crocodile both rose from their chairs and descended on a still grinning Buggy. Buggy's throaty laugh echoed through the kitchen as he was seized and summarily tossed over Crocodile's shoulder like he weighed nothing at all before the sand wielder and Mihawk whisked him away back to their bedroom to part him from his clothes and come together with him in the most intimate of ways.

A very long while later...

" Guess we're just gonna have to show up to Miri Miro fashionably late." Crocodile grumbled as he leaned down slightly in order to allow Mihawk to tie one of his signature cravats around his neck.

" Or you could just have them drive the ship a teeny bit faster." Buggy quipped from where he sat at this vanity adding the finishing touches to his red painted mouth.

" True." Mihawk said simply as he drew back from Crocodile, already pristinely dressed in his signature outfit, although he did have a distinct little bruise behind his right ear that was thankfully obscured by his hair. A lovely little gift from the blue haired lover he was currently making his way over to.

Mihawk came up behind Buggy, taking a moment to admire the Yonko all made up in his signature way before he reached out and placed his hands over Buggy's shoulders and leaned down till his lips were against the red nosed man's ear as he spoke.

" Trying to make us late on purpose were you?" He said, clearly teasing as Buggy shuddered under his hands and then let out a small bark of laughter as he spoke.

" Oh I wish, but let's not forget it was the two of you who dragged me back to bed." Buggy said with a grin over his shoulder up at Mihawk and then further back at Crocodile, who snorted but nodded in acquiescence since he was right after all. All Buggy had done is give them a look, they had been the ones who had gone all cavemen on him.

" Hmm." Mihawk hummed before he leaned down and pressed a careful, chaste kiss to Buggy's painted lips, which the clown happily returned. When they drew back, Mihawk had the barest tint of red to his lips and he did nothing to wipe it away, his intent to leave it on clear and making several powerful emotions rise up inside Buggy ranging from slight surprise to quiet possessiveness, to the chief being bright and unadulterated love.

When Mihawk stepped away with his fingers trailing through Buggy's long blue hair, Crocodile took his face. Buggy got up from his chair and smiled up at the sand wielder before he promptly separated his body from his ankles and floated up to wrap his arms around the way taller man's neck and shoulders. They came together in a deep kiss, though thankfully they restrained themselves enough to keep from smearing Buggy's lip paint too much.

" It's only for a few days, three at most Clown." Crocodile rumbled as he reached up to wipe at his lips, his thumb coming away lightly stained and making him smirk.

" Yeah." Buggy said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he reluctantly pulled away from his sand wielding lover and reattached himself to his lower half.

They finished getting ready in a slightly loaded silence before Buggy finally led the way out of their shared residence.

The mid morning sun was warm as the ruling triumvirate of Cross Guild emerged into it and headed off towards the main docks on the beach.

The trio cut a striking image as they made their way down the main path through Buggy Town. Buggy was dressed in a flashy sky blue coat and matching pants with a bright red and white striped t-shirt and his signature pointed boots, Mihawk in his striking signature outfit with Yoru hanging proud and regal on his back, and Crocodile in a bright gold waistcoat over his black shirt and pants, a white cravat at his neck and his iconic black and white furred coat draped over his shoulders. Many of the denizens of Buggy Town paused in what they were doing to bow or acknowledge Chairman Buggy and his powerful executives as they passed. Any luggage Crocodile and Mihawk were taking with them for the trip had been packed away on the ship the night before along with any other amenities the two former warlords wished to have.

With each step across the way towards the main Cross Guild docks, Buggy felt his heart grow heavier and heavier. As the three of them neared the docks, they found a few familiar figures waiting by the Cross Guild Crocodile had chosen for the trip. Alvida, Cabaji, Mohji, Richie, Daz Bones, and Galdino, their immediate crew were their to send off Crocodile and Mihawk, Daz being the only one who would accompany them while the others would be staying behind to help Buggy hold down the bustling criminal organization in their absence.

Buggy watched on as his crew all bid Mihawk and Crocodile farewell with respect and actual fondness, Richie being so bold as to nuzzle at both Crocodile and Mihawk's hands and receive warm pets from the two of them. There was a time when Richie, big lion that he was, would tremble and mewl in terror in the presence of either former war lord, especially Mihawk, but as time passed relationships changed and guards were let down and now both Mihawk and Crocodile had connected in some way with everyone in Buggy's original crew. Mihawk and Alvida shared a love of wine while he connected with Cabaji who was a fellow swordsman while Crocodile and Mohji a shared love of animals. Richie himself just loved belly rubs from both powerful and dangerous men and especially loved Mihawk's amazing cooking. Galdino branched out further and solidified his friendships with Buggy's original crew, and actually spoke with Mihawk often on the topic of gardening, while Daz was just Daz, stoic and aloof, but always there keeping guard, and maybe giving Richie chin scratches when no one was watching.

Buggy stepped forward after the others had said their farewells. He stood up straighter and put on the persona of the Genius Jester and Chairman of Cross Guild, for it had been agreed long before between the three of them that there would be no public displays of affection, that they would keep their romantic relationship to themselves, for their love was no one else's business but theirs. Sure, their closes confidants knew about the true nature of their relationship, but even they had been told in no uncertain terms that they were meant to keep things private.

" Have a great trip Hawky and Croco, I know you guys will kill it in the negotiations and win us big." Buggy said with flourish and a grin, all the while feeling his heart aching to just be in Mihawk and Crocodile's arms, hold on to them and keep his loves from leaving at all.

" You better believe it Clown, maybe even bring you back a souvenir." Crocodile quipped before he placed a fresh cigar between his teeth and lit it up with a deft one handed flick of his gold lighter.
" Buggy." Mihawk said simply with a curt nod, but there was a clear glint of want hidden in his golden eyed gaze that only Buggy knew to look for.

" Hawk-Eye." Buggy replied with a full bow of his own and the barest wink when he looked up.
" We should get going." Daz said, finally galvanizing Mihawk and Crocodile to actually climb aboard their waiting vessel.

Buggy watched his beloveds walk up the gang with Daz following in their wake and get on deck before it was retracted into the ship. With a sound of the horn at the crew in charge of running the ship pulled free the ropes and set the rudders forward. Mihawk and Crocodile stood at the railing, their eyes never leaving Buggy, and Buggy's eyes never leaving them as the ship pushed off the dock and started steaming ahead full through the crystal blue waters of the ocean.

As the ship began to move away, Buggy walked along the dock and Mihawk and Crocodile did the same along the railing of the ship. By the time Buggy had reached the end of the dock, Mihawk and Crocodile were standing side by side at the stern of ship.

Buggy felt his eyes burn and his heart lurch as he watched Mihawk and Crocodile leave Karai Bari.

" Come home to me soon." He whispered softly as he raised his hand and waved at them, the rest of the crew following suit while Richie let out a loud roar.

From where they stood at the stern of the ship, Mihawk and Crocodile watched Buggy and his crew growing smaller and smaller as they left Karai Bari, melancholy settling over them like a heavy blanket. They hadn't even accomplished their goal for leaving the island and they already wanted to head back. They pushed down this shared feeling of deep reluctance. Crocodile was a business man after all, and he needed to conduct business. Mihawk would rather be with Buggy, drink wine, practice his sword technique, and tend to his gardens, but he knew that he was being brought along to actually speed up the process.
It didn't stop the ache that lanced through them both as they watched the man with the blue hair and the red nose grow smaller and smaller with the ever increasing distance.

Mihawk jerked slightly when there was suddenly a large, warm hand enclosing his own, lacing their fingers together and squeezing firmly. Mihawk turned his eyes to Crocodile, who was still looking straight ahead, but even from his angle the swordsman could see the heaviness in those bright violet eyes. With a small sigh, Mihawk squeezed Crocodile's hand back just as hard, because he knew exactly how horrendous the sand wielder was feeling. He turned his yellow eyes back to Karai Bari and the dock where Buggy and their crew still stood, not saying a word but feeling a tell-tale burning behind his eyes that he forced back from further turning into tears through sheer will alone.

The three of them stood in their respective placed long after they passed from each others sight, the Karai Bari dock and Crocodile and Mihawk's ships nothing more than speck, unwilling to move, unwilling to let go until the last possible moment. Then Buggy was finally turning away and walking somberly off the dock, Richie coming up and rubbing his side against his hip and getting a wane smile out of the morose blue haird yonko. Mihawk and Crocodile finally turned away too and headed below deck to the ships war room that had been set up, Mihawk wanting a glass of wine while Crocodile smoked away and focused on tweaking his negotiation strategy.

It would be a long few days and Miri Miro Island had better not try swindle Cross Guild in any way.

Four days later in the afternoon on a calm blue sea...

" Land ho, land ho, Karai Bari straight ahead!" Bellowed the lookout on the ship from his perch high above.

" Finally." Mihawk said as he downed the last of his wine.

" Hmm." Crocodile added without looking up as he puffed away at his cigar and kept reading the paper in his hands.

Mihawk and Crocodile were well and truly relieved to see home on the horizon. Oh the negotiations on Miri Miro Island went spectacularly well, the traders more than amenable to Crocodile's 'suggestions' so much so that Crocodile had decided to stave off on dominating entirely as saw them more as equals. The deal for the trade routes and other things like Miri Miro's specialty food items and other wears in exchange for Cross Guild's protection and patronage went off without a hitch and left both sides very satisfied and looking forward to the future and actually done with everything in just two days. The problems arose when Mihawk and Crocodile had wanted to take their leave early, desiring to get back home to their beloved clown. Constant calls on the den den mushis not nearly satisfactory to either of them.

It had started with a small problem with the ships engines that needed to be repaired, and ended with all of the den den mushi on board all collectively ceasing to work, leading to suspicions of sabotage only for all the den den on Miri Miro Island to go haywire too, further causing this big investigation of what was going on, an exhaustive search concluding that the poor things had all come down with severe allergies due to a certain plant on the island suddenly coming into bloom earlier than normal and spreading pollen every where that thankfully did not affect humans in any way, just transponder snails. So a whole day was spent nursing everyone's den den's back to health, including Mihawk and Crocodile's pocket den dens. The poor snails were so out of it that they hadn't even been able to receive any calls or send any out even after Mihawk and Crocodile had set sail for home. The snails were still iffy even as Mihawk and Crocodile were arriving to Karai Bari.

" Hmm, the skies seem a bit dreary about the island today." Mihawk commented as he looked ahead.

Crocodile looked up and saw what Mihawk was referring to, indeed the skies over Karai Bari were overcast and cloud-filled, lending a very disconsolate look when the island itself was usually quite bright and sunny.

" That actually does look a bit ominous Hawk." Crocodile said, feeling slightly uneasy at the sight.

" Surely just inclement weather and nothing more. At least we have finally arrived." Mihawk said, Crocodile nodding as the two of them settled in for the rest of the ride to the island.

As they neared the island however, both Mihawk and Crocodile's instincts started to rise, the sense of unease growing when they saw how deserted and desolate the docks and beaches were when usually they were always lively and bustling with people throughout the day.

Mihawk and Crocodile shared a look of confusion and concern before Mihawk promptly ran the length of the ship and jumped right off to land on the dock before the ship even reached it, while Crocodile dissolved into a swirling cloud of sand and shot off the boat, floating through the air and then rematerializing beside Mihawk leaving Daz still on board to oversea the safe docking of the ship.

Something was definitely wrong here as they looked across the beach and saw that Buggy town was basically deserted instead of teaming with people going about their business. Mihawk and Crocodile wasted not a single moment further on the dock as they rushed towards Buggy Town. As they ran, they heard the bells go off from one of the look out towers no less. Mihawk and Crocodile could hear distant shouts from the men in the towers, saying something along the lines of "Its them! It's them!"

It was as they were entering the tent city that they notice the black banners and flags at half mast, signalling a death had occurred, but who's? Who was prominent enough for Buggy to order such a citywide display of mourning?

Deeply alarmed and wanting answers, and yes, maybe even fearing the worst regarding just who was lost, Mihawk and Crocodile both broke out into a run and hurried up the path through Buggy Town towards the main big top tent, behind which was the stone and tent structure they called home with Buggy.

As they ran, they could see people finally emerging from their own tents and houses, gawking at them and looking gobsmacked at them for some reason as they passed, as though they were seeing a pair of ghosts. Mihawk and Crocodile didn't linger on the rather odd behavior of Cross Guild's denizens as they rapidly ducked into the main big top and hurried across to the corridor that led to their residence, earning even more looks of astonishment and disbelief from those who had been quietly working about the gigantic tent.

They rushed down the corridor towards the door to their residence, every instinct telling them they needed to get to Buggy as fast as they could. They had just rounded the corner when they spotted the heavy arched bronze door with an ornate filigree over it when said door opened to reveal a very sad and tired looking Dr. Jungo.

" Hey Dr. Jungo, what the hell is going on?" Crocodile called as he and Mihawk rapidly closed the distance to the good doctor.

Instead of a reply, Crocodile and Mihawk could only watch as Dr. Jungo's lake green eyes widened almost comically till they were practically bugging out of her head as her mouth fell open like a broken hinge.

" Oi Doctor, say something!" Crocodile urged as he and Mihawk finally came to stand before the much shorter woman.

Dr. Jungo just gawked at them, her jaw working uselessly as no sound came forth.

" Dr. Jungo please get a hold of your senses!" Mihawk said sharply.

That seemed to do the trick as with a gasp, Dr. Jungo picked her jaw up off the floor and finally spoke.

" S-Sir Crocodile, Sir Mihawk, the both of you are here?" She asked, sounding absolutely astonished.

" Well of course we're here, we only went away for a few days and just got back." Crocodile replied with a frown.

He and Mihawk watched as Dr. Jungo, usually so calm and infallible, looked absolutely heartbroken and upset as she shook her head and spoke.

" But two days ago we received a transmission that your ship was attacked, ambushed. They told us that the both of you were dead sir." She explained softly as her wide eyes went back and forth between the two of them.

Dr. Jungo's words were met with stunned silence, their implication washing over Mihawk and Crocodile like a merciless, ice cold tidal wave as the bottoms dropped out of both of their stomachs. Before Dr. Jungo could explain any further, Mihawk and Crocodile rushed past her, the swordsman almost pulling the heavy bronze door to their residence clean off it's hinges as he and Crocodile barrelled through.

The living room was as pristine as they had left it four days ago, nothing seemed out of place, but there was a cloying heaviness in the air, far too still and stifling as Mihawk and Crocodile rushed through towards the back where dark red and black curtains cordoned off their bedroom area. As they reached said area they could see Cabaji, Mohji, Richie, and Galdino all seated about in the lounge area, all of them dressed in black save for Richie and looking absolutely desolate and heartbroken.

" Where the hell is Buggy!" Mihawk demanded without preamble, watching as their immediate crew all jolted and squawked in complete shock.

" M-Mihawk Sama? Crocodile Sama?" Galdino croaked out in utter incomprehension, Richie letting out a low mewl of confusion while Mohji looked ready to faint.

" S-Sirs? Y-You're alive?" Cabaji asked as he gawked at the newly returned executives of Cross Guild.

Any other time Crocodile would be verbally beheading people left and right for stating the obvious, but these were definitely not normal times as he spoke.

" Yeah Cabaji, me and Hawk and the whole crew we left with are just fine, we just came into port to find Buggy Town deserted and everything covered in black. We ran into Dr. Jungo and she told us someone said we were dead. What the hell is going on here?" Crocodile asked with urgency.

Before Cabaji could speak a body came flying out from the other side of the curtains that cordoned off Mihawk, Crocodile, and Buggy's bedroom area.

It was Alvida, looking harried and hellish in every sense of the word, She was dressed in a baggy, shapeless black sweater and a pair of ratty grey sleeping pants, not a stitch of makeup on her completely colorless face. Instead there were only dried and fresh tear tracks down her cheeks, her wavy black hair done up in a messy bun. The moment her deep green eyes fell on Mihawk and Crocodile, they widened just as comically as Dr. Jungo's had before she scrambled forward, coming to stand before them with an astonished look on her face.

" Sir Crocodile, Sir Mihawk, y-you're here, you're alive?" She asked shakily, as if too scared to hope.

" Yes Alvida, we are perfectly alright. We were delayed due to an issue with the engines and then all of the den dens got sick both on our ship and on Miri Miro Island so we couldn't make or receive calls. We just pulled into port today, whatever you think happened didn't happen." Mihawk explained with care, seeing how uncharacteristically fragile the usually infallible captain was at the moment.

Crocodile and Mihawk watched as Alvida's whole body seemed to shudder in utter relief for a moment before she stood up straight and her face crumbled slightly. Then without saying a word she lashed out and grabbed hold of Mihawk and Crocodile's hands, yanking them with her with a surprising amount of strength towards the black and red curtains that still obscured the bedroom area they shared with Buggy.

The moment Alvida pulled them through the curtains into their most sacred shared space, Mihawk and Crocodile's eyes immediately went to their giant custom bed. The moment there eyes did, they both completely froze where they stood at the sight that greeted them.

" Oh my God." Crocodile whispered through choked cords, Mihawk utterly silent and wide eyed beside him while fresh tears spilled from Alvida's eyes.

There laying by the edge of the gigantic bed, no doubt so that Dr. Jungo with her short stature could have an easier time treating him, was Buggy.

Only he wasn't the happy and whole Yonko and lover that Mihawk and Crocodile had left to watch over Cross Guild just four days ago.

What was laying in bed before Mihawk and Crocodile's eyes could only be described as the husk of a human being.

Buggy once pale and fair skin was now an awful, sickly grey. His long blue hair, usually so lustrous and well kept was a halo of tangles and matted with stains some dark red material in certain spots that Mihawk had a sinking suspicion was blood. There were scratches and bruised all over his face along with the smears of his usually pristine makeup, which held an absolutely terrifyingly blank expression to complete the look of a man utterly destroyed, but as Mihawk and Crocodile unconsciously walked across the room to him, it was his eyes that were the most terrible. Instead of those bright, sparkling blue orbs that always lit up whenever they looked upon them, what Mihawk and Crocodile now saw were these dull, grayish and bloodshot orbs half hidden by Buggy's hooded lids, devoid of light and listless. His colorless lips were parted as he breathed hollowly, his chest slowly rising and falling as a sparse sign of life.

As he raked his eyes over Buggy, Crocodile caught sight of his lover's hands and felt his heart lurch at the sight of them.

Buggy's hands, usually gloved and flawless underneath, were now wrapped in white bandages. Crocodile's heart lurched further when he saw that clutching in Buggy's left hand was one of his own cravats.
As Mihawk took in the ghastly state of his and Crocodile's lover as well, he felt his throat constrict painfully as he saw what Buggy was wearing.

It was one of his own white linen poet shirts, the same one he had been wearing that morning four days ago on the morning of their departure. As he looked closed, Mihawk felt his stomach sink further when he saw the scratches and bruises peaking through from the deep v-neck of the shirt.

Alvida stood back as Mihawk and Crocodile came to stand at Buggy's bedside, the silence cloying and baited as Dr. Jungo quietly made her way through the curtains into the bedroom area and came to stand beside the green eyed captain.

Before Mihawk and Crocodile could say anything, Buggy let out a shaky grasp and blinked, staring up unseeing at the ceiling as he spoke.

" Where are they?... Where'd they go?... Shouldn't have let them go... Made them stay no matter what." He breathed out slowly, as though each word took a herculean effort.

" Buggy? Buggy c'mon we're here, we're right here." Crocodile said finally, hoping to break Buggy out of his stupor.

Buggy remained as he was, laying still, barely breathing, and staring up at the ceiling without sight. Then with a shudder, tears started to leak out the corners of his eyes as he spoke again.

" Croco... H-Hawky... they're gone... I can't find them... Croco... Hawky... there is no life without them... no life... no life without them." He croaked hoarsely, his voice completely shredded to bits.

Buggy's word, said so weakly and softly, still had the power to knock the very breath out of both towering men.

Before Mihawk or Crocodile could properly articulate something to say, anything to say at all, Buggy's eyes were suddenly rolling up into the back his head, his mouth opening wide as he let out a deep, guttural gasp. His body arched up nearly clean of the bed, as though a live current were passing through it as he tried to suck in air. Mihawk and Crocodile watched in horror as Buggy's gasps became these wailing screams for air, for salvation, for them.

" Buggy!" Mihawk shouted as he raced forward, Crocodile right beside him.

The swordsman reached the distressed man first, wrapping his arms around Buggy and pulling him up from the bed, sitting down on it himself as he cradled his gasping lover to his chest. Crocodile loomed over them both, his violet eyes wide with horror as the sight of Buggy with his eyes rolled up in his head and not being able to gasp his breath, his every exhale a shout of pain.

" Oi Buggy! Buggy c'mon breathe! Breathe! We're right here, we're right fucking here! Can't you see us?" Crocodile shouted before Dr. Jungo was suddenly there in their midst.

" I can't sedate him again, not after everything I gave him yesterday to calm him after what he tried to do! He's hyperventilating badly, his body is going into survival mode so we have to do everything we can to calm him down!" Dr. Jungo said with urgency.

Dr. Jungo's ominous words birthed a thousand and one more unanswered questions for Mihawk and Crocodile, but they could voice none of them as Buggy's fit seemed to grown even worse before their very eyes as his whole body went rigid in Mihawk's arms and his wails grew louder and more desperate.

Seeing things deteriorating for his and Mihawk's clown so rapidly, Crocodile threw all sense to the winds as he lunged forward and did the first thing that came to his mind. Everyone watched as Crocodile all but lunged for Buggy and Mihawk. The swordsman swiftly turned himself partly out of the way for a second, smoothly pulling Yoru from his back and setting her against the beside table and while keeping hold of Buggy as he smoothly tucked himself behind the gasping Yonko he loved. The sand wielder all but fell onto Buggy and Mihawk both, yet still consciously took care not to crush either of his lovers as he wrapped his arms around them and then crashed his mouth over Buggy's gasping lips.

Alvida and Dr. Jungo stepped forward in concern but immediately stopped at Mihawk's warning look. They watch as Buggy writhed and struggled at first, grunting loudly at his main source for gathering air was unceremoniously obscured. Then something finally seemed to click with Buggy, the warmth and familiarity of the lips on his own. He stilled, his whole body seeming to sigh as he stopped resisting and weakly kissed Crocodile back. A wave or relief crashed over Crocodile when he felt Buggy respond to him, but when he drew away to gaze at Buggy, his hopes that his lover was lucid were dashed by the words that came out of the blue haired man's mouth.

" Cr-Crocodile... i-it worked, 'm dead too... I can be with you and Dracule forever now." Buggy said besotted and grinning shakily as he clutched Crocodile's cravat in his bandaged hands, his eyes completely glassy and unfocused, a clear sign that he was still very much out of it and not okay.

Before Crocodile could say anything, the smile melted away from Buggy's face as he started to look around frantically.

" D-Dracule? Dracule!... Where's Dracule I can't find him!... I can't find him Croco... Where's Hawky?" Buggy asked desperate before his face suddenly when terrifyingly blank and then his eyes promptly rolled up into his head again, this time his whole body going totally limp in Mihawk and Crocodile's arms as all consciousness fled him entirely.

" Buggy! Buggy I am right here!" Mihawk said urgently but it was too late, Buggy was gone from the waking world, unconscious with his chest thankfully rising and falling steadily. Crocodile forced himself to step back in order to not constrict his senseless lover.

Not even bothering to hide his stricken expression, Mihawk looked up with overbright yellow eyes and immediately found Dr. Jungo.

" Doctor!" He called urgently as he looked down at his blue haired lover and reached up to cup his slack, tear stained face.

Dr. Jungo was already rushing forward to assess Buggy, Crocodile wisely getting out of her way while Mihawk laid his unconscious lover down onto the bed. Buggy flopped bonelessly as he was moved but still not losing his grip on Crocodile's cravat, the sight forever etched into Mihawk and Crocodile's minds as Dr. Jungo checked Buggy over. The fact that despite looking absolutely wreaked and falling unconscious, Buggy had remained in one piece instead of shattering due to his chop chop powers was a good sign at least.

Mihawk stood up and quickly made his way to a shaken Crocodile's side, the two of them watching on as Dr. Jungo did what she could for their unconscious lover. With a shared exhale, they both slowly turned to level their intense gazes at Alvida, who had come closer and stood at the foot of they giant bed, tears still streaming from her eyes as she looked absolutely wrecked.

It was Mihawk who spoke for them both.

" Alvida." He called, waiting for the green eyed woman to tear her tearful gaze away from her captain and friend to look to him and Crocodile in askance.

" Tell us what the hell happened here, why Buggy is in this state." He demanded intensely in a tone brokering no room for argument before his striking yellow eyes softened just a tiny bit.

" Please." He added, allowing some of the desperation he himself was feeling to shine through.

With a shudder through her whole body, Alvida began to explain just what kind of horrific ordeal had befallen not only Buggy, but all of Cross Guild over the span of two days.

A few hours later just after sunset...

" Come and eat Crocodile, he is utterly exhausted and isn't bound to wake up for the rest of the evening according to Dr. Jungo." Mihawk said quietly from where he stood at the foot of the giant bed.

There in the center of the bed, Crocodile lay totally wrapped around a sleeping Buggy. Buggy lay with his face cleaned of the smudged and smeared makeup, revealing the scratches and bruises littering his skin in full. His hair was combed and cleaner than before, less matted but still in need of a full wash. He still had Mihawk's sleeping shirt on and clutched Crocodile's cravat in his hands, only all of it was obscured now by Crocodile's big black coat with the white fur that the sand wielder had draped over Buggy to keep him extra warm as he slept.

Crocodile lifted his head and turned his gaze to his yellow eyed swordsman, a mutinous look coming to his face at the thought of leaving Buggy even for a second, but then he was deflating because he knew Mihawk was right. With a lingering look at Buggy's pale, sleeping countenance, Crocodile got up from the bed and joined Mihawk at the foot. They took a moment to gaze at Buggy and make sure he was alright before they finally turned their attention to the little sitting area they kept in the bedroom, where the coffee table was laden with food for them. Just five minutes prior Daz and Alvida had stopped by to drop off dinner for them, chicken and potatoes for Crocodile, Mihawk's favorite pasta dish, and light mozzarella and tomato caprese sandwiches for Buggy if he was awake and up to eating something.

Buggy was out like a light but Mihawk and Crocodile could admit to themselves that they were actually quite famished at this point. They had both showered and changed into more comfortable attire after their immediate crew had taken their leave, knowing that the two former warlords would be there to watch over a still severely incapacitated Buggy.

As they sat down side by side on the plush, baroque style sofa and got to eating their respective meals and sharing with each other, both Crocodile and Mihawk thought back to the harrowing tale they had been told by Alvida and the others.

While Daz stood guard over Buggy, Crocodile and Mihawk had sat and listened to the others recount how everything started to go wrong when this transmission came through about a ship bearing Cross Guild's jolly roger being attacked by marines and sunk completely. Buggy and the others had called it bullshit, until they had tried to raise Crocodile and Mihawk's ship on the den dens and received no reply.

Still Buggy and the crew had refused to believe anything had happened to Mihawk and Crocodile because they were fucking Dracule Mihawk and Sir Crocodile, both of whom had laid waste to countless enemies on the high seas.

But as the day had passed and still no calls came or went through to the specific Cross Guild ship, Buggy had begun to grown more and more frantic. What had tipped him completely over the edge into despair was when images of a wreck came through on the den dens with what appeared to be a familiar golden hook resting on a floating pile of wood. That image had seemed to confirm that Sir Crocodile had met his demise and with no sign of Mihawk or the rest of the crew in sight, there hadn't been much evidence to refute the conclusion that the transmission regarding the wreck being true.

After that, Buggy's right mind had completely left him. Alvida had had to send out an emergency order to lock all of the ships down so that Buggy couldn't commandeer any of them to go and hunt down whoever it was that had "murdered" his lovers, damn near foaming at the mouth with his desire to destroy everything in his path and get revenge.

When he had been effectively barred from revenge, Buggy had then turned to desperately wanting to join the men he loved so much in death.

He had ducked into his workshop but thankfully had been too out of it to properly barricade himself inside. In their combined desperation, Alvida, Mohji, Cabaji, Richie, and Galdino had all torpedoed the workshop door together, breaking through it in time to see the horrifying sight of Buggy with his head tilted back, looking completely insane as he held multiple jars and vials of the most caustic chemicals he possessed, intending to swallow it all down and basically melt himself.

Richie had extricated himself from the pile everyone had landed in amid the shattered wood and used all the strength he possessed to lunge at Buggy, swiping at Buggy's hands, his large claws harmlessly passing through Buggy's flesh as he had knocked the chemicals away with extreme prejudice.

The jars had shattered in the process, dowsing both Buggy's hands and Richie's paw, but thankfully the others had converged on them fast and dragged them both to the sinks Buggy kept in his shop, washing off the caustic substances from them before there had been too much damage.

After that things had descended into chaos again as Buggy had fought like a raging beast against his friends, desperate to get away and try again. Richie had full on sat on him in their collective efforts to restrain him to the shops floor before Dr. Jungo had finally shown up and sent Buggy into unconsciousness with a powerful sedative. He had stayed unconscious for the full day before this afternoon when Dr. Jungo had given him a shot to wake him, and then Mihawk and Crocodile had made their unexpected and triumphant return from "the dead", bringing with them a fresh wave of chaos to Karai Bari.

As he ate, Mihawk recalled seeing Richie's paw wrapped in bandages just like Buggy's hands. He had stunned everyone then by wordlessly rushing forward and full on picking Richie up as if he was still a cub, displaying his strength, but more importantly is gratitude as he had nearly squeezed the stuffing out of the giant lavender maned lion. Richie hadn't been able to catch his breath as Crocodile had taken over from Mihawk, taking the giant animal into his own arms and giving him a grateful squeeze too. Richie had been left absolutely blushing as Mihawk and Crocodile had openly heaped praises on him after they had set him back down. Crocodile and Mihawk had not stopped there, conveying their gratitude to the rest of their command crew, knowing that if it hadn't been for them, they would have come home to Buggy's corpse and all the despair that would have come with that.

" I am gonna find the best meat supplier in all of the grand-line for Richie. He will have nothing but the best for as long as he lives." Crocodile said after a sip of beer.

" Indeed, we must do something special for each and every one of them." Mihawk agreed after a bit of his pasta.

" Galdino waxed both of the doors to Buggy's workshop after they stopped him from e-ending himself." Crocodile said with a shake of his head.

" I doubt any of us are going to let him go anywhere near his workshop for the foreseeable future." Mihawk said with a hard edge to his voice.

" Hmm." Crocodile hummed in agreement.

They finished eating quietly, Mihawk clearing away the dishes and trays after but leaving Buggy's sandwich in the off-chance he woke up and would be hungry. He took the dishes to their front door, leaving them out for housekeeping to pick up.

He wasted no time getting back to Crocodile and Buggy, coming through the curtains to see a very tired Crocodile reclining beside Buggy, running his jeweled fingers through the sleeping Yonko's blue hair with unheard of gentleness. With an ache in his own heart, Mihawk pursed his lips and remained stoic as he set about tidying up the rest of their bedroom, right upended things and reorganizing a bit and hanging Yoru up on the special rack he kept by their bed before he turned to his lovers.

" Crocodile?" He called, waiting for the sand wielder to look up at him.

" Let's get ready for bed." He said quietly.

Crocodile nodded and with a lingering look at Buggy he got up from their bed. He and Mihawk shared a deep, loving kiss as the exhaustion of the harrowing day started to creep over them. They changed out of the clothes they were wearing, Crocodile opting for a pair of his luxurious silk pajamas while Mihawk donned a simple pair of black sleeping pants. They took turns freshening up in the bathroom so that one of them could always have eyes on Buggy.

He didn't stir the whole time, not even a twitch. It was unnerving and so unlike Buggy, who could toss and turn like a champion if Mihawk or Crocodile didn't hold him tight during the night.

Crocodile flipped the switch and plunged their bedroom into darkness. He and Mihawk climbed onto their bed, Mihawk shifting to Buggy's other side so that the sleeping blue haired Yonko was sandwiched between his exhausted lovers. With Crocodile's coat still blanketing Buggy, Mihawk and Crocodile both wrapped their arms around him and held him tight. Though Mihawk and Crocodile closed their eyes and settled in, physically feeling Buggy safe and in their arms, full sleep did not come to them. It was all still to deep a wound, to fresh a nightmare, the best they could do was doze and hope for the best.

A few hours later just as the night skies were starting to brighten...

Pale blue eyes, crusted with tears burst wide open and their owner abruptly returned to the waking world with an unmerciful jolt.

" Ah!" Buggy yelled as he sat bolt upright with a sharp gasp.

No sooner had he sat up, there was movement on either side of him as he bodies that were flanking him in bed quickly sat up too.

" Buggy?!" Mihawk called, instantly alert and zeroed in on Buggy, Crocodile wordlessly doing the same.

Buggy gasped and turned sharply at his name, his eyes growing impossibly wide and his mouth falling open as they beheld Mihawk, very much alive in bed beside him.

" D-Dracule... Hawky?" Buggy whispered in awe.

" Clown." A deeper voice rumbled on Buggy's other side, the stunned Yonko whirling around and coming face to face with his other lover and his vivid violet eyes.

" Croco-Chan?" He breathed, rapidly blinking his eyes, completely gobsmacked.

Buggy's head nearly popped clean of his neck he rapidly looked from side to side at his lovers.

" B-But h-how? They told me you were dead! There were pictures!" Buggy shrieked as he tried to scramble away from the the specters sharing his bed.

Arms wrapping tight around him and pulling him into a warm and familiar lap as Buggy found himself held to Mihawk's chest, glowing yellow eyes staring down at him with untold tenderness are Mihawk spoke.

" Lies my love, all lies. Our ship was completely unharmed, we arrived just this past afternoon without incident. Nothing happened to us, we were never attacked, no one dared." Mihawk assured.

" But the den dens, I-I kept calling you both and the ship but none of you ever answered!" Buggy said accusingly as his eyes began to fill with tears.

" They all caught fucking allergies from some plant on Miri Miro Clown, they were all so sick, even our personal pocket ones, that they couldn't send out calls or receive any. They were just sick Buggy and we didn't know anything about all this shit that went down here!" Crocodile explained.

Buggy sniffled and still looked unsure, until a glint caught the corner of his eye behind Crocodile. Mihawk and Crocodile frown in confusion as Buggy climbed out of Mihawk's lap and crawled past Crocodile to reach for the bedside table. Mihawk and Crocodile watched as Buggy picked something up and then cradled it like it was one of the most precious things in his whole world. He turned around to face them and they could see that it was Crocodile's golden hook, which he had taken off as he always did before going to sleep.

Mihawk and Crocodile watched as with his bandaged hands and tears streaming down his pale face, Buggy reverently ran his hands over Crocodile's hook, his breath hitching as he spoke.

" Th-There was this one picture... a pile of w-wood floating in the water and on top of it... on top of it was a golden hook just like this ... I thought... I thought it was..." Buggy trailed off as his voice died on him, the genius jester slowly raising his head to look back up at his lovers with an utterly wrecked look on his face.

Crocodile could only shake his head while Mihawk sighed sadly. He grew alert when Buggy reached out a bandaged hand towards him, seeking out the center of the swordsman's chest. Mihawk frown for a second until he realized that Buggy was reached for his signature cross dagger necklace that he was still wearing. Mihawk shifted closer and allowed Buggy to trace the jewelry/hidden blade with his bandaged fingers in further reverence.

Then there was a small popping sound as Buggy's hand that still held Crocodile's hook separated from his wrist and floated to the bedside table with the golden prosthetic to set it down there while the rest of Buggy surged forward with surprising speed, barreling right into Mihawk and then yanking the swordsman to him, crashing their lips together in a hungry, desperate kiss. Mihawk wasted no time, kissing Buggy back just as hungrily. They reveled in the feel of each other, grounded by the fact that they were both here and whole. When they broke apart with a gasp, Buggy immediately lunged for Crocodile, throwing himself at the behemoth man for another deep, mutually passionate kiss as Buggy's hand reattached to his wrist with a soft click and he promptly buried it into Crocodile's dark purple hair, twirling the strands between his fingers.

When the need for air became too much to ignore, they broke apart with a gasp and Buggy fell away from Crocodile, sitting on the mattress before his lovers, his pale blue eyes glistening as more and more light started to fill their bedroom through the windows.

" Buggy?" Mihawk asked as he and Crocodile shared a concerned look at the unreadable expression on their lover's face.

Buggy let out a slow, rattling breath before he spoke.

" We're all alive... it didn't happen to you both... and my crew stopped me when I... we're all still here. You guys came back to me." He said, sounding almost dazed by the truth.

" Yeah Clown, we're all here, safe and sound." Crocodile said carefully.

They watched as there was a long beat of silence, and then Buggy's face was splitting into this wide grin full of teeth. It should have been one of his beatific, full smiles that seems capable of lighting up the whole world, but this grin was completely wrong, this grin was hysterical and made of dust. It wasn't Buggy, it was the cacophony of everything that was raging inside him.

Then Buggy started to laugh, a quiet chuckle at first, but as the seconds passed it grew louder and louder until he was cackling like a madman, Mihawk and Crocodile frozen in place by the terrible and terrifying sight.

" Clown." Crocodile whispered as he felt his heart lurch inside him.

The cackling went on and on until it suddenly became the wails Mihawk was expecting. Buggy screamed and screamed his grief and rage, his desolation and elation warring most painfully with each other. One moment he was mourning his entire world, the next he was rejoicing at his reunion with the ones he thought he had lost forever. It was all too much for him to contain, just too fucking much as Mihawk and Crocodile saw the waters that gushed like rivers from their Yonko's eyes.

Not being able to stand it any longer, Mihawk and Crocodile both surged forward, taking their lover into their arms and crushing him between them.

" It's alright Buggy, let go, just let it all out. We're not going anywhere darling." Mihawk encouraged gently as he cared his fingers through Buggy's long blue hair.

Crocodile stayed silent, clenching his jaw against his own emotions threatening to overwhelm him as he wordlessly rubbed at the center of Buggy's heaving chest and simply held on tight to both him and Mihawk.

Buggy released everything he had in him, in the arms of the ones he thought he had lost forever and miraculously regained, safe with them as the light of a new morning filled the room.

A couple of hours later with it still very early in the morning...

" A bit soggy but still good." Buggy said with a silvery little chuckle as he took another bite of the caprese sandwich from the night before at his own insistence, not wanting to waste food. Mihawk was feeding him, the swordsman absolutely refusing to let Buggy handle the food with the state that his hands were in.

" Dr. Jungo will be by in a little bit to check on you, so eat up. Plus a fresh breakfast is on it's way." Crocodile said as he joined his lovers on the big sofa and wrapped his arm around Buggy's shoulders. Crocodile had gone ahead and given the all clear for some very worried friends to come along with said breakfast. Anything to keep Buggy's mood as elevated as possible. Normally Mihawk would have been bustling away in the kitchen making them breakfast himself like he had the morning of their now seemingly ill-advised trip to Miri Miro, but with how shaky Buggy still was despite regaining his faculties, neither Crocodile or Mihawk would be leaving his side anytime soon.

Buggy sighed and leaned against Crocodile's side, looking up at him with tired but clear eyes as he smiled at the sand wielder. Crocodile nodded and leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of Buggy's head, earning a fresh besotted look before Buggy turned his attention back to Mihawk and eagerly took a few more bites of sandwich, smiling at the swordsman too.

After Buggy's breakdown, they had simply laid together for a while, soaking in each others' presence before Mihawk had dragged both Buggy and Crocodile into the bathroom for a proper morning bath. The giant tub had been filled with nice, steaming hot water, just like the three of them liked it. Buggy had popped his injured hands off and kept them safely away from the water before the three of them had climbed in. Mihawk had immediately set about washing Buggy's hair, earning happy groans from his lover while Crocodile had grabbed up a sponge to swipe at the grime that still clung to Buggy's skin. Mihawk and Crocodile were in full pampering mode and Buggy soaked it up fully. By the time they had climbed out, Buggy's hair was shampooed and conditioned just the way he liked it, his fair skin pristine, while Mihawk and Crocodile were just as refreshed and cleansed.

When it came time to dress, Mihawk had wordlessly held out one of his own white poet shirts to Buggy. If Buggy's lower lip trembled as he smiled at Mihawk, no one commented on it as the swordsman helped Buggy don the slightly too big garment, while Crocodile had gone ahead and pulled out a pair of bright purple sleeping pants from one of Buggy's drawers and joined in helping him get dressed. Once they had him squared away, both Mihawk and Crocodile dressed in their more casual attire. For Mihawk it was a poet's shirt and black trousers, while Crocodile opted for a black button up shirt and great pants.

Now here they were awaiting the arrival of their proper breakfast and Dr. Jungo.

Dr. Jungo arrived first, eager to see how her patient was doing.

The good doctor was beyond thrilled to see Buggy both lucid and out of bed. She asked all three of them how the night had gone, to which Mihawk and Crocodile explained how Buggy had woken up and bawled himself dry. This actually pleased Dr. Jungo even further.

" Emotional catharsis like you experienced when you woke is a great step towards processing such a situation as this." Dr. Jungo said with encouragement, just as breakfast arrived, along with the rest of their immediate crew.

As they watched Buggy joyfully reunite with his relieved crew mates, both Mihawk and Crocodile came to stand beside Dr. Jungo. It was Mihawk who spoke first.

" He's not out of the woods yet is he doctor." He said knowingly.

" Not by a long shot Mihawk-Sama." Dr. Jungo said without missing a beat before she sighed deeply and looked up at the two former warlords with deathly serious eyes.

Mihawk and Crocodile hung onto Dr. Jungo's every word as she quietly explained that Buggy's emotional state would be equal parts delicate and volatile right now. This false report of their untimely deaths had deeply traumatized Buggy to the point where he had tried to take his own life because he couldn't bear going on without them. Dr. Jungo was moderately certain that Buggy would not make another attempt on his own life now that he knew that Mihawk and Crocodile were perfectly well and with him, but she still advised them to keep a very close eye on him for at least the next few weeks.

As they watched a misty-eyed Buggy beam as he hugged a tearful Richie around the lion's maned neck, Mihawk and Crocodile vowed that they would not fail their Yonko, they would keep him from falling into darkness again.

A little while later, after breakfast had been enjoyed and their immediate crew had taken their leave all on their own when they noticed Buggy trying to hide how tired he was, the triumvirate of Cross Guild found themselves laying together in bed, Buggy sandwiched between Mihawk and Crocodile once again. The silence was comfortable between the three of them as Buggy gripped Mihawk's dagger necklace while the swordsman lay on his side pressed up against the Yonko, rubbing his thumb along it's edges just to feel how real it was while his eyes stared up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look. Crocodile lightly twirled some of Buggy's long blue hair through his bejeweled fingers.

With a sigh, Buggy finally broke the silence between them.

" I know I am not alright." Buggy said without looking at his lovers, who both immediately grew alert and focused on him. With a shuddering breath Buggy turned his gaze away from the ceiling and looked to his lovers as he continued.

" I am not alright today, I won't be tomorrow hell, I probably won't be for a while." Buggy said sadly.

Mihawk and Crocodile both understood, what had happened was not something one could brush off no matter how hard they tried.

" I can promise you that I won't try to do what I did in my workshop again." He said firmly.

" Well that's good to know Clown." Crocodile quipped, effectively breaking some of the tension before Buggy sobered and shook his head.

" I knew what I was doing was wrong, even when I had my head tilted back and I was about to pour all that shit down my gullet, I knew that the two of you wouldn't have wanted me to do it but another part of me just wanted to be with you on the other side as fast as possible." Buggy explained before he shuddered and his eyes grew over bright.

" When it fully hit me that you guys were 'dead' I just... it was like all the color went away and everything was grey. All I could see was grey, like some filter over my eyes. I felt like everything inside me just... shriveled up and there was no point to any of it anymore, not Cross Guild, not the One Piece, not even breathing. There was just no point to anything anymore." Buggy croaked.

There was a beat of silence and then Buggy was gasping and he was summarily crushed between two warm and familiar bodies.

" You love us that much Clown?" Crocodile asked with the barest waver in his deep voice.

Buggy just choked out a small chuckle and nodded before he found himself staring into a pair of intense yellow eyes. Buggy gasped softly when Mihawk reached up and took hold of his jaw with a calloused, firm hand and spoke.

" When we first laid eyes on you yesterday, you told us there was no life without us. Well this goes for us too, we don't want a life without you either Buggy D. Clown, and to think, we could have come home, oblivious to everything and found nothing but your melted corpse to greet us. You will never, ever do something like that again, do you hear me Clown?" Mihawk all but growled.

" I promise Dracule." Buggy whispered desperately to Mihawk before he turned tearful blue eyes to Crocodile.

" I promise Crocodile." He added.

There was this all encompassing moment of stillness and then like a rubber band snapping, the three of them were crashing into each other, mouths and hands desperately grasping, pulling, caressing, and clinging all at once.

They lost themselves in the feel of each other as they finally made love. Mihawk and Crocodile had wanted to stave off, but when the moment arrived, Buggy didn't back down despite his weakened state, he wanted them and he made sure they knew it clearly.

Buggy let out a shaky breath as he lay against Crocodile's warm, solid chest while Mihawk was behind him lavishing kisses down the length of his side. They were everywhere, they were here with him, they were here. They hadn't been torn away from him like he had thought.

They were a tangle of limbs, one and together, making love to each other and forgetting all thought of the rest of the world. Their world was here now, in this bed, in each others arms.

The sounds echoing throughout the room slowly started to grow louder and louder, unashamed, proud even as the three of them slowly ascended towards the precipice. The teetered together at the top, entwined together in the most intimate of ways, and then Buggy's body went rigid, clenching and suddenly they were all falling together right over the edge into the white hot ecstasy that could only ever be felt through such actions as theirs in that moment.

They collapsed in a heap and rode out the aftershocks, shuddering, gasping, a complete and utter mess.

" I love you." Buggy whispered his long blue hair curtains over half of his face as he shuddered and breathed between the bodies of his lovers.

" We love you too Clown." Crocodile rumbled with a deep, sated sigh as he ran his hand up and down Mihawk's back.

The swordsman himself lay on top of Buggy's back almost like a blanket with his cheek pillowed between the Yonko's shoulders as he hummed in wordless agreement.

There was a beat of silence before Buggy's eyes filled with tears and he looked up at his lovers.

" Y-You'll be here when I open my eyes again, right?" He asked softly, his cheeks turning pink with embarrassment at his own insecurity.

Mihawk and Crocodile didn't laugh or make fun of him, honestly they both just looked sad for a fleeting moment before Mihawk's face grew determined as he spoke.

" Always." Was all his said as he reached up and cupped Buggy's face.

Buggy leaned into the touch and sent his yellow eyed swordsman a grateful look before Crocodile chimed in.

" We'll be here, but don't nod off just yet. Let's all clean up a little first and then." He said.

Buggy nodded, though he was loathed to move. The three of them did eventually get out of bed and go to the bathroom to clean up. When they emerged again, Mihawk made quick work of changing the sheets before they all climbed back in. Buggy was out before his head hit the pillow but Mihawk and Crocodile didn't join him in the late morning slumber, instead they kept guard and also shared a look, their eyes hardening in promise.

There were so many questions still left unanswered, the chief of which was who actually sent that false and greatly exaggerated report of their demise.

They would find out who sent it and there would be hell to pay.

Day passed into night, time moved forever forward. In the days that passed, Mihawk and Crocodile did not leave Buggy's side. True to Dr. Jungo's words, Buggy broke down several times, loud and unashamed, his sleep often marred by nightmares of being visited by Mihawk and Crocodile's corpses, or worst still dreaming of waking up and finding reality to be the dream, and that his lovers were dead and gone for real. Mihawk and Crocodile absolutely hated the state Buggy would often get into, but they understood that their lover was traumatized, he was grieving them, he was still so deeply frightened beyond measure. Crocodile had subtly ordered Daz and Galdino to gather all of the recordings and footage of the false report of their deaths from the den dens. He had multiple copies made and then tasks everyone to pour over the evidence as many times as they could. When he presented copies to Mihawk, the swordsman had lived up to his moniker if Hawk-Eye and figuratively sunk his talons into everything.

When he wasn't taking care of Buggy, Mihawk was pouring over the recordings of the message reporting a wreck halfway to Miri Miro Island and the images of said wreck, especially the image of the floating chunks of wood upon which a golden hook rested. Through his unique observation skills, Mihawk was able to deduce that the images were fake, purposely doctored to include the golden hook. When he presented his findings to Crocodile, it left the two warlords beyond pissed and their ire only grew when they told Buggy this and beheld his devastation and rage. Buggy's rage fueled them to take swift action.

With Cabaji being able to back track the signals on the den dens despite a slight scrambling he discovered in the process, they were able to whittle down just which ship the false transmission had come from. It was down to these five possible ships that were in the same vicinity as Miri Miro Island.

Naturally one would assume that Mihawk would happily go off hunting down and laying waste to each and every one of these ships until he found the one that was responsible for this entire mess, so it said something about the depths of his feelings for Buggy D. Clown when instead, he left the hunting to Daz Bones and a small ship of some of Cross Guild's best stealth fighters. Crocodile went so far as to give the order to not shed blood, just to match the ship with the signal and then capture everyone on board and bring them back to Karai Bari as quietly as possible.

With hunting tasked to a trusted and competent confidant like Daz, Mihawk and Crocodile continued to help Buggy heal.

The lovers stayed in seclusion for a full week, Mihawk and Crocodile making sure Buggy ate well, slept as much as he could, and slowly processed not only the trauma of mistakenly believing his lovers had died, but also that it had been a deliberate act by some as of yet unknown, malevolent force. On top of Buggy's heartache, Mihawk and Crocodile also had to deal with Buggy's new found rage. The clown wanted blood, he wanted heads to roll, so much so that he had actually tried to break the wax seal over the doors to his workshop so that he could make an extra special pill-sized muggy ball he could force down the throats of whoever was responsible for this utterly cruel act against him and his lovers. Thankfully he hadn't been able to punch through Galdino's wax seal, and then had no choice but to deflate under both Mihawk and Crocodile's double glare. Crocodile had gone ahead and summoned Richie over to their quarters for some much needed cuddles after that. It had helped some in calming Buggy down.

Inevitably, their responsibilities as the leaders of Cross Guild could not be ignored any further. So bright and early one morning after they had enjoyed a wonderful breakfast cooked up by Mihawk, the three of them set about getting ready for work. Even as they were getting ready themselves, Mihawk slipping on his boots and Crocodile buttoning up his waist coat, they both kept a watchful eye on Buggy as the Yonko where he sat at his vanity, already dressed in one of his flashy Captain's outfits in bright orange and white, brushing his long blue hair. They continued to dress and watched on as Buggy threaded his long hair through the holes on either side of his white Captain's hat before he set about painting his face in his signature style.

After covering his whole face in a base coat, Buggy had just raised the brush loaded with blue paint to do the triangles over his eyes when he stopped and shuddered, having to shut his eyes as he let out a shaky breath and nearly dropped the brush. Mihawk and Crocodile immediately tense, ready to race to Buggy's side if need be. After a moment Buggy sat up straight and opened his eyes, his expression turning hard and determined as he brought the brush back up to his face and resumed painting his triangles. Mihawk and Crocodile relaxed minutely and shared a look of quiet pride in their Yonko before they to went back to getting ready.

A few minutes later the three of them were standing together, facing one another, ready in their signature regalia. Mihawk and Crocodile took in their Yonko, back to his resplendence but with a soberness to him now from his ordeal. The three of them knew that they could never fully go back to how things were before this malicious incident, that things had changed somewhat. One thing that hadn't changed was their feelings for each other, if anything their devotion to each other had grown even stronger.

" Well, let's get back to work." Buggy said with a warm smile to his lovers.

Mihawk, with Yoru resplendent at his back, bestowed on Buggy the rare smile he only ever allowed his lovers to see while Crocodile grinned with a fresh cigar clenched between his teeth. With Buggy leading the way, the three of them headed out of their residence and up the corridor to the main big top tent.

A few minutes later, Buggy, Mihawk, and Crocodile were buffeted by a wave of cheers as the denizens of Cross Guild roared and rejoiced at the official return of their Chairman and his executives.

A big step towards some kind of normal.

About three days later...

" P-P-Please, please spare me and my crew! I beg you please! We-We never wanted to send that transmission I swear, I swear on my sainted mother that we didn't, but the Marines made us, they literally held a gun to my brother's head and demanded that we send the message to you about Sir Crocodile and Sir Mihawk's ship going down and gave us those images. Please Chairman Buggy, spare us please!"

From where he sat on his high backed chair with Mihawk and Crocodile flanking him, Buggy was dressed in red and black, even his face paint nothing but these same hues, reflecting his dark mood as he stared at the trembling captain of the small freighter ship who was responsible for sending the transmission that let to the hellish nightmare he and his lovers had had to live through and were still dealing with.

Daz and his ground of fighters had returned to Karai Bari towing the freighter and her crew, and now stood between them and the only way out of the tent they had been unceremoniously dumped in to face Cross Guilds rather pissed off rulers.

When they had received word that Daz had successfully voice the dreaded messenger, Buggy, Mihawk, and Crocodile were all for not showing any mercy whatsoever, just razing everyone and everything involved out of existence. Now though, as the freighter Captain's words registered to them, they paused.

It made sense that it would be the Marines bullying an completely innocent vessel into doing their dirty work in order to sabotage one of the biggest threats against them. They had the technology and the means to fabricate the images of a wreck and provide a den den with a specific, scrambled signal to make it hard to trace back to them.

Buggy still said nothing for a moment longer, just to make these fools squirm a little more before he finally spoke.

" You said yes to the Marines and caused us no small amount of trouble, especially to me since I am particularly fond of my executives." Buggy said with deceptive calmness, his pale blue eyes like chips of eyes as he stared unblinking at the men kneeling before him.

" W-We're sorry sir, so sorry!" The first mate, clearly the captain's brother, cried beside his captain before as one, the whole crew prostrated themselves before Buggy, Mihawk, and Crocodile.

" Whether you lot live to see the next second will depend entirely on whether or not you lot will tell us everything I want to know." Buggy said with all serious.

" We'll tell you everything sir, just please spare us!" The captain yelled without hesitation, whatever color left in his face draining at the glares Mihawk and Crocodile both leveled on him.

" Very good then, start talking. I wanna know everything about the Marines that did this." Buggy seethed as fiery rage filled his previously frigid eyes.

A couple of days later out on the open seas...

The normally blue waters of the ocean were red and orange with the raging fires of destruction, spilled oil carrying the flames and smoke over the water's surface as the two halves of the Naval ship bobbed for a bit before slowly sinking. The ship had been cleaved clean in half after being barraged by countless cannon fire, seemingly the entire arsenal of a well-stocked warship.

In a way this was accurate, there was a warship floating just a few yards away, overseeing the carnage as the Navy ship died a fiery death at sea. Only thing was it was just half of the ships arsenal that had been expended.

The ship was this behemoth and garish vessel with a full big top tent and flashy all over, with its ship's figurehead in the maniacally grinning visage of Cross Guild's chairman with two swords crossed underneath. At the stern of the ship, Mihawk sheathed his great sword Yoru to his back, he and Crocodile standing on either side of Chairman Buggy himself. The swordsman was a fearsome sight to behold with blood spatter painting the side of his face. Crocodile was just as terrifying as he smoked away, a nonchalant look on his face and blood dripping from the wicked curve of his golden hook. They stood together with the tinge of smoke on their tongues and vengeance somewhat quelled in their hearts. As he stood there overlooking the carnage he and his lovers had dealt, Buggy D. Clown cut an aloof figure, every bit a Yonko with the heated sea breeze passing through his long blue hair, dressed all in black instead of his flashy colors. Clutched in one gloved, bloodstained hand was one of his favorite knives, dripping red with fresh blood, in the other he clutched a once pristine white Navy officer's jacket, now singed and soot covered with several large, brutal gashes through it and deep blood stains all over it.

This jacket had belonged to the captain of the vessel Mihawk had had no trouble cleaving in half clean down the middle after Buggy had gotten his hands of the man himself and exacted his revenge. The captain, an upstart wanting to gain the rank of admiral as fast as he could, had taken it upon himself to try to disrupt Cross Guild as much as possible and what better way than to spread false information about the untimely demise of two of its greatest defenders. It was just rotten luck that Mihawk and Crocodile's den dens had gotten sick and helped further solidify the mistaken belief that they had been killed.

Now that Navy captain's corpse was floating among the debris along with many others of his crew, all of them paying for his ambition with their lives while Buggy watched on clutching his prize, flanked by his whole and unharmed lovers.

The sharp toothed denizens of the ocean would feed well today.

About two months later...

Mihawk took a sip of wine to chase down the bite of curry he had just taken, his yellow eyes taking in the sight of his lovers who sat with him at the table in their kitchen area as they enjoyed a quiet lunch together in the privacy of their quarters. Crocodile was all but inhaling the pastrami sandwich Mihawk had made him, while Buggy was wolfing down the chicken pot pie the swordsman had prepared for him, his hands pale and unmarred after all the strides taken to heal them of their chemical burns. It was as they ate that Mihawk caught Crocodile's eye. They shared a silent conversation in the span of a few moments before Mihawk finally broke the comfortable silence between them.

" Buggy it's been a while, so I am going to sail to Kuraigana to check on things there." Mihawk said bluntly, Crocodile using his sandwich to hide his wince as silence followed Mihawk's words. Then Buggy spoke.

" That's a good idea Hawky, it's true you haven been to that gloomy rock of yours in ages. It'll be great for you to see how the humandrills are doing. When do you leave?" Buggy asked with a warm smile.

Mihawk and Crocodile both blinked at their Yonko before Crocodile spoke.

" How come you're not freaking out about Hawk going somewhere without us?" He asked with an incredulous look on his face.

Buggy's expression grew thoughtful before he sighed and nodded.

" Yeah I am a little freaked out but I just... It's been months and you guys have been really patient with me so thank you for that, but I can't just drop everything and go with you both and I can't keep insisting the two of you go everywhere with me. What happened happened and yeah, it really fucked me up, but clinging to you guys for the rest of my life to where the two of you can't actually go any fucking where and actually do your jobs when you need to is no way for any of us to live. You're both gonna start resenting me and I think I'll start resenting you too, and then where would we be huh?" Buggy asked as his eyes glittered with salt, but he stubbornly blinked it all back and stayed composed rather than dissolving.

" Hey Clown, you aren't a burden, we love having you with us." Crocodile said quietly.

" I love being with you guys too, but I am Chairman of Cross Guild, that's the role you guys gave me and I need to be here to carry it out, not halfway across the seas because I can't handle being by myself. You guys have accommodated me for months and I love you so much for it, but it's time you guys, I am ready. I gotta be able to hold down things here on my own like I did before while you guys take care of things elsewhere." Buggy said quietly but firmly.

There was a beat of silence where Mihawk and Crocodile just beheld Buggy in his quiet strength before the yellow eyed swordsman spoke.

" Well alright then my love, if you are sure I shall be heading out for Kuraigana the day after tomorrow." He said with a nod.

Buggy took a deep breath and then nodded before he went back to eating his lunch without another word. Mihawk and Crocodile watched him, the two of them sharing a look before they to went back to eating. The silence, once comfortable was now loaded with all the possible worst case scenarios that could come with Buggy taking this big step forward.

The day after the next found Mihawk packed and ready to go to Kuraigana on one of Cross Guild's fastest and most heavily armed ships instead of his infamous coffin ship. Where are before he could drift anywhere aimlessly for as long as he wanted, now he had reasons to hurry home. He stood on the dock with Buggy and Crocodile there to see him off along with the rest of their immediate crew. The early morning sun was warm and the salty sea breeze pleasant.

" You got everything you need Hawky?" Buggy asked as the three of them faced each other beside the waiting ship.

" Yes Buggy, I have everything. It'll be a quick trip, I won't linger there." Mihawk assured only for Buggy to shake his head and smile warmly at him.

" You don't have to rush back on my account, take all the time you want, me and Croco will be here to give you a hell of a welcome when you come back." The blue haired clown said with a glint in his eyes and a slight blush to his cheeks.

Mihawk nodded and looked warmly to his Yonko lover before he turned his yellow eyes to Crocodile.

" You get to have him all to yourself then?" Mihawk teased lightly, earning a snort from the sand wielder who then shook his head.

" Oh I'll have him seeing stars for sure." Crocodile said with a toothy grin as he turned hungry eyes to Buggy who blushed further before he turned his violet eyes back to Mihawk.

" You know full well we won't be complete without you Hawk-Eyes." He said far more quietly.

Mihawk felt several powerful emotions rise up inside of him at these words, the chief being pure, unadulterated love. Quashing it all down as was in tune with his nature, Mihawk nodded wordlessly to his lovers, and then to the rest of their immediate crew before he finally turned to step onto the gangway. He made it just one step before he was suddenly whirling around and striding back to his lovers.

" Hawky wha- Mmph!" Buggy managed to get out before whiskered lips were sealing over his own and kissing the very breath right out of him.

Buggy was tense for barely a second before his whole body just sighed right into Mihawk's arms as he fervently kissed his swordsman back. When they broke apart with a gasp, Buggy stared up at Mihawk with wide eyes. It was their unwritten rule, to PDA, and here Mihawk was just laying one on him in broad daylight in front of everyone on the docks. Crocodile was gaping slightly, and their crew were no better, all of them staring.

Mihawk wasn't done though as he promptly reached out for Crocodile, grasping the much taller man's shirt collar and pulling him down with ease. Crocodile had the wherewithal to take his cigar out of his mouth before he too was kissed soundly and unashamedly. When they drew back, it was to thunderous applause all around them from both their immediate crew and everyone working on the docks and on board the ship Mihawk was set to board. A few brave souls even sent out some playful wolf-whistles at the blatant display of love out of the World's Greatest Swordsman to their chairman and his fellow executive.

" I'll be back soon my loves." Mihawk said loudly without shame as he gave Richie a last scratch to his chin before he finally turned and stepped up onto the gangway, Yoru glittering brilliantly at his back.

" We can hardly wait as it is Hawk-Eye." Crocodile called as he wrapped his arm around a grinning Buggy's shoulders.

A few minutes later, with a blare of its horn, Mihawk's ship finally set sail with the swordsman standing at the railing while his lovers and their crew stood on the docks to see him off. Much like before, on that fateful day he and Crocodile had headed out to Miri Miro Island, Mihawk stayed by the rail, walking along it until he was at the stern of the ship. As he stood and watched his lovers and his home start to grow distance as the ship carrying him headed out into the open clear blue ocean, Mihawk allowed himself a small sigh and felt a twinge of longing lance through him at leaving the ones he loved, but he also felt a thrill of anticipation. If anyone dared try to attack him, he would end them swiftly without mercy, once he reached Kuraigana Island he would check on his humandrill friends and see how they fared with keeping up the gardening techniques he taught them.

Mihawk's lips curled up slightly as he also thought of his dreary castle, and the secret compartment he kept behind the fireplace in his bed chambers.

There was a box with a gold ring that held a rare, prismatic hexagon cut gem within its center along with a large matching gold bracelet, both of which were the perfect size for Buggy's left ring finger and the base of Crocodile's hook respectively. They were a little something Mihawk had commissioned well over a year ago and hidden away in his castle on his gloomy island for safe keeping, until he was ready.

When Mihawk returned home to Karai Bari safe and sound, he had an all important question he wanted to ask his lovers regarding spending the rest of their lives together and making it all official.

With a small huff at his own romanticism, Mihawk turned away from the stern and headed towards the bow, wanting to tell the ship's captain to already pick up the pace to Kuraigana.

The End